WAYS OF BEING
It has been said that “Managers assert drive and control to get things done; leaders pause to discover new ways of being and achieving” (Cashman, 2012, p. 4). Yet, what does it mean to discover a new way of being? This is certainly a debate for the ages. However, when clients are asked to describe how mindfulness practice has influenced their way of being, even across cultures as remote as Germany, Uruguay, the United States, and London, MBC consultants observe two central features: greater sense of purpose and awareness. After much thought, I have come to identify these features as central to an individual’s Way of Being, describing them as Mode of Purpose and Mode of Awareness. What is most fascinating about these features is how they combine to indicate four specific ways of being.
Mode of Purpose
A common result of mindfulness practice in the organizational setting is that members become aware that they view work-life and home-life through a divided lens. What does it mean after all, to be one person at home and another at work? This would imply a subconscious, role oriented dissection of self where one is never “fully being” in the organization or at home. This
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Mindfulness Based Consulting 145
146
W. T. BRENDEL
Everyday
“How” things are Appearance Autonomy Possessions Prestige
Mode of purpose.
Ontological
“That” things are Authenticity Connectivity Meaning Self-Fulfillment
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Figure 7.1
realization is ripe for developmental dialogue around a leader’s sense of “why” they are there, or sense of purpose through life in general.
As explored earlier in the discussion around leadership development, it can be said that we often operate based on some Habit of Mind. Our Habit of Mind regarding “being” is referred to as our Mode of Purpose. Irvin Ya- lom (2008) suggests that to some degree we tend toward one of two modes of existence: one pertaining to preoccupations with the Everyday, and the other pertaining to our deeper sense of being, the Ontological.
An everyday organizational orientation is important, though MBC prac- titioners remind leaders that this mode alone does not capture the fuller import of being for leaders and those they lead. Figure 7.1 adapts Yalom’s work (1980) to this discussion, highlighting the distinct tensions that might govern a member’s Mode of Purpose during organizational change. The power in this diagram is the way it reveals a multitude of attachments in- fluencing one’s Mode of Purpose. Yalom refers to these driving forces as primal conflicts, which include “repression, denial, displacement, and sym- bolization” (Yalom, 1980, p. 6).
Mode of Awareness
Transforming our Way of Being requires that we learn to see ourselves as part of something that is both equal to and greater than our everyday situation and everyday self. In order to see this more clearly it is helpful to understand what it means to continuously operate from a particular Mode of Awareness (see Figure 7.2). Greater awareness or quality of mind is not characterized as a destination, but rather as something that is always abun- dant. This assumes that the self is more than an individual agent, but rather a “psychological construct that represents the psyche both conscious and unconscious” (Cranton, 2006, p. 195). As awareness increases, a leader may be better able to recognize the presence of anxieties, fears, and personal attachment that directly influence their leadership style and efficacy.
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Figure 7.2
Mode of awareness.
Ways of Being
Mindfulness Based Consulting 147 Mindful
Selfless Carefree/Relaxed Flexible/Ever-Changing Non Judgmental/Infinite view
Judgmental/Finite view Attached/Automated Anxious/Stressed Selfish
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Mindless
Mahatma Gandhi is often quoted as saying, “Be the change you wish to see in the world.” It is a beautiful sentiment, but these words were never uttered by Gandhi. In fact, this phrase was a mistaken interpretation of his original observation, “As a man changes his own nature, so does the atti- tude of the world change towards him” (Gandhi, 1958, p. 241). When we take a closer look, these words seem to imply something more than model- ing or practicing change. Gandhi may have actually been advocating that you change the ‘be’ you wish to see in the world. In order to do so it may be helpful for clients, consultants, and organizational members to re-concep- tualize their very nature, or way of being.
The model provided in Figure 7.3 offers just one interpretation of an individual’s way of being by combining their level of awareness and mode of purpose. The poles present in this model do not represent an “either/ or” proposition, where a leader is either preoccupied with the everyday or purely consumed by an ontological focus. Instead, it is meant to portray a tension. Consultants may utilize this model as a centerpiece for dialogue with leaders about how they—and their members—can access their way of being through mindfulness practice in order to reduce anxieties, let go of attachments, free up creative faculties, improve decision making, utilize expertise more wisely, and find a unique sense of fulfillment.
Figure 7.3 illustrates four Ways of Being, which, in any given moment or context, a member embodies a specific sense of purpose and awareness. It is important to underscore that these do not represent a static typology or style. The focus is less on the labels and aims, and more on awareness,
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148 W. T. BRENDEL
Everday
Figure 7.3 Ways of being.
Ontological
Mindful
Transforming
Transcending
Habituating
Yearning
Mindless
dialogue, and transformation. In fact, exploring these tensions through the Supra-Self Inquiry protocol described earlier can help clients and consul- tants better understand how they relate with those who resemble similar and dissimilar Ways of Being. These tensions include: Yearning, Habituat- ing, Transforming, and Transcending.
Yearning
An organizational member who, for the time being, embodies a Yearning Way of Being may be described as anxiously preoccupied with their larger purpose in life. Their central worry may be that they lack purpose or even greater raison d’etre in the organizational setting. Resulting anxieties includ- ing guilt may distract from everyday tasks associated with their position. This attachment may also draw their attention away from the day-to-day opera- tions comprising organizational change. In other words they may not be fully alert (i.e., mindful) regarding the everyday operations of the organization.
As leaders, they may be able to espouse what it means to be part of some- thing bigger but at a subconscious level they experience a sense of personal hypocrisy. Introducing mindfulness practice that highlights these sensitivi- ties must be done with a great sense of care, as those who primarily experi- ence themselves as perpetually “yearning” may experience a sense of shock that is too overwhelming to serve as a catalyst for self-transformation. This need for sensitivity underscores how important it is for MBC practitioners to undergo intensive mindfulness training with reputable organizations. As a result of this half-wakeful relationship with the everyday, these members may also be guided in recognizing how their way of being may result in un- intentional mistakes and missed practical opportunities.
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Habituating
A member who, for the time being, embodies a Habituating Way of Being may conceptualize their awareness as part and parcel with everyday tasks. Their attention may tend to privilege finite, objective, measurable, everyday aspects of organizational life. They may also find it easy and preferable to define and focus intently upon tangible problems, rather than investigat- ing the deeper premises that frame these problems. As leaders, they may demonstrate a preoccupation with fixing what is broken and maintaining what is not broken in line with the status quo; the catch is that they may be unaware of the paradigm from which they operate. In doing so, they may be prone to automating strategies, goals, tasks, and measurement of “real world” success.
Transforming
Members who, for the time being, embody a Transforming Way of Being may be more fully aware of their everyday assumptions, practicing a greater awareness when addressing the premises and anxieties associated with orga- nizational change strategy. They may also be better at identifying streams of consciousness for critical reflection, dialogue, and continuous change.
These members, however, may overemphasize critical reflection upon ev- eryday orientations, habits, and behaviors in the organization. As a result, there is greater room to explore deeper assumptions pertaining to being and time. As leaders, these individuals are more likely to strive toward transform- ing the status quo in organizations, teams, and their own professional role and identity. They may also experience a great deal of enjoyment in chal- lenging the perspectives of others, and helping others reciprocate. Yet, the concept of transformation may be confined to a process of replacing one habit for another, rather than releasing judgment altogether. Their efforts to- ward self-discovery may begin to incorporate the notion that fuller mindful- ness implies a continuous renewal of our way-of-being. In this way, they may choose to help members learn to think beyond dualistic realities in order to consider the larger tensions in organizational theater. These tensions may include contradictions inherent in change strategy and human nature.
Transcending
Members who, for the time being, embody a Transcending Way of Be- ing may be substantially aware of the process of existing, and more ho- listically familiar with their Way of Being. At the same time, they may be better oriented to accept the ways of being that are adopted by others in the organization. These individuals may be said to view the self as an ocean of consciousness that simply is, and at the same time may hold value as a snapshot for critical reflection. They may tend to view the organization as a process in motion. In this way, they are able to recognize paradoxes and
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