Building and Nurturing Harmony in the Workplace

Dr. Ian Prattis , founder of Friends for Peace Canada, who is a Zen teacher, speaker and writer about the well-being of the planet . He is a writer of articles for Guidelines to Recreate Our World based on the teachings of Zen.

He believes the source of peace in the world is a peaceful mind.

This also applies to the workplace. To create positive and collaborative workplace culture , you have to work on transforming the seeds of fear, anger that may be germinated by working on cultivating peace within its inner core.

Sometimes, such an environment can be nurtured simply individuals being a peace within themselves. Peace happens one step , one person, and one mind at a time. Yes, it can take internal work to achieve this... Some people can work towards this through meditation, Tai Chi, and Qi Qong and other programs that are starting in some workplaces to reduce stress and negative environmental issues.

Yes, it is possible to change the human mind set..

Emotional Intelligence and leadership role

The key to success is good leadership . Good leadership from many perspectives is the ability to handle your emotions and the emotions of others.

This ability encompasses being able to process other people's emotions-- to perceive, use and understand and regulate emotions.

Perceiving emotions is considered to be a critical attribute for leadership in the 21st century.

In a management/ leadership role, there has to be a strong emphasis on communication and emotion is a form of communication.

Therefore, a person's emotional intelligence is strongly connected to a person's leadership strength.

As the author: " A Year in Serendipity: A Journalling
Workbook"http://tinyurl.com/serendipityjournal , I recommend this journal as part of this journey to developing your emotional intelligence for your leadership role.

Creating a positive workplace culture

In your workplace behavior and interactions,try to honor your life and the lives of others each day.

You will find that by doing so, you are creating and nurturing a positive workplace culture that motivates and engages.

Goal setting and achievements

For goal setting and achievement re your work projects, do a photo collage to inspire and motivate yourself, especially when facing a challenging situation.

Place it in a prominent position and it will be imprinted on your mind... You will find it quite effective as a visual reminder and energizer, I am sure.

Dealing with Conflict

What you may understand intellectually, you may not understand emotionally. It is important for you to know this , particularly when dealing with conflict in the workplace.

So it pays to monitor “your emotional temperature” in such situations.

Do not forget the importance of the personal touch in our Digital Age

In the 21st century, we have a growing concern among communication specialists that the power of the human touch is being lost in our Digital Age in sharing an experience and story telling.



While facts and figures often will put listeners to sleep, a story/ an illustration from real life can motivate them to action.



Author Annette Simmons says, The missing ingredient in most communication is humanity.



Remember these words: In the high tech era, the human-personal touch is even more important in making the connection that makes a difference in the workplace and in the world.

Work relationships in our digital world

In your work and business relationships, it is important to think of them – not as a thing in and of themselves, but as part of a larger process.

This is particularly significant in our digital world with its emphasis on open platform, interactivity and global venue.

Honour this fact by considering and respecting different cultures, and different technological points of view.