The Vocal Villains and The Silent Fears
The other day I accidentally bumped into a documentary on Harvey Weinstein, the disgraced Hollywood producer whose very name has become a horrific meme. As of the time of this writing, his trial is scheduled to January 2020. And, there’s one thing that strikes me most: many people have served as silent accomplices to Weinstein’s assaults because… no one could or would break the silence. Some were under an NDA, and to some… it just didn’t occur that his behavior must be called and punished, especially back in the 1990’s.
I was profoundly impressed by the personal accounts shared in the documentary, and asked myself this: “If we scrutinize the tech industry — startups, in particular — which effect, behavior or routine of the tech higher-ups that is now silently accepted might turn into… a case punishable by law, in as little as 20-years’ time?” So, I turned my visionary eye on, and here’s the answer that I came up with: it’s about the responsibility for inflicting burnouts. Or, speaking broadly, all kinds of health problems that people end up with as they are thrown ashore like a dead fish after burning themselves out for years in the work environments… that have been anything, but wisely and thoughtfully designed to sustain not just productivity, growth and/or business success, but, most importantly, people’s health and well-being. And, my visionary eye has been so ready to provide the answer because I’ve already given quite a bit of thinking to the problems of sustaining health at work (see Tides, Lambs, and Technology).
I’m aware that what I stated may sound like a generalization, and it would take more articles to get my point across fully. There have been many buzzwords and phrases, of course, that describe the industry, such as: “toxic culture”, “burnouts”, “mental health problems”, “growth problems”, etc., and if we were to dissect the noise generated by the buzz, the core of the health-related troubles would get down to two simple things: fear (or uncertainty, or insecurity) and… poor leadership. For those of you who like to dig deep, here’s an excellent source which provides a comprehensive research on start-up flameouts, and I’m citing this resource to provide food for thought, not for fear, because looking into the why’s might be of more help than we are used to believe (see Featuring an Article: T.L. DO(!) R.).
Here’s what another author had to say as he explored the implications of toxic culture as related to fear in start-ups:
A culture turns toxic mainly because of fear — or more precisely the chain reactions that start with fear. Both the founders and later recruits of the organisation have lots invested in the success of the business. Energy, time, money… They made the decision to spend ‘a slice of their life’ on this startup, with the expectation of a great upside. They fear that this investment is in vain. They fear humiliation, they fear loss of status and respect, they fear the failure of the startup will be their own failure as a person. Sometimes, fear can be healthy driver for motivation ..but, fear, if not managed correctly, can also be a scorching source of destruction. — source
Mismanaged fear leads to displays of aggression in veiled, rationalised [sic], systemic ways; accompanied by its denial. This is the toxin. — source
Not all people deal with fear the same. Those who are life-long learners and don’t tie their self-worth to the success of the business are able to deal with fear in a more mature way. Those who prioritise [sic] “success over someone” to “success with someone” usually have lower self-esteem and find it difficult to handle fear. When people can not deal with fear, that fear in turn, evolves into all sorts of aggression. — source
In fact, the article I’m quoting from — which Medium counts as a ~9 min read — provides a solid exposé on how the fear of a person who dubs themselves “a leader” projects onto the other people who work with them. We want to be non-judgmental, that’s the mantra I go by, and we can empathize with this so-called “leader” who is just not equipped to act as one. The thing is, especially for the over-sensitive empaths, mere staying in the work environment which is oozing with the disguised aggression (as described in the quoted article) is a health burner. It appears — and I speak from personal experience — that the empaths somehow act as a sponge that collects the negativity in a toxic environment, while the less sensitive individuals go on with their work just fine (and, there’s a body of knowledge which has provided me with much sought relief, and it’s not about yoga, or meditation, but I’ll save this story for some other time :). Plus, the empaths get no credit for this “sponge” work, and their attempts to explain how they feel often become a subject to gaslighting. To be honest, the popularly accepted concept of “empathy” only touches a tip of an iceberg, but… as I said, this isn’t my today’s story :)
There’s a yet another layer of digging — or going a level higher — about this whole “toxic fear in startups” thing. The very reason they exist is chalked up to a set of macro-economic factors (see Lend Them A Helping Hand). And, the macro-economic factors roll and roll, like a snowball, as they create a chain of imbalances.
I’m supposed to suggest some sort of a “how to” at this point, I guess. Well, as a quick 911 strategy to tackle an unhealthy work environment, if *for any reason* you’re not ready to just flee... try to laugh it off, for as long as you can (think Silicon Valley, the TV series. The only thing that troubles me about this show is that… there’s hardly a character who can be related to as someone who aspires to a greater good).
And, “you may say I’m a dreamer” (quoting John Lennon) but I want more people to feel the way I felt when writing these stories: The 18’s and the Thanks and More Than Meets The Eye.
Related:
(tech) Leaders, Managers, and Tennis Umpires
Small Talks and Hidden Killers
Integrity: The Costs of Bitterness
Further reading:
