The challenges before us demand leaders who are willing to embrace the complexity of the human condition, prioritize healing and collaboration, and build workplaces where all people can thrive despite the chaos all around us.
We are living in an era of collapse. The recent presidential election is not the catalyst for this collapse, but it has applied increased force upon it and made collapse more apparent for us all. For clarity of language, a collapse is something that falls or gives way. A catalyst is something that causes a change to something else without itself undergoing any permanent change.
What’s collapsing? Democratic societies around the world. What’s the catalyst? Unfettered human greed.
Democracy requires participation; by its very nature, it is collaborative. When Darwin wrote that the “fittest” survive, he was not referring to the most competitive, the most authoritarian, nor the most dominant. He was referring to collaboration. Organisms with the greatest capacity for collaboration are the organisms capable of evolving; thus surviving. Collectively, we are experiencing a collapse in our collective capacity for collaboration.
Much has been written about the myriad ways that human greed has led to our reduced capacity to collaborate in the meta sense. I won’t rehash that here, but I do encourage you do to your own research and learning about this. The purpose of this article is to focus on the critical importance to prioritize collaboration in the micro sense — in our neighborhoods, schools, social spaces, places of worship, places of service, places of play, and certainly in our places of work. In an era of collapse, the window for widescale change has closed. What is left is our capacity to create change within our small spheres of influence. To do this, we must first accept this reality. If we don’t, we will place our focus on changing “The System” (i.e., whatever big system you find yourself most activated by); rather than on the spaces where we have real power to create positive change. Change grounded in human security, dignity, and love.
This article offers five core ways we can be change-makers within our spheres of influence. This is not an exhaustive list, merely a starting point. My passion is supporting leaders in creating workplace cultures where all people thrive. Therefore, I am speaking specifically to for-profit and nonprofit business leaders in this article. However, I am writing this intentionally to offer insights for anyone who seeks to be an agent of positive change in any area in which you have influence. Please don’t sell yourself short, you are powerful beyond measure.
What is needed now is for each of us to step into our personal power with integrity and purpose toward creating right relationship. Zuisei Goddard offers insights into what it means to practice right relationship, “Practicing Right Relationship is therefore about aligning ourselves with ourselves, with others, and with the world in such a way that these relationships will both create and reflect harmony, kindness, and care. It’s about living our lives according to our true capacity, our true nature, instead of the confusion that so often results in greed and harm. The good news is that every single one of us has the capacity to see clearly, act lovingly, and care deeply. All we have to do is decide that this is what we want. The rest is just a matter of practice.” In an era of collapse, effective leadership will prioritize right relationship.
Human-Centric Leadership Is Required in an Era of Collapse
An era of collapse is marked with human suffering. Every person coming into our places of work is dealing with an increase in human suffering. Sometimes that suffering is rooted in not being in right relationship with oneself. This is a bold assertion, and a true one.
Violence is on the rise particularly as it relates to gun violence; violence against women, LGBTQIA+ individuals, violence against Black and Brown people, and violence against all members of historically marginalized groups. Yet, organizational commitments to diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging practices are on the decline.
Dominant political leadership promises to enact policies and laws that will increase this violence while also promising to reduce aid to those who have historically been “helpers.” They have made good on many of these promises, and everything points to a continued commitment to suppressing human dignity and human rights.
Income inequality, low wages, high costs of living, and the cost of higher education that saddles students with life-long debt have significantly impacted the quality of life of many people in the United States and around the world. The American assumption of one generation doing better than the generation before it is a thing of the past.
As a leader, your sphere of influence touches some of these areas of human suffering, but not many. Your specific formal role within your sphere of influence will inform how much role power you have to influence your micro system. What is within your power, is your ability and commitment to bring a human-centric approach to your leadership, and you have a moral imperative to do so.
Below are five core ways you can be a more human leader.
Become proficient in the dynamics of human behavior. Humans are complex and in various stages of development, emotions, thoughts, skills, resilience, and capacities for navigating adversity. Effective leadership in an era of collapse requires that we deepen our understanding of the human condition. Leaders need to understand what is necessary for humans to thrive and the leadership behaviors that create capacity for thriving in the workplace. The Dynamics of Human Behavior webinar is a great place to begin your journey toward proficiency in human behavior.
