The movie Jaws was a huge success. It made its indelible mark back in the mid-1970s and kept innumerable beach goers out of the water. 

And while the huge shark was the focus of our fear as it reeked havoc killing unwitting swimmers, it was not the one we should have been most afraid of. That place of pride should have gone to Larry Vaughn, the mayor of the small New England island where the shark had decided to feed.

You see, the shark was doing what it was naturally built to do, namely, eat. Its intent was not specifically evil. But the mayor, no, he was up to no good. The mayor was out for one thing, to ensure tourists (a.k.a. money) came to the island … and at any cost. Over and over, in gestures of varying subtlety, he made it clear that financial success was more important than people. 

Sound familiar? Think of companies who let people go (thus wrecking their lives) because they miss arbitrary projections due on some arbitrary date. Think of senior employees let go (thus wrecking their lives) to save a few shekels in the name of “restructuring,” only to have those same jobs renamed and given to much lower-cost young people. Think of rank-and-yank practices where employees are scored and let go (thus wrecking their lives) if their place in the standings is in the bottom percentile. 

These actions are the moral equivalent to Mayor Vaughn. Yet, we turn a blind eye. We put it all up to the price of doing business. It’s a dog-eat-dog world after all. 

But (a big but) the pandemic showed us something. It gave people time to notice and reflect. It gave people time to get some clarity and demand something different. 

If my job doesn’t require being in an office, why do I have to be there? If I can do my job on a beach, why not? If I’m more productive at 10pm than at 10am, why can’t I do it? 

People are tired of the Larry Vaughns of the world. They want leaders who look out for their wellbeing. They want leaders who are willing to sacrifice for them rather than sacrifice them. 

If you’re a Larry Vaughn, take heed. The days of your Industrial-Age humans-are-just-cogs-in-the-machine thinking are, hopefully, numbered.

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