I’ve just completed my first residency in the Human Security and Peacebuilding MA program.

To date, the program has been fascinating and it had a great cohort comprised of Diplomatic, Disaster Management and Business Consultants, Military Officers, NGO leaders and a few recent graduates all of whom were delightful people. What they share most in common is that they all deeply care what happens to other people in the world and they all share very unique perspectives on the world, born of their unique experiences. I’m looking forward to working with each of them in the field of action and learning.

What did we cover? Dr. Hrach Gregorian took us through topics such as Globalization in it’s many dimensions, Economic, Logistics, Global Security and the Right to Protect (R2P), Food Distribution, Global Financial Institutions, Civil Society Institutions, NGO’s, the UN, World Bank, G8, G20, IMF, Businesses and others, outlining the theme of how interconnected the world is. We looked at how even the best laid plans to make things better have unintended consequences on Human Security due to the complexity of linkages.

We looked at how Aid sometimes did more harm than good, and at the various examples of Truth and Reconciliation commissions, the history leading up to them, how they did their work, and the outcomes.

An invited guest speaker Ambassador Jeremy Kinsman, shared with us a glimpse of his deep understanding and knowledge of civil society, the impact of democracy, how democracies are formed, and a few of the  requisites of democracy such as minimum standards of per capita average income and a basis of experience in civil society.

We looked at the definition of Human Security and how some countries regarded it in its’ very simplest form (i.e. ensuring adequate food, physical security and shelter) while the UNDP in its’ 1994 statement outlined Human Security in terms which made it much broader and more difficult to contain, and which forms a basis of society that looks beyond nationalistic borders.

And we looked at differing views on military spending and the strength of the military industrial complex. Some papers argued that it was a necessary deterrent and that it was supported by democratic votes, and, others argued, that military spending, especially on nuclear deterrents, but also on the build up of conventional weaponry, is both a flagrant and immoral use of huge sums of money which usurp the development of civil society; efforts to educate, feed and assist the masses of suffering souls. It undermines the support that would binds nations together in mutual security efforts.

If you’re interested in where I stand on the issue, I found the latter argument to be much stronger and better researched. Rather, than creating a more secure world, military spending assures the continuation of power struggles that keep nations apart. To be sure, some reasonable semblance of physical security and military strength must be maintained at the international level and R2P is a reasonable concept given that there are some ruthless rulers willing to destroy their own people in order to maintain power, but it is hard to argue that any one nation should maintain a constant threat over others, and, at very least, an effort should be made to begin reducing the military industrial complex in favor of increased research and development on other issues. Even a reduction of 10% of the world’s military budget if redirected to development efforts would solve most of the funding issues facing humanities efforts to develop civil society and ensure an adequate measure of other dimensions of Human Security for all nations. And the concept of MAD (Mutually Assured Destruction) enforced through possession of nuclear weapons makes no sense. No world leader, however outraged they may be, by an attack on their country, could ever morally drop a nuclear weapon on hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of innocent people, most of whom don’t even support the aggressive governments who profess to represent them. Such an action could only be regarded as a war-crime. The military complex that continuously builds weapons and sells them to under developed nations only serves to assure the continued suffering of innocent people and guarantees the continuation of militaristic domination by the few. Those who would argue that militarization is brought about by democratic votes haven’t bothered to consult the countless billions who suffer as a result. (so much for my rant)

We also talked about the types of democracies such as representative democracies, each method of which has its’ strong points and flaws, as well as direct democracy, such as the California approach, where the state has been decimated by referendums, where the people can vote for increased spending with a 50% +1 vote, whereas additional taxation must pass by a 2/3rds (66.6%) vote. Imagine a system that allows the citizens to vote for spending increases far in excess of tax increases and allows the state to go broke and destroyed its’ own educational system, subjecting it to even greater challenges in the future.

