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Occasionally, airline attendants make an effort to make the "in-flight safety lecture," and their other announcements, a bit more entertaining.
Here are some real examples that have been heard or reported:
"There may be 50 ways to leave your lover, but there are only 4 ways out of this airplane..."
"Your seat cushions can be used for flotation, and in the event of an emergency water landing, please take them with our compliments."
"We do feature a smoking section on this flight; if you must smoke, please contact a member of the flight crew and they will escort you to the wing of the airplane."
"Smoking in the lavatories is prohibited. Any person caught smoking in the lavatories will be asked to leave the plane immediately."
Pilot - "Folks, we have reached our cruising altitude now, so I am going to switch the seat belt sign off. Feel free to move about as you wish, but please stay inside the plane till we land... it's a bit cold outside, and if you walk on the wings it affects the flight pattern."
"Stand up for something or else you will fall for everything!"
Have you ever checked into a hotel or maybe onto a plane or had any other experience where you came up against a guideline? A clerk may respond "I am sorry sir, that's not our company policy!"
I often want to reply back with some glib remark about "accepting company policies is against our company policy", nonetheless they serve a function. They set standard operating agreements for doing business. If you know these in advance it is easy to adjust your behaviour to fit in.
I had a great dentist, he has subsequently retired. He booked 30-minute appointments and if you were more than 5 minutes late you would arrive at his reception and immediately have a new appointment booked. He wouldn't see you. I did this once and from that point on I was always a few minutes early.
The result!
My dentist was never, never, never late. He also had the most amazing work-life balance. At the end of the day, he always got out the door when he had planned. It was magic to watch.
What rules do you have in place that will push back against the torrent of stuff we can get absorbed in on a daily basis?
- Do you work on weekends?
- What time do you finish work?
- If you work with your partner when do you stop talking about work?
- Do you fly business class?
- Do you work Fridays?
- Do you go to bed with arguments unresolved?
What are your operating agreements and what are your personal (company) policies? It doesn't matter what rules you create. What matters is that you create boundaries for behaviour. Governing principles that allow you to say no to the little things in life and yes to the big things.
When you feel out of control and like life is pushing you around - push back!
Matt Church is an expert on work-life integration. Visit his website or investigate his newsletter for more tips and ideas.
When it comes to describing a dysfunctional environment, it might help us to also look at what a functional environment might look like.
Functional Environment
A functional environment then; would be an area that is conducive to growth. Somewhere that not only supports and encourages an individual to be themselves, but also allows them to.
Here, one can express who they are and feel safe doing so. Positive feelings and thoughts are also more likely to occur in this environment.
Dysfunctional Environment
The dysfunctional environment, on the other hand, would be somewhere that doesn't allow for the above to happen. Where the individual doesn't feel supported or acknowledged in any way, let alone in a way that honours who they are. This might be an environment that forces one to constantly compromise their values and themselves.
The word door mat comes to mind here; with boundaries being nonexistent in this environment. Feeling and thinking negatively is also something that might seem to just happen; coming on like a parasite, without reason or warning. Despair is also another common consequence of being in this type of environment.
Conscious And Unconscious Environments
With both of these examples, we can see that one is an environment that could be classed as conscious and the other is an environment that is the complete opposite.
By this, I mean that the dysfunctional environment is an environment where behaviour and the effects of that behaviour go unnoticed. The people in the environment have little, to no awareness of their actions or to the damage, which is being carried out physically, emotionally or mentally.
Standing Up
Perhaps if one were to comment or mention how they felt to the person or persons in the environment, they might be dismissed or ignored. This, of course, all depends on how dysfunctional the environment is.
The Frog Metaphor
This is a story that is helpful in explaining the insidious nature of the dysfunctional environment.
It is about a frog that is put in a pan and is cooked so gradually that it doesn't know or notice the difference in temperature. And after this slow rise, the frog dies. It was oblivious to what was happening and its imminent death. It became comfortable and numb to what it was experiencing.
So How Does This Relate To Dysfunctional Environments?
Within this environment, one will notice at first that it is draining to them. However unless one takes the steps to break away or steps out of the environment so that it can be seen from another perspective, they might start to feel comfortable within this environment. With their original state of mind and aliveness; fast becoming a distant memory.
Now, this could be because of a gradual drip feed approach or the slow cooking approach mentioned above. It might also be because it is an environment that feels comfortable and safe to them; as absurd as this sounds. It is reminding them of their history and what hasn't been looked at.
Is This How It Is?
One might have never been in a functional environment. This makes it difficult in seeing contrast and in being able to compare it to other environments in their life. One might believe that this is how life is and that there is no such thing as a 'functional environment' or that it's not possible for them.
History
We all have our own history, some parts that are likely to bring us feelings of happiness and other parts that might cause feelings of anger or resentment. This is history that won't just disappear; it has to be faced in some way. That could be by directly facing something or by the assistance of a therapist for example.
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Pulled To Our Past
We will naturally be drawn into environments that our mind unconsciously associates as being what is safe for us. These environments won't always be places that empower or honour who we are. They will be environments that mirror the behaviours, feelings and thoughts of our childhood.
Associations
This is because of the nature of the mind and how it gets attached and creates attachments. What was experienced as a child becomes what is familiar and safe to the ego mind; regardless of if it is functional or not. If these associations are functional and beneficial, then what will subsequently happen is one will usually end up in environments that are at least moderately healthy and functional.
Unhealthy Associations
However, if these are associations that are not so healthy or functional; one is likely to find that they are ending up in the same environments. Environments that are disempowering and don't reflect what they consciously want or what their heart calls for. Where their energy is being taken and no energy is being returned.
The Childhood Environment
Above I have mentioned about our later environments mirroring the behaviours feelings and thoughts of our childhood environment if they have not been processed.
Common themes of those years will continue to appear and play out in our present-day environments. These might be themes that are unique to us; challenges that just seem to appear over and over again.
A Recent Study
I recently read about a group of rat pups that were genetically predisposed to be more fearful than other strains of rats. If these rats were left with their biological mothers, they were likely to be fearful and stressed. However, after placing these rat pups with other rat mothers that were not fearful; they grew up without fear.
The Power Of The Environment
Now, these might be rats that were talking about here, but what this shows is the power of the environment in shaping how we see ourselves and in who we become.
There is always talk of nature vs. nurture and on the effect genetics have on life, however, through the study of epigenetic's genes have been found to require a trigger to be activated and that trigger is the environment. It is the environment that is making the difference.
Choosing Our Environments
Choosing our environments and therefore the people we have in our life and spend our time with is incredibly important to our own wellbeing and in achieving our dreams.
The natural tendency of our mind will be to return to what feels comfortable and to what is familiar.
Who We Are
What happened in or childhood or what has happened in our past doesn't have to define our life or who we are. That is something we can do in each moment of our life.
My name is Oliver J R Cooper and I have been on a journey of self awareness for over nine years and for many years prior to that I had a natural curiosity.
For over two years, I have been writing articles. These cover psychology and communication. This has also lead to poetry.
One of my intentions is to be a catalyst to others, as other people have been and continue to be to me. As well as writing articles and creating poetry, I also offer personal coaching. To find out more go to - http://www.oliverjrcooper.co.uk/
Storytelling in your organization is taking place every day regardless of its official status as a "program." However, you will find that with focused training and implementation, storytelling will raise the bottom line of any company. Before you begin adding the power of narrative to your workplace, there are a few things you need to know.
1. Storytelling in Corporations Requires Time to Grow
For many years, I was involved in a variety of companies that jumped from one fad management idea to another. First, we were Moving Cheese. Then, we were tossing stuffed Fish around the room. And we were doing it all in just One Minute. While some of the ideas of these management romps may have been momentarily implemented at my workplaces or yours, it seems that most of these programs have moved on.
Corporate Storytelling is not a fad. Everyone person who has contact with your company has a story to tell about that contact, both the good and the bad. Storytelling has been around since the beginning of time and the first moments of oral communication. It will work for your company if you are willing to think about long-term implementation of storytelling to your corporate communications. For best results, the power of story needs to be understood as a tool for all departments in your organization, not just sales and marketing.
I suggest that when your company does want to invest in storytelling for their internal and external customers, they begin with a small and dedicated group of employees who are first taught the art and science of storytelling. Our "Executive Speaker Training" Workshop is a great place to get this initial training for your employees who already have a basic background in public speaking.
2. Storytelling in a Business Must Come from the Top
One of the people on this initial team should be a member of senior management. I have worked with companies who originally conceived the idea of storytelling in one department and then set out to find a great trainer. They assured me that the "bosses" were in line with this new program. Then, as the training sessions started, the folks with their arms crossed at the back of the room or otherwise practising "active non-listening" were the senior management staff. You cannot expect that the average company employee will adopt a program that the leadership will not embrace.
3. You Must Integrate Storytelling, not Just Talk About It
Your new storytelling must be practised at every business gathering, from the smallest meetings to company-wide events. Be sure that your training sessions include plenty of time for practising storytelling instead of presentations all on theory.
When you are developing this program, be sure to look for trainers and presenters who have extensive experience in actually telling stories. Does your trainer actually know how to tell (not write) stories? Did they just recently begin to add storytelling to their work or do they have a lifetime of expertise?
Learning to share the company stories is financially and personally rewarding. Please take some time to learn this fundamental communication skill for your workplace.
For more information about Sean's workshop that teaches you to harness the power of business or corporate storytelling, please visit our website at http://www.executivespeakertraining.com You are also invited to follow Sean via his Twitter account at http://www.twitter.com/storyteller today.