by Meryl K. Evans, Editor, Professional Services Journal
People may struggle to stay motivated and positive with so much recession news hitting us from all angles. A top-down, because-I-am-the-boss-that’s-why approach could lead to pushback.

You’re the leader. As kids expect parents to set rules and stick by them, employees expect the same of leaders. “Rules provide a framework for how you operate and set you and your staff up for success. In addition, enforcing the rules helps your employees to view you as ‘fair,’” says Marlene Chism, communications strategist and the founder of Stopyourdrama.com.

“Rules that aren’t enforced make outlaws out of those willing to bend or break them (at least to those compliantly watching) and disengaged and disgruntled employees out of the ones too scared to buck the system. Both results are a huge loss to the organization’s productivity and overall viability,” says Gayle Gregory, co-founder of Workplace Evolution.

Several experts and successful leaders have plenty to say about how bosses can get everyone on board. Their advice centers on three actions:

• Communicate clear expectations.
• Be consistent and fair with actions and consequences.
• Realign the rules with help from the team.

Communicate clear expectations

Too many of us prescribe to the “Do as I say, not as I do” belief. As a result, expectations get lost in the clutter, and no one knows what you want.

“First (because you have not uniformly enforced your policies in the past), you must clearly communicate to your staff that things will change. Tell them WHY things must change: that it’s your job as the boss to ensure a safe, comfortable and legally compliant workplace, which results in better long-term performance for the company and better opportunities for the staff’s success,” says Juli Urken, president of Affluent Touchpoints Inc.

Be consistent and fair with actions and consequences

Chism gives good reasons for sticking to your policies and standing straight. “Once you allow a great employee to break the rule, you open yourself up for a not-so-great employee to take it a step further. You won’t have a leg to stand on if you aren’t consistent. Letting some bend the rules in an effort to appease them will leave others perceiving you as unfair. This creates unnecessary drama in the office.”

Without firm and fair policy enforcement, and applying policies equally to all situations, your company’s internal structure will fall apart. Like a spine supports the entire body, a weak structure affects teamwork and the team’s success.

One reader suggests reinforcing the policies by including them in performance reviews, which often tie in with compensation.

Realign the rules with help from the team

Gayle Gregory takes a different approach. She proposes you dump some rules.

“Most rules are designed for the exception, to stop something that happened once or that the organization is afraid will happen. Have a rule-burning party and let your team decide which ones to keep and which ones are bogus. It depends on what you want.

“Do you want free thinkers, or do you want people who think only inside the organization’s boxes? Free thinkers can’t remain creative and innovative when restricted, and they are the lifeblood — the good people — of the organization.

“The good news is that the rest of the team, those not so willing to bend the rules, just needs a little permission to start the flow of creative, out-of-the-box thinking, too. The bonfire will send a strong message, and you will be enforcing compliance from the inside out rather than outside in! That spells relief for everyone because they can find their spines when the rules are created through a shared leadership model.”

Urken adds, “If your organization has policies on the books in which you truly don’t believe, ask your legal advisor why such policies are important. You’ll likely discover exactly why the policies were drafted in the first place. It’s unlikely you’ll lose employees who don’t want to comply with the rules, because they’re aware that similar policies exist in every area of American business.”

After getting everything under control, call a meeting as Maria Marsala, chief business collaborator of Elevating Your Business, explains.

“Say that to run a well-oiled business, management created certain guidelines, some big, some small, that help your business grow. And it’s important that everyone follows them. I’ve been remiss in talking to people who aren’t following them — and you know who you are that bend or break them. BUT from this day forward, (state how you want them to behave). And if you do not follow the guidelines, (describe what action you will take).”

Be ready for initial pushback and resentment. Once that passes, the environment will be a sunny place again. Start a virtual fire! Once you do, your employees should feel new energy that’ll be contagious.

Meryl K. Evans is a senior editor at InternetVIZ and content maven behind The Compliance Advisor, Connected Digest, Email Marketing Insider and Professional Services Journal.

By Christine Kent

Speeches need to be upbeat, without sugarcoating bad news

When Sen. John McCain said in September that, “The fundamentals of our economy are strong”—just as the stock market was tanking and investment banks and insurance companies were collapsing—his poll numbers began to sink, never to recover. The incredulous media and the public couldn’t reconcile McCain’s words with the chaos that was happening in the financial world.