We also looked at examples of the world in conflict and ways that we can contribute to reparation through the development of the economy through major industrial investments, micro-finance, and through commercial partnerships which provide agricultural and tourism based incentives to less favorable industries such as growing opium poppies, through anti-corruption programs for polices forces, through human rights training for army leaders,  and by the use of sports and other educational programs for developing skills and cooperation.

Dr. Robin Cox lead us through the process of gaining understanding of the world of being, Ontology, and of our own way of knowing and various ways of making meaning of the world, our Epistemology. And we looked methodology and the various methods used for doing both Quantitative and Qualitative research.  We also learned how to review scholarly works, to do a proper research proposal, to do literature reviews, to write research questions.

Colleen Hoppins gave a wonderful and very entertaining presentation on research Ethics that still has me chuckling when I think back on it.

And Retired Rear Admiral Roger Girouard shared his unique perspectives and challenged our thinking on other elements of Human Security as a precursor to the course he will be teaching later in the program.

Dr. Kenneth Christie, Head of the program, provided both the program overview and some insights into our second overseas residency in a post conflict country and our major project work which will require us to do six months of work overseas.

My personal project goal is to work with diplomatic or civil leaders on developing methods of principle based consultation, responding to civil input,  and developing  policies for engendering economic development as well as the development of civil society, food security, peace and sustainability. (Wow can you do all that in six months?) If any of my readers know of a contact in a country looking for this kind of assistance, please have them call me.

All in all, a very powerful immersion into the world that is Human Security and Peacebuilding. I’m looking forward to the rest of the program.

All the best,

Garth Schmalenberg
1-250-815-5323

garth@hbi-leadership.com
garth@partnersforprosperity.org

As always, if you liked the article, please share with your friends and contacts, whether representing businesses, political organizations, religious groups or NGOs, by e-mail, the share button, or any other way that works for you. I’m happy to respond to all requests for collaboration or if you are looking for a speaker for an event.

As I’m reading and studying trends related to various world issues, I noticed a few trends that gave me cause to ponder. Beyond speculation, these trends may also give us clues as to how we might organize our businesses to contribute to the betterment of the world.

For example, on reading the World Values Survey, there appeared to be a trend toward individualism and secularism until 1980, after which the values seemed to take a little bit of a reversal at least in most cases. While there was no discussion on this point in the chart, I have to wonder if there was a pause to re-think the issue of continued movement towards secularism and individualism.  

What’s even more interesting is that the Happiness Index taken by the World Values Survey suggested decreasing happiness in the US until 1980 (this same period of trending toward secularism and individualism) after which there was a reversal. The US happiness index also increased from 1980 onward peaking at 2006 during the Bush administration, although perhaps by that point with the anticipation of change on the horizon.

 Still, I have to wonder whether the reversal in trend toward secularism and individualism suggests. » Continue reading “A Reflection on Trends towards Happiness and what it means to Business”

Over the weekend, I had the great privilege of attending a conference on “Rethinking Human Nature”, an incredible array of scholars and activists who, rather than protesting in the streets, demonstrated, by their examples of dedicated service, through their studies and their occupations, their deep and abiding concern for humanity. The conference theme was about evolving and developing the capacities of the higher human nature.

Among the many brilliant presenters was a young lady who is working on her PhD thesis whose presentation was entitled “What Can Justify Duties of Global Economic Justice? Individual Responsibility, Human Consciousness, and the Oneness of Humankind”. Her name is Shahrzad Sabet. In asking the question, she began by sharing with us the globally accepted UN Universal Declaration on Human Rights. She the began to dissect the responsibilities for the implementation of these rights. To be fair to Shahrzad, I will state that the remaining text is my perhaps feeble understanding of the arguments she so simply and brilliantly presented and perhaps, at some point, I will have a chance to speak with her further to clarify or to refer on-line to her thesis work, but I can only say that after hearing what she had to say, I was completely overwhelmed by her convincing arguments recognizing that there really isn’t a minute to lose in beginning to bring this argument forward on a wide basis, and I am also quite convinced that someday this young lady will be amongst the Nobel Peace Prize winners because these same arguments will force all nations and all people of conscience to take action. Such action will come in the form of adopting laws and practices which will require all citizens of the world (or at least those who have the freedom to vote or make buying decisions), all business leaders and all government leaders to act forcefully in upholding these Human Rights by taking practical, direct and personal responsibility for implementing Global Economic Justice through their votes for responsible government representatives, those who will make the necessary revisions in government institutions, and in turn, through laws which will require all people to make these Human Rights a reality.

In nations such as Pakistan, Haiti, India, Indonesia and many others, billions suffer under the oppression of poverty, the lack of a suitable infrastructure, and through catastophic environmental impacts, while much of the world continues to enjoy their freedoms without paying much attention and governments pay immense amounts of money towards military spending and the expansion of environmentally destructive practices which only serve to further human suffering.

Her arguement goes something like this: » Continue reading “Individual (Legal?) Responsibility and Liability for Global Economic Justice”

My extended visit to British Columbia has enabled me to enjoy many of the blessings of the Vancouver Island. It is a place of tourism, boating and every sort of adventure, caving, sailing, kayaking, swimming, crabbing, whale watching, you name it. An island paradise to be sure. That having been said, there is a tremendous amount of traffic and obvious contributions to the CO2 levels which impact climate. After having taken part in some of these adventures, I have to ask myself, besides paying for carbon offsets, what would actually get me, never mind anyone else, to stop traveling up and down island between my parents home, my sisters homes and the many other points of interest the island has to offer. No question that, at least in my family, we are driving smaller 4 cylinder cars thus reducing fuel consumption over larger vehicles and we drive slightly older cars (my parents car is a 1992). Maintaining vehicles extends their life and reduces manufacturing and resource requirements. But even with many smaller cars on the road, their is a pollution problem in certain congested spots especially along Highways 1 and 17 and, even with the tremendous number of trees, the island traffic still contributes to the global CO2 problems.

It’s fairly clear that people are just not ready to give up their holidays, their retirement freedoms or their independent modes of transportation. Even those of us who are aware of the severe issues have difficulty giving up our carbon habit. A book called “Right Relationship” by Peter G. Brown and Geoffrey Garver discusses how we have, for the most part, failed to maintain a right relationship with the planet and suggests how we might re-establish such relationships. But if we are going to maintain “Right Relationship” with our planet while maintaining “Right Relationship” with our friends and our families (who often live some distance from us) and our own sense of well-being which requires exercising some level of freedom, we will need to take a different “tack” than just sitting at home. For those not familiar with this use of the word “tack” it is a method used by sailors when sailing against the wind, whereby they zigzag diagonally across the line of the opposing wind in order to reach their up-wind destination. Ironically, the other way of going up-wind is to motor. Even though sailboats for the most part are powered by the wind, most have on-board diesel motors for travelling in harbors where using wind power is unreliable. Yet another source of CO2.

If we imagine Sustainability as our up-wind destination (i.e. the wind of our personal freedoms seems to blow in the opposite direction). What are the “tacks” we might take in order to reach our desired destination? We want to arrive at a place where we are in “Right Relationship” with our planet and where we have the freedoms we desire. We want to get their without having to motor all the way and creating a problem for the planet and for future generations. » Continue reading “Sailing! An interesting tack on achieving Sustainability”

For the past 10 or so years, I’ve come annually to British Columbia to visit members of my family. I’m writing from Victoria, which for those who don’t know is on Vancouver Island.

My current home is in Bolton, Ontario which, for those who have not visited,  is a great place to live. Ontario has been a wonderful home to me and my family most of my life after starting off in Saskatchewan. In fact, if you have lived in any part of Canada, you know that you’ve been blessed.

But British Columbia, for many reasons, is where my heart is. This is where my parents are, as well as my sisters and their families, and it is difficult to express with the limited words of the English language the intense love I feel for them all.  B.C. is also where my entire family, including my brothers (one from China and the other also from Ontario) gather when we have family get-togethers. One of my brothers is also here right now. And I have some very dear friends here as well.

