Broken Windows – The Death of Passion

Removing the obstacles to working and living creatively, productively and energetically.

On December 1 1955 a forty two year old African American woman was ordered to give up her seat on a Montgomery, Alabama, bus to white passengers. When she had paid for her ticket, her seat was not in the “whites only� section of the bus, but as the bus had filled with white passengers, the driver had moved the demarcation sign further back, placing her squarely outside of the rows of seats reserved for “people of colour.� Then he told her, and four other people, to move. Three of them obeyed, but Rosa Parks refused. After a warning the driver called the police and Parks was arrested. This small act of defiance resulted in a human rights movement that changed the face of the United States and impacted the whole world. And it sounded a call to a young minister, who was relatively new in town, named Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

The driver’s request was not new. Many black passengers, including Rosa Parks, had heard similar orders in the past and complied. But that day something changed. For a long time Parks had believed that segregation was both unjust and destructive. She was involved with organisations working to get laws and practices changed. But, somehow that day her belief moved to a new place. She started about these issues in a deeper, more intense way, and it motivated her to a new, effective action. In a word, this quiet, timid woman discovered . (Read more about the challenging and fascinating story of Rosa Parks at Wikipedia here.)

It is possible to believe in something, but not really care about it. How many people believed that slavery was wrong? But only Wilberforce and his companions cared enough to fight the system and change it. How many people believed that apartheid was wrong? But only Nelson Mandela cared enough to spend twenty seven years of his life in prison for that belief. How many people believe that they could have more, be more, achieve more? But how many care enough to take the risks and make the sacrifices to attain what they believe? How many of the people in your organisation believe in the organisation’s vision and values? And how many care enough to go the extra mile to make it happen?

Most of us when faced with a job or task, assess what is necessary in terms of our energy and resources to complete what is required in a satisfactory way, and then we do only what is necessary. We give what we are being paid for, and no more. We do what is expected and no more. We offer what will satisfy the powers that be and no more. Even on a personal level, we do what we need to keep ourselves alive, and perhaps a little comfortable, but no more. And here is where our connection with life dies.

Toward the end of last year I was at an information evening for the new FET curriculum which is being introduced to schools. Since my oldest son was at the age where he had to choose the subjects he would study through to the end of his schooling, we went along to understand how this new system works. The teacher responsible for the presentation put a lot of effort into justifying the new subject choices, and made a compelling case. At one point she looked out over the hall of nearly a thousand parents and asked us to raise our hands if we were really satisfied and fulfilled in our work. Only about 10% of the hands lifted. What level of productivity, creativity and energy would these unfulfilled parents be able or willing to offer to their organisations – or even to themselves? Anyone who has known the shadow of lifeless, passionless work knows the answer to that question.

The other side of the coin, though, is that passion moves us into a whole different place. When we not only believe in what we’re doing and becoming, but we really care about it, we unlock the vault to our discretionary energy. Discretionary energy is the energy – mental, physical, emotional and financial – that we give over and above the call of duty. And discretionary energy is only ever released toward those things about which we are passionate.

When our belief drops into our heart and we begin to care deeply about the success of our endeavours, we get up early and stay up late. We think constantly about the task, seeking new solutions to old problems, finding creative directions and profound insights. We willingly give more than we are paid for, more than we are asked, more than is required, because we are personally and completely invested in the project and its process. The organisation, the individual, that can tap discretionary energy is powerful indeed.

Why do we see so little of this passion in our workplaces? Why have organisations consistently failed to create the environment in which discretionary energy is freely given by staff? Why do so few people really reach for a life of passion? Perhaps some of the problem is ignorance that passion is even possible. Perhaps part of the struggle lies in an inherent Taylorism which believes, even of ourselves, that human beings naturally tend towards laziness and creative attempts to do as little as possible without getting into trouble.

But, perhaps there is a bigger issue. Perhaps we are victims of the Broken Window. The Broken Windows Theory was developed by two criminologists, James Q. Wilson and George Kelling who were involved in tackling the high crime in New York City and its subways in the eighties. The theory suggests that crime is the result of disorder. As Malcolm Gladwell explains in his book The Tipping Point:

If a window is broken and left unrepaired, people walking by will conclude that no one cares and no one is in charge. Soon, more windows will be broken, and the sense of anarchy will spread from the building to the street on which it faces, sending a signal that anything goes. (Gladwell, 2000, p.141 – emphasis mine)

In similar ways in organisations and in our personal lives, figurative broken windows lead us into the “crimes� of neglect, lethargy and passionlessness. While there may be many others, four particular broken windows must be repaired if passion is to be reawakened and genius released.

1. Incongruence: When purposes, practices and values are in conflict with one another, passion dies.

On a personal level, the easiest way to destroy self-esteem and undermine a sense of purpose and fulfilment is to act in violation of our own beliefs and values. In situations in which we feel like our survival depends on “selling out� our convictions, we will inevitably disassociate from the people or circumstances that make this necessary. We begin to shut down inside and we become automatons able to do only what is needed for ongoing existence.

On an organisational level, incongruence between stated policies and actual practices leads staff into cynicism and lethargy. To use BEE as an example, when policies of empowerment are perceived to be enforced “on paper� only, or when they fall prey to the “numbers game�, or when legal loopholes and partnerships of convenience are used to get good ratings, people lose faith in the integrity of the organisation, and passion and commitment declines.

2. Insignificance: When people feel that they don’t matter, or that their work is either unnecessary or under valued, passion dies.

In their stunning little book, The Art of Possibility, Benjamin and Rosamund Zander make the comparison between two instruments in the Philharmonic Orchestra (Benjamin is conductor of the Boston Philharmonic). There is one instrument which is never late for rehearsal. It is the oboe. The reason for this exceptional punctuality is that the entire orchestra requires a note to be played by the oboe in order to get in tune. Without an oboe, there is no tuning, and effectively no orchestra.

However, there is one instrumentalist who is frequently late, and usually unconcerned. This is the second violinist (from which we get the expression playing second fiddle). Since there are so many violins in an orchestra, and since the second violins are often assumed to be of lesser importance than the first violins, these musicians often have a sense of insignificance, and it shows in their timekeeping. Human beings need to feel like they are valued, and they make a difference in order to maintain a sense of energy and fulfilment.

3. Injustice: When people are treated unfairly, or policies are applied inconsistently, advantaging some over others, passion dies.

When the boss has a favourite who can do no wrong and gets away with murder, while another employee of equal or better ability is harshly judged and unfairly reprimanded, the whole organisation loses energy. The need for clear and consistent practices in which all are treated with equal respect and expectation is clear.

The challenge of policies of empowerment is that young white men often feel unfairly disadvantaged, while young black men and women feel that changes are cosmetic or lethargic. However necessary the policies are, and however urgent it is to redress the wrongs of the past, work must be done to make the justice of the system clear, and to ensure that it is applied in ways that are seen as consistent and fair. Failure to do this will result in heartless and destructively competitive relationships.

4. Intensity: When work becomes all about work, and all the fun and relationship goes out of it, passion dies.

It goes without saying that most of our lives are spent at work. For many people the work environment is where their friendships are developed, and where they would like to “get a life.� When life and work become mutually exclusive, people begin to looking for life elsewhere. Team building is more than having the odd fun get away now and then. Significant team building occurs when people are given sufficient latitude to connect, play a little and find enjoyment in the work place. That’s why we love to hear about organisations like Google that have pool tables and other playthings in their office buildings for co-workers to enjoy on breaks.

As Joanne Carthey, founder of NetPro, a utility software producer in Phoenix, Arizona says of their four rules: “We make promises, we keep our word, we clean up our messes, and we have fun.�

These four broken windows are far too common in organisations and are far too passively allowed in individuals, but they are relatively easily repaired.

While many of us may lack the authority to make significant changes in organisational behaviour, we can deal with these broken windows in our own lives, ensuring that we remain true to our convictions and avoid incongruence.
We can awaken passion by filling our lives with work or activities that make us feel like we have made a difference in our world, even if only a small one, and in which we feel we have received value and appreciation.
We can grow in a sense of fulfilment by ensuring that we are just and fair to ourselves, and that we treat others in a way that carries integrity.
And finally, we can keep ourselves alive and excited by building little bits of play into our relationships, our work and our lives. Look for the clues – you know how to do these things for yourself.

In 1955 Rosa Parks faced huge obstacles of incongruence between the laws of the country and the treatment of African Americans. She lived daily with the voices that told her she was insignificant and unimportant. She and her loved ones knew firsthand the pain of the injustice of the American South, and in the intensity of racial hatred and the Ku Klux clan there was little to get playful about. But, sitting in the bus, as she did each day after work, she instinctively knew that she had to fight to fix the broken windows in her life and her society. Her survival, her sense of humanity depended on it. And so, when ordered to move, she simply said “no�.

And the windows she fixed for herself in that moment continue to have a restorative effect on windows all around the world.

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