When times are tough, it’s natural for leaders to want to rally the troops with some hopeful and reassuring words. However, ignoring the grim reality doesn’t win over the listeners—it makes them wonder what planet the executive is living on. Likewise, a gloom-and-doom speech, even one that’s spot-on, will make employees, customers and partners less likely to stick it out during tough times.

How do speakers walk that tightrope between sugarcoating bad news, and focusing solely on misery?

“Employees know when they’re being snowed,” says Jake Wengroff, director of North American communications for consulting firm Frost & Sullivan in San Antonio. “They now actually welcome honesty, sincerity, and authenticity.”

So the truth may hurt, but much like ripping off a Band-Aid quickly, it has to be done fast or your listeners will suffer silently. Besides, says Nick Morgan, author of the forthcoming book Trust Me: Four Steps to Authenticity and Charisma, listeners are rarely in the dark about the bad news.

“The audience is always way ahead of you,” says Morgan, who’s also president of Public Words Inc., a communications consultancy based in Boston. “They’re already counting the corpses.”

Since there’s some level of knowledge about the bad news, get it over with.

“Deliver the bad news first,” Morgan advises. “It goes against what a CEO wants to do—they’d rather avoid it. Many of them have gotten where they are because they’ve made people happy.” And making people very unhappy by talking about layoffs, plant closings or reductions in benefits doesn’t make a CEO’s day.

Ideally, a leader has built up a reputation for being forthright and honest, so that when bad news is delivered, there’s a reservoir of trust, says Gayle Gregory, co-founder of Workplace Evolution, a workplace consulting firm based in Ridgefield, Washington.

“Employees are much smarter and savvy than many senior execs give them credit for,” says Gregory. “They know when someone is blowing smoke, and no speechwriter in the world can save an executive when the facts and energy don’t jive. Those same troops will know that something very different is happening when they hear the truth.”

And it’s never too late to come clean, she adds.

“If a leader hasn’t been forthcoming in the past, the road will be much bumpier,” Gregory explains, but that doesn’t mean all is lost. “When the groundwork hasn’t been laid in advance so that people are interested and willing to believe what you say, it isn’t too late. When the troops actually hear honest and responsible words, it will go a long way towards paving new communication possibilities.”

Chris Witt, founder of Witt Communications San Diego and author of Real Leaders Don’t Do PowerPoint, says that leaders need to convince audiences that they’re a part of the comeback.

“It’s your role as a leader to make me feel that I belong to a group that is worth belonging to,” says Witt. Using metaphors may be the best way to tell the story of how the organization will fight back against tough market conditions, Witt says—something like Rocky Balboa.

“It needs to be realistic,” Witt says of these tough-times metaphors. “And it needs to be somewhat optimistic. You have to give your audience a reason to hope.”

The best speeches about comebacks are based on storytelling, Witt says which means PowerPoint slides might be out of place. “People are already overwhelmed with information when times are bad—I’m not sure they need more data,” Witt says. “I would go light on the information.”

Cathy Wolfe, director of marketing services for Toshiba America Medical Systems, advocates following four rules when delivering a tough-times speech: Tell the truth, highlight positives, tell employees what the company is doing to address the challenges, and tell them how they can help.

“It’s not easy—you have to do this without scaring your work force,” Wolfe explains.

Her company’s executives have had to communicate these difficult messages, as the company copes with a challenging healthcare environment. “You can usually find some positives—for instance, maybe your market share has grown, even if profits haven’t.”

by Gayle Gregory

This info can invigorate your career!

The economy is in shambles and people are hunkering down, hoping to ride out the storm. We are all undergoing an attitude adjustment, hoping it is just short-term. If only we could begin again, with an entirely newfound attitude, one that is not based on ‘just until’, but one committed to transformation from this moment forward. If only we could blast the myths that keep us frustrated and unhappy, scared and feeling like we are holding our breath waiting for the next shoe’s fall.

We can! Now is the ideal time to make a fresh new start to reinvigorate your career, help you find balance between your personal and professional experiences, and introduce an exciting new chapter in your work life. Whether you’ve been at your job for a few weeks or a few decades, it’s very likely you have some workplace misconceptions that are eroding self-confidence, limiting your innovation, and damaging relationships. These beliefs will determine your personal success and that of your organization. They could even be the difference between surviving and thriving in today’s marketplace. Believing such stress-inducing myths could put your company out of business — and you out of a job.

