“I See You”: a message of hope for leaders in today’s broken workplace
by Nigel Patterson, Business and Executive Advisor
(This article was written for and published in the 2010 proceedings of the annual conference of Spirituality, Leadership and Management in Sydney, Australia)
Abstract
A message of hope for leaders.
Research shows there is significant dissatisfaction in the workplace today. Over 60% of the workforce is actively looking to change jobs. Over 42% blame inept management, whilst only 10% leave for more money. Clearly something is broken. Up till now organisations have relied on IQ and EQ as a means for creating a desirable workplace. This has failed. The 2010 blockbuster movie, Avatar, amongst others, has tapped into this malaise with its “I see you” message and introduced a language which the collective corporate tribe can relate to. This paper brings into awareness how we got here and, more importantly, what must be done for the workplace to survive in the future. The research tells us that this is not a problem which can be fixed by money alone. It is a far harder challenge, one which requires leaders and managers to go within, confront their fears and to return to look their stakeholders in the eyes and authentically say “I see you”.
“I see you”
In the 2010 blockbuster hit Avatar, Neytiri, the daughter of the Omatacaya people’s chief from the Na’vi humanoid species, says to Jake Skully after Jake becomes Toruk Makto and after Neytiri saves his life “I see you” (Cameron, 2010). What is she actually saying? What is it that she is “seeing”?
Other major themes of the movie, other than the outstanding visual effects, have to do with good conquering evil, evil being portrayed by man’s predatory and ruthless behaviour.
However, “I see you”, which has nothing to do with looking at Toruk’s physical attributes, is the one thing that has the movie-going audiences entranced. As humans we crave to be acknowledged, to be worthy of another’s honest and empathic recognition. “I see you” says this. It is a way of greeting another that goes far beyond the “Hi, how are you?” superficial greeting we typically use today; it reaches into the very soul of another person and says that you honour them for being who they are and for them allowing you to be who you are.
If this is something we all so long for, why then is it so hard for us to say this to another fellow human, be this our life partner, a friend or a work associate? Why is it that in the West we have such a high “cringe factor” should someone come up to us and say “I see you”? Is it that we feel our private space is being invaded and that like Avatar’s Colonel Quaritch we believe that the only way to succeed is through being industrious, brutal and by manipulating others in order to achieve our own goals, regardless of the consequences?
What has happened to us that we have become so hardened and authoritarian that we find it easier to shut out another, rather than to look at him or her in the eye and say “I see you”? Or is it that we have not had the correct phraseology up till now and have thus floundered to match words to feelings (or even our desire to share what we truly feel)?
The 1999 blockbuster hit The Matrix (Andy Wachowski, 1999) tapped into the same discontent when Thomas Anderson, corporate pawn, transforms himself into Neo and after seeing through the falsehood of his conditioned reality confronts his corporate controllers.
The same theme runs through the award winning film American Beauty (Mendes, 1999) where Lester Burnham loses his soulless job in a cost-cutting corporate exercise and decides instead to reinvent his life which has meaning and purpose for him. Unfortunately, his freedom cost him the ultimate price as those around him found it simply too confronting.
What will it take for organisations, and the individuals who manage and lead those organisations, to transform from believing that authoritarian rule is all that works, to acknowledging there is a better way, a way where all stakeholders feel “seen” by their organisations?
How does this relate to business?
Based on over 10 million worker surveys conducted globally, Rudy Karsan, Cofounder, Chairman and CEO of Kenexa (Rudy Karson, 2011) in the US says: “For businesses, disengaged employees lead to lower levels of productivity and service and it’s been shown that companies with disengaged workers have five times lower shareholder returns than those companies with the most engaged workers. For individuals, research confirms that disengaged employees weigh five pounds more, have an elevated risk of heart attack, experience less marital intimacy and have children who are more likely to misbehave at school.”
Today, young employees are crying out for guidance; crying out to be seen. They are craving a safe place where they can just be understood, where the things that are important to them in their lives can be heard and not judged. With so many broken families, separations and divorces today it is no longer possible for young employees to talk to their parents on such issues. Instead with there being so much conflict within the family structure these days, this internalised stress is brought into the workplace.
Leaders and managers are expected to recognise when an employee just needs to talk and accept that. Whist the triggers may be as a result of poor performance, resentment of a co-worker, or any other perceived dissatisfaction in the role, these external influences or factors are often nothing more than internal disruptions the employee is having to confront.
Does this mean that managers need to become counsellors? In a way, Yes. Managers today need to be coaches, mentors and counsellors and know the differences between them and when one modality is more appropriate than another in any given situation. Managers themselves therefore need to have the maturity (and skills) and not feel threatened when confronted by an outburst from an employee which, for example, may appear on the surface that the employee is criticising the manager.
Most leaders and managers would feel highly uncomfortable in such a confrontation. Many would not even recognise that a situation has arisen wherein appropriate behaviour is required and what the underlying discontent is which may be creating the situation in the first instance. Most managers would instead protect their own vulnerable emotions and rather focus on trying to fix their employee’s “problem” in a directive and analytical manner, if at all.
However, managers which have done their own inner work will know that this is not possible. They know that whatever is being said to them may trigger their own stuff and they will not bring this into the discussion. They also know they cannot fix an employee – all they can do is be there for the employee, holding an empathic space so the employee can come to his own realisation on what it is he needs to deal with, without judgement. Only then will the employee truly confront the situation and take personal responsibility for his own behaviour and subsequent decisions. This is also when the employee feels he is being “seen” by his manager.
