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Business Journals
6 days ago
- Business
- Business Journals
Industry expert shares the overlooked factor that leads to high-performance job satisfaction
The world has changed in so many ways over the last five years. Yet many workplaces have not adapted, particularly when it comes to recruiting and retaining high-performing team members. What matters in a job has seen a radical shift. A hefty salary, 30-word-long job title and corner office aren't the foundations of high-performance that they once were. Ambitious professionals now demand something deeper: growth, meaning and a very real and measurable sense of purpose in their work. For leaders, this shift changes everything. The best teams aren't just competent, they're driven by a shared belief in what they're building and, more profoundly, who they're becoming in the process. If you've suffered through a lecture on Maslow's theory, you'll remember he referred to this as 'self-actualisation' or 'the pursuit of potential." As lofty as that sounds, it's here that leaders either unlock extraordinary performance, or unknowingly stifle it. In his book, 'Drive,' author Dan Pink identifies three core intrinsic motivators: Autonomy, Mastery and Purpose. These internal drivers stand apart from extrinsic ones like salary or bonuses. Rewards might lure someone into a role initially, but research shows that they don't sustain high performance — particularly in roles demanding creativity, independent thought or innovation. In fact, they may reduce productivity by adding pressure and stifling creative problem-solving. Let's break down Pink's model of motivation: Autonomy is the desire to have control over our work. It's not just about freedom — it's about trust and empowerment. For some leaders, especially those inclined to micro-manage, this can be challenging. But the key is to build structures that support independence, not to abandon guidance entirely. Leaders must strike a balance between support and space. Mastery taps into our innate drive to improve and excel. People want to get better at what they do. It's not enough to hand someone a role and expect greatness; leaders must provide the tools, challenges and opportunities that enable growth. When people feel themselves improving, they feel more invested in their work. Purpose speaks to our desire to contribute to something bigger than ourselves. It's the sense that our work matters — that it helps others, creates value or even makes the world a better place. In today's values-driven world, this is more important than ever. In my work with corporations across the world, I've witnessed these drivers at scale. But something's missing. I propose a fourth pillar: Stretch. expand We might daydream of a high salary with low responsibility; to get a seven-figure paycheck while sitting on a balcony in Hawaii, but evidence shows it doesn't inspire us as much as we might believe. The evidence bears it out. A study asked 10,000 employees in 90 countries to identify attributes of their best jobs. The bottom of this list was fascinating. Scoring second to last was 'the job wasn't difficult.' We need and want a challenge — that's Stretch. Today, AI and digital tools make it easier to access knowledge, automate tasks and replicate expertise. But high-performers don't want easy — they want growth. That means giving them harder problems to solve and the freedom to solve them their way. When employees feel stretched — challenged just beyond their comfort zone — it signals that their potential is recognised, which fuels motivation and ownership. Without that stretch, even top talent risks becoming disengaged, complacent or looking elsewhere. High performance doesn't come from doing what's easy; it comes from rising to what's just out of reach. Stretch is about ambition. To support high performance, we need to set clear, ambitious goals. The classic interview question: 'Where do you see yourself in five years?' can be a valuable entry point to understanding an individual's aspirations and ambitions. Author Jim Collins describes successful goals as BHAGs: Big, Hairy, Audacious Goals. These Stretch objectives go beyond comfort zones and push teams toward new heights. They require sustained effort, creativity and courage. And while they carry risk, they also provide unparalleled opportunity for growth. To make Stretch work in practice, leaders must do more than simply set a high bar. They must support people in reaching it. This includes enabling continuous learning and development, fostering collaboration and encouraging calculated risk-taking. Innovation doesn't thrive under rigid structures — it needs space to breathe. A healthy approach to failure matters too. Pushing boundaries means mistakes will happen, and when they do, the response from leadership matters. If employees know they'll be supported, not punished, they're more willing to take smart risks, challenge themselves and innovate. High performance isn't about getting everything right; it's about learning quickly, adapting confidently and knowing someone has your back while you do. Equally important is recognition and feedback. Stretch only works if individuals feel seen, supported and challenged. Feedback must be regular, constructive and grounded in reality. It should reflect strengths, identify areas for growth and encourage reflection. Think of it like a scientific research cycle: observe, learn, adapt and repeat. The goal isn't perfection — it's progress. In summary, building high-performing teams today requires more than competitive pay or attractive perks. It requires leaders to understand what motivates each individual and to create environments where they can stretch, strive and succeed. We must nurture autonomy, provide opportunities for mastery, connect work to meaningful purpose — and above all, introduce challenge. Stretch is what transforms good into great. It keeps things fresh. It builds resilience. It unlocks innovation. And for many high performers, it's the secret ingredient to job satisfaction. So let's take the kid gloves off. Let's challenge our teams with ambitious goals and trust them to meet them. Let's accept that growth involves risk — and that sometimes failure is part of the journey. When we do, we create not just high-performing teams, but deeply fulfilled and engaged people who want to stick around.