Let’s look at and dispel widely-accepted inaccuracies that are probably keeping YOU from enjoying the career satisfaction and topflight salary you deserve:

Myth #1

“You can’t teach an old dog new tricks”

Truth: Programming is not permanent! Now is the ideal time in your life to seek education and training, cultivate hidden talents, practice newfound skills and advance beyond your workplace doldrums.

Myth #2

“You’re better off concentrating only on the positive.”

Truth: Ignoring and resisting negative or fearful thoughts and behaviors won’t make them go away; it actually makes them stronger. Instead use negative emotions to accelerate your transformation.

Myth #3

“Work isn’t supposed to be fun.”

Truth: If you believe that, you’re bound to be resistant, defensive, disengaged and disillusioned. ANY job can offer fulfillment and enjoyment. You’re rewarded not only with salary and benefits, you contribute to the economy and help other people, as you sharpen your lifelong skills.

Myth #4

“There aren’t enough resources to do my job.“

Truth: That thinking breeds turf wars and mistrust in the workplace. Look for creative strategies to find the right people, funding, supplies, information and talents.

Myth #5

“Sometimes it’s best to shut up.”

Truth: A company is in trouble when it’s populated by yes-people who won’t take risks, share ideas or voice opinions. Speaking up can make your career.

Myth #6

“Getting ahead means getting noticed.”

Truth: Your work will naturally shine if you contribute to the overall team.

Myth #7

“You can train unengaged individuals to work together.”

Truth: Training (and in effect, forcing) individuals to cooperate as teams doesn’t work.

You make much more progress by first removing the layers of fear that make us believe we are separate. True and effective teaming becomes the natural result! There are other misleading beliefs and doubts leading to workplace mediocrity, back-stabbing, dissention and even corruption. It’s your choice to break free and be open to the possibility of a grander design. As we escape the boxes we have put ourselves and our organizations into, an amazing freedom to create is available. Performance becomes fun, exciting and drives itself. It is remarkable to watch as each organization steps into its authenticity. Workplace evolution is the key to innovative workplaces that attract the best talent!

By Gayle Gregory

Mental Health America’s (MHA) Live Your Life Well is filled with relevant tidbits to help us live well in these uncommon times. Each of ten tools is precise and capable of breaking through old, inadequate patterns to help us ride life’s rollercoaster with greater ease. Together they can create meaningful change – lasting and positive – for our lives.

Over the past 12 years I have come to understand what it is that works for and against us when it comes to change. Thanks to curiosity, not to mention a big helping of life’s hard knocks, I’ve accepted the notion that we are each our own problem and solution. At times it would have been easier to close my eyes and revert to less informed thinking, but once aware, there was no way to be unaware.

The concept of personal responsibility is well known but mostly unclaimed by the general population, and yet, it is the crux beneath meaningful change. In order to shift our reality, we must shift our belief system. In order to do that, we have to acknowledge responsibility for our reality. That means there are no more victims, there is no more blame, and projecting our pain onto others, also must stop. That’s a tall order. It means rewiring our automatic responses of self-protection and self focus and remembering something bigger, that we are hard-wired for community and are designed to be here, for and with each other.

MHA’s tool number one says, “Connect with others.” This tool alone can shift the balance towards real change. It is critical. It moves us beyond self-definition and begins to broaden our concept of inclusivity. It begins the transfer from ‘me’ to the ‘me we were meant to be’. It is a starting point to reclaiming our physical, emotional, spiritual and mental health. Meaningful change is the result of small steps. Every time we use one of the tools it begins a ripple in the pond of change. It may not seem like much at first, but that one small step creates a small tsunami that affects our entire well-being.

by Gayle Gregory

How we view our differences is a missing ingredient!

When you wake up in the morning are you excited to get to work?  As you shower are you already thinking about all the good work you are going to do that day?  Does your heart open in joy when you think about the camaraderie at work?  Do you tell your friends and acquaintances how great your job is and how wonderful it is to work there? Do you bring your all with you to work?  Or, do you leave parts of yourself behind?  How committed and engaged are you—really?