Become trauma informed. Trauma is expected in an era of collapse. When the institutions that hold the structure of democracy falter (or fall), when violence is normalized, when people cannot consistently experience basic human needs, trauma should be expected. Trauma is when we experience very stressful, frightening or distressing events that are difficult to cope with or are out of our control. This could be one incident (example: employees who have experienced a mass shooting or an extreme weather event) or an ongoing event that happens over a long period of time (example: authoritarian leaders who strip human rights and perpetuate wide scale violence and/or chronic inequities associated with one's racial and ethnic identity). For the last decade, many people have been under conditions that have led to chronic trauma. Considering the recent presidential election and the deeply unqualified and dangerous people identified to lead governmental institutions, leaders should expect to see an increase in traumatized people in their workplaces. The Trauma-Informed Leader webinar is a good place to begin your journey toward becoming trauma-informed. You may also need trauma healing for yourself. Take a deeper dive with the Trauma-Informed Leadership course.
Become conflict competent. Chaos is the energy of collapse. If you have been leading people for a decade or more, you may be confused by a new reality — the leadership skills that got you to where you are today just don’t seem to work anymore. People are disoriented. Nothing seems to make sense anymore. The world feels topsy-turvy. Disorientation and confusion lead to fear. Fear breeds conflict. You cannot be an effective leader in an era of collapse without high competency in conflict. The Brain in Conflict & Connection webinar is a good place to begin your journey toward becoming conflict competent. Leaders should also normalize working with professional conflict engagers to support them in creating a conflict competent workplace. Conflict competence is required for compassionate leadership.
Become trustworthy. In an era of collapse, one of the first pillars of society to fall is trust. There are a lot if definitions of trust, and they are all worth exploring and reflecting on. The definition that guides my work is that trust is the belief that the words and actions of one’s leadership and coworkers will reliably align and that workplace processes will produce results that are in the best interest of the organization’s members, mission, and purpose. To be trustworthy amid chaos and human suffering is to lead with courage — to be willing to go first, do hard things, speak truth, advocate for justice, and embrace the unknown. Trust requires that leaders are in integrity with the privilege that comes with the role of leadership. If a leader doesn’t have the courage to advocate for justice, trust will not be possible. Read that again. Your capacity for trustworthiness is directly connected to your relationship with oppression. If you don’t have the courage to advocate for justice, you can’t lead effectively in an era of collapse. If you see yourself in that statement, have the courage to step out of leadership so space is available for a courageous leader to come forward. You and your colleagues will benefit from that act of courage. The Leading with Trust and Integrity and The Neuroscience of Trust webinars can support you in exploring your own capacity for building leadership trust.
Ground your diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging practices in dignity. Notice the assumption that you have not abandoned DEIB as leader? You cannot effectively lead in an era of collapse without a commitment to DEIB. And your DEIB practices won’t be impactful if they are not grounded in in the inherent worth and value of every single person in your organization. The Paradigm Shift in DEI course is a great place to deepen your knowledge and understanding of DEIB in the workplace.
In an era of collapse, leadership is no longer about driving profits or maintaining the status quo — it is about fostering resilience, connection, and dignity within the spaces we influence. The challenges before us demand leaders who are willing to embrace the complexity of the human condition, prioritize healing and collaboration, and build workplaces where all people can thrive despite the chaos all around us. This is not just a professional calling; it is a moral one. The choices we make as leaders today — how we show up, how we treat others, and how we create micro systems rooted in humanity — will ripple far beyond our immediate spheres of influence. As we navigate this collapse together, let us commit to practicing right relationship, grounding our actions in care, and stepping fully into our capacity to lead with integrity and purpose. In doing so, we can plant seeds.
Workplace Peace Institute is an organization systems design and research firm that is singularly focused on creating workplace cultures where people thrive. Workplace Peace Institute supports small to mid-sized businesses in optimizing employee engagement, maximizing organizational productivity, and improving profitability by infusing human security and dignity as foundational attributes of their business model. Workplace Peace Institute offers a variety of services to support professionals in navigating complex challenges so they can achieve their individual potential. We are singularly focused on creating workplace cultures where all people thrive, which is why we are committed to helping you thrive.
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