True Value of Workplace Perks

Severance
Episode 1, Season 7

Close your eyes and remember a time that the team has worked hard, had the courageous conversations, created the pitch, gained a client, and what are you rewarded with? Jeans’ day and a pizza party. Exciting right? In Season 1, Episode 7, the Macrodata Refinement Team at Lumon Industries has a very similar experience. On the surface the “Music Dance Experience”, or MDE, seems fun. Music, lights, prizes, recognition of Helly reaching 75% on the data refinement file. But the 5-minute celebration reveals frustration, disconnection, questioning of the very system they find themselves in. In particular, Dylan is unable to enjoy the reward because he is searching for answers about his identify and purpose. 
 But what about workplace perks? They are not inherently bad. The issue starts when organizations invest more energy into the perks than the people. They become problematic when they are used to compensate for deeper cultural issues. 

Perks Cannot Replace Purpose
 In the episode, Defiant Jazz, Milcheck introduces the Music Dance Experience as a reward for a job well done. However, instead of inspiring enthusiasm and improving morale, the celebration feels forced and disconnected from what the employees actually need. Most of us can relate to this experience. We want more than entertainment from our employer. 
 In a psychologically safe working environment, true employee perks come as something more intangible. Employees want sustained meaning to their work and room to grow in knowledge and autonomy. When a team is struggling with trust, workload, communication or purpose, perks often feel superficial. In other words, without connection and meaning, the perks fall flat. 

Perks Often Mask Deeper Organizational Problems
 For the Macrodata Refinement Team, the MDE arrives immediately after the team expresses increasing frustration and growing questions about Lumon’s control over them. While seemingly innocent, the timing of the perk feels less like an appreciation of Helly’s achievement and more like a distraction. Sound familiar?
 As the saying goes, timing can be everything. Sometimes, organizations can be introducing perks to improve morale or reward a team, when they should be addressing root causes. Free lunch, swag, and happy hours do not compensate for lack of trust, burnout, unclear expectations, or limited employee voice. Just as Severance illustrates, ill-timed or poorly executed celebrations can leave employees asking what the perks are covering up. They may start whispering between the dances, what conversations are being avoided?

Recognition Without Understanding Falls Flat
 Recognition is most effective when it represents what people value. Organizations often assume that everyone wants the same reward, but that assumption misses the entire point. Team members may be motivated by different needs, and until leaders connect and truly appreciate their team, recognition will continue to reflect a superficial gesture verse true appreciation.
 This principle is highlighted at the MDE. While some of the employees participated and enjoyed the dance party, Dylan is consumed by a deep concern. The perk misses what truly matters to Dylan in that moment, and it seems that no one at Lumon Industries cares to ask. The Music Dance Park ultimately fails as it cannot address the underlying distrust growing among the team. The celebration ends, not with engagement, but with rebellion. 
 This reflection on Severance isn’t to discourage the use of perks in the workplace. When delivered and timed correctly, they can create camaraderie and excitement. But these are temporary. Long-term commitments can only be created through trust. Trust is created through psychological safety, meaningful work, fairness, and honest communication. If every workplace perk disappeared, what would be left of the culture? Would employees still feel connected to the work and each other?
 The genius of “Defiant Jazz” is that it exposes the truth many organizations and team leaders overlook. Employees can enjoy the perk and still be disengaged. They can attend the party and still be disconnected. The best workplaces understand that perks should enhance culture, not substitute for it. Culture is not built through casual dress coupons and happy hours. It can only be built through trust, clarity, and belonging. 

Through Their Eyes

MAS*H
Season 7 Episode 11

Take a moment and consider, what would your company look like if you were seeing it through someone else’s eyes. How would be the newest team member or junior employee describe the company culture? Would the team be vibrant and inclusive or would their most inner thoughts be telling them not to speak up. 
 The television show MAS*H (1972-1983), centers around the 4077 Mobile Army Surgical Hospital in the Korean War. The core plot of the series is team of doctors and nurses that utilize humor to cope with the horrors experienced as a cog in a broader Army Machine. In Season 7, Episode 11, “Point of View”, the activities of the MASH are filmed through the eyes of a wounded solider. In this groundbreaking episode, Private Rich is transported through the 4077th as he is being treated for his battlefield wound. Unable to talk, he is getting to experience and observe the culture of the mobile hospital and the personalities that make up the team. As the audience, we experience every interaction from the prospective of someone with little power, little information, and no voice. And that is where we meet psychological safety in this episode. Contributor safety happens when leaders and team members are able to see the organization or project from someone else’s perspective. When employee’s, even those with little power can truly say, “my voice matters here”.

Contributor Safety Is About More Than Having a Voice
 In “Point of View”, Private Rich cannot speak due to his injury. Throughout the episode, he is an observer, listening to conversations, watching interactions, and trying to make sense of the environment around him. Sounds like a new job, right? Many times, throughout a given day, new position or not, employees find themselves in the same situation. They attend meetings, they hear conversations, they see the problems, and yet, they don’t feel safe enough to speak up and contribute. And why? Largely, silence can be attributed to overt or unconscious signals being sent to team members by leadership or each other. 
 You see, culture is not defined by a mission statement or core values set prominently on a wall. Culture is defined by the daily behaviors. The employees determine if it is safe to contribute by watching how leaders respond to questions, concerns, or mistakes. Think of it this way, if a new employee followed the team for a day, what would they conclude about the culture?
And this phenomenon is exactly what “Point of View” portrays. As Private Rich moves through triage, surgery, recovery and rehabilitation, he witnesses how the staff treats patients and one another. He experiences the culture of the 4077 firsthand through several interactions. One interaction is with Father Mulcahy. Generally calm and comforting, this is episode, Father Mulcahy admits feeling useless while surrounded with surgeons who perform physical miracles everyone. His interaction with Private Rich forces Father Mulcahy to question whether his spiritual presence makes any difference in Korea. 

Courageous Conversations Often Start with Simple Questions
 Which brings us to a central component of Contributor Safety, the courageous conversation. In psychologically safe teams, the courageous conversation does not always have to begin with a confrontation. It could and should begin with curiosity. While Father Mulcahy wonders why he is in Korea, one could approach with curiosity and wonder as to what could be different for him that day and address it with compassion and curiosity. 
 Another instance where courageous conversation shows in “Point of View” is between Colonel Potter and Private Rich. Although he cannot speak, Private Rich notices that Colonel Potter is unusually angry and short-tempered. Eventually, through a written exchange, Private Rich asks a simple question that opens the door for Colonel Potter to share what is really bothering him. In this instance, Colonel Potter isn’t met with judgement, but with a powerful question, “are you okay?” How often, are employees waiting for one caring question. 

Psychological Safety Requires Leaders to Be Human
As the leader of the MASH 4077, Colonel Potter's mood affects nearly everyone around him. Yet when the reason becomes known, the doctors and nurses are allowed to respond with empathy rather than criticism. A potentially volatile and ongoing situation is resolved because someone was willing to surface the issue rather than ignore it. And this is where contributor safety is so important. Leadership often believes that they must always appear composed and in control. But, in reality, trust grows when leaders and team members acknowledge challenges, frustrations, and mistakes. And this simple vulnerability creates permission for honesty and contribution throughout the rest of the team or organization. 
The brilliance of the episode “Point of View” is that it forces viewers to experience the MASH 4077 from the perspective of someone who is vulnerable, dependent, and largely voiceless. This same challenge exists for teams and leadership. To build contributor safety, leaders must intentionally see their culture for the eyes of those with the least power. To foster the heart of contributor safety, all team members must create conditions where people feel safe enough to ask difficult questions and be honest enough to answer them. The healthiest cultures are not the ones where everyone has a voice. They are the ones where everyone believes their voice matters.

