Transformation in the Workplace Part 1

Transformation in the Workplace Part 1
By Ariel and Shya Kane

As summer ends and fall approaches, most people's thoughts turn to "getting back to work." Of course, over the summer, most of us have been working all along, but somehow June, July, and August often seem slower and more sedate. It is a time normally associated with long, hot days, family vacations, and weekend getaways. After Labor Day, things gear up (at least until Thanksgiving). This shifting of gears may be a vestige of everyone's "back to school" training. It may also be a natural response to cooler weather. Perhaps it is a basic instinct that comes with the change of the seasons. Whatever the reason, as September is fast approaching, so is a palpable resurgence of the "let's get back to work" vibe.
This is a potent time to take a look at the way you approach your workday and to have a transformation in the workplace. The timing is right. The season is ripe. A lot can be accomplished for those who ride the energy wave that is swelling as summer comes to a close.
We offer a seminar called Transformation in the Workplace. In this seminar, we synthesize the principles of Instantaneous Transformation, which so many of you have found powerful on a personal level, into a business framework. It is an exhilarating process. How rewarding to see individuals make quantum leaps in their income, in their own personal effectiveness, and in their ability to relate on the job. How satisfying to see offices become co-coordinated, cohesive teams.
We would like to relate an anecdote that embodies the principles of Instantaneous Transformation. We hope it gives you a foundation to stand on, a board if you will, to surf into the fall season.
"Joe"
We sat in front of the 20 executives and watched as Joe systematically alienated everyone in the course, many of whom he had never met before. Joe wasn't crude. He wasn't outstandingly difficult to get along with. Surprisingly, it was his enthusiasm and competitive spirit which was driving everyone in the room crazy. We were in the midst of a brainstorming session, and Joe had just unawaredly interrupted a less forceful and less articulate participant in his excitement to share his idea and make a point. Every time we asked a question, Joe wanted to be the first to answer. It was obvious why he was the best sales person in his company. He had commitment and drive and intelligence. He was attacking each new section of the business course with an intensity that obviously had gotten him to where he was today. This drive had produced much in the way of sales, but it had also produced much in the way of repercussions at work. Whilst Joe was busy building an impressive client base and significant commissions, he was also building resentment amongst his peers and support staff, the same way he was doing now. The room began to feel restless as Joe prepared to speak again. "I have several ideas that come to mind," he said in response to the current question. And in the air there was a not-so-silent non-verbal response, "Oh Yeah? I'm sure you do have several ideas, and now we are going to have to listen to every one of them."
At this point we took a risk. As gently as possible, to avoid embarrassing Joe, we verbalized what seemed to be humming through the air unsaid. "Joe," we said, "Can you feel the tension in the room? There are people here who are starting to feel frustrated with you. Some are operating at a different rhythm than you are, and they need a little more time to speak." At this point Joe was given feedback from the others in the course. Rather than getting defensive as people spoke, he took a deep breath and welcomed their input. Joe then saw how he had a similar dynamic happening in the office. It had long been apparent to Joe that co-workers would get irritated with him, and he hadn't been able to see what he had been doing to generate such a response. Furthermore, he saw that, when he was in the midst of a project, he forgot others had pressing projects as well. This had lead him to make unreasonable demands upon the shipping department. He realized that, because he was the top revenue producer in the company, he had formed an attitude that he should get preferential treatment. This attitude had also contributed to office tensions, bickering, and ongoing strife between Joe and his co-workers and support staff. As he looked, Joe could see how his enthusiasm and drive, which were strong assets, were also liabilities when he wasn't sensitive to others around him.
All of these realizations came in the space of a few breaths. It was as if the feedback from those present had pulled a string and unraveled many uncomfortable, reoccurring everyday events. This was a critical moment. Joe could have now decided to be a different way. He could have decided to be more reserved and give others a chance. He could have begun to hold back, and he would have ended up resenting the others in the course for stifling him. Or he could have chastised himself. He could have judged this unaware way of relating as "wrong" and vowed never to do it again.
But something simpler and far more powerful happened. Joe just looked at the situation honestly and with a minimal amount of resistance saw what he was generating in others and saw that he didn't have to do it anymore. Something in Joe relaxed. He then naturally fell into a rhythm where he included others, rather than trying to get ahead of everyone else. Immediately, people forgot their irritation towards him.
Incidentally, when Joe went back to work, he brought with him a new awareness of other people’s feelings. He later told us, with a grin, that it was as if his boss had hired a whole new staff while he was away at the business seminar. Suddenly, everyone was so nice and so efficient.
Let's take a look at some of the components of this scenario. If we break it down into sections, you will have the tools to look at how you relate in your own work environment in a way that will allow you to have effortless, profound transformations in your ability to produce results, as well as have satisfying interactions with clients and co-workers alike.
Life is Holographic
