When I want to escape from real life, I often read books and watch movies that are dystopian. There are a lot of these to choose from like George Orwell's 1984, The Handmaid's Tale, The Book of Eli, I Am Legend, The Truman Show, and Blade Runner. (Yes, I’m old so some of these references are old too.)

I would like to find more utopian stories to get lost in and have as a more positive vision for the future. Imagine a society or community where people experience the ideal or an almost perfect life.

Utopia is a world that doesn't have unpleasant living or working conditions for most people. A society where everyone's needs are valued and met.

We each make decisions to get closer to utopia for ourselves, our loved ones, and our communities.

And that is what gets me up in the morning to do the work I do.

I am passionate about paying people fairly and creating prosperity one interaction at a time. Equal access to opportunities for everyone is worth fighting for.

I do that by consulting with employers to design their pay programs and implement pay transparency solutions. Partnering with others who care about workplace equity and enabling the full potential in others is energizing.

I do that by coaching high performers so they get paid what they are worth and have careers aligned to their values.

I don't really believe utopia is possible in my lifetime or in the future given the historical patterns of human behavior.

But doing a little bit each day to improve workplaces and the lives of my clients is a great reason to wake up, drink a cup of coffee, and keep taking the next step toward better.

#dystopia #utopia #futureofwork #workplaceequity #paytransparency #payequity #leadership #hr #compensation #rewards