On the Road to Freedom – It sucks Being the little Guy

It sucks being the little guy

Recent events in the world seem to confirm that power is what matters and that intimidation, exploitation, or even abuse is all right as long as you are on the side of power. Who is to say anything against it?

It sucks being the little guy in the schoolyard with big bullies around you. It sucks being the small country threatened by its big neighbor, that supposedly was a friend.

Is power really all there is? Are the postmodernists right? That there are no big stories, no absolute truths, no right or wrong – There is only power and its sidekick spectacle! This view creeps under the door, like a fog, in organizations and institutions as well.

Now is the time to oppose that kind of – or rather lack of – thinking. We may not be able to topple the megatrends right now, but we can display an alternative behavior and build a different culture on our little patch of influence. A local implementation of freedom, respect under the rule of an agreed-to law; and not the law of a ruler. We call that Constitutional Organization, and it is a Liberating Organization – the title of our new book by the way.

It is the power of small steps of respect, showing appreciation, and taking responsibility for the small things; they matter! It is what we – the little guys can do. People will notice a non-self-serving attitude and be attracted. Deep down people in general want to belong, serve a goal higher than themselves, be free agents, grow, and contribute. This is called “Intrinsic Motivation”

We are going to keep exploring this path of these powerful small steps. And we believe it is important to install this in our organizations, where most of us spend the majority of the hours we are awake. If we know it works here, and we are attracted to it here, we can contribute positively to the larger society. 

Our next workshop focuses on the small steps that can be taken when offline, remote, or hybrid, join us for the event and the discussion, see links in the comments.