Let's start with a hypothesis that life is holographic. A hypothesis is an experiment where you hold an idea as true for the sake of investigating it. A holographic projection is one where any fragment is representative of the whole. So in this case, lets assume that Joe's manner of relating to the seminar was representative of how he generally related at work. If we follow this line of reasoning, we don't have to look far to see the dynamic he had unwittingly set up at his job: People were feeling cut off and dismissed and were generally impatient with Joe. You don't have to go far to see how you relate to your job. Start right where you are and put some attention on it. This moment is but a small slice of how you relate at work. The trick is to have the "attention" be neutral rather than judgmental.
An Anthropological Approach will allow a "problematic" behavior pattern to disappear, and awareness is the key. Anthropology is the science that deals with the characteristics and customs of humankind. A good anthropologist will simply note what they see without trying to fix, change, or judge it. If you simply observe how you are in any given situation, without self-recrimination or self-congratulation, it empowers you to be more centered and more true in your way of relating. As Joe was able to see himself, without judging what he saw as good or bad, it allowed him to relax into himself. It allowed him to instantaneously drop a behavior that had been causing him difficulty. He didn't need to work on it. It was finished, done, complete. If Joe had gone back over the day and looked for all the times he had done it "wrong," his embarrassment would have been acute. He would likely have become tongue-tied, and his behavior would have continued to be inappropriate, only now in a different way. If you see something, the seeing of it alone is enough to transform it, to melt it away.
In a learning situation, one has to be aware of the embarrassment factor: Most of us have an active repulsion to feeling stupid or being seen as dumb. This makes honest feedback so much more challenging to receive. Joe was able to see his way of relating as a way of being, rather than a personal failing. This de-personalization is a powerful tool. Even giving yourself honest feedback can be a challenge. However, if you make it a habit to let go of judgments about what you see in yourself or others, your ability to see the truth in a situation will dramatically increase.
People create Karma
Karma is a term borrowed from Eastern philosophy where a person creates an ongoing dynamic through their actions. In Joe's case, his way of being had engendered an impatience and irritation in others. This irritation escalated to the point where, even if he was saying something useful, Joe's input had a tendency to be disregarded. This could have lead to a cycle of Joe talking even more because he didn't feel he was being heard, which would have, in turn, created more irritation. The way you have related in the past with an individual or individuals at work will set up the expectation for that behavior again. If Joe had gone back to work and been impatient with people who were still irritated with him, even though he was more sensitive now, he would have started the whole cycle all over again. On occasion, there will be a lag time between when you discover and dissolve unwanted behavior and when the people around you respond in a favorable manner.
Trying to fix what you observe will lead to inappropriate behaviors: You can't be in two places at once. If Joe had set himself the task to figure out what he had been doing "wrong," he would not have been present in the course room any longer. His response, questions, and interactions would have become out of sync with what was happening. If he had begun filtering what he was doing through a new system of checking to see if he was now relating more appropriately, the course would have moved on, and he would have been stuck. This is probably the most challenging aspect of all the points we have covered so far. It is ingrained in most people to analyze themselves and to be self-critical as a way of improving oneself. We are suggesting that "improvement" in one's life comes in spite of one’s self-criticism. If Joe had gotten lost in the "mistakes" he had made, he would have been far more prone to make new ones. It is very difficult to be sensitive to those around you when you are working on yourself.
Goals can sometimes lead to inappropriate behavior. Joe had the goal to be the best at his job. He further had a goal to get the most out of the seminar. These seem to be worthwhile aims. In fact, sometimes having a target had even supported Joe in going past any inertia he might have felt about getting the job done. But if you give yourself a goal, this can sometimes lead to living out of an idea of how to be. In Joe's case, the goal to get the most from the course put a pressure on him to talk as much as possible. He had, unbeknownst to himself, a picture of what total participation looked like.
Totality - Totality - Totality
The most striking aspect to Joe's participation in the seminar was the totality with which he approached the course. This totality allowed for Joe's unaware behavior to reveal itself. If he had held back, the behavior would have been hidden and perhaps would have gone unaddressed. Even more importantly, when Joe saw the repercussions of his actions, he didn't withdraw. He didn't take himself away and "lick his wounds" before starting over. This ability to keep going, even in the face of corrections and the possible embarrassment that can accompany them, is one of the traits you will find in truly successful people. When all is said and done, going about your job with totality will make it far easier to reveal what needs to be addressed and will lead to satisfaction on the job.

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About the Author: Since 1987, internationally acclaimed authors, seminar leaders, and business consultants Ariel and Shya Kane have acted as guides, leading people through the swamp of the mind into the clarity and brilliance of the moment. To find out more about the Kanes and their Transformational Community or to sign up to receive their article of the month, visit their Website at: