At a conference #UNIGE about the below book, two speakers shared perspectives that couldn’t be more timely for today’s leadership and organizational challenges. Here are some highlights:

First, a thought:
We live in paradoxical times – torn between a personal need for grounding and systems that no longer offer stability. How do we navigate this without slipping into passive cynicism?

Summary of Jean-Yves Mercier’s talk:

What if real leadership means owning your responsibilities – even in uncertainty?
In an age of constant change, meaning at work no longer “trickles down.” It is built – within ourselves, for ourselves, and in relation to others.

Key takeaways:

• Work is no longer just a paycheck, but an identity anchor.
• In unstable contexts, responsible action is the only lasting anchor.
• Companies can no longer promise meaning – they are platforms for personal purpose to meet collective missions.

Managers are asked to mobilize without clarity or certainty, often doubting the very objectives they relay.

The greatest risks? Defensive hyperactivity or quiet disengagement.

• Core question: What is the meaning of my action, here and now — and what responsibility am I willing to take?
• Today’s everyday heroes aren’t changing the world. They’re choosing to act — lucidly, deliberately — even when the system guarantees nothing.

Summary of Christophe Genoud’s talk:
What if the real issue isn’t the lack of meaning — but the pressure to constantly find it?

• The modern workplace turns meaning into an obligation. But…
• Some jobs objectively make no difference if they disappear.
• Many employees swing between burnout-inducing overcommitment and apathetic withdrawal.

There is a third option: lucid disengagement – accepting to do the job well, without illusions.

What management theory often ignores:

The nature of the work itself. And how absurd processes destroy motivation faster than the absence of smoothies or yoga. ?

Let’s start here: talk about the work, before we talk about “well-being at work.”
The meaning of your work isn’t handed to you – you define it. But let’s stop turning it into a cult. Clarity matters more than guilt.

This conversation strikes right at the core of current leadership, tech culture, and organizational design challenges. Want to build future-ready teams?

Start by revisiting what “work” means – and who gets to decide.

#Leadership #SelfLeadership #MeaningAtWork #OrgDesign #ManagementCulture #Burnout #Wellbeing #Responsibility #WorkFuture #UNIGE