In work and relationships, clean-ups are essential when there is a negative emotional impact on someone. Acknowledge the wrong doing and work to clean it up.

We have been struggling economically, socially, and culturally in this current environment since the beginning of the year ( ie. the 2020 pandemic quarantine).  Although the shock has yet to wear off, more and more organizations are building plans for dealing with the moment, as well as creatively trying to imagine and plan for their future.  As in all calamities, there are winners. But this time, it is not close to balancing out those on the short end.

Awareness demands we examine how we see life and the beliefs we have about it, thinly disguised as facts or thought. It demands we discover the non- reality in how we see life and how those beliefs drive our behavior, none of which is real!  It’s only real to us in our interpretations, and whoever we can get to agree with us.  

We dealt with what “ownership accountability” looks like in action. This level of accountability: 

1. Starts with what I’m accountable for in my job, and what I’m paid for 

2. It also includes my impact on others in how I get my job done 

3. Finally, doing my job with an enterprise-wide perspective, that what I do, or what my team or area does, has some impact on the whole organization.

These are historical representations of what we, Momentum Consulting,  refer to as “Fundamentals”, which represent the bones of building performance into Cultures or guiding one's behavior. 

Most of us have a strong drive to hold on to pre-existing beliefs and convictions, which keep us anchored in the world. When your stance on controversial issues both cements your group identity and plants you in opposition to perceived enemies, changing it can exact a high personal toll.

I AM ASSOCIATING ENGAGEMENT WITH ELEVATING OURSELVES UP THE HUMAN LADDER, WHICH TAKES ENGAGING THE HEART.

So, if how we perform is driven by our behavior, and our behavior is driven by what we believe, couldn’t taking our thoughts off of “automatic pilot” have a huge impact on how effective we are? This takes a lot of sustained discipline, because it takes raising our daily awareness.

Burning Man operates on 10 Principles, similar to our Fundamentals that we share every week, that set the standards of behavior. Inside this behavioral code, there is enormous freedom to express yourself. There is an environment of acceptance and appreciation. People walk the street, sometimes in just their shoes and maybe a dust mask, and others barely notice. It is a mecca for expressing oneself how they always wanted and would not dare in our normal environments.

WHEN DECENCY BECOMES LESS IMPORTANT THAN IDEOLOGY…

If the power of decency is being threaded out of our Culture, what impact does that have for business thinking and strategy?

Brain science reveals a lot about how we interpret life, especially to fit our personal worldview or reality. Some of those distinctions are:

1. Conformational bias: Looking for qualities and behaviors that confirm your beliefs about someone or something while ignoring those that contradict your beliefs.

2. Halo/horns: When a positive or negative impression of someone carries over into all future interactions with that person.

3. Stereotyping: making assumptions based on appearance, or grouping people to assume they are all the same

4. Similarity effect: Having greater confidence or trust in someone because they are like us.

5. Motivational blindness: the tendency to not notice the unethical actions of others when it is against our own best interests to notice. (this is a wicked one!)

If you treat people with consciousness and a concern for your impact on them, in business or in life, you will get a higher return on your effort than if you do not!

Organizations that choose to build their success on the sound principles of economics and the practices of decency can lead the way to return our society to a more collaborative and harmonious character.