At the center of your being
you have the answer;
you know who you are
and you know what you want.
– Lao Tzu
One of my greatest joys as an entrepreneur is having the privilege to set the stage upon which those within my sphere of influence can enter into self-discovery. The workplace can be so much more than just a place where work gets done. In fact, it’s hard to find a better environment for coming into one’s own.
The default corporate environment is cold, unfriendly, competitive and utterly stifling to creative self-expression. As such, to create a different type of environment requires deliberate planning and constant care. I’ve realized over the years that there are several fundamental qualities which must be universally upheld if there is to be a corporate environment which facilitates rather than frustrates self-awareness.
Those qualities are:
- Respect
- Appreciation
- Honesty
- Compassion
- Resolve
- Adaptability
- Resourcefulness
- Persistence
- Cooperation
Condition the soil of your company, division or department with these qualities and you will not be disappointed with what grows!
Gregory Hake 
The great thing is that it is up to each individual in a buisness what their attitude and their actions will be. They can either be constantly raising the bar for the whole organization, stagnate somewhere among the middle of the pack, or be the least willing to show the attitudes you describe, but eventually people will self-sort.
Thankfully, most people respond to inspiration. If there is already a company culture that is working in the right direction, the hard work has already been done and only maintenance is required.
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So true about the usual corporate environment and what’s missing. I work as a consultant and when I arrive at a client’s location the collective and individual misery often hits me between the eyes. And most people are conditioned to it so profoundly it seems completely normal and the “way it has to be”.
The CEO and other leaders are responsible for creating an environment other than this, and so is each employee. I had a great discovery a couple of years ago that even where the environment is dire, one individual can change their own experience and the experience of those around them. It comes down to three things. In the words of Seth Godin: “Don’t demand authority”, “Eagerly take responsibility”, “Relentlessly give credit”.
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It is good to see how as we condition the soil within ourselves of the qualities you mentioned we provide fertile ground for others to know who they are at the center of their being.
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These are certainly fundamental qualities which can’t be faked or temporarily applied to just a part of our life. These elements of character must be consciously developed through the decisions we make each day.
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In work, you sure have the ability to find out what you are made of so to speak. We are all ultimately made of very special qualities and we have very special attributes that if allowed to shine could light up every dark corner in an instant. This proper attitude surely rests on the individual, but given our need to work together in groups requires an environment where the individual doesn’t get lost nor their individuality. Rather, the individual is respected for who they are so their spirit is not stifled and they can actually contribute very meaningfully. When this is the case, people actually enjoy their work and their co-workers because it becomes a gate for knowing themselves and others in a very real way.
To create the proper setting may not always be easy for you have to overcome weaknesses, but building character and maintaining standards is worth every single ounce of effort as it carries the power to revolutionize the world, starting with each person, each small group of people.
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Most of us spend 8 or so hours of our day at work If we are just “putting our time in” it’s our lives we are wasting. Investing wisely in my own life requires that all my time is an asset to fullfilling my purpose. I know I can bring this to my job as well as the rest of my life. Self discovery is natural, exciting and on going, it’s not relegated to one day a week or certain hours of the day. Love this post!
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