The primary valuation of a company is its people.  According to the Human Capital Institute only 25% to 55% of employees are engaged.  Committed employees are not only 25% more productive, adding to a company’s valuation, common sense says that they are also less likely to be surfing monster.com.  It’s interesting to note that 90% of managers believe that people leave because of money but the top three reasons people actually leave their jobs are a lack of challenging work, little opportunity to grow and develop, and poor management relationships.  So it seems, contrary to some opinions, people want to be engaged.

It is a question human resource managers have been struggling with for decades.  How do we create job satisfaction?  Better, more comprehensive questions would be, how do we help employees find delight, delight that’s foundational for satisfaction, productivity, full-on engagement and commitment?  In other words, how does the organization facilitate workplace evolution that feeds each employee’s sense of sheer delight, nurtures their passion, and makes them know they are blessed to be a part of such an amazing organization?

An organization’s response to these questions is critical to their unstoppability—their overall long and short-term viability.  70% of organizations say that they have an insufficient pipeline of talent for critical jobs.  According to 2007 CEO Briefing, attracting and retaining talented people is one of the top five issues facing organizations today.  The cost of working without just one key player is estimated at $7000 a day.  By 2010 it is projected that there will be a shortage of 10 Million employees in the United States alone because of several factors, boomer retirement, among them.  Even though 70% of organizations are already struggling to fill critical positions, the fight for talent is just heating up!  That’s good news for employees and on the surface, not so good for the organization.

Organizations that find the secret ingredient to cultivate full-on engagement and true delight in going to work each day will be able to cure multiple ills.  As they race to find the cure, many facets of organizational life have the opportunity to bloom.  When employees engage, productivity and delight naturally grow.  Engaged employees attract other individuals who desire to be productive and engaged.  It’s not surprising that studies show top talent tends to cluster together.  Delighted and engaged people are less at risk for stress and stress related illnesses (think medical savings), in fact, they understand that stress is self-inflicted and know better than to dampen their delight.

So what is it that delivers workplace delight besides an upcoming vacation?  One possible answer might surprise—our differences!  Differences are something we hide, something we work to overcome, and something at which we often inwardly cringe.  We find comfort in people just like us.  We cluster together naturally.  We find safety in us versus them.   But, our differences also supply the ‘juice’ that can energize an organization and life in its many facets.

How do we inspire delight in all employees, from the janitor to the CEO?  How do we get each one to take the internal steps toward self motivation, for that is the source of true and lasting delight?   It is the missing link, the secret ingredient that keeps people engaged and committed. The company cannot provide this internal spark, except (huge except) to provide the necessary coaching to inspire people to do this internal work.  The skeletons of past organizational attempts to create job satisfaction demonstrate this is true. Once the internal work has begun, it provides the internal framework, think of it as the real infrastructure of the company, a foundation that lives within the people and is shared between them. It is the basic step.

Coaching classes would include everyone within an organization, preferably done as a whole so people see, hear, relate, and find insights together. In this way, they start to bridge and break down differences. First, an understanding that we are in this boat together must be set. Yes, the boat is rocky and the waves steep amid all these differences, but from this awareness an organization can traverse the waters when we get in the boat together.

When we see ourselves as part of something larger than our individual self, as being together, can we begin to see the power in our differences. Until this point we are separate and different, individuals each requiring protection and defense. Once everyone is on board, diversity is bridged back in naturally. From a position of non-defense, we can recognize, embrace and see the unique value and purpose in each person’s natural style — what was previously seen as an irreconcilable difference.

In business, what is needed is a quick means for people to stop acting in-authentically, a system of self checks and balances. When employees identify their primary style and comprehend how to honor it, it is the turning point for organizations and creates a shift from fragmentation to integration. Honoring our primary style means that each person chooses to be authentic, to come from a place of wholeness rather than reverting to the fearful default regardless of situation or stress. We learn to hold our primary style around people of different styles and honor the differences in the process.

How do we create a fluid system where all are honored, allowed to ask questions, voice opinions, where no one is demeaned and the floor is held open?  We remove the fear that prevents us from holding the space for each other, in honor, in a system of equal exchange that promotes growth and new ideas. We find creative ways to praise authenticity rather than ideas perceived as valuable. This makes room for all ideas, ensuring that engagement doesn’t rest on that one big idea or on proving oneself and free people of the need to act outside of authenticity.