Carpe Diem, My Captain!

Leadership Lessons from Dead Poets Society

When I was a young teenager in the 1990s, I remember watching Dead Poets Society in English class. It wasn’t a movie that I immediately connected with and just kind of wrote it off from there. But, as usual, with age comes experience. And now, solidly in my mid-40s, Dead Poets Society is a movie I have come to appreciate for the lessons from Mr. Keating. 
 For those of you who haven’t revisited Dean Poets Society in a while, let me refresh your memory. The move is set in the tradition-bound halls of Weldon Academy. The school is built on obedience and ritual. Any deviation from the standard is to be met with suspicion and not celebrated. And this is where we meet Mr. Keating. The new English teacher whose unconventional teaching methods challenge the boys to think independently and to live intentionally. On the first day, Mr. Keating teaches the students Carpe Diem, or seize the day, illuminating the relevance of the statement beyond the classroom. 
 But how does this relate to a psychologically safe workplace? Through carpe diem! Excellence is not achieved through compliance alone but is at its highest when teams are encouraged to think, contribute, and grow. 

Inclusion Safety Begins with Being Seen
 On the first day of class, the students shuffle into the room and take their seats, ready to engage in silence compliance and listen to their teacher. But Mr. Keating encourages the boys to stand on their desk and view the world from a from a different perspective. In fact, throughout the movie, he does something radial form Weldon Academy. He learns each student’s name, values their ideas, and treats them as individuals. He reminds them that life is finite, with fleeting opportunities, and they have the chance to make their lives extraordinary. What Mr. Keating creates, in these simple acts, is inclusion safety, the foundation of psychological safety.
Employees who feel invisible rarely carpe diem, instead they stay silent, keeping their best ideas to themselves. Once people feel accepted, they will begin to take interpersonal risks. And great leaders help to pull those risks out of a team by helping people see possibilities in themselves. Innovation often begins by challenging familiar assumptions. They intentionally encourage diverse viewpoints and healthy disagreement.
.
Courage Is Contagious
Taking risks doesn’t happen all at once, but it does only take one person. Once a single employee demonstrates the courage to take a risk, others will follow. This is exemplified in Dead Poets Society. Inspired by Mr. Keating, the boys of Weldon Academy revive the Dead Poets Society and begin pursuing their interest. One student, Todd Anderson, gradually finds his voice despite his fear of public speaking. So often, people need permission to take the risk, but once it is done, others will follow. 
 Throughout the movie, students struggle to balance their personal aspirations with the expectations of their parents, peers, institutional traditions. You see, the culture of Weldon Academy was so entrenched, that it influenced the actions of the students more than policy. And this is the same in the workplace. Employees make decisions based on that they believe is truly valued, not what appears on a mission statement. Therefore, leaders must intentionally create cultures that align with stated values and goals. 

Seizing the Opportunity to Learn
 Mr. Keating created a culture of exploration, questioning the status quo, and seizing the day, but none of that could be possible without inclusion safety. The type of psychological safety that states “you are welcome and belong here simply because you are human”. Mr. Keating also created a space for students to admit mistakes and to grow in academics but also as young men finding their way. Carpe diem is not achieved by pretending to be perfect. In fact, it is quite the opposite. Seizing excellence emerges when people feel safe enough to contribute, challenge tradition, admit mistakes, and learn from one another. They must change their perspective. The most powerful words in a psychologically safe organization by not be “I was right”. They may be “I was wrong, and here is what I learned”. Just like Mr. Keating, we must always challenge each other and live an extraordinary life. 

One Team, One Purpose

Remember the Titans

The year was 1971. America was grappling with the release of the Pentagon Papers and widespread protests against the Vietnam War. Walt Disney World was preparing to open its gates, and Alexandria, Virginia, was preparing to desegregate T.C. Williams High School. Remember the Titans (2000) tells the story of Coaches Herman Boone and Bill Yoast as they lead the newly integrated T.C. Williams football team. Together, the coaches, players, and community must navigate conflict, distrust, and uncertainty while pursuing a successful season.
So, what does a high school football team from 1971 have to do with today's workplace? Quite a bit. Organizations may share an organizational chart (one team) and strategic goals (one purpose), yet many teams remain divided by silos, assumptions, and mistrust. The challenges facing the Titans offer powerful lessons for leaders seeking to build stronger, more connected teams.

Unity Requires Intentional Leadership
One of the defining moments of the film occurs when Coach Boone takes the team away to training camp. Removed from the influences and divisions of their community, the players are placed in an environment designed to challenge their assumptions and build meaningful relationships. Coach Boone opens camp with a clear message: "When you put that Titan uniform on, you better come to work." He tells the players they are going to change, not just as athletes, but as people. He intentionally establishes conditions where every player belongs to something larger than themselves. And the lesson for inclusion safety in organizations is clear. Teams do not become united simply because they share an employer. Leaders must intentionally create opportunities for connection, collaboration, and shared understanding. Inclusion is not a slogan or a one-time initiative. It is a leadership practice embedded in the daily experiences of the people we lead.

See People, Not Categories
When pressure mounts and goals become difficult to achieve, trust can erode quickly. Teams retreat into silos, assumptions take hold, and stereotypes flourish. We see this throughout Remember the Titans. The white community assumes Coach Boone is unqualified and was hired because of politics. Coach Yoast doubts Boone's ability to lead an integrated team. The players themselves? They assume they have nothing in common and view one another through the lens of stereotypes rather than shared humanity. But Coach Boone responds by doing something radical. He creates opportunities for people to truly know one another. After a grueling morning run, he leads the team to Gettysburg and delivers one of the film's most memorable speeches. Standing on the site of one of America's bloodiest battles, he warns the players that if they do not come together, they too will be destroyed by division. His message is simple but powerful; before they can become teammates, they must first see each other as people.
This same principle applies in organizations today. Assumptions thrive in the absence of relationships. Trust grows when people move beyond labels, departments, and job titles to understand the human beings around them.

Shared Purpose Is Stronger Than Shared Similarity
The Gettysburg moment marks a turning point. The team begins to rally around a shared purpose that is stronger than their individual identities. They learn to play for one another, and that commitment carries them to a championship season. But it is important to note, high-performing teams do not require everyone to think alike. In fact, its quite the opposite. Teams benefit from differing perspectives that challenge assumptions and strengthen decision-making. The key is that team members are united by a common mission rather than divided by their differences.
We see this when Gerry Bertier confronts his longtime friend Ray for refusing to support a teammate because of racial prejudice. Rather than staying silent, Gerry engages in a courageous conversation that protects the team and reinforces its values. Culture changes when people are willing to challenge behaviors that undermine the group's purpose.

Accountability Is an Act of Respect
Which brings us back to respect. Many leaders mistakenly equate kindness with lowering expectations. Great leaders understand that respect means holding everyone accountable to the same standards. Throughout the film, Coach Boone maintains high expectations for every player regardless of background, popularity, or position on the depth chart. Those standards create fairness, trust, and ultimately performance. Yet the true victory of Remember the Titans is not the championship. It is the relationships formed across deeply entrenched racial divides. The film reminds us that while results matter, culture determines whether success is sustainable.
The real Herman Boone continued to build successful teams throughout his coaching career using many of the same leadership principles highlighted in the movie: high expectations, meaningful relationships, and a commitment to unity. Imagine if your team was running through the foggy forests of Pennsylvania and your leader said, "You don't have to like each other, but you will respect each other. And maybe, just maybe, we'll hit our third-quarter projections."
It sounds humorous, but the principle remains true. The strongest teams are not built when everyone agrees. They are built when everyone belongs.