A manifesto for leaders who want their people to thrive — not just survive. Based on my “Making work work, Why you should prioritise your staff, 25 books covering engagement, structure, metrics, purpose, trends and strategy“.
1. Thou Shalt Prioritise People Over Process
Work is for humans — not the other way around. People are not resources, assets, or headcount. Design systems that serve people, not the other way around.
2. Thou Shalt Make Health and Wellbeing a Core KPI
If your workplace is making people sick, it’s broken. Wellbeing isn’t a perk — it’s a performance driver, a retention strategy, and a moral obligation.
3. Thou Shalt Embrace Radical Transparency
Secrets, silos, and power hoarding destroy trust. Share information widely, openly, and continuously. Transparency builds alignment and loyalty.
4. Thou Shalt Treat Employees Like Adults
Micromanagement is management malpractice. Give people autonomy, flexibility, and trust — and expect accountability in return.
5. Thou Shalt Optimise for Outcomes, Not Hours
Time in a seat is not value. Results are. Judge performance on outcomes, not optics. The future is results-only, location-agnostic, and human-friendly.
6. Thou Shalt Build Organisations That Learn and Adapt
Static structures break under exponential change. Create cultures of learning, feedback, and experimentation. Make agility your default setting.
7. Thou Shalt Code for Culture First
Technology without purpose is noise. Culture is your final product. Build teams and systems that reflect your values — or be exposed by them.
8. Thou Shalt Replace Hierarchy with Networks
The org chart is dead. Replace control with coordination. Fluid, cross-functional, self-organising teams outperform bureaucracy every time.
9. Thou Shalt Empower Through Data, Not Control With It
Use data to coach, not control. Build decision-making dashboards, not surveillance states. Data is a sixth sense, not a whip.
10. Thou Shalt Lead With Love, Purpose, and Meaning
People don’t just want a paycheck. They want to matter. Build workplaces that care, that connect, and that mean something — or be left behind.
One Final Commandment (A Bonus):
Thou Shalt Question Everything That “Used to Work”
Because most of it doesn’t anymore. And what got us here won’t get us where we need to go.
