Have you ever felt powerless in your job? Felt that there was no way you could have impact on the corporate environment?
Well, recent events have shown how the catalyst theory is alive and well in corporate America.
Take Uber for example. A mere four months ago, a lone female engineer who had left the company after feeling mistreated wrote a blog post. Within days, that post went viral, caused Uber’s CEO and Board to take notice, and sparked a chain of events that was fascinating to watch (and blog about).
One woman and her blog post ignited a chain reaction that culminated with the CEO’s resignation on June 20th. As reported by news outlets, Travis Kalanick was forced out by Uber’s Board after several investors demanded his resignation, in large part due to the sexual harassment probe initiated by that single blog post. The allegations in that one blog post wound up being the tip of the iceberg, with a reported 215 harassment complaints at the company, resulting in the termination of at least 20 executives. Many of those harassment claims remain unresolved, and the company now has a mandate to change its culture and implement 47 different recommendations to make it a more politically correct company.
In fact, there are many other examples in the press about the catalyst theory at work, involving major television celebrities and executives. Powerful people, who once seemed untouchable despite all types of bad behavior (that was widely known yet unaddressed) eventually fall or are forced out. At times, karma really does catch up with people and justice can prevail.
So, if you are feeling powerless at your company, and think change can’t happen, well, think again. Just read the headlines, because one person (and in this case one brave woman), can really make a difference.
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