As we learn to honor each other, we create a productive, supportive work environment free of back-biting, gossip and sacrificed integrity. Instead we develop an environment where people end the stage show and come to work, not to put on a soap opera, a facade or mask, but come to work to work and play, simply by being who they are. We sweep the floor of the stacks of boxes we asked people to fit into to do their jobs.  We open the floor, clearing a path of non-judgment. New ideas, new connection, new commitment, new delight springs forth naturally. We set sail together, each knowing the role to play, each recognizing the value of others, and as one, the organization moves full speed ahead.

What you should and shouldn’t tell employees

By Karen Appold

Contrary to many opinions, there is no such thing as giving too much information, believes Gayle Gregory, co-founder, Workplace Evolution, Ridgefield, WA. “Today’s employees are savvy and intuitive,” she said. “They know what’s going on and even if they didn’t, 99 percent of organizational secrets have a way of getting out.”

Consider this scenario, Gregory suggested. If a building is on fire, it’s better to tell employees the truth. That way they can grab the appropriate bucket and help control the fire. It’s better to have them on board and in the know than standing around the water cooler worrying while the building burns down.

Simply put, deciding whether or not to be honest just adds gasoline to an already blazing fire, Gregory continued. Fear drives our need to hide details. “But anytime fear is in charge, the solution ends up being less than what is possible,” she said. “When we move beyond fear into a belief in each other, new solutions and potential emerge.”

Not giving employees access to everything is expecting them to contribute to something they don’t fully understand, said Jamie Showkeir, job title, Henning-Showkeir & Associates, Inc., Phoenix, AZ. “Unless there is a legitimate legal or ethical reason for withholding information, managers should be as open and transparent as possible,” he said. “Ideally, information should be dispensed as soon as possible through daily work conversations. Those who do the work need to be deeply literate about the business they are engaged in if they’re going to make good decisions that contribute to a business’ success.”

With all of this in mind, here’s how Gregory, Showkeir and Stacey Havel, director of public relations, Bernard Hodes Group, Fort Lauderdale, FL, suggest responding to the following scenarios.

Scenario #1: Your lab may be acquired by another lab.

Havel: The key to this scenario is it may be acquired. It is important to prevent the rumor mill from churning. So, if this is a legitimate situation, confirm with your manager before speaking with your team. When you speak with your team, make sure you provide them with only the facts.”

If you are asked questions you can’t answer, simply tell employees that you don’t know and will try to find out. Also, make sure that you keep your team updated on all developments as appropriate. Corporate communications, along with senior leadership, should let managers know what can be divulged. If they do not specify, however, do not assume that it is a “green light” to tell employees everything, especially in regards to layoffs, managerial realignments or hiring.

Scenario #2: Income is up 20 percent this year.

Gregory: Make sure you understand the profit and loss statement. Income is up. Is net profit up too? The more you can educate employees on reading balance sheets, understanding revenue and profit and the impacts of good and bad customer service on the bottom line, the better able they will be to understand and make sound business decisions. Will the increase in income translate into bonuses or pay raises? When you can explain the “why” and “why not,” people will listen. If you can’t, educate yourself.

Scenario #3: Income is down 20 percent this year.

Showkeir: This also presents an opportunity for employees to engage in a new conversation emphasizing solutions instead of blame. Traditionally, managers have viewed employees as needing to be shielded from this type of information. The organization, conversely, has seen managers as the individuals who need to provide answers and fix the problem. That fails to tap into the vast pool of creativity and talent within an organization and gives employees justification for sniping at solutions instead of being involved in resolutions. Engaging the entire workforce in looking for ways to increase revenue means everyone is looking for solutions.

Scenario #4: There won’t be any raises this year.

Havel: For more than a year now, there’s been a decrease in raises across most industries. If a freeze on raises hits your company, let employees know that this is an across the board freeze and a result of overall economic downturns, not oriented to individual employees’ performance. Not receiving a raise because of the economy is cause for concern for many employees and morale could be jeopardized. If this is the case, try to find some small, cost-effective means to reward employees such as a few extra days off or longer lunch breaks.

Scenario #5: The lab may be relocating.

