The Downward Spiral

Lately I have been thinking of Abraham Flexner.

He wrote the Flexner report – a critical examination of medical education in the US, which had far reaching implications. The physicists amongst us know him better as the establishing director of the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, bringing together the great minds of Einstein, Goedel, and Neumann amongst others.

I however first came to know of him via the anecdote that he bumped up Einstein’s modest asking salary to be at par with his other colleagues. The apocryphal goes that when asked by someone why he decided to do this when Einstein would have settled, he remarked Einstein would have eventually found out, and that would have led to a breach of trust.

While the world around us today is very different from Flexner’s time, ethical principles such as this play a crucial role in ensuring the longevity of the mission and vision of any organization.

In my observations, a breach of trust sets off a downward spiral that leads to the degradation of an organization, in three primary steps.

• First comes disillusionment, and in the extreme case, with a sense of learned helplessness.
• Then comes cynicism, where any positive step undertaken by the organization is simply seen as a futile exercise.
• Finally, it ends with indifference. This results in disengagement, or in the extreme case quiet quitting.

A leader of any organization has to be eagle-eyed to spot these behaviours amongst their co-workers.

Cynicism is contagious, and if the conditions are conducive it can set off a chain reaction. But it is still possible to fight this fire. Indifference however risks a point of no return. At this point, the employee has lost complete faith in the mission and vision of the organization and is surely looking for greener pastures.

So, how does one nip the problem at the bud?

Not surprisingly, it starts with trust.

It starts from the position of understanding and agreement that the members of the organization have the long-term goodwill of the organization in their intentions.

The next step is to get in a room together, and talk.

There will be differences in opinion. This should be welcomed, as it can present different perspectives, and also highlight blind spots.

The leader now has the task to align the vision. This is within their advertised remit. Clear communication then becomes critical.

This is not an easy endeavour. But the payoffs are worth it.