“We must never forget that it is through our actions, words, and thoughts that we have a choice.” -Sogyal Rinpoche
Our work lives are made up of a million tasks, relationships, deadlines, duties, commitment, and goals. We are often at a loss as to how to communicate difficult news, create consistency, or even just feel less stressed during the day.
When we work with teams we can find ourselves trying to be the best to the detriment of the whole or we start gossiping in the break room, even when we don’t want to do those things.
In my years of working with management of large corporations, community groups, non-profits and small businesses I have seen some deplorable communication skills, folks ripping each other apart to get ahead, and teams clueless to their impact to the larger project or individuals. There has to be a better way.
When I was managing a creative group in San Francisco, I found it difficult to deal with the ups and downs of a changing workplace (this was just after the DotCom bust). It was especially challenging because I wasn’t skilled at addressing the raw emotions of workers who were undergoing work and family stress.
This led me to seek a mediation teacher who could at least share some wisdom about finding balance on a black cushion sitting on the tiled floor of a church basement.
It was in that first introduction that I realized that I lacked a guiding set of rules for dealing with my staff, coworkers, clients and management. Learning about the ideas inherent to the Eightfold Path I was able to start the timid steps towards a new way of communicating and finding balance both at work and in the rest of my life.
I did it through the idea of Zen Business.
