In Part 2, I expand on two major institutions of society that have such major impact on our lives and the wounds embedded there. As mentioned in Part 1, this is an opinion piece not specifically focused on any one country. I offer this to those of us who feel called to go on this enquiry for our own sense and meaning-making, and reflection on what this means for our own contributions based on our unique gifts, story and resources. And also as mentioned in Part 1, I’m not listing the many amazing people and organisations already addressing such issues. Some are already listed in our resource page and there are countless out there.
LEADERSHIP CRISIS
Our ideas on leadership seem upside down.
- We accept that leaders who have under-developed heart qualities such as compassion, who misuse power, are articulate in presenting themselves favourably and who get stunning profits and performance while allowing harm to life under their watch (including their own, at times) are to be trusted to lead us.
CEO of Barry-Wehmiller and Author of “Everybody Matters: The Extraordinary Power of Caring for Your People Like Family”, Bob Chapman shares about the leadership crisis we are facing in this very important 10 minute animation.
- Employee wellbeing, diversity and inclusion, corporate social responsibility are core to leadership. While other personnel can manage these, if they are not central priorities to the C-suite leaders, they can become peripheral and piecemeal instead of core to the organisation.
- Meanwhile, we don’t sufficiently see the heart-centred person as a leader. It seems weak to feel, to feel compassion, to have pro-social values at work, to be ethical. I once met an external trainer with a leading business school. He said the students in such institutions are “cut-throat” people and mercenaries with whom you cannot present “soft” material like compassion (he was referring to my work). It is these very students who need to learn about compassion and service to the greater good for they are our future leaders whose decisions can affect billions of lives. Post-covid, this is changing and compassion and wellbeing are spoken about more but let us not assume change is happening deeply or fast.
There are many leadership models and approaches that come and go with new names and advocates. Whatever it is, the leadership foundation for a healthy society is timeless and important. And perhaps this foundation is not anchored enough in our collective consciousness. Robert Greenleaf writes on servant leadership in “The Servant as Leader” on such a foundation:
“The servant-leader is servant first… It begins with the natural feeling that one wants to serve, to serve first. Then conscious choice brings one to aspire to lead. That person is sharply different from one who is leader first, perhaps because of the need to assuage an unusual power drive or to acquire material possessions…The leader-first and the servant-first are two extreme types. Between them there are shadings and blends that are part of the infinite variety of human nature.
The difference manifests itself in the care taken by the servant-first to make sure that other people’s highest priority needs are being served. The best test, and difficult to administer, is:
“Do those served grow as persons? Do they, while being served, become healthier, wiser, freer, more autonomous, more likely themselves to become servants? And, what is the effect on the least privileged in society? Will they benefit or at least not be further deprived?“
A servant-leader focuses mainly on the growth and well-being of people and their communities, and shares power, prioritises others’ needs and helps people develop and perform as highly as possible.
I have encountered people who say the word “servant” would put off people. That itself is a problem. “Servant” humbles our egos, and helps us surrender to higher purpose.
WORKPLACE CRISIS
We spend most of our waking hours at work. So it actually has potential to support us in our growth and wellbeing. Unfortunately it underperforms in both (in some cities), while driving many to perform at the cost of these. This is a colossal waste of time given the finite time a human being has.
- People are often seen as resources to be used. We actually accept “human resources” as a term. We shouldn’t need a business case to treat employees well. They are sentient beings. Yet they may not consistently be seen as whole human beings with physical, emotional, mental and spiritual needs until we reach some crises. Some of our clients have told us “feelings are not allowed”, along with rest, and there’s no guidance or space to connect meaningfully at work with others beyond task-centredness. For example, when we open up space for people to be vulnerable, we have heard again and again, how much they appreciate this safe space to be human. One person said it felt like “Oxygen”. Don’t we need oxygen all the time?
How do you view your employees? Human resources to be used to generate financial resources? Or sentient beings with the ability to feel, with multifaceted needs and unlimited potential?
If at work, we are dehumanised and put through unnatural levels of stress and seen as machines to perform, then it is natural this has a ripple effect on our customers, our families and others. This poignant eight-minute animation brings this point to life.
- Calling orientation is under-tapped. A workplace is a place where we can serve the community with our hearts, not just earn money to take care of our own families and needs. But this goes under-tapped. Many leaders do not activate this calling mindsets in their employees as they themselves may not be viewing work in this way. Calling is often linked to religious vocation or specific jobs where the service is related to some obvious good to the world. But “calling” is an orientation to work, not a specific job according to organisational psychologist, Professor Amy Wrzesniewski. We can bring a spirit of service anywhere, anytime.
Olivia Chua, pictured here, is a taxi driver whose taxi I didn’t want to leave because of her warm presence, vulnerable sharing with me about her life, her asking me questions about mine and her compassionate wisdom. She shared that, for instance when she picks up a child alone, she’ll ensure she drops him/her in a safe place even if you, as the child’s parent, may not specify this. And how she’d go out of the way to pick up someone on a wheelchair.
I scribbled down these inspiring lines by her and was so lucky to take this photo when she flashed that stunning, warm smile.
“The taxi is a great place to do good and talk about good things….We need to love others as we love our family”
Olivia Chua is not in the transportation business. She is in the transformation business. And is an example to us to learn to view our work differently. Taxi-driving is not traditionally seen as meaningful work. It is her Calling mindset towards it that makes her work meaningful.
- Life is a journey to keep growing. While there is an emphasis on learning in workplaces, sometimes this leans towards technical skills related to one’s job, and may also rely too much on short term interventions such as workshops whose lessons may not be integrated back in the workplace. I see many struggle with self-reflection, social-emotional intelligence, with compassion, with even having eye contact when speaking to someone, with holding a conversation beyond the task to be done. Some workplace cultures facilitate dark sides of people, like wanting to take advantage of customers, sabotaging colleagues etc. What is the point of having technical excellence if we fail our souls, if we become unwell, embittered, unkind, without integrity, just amassing more and more for our families and also not having quality time for our families?
- And finally, what is the nature of the organisation’s work? What is its toll on the environment, on animals, people involved in its production, on customers etc. Corporate social responsibility needs to starts with the reason why the business exists instead of creating harm as its regular business then doing some good at a much smaller level.
If you found anything useful here – a video, a line – consider who may benefit from it and share it if you like. And as you walk around our world, consider what else could be roots, and also take in its beauty. It is a wounded world but it is also one with beauty and goodness.
Vadivu Govind