But there’s much more to British Columbia than family, as the many hundreds of thousands if not millions of annual visitors will attest. British Columbia is rich in resources; forests, mountains, clear glacial waters, fisheries, minerals, and the most spectacular scenary you will find anywhere on earth with it’s blend of rich green forests, majestic grey snowpeaked mountains and jagged coast lines reaching into the green-blue oceans all filled with life. The Okanogan region is a fertile ground for growing fruits of many varieties and the climate is temperate and ideally suited for vegetation and farming. It’s incredibly rich with green growth everywhere along the coastlines and in the valleys. They have old growth forests that boast some of the tallest trees in the world and rainforests in the northern regions of Vancouver Island that are rich in wildlife and biodiversity.   » Continue reading “Beautiful British Columbia”

An on-going theme in the world is how countries tend to argue about land claims, especially when resources are involved. Businesses have similar disputes over intellectual property, defense of minerals rights, and other competitive matters. Individuals have disputes over ideas, who is right and who is wrong. Whenever one person or one institution violates the claim or values of another, disputes arise. 

Conflict, by it’s nature, signals a need for change. But underlying the existance of conflict is a deeper and more distressing issue. The fact that we accept conflict as a tool and allow conflicts to flourish signals a lack of maturity in human creativity and development. If not handled with extreme care, conflicts are destructive, either physically, spiritually, emotionally, financially, socially or environmentally. The larger the dispute, the more destructive.

What’s worse is that conflicts tend to be destructive long after the disputing parties find a way to stop the dispute. They continue to cause challenges as long as bad feelings linger, until learning occurs, mindsets change and reparations are completed. Some disputes unfortunately last centuries.

But there are better and more creative solutions that using conflict to find solutions. Let’s look at a few impacts of conflict and consider alternatives. » Continue reading “Reaching the future together (Leadership, Conflict, Sovereignty and Organizational Culture)”

Groupthink is the concept of having many people go along in agreement with a decision essentially because, either someone of authority has spoken and others are afraid to contradict their idea, or because in the silence of a discussion, each individual believes that others agree with the “apparent” consensus and don’t want to stir the pot. One other cause of groupthink is that everyone in the room has the same frame of reference for the discussion. In other words, they actually do think alike and make a decision in agreement, even though that decision may be uninformed.

The consequences on a larger scale may be what we experience as a society. We all begin to think alike because no one has challenged our assumptions. Environmentally, this has led to things like Climate Change because we jointly assumed that it was OK to keep going in the direction that we were going. Thankfully, mother nature eventually speak ups and shares her opinions through the impacts that we start seeing on the health of the earth. So the image of our earlier consensus is now, at least, being challenged and other voices are starting to be heard.

Establishing a Consultative Environment that Leads to Better Decisions » Continue reading “Groupthink and it’s impact on Business, Sustainability and Decisions”

When an organization has not thought about it’s own unity or the benefits of unity, it’s thinking is more about the way things are and it’s likely destiny on that path rather than how it could be if unity was established. For these organizations the most important action is convincing participants that a transformation is both possible and worthwhile.

After an organization has gone through a coaching program designed to help them think about unity, the exploration of new possibilities becomes a reality. Instead of wondering about results, the benefits become obvious.

The style of thinking changes in two ways.

1) For leaders, when holding others responsible, the change is towards a global self-accountability and effectively communicating to enhance learning. In other words, everyone learns to think in terms of “what could I have done that would have made the result better?” rather than, “why did someone else make that mistake?”. The questions we might ask include “How can I take the learning from the current situation and apply it to future situations?” “What might I do to more quickly act on negative emotions and energy to move forward and re-inforce positive learning?”, “What could I have done to help improve on the areas where the deficiency or failure occured?”

It is about learning to see that when others make errors, that there is still a certain truth in their understanding of the situation and only by taking that into account can the whole truth can be determined.

For example, we may see a person underperforming or missing a deadline. We may have a negative gut feeling toward the situation but if we act on it without first examining it carefully, we will only bring defensiveness from the individual involved.