Now imagine what the impact would be if an organisation could say “I see you” to all its stakeholders. Not just as a marketing slogan, as people today know when they are being duped, but rather with the full meaning of the phrase.
However, “I see you” is not something that can be learned at business school, or through reading texts. Nor is it something that can be taught in a seminar or training course. Because of this and because of the way business is structured and defined today, it makes it almost impossible for a company to claim to truly “see” their clients, suppliers and employees, as these stakeholders are typically regarded as external factors impacting upon the bottom line. They need to be controlled, rather than viewed as an integral part of why the business exists in the first instance. That’s analogous to the busy executive recognising that she needs a healthy body in order to remain fully alert in the job, but then believing that her heart, her limbs and the oxygen required to survive are something outside of that body.
This simply does not make sense, other than when viewed from the context of today’s modern reductionist medicine – and this has a large influence over how we perceive ourselves today; simply lots of pieces of body coming together to function as a predictable machine.
“I see you” can only be true when I look within myself and thus see myself as an integrated and complex being with all the parts fully dependent on all the other parts; and therein lies the rub – I am terrified of what I may find – I am terrified that when I open the lid to Pandora’s box what may come out may be unstoppable. It is easier for me to do nothing, to keep the lid of the box firmly shut and to continue to behave in a predictable and “civilised” manner; it is easier to remain in a lower state of consciousness and to keep battle outside of myself. Until the day comes when I must turn my back on the situation and walk away exhausted or break down due to stress or am discarded as no longer being useful.
What will it take for organisations, and the individuals who manage and lead those organisations, to transform from believing that authoritarian rule is all that works, to acknowledging there is a better way, a way where all stakeholders feel “seen” by their organisations?
How does this relate to business?
Based on over 10 million worker surveys conducted globally, Rudy Karsan, Cofounder, Chairman and CEO of Kenexa (Rudy Karson, 2011) in the US says: “For businesses, disengaged employees lead to lower levels of productivity and service and it’s been shown that companies with disengaged workers have five times lower shareholder returns than those companies with the most engaged workers. For individuals, research confirms that disengaged employees weigh five pounds more, have an elevated risk of heart attack, experience less marital intimacy and have children who are more likely to misbehave at school.”
Today, young employees are crying out for guidance; crying out to be seen. They are craving a safe place where they can just be understood, where the things that are important to them in their lives can be heard and not judged. With so many broken families, separations and divorces today it is no longer possible for young employees to talk to their parents on such issues. Instead with there being so much conflict within the family structure these days, this internalised stress is brought into the workplace.
Leaders and managers are expected to recognise when an employee just needs to talk and accept that. Whist the triggers may be as a result of poor performance, resentment of a co-worker, or any other perceived dissatisfaction in the role, these external influences or factors are often nothing more than internal disruptions the employee is having to confront.
Does this mean that managers need to become counsellors? In a way, Yes. Managers today need to be coaches, mentors and counsellors and know the differences between them and when one modality is more appropriate than another in any given situation. Managers themselves therefore need to have the maturity (and skills) and not feel threatened when confronted by an outburst from an employee which, for example, may appear on the surface that the employee is criticising the manager.
Most leaders and managers would feel highly uncomfortable in such a confrontation. Many would not even recognise that a situation has arisen wherein appropriate behaviour is required and what the underlying discontent is which may be creating the situation in the first instance. Most managers would instead protect their own vulnerable emotions and rather focus on trying to fix their employee’s “problem” in a directive and analytical manner, if at all.
However, managers which have done their own inner work will know that this is not possible. They know that whatever is being said to them may trigger their own stuff and they will not bring this into the discussion. They also know they cannot fix an employee – all they can do is be there for the employee, holding an empathic space so the employee can come to his own realisation on what it is he needs to deal with, without judgement. Only then will the employee truly confront the situation and take personal responsibility for his own behaviour and subsequent decisions. This is also when the employee feels he is being “seen” by his manager.
Now imagine what the impact would be if an organisation could say “I see you” to all its stakeholders. Not just as a marketing slogan, as people today know when they are being duped, but rather with the full meaning of the phrase.
However, “I see you” is not something that can be learned at business school, or through reading texts. Nor is it something that can be taught in a seminar or training course. Because of this and because of the way business is structured and defined today, it makes it almost impossible for a company to claim to truly “see” their clients, suppliers and employees, as these stakeholders are typically regarded as external factors impacting upon the bottom line. They need to be controlled, rather than viewed as an integral part of why the business exists in the first instance. That’s analogous to the busy executive recognising that she needs a healthy body in order to remain fully alert in the job, but then believing that her heart, her limbs and the oxygen required to survive are something outside of that body.
This simply does not make sense, other than when viewed from the context of today’s modern reductionist medicine – and this has a large influence over how we perceive ourselves today; simply lots of pieces of body coming together to function as a predictable machine.
“I see you” can only be true when I look within myself and thus see myself as an integrated and complex being with all the parts fully dependent on all the other parts; and therein lies the rub – I am terrified of what I may find – I am terrified that when I open the lid to Pandora’s box what may come out may be unstoppable. It is easier for me to do nothing, to keep the lid of the box firmly shut and to continue to behave in a predictable and “civilised” manner; it is easier to remain in a lower state of consciousness and to keep battle outside of myself. Until the day comes when I must turn my back on the situation and walk away exhausted or break down due to stress or am discarded as no longer being useful.
