1. Human beings are not human resources,
they are people.

The industrial era created a paradigm where humans became extensions of machines. This worked its way into the organisational lexicon which is full of terms like efficiency, effectiveness, structure, information flows, bottlenecks, reengineering, downsizing. But humans aren’t cogs in a larger machine. They have feelings, families, ideals, passions and a strong desire for purpose and meaning.

2. Human beings thrive when they are simply being.

What sets us humans apart from other beings is having a sense of ‘self’. Humans recognise individuality, and we perform at our best when we are being authentically, unapologetically us. Workplaces which value authenticity (bringing the real you to work) and vulnerability (being the real you at work) enable humans to be humans, and when that happens things get creative.

3. Human beings embrace change when they are grounded in who they are.

Change is now the only constant. And the pace of change is increasing. The best way to cope with and capitalise on change is to be clear about who we are as individuals so that, amidst the storm, we can stay grounded.

After all, today’s change will be overtaken by tomorrow’s change, and we are our only constant.

4. Human beings want to relate to other human beings.

Human beings are social animals. That’s why we live in groups. It provides us with a sense of belonging and satisfies our need for social connection. Most humans want to relate to others; our work colleagues, the human who sells us a coffee each morning, and our boss. If we don’t spend time getting to know those around us – as fellow human beings – our workplace feels unnatural, even hostile. Leaders get the best out of people if they make genuine connections with their people as human beings.

5. Human beings exist for meaning.

We’ve successfully navigated our way into the Information Age! – but all this interconnectedness can leave some of us feeling disconnected from ourselves. Now welcome to the Age of Meaning. No-one wants to be stressed out working 24/7 for something that has little value or lasting purpose; we need to make organisations worth working for.

6. Human ingenuity knows no bounds.

Infinite possibilities exist when people are meaningfully engaged and empowered within the workplace. The challenge for organisations is to ‘unconstrain’ human potential. People do some amazing things when they aren’t at work, so why not create an environment where they can do some amazing things when they are at work!

7. Human generational change is happening.

Today’s workplaces have up to four generations working together. Like it or not, the ‘baby boomers’ and the ‘millennials’ see the world differently. Millennials are networked, fast, see little difference in work and life, seek feedback, expect engagement, want responsibility, and look for coaching relationships with their managers.

They have high expectations of what’s available for them in the workplace – and they’re human beings that crave meaning and connection.

8. Humans come to work wanting to do a good job.

The vast number of humans get up in and come to work wanting to make a difference; wanting to achieve something. No matter what their role – surgeons, office workers, hairdressers or builders. Very few get up and say to themselves ‘I hope I really stuff things up today’. For organisations, that’s a great starting position. With all these intrinsically motivated humans inhabiting their workplace, all the organisation has to do is to create an environment where these humans can flourish.