Gregory: If employees know a move is imminent because you’ve been honest with them, they in turn will be honest with you about their decision to move with the business. For some, it may not make sense. Real numbers make it much easier to plan. Staffing and training requirements won’t be an unknown and you’ll know what you’re dealing with.

Scenario #6: You’re taking a leave of absence for an undetermined amount of time.

Havel: This is a time when you do not have to be specific about why you will be taking time off. It is not necessary to divulge personal information to your team. The only thing you need to say is that you will be taking time off to tend to personal business and have not determined when you will return. If possible, periodically check in via e-mail with the team and keep them updated regarding your return.

Simply Put

To summarize, good communication with your team requires three rules, Havel said.

1. Be honest and up front.

2. Never lie or assume.

3. Provide consistent communications to your team.

Gregory concluded with this final thought, a quote from Mark Twain: “If you tell the truth, you don’t have to remember anything.”

Karen Appold is an editorial consultant in Royersford, PA. Contact her at KarenAppold@comcast.net or visit her Web site at www.WriteNowServices.com.

by Gayle Gregory

Don’t let today’s climate of fear take control of your workplace …

“I am tomorrow, or some future day, what I establish today. I am today what I established yesterday or some previous day.”  James Joyce

In today’s economy it is very easy to adopt beliefs that we normally wouldn’t entertain. We often do this without noticing that’s what we have done. Stop for a moment and see whether or not you are fearful, worrying about your financial future, or cutting back on investments in education, training, or in capital assets to grow your business and make your products or services  more sustainable. Is this behavior normal for you? If not, you might have absorbed the beliefs of the masses, the energy of fear that is permeating our world today.

It is a truly rare person who finds themselves unaffected by their exterior environment, able to see clearly and discern what is real and what is not. It usually takes years of self-understanding, created through deep and sometimes painful exploration, to build up immunity to the energy of mass belief. The possibility of unaffected decision-making is available though, to every organization and to each individual within, and the return on investment is immediate.  Immunity begins to build the moment we begin to conscientiously investigate our beliefs and grows with each new insight of what is, in fact, true.

Until we have done the personal work, it is impossible to view our outside environment without the influence of our internal beliefs and ideas. We all have our sets of beliefs, those ideas we have inherited from our parents and from society. Most of the beliefs are based in self-protection, making certain we are safe and secure. This is the primary directive of the amygdala.

“… the brain structure which appears to be at the very center of most of the brain events associated with fear is the amygdala (Greek for almond, its shape). The amygdala seems to respond to severe traumas with an un-erasable fear response.” www.psycheducation.org

While perhaps un-erasable, my experience is that the fear response is integrate-able and therefore, transformable. Fear only remains fearful because we fail to explore, to meet it head on. As we dare to engage the fear, we can learn from it and see the ideas that cloud our ability to broaden our vision and create a larger future for our organizations. If we choose to avoid it, it will control our responses and decisions, and decisions made within a foundation of self-protection, whether that be organizationally or for us individually, will always be short-sighted and have unintended consequences. Our current world situation and the decisions made by our financial institutions are cases in point.

Leaders who begin to understand and explore the ramifications will have an intense edge over those who do not. Vision and strategy, what we dare to dream for the future of our organizations, is directly affected by our beliefs. Execution of the strategy, as well, is controlled by the beliefs of the entire team from the landscaper to those occupying seats in the board room.  Communication, the common thread through every facet of business life, is as well. Our beliefs show up in the way we communicate, in the words we use, the physical clues to what we really want to say, and the other non-verbal, often non-conscious, aspect of beliefs that color what we dare communicate and how we communicate – passively, aggressively, directly, or indirectly. It works from both directions, in what we are willing to say as well as how we hear what another person says. We can only communicate in our hearing and speaking, what we believe to be possible. And that is directly determined by our level of fear. We do not hear or see what is outside of our beliefs. This is so deeply entrenched that scientists created double and triple-blind testing because they knew they wouldn’t see what they didn’t believe to be possible.

Begin to pay attention to your thinking. Watch your reaction to the newspaper headlines. Listen to the talk around the board-room table and begin to discern if people are playing not to lose. Stop long enough to understand if you and your team are in control of your organization’s future or whether something else is. Clear out the cobwebs of belief and dream big. Learn to move forward fearlessly. At the least, slow down long enough to see your fears clearly and free-up your decision making. Or, get out of the way of those willing to do so. Our workplaces, and society as a whole, depend on today’s leaders more now than ever.

By Gayle Gregory

Seeing our thoughts crystallize into form!

Bring me brilliant, creative, succulent ideas.
Help me rendezvous with kindred spirits who are in integrity,
as we enthusiastically co-create together and are deliciously aligned.
Help me be aware of my power.
Guide me to thoughts that are in harmony with my core desires.
Bring me evidence of how this all works in comfortable, humorous and delicious ways.
Magnetizing Your Heart’s Desire by Sharon A. Warren

Some days are amazing gifts.  Today was one of them!   This morning’s call with the founding partners of our organizational consulting business, Workplace Evolution, was a remarkable think-tank.  It didn’t start out with that intention but that’s what occurred. As we talked about emerging trends—what will soon be the new business paradigms—magic stepped into the conversation.

Prior to the economic meltdown, statistics pointed to an upcoming labor shortage. Stats said that in ten years the U.S. business community would find themselves short 10 million employees with the retirement of the Boomers and the birth-dearth of the following generation. Quite a number … even if, owing to finances, less of us actually retire! If we stay and work simply because of money, a different scenario emerges that will require creative and innovative management to activate employee passion and productivity. It’s staggering when the implications are understood…regardless of which scenario plays out. Businesses that evolve and learn how to engage the whole individual will get to pass on the going out of business sale.  They will be able to attract, retain and cultivate talent. Our founder’s conversation today dealt with how employee’s options will change.

The energy of the conversation was light and open to possibility.  We each honored our collective visioning process as well as the unique perspective and experience each one of us brings to our dialogues. Ideas, based on a single observation, quickly expanded into insights none of us alone could have imagined.

The influence of Generation X and Y will be dramatic. This generation of workers will at last demand work-life balance and have it in their power to see it become reality.  Many of these internet-reared individuals see the potential for balance in contract work, no fear of, rather an ability to embrace and seek out month(s) long breaks, the possibilities presented by technology for long-distance work situations and with that, the various means for creative workspace and time.  These workers walk to a different drummer than the one to which their parents walked.  With the sheer power of absent numbers, they will be able to rewrite the rules of business. This trend is already beginning to take shape amongst women executives who have left their jobs, knowing there had to be something better than this.  These women left in hope that meaning and purpose existed out there somewhere and had the personal confidence to go in search of it.

It was synergy at its finest, but not the magic I alluded to in the first paragraph.  That was to come later.  The conversation was one of those meetings of mind and heart that you don’t want to stop, regardless of time and schedules.  You aren’t having it—it is having you!  In the business world, it would be called a rare moment.  For us, it is normal, not expected, but a natural outcome of our connectivity and unity.  Conversations become communion and through communion move into the spaciousness of natural flow.  We hold the space for just that to occur on a regular day-to-day basis. That is how we continue to evolve in our work together, how we attract clients capable of hearing this new paradigm and how we each commit to living our lives.  We make room each moment for the miraculous to occur, recognizing that what most call miraculous is how all of life can work—effortless, inspired, connected.

As our conversation began to wind down, having completed its natural rhythm, the magic occurred. It was so amazing that I didn’t realize, until afterwards, what had just transpired.  When you do this work, Source begins to communicate with you from a different place, with new, uncommon words and symbols.  It doesn’t come from a place of mind.  It just appears with absolute knowingness that this is so.  We had been talking about finding the right clients to share our work with and show how much fun they can have playing and working in the flow.  As we talked I felt a wide-energetic field that quickly narrowed into the point of an arrow, an arrow that was swiftly moving into the physical plane.  The picture that simultaneously accompanied it was of jumping onto the shaft of the arrow and riding it into its full expression on earth. Our thoughts about the perfect clients had narrowed into physical reality and were about to be born. Nothing more was required.

I had been blessed to see thought crystallize as reality.  It was an awe-inspiring experience. I have known for a long time, intellectually and emotionally, how to manifest on this plane.  With this experience, it moved from intellect to an energetic cellular knowing.   Our thoughts truly do become our reality.   The importance of my work, and our work together, of helping people clearly see their thoughts and fears, was driven home with the pulsing energetic breath of Creative Force.