I’m a strong believer in healthy work cultures where people are encouraged to bring their whole selves and truly be who they are. I often find that the North American business environment is too focused on profit at the expense of people—and I find that deeply harmful. I started writing about leadership during COVID, when I realized that as a society, we need to be more open about the challenges people face. We need to create work environments where we see people through a holistic lens—with understanding, rather than judgment or punishment. The North American society tends to use fear at every level as a motivator. But I don’t believe in using fear as a tool for success. Unfortunately, fear is everywhere—it’s even used to sell us things. In leadership, fear pulls out the worst in people. It raises stress levels, and it makes people work harder. And let’s be honest—we already have enough stress in our lives. What we really need are psychologically safe environments—spaces that allow us to try, fail, learn, and innovate. Spaces where we can bring our full, creative selves and co-create without fear or pressure to be someone we’re not. In my opinion, these are some of the key things that make a work environment great:
