I spent 25+ years as a regular employee in companies, from startups to multinationals. I might have had high-muckity-muck titles, Director of this, GM of that, head of blah blah blah. I might have been invited into the rooms to have to discussions that only the 'exec' get to have. I might have been paid alot of money.

I loved most of these jobs, but when I think about it now, I feel a bit sick. Sick because I never, until I was out of it, realised what I was actually doing. I was getting to decide all kinds of things about people that I had no business deciding.

Managers have control over what you earn, what work you get to do, your worth or value. And they can take it away in one fell swoop.

Sure, this is stating the obvious. I'm completely disgusted by it. And it's the way the world works.

Although I couldn't name it at the time, it certainly played into the feeling that 'something is off' that I had for decades. Those decades where I pushed up against a system that I didn't fully understand. A system that (for the most part) privileged me and worked for me.

How does it feel to look this in the eye?

Does looking this reality in the face indicate that the system is too hard to change? Is there an alternative?

This, like every other system we take for granted was created by our forbears. Or, should I say, to be clear, by men as a means of control and power.

We've inherited this practice - and when we don't name it for what it is, we become complicit in keeping the structure of command and control firmly in place.

As with everything I've been writing about, recognition and naming it is the first step! And there are things you can try today....

Tip #1: Ask WHY. If you are an employee who manages others, ask your boss. Why do I get to decide? If you are a founder or the boss, ask yourself. Is this the only way?

Tip #2: Think about what could be enabled if you experimented with an alternative remuneration practice. Start small - maybe run an experiment with participatory allocation of profit share. Give teams a pot and see what happens.

Tip #3: Cobudget. Give your employees a chance to distribute money to what's important to them. It may be into their own pockets, it maybe training, it may be renovating the office.

To put it bluntly, let's talk about money. Let's talk about power. We used to say 'if you can measure it you can improve it'. I prefer 'if you name it you can transform it'