Thought Of The Week

“When we are no longer able to change a situation, we are challenged to change ourselves”

Viktor Frankl

Can Victim Narratives Predict Problems with AI Adoption At Work?

Unless you own a dumbphone, you are bathing in stories encouraging you to give away your power to Act (‘be a victim’) and to blame others for your Results in life. In this edition of DARE I will give you the top ten victim narratives as I see them.

Why?

As AI enters our working lives, your ability to accept your POWER (avoid victimhood) and to take ACCOUNTABILITY (not blame others for your Results) will define your success.

Why?

Because you will have to adapt and lead adaptation – fast and continuously.

To adapt is courageously to use your power to leave the old way and move to the new – things you’ve never done before. (The DARE Loop)

To lead adaptation is to use your power to inspire and empower: to make others aware of, and have the courage to use their power to adapt. (The C.O.A.C.H. Framework)

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Trigger Warning

There may be ‘triggers’ in the list below.

When you are ‘triggered’ you place your power outside of yourself. By definition.

You are permitting another person to control your emotions simply by stating certain concepts. You are the ‘victim’ of his/her Actions and the Result is not yours to own (no accountability), he/she owns your Result.

Of course, there are extreme situations where triggers should be carefully avoided. For example, I have recently learned that in a high-PTSD war zone, the flame/explosion emojis signifying ‘Go you!’ to most of us, are highly ‘triggering’ and are not used.

If the list ‘triggers’ you, that could be an interesting clue about your ability to regulate your emotions and reclaim your power from some words on a screen, or even from me.

Alternatively – you can cancel me. There’s a link at the bottom of the email 😉.

Big Trigger Warning!

So here’s my list of common disempowering victim narratives. What’s on your list? Which one makes you angry with me – and is therefore likely to cause you to give your power away?

I am NOT saying that the world is fair and the list is untrue. That is a different conversation. I am asking whether adopting these narratives can assist you or prevent you in using your power to DARE and write your story in your coming AI world.

1. “I can’t — my mental health won’t allow it.”

Caring for yourself is vital. But protection easily becomes avoidance. When we have poor health, our primary task is to get well and carry our own weight again, not integrate it into our personality.

DARE: Ask, “What small, supported ACTION could I still take towards the Result I want?”

2. “The patriarchy means that… [insert block].”

Yes, there are walls for everybody (most men hold zero power in ‘the patriarchy’). But declaring defeat before the game begins cements the structure you want to change: the only way forward is to adopt and celebrate victimhood as an identity.

DARE: Master the system, then bend it. Be the architect, not the tenant.

3. “As a man, I’m not allowed emotions or vulnerability.”

Silence isn’t strength. It’s suppression. There is no man as magnetic as a man with the courage to face his fear of rejection and failure and pursue a purpose. A man with purpose is demonstrating extreme vulnerability.

DARE: Lead with both backbone and heart.

4. “It’s my diagnosis — I can’t.”

Labels can clarify the situation and the Action required or can cage. Understanding your mind could expand your toolkit, not shrink it.

DARE: Use self-knowledge to design systems that work for you.

5. “Capitalism is the problem.”

Maybe. But waiting for utopia is another way of saying, “Not my move – I have no power.”

DARE: Build the ethical enterprise you wish existed / Operate in the environment you have been given/accept what you cannot change.

6. “My culture or family wouldn’t approve.”

Belonging matters. But inherited rules are not destiny.

DARE: Honour your roots — author your future. And sometimes, (a strong theme in all spiritual practices) we must reject in order to return whole as adults.

7. “I’m protecting my boundaries.”

Important — until boundaries become walls. Growth happens where edges meet. And beware, this has come to mean ‘what I say goes’ and that is not what boundaries are

DARE: Ask, “Is this boundary safety or avoidance, or me controlling others?”

8. “Societal Expectations mean that I must…”

Except many don’t. And who, exactly, is doing this expecting? A magazine editor or an influencer? You don’t have to be ‘agreeable’ to an imagined mass. Seek different role models and inspirations.

DARE: Curate your media inputs, be clear on your values, Decide and Act.

9. “I’m manifesting — the universe will decide.”

Hope is not a strategy. The universe responds to movement.

DARE: Pair vision with Action.

10. “If I win, someone else loses.”

We’ve confused humility with hesitation and a fear of standing out and contributing. When good people play small, power flows to those who won’t.

DARE: Win with integrity — expand the circle, don’t equate shrinking yourself with  ‘being good’.

The DARE Loop

Every one of these narratives begins with truth — trauma, fatigue, inequity, pressure. But then comes the quiet surrender: “Because of that truth, I can’t.”

DARE flips it: “Because of that truth, I must.” Care deeply. Act bravely. Redesign reality — one DARE loop at a time.

My Fortnight

A week of half term bliss (I’ve obviously chosen to block out the early mornings and late nights to get my work done). I love these moments together. Amongst various adventures and conversations was a trip to see the astonishing production of Cabaret in London.

It is sobering to watch what happens when a toxic and racist narrative (European anti-semitism in the case of the play) creeps across a society, wrecking all in its path and destroying lives. #NeverAgain – for everybody.

The cast and backstage were utterly brilliant. Heartbreaking, Thought provoking. Courageous in the extreme.

Then to Egypt to train in the ocean. Always very intimidating for me to invest in the future rather than ‘do my work’. Practicing what I preach is important – but never becomes less challenging. My whole being rebels against it.

For the first time in 15 years I went to learn from Marco Nones (Rasta from Taming Tigers fame). With Andrea Zuccari, Marco changed freediving. Together, they coached and supported me to 101m. Since the sea claimed Andrea, Marco’s expertise, professionalism and philosophy is unmatched in my view. You can learn a little about Marco, and train with him and his team, here.

A question for you – would you like me to reveal what I am training for and take you on my DARE journey with me each fortnight?

Book Of The Week

Homo Delphinus – The Dolphin Within Man by Jaques Mayol

When Mayol boarded his sled to go to 100m in 1976, it was like going to the moon. He was a true pioneer.

Why? Nobody had ever experienced such pressure before. The science said his rib cage would be crushed.

The water was filled with scuba divers at different depths to help him return if injured. Doctors were present to deliver life-saving treatment to the damaged bones. Researchers were there to study what happens to humans under extreme pressure.

He learned that we became dolphins. Our bodies acted just as theirs do. We are cousins.

In Homo Delphinus, Mayol sets out his philosophy. It transcends diving:

· We are built for adaptation beyond fear.

· Mastery is achieved through surrender to and acceptance of our environment, not the struggle against it.

· Reconnecting with our natural intelligence is the path to both performance and harmony.

Write YOUR story 🖋️

Jim