“I see you” means I see you from within me and I empathise with your needs in the knowledge that in that connection we shall create a better space.
Today employees are significantly dissatisfied in their workplace as borne out by research (see results below from SEEK’s 2009 Employee Satisfaction & Motivation Survey) (seek, 2009).
We have also been told over and over that we have materially and physically everything we need; we are now looking for “me”. We need to feel valued and feeling valued is no longer a material or wage issue. It is also clear that corporations today simply do not have the money to continuously increase wages as this simply fuels inflation and exacerbates the gap between haves and have-nots thereby further entrenching the inequality gap.
Today employees are significantly dissatisfied in their workplace as borne out by research (see results below from SEEK’s 2009 Employee Satisfaction & Motivation Survey) (seek, 2009).
We have also been told over and over that we have materially and physically everything we need; we are now looking for “me”. We need to feel valued and feeling valued is no longer a material or wage issue. It is also clear that corporations today simply do not have the money to continuously increase wages as this simply fuels inflation and exacerbates the gap between haves and have-nots thereby further entrenching the inequality gap.
“I see you” is far deeper than that. Employees today want to be seen, to be heard and acknowledged and listened to, feel they belong to and are contributing to and are being valued by the organisation.
“I see you” is the best western translation we have for the eastern term Namaste – when two people look into each other’s eyes and bow in a gesture of humility in acknowledgement and recognition of the other person. That does not happen in our corporate world. The CEO’s role is to increase shareholder wealth regardless of the marketing department’s spin. She has little interest in increasing individuals’ inner-wealth. Focus on minimising staff turnover is limited to the impact on the bottom line and not because she is proud she may have addressed an inherent dissatisfaction problem. Only if her organisation could minimise staff turnover she would be happy, she says to herself.
“I see you” is the best western translation we have for the eastern term Namaste – when two people look into each other’s eyes and bow in a gesture of humility in acknowledgement and recognition of the other person. That does not happen in our corporate world. The CEO’s role is to increase shareholder wealth regardless of the marketing department’s spin. She has little interest in increasing individuals’ inner-wealth. Focus on minimising staff turnover is limited to the impact on the bottom line and not because she is proud she may have addressed an inherent dissatisfaction problem. Only if her organisation could minimise staff turnover she would be happy, she says to herself.
The shareholders too are looking for a higher return on their investment. They want more wealth – the CEO believes that is what her role is. This is true only by today’s measure. The shareholders too are not being “seen” by their organisations.
They may receive short term financial gratification but longer term they do not feel satisfied. Take for example the controversy around Nike and cheap Asian labour (Glenn, 1997), and with Philip Morris, the tobacco giant in the US knowing that smoking kills (Bodeeb, 2008) – where is the shareholder satisfaction in knowing this? CEOs have a corporate responsibility, collectively, to take personal responsibility for delivering profits to their shareholders in an ethical and sustainable manner. Furthermore, an investor who has a choice between a stock from a socially aware corporation versus that from a corporation that has abused its power at the expense of others will almost certainly chose the former stock. “Happy” stock makes for happy shareholders. But shareholders are too often duped by corporations who will do anything to avoid being “seen” by their shareholders for what they really are.
“I see you” functions at all levels. When the CEO focuses on the employees, the shareholders and the environment with equal importance, i.e. for the good of all stakeholders, then that CEO will too be “seen”. The CEO can only do that with stakeholder consultation in order to ascertain what it is that is needed in order to “see you” at all levels. Open debate is required today. The research leaves no doubt that employees (and shareholders) are tired of simply having corporates push their agenda hoping they will buy into it. Those days are fast disappearing.
There is an enormous amount of wealth in the rich countries today, coupled with relatively low unemployment. Those left unemployed are often so disenfranchised by the system they do not want to be a part of it. They are not being “seen”; they are instead labelled as the fringe element, the rebels and anti-society.
How did we get here?
In the past, organisations valued an employee only as measured by IQ tests. That has created a scientific world based on rationality, predictability and repeatability – a Newtonian defined world. IQ tests measure candidates’ cognitive abilities, nothing more. That worked whilst we were emerging from the dark ages and breaking away from superstition and the control of the church over its citizens’ lives, but those times have long since passed. Science then took over the mantle of the all-knowing; however, the scientists are no longer the “gods” they once were revered to be – science does not have all the answers as we still seek for a sense of meaning and purpose in our lives. IQ has not made us happier people. Rather, Newtonian physics is fast becoming overshadowed by quantum physics.
However most CEOs today would have grown up in a Newtonian world – cause and effect – if I do this I expect that outcome. They are imposing their world paradigm of cause and effect onto a generation which have grown up under the paradigm of quantum physics, a world which knows that the collective thought of the group will influence and impact the outcome of a situation. It is no longer simple linear cause and effect.
We see changes happening around the world today such as in Egypt, Tunisia and Libya. The old guard is clinging onto cause and effect power for as long as possible – even in Australian politics we talk of trench warfare. This is being blind to the changing dynamics.
In an excellent presentation on Tribal Leadership, David Logan (Logan, 2009) talks about the “tribe” characterised by the “I am great” rhetoric. He goes on to acknowledge that if “I am great” then you cannot be great. This is where we in the West today predominantly find ourselves; in a highly singular competitive environment where the individual is all that counts – American style presidential politics which are also seeping into Australian politics ensures this tribe mentality stays alive.