Metro
01-06-2025
- Business
- Metro
Pride doesn't come cheap — the LGBTQ+ 'queer tax' has cost us thousands
Living your life as an LGBTQ+ person can cost you your family, friends, and even your safety. There's also a significant financial impact, as just existing as a queer or trans person in a heteronormative world isn't cheap. Pride is undoubtedly important, but many LGBTQ+ people face day-to-day material concerns that impact their ability to be feel secure and happy in their own identity. Looking at Maslow's heirarchy of needs, before someone can reach love and belonging, esteem or self-actualisation, both physiological and safety requirements have to be met. Among these tangible concerns, a stable home is one of the key necessities. However, issues like unsupportive parents or homophobic and transphobic housing providers can make this difficult to find. Research shows that almost one in five LGBTQ+ Brits have experienced homelessness at some point in their lives, while 77% of homeless LGBTQ+ youth were forced out of their family home after coming out or being outed. They may then have to pay more for suitable housing, as taking a chance on a house-share or landlord that isn't billed as LGBTQ+-friendly can (and does) result in incidents like threats of eviction, rent increases, harassment, and physical or sexual violence. There's also the fact that rents in large towns and cities – where the queer and gender nonconforming community are more likely to feel accepted and able to be open – can be double that in other parts of the country. Kelly Ann Winget, the queer founder and CEO of private equity firm Alternative Wealth Partners, wants other LGBTQ+ people to think about their money and financial planning differently, as well as recognising the impact of 'pink money,' the term coined to describe the purchasing power of the LGBTQ+ community, and investing ethically where possible. 'It's critical for LGBTQ+ people to start financial planning as early as possible because, unfortunately, they may be cut off financially by their families after coming out,' Kelly tells 'It's not an easy task, but these circumstances are a part of a reality that queer people can't afford to ignore. Instead, they need to start with honest discussions about their financial insecurities and goals.' She also recommends an emergency fund ahead of potential safety issues or potential issues like domestic violence (which disproportionately affects the LGBTQ+ community). Kelly adds: 'That means queer people need to have enough funds saved to uproot their lives if necessary for them to be able to live authentically and always feel safe.' Of course, not everybody will be in the same boat; a gay white collar DINK (double income/no kids) couple in well-paid jobs, for example, may actually be better off than a single person on a low wage regardless of their sexuality. With thousands of members from all over the world, our vibrant LGBTQ+ WhatsApp channel is a hub for all the latest news and important issues that face the LGBTQ+ community. Simply click on this link, select 'Join Chat' and you're in! Don't forget to turn on notifications! But trans people in particular are burdened with a specific set of additional overheads to ensure their outward image matches up with who they are inside. 32-year-old Thea Bardot (who uses she/they pronouns and identifies as trans non-binary) began presenting as femme during the pandemic, and has recently undergone vaginoplasty surgery. 'If looking in the mirror on a daily basis is causing you so much gender dysphoria that you might not be able to go to work or you might not want to be seen in public, the easiest way to to rectify that and start really understanding yourself is the outside,' she tells As the CEO of a company, Lightning Travel, Thea acknowledges she's 'privileged' to be able to afford some of the things some trans or gender nonconforming people can't, most notably healthcare at private clinics amid years-long waiting lists for gender affirming treatments on the NHS. But it's still cost thousands to get to where they are now, as Thea initially came out as non-binary but was still experiencing dysphoria, so began exploring her gender in therapy and decided to look into genital reconstruction surgery. As well as paying for the procedure itself, that meant taking six weeks off work, which could be financially ruinous for those who aren't self employed. 'Many people have to make that decision of whether to lose that income because a lot of jobs aren't going to support that,' she says. 'And in terms of recovery, if you've not got a friendship group around you, you've got to pay for extras like delivery services too.' Having to buy multiple new wardrobes for her changing body came as a shock too, and Thea has even gone down a shoe size since starting hormone therapy. Facial feminisation surgery is on the agenda next, but it may take some time to save up given she's 'easily' spent roughly £25,000 to affirm her identity since her trans journey began. 