When I was younger, I thought I just wanted to work in a stable environment where I could just do what I was asked of and get paid. After years of being an office mole, I realized parts of me were getting repressed as I started to lose myself in work.   After some time I started dreaming of meaningful work where I could express who I truly was. I was heavily influenced by what I thought was a way of life that offered security.

Our current educational system is mostly geared at compliance, under the belief that society needs another clog in the mindless machine to keep it going.  Do as you are told and you will get a high grade, get hired, or get a promotion.  The "do as you are told" mentality has taken over our psyches, and it is easy and comfortable to adopt an attitude of "I don't want to make decisions, just tell me what you want, all I want is my paycheck".  
To be part of a living organization, we need to be alive and awake to who we are, because a living organization asks us to bring our whole selves to the table.  We need to be willing and able to reflect on our personal and organization's higher values, and to listen to our inner intuition and direction of how we can add value to the organization's purpose.  We need to be aware of our feelings, and have skills that enable us to communicate in a connected way with our fellow workers.  

These skills can bring aliveness to organizations even when they are not structured to be value driven, living organizations.  Also, nobody needs higher education to bring their whole selves.  Anyone can develop humility, reflection, and the necessary "soft" skills. Mostly people need guidance and someone who can see the best in them.  Sometimes an awakened circle of friends or coworkers can do just that, and at other times they might need a teacher, or a coach to help them break through old habits.

Feel free to call me and reach out if you want to find ways to bring aliveness into your organization. 

In this Olympic season we are inspired by high performing athletes competing in Rio.  All of the olympic athletes train and prepare themselves to win.  However, we will admire those who look to win by giving the best of themselves over those who want to win at all costs.  If we thought that winning was the one and only measure of success, athletes who have engaged in cheating would be much better received by the public.  Also, if the only goal is to win, 99% of the athletes would have no business competing.   To put it in another way, winning is not the end result, but rather a showing of the athletes efforts and a benchmark to develop themselves further.
Business is no different.  Profit making cannot be thought of as the only goal. Being financially sustainable is a necessity but not the end goal, much as breathing is a necessity of life, but not the meaning of life. Those in business who want their business to reflect more than profit making will tend to come up with mission statements and clarify their values as a business.
Creating a list of values and a mission statement became something of a fad for companies over the last couple of decades.  However, the effort has mostly served as publicity.  Most employees, or even executives, have no idea of the values or mission statement under which their company is based, and often create a culture that expresses the opposite values they claim to stand for.
How can you have a principle/value based company?  How can you create a mission statement that is not destined to become a slogan to hang in the cafeteria or to mention only in the stock holders reports?
The most important factor in creating a value based organization lies in your motivation.  If you truly believe in having a values based company it can’t be because you think doing so will make you and your company more profitable (even though that can certainly be a side benefit). Rather, it is because you understand human values as intrinsic motivators.  The pursuit and aspiration of peace, integrity, wellness, or joy is life-giving in of in itself.  When the members of your organization are consistent in their efforts to align their actions to their values, and are expected and rewarded to do so, their full potential will be unleashed. Success is not guaranteed in this world, but a strong and ethical organization can develop many markings of success.
Do you have a mission statement and shared values?  More importantly, are they the compass that determine every decision, big and small, in your organization?  Or are your decisions based solely on profits and the bottom line?   What are you communicating through your actions?
I will be writing a series of posts and videos on value based organizations.  I hope you can join me and share some of your comments.