New research from Wharton tells us what’s driving organizations to demand employees go back to work full-time at the office, no ifs ands or buts. It’s the boss’s ego.

Researchers surveyed thousands of bosses and gleaned from their research that bosses who mandate full time in-office policies separately rate high as narcissistic. It’s “not coincidental—it’s causal,” according to the researchers’ recent article in The New York Times.

This “I must have it all” attitude is not increasing productivity, but it is increasing employee departures and lots of other issues, the researchers show.

I can’t swear by this research, but I’ve learned something consistent from my decades of actual work leading change and research on the subject: Successful leaders subordinate their own egos to win at change.

— These leaders are not the stars of the show. The organization’s need is the star here. Leaders help their people understand what’s going on in the marketplace or with competitors or with the customer.

— They ask. They don’t bring pre-conceived answers to the change. By asking their people for help and ideas, they open dialog and communication channels that wouldn’t exist if they “told” instead of asked.

— They listen. They do this because they don’t know everything (i.e. their ideas are often naïve), and because change needs to be everyone’s idea (at least in part).

— They gain alignment before action. Sure, it’s on the leader to decide which of these group-generated ideas to pursue, but because the ideas come from open work, there’s greater alignment.

I understand that—given we’re the boss—it’s not always natural to think this way, but it’s also not natural for us to  succeed at change. We fail 2/3 of the time at it, wasting at least $2 trillion annually in the process. Plus we bang our heads against the wall wondering “what’s wrong with our people” when “they” fail at change.

To be sure, there are great reasons to have people return to the office, including culture building, training, mentoring, camaraderie and serendipity. But, as I’ve said since 2021, forcing the return is folly, and the stats back this up.

So let’s check our egos when we badge in…or no one will badge in behind us.

Let me know what you think. I look forward to being in touch.

Al Comeaux