'This isn't a choice,' Thea adds. 'This is literally what we need to do to be ourselves.' Dr Omar Tillo, medical director and senior body plastic Surgeon at LGBTQ+-friendly clinic (and proud member of the World Professional Association for Transgender Health) Creo Clinic, tells 'The costs of gender-affirming procedures can vary widely depending on the specific surgery, the surgeon's expertise, and the location of the procedure.' Here, however, he gives ballpark figures showing some of the costs associated with transitioning physically. Vaginoplasty/vulvoplasty/other 'male-to-female' genital surgeries The cost of vaginoplasty typically ranges from £15,000 to £25,000, which includes the surgery itself, hospital fees, and post-operative care. Vulvoplasty, which may be less complex than vaginoplasty, usually costs between £10,000 and £20,000. Additional procedures or complications can increase these costs. Phalloplasty/metoidioplasty/other 'female-to-male' genital surgeries Phalloplasty is a complex and multi-stage procedure and can cost between £25,000 and £60,000, or more in some cases. Metoidioplasty, which is generally less complex, ranges from £10,000 to £25,000. These costs cover the surgical procedures, hospital stay, and follow-up care, but may increase with additional required surgeries, such as urethral lengthening or testicular implants. Facial feminisation or masculinisation surgery Facial feminisation surgery and facial masculinisation surgery are highly individualised procedures, and costs can vary significantly. On average, facial feminisation surgery costs between £20,000 and £40,000, depending on the number of procedures required (such as rhinoplasty, brow lift, or jaw contouring). Facial masculinisation surgery is typically less common and may range from £15,000 to £30,000. Chest reconstruction ('top surgery') At Creo Clinic the cost of this procedure – which involves r emoving the breast tissue as well as any excess skin and fat around the chest – starts from £10,500. Voice feminisation surgery/Adam's apple surgery Voice feminisation surgery, which alters the pitch of the voice, typically costs between £4,000 and £7,000. Adam's apple enhancement, or tracheal shave, to reduce the prominence of the Adam's apple, generally costs around £3,000 to £6,000. Buttock augmentation Buttock augmentation at Creo Clinic for transgender individuals seeking a more feminine contour can range from £7,900 with fat transfer or BBL. For gluteal implants the cost is from £10,900. Breast augmentation For transfeminine individuals seeking breast augmentation at Creo Clinic, a male to female top surgery (breast augmentation) ranges from £6,900 with implants or alternatively, from £7,900 with fat transfer. Non-surgical procedures Non-surgical procedures such as laser hair removal and hair transplants also play a significant role in gender transition. Laser hair removal typically costs between £50 and £200 per session, with multiple sessions required for optimal results. Hair transplants can range from £3,000 to £10,000, depending on the extent of hair loss and the number of grafts needed. Next are the expenses that come with simply going about your business without harassment as a visibly not straight and not cisgender person. As a preventative measure this could mean taking taxis rather than braving public transport or walking home at night, but it could even extend to a hefty bill for therapy to deal with trauma if the worst does occur. If you think this is an overreaction, bear in mind that two-thirds of LGBTQ+ people have experienced violence or abuse as a result of their gender or sexuality, and hate crimes are on the rise. Speaking to Refinery29, non-binary drag performer Tom, 28, estimates they spend between £150-£200 a month on Ubers and other taxis, adding: 'I have never known what it's like to walk the world freely. That's the same for so many of us.' This is all before we consider the prospect of wider life plans like starting a family, either solo or as part of a same-sex couple. It's something many cis, straight people take for granted, but those who've struggled with fertility issues know that the likes of in vitro fertilisation (IVF) or intrauterine insemination (IUI) can be prohibitively expensive. In England, the NHS will fund IVF for heterosexual couples who have been trying for a baby unsuccessfully for at least two years and meet certain additional criteria. Meanwhile, same-sex couples are expected to pay privately for between three and 12 rounds of artificial insemination before the NHS will fund any treatment. A Stonewall spokesperson commented: 'This lack of equitable access to NHS funding for IVF means that conceiving children isn't an option for lots of people in our communities.' Scotland is the only place in the UK that provides donor insemination to same-sex couples without requiring them to have private treatments first, but surrogacy isn't available on the NHS anywhere. IUI The