Client Stories:
Speaking of Conscious Business
Hello Bob (VP Marketing): Haven't seen you for a while! How are you? How's your work going?
Hi, Ann. Glad to see you. You were often filled with something calm, peaceful and present. I could use that right now.
What's happening Bob?
Well, I'm frustrated and getting very tired. I'm working horrendous hours. There's so much conflict and competition. Few are willing to listen, to collaborate to achieve something meaningful. This quarter's profits are driving most everything. We workers are treated like brains for hire, assets to be exploited. There's great intellectual stimulation, but this work is driving me crazy.... And I am afraid that it's eroding what self-confidence I used to have. This is a political place, focused on self-promotion and short-term earnings!
Bob, I do hear you. How is your life outside of work?
Well, I love my family .... and I steal a very few moments for my favorite hobby. I'm ok financially... refinanced a low rate mortgage and saving some for retirement. The financial benefits of working here are very real. But so are the personal costs!! There's little time or energy for my loved ones, no less friends or other interests.
Are you feeling pushed and divided? Like the real you doesn't have space to breathe? Space to be?
Yes, exactly. Like there is a part of me that really wants attention. I hurt inside. There's either deadness there, or I'm sensing inner pressure for attention to something more.
Bob, what does it mean to be fully human?
What do you mean?
Bob, a human being lives on several dimensions simultaneously. Physical — our body and the material world. Mental — our intellect and education. Emotional -- the realm of feelings. And spiritual — the realm of mystery, of meaning, of connection to something much bigger than ourselves. We are ALL of this.
Mmmm yes, Bob reflects, I have gone on a few retreats... read Deepak Chopra and other books... listened to a few tapes in the car. A friend's company is training on Emotional Intelligence. Is this where you are going?
Yes, that's the direction. Being conscious at work
is really important — for our own well being and sense of fulfillment,
and also for the success of the business, and even for the future of our
world. When we attend to our inner life – our emotional and spiritual "intelligence"-, we see more clearly and deeply. Underneath our surface "persona", we can reveal integrity, authenticity, self-knowledge, courage, acceptance of ambiguity, sensing paradox, glimpses of mystery
such are the fruits of deep and committed inner work.
Then, our reaction to the world changes, and the world changes too. Creativity, innovation, acceptance, strength, forgiveness, compassion, peace, service, even humor and fun --- these qualities grow.
Bob, looking perplexed, demands of Ann: Come on! Isn't this a bit much? Where are the business benefits!!
Bob, some may think that focusing on the inner life of executives is soft, hog-wash indulgence. That is not the deeper truth. Look at the growing anecdotal and hard evidence that "who we are" has a positive impact on ability to work with others, to sense the better choice, to increase creativity, and especially, to foster profitability which is meaningful to us employees, to customers, and other stakeholders. It helps attract and retain talented people like you, too!
Ann continues: It's not all rosy though. Inner satisfaction from our corporate work may not be possible.... for us, at this time, in this place. Deeper consciousness may push us toward change -- of venues within the same organization, to another company, or to different kind of work. Bob, we've known each other for a long time. I have scars from having lived –for many years - the very challenging life of a conscious corporate executive. It can be a fitful, conflicted, messy, and painful experience. And, deep down, I am a stronger, more awake, fully alive person because of it.
Bob, what's your sense? Does this ring true to you?
Ann, thanks for inspiring me to explore these inner arenas. It sounds like tough work and meaningful and satisfying. It could lead to making a deeper contribution to the world. Part of me knows that making money isn't enough. Important, but not enough. The Global Community needs business to contribute profitability, and to respect people, be socially responsible, and embrace sustainable development. We need to be more conscious in our profitability.
Bob, I hear you! It's been great to talk. Remember, we are pioneers in aspiring to conduct business consciously, to living divided no more. Know that simultaneously doing what is right for us and good for the world is one of the greatest triumphs of human existence.
Are you interested in deepening consciousness and living more fully?