Peace in the Workplace
When the manifestations of negative ego behaviours in the workplace are tamed then there is room for a positive environment to flourish. Essentially, a positive work environment is one that amply demonstrates on a daily basis an organization’s core values which generally revolve around respect, honesty, professionalism, and so forth. Some of the typical negative ego habits that need to be unlearned include: pride as a trigger of how one responds and deals with colleagues/subordinates, defensiveness, wanting to show-off one’s skills/knowledge by belittling another, dealing to veiled put-downs and not so veiled put-downs by responding in-kind, fear of asking for help, seeking to exert power and control over others through tactics such as withholding information, inability to delegate in the belief that the job simply won’t get done as well by another or that one would become dispensable.
Recognizing that you and those you work with are to varying degrees susceptible to the negative side of ego is the first step towards trying out a new response and different behaviour. Stepping back from an unpleasant exchange, a healthy way of handling it would be to ask yourself, “how can I contribute to shifting this exchange into a more positive one?” And so begins the process of breaking the cycle of the negative ego-response, which is all too familiar, and which has not been working. If it worked, there wouldn’t be disharmony in the workplace which contributes to performance gaps within organizations.
Peace in action in the workplace is visible when managers, supervisors and an organization’s leaders practice these steps on a daily basis: first, they make the utmost effort to not appear to have favorites; second, they help to model how an individual should conduct themselves in communicating with others and brokering resolution to differences; third, they don’t turn a blind eye to situations were an individual or group is being ganged up on, discriminated against or bullied; fourth, they maintain objectivity in dealing with employees, finding out the facts of a situation before jumping to conclusions; fifth, they are way-showers by sharing their knowledge in order to inspire and motivate. In a word, when those in a position of authority remember that they are there to be helpers on a daily basis – coaching and mentoring, and leading by example – then peace can find space in the workplace.