average price of a round of IUI at a private clinic is £1,265 excluding donor sperm, but this can rise to as much as £2,310. Donor sperm at a fertility clinic comes in at roughly £1,230 per sample, but additional fees for screening and preparation may add to the final cost. Given the chance of conceiving with IUI is around 5-15% per cycle, multiple rounds may be required, running into the tens of thousands per child. IVF According to the NHS, a single cycle of IVF can cost over £5,000, but with extras like pre-treatment investigations, medication and long term embryo storage, the price of a single embryo transfer comes in at an estimated £7,545. The fertility regulator found that patients typically go through three rounds before IVF is successful, as the chance of having a live birth from an embryo transfer is just one in three, which puts the total price at upwards of £20,000 per child. Surrogacy It's illegal to pay a surrogate in the UK, but the intended parent or parents are responsible for the surrogate's medical expenses as outlined above, as well as those which occur during her pregnancy, such as travel to appointments and any loss of potential earnings. Recent court cases have approved 'expense payments' up to £25,000. The intended parent or parent may also have to agency fees to match with a surrogate, as well as legal and insurance fees. Surrogacy UK recommends a budget of approximately £30,000 for host surrogacy. Adoption If you are adopting a child in the UK, an agency cannot charge you a fee for arranging the adoption, nor will you pay the government. However, the process can incur other costs – for example, you might have to pay for legal fees or police checks. This tends to cost between £100 and £450. Alongside the extra expenditure that comes with being LGBT+, there's a pay gap affecting income, which the most recent research suggests sits at 16% and means LGBTQ+ workers are effectively paid £6,703 less per year. Cecilia Righini (who uses they/them pronouns and identifies as queer) founded their own business, Studio Lutalica, after experiencing 'both micro and not-so-micro aggressions, and forms of discrimination' in previous workplaces. This ranged from snide comments about their appearance to being told not to put their pronouns in their email signature to being paid less than others despite their role having more responsibilities. They tell 'Personally, the financial challenges I've faced include navigating job markets that are not always welcoming. I often felt worried about how being non-binary and queer would be perceived, which led me to censor myself or avoid applying for certain jobs and industries altogether. 'This significantly limited my career opportunities and financial stability. The burden of having to constantly prove one's worth and the fear of being outed in a hostile environment add layers of stress that straight colleagues may not experience.' It's a priority for Edinburgh-based Cecilia that Studio Lutalica (the slogan of which is 'design for feminists and queers') offers fair wages, supports flexible working arrangements to ease financial burdens on staff, and has policies like paid mental health days, private health insurance and a soon-to-be introduced four-day working week. 'Promoting an inclusive culture starts from the top, and leaders must be vocal and active in their support for LGBTQ+ rights,' Cecilia adds. A number of these costs combine with each other and are impacted by additional protected characteristics like race and disability, as well as economic factors like funding cuts to vital services. This then creates a vicious cycle whereby LGBTQ+ people are less likely to have savings but more likely to engage in high interest 'survival borrowing' such as pay day loans or have 'poor' or 'very poor' credit scores. As a result, Experian estimates that 62% of this group have experienced financial problems because of their gender identity or sexual orientation. It certainly seems bleak, but there are some silver linings – community being one of them. Almost a quarter of LGBTQ+ people attend LGBTQ+-specific events locally at least once a month, finding support and connection among others with similar experiences. More Trending And being accepted by a 'chosen family' can do a world of good for someone bogged down by money worries, bolstering the idea that even when times are hard, others value you as a person. Adam D Blum, licensed psychotherapist and founder of the Gay Therapy Center, tells 'LGBTQ+ people commonly internalise the false teaching of their society that they are not as good as other people. Their inner voices can be harsh and unloving and that negatively impacts all aspects of their lives, including their relationships with others and their financial status. 'Fortunately, with some work, we can unlearn these early negative messages. We can seek out LGBTQ+ friends and straight allies who can support our efforts to treat ourselves with kindness and compassion. I've watched LGBTQ+ people build their internal strength and become more resilient, effective, and creative when confronting the challenges of life, including economic obstacles.' View More » This article was first published on June 9, 2024. Do you have a story to share? Get in touch by emailing MetroLifestyleTeam@ MORE: There's an LGBTQ+ film festival you can attend without even leaving the house MORE: Make money from your living room with these 7 investing tips for absolute novices MORE: 'I survived the Tunisia terror attack by swimming out to sea'
