Solving People Problems
There Are No Answers—Pursue Them Lovingly
How Can Your Buddha Mind Inform Your Policies and Procedures?
Where is
The list
Of things
To not
Worship?
—Lawson Fusao Inada, “The List,” from “In So Doing,” in Legends from Camp1
DURING THE BUDDHA’S life, the monks in his organization, the sangha, developed an elaborate system of rules, responding to everyday situations. Just before the Buddha died, he told the monks they could get rid of all but the few major rules. Trouble was, they couldn’t discern which ones were major and which were minor, so the book of rules has grown amazingly rigid and indeed become a sacred text. This is not what the Buddha wanted.
Most organizations’ official policies and procedures are simply another example of our human inclination to try controlling life, to make it predictable, manageable, consistent, and fair. As if demanding order were enough to create it!
While the intention to create order is not always bad, it is impossible to implement consistently. New situations and problems always arise, and we have not yet thought of rules for them. So we make more rules. We manufacture elaborate formulas and detailed explanations to make our rules precise. We publish big, fat policy manuals, so that everyone will know what the rules are (though few will read them) and our work world will be as safe, orderly, and well organized as possible. Our policies and procedures give us an answer for every eventuality … well, almost. We keep adding more rules, but we never delete any of the old ones. We begin to worship our policies and procedures; they become sacred texts.
The Buddha knew that rules often hurt us. We lose track of the spirit of the policy, and we get bogged down in the letter of the policy. We become ensnared in bureaucratic minutiae, tangled up and tied down in heavy cobwebs spun by busy spiders in pinstriped suits. We become paralyzed, losing the efficiency that the rules were designed to protect.
Few organizations understand this problem better than Nordstrom, the department store chain, world renowned for its superb customer service and excellent people practices. Years ago, Nordstrom’s employee policy manual had just one page and one rule:
Rule #1: Use your good judgment in all situations.
There will be no additional rules.
The Buddha would smile.
So what would the Buddha do about policies and procedures today? If he worked anyplace other than Nordstrom, he might take the pages of his company policy manual and use them to line the bottom of a songbird’s cage. When the pages were finally all gone, he would open the cage and set the songbird free.
If the Buddha Were a Diversity Consultant, What Advice Would He Give His Clients?
It is a fact that among humanity there are many diverse mental dispositions, interests, needs and so on. Therefore, the greater the diversity of religious traditions that are available, the greater their capacity to meet the needs of different people.
—The XIV Dalai Lama, The Heart of the Buddha’s Path2
DIVERSITY IS A paradoxical subject for the Buddha, since at the deepest level there is no real diversity. Diversity implies separation of essentially separate things, but when we get down to the (non)essence of things, there is no separation—we are all not-two.
But of course, when we look around at other people, we perceive diversity—diversity of skin color, body shapes, age, sexual orientation, personality, work style, values, thinking patterns, skills, talents, and so on. It looks to us as though people are very different from one another, on many different levels. Since we must live on this practical level, what should we do about diversity?
The Dalai Lama, in the quote above, gives us a tip from the Buddha, using religion as his example. We should acknowledge and appreciate our human differences, and recognize the need for “different strokes for different folks.” Different religions speak to different cultures; even within a culture, different people adopt different religions. This is just fine with the Buddha. He recognizes the stupidity and inadequacy of a one-size-fits-all, conformist religion. In fact, you can follow Buddhism and another religion at the same time. In Asia, many Buddhists are also Confucians, or Taoists, or Bon-po worshippers, or followers of a whole tapestry of different local religions. Buddhism has always adapted to the diversity of the cultures it has spread to. It’s doing that here, too, in this book, for example. Buddhism, more than any other world religion, embraces diversity.
If diversity enriches religion, so should it enrich aspects of the workplace: jobs, work space, communication, work schedules, employee benefits, incentives, work styles, preferred type of leadership, and so on. We must not insist on one-size-fits-all practices, for to do so would dishonor the diversity that makes things work.
The paradox is that at a deeper level, we are all the same. We support diversity because we know that we are fundamentally so alike. We all want a fair day’s pay for our work; we want appreciation and acknowledgment of our contributions; we want respect; we want interesting, meaningful work; we want to make enough money to meet our living expenses; we want kindness and compassion from others; we want to feel good about what we do for a living; and so on.
The challenge of diversity from the Buddha’s perspective is to do justice to both our differences and our fundamental oneness. If we treat everyone exactly the same, we dishonor human diversity and uniqueness. If we treat everyone differently, how do we maintain equity and fairness?