David Logan points out that as the self-awareness of the tribal leader increases he sees his role as the agent of change (for the better, hopefully) and moves the tribe towards a collective “We are great” paradigm. We saw this in President Obama’s 2008 presidential campaign with his “Yes we can” slogan (Obama: ‘This is your victory’, 2008), this being the call for the tribe to move away from being solely self-focused and instead into a more powerful and aware group consciousness. Again, in Australian politics today we are seeing attempts by the current government to move the consciousness around the carbon tax debate away from being derailed by a personal fear-based “I am great”, or even worse “My life sucks”, tribal campaign that the Opposition is waging, to one where the collective input of all citizens can make a difference for the long-term betterment of the country. This is the correct direction of movement for an awakening society, but will, and is, being opposed by powerful forces driven by their “I” self-interest.
Organisations learned that individuals who were simply high in IQ did not necessarily make the best employees. They then looked around and found EQ (emotional intelligence). Daniel Goleman says this of emotional intelligence: “Men [and women] who are high in emotional intelligence … have a notable commitment for people or causes, for taking responsibility, and for having an ethical outlook; they are sympathetic and caring in their relationships”. (Goleman, 1996)
However, the introduction of EQ into organisations became more about the organisation setting up the systems and structures in an attempt to nurture the individual by providing the space or forum for the individual to share their feelings, and less about what to do when an employee shared such information. This was a good step forward but even today we do not see companies embracing it fully; we do not always see 360 degree feedback to surveys conducted. We see organisations asking employees to contribute to surveys but not providing the feedback, thereby leaving the employee feeling frustrated and used. Unless the employee is going to be fully engaged in the process, it is better not to start the process in the first instance. It is simply farcical to quiz employees on what matters to them regarding values and behaviour and then not involve them in the feedback and implementation process.
Both IQ and EQ standards are thus imposed top-down by the organisation in order to control and dictate what sort of employees they wish to have, both intelligent and emotionally sensitive (and stable) for the needs of the organisation.
However, neither initiative says “I see you”; instead they say this is how I expect you to behave, how to be a good corporate citizen; it is about us and not about you. We do not “see” you.
So what can be done?
At a corporate level this is a very difficult question because the very phrase “I see you” is not the same as the corporation sees you.
But not all is lost. Those organisations in which the CEO and other significant influencers “get it” will be bold enough to acknowledge that the old structures and authoritarian models no longer serve the emerging corporate consciousness. So that means the structures instead need to break down. They will recognise they are entering unchartered territory with all the risks that come from stepping into the unknown.
They may receive short term financial gratification but longer term they do not feel satisfied. Take for example the controversy around Nike and cheap Asian labour (Glenn, 1997), and with Philip Morris, the tobacco giant in the US knowing that smoking kills (Bodeeb, 2008) – where is the shareholder satisfaction in knowing this? CEOs have a corporate responsibility, collectively, to take personal responsibility for delivering profits to their shareholders in an ethical and sustainable manner. Furthermore, an investor who has a choice between a stock from a socially aware corporation versus that from a corporation that has abused its power at the expense of others will almost certainly chose the former stock. “Happy” stock makes for happy shareholders. But shareholders are too often duped by corporations who will do anything to avoid being “seen” by their shareholders for what they really are.
“I see you” functions at all levels. When the CEO focuses on the employees, the shareholders and the environment with equal importance, i.e. for the good of all stakeholders, then that CEO will too be “seen”. The CEO can only do that with stakeholder consultation in order to ascertain what it is that is needed in order to “see you” at all levels. Open debate is required today. The research leaves no doubt that employees (and shareholders) are tired of simply having corporates push their agenda hoping they will buy into it. Those days are fast disappearing.
There is an enormous amount of wealth in the rich countries today, coupled with relatively low unemployment. Those left unemployed are often so disenfranchised by the system they do not want to be a part of it. They are not being “seen”; they are instead labelled as the fringe element, the rebels and anti-society.
How did we get here?
In the past, organisations valued an employee only as measured by IQ tests. That has created a scientific world based on rationality, predictability and repeatability – a Newtonian defined world. IQ tests measure candidates’ cognitive abilities, nothing more. That worked whilst we were emerging from the dark ages and breaking away from superstition and the control of the church over its citizens’ lives, but those times have long since passed. Science then took over the mantle of the all-knowing; however, the scientists are no longer the “gods” they once were revered to be – science does not have all the answers as we still seek for a sense of meaning and purpose in our lives. IQ has not made us happier people. Rather, Newtonian physics is fast becoming overshadowed by quantum physics.
However most CEOs today would have grown up in a Newtonian world – cause and effect – if I do this I expect that outcome. They are imposing their world paradigm of cause and effect onto a generation which have grown up under the paradigm of quantum physics, a world which knows that the collective thought of the group will influence and impact the outcome of a situation. It is no longer simple linear cause and effect.
We see changes happening around the world today such as in Egypt, Tunisia and Libya. The old guard is clinging onto cause and effect power for as long as possible – even in Australian politics we talk of trench warfare. This is being blind to the changing dynamics.
In an excellent presentation on Tribal Leadership, David Logan (Logan, 2009) talks about the “tribe” characterised by the “I am great” rhetoric. He goes on to acknowledge that if “I am great” then you cannot be great. This is where we in the West today predominantly find ourselves; in a highly singular competitive environment where the individual is all that counts – American style presidential politics which are also seeping into Australian politics ensures this tribe mentality stays alive.
David Logan points out that as the self-awareness of the tribal leader increases he sees his role as the agent of change (for the better, hopefully) and moves the tribe towards a collective “We are great” paradigm. We saw this in President Obama’s 2008 presidential campaign with his “Yes we can” slogan (Obama: ‘This is your victory’, 2008), this being the call for the tribe to move away from being solely self-focused and instead into a more powerful and aware group consciousness. Again, in Australian politics today we are seeing attempts by the current government to move the consciousness around the carbon tax debate away from being derailed by a personal fear-based “I am great”, or even worse “My life sucks”, tribal campaign that the Opposition is waging, to one where the collective input of all citizens can make a difference for the long-term betterment of the country. This is the correct direction of movement for an awakening society, but will, and is, being opposed by powerful forces driven by their “I” self-interest.
Organisations learned that individuals who were simply high in IQ did not necessarily make the best employees. They then looked around and found EQ (emotional intelligence). Daniel Goleman says this of emotional intelligence: “Men [and women] who are high in emotional intelligence … have a notable commitment for people or causes, for taking responsibility, and for having an ethical outlook; they are sympathetic and caring in their relationships”. (Goleman, 1996)
However, the introduction of EQ into organisations became more about the organisation setting up the systems and structures in an attempt to nurture the individual by providing the space or forum for the individual to share their feelings, and less about what to do when an employee shared such information. This was a good step forward but even today we do not see companies embracing it fully; we do not always see 360 degree feedback to surveys conducted. We see organisations asking employees to contribute to surveys but not providing the feedback, thereby leaving the employee feeling frustrated and used. Unless the employee is going to be fully engaged in the process, it is better not to start the process in the first instance. It is simply farcical to quiz employees on what matters to them regarding values and behaviour and then not involve them in the feedback and implementation process.
Both IQ and EQ standards are thus imposed top-down by the organisation in order to control and dictate what sort of employees they wish to have, both intelligent and emotionally sensitive (and stable) for the needs of the organisation.
However, neither initiative says “I see you”; instead they say this is how I expect you to behave, how to be a good corporate citizen; it is about us and not about you. We do not “see” you.
So what can be done?
At a corporate level this is a very difficult question because the very phrase “I see you” is not the same as the corporation sees you.
But not all is lost. Those organisations in which the CEO and other significant influencers “get it” will be bold enough to acknowledge that the old structures and authoritarian models no longer serve the emerging corporate consciousness. So that means the structures instead need to break down. They will recognise they are entering unchartered territory with all the risks that come from stepping into the unknown.
As Trinity said to Neo in The Matrix when he was given the choice of either embracing the adventure or backing off in fear and uncertainty: “You have to trust me Neo – you have been down that road, you know exactly where it ends, and I know that is not where you want to be.” Employees have already been down that road.
“I see you” will resonate with those leaders who know deep within themselves that the current way of doing business is no longer sustainable, but have no idea what to do about it; they do not need to be shown the indisputable research to know they are in trouble. These are the leaders who have the courage to take the “red pill” as defined in The Matrix and then trust that they in fact do have the inner resources to come up with a better way of running their organisations, for the good of all stakeholders. This is a path they have to walk alone – whilst others are available to support them, they cannot walk the path for them. But it will be the most rewarding path they will ever walk.
A richness of awareness will emerge and clarity will present itself as one connects at a far more authentic place with others in the organisation. This is not about trying to impose a new paradigm upon the organisation and thus doing battle, but instead has everything to do with supporting and nurturing the underlying flow of the very reason why the business exists in the first instance.
As we move into a more tribally aware organisation, collaboration will replace hierarchical structures. The CEO will come out of her office and stand in the centre of her collaborative circle and say “I see you” and mean it and have this witnessed by every member of her organisation.
The danger of this, of course, is that unless that CEO has learnt to “see” herself and has already done the work on herself, she cannot possibly say “I see you” to another with any sense of honesty or integrity and that will just further alienate her from the rest of her already suspicious employees. “I see you” cannot be faked.
Danah Zohar and Dr. Ian Marshall (Zohar) have brought the concept of SQ or spiritual intelligence into the workplace. Having recognised that IQ and EQ respectively focus on material and social capital only, they suggest that organisations currently lack spiritual capital. This has nothing to do with religion or spirituality, but instead refers to “an ability to access higher meanings, values, abiding purposes, and unconscious aspects of the self and to embed these meanings, values, and purposes in living a richer and more creative life. Signs of high SQ include an ability to think out of the box, humility, and an access to energies that come from something beyond the ego, beyond just me and my day-to-day concerns. SQ is the ultimate intelligence of the visionary leader. It was the intelligence that guided men and women like Churchill, Gandhi, Nelson Mandela, Martin Luther King Jr., and Mother Teresa. The secret of their leadership was their ability to inspire people, to give them a sense of something worth struggling for.”
Their work offers clarity on this concept as shown below (Zohar, Learn the Q’s):
A richness of awareness will emerge and clarity will present itself as one connects at a far more authentic place with others in the organisation. This is not about trying to impose a new paradigm upon the organisation and thus doing battle, but instead has everything to do with supporting and nurturing the underlying flow of the very reason why the business exists in the first instance.
As we move into a more tribally aware organisation, collaboration will replace hierarchical structures. The CEO will come out of her office and stand in the centre of her collaborative circle and say “I see you” and mean it and have this witnessed by every member of her organisation.