Epoch Times
13-05-2025
- Epoch Times
Adapt or Die: Redefining Wargaming for the Age of Algorithmic Warfare
Commentary 'Adapt or die.' This isn't just a cliché; it's a fundamental truth of human survival. Security—the psychological need for stability and protection—is second only to food and water in Maslow's hierarchy. War directly threatens this security, so understanding war is essential for preserving peace. One of the The Problem With Today's Wargaming Wargaming is indispensable, but This traditional model assumes that human decisions lie at the heart of conflict. That remains true. But the battlefield is rapidly changing—and the human element is no longer acting alone. As militaries increasingly rely on uncrewed systems, autonomous platforms, and AI-driven operations, our method of simulating war must evolve accordingly. To prepare for war in 2030, The Rise of Algorithmic Warfare Consider this: some In such a world, the idea of a wargame that exclusively simulates human decision-making is dangerously incomplete. Swarms of autonomous drones executing algorithm-driven tactics change not only the character of war but also the speed, scale, and unpredictability of combat. Abstracting these developments away misses the point entirely. A game Related Stories 5/8/2025 5/6/2025 Critically, decision-making itself is changing. While senior leaders continue to anchor their intuition in past experiences, research shows that overconfidence increases in situations involving more chance and ambiguity. Gut instinct, seasoned though it may be, will not suffice when confronted with system-level interactions between thousands of autonomous platforms and sensors. Technology as a Catalyst, Not a Crutch The tools to modernize wargaming already exist. Digital environments can now simulate everything from force placement to logistics flows to legal compliance, with users interacting via natural language, voice, or keyboard. This technological advancement offers a beacon of hope for the future of wargaming, allowing commanders to stress-test strategies in real time and track every decision across a replicable digital thread. This is not science fiction. It is an underused science fact. Yet many in the defense establishment cling to narrow definitions of wargaming. A leading DoD-affiliated practitioner recently That's a dangerous mindset. Strategy may be rooted in ideas, but execution lives in facts. As Churchill famously Toward a New Definition of Wargaming Commanders' expectations have evolved, even if the tools haven't. In 1945, General Eisenhower might have asked his staff for a logistics overlay of the European theater—delivered with pen, paper, and pins. In 2025, General Cavoli might make the same request—but with the expectation of a digital interface offering dynamic updates, AI-enhanced forecasting, and real-time operational feedback. Unfortunately, EUCOM and NATO commanders still rely too heavily on analog tools. What This calls for a redefinition of wargaming. A New Definition Wargaming must be understood not as a parlor game of human strategy but as a rigorous, replicable method of exploring conflict at the strategic, operational, and tactical levels. This includes human decisions and system-level interactions conducted in a synthetic digital environment. A proposed new definition: 'Wargames represent human actions and system-level interactions of conflict or competition in a synthetic environment from the strategic to the tactical level.' This definition bridges the gap between cognition and computation, people and platforms, gut instinct and algorithmic feedback. It accounts for the growing role of autonomy and artificial intelligence without excluding the indispensable human element. The Stakes Wargames must evolve not only because they can but because they must . Definitions matter. The current models fall short of providing leaders Failure to modernize wargaming risks misinforming critical decisions, wasting resources, and, worst of all, misjudging the very nature of the next fight. The stakes are high, and the battlefield of 2030 will not wait for the analog mind to catch up. To prepare, we must simulate what war has been and what war is becoming. From Views expressed in this article are opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
Forbes
08-04-2025
- Business
- Forbes
Why And How Trump's Tariffs May Cause Irreversible Damage
