Existential Anxiety, And the Art of Getting Out of Bed

Some mornings, simply getting out of bed feels like an act of defiance.

The world feels chaotic and hostile. Political divisions seem insurmountable. Economic uncertainty lurks behind every headline. Social fragmentation makes basic human connection feel harder than it actually is. Nearly everyone I talk to (family, friends, colleagues, leaders) is carrying a heavy weight. A sense of overwhelming ineffectualness, something much bigger than just stress.

It's a feeling that nothing we do individually really matters. That the world's problems are too big, too complex, too entrenched. That the walls dividing us are too thick and too tall to ever come down.

And yet, somehow, we do get out of bed. We show up to work, and - with little effort - step beyond our differences to collaborate with people of all sorts. We do it every day, and it is assumed we will.

How?

Being "Professional"

It’s rather remarkable, that for all our cultural divisions and the overwhelming stressors of just living, we coordinate incredibly effectively in professional environments.

Right now, in offices and on video calls around the world, people who fundamentally disagree about politics, religion, and an infinite list of social issues are working together. Successfully. They're solving problems, hitting deadlines, shipping products, and building incredible things.

Regardless of their differences.

Of course, it isn't always easy. The more we work with folks, the more we learn about them on a personal level. But, even when massive differences make themselves known, we strive to maintain collaborative professional relationships. What makes this possible?

Shared vision. When there's work to be done, real work with clear outcomes and accountability, we prioritize results, finding ways to step over the walls that divide us. We benefit, individually and collectively.

Systematic empathy. In professional settings, we seek to understand others' perspectives, fears, needs, and motivations. Not because we endorse what makes others different, but because understanding our differences helps us work together more effectively.

Accepting people at face value. Within the work context, we strive to take people as they are rather than trying to change them. We accommodate each other's differences while maintaining standards of professional excellence.

Forgiveness for the sake of progress. We do the REALLY HARD work of forgiving transgressions against us (big and small) because the collective effort matters more than our individual comfort.

Leaders navigate and coach these interpersonal scenarios constantly. And with even the most challenging team dynamics, the solution almost always comes back to empathy. Not a soft superficial sympathy that placates, but truly striving to understand the other person. To empathize with what drives their behavior. What they're afraid of. What they need to be successful. What motivates them.

When we approach conflict (and opportunity) from a perspective of understanding, when we accept people at face value and strive to accommodate rather than change them, we have the foundations of a strong team that supports each other. Good work gets done and we advance, together.

We've developed these capabilities because our paychecks depend on it. Because the companies that employ us demand it. Because the alternative is dysfunction, and dysfunction doesn't deliver results. We switch these tools on instantly, as soon as we step across the threshold of business.

Clearly, it's possible. How might we apply this elsewhere, beyond the office environment?

Prioritizing A Greater Good, For All

Can you imagine if your CTO announced on your company-wide chat channel, "Design doesn't care about meeting our deadlines. They'd rather have pixel perfection than see our company succeed!" Or if the CPO stood up at town hall and declared, "Engineering adds error message after error message, ensuring our users NEVER successfully check out! Why do they hate our customers?!"

Every day, we wake up to a world where folks are adding block after block to the cultural walls that divide us. We witness our leaders talking past each other, demonizing the "other" side. The community at large (you and I) feels hopeless. The problems feel too big, too entrenched, too impossible.

But what if we decided to approach local and global challenges with the same systematic coordination we've mastered professionally …despite the failings of our leadership?

A unifying vision. Life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness. We all share this desire.

Honest empathy. Prioritize understanding each other, in the face of those who would divide us.

Accepting people. Recognize our differences AND still continue forward, together.

Forgiveness. Each of us is "more than the worst thing we have ever done," - Bryan Stevenson.

Why does this suggestion seem so radical? Is it only because we're talking about outside the professional environment? The same frameworks that help us deliver massive profits for companies just might help us lift up our communities, large and small.

The Art of Getting Out of Bed

Getting out of bed for work, it turns out, might be the same artful act needed to secure harmony in our world. We've proven we can do it for profit. Can we do it for the good of others?

I don’t know what your community looks like, but I wonder how might you get involved. And if you are already, how might you push beyond the community you already know. The key factor is forcing ourselves to step over the imaginary walls that are dividing us, stepping out of our comfort zone, finding the opportunity to serve a larger community in need - with empathy, understanding, and forgiveness …for the greater good.

What I do know is that change starts with you, and me. Good morning.