Making a difference in the workplace

Have you been lately into a local supermarket? Have you noticed how many brands of breakfast cereals are on the shelves? How many different brands of breakfast cereals are you actually eating? Few! If so, why do we need all this variety? The truth is - we don't! Our society is absorbed in a mad race after...MORE! More breakfast cereals, more car brands, more money, more influence, more, more, more... The reasons? Competition, power, survival and consumption.

These are only few of the characteristics of (in what I call), the Male Energy mentality. We can find those characteristics everywhere. In business, politics, organized religions, social organizations and even families. If you take a break for a moment from the rat race you'll notice that today, humanity has arrived at saturation point.

The price we pay is everywhere to be seen. Wars and conflict dot the globe, huge economic and social differences exist between the West and the impoverished third world. The wealthy abide in magnificent mansions in every metropolis, whilst thousands exist without homes. Workaholism, and a frightening incidence of suicides, scar our nations.

Which leads naturally to the question, is there any other way? I believe there is. I call it, the Female Energy approach. Instead of competition as a means to success, using cooperation; Instead of a 'me first, fuck you', an approach of service and win-win solutions; Instead of criticism, the use of acknowledgements; Instead of indulgence - preservation; and so on...

As the number of choices in our life grows, we are seeking for a balance in our lives between our inner and outer worlds; between the demands of our jobs and those of our families; between our focus on material affluence and our quest for spiritual meaning; between our preoccupation with our individual dilemmas and our awareness of the challenges facing society at large.

So how can we create this balance? It starts with bringing Female Energy into our workplace. In the workplace we can see two types of leaders: The leader (Female Energy) and the Boss (Male Energy). This has nothing to do with gender! Most authorities in our business world are operating, mostly automatically, within structure of the Male Energy approach as we adopted our society's values of high achievements, discipline, performances, order, competition, aggressiveness, etc.

Lets take a look at a few real-life situations:

The project is stuck. The Boss looks for someone to blame and to punish. Alte
atively, the leader, aware of his part, acknowledges the efforts that were made, and focuses on solutions.

Staff meeting. The Boss issues orders. The Leader states the vision, and brainstorms the process, with the staff.

You ask to work part-time from home. The Boss demands your presence in the office, according to company rules and regulations. The leader supplies you with computer and connection to the office, thanking you for releasing some space.

Low-performance of the team. The Boss calls a meeting and tells everybody, "Here is what we are going to do." The leader calls a meeting and asks, "How can I support you?"

Handling change. The Boss tries to control and direct the change. The leader understands that change is the only constant phenomenon and goes with it.

Marketing. The Boss declares the competitor as the enemy. The leader looks for joint ventures.

Problem solving. The Boss knows all the answers. The leader asks the right questions.

My question is: what are you going to choose?

Article by: Vered (Tanmayo) Neta, trainer, coach and lecturer, specializes in relationships and women issues.
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