The danger of this, of course, is that unless that CEO has learnt to “see” herself and has already done the work on herself, she cannot possibly say “I see you” to another with any sense of honesty or integrity and that will just further alienate her from the rest of her already suspicious employees. “I see you” cannot be faked.
Danah Zohar and Dr. Ian Marshall (Zohar) have brought the concept of SQ or spiritual intelligence into the workplace. Having recognised that IQ and EQ respectively focus on material and social capital only, they suggest that organisations currently lack spiritual capital. This has nothing to do with religion or spirituality, but instead refers to “an ability to access higher meanings, values, abiding purposes, and unconscious aspects of the self and to embed these meanings, values, and purposes in living a richer and more creative life. Signs of high SQ include an ability to think out of the box, humility, and an access to energies that come from something beyond the ego, beyond just me and my day-to-day concerns. SQ is the ultimate intelligence of the visionary leader. It was the intelligence that guided men and women like Churchill, Gandhi, Nelson Mandela, Martin Luther King Jr., and Mother Teresa. The secret of their leadership was their ability to inspire people, to give them a sense of something worth struggling for.”
Their work offers clarity on this concept as shown below (Zohar, Learn the Q’s):
During an Australian workshop held in 2002, Danah Zohar suggested that an organisation embracing the principles of SQ demonstrates 12 distinct attributes: self-awareness, spontaneity, vision and value led, holistic, compassionate, celebrates diversity, field independent, asks fundamental “why” questions, reframes, positive use of adversity, shows gratitude, and humility. However, neatly packaging these attributes such that an organisation can tick them off as being “done” poses a great danger.
SQ is not about the organisation; it is about the individual’s own level of awareness within the organisation. An organisation claiming to be SQ enabled can only exist provided the individuals within the organisation have each gone on their own personal journeys. A corporation cannot go on a journey, it is simply a collective of individuals that have done their work, and some of those journeys may be painful as we see in Avatar and other great movies.
Only once the leaders in an organisation embrace the spiritual capital will they truly be able to say to another “I see you”.
Corporations as we know them today will eventually disintegrate as the tribes working within those organisations will no longer be prepared to be controlled, supressed and subordinated to the current power structures. Seek’s survey shows that over 60% of employees are actively seeking to change jobs mostly because of poor management communication. This is a sobering statistic. Paradoxically, financially it is also the least expensive change to implement. However, it is probably the hardest journey at an individual level that managers and executives will have to travel. It is not a problem that can be fixed by simply throwing money at.
46% of employees surveyed say they are crying out to be “seen”. By contrast, only 10% are driven by the need for higher wages and salaries. However, once they do leave the organisation disillusioned by their lack of recognition, their job search leads them to value quality of management and potential salary from their next employer equally highly. It is not hard to see that financially it is far preferable to retain existing staff than having to constantly hire new staff with ever-increasing wage demands.
The corollary of this is that those employers whom operate in a spiritual void and who believe they can simply retain their employees by bribing them with more money will recognise that this is nothing more than a very short term solution, with larger long term financial ramifications.
The organisations which do not become more spiritually aware will rapidly, not gradually, out-price their goods and services as they get stuck in this wage spiral. They will become non-competitive simply because they will have to pay more to get staff – which leave in any event as they see the shallowness and motives of the organisation and will look for other jobs. This transitionary workforce will demand higher wages from their next employer. This causes the wage spiral to get out of control, particularly in the Australian skills-starved job market.
How do we break this wage cycle?
By asking employees how is it that I can “see” you, by adopting humility at each level of the organisation and by each person accepting personal responsibility for their own spiritual development. The time of SQ inept leaders and managers hiding behind corporate structures is now over. Employees are demanding to be managed based on the SQ principles, even if they are not as yet able to articulate this. Instead, they latch onto concepts such as “I see you” as a way of expressing this need.
TV programs like Q&A and Insight expose these old paradigm leaders. The Fox News’ of the world who try and impose a conservative view on the world are too a dying breed and will join the ranks of the dinosaurs; the internet will make sure of that. They come from ageing the “I am great” tribal mentality. The incredible growth of online social networking and grass-roots organisations such as Avaaz and GetUp! illustrates how important it is to be tapped into the mass psyche and to say to their members “I see you”; they are the pioneers of the “Life is great” tribe. But they are also the enemy of the conservative hierarchical structures and the shock-jock radio announcers (put them through any form of counselling and watch how quickly their reality will shatter).
What can experienced business leaders and managers do?
Our role is to now listen to the needs of our stakeholders, ask them to teach us, to show us the way and ask them how they can help us build a better organisation.
It is time to ask them what it is that they need from us in order to feel valued and satisfied. We need to be honest with them – if there is no more money to go round, say to them “There is no more money to go round, what else is it that we can do to work together?” We do this not so we can take their input and manipulate the information to our own ends in order to retain power. Instead, their input must be seen by them to be a part of the process and also a part of the solution, not simply to be a part of the problem.
In today’s corporate environment, firstly admitting to stakeholders that we have a problem, and then secondly, asking for their input on how to solve it would be extraordinary. Implementing their recommendations with their direct involvement would be revolutionary.
