The workplace has undergone a massive shift. Remote work and economic instability have depressed innovation and left us disconnected and disengaged. Quiet quitting runs rampant, and people show up without truly showing up. Alarmed managers are doubling down on keystroke surveillance, productivity tracking and back-to-the-office mandates, when what they should be doing is the opposite - affording employees the dignity necessary to inject purpose and motivation into their work.

In The Song of Significance, Seth Godin argues that we need to build organisations that empower and trust employees to deliver their best work, no matter where they're working. If you want your employees to live up to their full professional potential, you must give them the respect and autonomy they deserve as humans. Godin offers a series of commitments leaders must make, and a list of organizational milestones on the way to significance.

It's time for leaders to make and keep a new promise, and to recognize that, as Godin says, "Humans aren't a resource. They are the point."