Let the economists, financial analysts, political pundits, and lobbyists argue, debate, and bloviate all they want about Trump's tariffs; they'll neither satisfactorily explain them nor will they win their arguments about them. That's because, as long as they stay within the arena of economics, they won't be able to see outside the proverbial box – because that box was built using their own constructs. It's subjective with no chance of achieving objectivity. The problem is, they don't see the world the way it is; they see the world the way they are. We all do, actually. The answer is hidden not in the economics calculations. It's elsewhere. Looking beyond the immediate and measurable increase in the cost of eggs and cars and just about everything else, the more long-term and certainly more abstract element of the upheaval caused by the Trump tariffs is American creativity. In virtually every field, what contributed to American success more than anything else over our history was American creativity, and in this essay, I will connect a few dots for you to prove that it is under attack – by our very own leader, no less. You can always recoup manufacturing advantage or financial advantage or almost any other. But when you give away creative advantage, you don't get it back. When you're done listening to the economists, industrialists, and financiers – with their MBAs, PhDs, and prizes – please give my theory some thought. I come from the world of Psychology, and I have a particularly strong commitment to the humanistic school of psychology, that branch developed in the 1950s and 1960s by Abraham Maslow (1908-1970), who did more to change the way we think about human motivation than anyone else ever did. Over the course of 25 years, I provided consulting and leadership advice to corporations, nonprofits, and educational institutions spanning 25 industries, much of which rested on Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs. Maslow, of course, built it to explain human motivation and subsequent behavior; I've taken it a step further, positing that it just as well explains organizational motivation, success, and failure. Let's start with a simple explanation from Psych 101. Maslow explained that as humans evolve, we identify and meet ever-elevating needs, and move onto one after another only when we are confident that we've met – and then sustain – the current one. Please refer to the graphic at the head of this column. So for instance, in the extreme, if we are still struggling to feed, clothe, or house ourselves (physiological needs), we are in no position to pursue and attempt to meet our cognitive (knowledge, education, degrees) or aesthetic (beauty, symmetry) needs. We must meet our lower-level needs – in order – before we can think about our higher-level needs. That's what's hierarchical about this. I submit that organizations evolve just like individuals do, and that until the basic needs are met and secured (meeting payroll, achieving market competitiveness), the organization cannot do things like sponsoring a 5K charity run, offer tuition assistance, or build a new, green headquarters. The organizational hierarchy directly parallels that of the individual. Just as we progress up the hierarchy, we can regress. This can happen for many reasons: poor decisions, catastrophic events, failure to stay current, and so on. Here's where the creativity issue becomes an advantage or a liability. It is only when we have met our lower-level needs that we can afford to attend to our higher ones. And that's where creativity thrives. When we don't have to worry about food, clothing, and shelter, we can think creatively about telescopes, nanorobots, AI, and vertical farming. We no longer must worry about ourselves only. We can think about being on a team producing fusion energy systems that are still 20 or 30 years away. Both the individual and the organization face the same hinge points. No doubt, there have been over the past week far more regressions than progressions, When 60% of Americans live paycheck to paycheck, and when the stock market loses approximately 4,300 points (roughly 10%), there will be a whole lot less future-oriented creativity, creative thinking, and innovation going on, and far more primal behavior protecting sheer subsistence. And when so much of your hegemony depends on it, that damage will not only be severe, it will likely be irreversible to some extent or another. In 2006, in one of my most creative moments, I saw beyond the graduate leadership course I had been teaching for three years, and created a new, wildly successful and popular course called Creativity, Change, and the 21st Century Leader. I taught it for 12 years until I retired from the classroom. The syllabus began with this statement of purpose: 'Leaders of the 21st century can no longer deal just with change; they must be able to create, discover, and invent new ways of thinking, new ways of dealing with greater changes yet to come, and new ways of building organizations.' And now there are tariffs, too.
