Working wisdom

BUSINESS WORKING WISDOM

WORDS BY ANNIE WILNER

Having a Zen perspective at work isn’t very complicated; experts Zoketsu Norman Fischer and Marc Lesser guide us through the new revolution in the workplace

For the past decade, Zen priests Marc Lesser and Zoketsu Norman Fischer have been helping corporate executives and entrepreneurs, the self-employed and nonprofit employees find meaning, increased compassion and satisfaction at work. A little bit of Zen practice can go a long way. On rare occasions, we stumble upon the office where everyone is the best of friends, with cupcake birthday parties and bonus checks all around. Other times, work life can seem littered with idle gossip, back-stabbing and a relentless pace. But luckily, Lesser and Fischer have some Zen strategies to resolve issues and develop ethical behavior in the workplace.

So, a monk walks into the office.

“Almost in any job, we all have the power to practice generosity, patience and mindfulness in our work,” says Lesser, author of ZBA Zen of Business Administration. Developing mindfulness and awareness are key elements to Zen practice. Mindfulness is the awareness of your own thoughts and behavior patterns. Being mindful also means paying attention, moment to moment, to the way one’s interactions play out on a larger level. Meditation, as a tool for developing mindfulness, helps individuals cultivate keener problem-solving skills and open communication in all aspects of work.

So, slow down and breathe deeply. Instead of grabbing the car keys and rushing out of the door, meditation is the new post-breakfast ritual. Learning to be fl exible, feel more fulfilled and behave ethically in the workplace can begin with 20 minutes of meditation in your home. Even if you’re in your business suit or high heels, all you need is a space to sit alone, comfortably. Next, close your eyes halfway and look downwards while counting your breaths. If you think there’s no time for 15 or 20 minutes’ meditation (that is, you’re allergic to sitting still and breathing in oxygen), there’s help for you yet.

Four magic words: “Yes, huh, I see”

At the root of Zen practice is an awareness of all human suffering. So if the malfunctioning copy machine grates on your nerves and your cell phone won’t stop ringing, the first step to becoming more mindful at work is to realize that you are not alone in your pain.

Likewise, it’s inevitable that clients, co-workers or supervisors will occasionly behave aggressively in the workplace, but there are ways to curb their behavior-and your own. “Usually in an aggressive situation, you become reactive,” says Zoketsu Norman Fischer. “The immediate reaction is for you to feel their aggression and push back. With awareness practice, you realize that a person who’s aggressive and negative is suffering, and it usually doesn’t have much to do with you. They may be using you as a target, but even when they are, it isn’t about you.”

“When you know that,” Fischer continues, “you have the capacity to absorb their aggression with strength and compassion. Instead of being aggressive and reactive, you just say, ‘Yes, huh, I see.’ When you’ve changed your inner life to actually see their suffering, they become disarmed. If not instantly, nine times out of 10, they will then get around to what they’re really feeling. It’s actually just human common sense.”

Instead of speaking rashly, any fraught situation can be diffused by, “Yes, huh, I see,” because the people pushing your buttons often need empathy more than anger.

As other challenges arise, instead of reacting immediately, Lesser recommends paying attention to your breathing for a minute. “If you learn to handle yourself, the world becomes a different place,” adds Fischer. “There are fewer aggressive people around.”

When exercising your right to be quiet, you have the power to dramatically change the work environment and those around you.

Slam-dunk office gossip

Often, the in-house gossip in the khaki pants hasn’t let up his rumor-mongering since he walked in the door years ago. “It’s amazing how much time people spend at work watching their backs,” observes Lesser. “It’s bad for productivity, and it’s bad for human beings.”

Fischer’s strategy is to disengage from malicious gossip, because it takes two to talk. But he also acknowledges that gossip can play a central role in building work relationships.

“You don’t have to run away from gossip or cover your ears,” says Fischer. “But you can slowly and gently bring the conversation around to a different way of speaking.” For example, if a co-worker speaks poorly of his peers’ behavior, he advises to, “in a natural way, say ‘maybe they are having problems at home.’”

By redirecting the conversation, you help co-workers realize that “they’re talking about a human being just like them.” And by offering a wider viewpoint, you have set the bar for more considered discussions in the future.

You’re fired! I mean, I like you

When we let fear get in the way of treating others compassionately, it will take its toll on everyone in the office. “Everybody understands tough things happen in the world,” says Fischer, including firing and getting fired. “But it’s slightly dehumanizing when a supervisor is in a position to make decisions affecting many people. Often the supervisor feels bad about firing employees, but instead of letting himself feel, he demonizes them and dismisses them.”

Ultimately, how you treat others affects your own feelings of self-worth. Fischer observes, “If you don’t care about them, you suffer even more; but if you suffer with the people below you, you will have more success and integrity.”

Developing a culture of openness

After learning how to defl ect anger, convert gossip into sensitive conversation and begin bearing the responsibility of feeling for others, it’s important to talk about being “present.”

“Businesses are, more and more, beginning to see that there are real advantages to people being open, inspired and included in work,” says Lesser. “Offices where employees feel allowed to be fully themselves have more effective teamwork, increased creativity and higher retention rates.” But how do you get there?

Often, people feel afraid to be their real selves inside the workplace, the way they are at home with their family and friends. This “disconnect” in the workplace inevitably creates an atmosphere of tension and fear. Lesser advises, “While people are afraid to take the risk to be themselves, I think it’s almost the reverse of the emperor with no clothes.” Opening up as your whole self can begin with a basic honest conversation with a co-worker, maybe the one who also has a love-hate relationship with the copy machine. (The conversation should not be inappropriately personal or too confrontational.) Simply sharing something about you, about your aspirations or family life, “can reverberate and change the work culture.”

When people feel allowed to be their most “real” selves at work, new avenues of possibility open up. Through being present and mindful- taking the time to observe one’s actions moment by moment-you can more easily notice patterns and habits, and then curb negative patterns and develop insight into yourself and the people around you. Lesser’s sage advice: “We all have the ability to make the choice to be fully present at work, with all our humanity and all our intelligence.”

Zoketsu Norman Fischer advocates awareness practice for increased effectiveness and satisfaction
How to meditate

Choose a place where you will be undisturbed and alone. Next, sit on a chair or cushion and close your eyes halfway while looking downward. While you are seated in a comfortable position, count each breath from one to 10 and then backwards, paying attention to your body and how it reacts.

If you find you are lost in thought about other issues before reaching the count of 10, that’s a natural part of the experience. Consider these thoughts and continue meditation.