Quiet At Work
Shhhhhh…
“Be quiet so that life may speak”
This from Leo Babauta of Zen Habits has me wondering what happens when we apply this same philosophy within our workplaces?
Work is often anything but quiet. Our workplaces are abuzz with all varieties of both positive and negative noise. Our workplaces - and let’s face it, we humans - are generally scared of quiet.
Yet we see the value of quiet in various ways within our workplaces, such as
Listening - to ourselves, our team members, our leaders; as individuals and our collective voices; listening for thoughts, feelings, deeper meaning; listening for understanding and empathy.
Thinking - providing time and space for quiet, reflective thought; welcoming depth and breadth of thinking rather than the shortcut or quick response; curiosity, awe and wonder about what is possible and what might be.
Feeling - quietening the internal and external to allow feelings to feature; less head more heart; embracing empathy and wonder.
Doing - time in our workdays for deep work on the things that matter; bringing quiet and steadfast determination to everything we do; more discernment, less hustle (and bustle).
I’m curious, how can we create a collective quietness so that the life - those beating heart humans - within our workplaces may speak?