Getting human at work
Anyone who has ever worked with me knows that formality is not my strong suit. I always want to chat and get to know people: what they did on the weekend, where they live, what pets they have, what they cooked last night… I do try to be considerate, I try not to cross too many boundaries, respect those who are not big over-sharers, and shut up when people are concentrating.
But I used to think that to be successful, I needed to be more reserved. I always looked at the people ‘further up the chain’ than me, and they usually wore ties, smiled rarely and shared almost nothing about themselves. Cool as marble.
I once confided to my work husband* that I thought maybe I should cultivate a more aloof demeanour, or at least an air of mystery, or failing that, an occasional hint of gravitas. He told me that while he believed strongly in my ability to do almost anything, he thought some goals were more clearly going to be a challenge for me and that perhaps I should focus on my strengths.
So here’s why I am loving having my whole team working from home. I love it when someone’s kid wanders into the room to say hello. I love that people are rocking up on conference calls with messy hair, windcheaters and - awesomely - the occasional novelty wig. There is just no room for unnecessary formality.
I mean, who didn’t fall in love with this video of Professor Robert Kelly, a political commentator, whose kids interrupted a live interview on the BBC? I love that he tries to continue as if nothing’s happening until he corpses (laughing when you’re not supposed to), that his daughter walks in with such a jaunty strut and that his wife slides in on her socks like a scene from Risky Business.
I think that over the last decade we have worked out that we can be credible, confident and capable, and also be human. I recently heard someone say, vulnerability builds trust: ‘when you are human, I can relax and also be human’. It becomes less about power and status, and more about solving problems together.
I think that many workplaces have been moving away from that real formality for a while - thank goodness. Think Richard Branson, for example. His brand has focused specifically on informality. And you might remember the Complete Idiots Guides and the Dummy’s Guides which took us all by storm in the 1990s. These companies built their brand on being human and understanding that their customers are human too. This is perhaps also a response to a world population that has become increasingly cynical and now craves genuineness.
And just look at the Wonder Woman New Zealand has elected as a prime minister. Jacinda Ardern is in no way shy about displaying her humanity. As the Carona Virus emergency starts to hot up, she gives an address to the nation from home in a windcheater having just put her daughter to bed. God, I love that woman. And I trust her.
But I think it’s also because people are just more interesting and engaging when they stop trying to be the same as everyone else. Generic corporate personas, long lifeless documents, and standard presentations are boring as all heck. One of the things I love about Agile is that is embraces and celebrates our humanity - we do get bored, distracted and defeated. We do change our minds. We can’t think of everything up front. Agile encourages us to work with that and try to use our differences, our quirks and our instincts to our advantage. Perhaps that’s what attracted me to a career in that part of IT in the first place…
So let’s hope that when all this is all over that we keep up the pets, kids, clutter, partners, soft toys, messy hair and Ugg boots. I’m freaking loving it.
Ky
* Work husband/work wife: Your best friend at work. The person who always has your back, believes in you completely, and will help you determine if your big crazy idea is a stroke of genius or a career-limiting move.