HUMANS ARE THE SYSTEM
You don’t need better frameworks—you need to create better conditions for people to do great work.
COMING TO YOU THIS WEEK FROM PARIS, FRANCE.
Over lunch at a café, my daughter remarked how lovely our waiter was:
“He must make a lot of money.”
Objectively? Not really. Living wage, yes—but a lot of money? Mais non.
It got me thinking about cultural stereotypes, motivation at work, and what truly drives people to show up and do great work.
HUMANS ARE THE SYSTEM
Living and working in France, I’ve collaborated with teams from the U.S., Canada, Mexico, Croatia, Italy, France, Spain, Portugal, and the U.K.
Once you learn the quirks of cross-cultural communication, you start to see the deeper layers: how people think about work, what motivates them, and what “doing good work” really means.
American colleagues: tireless work ethic, urgency, self-imposed standards.
European colleagues: long lunches, long vacations, enjoying life.
Somewhere in between? The sweet spot: American work ethic with European labor protections.
The longer I live here, the more I ask: what motivates exceptional work? Fear? Meaning? Autonomy?
THE AMERICAN STORY: WORK ETHIC AS FEAR?
American hard work has long been romanticised. The American Dream promises: work hard, you’ll make it.
But reality? Financial crises, housing barriers, pandemics, and weak social safety nets.
Yet Americans still work harder than almost anyone:
U.S.: 1,750 hours/year
Germany: 1,350 hours/year
France: 1,400 hours/year
Is it passion—or fear? Fear is baked into the system: at-will employment, healthcare tied to your job. Fear drives output but not thriving.
Managers know this leverage and often exploit it. But research shows fear-based management undermines performance.
THE EUROPEAN REALITY: SAFETY WITHOUT SPARK?
In much of Europe, workers are protected. Contracts are stable, dismissals rare, social safety nets strong.
Yet the critique persists: safe jobs = lazy employees.
I see something different: brilliant people are often ground down by bad management—micromanagement, obsession with attendance, ego-driven leaders. Worker protections aren’t the problem; management is.
People want to do good work. They just need the conditions to make it possible.
THE HUMAN TRUTH: PEOPLE WANT TO DO GOOD WORK
After 15 years managing people, here’s what I know: everyone wants to do great work.
Maslow’s hierarchy helps explain why:
PHYSIOLOGICAL NEEDS – fair pay, humane hours, stability
SAFETY – predictability, job security, psychological safety
BELONGING – connection, teamwork, part of something bigger
ESTEEM – respect, recognition, autonomy, mastery
SELF-ACTUALISATION – growth, contribution, meaning
Needs aren’t linear; they coexist. Without basic needs, people can’t access higher ones. Your job? Create conditions for growth and purpose.
THE CURRENT SMALL BUSINESS PLAYBOOK
Most frameworks—EOS, OKRs, Scaling Up, Agile—focus on structure, accountability, process.
Problem? Many were built for U.S. at-will employment cultures. “Right person, right seat—or they’re out” doesn’t translate in Europe, where firing is slow or nearly impossible.
Fear scales output; meaning scales excellence.
WHAT WORKS INSTEAD
Lead with curiosity, not threats: “Are you okay?”
Roll up your sleeves alongside your team
Ask what motivates them and connect it to business goals
Give ownership instead of just instructions
Provide specific, timely feedback
Celebrate wins out loud and address problems privately
Autonomy fuels energy. Ownership breeds engagement. People care when they can improve, not just endure.
THE NEW PARADIGM: THE HUMAN OPERATING SYSTEM
Systems only work if they serve humans. Most frameworks optimise efficiency, not meaning.
THE HUMAN OPERATING SYSTEM:
A framework for emotionally intelligent organisations that still hit numbers and get shit done.
THE FOUR PILLARS
SAFETY – physical, financial, psychological security; foundation of trust
BELONGING – shared mission, inclusion, mutual respect; turns employees into teams
ESTEEM – recognition, autonomy, mastery; ownership and confidence to contribute
SELF-ACTUALISATION – purpose, creativity, contribution; doing the best work of their careers
These pillars coexist, not sequential. When in tension, accountability becomes organic, not enforced.
THE TAKEAWAY
American work ethic + European protections? Not the point.
Leaders must take responsibility for culture, clarity, and care.
Build workplaces where people feel safe to take risks
Support growth
Create connection
When those conditions exist, performance happens naturally. Humans, not frameworks, are the real competitive advantage.
Fear motivates for a day. Safety sustains for a while. Meaning keeps people showing up as their best.
Your job as a leader: create conditions for great work to be inevitable.
WORK WITH ME
Keep building work that actually works for you. I’ll be here cheering (and nudging).
