Published:

07/25/2014 06:43pm

Asleep or Conscious?

My mobile buzzed on silent mode at 11.30pm on the 17th July. I had already tucked in for the night. Curiosity got the better of me. I reached out to have a peek at the message. My friend a trader who obviously watches the markets like a hawk, said "Malaysian Airlines plane shot down. Tune in to BBC immediately"

Shock horror! What had the world come to? So many people killed for no reason. Innocent lives taken by mistake. In subsequent days we read of how bodies fell out of the sky. Some with fear on their faces as their bodies were recovered.

The first thought that struck me was "consciousness" Are people conscious about what they are doing? Do they have an intention to do a certain act or are they doing things out of routine, because they have always done it that way. Or did this come from an order delivered by someone with authority?In any case this drew a parallel to what I see in the corporate world.

Having been trained as a banker I worked in Treasury for a good 13 years. Then I felt a need to leave and find myself. Transitioning through the HR and IT industries, I tumbled from one job to the next.

Not many people walked the uncertain path that I did. In fact some of my friends thought me crazy to give up well-paid jobs in search for something living in the unknown.

I observed the things I liked and the things I didn't. I wanted to get in touch with my unique self and not be like the many who stayed with the comfort of a known path, while dying inside them. There was no compromise for me.

Now I know I was searching within me to raise my level of consciousness. I met other "light workers" who did much of the same. We were viewed as people who were spiritual looking for something we could be passionate about. What we didn't realize is that this journey to our inner world came with a bunch of goodies.

In searching for myself I tapped into the wellspring of creativity and confidence inside me. From dealing with figures and spreadsheets I now worked with people, developing them to the next level.

Today I see corporations crying for help. Structure, rules and process coupled with unending pressures of delivery on myriad levels, has led to people living like zombies. Where are they going? What are they doing? Is there any meaning in their life?

The journey while simple is deemed to be difficult by most leaders. A tiny percentage of corporate leaders truly understand behavior and yet they manage thousands of people.

Aubrey Daniels of ADI (Aubrey Daniels International) the great performance management leader observes that leaders are leading in ways that are counter-productive to reinforcing employees. "What they don't realize is that business is behavior and behavior is business"

If you knew how much more money you could make by changing one thing about the way you operate then why wouldn't you change it? Imagine if everyone thought that way! There would be a lot more revenue for companies while employees enjoyed their work.

Over the years of facilitating groups in companies I have seen how one "a-ha" moment can have a profound impact on the results of a person. The first step to raising consciousness of corporate people is to help them become aware of who they are.

That usually boosts their confidence and they begin to get more resourceful while learning to gain confidence in self. As we delve deeper into the unconscious mind they have the ability to understand where and how to go from strength to strength.

Then comes the fun part. Focusing them on their vision and where they see themselves in the circle of life. By this time you have created a potential employee for the talent pool. Unleashing the inner self is all a leader needs to focus on. The rest will take off naturally.

If this article interests you then ask yourself "How can I raise consciousness in myself and my circle of influence today?" A small but meaningful step from each employee can lead to big changes in the company, community and world.

Sylvia Fernandes is the Founder & CEO of VIA Frontiers. She is also the author of Bye Bye Black Cat. She has been operating in the Asia Pacific Region for the last 12 years and is currently based in Singapore. Go to www.viafrontiers.com for more information.