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Business News/ Opinion / What is your state of being at work?
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What is your state of being at work?

How I feel determines how I respond or more often than not how I react

As organizations flatten, companies need people who are self-motivated. Photo: iStockphotoPremium
As organizations flatten, companies need people who are self-motivated. Photo: iStockphoto

What is your state of being? That was the question I was asked by my coach many years ago. It changed my life because I realized very quickly that what I do is driven by who I am, my state of being. And clearly, what I do is what produces my desired or undesired outcomes.

This is a philosophical question that has been answered by the likes of Socrates and Aristotle, but it is not exactly what will help us when we are trying to cope with all the pressures of the everyday workplace.

Quite simply, our state of being is our inner condition, what we are thinking and feeling—our state of mind and body—because if we are sick that manifests in our feeling as well.

How I feel determines how I respond or more often than not how I react. It determines the way I engage with others, which reflects how distant or involved I am. It tells me if I am feeling energetic or am I suffering from energy leak which impacts my motivation level?

Motivation, from the Latin word to move, comes from the same root as emotion. That’s why we ask the question, is your heart really in your job? Because emotional engagement has just as critical an impact on how we show up at work as intellectual engagement. Intrinsic motivation is what comes from within. It is what drives superior performance because we love what we do. Extrinsic motivation, on the other hand, is fuelled by rewards and incentives, carrots and sticks which do nothing for the way we feel at an intrinsic level.

Besides the way we feel, our state of being is also determined by our values and beliefs, which in turn shape our choices, our behaviour. If our inner operating system is founded on the belief that work is not inherently enjoyable, then you can be sure that we will only be looking to validate this belief.

As organizations flatten, companies need people who are self-motivated. Daniel Pink in his book Drive states that as human beings (there is that word again) we are intrinsically motivated purpose maximizers, not extrinsically motivated profit maximizers. Hence, self-directed work which implies autonomy of choice is what keeps the creative juices flowing and allows us to find ways to excel at work.

Today, you most likely will not get hired if the boss feels you are high maintenance. He would think, “Why do I want to hire people who need me to keep them motivated all the time?"

When does work become work? When we are obliged to do it and it is really not much fun. When I came into the workforce, getting a job was a big deal and cause for much celebration.

Gen Y has a different set of values. They want to do fun stuff, they need a sense of purpose. Just because you are paying them a salary does not keep them engaged nor does it give them any fulfilment. They have been brought up with a mind-set of abundance and choice. So, they want to do what makes their heart sing, not a dull boring job that offers no excitement or opportunities to engage their creative instincts.

So, our state of being is really our state of consciousness. It is the sum of all our underlying beliefs and assumptions, our perspectives, the way we see the world. It is these deep seated beliefs that form a pattern of actions and habits of thought that drive our decisions and shape our behaviours that produce the results we seek.

If these beliefs conflict with those of the organization where we work, then we are misfits there and will soon find reasons to seek fulfilment elsewhere.

When I started my own practice, one of the first things I did was to write my purpose statement. It was a reflection of my state of being. Here is what I wrote: “We are here to help leaders live their professional and personal lives with greater satisfaction, to spread joy and well-being, to educate and elevate, and maximize performance potential."

I believe this with a passion, that I was changing lives, and impacting through the leaders I coach, many more lives which makes the world a better place. Those who join our organization have to feel the same passion, and we don’t measure results in dollars but we ask ourselves, “Are we living our purpose?" And if the answer is yes, the dollars do come.

Purpose-led organizations recognize that it is possible to do good and do well. They know that it is the inner state of being, the consciousness of every leader that shapes the values and behaviours of people at work and takes away their anxiety, their stress, and their fear of failure that stifles and kills intrinsic motivation.

This requires emotional intelligence which is nothing but the state of the mind and the heart that makes it possible to be aware of one’s own feelings and those of others. Self-composure in the face of all challenges comes from self-awareness, the ability to look at a mirror and see yourself as others see you.

Our inner state of being is really what shapes our external reality. We have no control on external factors, but we certainly have control on our inner state of being. That is why Mahatma Gandhi said, “You have to be the change that you want to see around you." For things to change, first I must change. Being in a reactive state of mind where we assign blame and do not accept responsibility will never help us overcome the external challenges that will continue to manifest again and again.

When we are centred, and exercise self-control, with a great deal of self-belief, with positive thoughts and positive relationships, and no anxiety but with a calm sense of inevitability, the universe will actually conspire to deliver what our hearts seek.

Everyone has been made for some particular work, and the desire for that work has been put in every heart.

So, when you ask yourself what is your state of being at work, what you are really asking is, “Am I enjoying this journey?" Then remind yourself that the only journey is the one within.

Pratap Nambiar is founder and chairman of Thought Perfect Pte Ltd Singapore (www.thoughtperfect.com), a business performance coaching organization for CEOs and senior leaders. He is the author of two books including a book of poetry Straight From The Heart published in English and Mandarin.

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Published: 30 Dec 2014, 12:23 AM IST
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