Trapped in a Foreign Prison: Who Do You Call?

You wake up in a foreign jail cell. One phone call allowed.

Who do you call?

Think deeply about the person who came to mind. What makes them your lifeline?

For me, that person is my brother.

Those we trust in crises share three traits:

1. Clear thinking

   → They see reality without filters

   → They identify problems worth solving

   → They cut through noise to find signal

2. Bias to action

   → They test ideas instead of debating them

   → They gather data through experimentation

   → They iterate faster than competitors

3. Disagreeability

   → They question unhelpful norms

   → They ignore social pressure when necessary

   → They stand firm on unpopular truths

These aren't just qualities of a good emergency contact.

They define high agency which in my opinion is the most important trait for the future of work.

Society has long rewarded conformity:

→ Study the "right" subjects

→ Work at the "right" companies

→ Follow the "right" career path

This system created millions of jobs but suppressed agency. In this environment, low agency became the default setting.

Now multiple shifts are breaking this arrangement:

→ Routine work is being automated

→ Middle management layers are dissolving

→ "Bullshit jobs" are disappearing first

The question becomes: are you ready?

High agency professionals are defined by:

→ They challenge "it can't be done"

→ They create solutions, not just highlight problems

→ They focus on possibilities, not difficulties

→ They treat obstacles like puzzles, not barriers

The knowledge work incumbents are under-pressure:

→ Premium fees are compressing across the industry

→ Billion-dollar transformations attempts are failing

→ Partner profits shrinking while costs balloon

→ Clients questioning traditional expertise models

Why?

Their structure stifles high agency:

→ Every change needs thousands to agree

→ Promotion rewards conformity, not creativity

→ They prioritize short-term profit over long-term bets

→ Collective governance shields individual responsibility

If you want to escape the low agency trap, here are some tips you can start using from today:

→ For every "we can't because..." find two "we could if..."

→ Convert vague concerns into specific questions

→ Take the smallest possible first step toward solutions

→ Value action over endless analysis

The future will always be built by those who act, not by those who wait for the perfect conditions.

Tag the person you would call in the comments below and make their weekend!

P.S This post was inspired by the seminal essay on this topic by George Mack. Link in the comments.