"How would you describe the company culture? Like the kind of environment where you can just be yourself or the kind of environment where they expect you to be your best self and to be nice?"
And here they are, ladies and gentlemen.
Please let me introduce you to... the chirping crickets that follow one of those questions that let me cringe every single time.
The author of the question, totally unaware of how much cringe-worthy the question is per se, is posing it while displaying the attitude of someone feeling they are cool, badass and very clever because of the question, like they would be asking an incredibly brave and original question that nobody would otherwise have the guts to ask.
Apparently, it never crossed his mind that nobody asked the question so far because...
Well, probably because the main topic of conversation of the event has actually been Holacracy and the marvelous question comes in after the two moderators and the audience talked for over one hour about the fact that Holacracy is a system that can be adapted to different kind of companies and circumstances and working situations and that there is no one-size-fits-all way to implement Holacracy (and to answer the question, for that matter).
[What does it mean "Always be yourself"?
Are you the same person 24 hours a day 365 days a year?
I bet the answer is... NO
Unless you are a unicorn, of course!]
That said, there is another question popping up right now.
So my question to you is...
It doesn't matter if within a company that embraced Holacracy, is switching to Holacracy or Sociocracy or is displaying a more traditional working environment, how much would you enjoy working together with people that apparently:
- consider it two very different things being themselves and being their best self;
- think that "being themselves" is a free pass for saying and doing whatever spontaneously comes to their mind without checking if this would be appropriate within the social environment they are part of;
- describe "bringing their best self to the table" as somehow the equivalent of being fake and new age-y;
- believe that sharing a strong experience with their co-workers or considering them their "family" allows them to act without taking the feelings of other people around them and the impact of their words and actions on them into account;
- see themselves as someone "authentic" just because they don't see the need of keeping their emotions and actions in check and to take responsibility for them?
I don't know about you, but this is not the "family" I would like to be part of, while having a chance to choose, and Holacracy would not change this for me.
How about this one instead?
[Farting rainbows and embracing emotional intelligence?
Yes, please!]
Working in an environment where people choose to:
- bring their best self to the table, because being their best self is being themselves;
- embrace emotional intelligence and pay attention to the impact that what they do and how they behave have on other people's lives;
- describe "bringing their best self to the table" as a conscious choice that requires mindfulness, maturity, and self-awareness;
- believe that sharing a strong experience with their co-workers or considering them their "family" means creating together the best environment for working together in a pleasant and respectful way, day by day;
- take responsibility for their actions, words, feelings, and emotions;
- practice Nonviolent Communication.
Where would you prefer to work?
Tags: Emotional intelligence, Being yourself, Working environment, Holacracy
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