By Joyce Wazirali
There is a lot to consider when (re)starting a company. The palace is a metaphor I use to make it easier to understand and remember the complexities of building a business, as well as to research and amplify your goals. Imagine your company as a palace of prosperity.
- What do you see happening?
- What are you doing? And what do your employees, customers and suppliers do?
- How do you all behave?
- What makes your company a palace of prosperity?
- How is the overall mood? And what do you think and feel?
The palace consists of the following parts:
- Fundamentals
- Pillars
- (Load-bearing) Walls
- Doors and windows
- Floors
- Cement between the stones
- Maintenance of the palace
Let’s start building from the ground up:
1. Fundamentals
A company usually starts with the idea of someone who wants to contribute something to society that is (badly) needed at that moment. Laying the foundation starts with defining the vision and mission of the company. Then
there’s the goal to realise it in the interest of the customer and society.
Specify the aims related to your mission and start building a strategic business plan. Involve your employees in this entire process in order to ensure that everything runs smoothly. A positive side effect of this is that there is clear communication. The same ‘language’ is spoken, which creates more capacity and better involvement and responsibility.
2. Pillars
These are the people who were with the company from the start. They are represented by the founder(s) and the very first employees, customers and suppliers who have contributed to the success of the company. It is important to appreciate their contributions and to continue to communicate and listen to them. Why? Because they turn out to be your greatest ambassadors.
3. Load-bearing walls
This represents everyone who has contributed to building the company. Staff, customers and suppliers – you name it. The load-bearing walls are made by people who have contributed ideas and plans for the growth or benefit of the company.
4. Doors and windows
The doors form the connection between the departments, such as finance, back office and front office. When the connecting doors are open, the departments will work together and communicate smoothly, reducing the chance of errors.
The windows connect the company with its surroundings. To become successful, it is important to anticipate changes or other needs among regular and potential customers and suppliers.
5. Floors
The floors are the building blocks of the various departments of your company. A well-organised and well-functioning financial department and back office are among the most essential. The sturdier the bottom floor, the better the floor above can be supported.
6. Cement between the stones
This stands for the relationship and behaviour between the people within the company. This includes concepts such as leadership development, culture and talents.
It is the most crucial part of the business. It is complex and difficult to grasp, and yet tangible. However, if things get out of hand, it is not only difficult to change, but also a danger to the continuity of the company.
Here are some points of interest from the Unity Conscious Leadership® perspective that can help you recognise patterns in behaviour and paradoxes in culture:
Patterns
Experience shows that people are unconsciously triggered by other people or situations and therefore, start to behave in a certain way. Often, it seems that these triggers and reactions occur repeatedly as a pattern of associated feelings in their lives. Examples of patterns are:
- Feeling abandoned or neglected, having trouble recognising your own place.
- Feeling unheard or unseen.
- Feeling less than others or better than others.
- A great sense of responsibility, not daring to ask for help.
- Sadness, withdrawing from society, feeling an emptiness inside or not being loved.
- Fear in many forms and overthinking.
- Loss of connection with own feelings or lack of empathy.
- Medically unexplained physical complaints.
Paradoxes
Paradoxes are patterns with contradictory dynamics, also known as culture dynamics or undercurrents. They occur between individuals and within organisations. Examples of paradoxes are:
- Inclusion and exclusion
- Trust and distrust
- Division and togetherness
- Talking about ‘we’ and ‘them’
- Attraction and repulsion, victim and perpetrator
The origin of these dynamics lies in traumatic events in the past (including from previous generations). These are hidden powers that you cannot comprehend or resolve by talking about them, but that you do experience and feel.
One of the interventions I offer is a System Dynamic Constellation. With this, you create from your inner image a psychological landscape of the aspects that play a role in the pattern you encounter. The hidden forces that create the dynamics are revealed and broken, allowing the person, organisation or system to heal and transform.
Leadership Development
The current situation we are now in has been created for centuries by our ancestors and society. People and organisations are struggling with repetitive patterns of obstacles and counter-currents, believing that they are separate and independent from their environment. They look for causes and solutions outside themselves and try to break through patterns with a temporary fix by trial and error. They look at themselves and their world through the lens of Dualism, communicating in a language of opposites such as good and bad, black and white, us and them, inclusion and exclusion, powerful and powerlessness. Here lies the root cause of patterns and paradoxes, as well as the source of conflicts and crises.
Relationships and situations are getting more toxic, with people becoming more unhealthy and unhappy with their lives, trapped in constant conflict with each other. Unity Conscious Leadership® (UCL) is the new paradigm of leadership to sustainably break these old habits and patterns and transcend mutual differences. Everyone is a leader – equally important and unique – with unique talents, qualities and life missions. In reality, we are living in a world of unity or oneness. That’s why it’s important to take your leadership from the perspective of unity consciousness. This means knowing that we are all interconnected, interdependent and influencing each other constantly, with the awareness that our outer world is a reflection of our inner world. Start with self-reflection – be the hero you want to see in the world, and find the answers and solutions within yourself.
The lens of UCL was one of the success factors of building up my business with 80 staff members within 13 years. In my book ‘Unity Conscious Leadership™’, you can read more about the secrets of the complex dynamics of relationships and cultural issues. And how you can use crises and obstructive situations to break through perpetuating patterns in order to grow and thrive again.
Talents
Our talents are our innate potential. They give colour to who we essentially are and represent the building blocks of our mission. The more people know and use their talents and mission, the easier it becomes to do
the things that come easy and make them happy. The more people know their own talents and those of their colleagues, the better cooperation will be – and this includes making the most of each other’s talents. The result is a combination of improved connections, harmony, a pleasant working atmosphere and a better functioning organisation.
7. Maintenance of the Palace
Just as you occasionally go to the garage for car maintenance, it is important to regularly check the condition of your business. Make plans to control the different parts of your company and take action to fortify your
palace. For example, it is important to pay daily attention to the inter-personal relationships, leadership and
culture within the company! The collective crisis caused by the pandemic is a traumatic experience for many people
and businesses worldwide. Keep working on personal development, trauma healing and uncovering the hidden
potential in your company.
Edited by Angela Azuar
About Joyce Wazirali
My name is Joyce Z. Wazirali. I am a speaker, author and expert in the field of Unity Conscious Leadership®, a paradigm for inter-dependent growth and transformation.
Since 1988, I have been guiding individuals, leaders and organizations to grow and transform, making them healthier, happier and more peaceful. I work with different intervention tools on a rational, physical, social-emotional, spiritual and soul level.