If, instead, we look at our own role in the situation, we will determine that we also contributed. Perhaps we didn’t ensure that the item was on-track (i.e. abnegation vs. delegation) or perhaps we didn’t ensure that the combination of skill, challenge, motivation, communication, tracking, understanding and tools were adequate to the job. Our learning, if we are honest, is that we also contributed to the result in one form or another and that we will get better results if we address the issue, rather than blame the person. As leaders or influencers, we will always do better if we hold ourselves accountable first.

2) The thinking in a unified organization goes much deeper than just the leadership level. Leaders learn how to instill a different level of thinking in the staff.

The concept of Organizational Unity relies on a fundamental change in the thinking of each individual, and ultimately, one at a time, we each contribute to changing the whole organization. The thinking that each leader must learn to share is this, that each time we execute a job, even if we do less than perfect, it never speaks to inadequacy, rather to our acceptance of who and where we are at that moment of our lives and a fundamental belief that the rest of our life is always an opportunity to learn and progress. It is not about blaming others or defending ourselves. Rather, we understand that given our current state of mind, physical condition, skill, motivation and training, we have done the best that we could have done and that we always have the choice and opportunity to strive to do better. 

For example, if someone is late in deliverying they may have felt very little motivation, or they may have been under stress and not thinking clearly about the task, or they may have been unclear about instructions and expected outcome. In each case, they have acted with the resources available to them and come up short. This doesn’t mean that they are to be blamed either by themselves or by others. It means only that the actions taken have not met the anticipated result. As they learn to accept ultimately responsibity for improving each area in their own life they see positive opportunity and growth.

In some cases, a poor result may also mean that the individual is not in a position, at that moment, to execute the role adequately. In such cases, for the good of the individual and the organization, they may need to moved to a position that will better benefit them and the organization and be replaced with someone who is better prepared. In a unified learning environment, this never speaks negatively to the underlying worth as a human beings. It only encourages us to accept where we are and to strive and prepare for meeting future challenges. As we learn to accept consequenses of our actions, both negative and positive, and the input that others provide, we learn that each has some validity and value.

It requires us to learn how to filter the valuable information from the emotion and to recognize that each leader and contributor is also on a path of learning. Some communicate more effectively than others and we can help them to learn how to communicate with us by thanking them when their communications are helpful and calmly sharing with them when it is not. We have a responsibility to teach others how to communicate with us. We can also accept that life is not an exact science and that some leaders judge more effectively than others. Each provides us an opportunity to work on our own skills and attributes.

As we begin to view life as a continuous opportunity to learn and grow, our stress about the judgement of others is reduced and we learn how to gain from every action and interaction.

As these ways of thinking filter through the organization, the organization and its members contribute to a more positive environment for learning and improving. As each individual improves in their own skills, as the methods of communication improve, the organizational results also improve. As leaders begin to see a new environment of growth and contribution, they are also able to think about a brighter future.

What kinds of thinking will be involved in establishing unity in an organization?

Emotional Acceptance

The first kind of thinking will, in a sense, be non-thinking. In other words, emotional acceptance of the concept. This involves a gut level emotional response. Here’s the question you need to answer.

Do you believe that there are benefits to establishing unity?

For now, just imagine that you have achieved it. How would your organization look different? What might change in your meetings, your attention to customers, your team work, your ability to implement change, the overall maturity of the organization? What might change in the employees when they begin to understand concepts that change the way that they view themselves, their relationships and the way they view others and the services they provide?

Rational Acceptance

The second kind of thinking will be rational acceptance. If we emotionally accept that Organizational Unity has benefits, we can also rationally accept that it is, at very least, worth thinking about. Even if we’re not sure of how it can be achieved, it is still worth making the initial effort of investigating ideas and coming up with a vision for the future. If we can prove to ourselves by example that Unity is possible on a small scale then it’s just a matter of scale. Most of us can remember at least one relationship in our life that demonstrates elements of unity. So we have some understanding of how it works, and we understand some of the benefits to our well-being and our ability to function. The question is “how do you convert the scale to encompass an organization?”. 

