Want to Destroy a Business? It's Easier Than You Think
Here’s my tongue-in-cheek blueprint to destroying a business:
1. Treat humans like machines
Call people “human resources” instead of recognising them as human energy. Prioritise productivity at ALL COST.
2. Keep leadership untouchable
Create a hierarchy where leaders are above reproach. Discourage feedback from employees and fuel a culture of “boss knows best.”
3. Celebrate mediocrity
Reward compliance over innovation. Make employees fear failure so they stop taking risks.
4. Ignore purpose
Focus solely on profits and dismiss the importance of values, mission or impact.
5. Divide teams
Encourage silos between departments. Pit teams against each other.
6. Kill curiosity
Stick to old processes. Label questions as complaints and discourage experimentation.
7. Confuse communication
Flood employees with jargon and mixed messages, and send them non-stop emails and surveys.
8. Reward long hours and presenteeism
Glorify the hustle and punish employees who prioritise work-life balance.
9. Keep education rigid
Offer one-size-fits-all training that emphasises compliance over critical thinking or adaptability. Online module-based training is best.
10. Push fear-based management
Use threats, micromanagement and pressure tactics to “motivate.”
11. Outsource ethics
Signal values rather than showing genuine responsibility for the environmental, social or cultural impact of your business decisions. Let appearances do the work.
12. Dehumanise customers
View customers as data points or revenue streams instead of individuals with needs and emotions.
13. Make employees feel stuck
Provide just enough to keep them from leaving, but not enough to empower them to grow or innovate.
14. Resist change
Cling to outdated processes because “it’s how we’ve always done it.”
15. Worship outdated metrics
Focus on KPIs like profit margins while ignoring more nuanced indicators of long-term success, like employee engagement or customer loyalty.
16 Kill meaning
Remove any sense of higher purpose from work.
17. Keep them in the dark
Delay communicating changes for as long as possible. Leave employees guessing and reacting instead of preparing and adapting.
Business doesn’t have to be stuck in the industrial age. Business can be an ecosystem of energy, creativity and connection.
Which one are you building?
