I agree that there is a lot of that out there — people selling the next new thing, just to sell it and to have something new. Few people or organizations really do the work. Interestingly, Brene’ Brown does seem to have the clout to be making at least a dent. She gives a lot of examples in her book and one is a long quote from an Air Force commander on how she actually took what she’d learned from Brene and applied it, creating a much better culture, in at least her neck of the woods. Maybe it’s because she was both a woman and the commander that she felt able to be more vulnerable and to ask questions she didn’t necessarily know the answer to in order to start a meaningful conversation.

And, the publisher that put out Peter Block’s book actually revolutionized how they operate after reading it. The drips and drabs are slow, but it’s heading in the right direction. I think this stuff is really at the core of what will eventually make a difference in sexual harassment training, diversity training, etc. Dominance hierarchy is at the heart of all of that, and you can’t really address the behaviors until you address that part. I’m not expecting a big change any time soon — it may be a hundred years, but there is some awareness growing that this is the core issue.

As someone who works in the often deservedly maligned growth and development industry, I have to say, that for all the charlatans out there just selling feel good to make a buck, there is real transformation going on for the people willing to show up and actually do it. I see it every day. If I didn’t, I wouldn’t do this work. It’s one individual at a time though. I look forward to the day when it’s more comprehensive than that, for real. I may not live that long, but I hope so!