Todd Dewett, PhD’s Post

I'm not the big earner in my family, but the one who is easy to manage, fills the gaps, and is the platoon player who can play many positions. My perspective is from that. It's like the law of compensation: There's no free lunch. That said, I would add that in our current version of our economy, psychological safety as a concept should be considered. More and more, it seems like people are being used and even sacrificed at work for the benefit of the few. I think it's been growing for the last 50 years, and it's gotten more progressively worse in the last 5. There are no guardrails in this, either social, political, or legal. I think many, if not most, people understand this in an almost limbic way, but don't articulate it or completely understand it, which can make them open to reasons why that aren't accurate at all and serve others' purposes/agendas. What are the consequences when taken to the conclusion? Hard work is just part of the success puzzle and has limitations. The psycho-social aspects become more important the higher one climbs. Here we run into homophily and affinity bias, which exist on all levels, but become more critical as one might move up the hierarchy. #5, yes, but I wouldn't last. I'm not one of them.

Dr. D, well done - agreed with all of these and #5 is my favorite. I’d add a sixth lie that is about to become more visible: “AI will fix the dysfunction.” I think AI will expose far more than it fixes. If an organization already lies to itself about balance, meritocracy, psychological safety, burnout, or leadership constraints, AI will not magically make those systems healthier. It may simply help the organization move faster while avoiding the same hard truths. That is the leadership test I think is coming: AI will amplify capability, but it will also amplify avoidance. The organizations that benefit most will not be the ones that automate the most. They will be the ones honest enough to ask what their systems were already refusing to see.

I love how you point out that we can normalize negative things and start to excuse them. This is such a powerful line: “It’s shockingly amazing how much we can just learn to live with Hey, ‘It’s not that bad.’”

Todd Dewett, such a thought‑provoking breakdown. The hard part is noticing where sharp analysis has become a coping mechanism instead of a catalyst for change.

The tough love post ;-)

Wow 🤩 one step further 🙏Nicely said! Thank you Todd Dewett, PhD I agree with Chris a tough love post 😉

Wow. So many hmmmm's. Glad to sww someone else's thoughts on this. Great read.

Great write-up