Forbes
07-04-2025
- Business
- Forbes
Why And How Trump's Tariffs Will Cause Irreversible Damage
Let the economists, financial analysts, political pundits, and lobbyists argue, debate, and bloviate all they want about Trump's tariffs; they'll neither satisfactorily explain them nor will they win their arguments about them. That's because, as long as they stay within the arena of economics, they won't be able to see outside the proverbial box – because that box was built using their own constructs. It's subjective with no chance of achieving objectivity. The problem is, they don't see the world the way it is; they see the world the way they are. We all do, actually. The answer is hidden not in the economics calculations. It's elsewhere. Looking beyond the immediate and measurable increase in the cost of eggs and cars and just about everything else, the more long-term and certainly more abstract element of the upheaval caused by the Trump tariffs is American creativity. In virtually every field, what contributed to American success more than anything else over our history was American creativity, and in this essay, I will connect a few dots for you to prove that it is under attack – by our very own leader, no less. You can always recoup manufacturing advantage or financial advantage or almost any other. But when you give away creative advantage, you don't get it back. When you're done listening to the economists, industrialists, and financiers – with their MBAs, PhDs, and prizes – please give my theory some thought. I come from the world of Psychology, and I have a particularly strong commitment to the humanistic school of psychology, that branch developed in the 1950s and 1960s by Abraham Maslow (1908-1970), who did more to change the way we think about human motivation than anyone else ever did. Over the course of 25 years, I provided consulting and leadership advice to corporations, nonprofits, and educational institutions spanning 25 industries, much of which rested on Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs. Maslow, of course, built it to explain human motivation and subsequent behavior; I've taken it a step further, positing that it just as well explains organizational motivation, success, and failure. Let's start with a simple explanation from Psych 101. Maslow explained that as humans evolve, we identify and meet ever-elevating needs, and move onto one after another only when we are confident that we've met – and then sustain – the current one. Please refer to the graphic at the head of this column. So for instance, in the extreme, if we are still struggling to feed, clothe, or house ourselves (physiological needs), we are in no position to pursue and attempt to meet our cognitive (knowledge, education, degrees) or aesthetic (beauty, symmetry) needs. We must meet our lower-level needs – in order – before we can think about our higher-level needs. That's what's hierarchical about this. I submit that organizations evolve just like individuals do, and that until the basic needs are met and secured (meeting payroll, achieving market competitiveness), the organization cannot do things like sponsoring a 5K charity run, offer tuition assistance, or build a new, green headquarters. The organizational hierarchy directly parallels that of the individual. Just as we progress up the hierarchy, we can regress. This can happen for many reasons: poor decisions, catastrophic events, failure to stay current, and so on. Here's where the creativity issue becomes an advantage or a liability. It is only when we have met our lower-level needs that we can afford to attend to our higher ones. And that's where creativity thrives. When we don't have to worry about food, clothing, and shelter, we can think creatively about telescopes, nanorobots, AI, and vertical farming. We no longer must worry about ourselves only. We can think about being on a team producing fusion energy systems that are still 20 or 30 years away. Both the individual and the organization face the same hinge points. No doubt, there have been over the past week far more regressions than progressions, When 60% of Americans live paycheck to paycheck, and when the stock market loses approximately 4,300 points (roughly 10%), there will be a whole lot less future-oriented creativity, creative thinking, and innovation going on, and far more primal behavior protecting sheer subsistence. And when so much of your hegemony depends on it, that damage will not only be severe, it will likely be irreversible to some extent or another. In 2006, in one of my most creative moments, I saw beyond the graduate leadership course I had been teaching for three years, and created a new, wildly successful and popular course called Creativity, Change, and the 21st Century Leader. I taught it for 12 years until I retired from the classroom. The syllabus began with this statement of purpose: 'Leaders of the 21st century can no longer deal just with change; they must be able to create, discover, and invent new ways of thinking, new ways of dealing with greater changes yet to come, and new ways of building organizations.' And now there are tariffs, too.
