Foundational Philosophy
“What does it mean to be human?”
It's a big question, I know. My dad, a former professor of educational philosophy, asks his grad students this question and two additional follow up questions on their first day:
“What does it mean to be human?
“What should human beings become?”
“What is my role in helping them become that?”
As leaders, teachers, parents, and friends, the way that we answer these three questions will determine everything about the practices we put in place in an attempt to help others reach their potential. To make this more digestible, let’s use a metaphor. Here’s a continuum with two opposing ideas on each end…
A Ball of Clay
One side of the continuum represents the idea that human beings are like a ball of clay. This means as leaders, teachers, and those who influence others, our job is to mold and shape the people in our lives into what it is that we think they should become. If we believe in people as balls of clay, we’ll learn methods to push and pull others. We’ll look for ways to measure, predict, and control them. We’ll assume that without leaders to show them exactly what to do, they are capable of very little if anything at all. So, we’ll add frequent accountability checks to prove that individuals are hitting their marks – or not. As a clay thinking leader, the ownership of the success or failure of that clay is yours. Meaning, if the individual becomes a high performer, congratulations, you are such a great leader. If the individual does not perform, however, you are the one at fault.
I see this mindset play out in workplaces more than I like. In studying Industrial Organizational Psychology, I’ve seen this mindset a lot among practitioners that want to prove their practices as foolproof. It especially plays out in hiring, onboarding, and performance management practices that focus more on metrics than on the human impact of those metrics. As a scientist, I can see the draw in believing that I can control and predict the performance of others… but my lived experience tells me that I can estimate behavior only to a certain extent and when I try to fit someone into the box of my expectations when they don’t want to fit, is when there will be conflict in a place where there could have been incredible innovation.
A Seed
On the other side of the continuum is the belief that human beings are more like a seed. Meaning, they are a packet of potential and all that potential already lives within them. This means that our job as those that lead, teach, and lift others, is to create a rich environment that helps that seed to grow and flourish. My dad likes to add that he believes that individuals are seeds with choice. They have infinite potential, but it is up to them to make the choice to grow, and they must be given an environment that is conducive to that. Here, leaders are not the sole owners of the success or failure of the seed. They are part of a much more complex environment.
It's easy to assume that this mindset means a free-form “kumbaya” structure. In many ways it can be, but it’s important to note that a garden can be as manicured as the gardener makes it. However, gardens where plants thrive the most are the ones where the gardener knows the right conditions for each individual plant and places them where they will be able to grow to their best potential. I’ll admit, I have felt this mindset more in academia and mentoring situations than I have in the workplace. However, some form of this mindset shows up when we hear about workplaces where employee engagement is high and leaders are transformational. In my own business, I worked from this mindset and we had an incredible culture. However, I learned the hard way that assuming others would love my environment and perform at top expectations just because I believed in them could be detrimental to organizational performance without the right checks and balances.
To summarize, the ball of clay mindset is enticing because it keeps the locus of control with the leader. The seed mindset can be daunting because it acknowledges that the locus of control is going to be complex and divided. When looking at these metaphors as a leader, it can be tempting to pick the one that seems easiest for ourselves. However, if we are the ones in the metaphor, which environment feels more enticing? (See the image below)
The best thing about this metaphor is that it is built on a continuum. Either extreme of this metaphor is not conducive to a healthy work environment. Here’s how I tackle it. I believe, like my dad, that humans are “ancient souls with divine potential” and that each person we meet has the opportunity to teach us something. I also know, that as an organization, there will be priorities that will not align with every individual. Organizational practices should be in place to protect the organization and those who work within it. These practices and processes do not need to be in opposition to seed-like thinking and instead can be a pot that we use to grow our seeds within.
This page is dedicated to findings of organizational practices that create the opportunity for human potential to flourish. You’ll see insights from my experiences as a learning and development professional, former business owner, Harvard grad student, and my most challenging learning experience of all, that of a mother. As long as you join me in a continuous growth mindset, we’re going to have a good time. This is the Sageship Way of thinking. Welcome to Sageship.
