In my last post, I considered the role courage plays in your Middle Way Management™ practice. It takes an enormous amount of courage to stick to your commitments and Middle Way Managers™ can act courageously because they have considered the ramifications of their own words and actions. In this post, I consider how respect affects Middle Way Management and vice versa.
Where, oh where, has all the respect gone?
At the risk of sounding like a grumpy, old curmudgeon, I'm going to take some space here to lament the general lack of respect I see in the world today. From a "no problem" response, rather than a simple "thank you" from a service worker, to the political turmoil and complete lack of respect for any public office we see every day in the news media, a lack of respect has infected our society and is threatening our very existence. How can Middle Way Management help solve such a pandemic? By providing the guidelines and tools for injecting respect back into our daily lives.
The link between respect and compassion is a clear and solid one. Before we can show compassion for others, we must engage in healthy self-compassion, and so it goes for respect. Whenever I observe a lack of respect in action, I consider how much the person really respects him/herself. I also consider how that person is respected by everyone above him in the chain of command. A surly employee almost always means they are treated that way by their supervisors and managers. The good and the bad both run downhill in American-style business.
Compassion in Action
Showing respect for others is what I call "compassion in action." Because compassion is a term packed with meaning, one of the nuances we can draw from it is how we treat others in our daily lives. This is not relevant only to the workplace. We should not compartmentalize the respect we show to others, we should share it freely all day long with everyone in our busy lives. Only by respecting others enough can we begin to empathize with them. Only through empathy and understanding can we begin to practice compassion. Only by practicing relentless compassion can we call ourselves true Middle Way Managers.
The Compassion Challenge
Today, I challenge you to practice a single instance of respect. Practice it anywhere - in the workplace, at home, in a public place. Respect someone on your commute home. Respect someone who shows you none. Respect yourself. You will find that it becomes easier and more natural with practice. You will begin to view everyone you meet in a new way and out of this new viewpoint will spring compassion on a level you did not think possible. Rise to the challenge - I know you can do it!
Go now, and manage with compassion!
Onward! Darin
Copyright © 2009/2010, Darin R. Molnar, PhD. All rights reserved.
Thursday, November 4, 2010
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