Scale

The third kind of thinking will be that of scale. If we can emotionally and rationally accept the benefits of Organizational Unity and accept that it’s possible on a small scall, we still need to think about how to structure an initiative to establish Unity on a larger scale. This is something that is strongly related to the Context of Unity and the Environment of Unity. Both are essential. If you haven’t already read these sections, you may wish to do so. Essentially, scaling is about creating a structure and method that causes a new set of ideas and concepts to spread. It needs to provide direct and concrete benefits to each participant in the process. This causes buy-in, participation and a desire to put effort into it.

Possibilities

The fourth kind of thinking is around the very interesting possibilities when we begin to accept the possibility or even inevitability of it’s outcome. What if? What happens now? What’s possible for our future?

In this entry, we won’t go too deep into these ideas. We will just present them for your thought. In future articles we can explore these ideas in depth.

Garth Schmalenberg

The second change in creating Organizational Unity is in developing the ”environment” of unity. The “environment” is like the earth in which the seed of the concept is planted. If we look at the concept of organizational unity as a tree, it begins as a seed, grows to a seedling and then begins to sprout leaves, flowers and fruit as the tree matures. Throughout this process, it requires nurturing, it requires “air” which is the context of unity, and it requires the “environment” which is like the earth.

We talked earlier about the development of context. The “Context” creates the environment. The air  of context nourishes the earth and over a period of time helps to purify it. The earth slowly attains new qualities. In the case of organizational unity, the environment which is created is one where individuals begin to understand their power to make changes, their power to contribute and their power to take responsibility. It is an environment where growth is encouraged at all levels and where competition exists only to promote the growth of the whole entity. The qualities that the individual develops include those which are conducive to the development of unity. These include tolerance, unity in diversity, love, and respect.

I’ve also listed intolerance as one of the qualities. The notion of intolerance is really one which prevents us from allowing ourselves to become embroiled in negative thoughts about others. The intolerance therefore is an intolerance for any long-term thoughts which prevents us from reaching our goal. Given that we also encourage compassion for our shortcomings, it is acceptable that we would occasionally find ourselves dwelling in negative thoughts or a loss of hope. The intolerance only means that we will bring ourselves back to a higher level as quickly as possible.

So let’s look at this environment a little more closely.

Environmental Item 1) Tolerance
The notion of tolerance is a necessary component for an environment of unity. Without tolerance, we find it difficult to accept other points of view. Tolerance does not mean that you necessarily agree with other points of view. It simply means that you respect another person’s right to express and believe in their own point of view. Remember that you’re creating an environment of unity, however, it may not yet exist. So even though you are tolerating other people’s perspectives, they may not be tolerating yours. when you first began the process of creating the environment of unity, this is to be expected. There is no way to know how long it’ll take for others to accept this perspective. This will create an environment that seems unbalanced.

For now, I simply ask that you trust the process and accept that any discrepancies in the environment which limit you from exercising your rights or expressing your perspectives will eventually evaporate. These descrepencies are, for now, opportunities for your own growth and to give you practice in tolerance. You have the opportunity to learn how to understand others and to accept them for who they are.

Environmental item 2) Unity in Diversity
In the environment of unity the only hope of maintaining unity is if we accept diversity as a benefit and not a detriment. The concept of “Unity in Diversity” means that we accept a certain kind of beauty in the differences between people . One example is the fact that people exist everywhere in the world and in each part of the world we have independently developed language, culture , and everything needed. Is it reasonable to conclude that one culture is right and another is wrong? The only thing that we can safely conclude is that the cultures are different. Unity in diversity goes beyond tolerance. It suggests that we actually learn to enjoy and value the differences. The simple as the example I can think of, is the example of flowers and a garden if all the flowers are the same color and type, the garden is beautiful but it’s also boring. If the flowers are of different types and colors,, the garden is much more interesting and much more beautiful. When we learned to look at differences of opinion in the same way that we would look at colors and a flower garden, we will begin to understand what unity in diversity means. We’ll see the difference in opinion not only as different, but as a necessary part of our world. We will see it as something that’s beautiful with a different fragrance, color, and shape. The next time you hear a different idea or opinion from someone else see what you can learn by searching for the beauty in the idea. If we learn to accept that all ideas contain value, we learn to mine each idea.