The film The Secret (Byrne, 2006) talks a bit around this. The Law of attraction alludes to how we can attract the right people, the right services and the right customers resulting in an aura of something special, when 1+1 =3. That is when employee involvement will increase, that is when shareholder wealth will increase, that is when profits will soar, and that is when the CEO can stand up in front of her team with pride and say: “We did this together. Thank you for teaching me”. That is when you will have the attention of those who wish to support you and assist you.
Experience has shown that in organisations, one needs only be concerned by those below you in the organisational structure, in the knowledge that those above you will be doing the same for you. But we also know that we need to be equipped with the necessary tools and skills in order to be able to provide effective support. We also know that we need to acknowledge our own limitations and when to ask for help, in the knowledge that we will be “seen” and not judged when we do ask. If we can all obey this basic rule of human nurturing, then the organisation will automatically become a place where every person sees every other person, with the` exception of one – the CEO.
As we all know, the loneliest place is at the top and that is why CEOs of even large organisations engage mentors, or at least form a close relationship with someone with whom they can share and talk to about their own inner growth issues and how these are impacting the organisation and all those within it. This is the role of the “spiritual mentor” and has nothing to do with IQ or EQ. It is the place where the CEO can share with an empathic person who is qualified to honestly say “I see you”.
In conclusion…
“I see you” is not about fomenting discontent amongst employees and other corporate stakeholders; as the research shows, it’s too late for that, the horse has already bolted. It is not about trying to rein them in; that is now impossible. No, “I see you” is an invitation for managers and leaders to unshackle themselves from their own inner fears and to step into the void where they too can experience the exhilaration of what it means to be part of the collective tribe; to learn to harness their employees’ new energies and in so doing, create a place of magic where all feel valued and “seen”. “I see you” is an assured way corporations will not only remain competitive, but will also grow in the future.
References
A. Obama: ‘This is your victory’. (2008, November 4). Retrieved April 1, 2011, from CNN Politics: http://articles.cnn.com/2008-11-04/politics/election.president_1_historic-victory-president-barack-obama-vice-president-joe-biden?_s=PM:POLITICS
B. Andy Wachowski, L. W. (Director). (1999). The Matrix [Motion Picture].
C. Bodeeb, J. (2008, December 15). Lawsuit Against Phillip Morris: Deceptive Marketing of Light Cigarettes? Retrieved March 25, 2011, from Associated Content from Yahoo: http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/1305054/lawsuit_against_phillip_morris_deceptive.html?cat=3
D. Byrne, R. (Director). (2006). The Secret [Motion Picture].
E. Cameron, J. (Director). (2010). Avatar [Motion Picture].
F. Glenn, T. (1997). Nike’s Cheap Labor. Retrieved Mrach 25, 2011, from Campaigning for Labor Rights: http://www.clrlabor.org/alerts/1997/nikey001.html
G. Goleman, D. (1996). Emotional Intelligence: Why It Can Matter More Than IQ. Bantam.
H. Logan, D. (2009, October 6). David Logan on Tribal Leadership. Retrieved March 6, 2011, from YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xTkKSJSqU-I
I. Mendes, S. (Director). (1999). American Beauty [Motion Picture].
J. Rudy Karson, K. K. (2011). We: How to Increase Performance and Profits through Full Engagement. Wiley.
K. seek. (2009). Satisfaction & Motivation Study, AUSTRALIA. Retrieved March 31, 2011, from http://www.seek.com.au/content/media/MarketResearch/esm_aus2009.pdf
L. Zohar, D. (n.d.). Learn the Q’s. Retrieved March 27, 2011, from http://dzohar.com/www2/?page_id=622
M. Zohar, D. (n.d.). Q’s for Great Leadership. Retrieved March 27, 2011, from http://dzohar.com/
SQ is not about the organisation; it is about the individual’s own level of awareness within the organisation. An organisation claiming to be SQ enabled can only exist provided the individuals within the organisation have each gone on their own personal journeys. A corporation cannot go on a journey, it is simply a collective of individuals that have done their work, and some of those journeys may be painful as we see in Avatar and other great movies.
Only once the leaders in an organisation embrace the spiritual capital will they truly be able to say to another “I see you”.
Corporations as we know them today will eventually disintegrate as the tribes working within those organisations will no longer be prepared to be controlled, supressed and subordinated to the current power structures. Seek’s survey shows that over 60% of employees are actively seeking to change jobs mostly because of poor management communication. This is a sobering statistic. Paradoxically, financially it is also the least expensive change to implement. However, it is probably the hardest journey at an individual level that managers and executives will have to travel. It is not a problem that can be fixed by simply throwing money at.
46% of employees surveyed say they are crying out to be “seen”. By contrast, only 10% are driven by the need for higher wages and salaries. However, once they do leave the organisation disillusioned by their lack of recognition, their job search leads them to value quality of management and potential salary from their next employer equally highly. It is not hard to see that financially it is far preferable to retain existing staff than having to constantly hire new staff with ever-increasing wage demands.
The corollary of this is that those employers whom operate in a spiritual void and who believe they can simply retain their employees by bribing them with more money will recognise that this is nothing more than a very short term solution, with larger long term financial ramifications.
The organisations which do not become more spiritually aware will rapidly, not gradually, out-price their goods and services as they get stuck in this wage spiral. They will become non-competitive simply because they will have to pay more to get staff – which leave in any event as they see the shallowness and motives of the organisation and will look for other jobs. This transitionary workforce will demand higher wages from their next employer. This causes the wage spiral to get out of control, particularly in the Australian skills-starved job market.
How do we break this wage cycle?
