Well, I made it up. How do I know that? I Googled it and nothing came up, so I felt inspired to write this post. Pacified apathy is something I’ve observed but could never put my finger on what to call the behavior. It’s essentially when “leaders” are first given the space to (or even encouraged) to talk about their problems and everything that’s wrong. Typically amongst themselves. And THEN allowed (by the absence of accountability or consequences) to do nothing about them, floating on into mediocrity and staleness.
The pacification part is no different to a crying baby. Let them get some tears out, stroke their head a little, and then give them a pacifier.
The apathy part is what’s silently killing organizations. It’s not the venting that is the problem. In fact it’s healthy. It’s that COUPLED with the lack of willingness to inspire anyone or even yourself to do anything about it. How many times can you watch the same car crash happen in slow motion?
So how do you cure this? What’s the answer?
I am proposing a self-help group called Apathetics Anonymous. That’s right- AA. At apathetics anonymous you have a safe space to face your own mortality and apathy. You get to look yourself in the mirror along with other apathetics and CHANGE. It’s about retaking control of the things you are responsible for. It’s about relearning how to motivate people to solve the problems that they so lovingly talk about every single time they get the chance.
And, what would AA be without an accountabilabuddy. Every member is assigned someone to keep them accountable to their goals. Say you’ve noticed the same problem for the past year or two. Great! Now this person will make sure that it’s documented and you are working towards actually doing something about it. It’s about breaking the victim cycle. It’s about getting excited about your work again. It’s about action.
