Workers have been on a roller-coaster ride for more than two decades as organizations have downsized, outsourced, reengineered, delayered, divested and otherwise transformed. These monumental changes have left workers frustrated, angry, and dispirited.
Without spirit, we are empty vessels, sapped of our innate power and genius. Workers, especially leaders need to reconnect to the excellence within, to rediscover their true calling and the special gifts they can offer the workplace and the universe.
My personal journey has taught me we have more power than we think, more choices than we can imagine. When we open our souls to the universe, new energies and capabilities spill forth.
The most important asset we have is ourselves. Do we know who we are? Do we know the source of our peace? What our kernel of genius is? What makes us unique? Have we searched for our calling? Have we explored the depths of our souls to find our authentic selves?
When we can transcend all of the mundane bureaucratic aspects of work and seek to operate from our center, our core, our soul…from our passion, we achieve results beyond our wildest expectations.
Writers, philosophers, religious leaders, and behavioral scientists have advocated for centuries that knowing self is the secret to a self-fulfillment but as the current business environment necessitates that we do more with less, multi-task and learn, unlearn and relearn new ways of work, there is little time for meditation, introspection or reflection.
While productivity rates are climbing in the United States as a result of technology advances, American workers actually log more hours today than in 1977 with an average increase from 43.6 to 47.1 hours. According to research by Circadian Technologies workers here actually work 350 hours per year more than in Europe. Another recent study for the Center for Work-Life Policy reported that 1.7 million people consider their jobs and their work hours excessive because of globalization. The study found that fifty percent of top corporate executives are leaving their current positions and although sixty-four percent of workers feel that their work pressures are “self-inflicted”, they state that it is taking a toll on them. The study revealed that, nationally, seventy percent, and globally, eighty-one percent, say their jobs are affecting their health. Between forty-six and fifty-nine percent of workers feel that stress is affecting their interpersonal and sexual relationships. Additionally, men feel that there is a certain stigma associated with saying “I can’t do this”.
Most of us need to work and therefore the challenge is uncovering ways to consistently perform at our peak, to find sheer joy in our work and at the end of the day feel fulfilled and at peace.
Here are three ways to facilitate self-discovery to enhance your ability to find peace in the workplace.
- Understand your Natural Response to Change
We each have our own unique way of managing the monumental change that we are experiencing on our world. Do you know what yours is? Based on Winters Group research and outlined in the book Only Wet Babies Like Change we identified six responses to change that we call the 6 F’s.
- Foggies: Oblivious to the changes all around them.
- Fakers: Tell themselves and others that they are on board with change but make no personal changes to their behavior
- Faultless: They see the changes around them, do not like them, and constantly complain. They see themselves as hopeless victims of an unfair system.
- Fearful: Fear is a natural response to uncertainty. Fearful people engage in self-protectionist, non-team-oriented behavior. There is low trust and oftentimes paranoia sets in.
- Fighters: There are two types of fighters. One who rejects change and ardently promotes a status quo position. The second type of fighter wants change and feels frustrated by the lack of progress. They are vanguards, often seen as troublemakers by those who fear change.
- Futurists: These are individuals accustomed to change, and/or highly self-differentiated, or workers new to the culture. They are adaptable, flexible, and global in their thinking. They know that they are in control of their destiny. They are career-resilient.
- Calibrate your Speed
There is no doubt that the world is moving at breakneck speed with constantly changing requirements. Consider the myriad ways we can communicate today beyond e-mail (which is still a challenge for some) such as texting, “tweeting”, FaceBook, LinkedIn, MySpace, and the list goes on. Just keeping up with all of your messages can be stressful. A critical part of being self aware includes being “self-caring”. Everyone has a different internal “battery life.” Being in tune when your body needs “recharging” can make a big difference. Even if it means a 5 minute walk up and down a flight of stairs or finding a place with complete silence where you can take a few deep breaths, you will return with greater energy and clarity to complete the task at hand.
Finding the right “speed” will be a constant challenge. Technology will continue to allow us to move faster, but just like bigger is not always better, faster is not always more productive. Moving too fast can lead to disaster. Everybody has his or her own “speed limit”—the speed where you can be your best self and do your best work. Do you know what yours is?
- Learn to be at Peace with the Paradoxes of Change
Among other things, rapid change causes an imbalance. It often puts us in a quandary, caught between the old and the new. We have one foot firmly planted in our old familiar ways and the other teetering in the new environment we find ourselves in. It is human nature to want to feel a sense of balance but the magnitude of change that we are experiencing in the workplace and the world means that there are often no clear answers and, in fact, choices seem paradoxical.
One paradox is “do more with less.” In theory we should be able to achieve more because of technology advances but in some instances it is just impossible or nonsensical to believe that more can be done with less, which is why so many workers are under increased stress as jobs are eliminated and those left are expected to pick up the slack. However in some cases, we are unwilling to let go of old methods and are actually duplicative, testing the new while maintaining the old. For example, in conducting some research for a major company on how to get closer to the customer, I discovered that all of the sales representatives had laptops and were able to download orders directly into the regional office. The company, however, continued to require the sales representatives to complete a three-part paper form, with signatures from the customer and the head of sales. When I asked why the paper form was still used, I did not get a very compelling answer. I think that there was simply a fear of letting go of what was familiar and predictable.
Other paradoxes include: (1) slow down but move faster. On the one hand we are advised to find balance but on the other there are greater demands on our work and personal lives As stated earlier, find your own best speed; (2) Simultaneously be a specialist and be multi-skilled. In today’s environment, all employees regardless of their role may be required to grasp technology, group facilitation skills, teamwork, intercultural communication and any number of other skills. (3) We are told we are in an “empowered” work environment but workers often ask, where is the power as hierarchy seems to still predominate; (4) Most organizations today espouse a value for diversity but often conformity is what is rewarded. There is much talk about valuing not only the traditional ethnic, racial and gender diversity dimensions but also diversity of thought. However, we don’t seem to have achieved the balance yet still teetering more towards rewarding conformity and “fit.”
These and many other paradoxes are normal aspects of change. Recognizing them as they manifest can make them easier to navigate. Ask yourself what part of this seeming paradox am I responsible for and what behaviors can I change to enhance the situation?
The increasing complexity of the world makes it imperative that we learn new coping skills. We cannot begin without looking at ourselves and getting in tune with who we really are—what we stand for, what we want from life, and what we give to life. Such introspection takes us to a higher plane of existence and allows us to continually reframe ourselves in the wake of the changes all around us.
Mary-Frances Winters is founder and CEO of The Winters Group, a 25 year old diversity and organizational development consulting firm headquartered in the Washington, DC area. She is the author of three books, including Only Wet Babies Like Change: Workplace Wisdom for Baby Boomers, Inclusion Starts With I, and CEO’s Who Get It: Diversity Leadership From the Heart and Soul. www.wintersgroup.com
