You Are the Problem

You are the problem

This article was inspired by a talk with Phil Libin, CEO at mmhmm, on The State of Truth and Trust at Work. The video was posted in the mmhmm community forum, where I am a member.

In her post, author Jessica Williams, Knowledge Manager at mmhmm, asked this thought-provoking question:

Do you think that there is a trust-gap between employers and their employees?

Below is the response I posted on the community site:

Thanks for posting this thought-provoking talk and your question, Jessica L Williams. Yes, I believe there is a trust gap between employers and their employees, or at least it's been present with every organization I've ever been associated with.

It just so happens that the trust gap is one of the key issues my work seeks to help resolve. I'm not posting this to promote my work, but this is the only way I know to present these ideas.

One approach we can take to resolve this is by starting a new conversation that provokes contemplation and allows employees and employers to talk and listen to each other. This is what I do by conducting interviews and hosting conversations at forwardthinkingworkplaces.com.

Two of the six core questions that I ask that specifically address the trust gap are 1) What is the most important question leaders can ask employees? and 2) What is the most important question employees can ask leaders? Here's an interview with a CEO getting this right at Create Habitats for Everyone to Flourish.

The obstacle we face in getting this right might best be expressed by this quote from the late Dee Hock, founder, and CEO emeritus at Visa, who had this to say about the modern-day challenges we face:

"For millennia, most of man’s problems were caused by natural, external forces quite beyond his control. Now most of his problems are caused by his own deliberate acts, which seem equally beyond his control. Our problems are internal, not external, and it is there, in our own consciousness, that the solutions must be found."

Hock's conclusion is the same one I realized and did something about. My work at spaceb.co is the story of my own journey to higher consciousness and a road map for others to do the same.

Actually, engaging in the types of conversations I advocate for at Forward Thinking Workplaces are consciousness-raising activities. Creating the conditions and spaces that allow people to speak their truth without fear creates a space of greater consciousness that flows to all participants.

What I've learned on this journey so far is coming together at leaderone.org, and mmhmm will be a key enabler of the training I'm creating. I posted a video here last year using mmhmm that tells my story in 90 seconds. At A 99-Second Journey in Self-Discovery, I provide some context and a link to the video.

What do you think?

Let your voice be heard. I've created a poll that you can take in 30 seconds.

1. Do you believe that our problems are internal, not external?
2. Do you believe we are the problem?
3. Do you think that there is a trust-gap between employers and their employees?

I hope you enjoyed today's post.

Please let me know if you have any questions or thoughts in the online comments, and I hope you will participate in the poll!

— Bill

P. S. Are you ready to do what it takes to increase your consciousness and step into your own sacred leadership and help lead the world to a new era? You can let me know by joining the email list at leaderone.org or emailing bill@billfox.co to let me know. What's coming is coming soon on its own timetable.