Maybe it's time we should stop hacking and seek to master, instead.
Over the past 40 years, Americans have come to trust almost every institution less... except perhaps for the military. Over the last 15-20 years, we’ve come to fawn over hacking – from breaking into computer systems to eschewing social convention like holding presidential candidates accountable for misogyny, if not sexual assault. Being "a hack" is not a good thing. Dictionary.com defines "a hack" as being "a professional who renounces or surrenders individual independence, integrity, belief, etc., in return for money or other reward in the performance of a task normally thought of as involving a strong personal commitment." Having a "hacking cough" doesn’t feel good either. Any way you slice it, "hack" is a negative thing.
The erosion of institutional trust has contributed to the understandable reflex to desire more individual control. Unfortunately, what likely began as a quest for greater self-determination has given way to something more akin to cynical isolation – and the granting of permission to hack and be a hack because it’s every person for herself.
We know that, at work, more than two-thirds of people feel disengaged. In life, mass protests substitute for engagement. It’s easier to be angry than to problem-solve. All told, we’ve spun ourselves into a cycle of blame that doesn’t require us to help make things better.
Are we doomed to live in Jerry Maguire’s cynical, cynical world? I don’t think so. I’m optimistic that, of the 70% of people who are disengaged at work (and likely a similar number of people who don’t feel as connected in their lives), just need an invitation to step out of the shadows of quiet desperation.
All we have to do is ask? Yes. In business, we leaders – formal and informal – need to be competent, reliable, and sincere. Asking people to believe requires that they give up their protective veneer of disinterest (aka being too cool for school). Taking the risk of joining in has to be worth it to them on a number of levels, including: the people they get to work with, the work they get to do, what happens as a result of that work, and – on the list somewhere – what’s in it for them.
What happens if we don’t achieve a storybook ending? I’m going to go there – if at first you don’t succeed…reboot based on what you learned and do it better the next time. Seriously, people really like playing as part of a team. At some point, we need some wins to maintain focus and commitment. You have the power to define wins and winning in ways that are as much about progress as achieving the ultimate outcome.
So, what about mastery? Rather than hack or be a hack, we have the opportunity to be the master of our domain by becoming proficient in the art of engaging with others around what we share as people and what we want for our communities. It takes only one crazy person to lead, a brave few to follow, and then others to join in and contribute.
Let’s all find the hope, belief, and courage to step boldly into the seemingly cold chasm of indifference or worse and, through our presence, warm the air and close the gap to allow others to come together with us and truly change the world. As the iconic Sam Cooke boldly croons, "Change is gonna come." What will that change be? You have the power to make a transformation for the better – for you, for others, for us!
