Human Business
Lately I've been asking what the purpose of this blog is? Why do I bother? I decided I wanted it to support my business and others involved in similar work, but also that I didn't want to remove on all the other stuff either. That got me thinking that what I'd like this blog to be about is what I'm all about - being a human business being - integrating work and all this "other" stuff. What do I mean by that? Well, what are the parts of you that you don't bring to business or play? What do you cut off and leave at home or in the office? What would life be like if you didn't? How would life be if you could integrate emotion, the body, humour, art and spirituality; with business, deadlines, organisation, work and getting things done? Yes AND, not either or.
Let's start with a look around: My conclusion is that business is broken (if my aikido class kids didn't keep Googling me I'd use another word), global markets are in trouble and it's time for a change. Most of the young people I know are pissed off with working meaningless jobs they hate for Jurassic disconnected idiots they don't respect. What we need is not some new theory but integrating what we all already in our hearts know. Let's apply to work what we normally leave at home with our loved ones, or on our mediation cushions and yoga mats. The hippies sold out and were too ragged to organise a pile of Afghan rugs. Old-busin
ess tried to buy us all out in a hostile human takeover, and look where that's got us. Now it's time for the love child of these two dysfunctional separated parents to sell-in and sort-out the disjointed mess that both parents bungled. Not because it's a good thing (though I think it's ethically commendable), but because holism is what's necessary to be healthy, happy and wealthy today. This is the leading edge.
The approach I call Human Business has been called conscious business (which is often Buddhist influenced), is related to emotional intelligence (thanks Daniel you hero for making life easier for all of us), the Strozzi Institute led the way in bringing embodiment to the organisational world, and integral business as espoused by the Ken and the Wilberettes is pretty much what I'm ranting about. Corporate social responsibility is part of Human Business and is starting to become a mainstream topic, but can can be just an add-on we'll see what happens to that in the recession. Human Business needs to go deep - transformation not a PR job.
What I've become aware of however is that the Human Business underground tribe is starting to come out of the closet lately and I'd like to support this. Whenever I host a public event people people get the train down to Brighton from all over the UK and say, "I thought I was the only one!" "It's soooo good to connect with others who are into this stuff and just be myself!" "Pass the biscuits Mark." etc. Our time has come, the world is doing down the plug hole bit by bit and only whole people can stop it, body, mind, heart and business soul. Enough Business BS. The zeitgeist is ripe for Human Business to reclaim authenticity and integrity, and the idea is passing from weirdly radical to desired inevitable progress.
Here are some other things people involved in Human Business have said, mostly at Integration Training events:
"Inject the espresso into my eyeball I need to get back to work...but make sure it's Fairtrade"
"How are you?"
"Fine. No...actually I'm not, I'm [insert real emotions and needs here]"
"Thank you"
"People, planet and profit" (multiple bottom lines) 
"Let's make money, have fun, learn stuff and help people"
"You give a shit and are on top of your shit"
"Here's what I've learned about business from aikido" [or tango, or tai chi or jazz]
"Please""May I..."
"My Blackberry chimes when it's time to meditate"
"I'm was happily plorking when..." (playing and working)
"Work is for losers."
"Work life fusion, not balance. Balance is stupid."
"It's all about balance."
"Why would I want to do something I don't love?"
"Relax. We've got a lot to do."
"Wana play?"
"Normal-I-tea? Nooo thanks, decaf, soya milk and 12 sugars please."
"You are the weakest link, would you like some help?"
"It's Kitten's Den not Dragon's Den you muppet."
"What do you embody?"
"I like my business like I like my coffee. With friends and biscuits."
This recession will come and go, it doesn't matter in the big picture, we'll be around at the end or our legacies will. If you want to know where I'll be until then, I'll be plorking out front with a smile on my face. I invite any business leaders reading this who want to be, give and get in all, to join in with Human Business. No money, no membership forms, just a ten year commitment to everything. Up or it? There will be biscuits.
[NB Addendum for US readers "biscuits" are cookies in the UK. What you call biscuits we call dumplings]
........
........Business So What: Human Business is the future and it's a good one.
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3 comments:
Mark,
this post is excellent. I was moved by your powerful words and great use of images!
I agree there is a global shift going on. The time we are in right now! is radical. The world is moving faster than ever, economies are crashing and people like you are leading a new idea of the possibilities.
Hey, Mark. As a financial services professional, I see one cause of the financial world's disintegration is that some of the stodgy things bankers used to do fell by the wayside. Making sure that they knew their customers and employees, evaluating credit risk rather than selling it or outsourcing the evaluation process...these were disciplines, practices, values that the community stopped practicing (consistently).
Why? In part, because there's a misalignment between employee self-actualization and the work that needs doing.
I don't remember much of the 1960s. (haha, because I'm too young.) But as I see it, an error of the 1960s was that people mistook the message "Be here now," to mean "Only think about now, don't worry about the consequences." And I see potential to make a similar error in our current shifts in relationship with work.
In a business like a bank, you need stodgy things like financial controls. Uncool? Well, maybe not entertaining. Critically important? Now we know.
I'm not saying that bankers should not self-actualize via their work. Rather, people who self-actualize via balancing the debits and credits should become finance professionals. Others should work elsewhere. The work of the organization needs to be done.
As I've heard scholar Douglas Brooks say, "Inside, it's dirt. Outside, it's soil." We need to put things in the right places.
Those who hire and manage people are responsible to take this on. As are those who are hired.
Thanks Michael.
Anne,
Hi there. I agree there's a sad loss of traditional values and practices as business develops, with often dire consequences. In developmental models there is an often woolley relativistic stage before a real integral one which incorporates the best of the old with the new. Don't throw the baby out with the bath water and all that. I think of it as an obnoxious teenage stage :)
Thanks for your input.
M
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