Environmental Item 3) Love
Talking about love within an organization is a little unusual and generally makes us feel a little squeemish. But, when we go home, we expect that we will have love for our family. Most of us are also OK with the concept that we should love humanity. For now, just think of love in the workplace as love for humanity.

Love in its simplest terms is the power of attraction. We are attracted to each other in some form. Whether we are attracted to each others differences or our commonalities, we are always able to learn from each other and we gain from the experience of being together. As we learn to love the world we are able to utilize its infinite diversities.

Although we understand and accept love conceptually, when it comes time to manifest that love, we sometimes don’t do as well as we could and that is true both at home and at work.

For the purposes of examining love in the concept of ”Organizational Unity” we can look at love as the binding force that keeps us together in some way and the respect we show towards others for their contribution to the whole. If we think of the world as a large organization, we need to know that we all belong. When there is no love between people, there is also very little desire to work together. In other words, either we learn to love the people we work with and for, or we begin watching our organizations break down. You might argue that we only have casual friendships with people at work. That’s true. It’s just a lesser degree of the same bonding force and since love isn’t always expressed in the same way, it manifests itself in the form of friendships and working relationships. What is common, however, is that the expression of love  remains a bonding force and which, in its ideal form, encourages and supports growth.

You might ask how love can be expressed when someone doesn’t “fit” the organization. This is a deeper topic and we will explore it later. For now suffice it to say that this does happen and there are solutions which will still cause the Organizational Unity to grow.

Love may be expressed in many facits of an organization. In the concept of Organizational Unity, it is not so much the organization that we love, but the unity that can be found within the organization. It is the harmony between individuals and the different ways that they are able to work together, each using their own talents, cultures, ways of thinking, backgrounds, and experiences. We learn how to use these diverse resources in our interactions together to create new products and services. 

An attitude of customer service is another manifestation of love. It causes us to want to help our customers enjoy a better and more successful life. Isn’t that what we want for those we love? On the other hand, if you don’t feel love for your customers, how likely is it that you will treat them with care and respect. Here’s an example. I had a call the other day from a local TV provider who was attempting to up-sell me to their next higher service. My answer was that I was happy with my current provider and the price I was getting and that if he could get me a better service (e.g. HD) at the same price I was already paying that I would consider switching. The individual on the other end of the line upon hearing my request rather indignantly said, “I’m here to make sales, stop wasting my time.” I pointed out to him that he had called me, not the other way around. Did he demonstrate love for me as a customer? Not very much. Would he do well within the company from a sales perspective? Possibly. Would he enjoy the fruits of his labour? Here is my guess. When an individual values money more that people, they drive a wedge between themselves and that which has the potential to make them happiest, namely their relationships. Even to an unknown customer, there is always the opportunity to create a positive sentiment. Would he leave a good taste with regard to the company he was representing? Absolutely not. Would his vision of the world contribute to the whole? Not likely. Am I suggesting that this individual won’t learn? No, this is just his current state and hopefully, he will someday, perhaps after some challenging relationships, he will learn to love people more than his commissions.

No one is suggesting that we forget about profit, only that in the long run, it is the love of being with and serving others that will cause us to unite together in our efforts and to be successful in creating useful and functional enterprises that serve the needs of our world.  

Environmental Item 4) Respect
This factor is the one which provides the understanding for the others. If we find it difficult to love someone else, we will learn tolerence through having a fundamental respect for them. This respect is really just an acknowledgement that, as human beings, we all have an equal right to belong, to contribute, to receive, to think, to have an opinion. When this understanding is planted in the form of respect, it provides a foundation upon which love an tolerance can be built.