Most of us don’t like change. We are socialized (a word I am not fond of) into liking routine and predictability so when change started creeping itself into our work life, most people didn’t like it. So companies created programs to deal with change. I am personally trained to deliver expert change management programs.  And I have for years. But I can’t do it anymore since my faith has been shattered.

Everyone keeps trying to implement change when in reality what’s happening is the “band-aid strategy.” Trying to stop the bleeding rarely works unless you deal with the gaping wound. And no one wants to deal with what’s truly challenged in the workplace today — leadership. We are facing one of the biggest leadership crisises in history in all aspects of of the world — government, healthcare, non-profits, corporate and it goes on and on. Slogans, posters and balloons have replaced authenticity and commitment to people.

In an era, where the slogan says the human talent is important, the actions do not match the slogans. People are still liabilities on spreadsheets while technology is accounted for as an asset. Organizations set to hire “the best and the brightest” and yet once they are on board, they treat them like they are stupid with double speak and increasing complexity.

Today, people want to make a difference in what they do. A friend who is looking for a job called me yesterday and my heart went out to her since she is the primary breadwinner with a small child and she has to make a choice based on that reality, which means she won’t be able to do what she really wants to do.

Some of us need to regain our autonomy and speak out in a way that suits our circumstance. My way was to fire myself from my job because I could no longer “play the game” and deal with an untenable reality where I kept bashing my head against the wall. The only one that had a severe headache was me. Everyone else did not face the moral issues I felt I was up against. It’s a choice. Always remember that. The other side may be scary and it may take some time to recover but give yourself the time to heal. You can only live your own life. A life that matters. Should you choose to.