By asking employees how is it that I can “see” you, by adopting humility at each level of the organisation and by each person accepting personal responsibility for their own spiritual development. The time of SQ inept leaders and managers hiding behind corporate structures is now over. Employees are demanding to be managed based on the SQ principles, even if they are not as yet able to articulate this. Instead, they latch onto concepts such as “I see you” as a way of expressing this need.
TV programs like Q&A and Insight expose these old paradigm leaders. The Fox News’ of the world who try and impose a conservative view on the world are too a dying breed and will join the ranks of the dinosaurs; the internet will make sure of that. They come from ageing the “I am great” tribal mentality. The incredible growth of online social networking and grass-roots organisations such as Avaaz and GetUp! illustrates how important it is to be tapped into the mass psyche and to say to their members “I see you”; they are the pioneers of the “Life is great” tribe. But they are also the enemy of the conservative hierarchical structures and the shock-jock radio announcers (put them through any form of counselling and watch how quickly their reality will shatter).
What can experienced business leaders and managers do?
Our role is to now listen to the needs of our stakeholders, ask them to teach us, to show us the way and ask them how they can help us build a better organisation.
It is time to ask them what it is that they need from us in order to feel valued and satisfied. We need to be honest with them – if there is no more money to go round, say to them “There is no more money to go round, what else is it that we can do to work together?” We do this not so we can take their input and manipulate the information to our own ends in order to retain power. Instead, their input must be seen by them to be a part of the process and also a part of the solution, not simply to be a part of the problem.
In today’s corporate environment, firstly admitting to stakeholders that we have a problem, and then secondly, asking for their input on how to solve it would be extraordinary. Implementing their recommendations with their direct involvement would be revolutionary.
The film The Secret (Byrne, 2006) talks a bit around this. The Law of attraction alludes to how we can attract the right people, the right services and the right customers resulting in an aura of something special, when 1+1 =3. That is when employee involvement will increase, that is when shareholder wealth will increase, that is when profits will soar, and that is when the CEO can stand up in front of her team with pride and say: “We did this together. Thank you for teaching me”. That is when you will have the attention of those who wish to support you and assist you.
Experience has shown that in organisations, one needs only be concerned by those below you in the organisational structure, in the knowledge that those above you will be doing the same for you. But we also know that we need to be equipped with the necessary tools and skills in order to be able to provide effective support. We also know that we need to acknowledge our own limitations and when to ask for help, in the knowledge that we will be “seen” and not judged when we do ask. If we can all obey this basic rule of human nurturing, then the organisation will automatically become a place where every person sees every other person, with the` exception of one – the CEO.
As we all know, the loneliest place is at the top and that is why CEOs of even large organisations engage mentors, or at least form a close relationship with someone with whom they can share and talk to about their own inner growth issues and how these are impacting the organisation and all those within it. This is the role of the “spiritual mentor” and has nothing to do with IQ or EQ. It is the place where the CEO can share with an empathic person who is qualified to honestly say “I see you”.
In conclusion…
“I see you” is not about fomenting discontent amongst employees and other corporate stakeholders; as the research shows, it’s too late for that, the horse has already bolted. It is not about trying to rein them in; that is now impossible. No, “I see you” is an invitation for managers and leaders to unshackle themselves from their own inner fears and to step into the void where they too can experience the exhilaration of what it means to be part of the collective tribe; to learn to harness their employees’ new energies and in so doing, create a place of magic where all feel valued and “seen”. “I see you” is an assured way corporations will not only remain competitive, but will also grow in the future.
References
A. Obama: ‘This is your victory’. (2008, November 4). Retrieved April 1, 2011, from CNN Politics: http://articles.cnn.com/2008-11-04/politics/election.president_1_historic-victory-president-barack-obama-vice-president-joe-biden?_s=PM:POLITICS
B. Andy Wachowski, L. W. (Director). (1999). The Matrix [Motion Picture].
C. Bodeeb, J. (2008, December 15). Lawsuit Against Phillip Morris: Deceptive Marketing of Light Cigarettes? Retrieved March 25, 2011, from Associated Content from Yahoo: http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/1305054/lawsuit_against_phillip_morris_deceptive.html?cat=3
D. Byrne, R. (Director). (2006). The Secret [Motion Picture].
E. Cameron, J. (Director). (2010). Avatar [Motion Picture].
F. Glenn, T. (1997). Nike’s Cheap Labor. Retrieved Mrach 25, 2011, from Campaigning for Labor Rights: http://www.clrlabor.org/alerts/1997/nikey001.html
G. Goleman, D. (1996). Emotional Intelligence: Why It Can Matter More Than IQ. Bantam.
H. Logan, D. (2009, October 6). David Logan on Tribal Leadership. Retrieved March 6, 2011, from YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xTkKSJSqU-I
I. Mendes, S. (Director). (1999). American Beauty [Motion Picture].
J. Rudy Karson, K. K. (2011). We: How to Increase Performance and Profits through Full Engagement. Wiley.
K. seek. (2009). Satisfaction & Motivation Study, AUSTRALIA. Retrieved March 31, 2011, from http://www.seek.com.au/content/media/MarketResearch/esm_aus2009.pdf
L. Zohar, D. (n.d.). Learn the Q’s. Retrieved March 27, 2011, from http://dzohar.com/www2/?page_id=622
M. Zohar, D. (n.d.). Q’s for Great Leadership. Retrieved March 27, 2011, from http://dzohar.com/