Let us suggest the family model, for an organization is in many ways like a family. When a family includes several children, parents know that each child needs somewhat different parenting, since each child is unique. But parents know that they also have to be fair in treating each child equitably. Parents will tell you this is not easy. In fact, it is very hard. It requires constant awareness of the developmental needs of each child, balanced against the needs of the other children, and constant vigilance to maintain time, energy, discipline, attention, and love in the right proportion in each situation. This also involves frequent negotiation with the children themselves. Everyone, both parents and children, has a part to play in maintaining equity and fairness within the family.
So it is in the workplace. Everyone, both management and rank and file, has a role to play in creating a diversity-friendly, mindful organization. This requires constant communication, frequent negotiation and renegotiation, flexibility, willingness to change, and, above all, compassion and humility. Is it easy? No. Is it worth it? The Buddha says yes.
Does Having a Buddha Mind Keep You from Stereotyping?
All women appear in the form of women, but they
appear in the form of women without being women.
—Vimalakirtinirdesha Sutra 7
THIS IS ANOTHER version of “You can’t judge a book by its cover.” The sutra explains forms as artificial constructs, delusions based on our inclination to categorize people and miss their deeper Buddha nature. As humans, we are so quick to assign labels to other people: woman, man, black, white, Asian, Hispanic, old, young, straight, gay, white collar, blue collar, pink collar, management, employee, and many more. In labeling others, we think they are separate from us, that they are “other” than us. Blinkered by our stereotypes, we totally miss the point that we are all not-two; we are all interconnected and interrelated, like the individual fingers on a hand.
If we have any essence, it’s the Buddha nature; the path of enlightenment simply shows us how to wake up to that fact. Until we wake up, we label others as inferior because we are not yet aware of our own Buddha nature and, by extension, everyone’s Buddha nature.
Bottom line: those who must stereotype others deserve compassion the least but need it the most. They are asleep, bound up in desire and attachment, driven by fear and anger, much in need of enlightenment—just like ourselves, but more so. Indeed, sexists and racists appear in their forms without being those forms. Free yourself through freeing them from themselves.
How Do Buddhas Combat Sexism in the Workplace?
You may want something, or you may be unhappy, but if you don’t let this lead you off into thinking “It’s like this because I’m only a woman,”… [t]hen you yourself are the Buddha.
—Zen Teacher Bankei, Hoshinji Dharma Talks
BANKEI DOESN’T MINCE words; he says as long as a woman doesn’t feel that her gender limits her, then she’s already the Buddha. If she’s the Buddha, well, we reckon she can be anything she wants to be in the workplace. So here is the first lesson on sexism: the Buddha in you is not sexist and does not respect sexism or any other kind of prejudice. Do not sell yourself or anyone else short on account of gender.
Here is another lesson, a history lesson this time. The historical Buddha lived in a tremendously sexist culture, 2,500 years ago. Being a product of that culture, he was not bias-free; he believed that an order of nuns would shorten the authority of Buddhism. Nevertheless, he admitted that women could become Buddhas, so he did approve the order. We estimate that in these actions he was about 2,450 years ahead of his time. If that leaves him 50 years behind our time, it’s still a great record. Let’s all strive to be 2,450 years ahead of our time. Do you think women will be fully recognized as equal 2,450 years from now? Then do what the Buddha would do and start acting on that today.
Here is lesson number three. Bankei moved forward from the historical Buddha’s position. The best forms of the Buddhist tradition are constantly evolving, growing, bettering themselves. Just like the woman in Bankei’s sermon, they are not trapped by their problems because they are not trapped by their self-definitions. This is the model for all of us, no matter our gender. Do not be fettered by your own self-limiting beliefs. Even if you’re a mere man, you’re still a Buddha.
Can the Buddha’s Teachings Help Prevent Sexual Harassment?
People who can’t get enough fame, money, and
sex are like a child licking honey off a knife blade.
—Sutra of Forty-two Sections 22
THE BUDDHA WAS clear about the kind of trouble we get ourselves into when we pursue our appetites and desires to excess. Yes, needs for peer recognition, money, and sex are normal, but they’re also insatiable. If we chase after them, we’re asking for trouble. It makes no difference whether you are lusting after fame, wealth, or sex; they are all desires, and they all cut like a knive.
Experts on sexual harassment agree that sexual harassment is almost never about sex at all; it’s about power and domination. A sexual aggressor in the workplace is trying to demonstrate that he (94 percent of sexual harassment is initiated by men) is the alpha male who can have his pick of the females. This is basic animal behavior. Perhaps the sex is nice, but the behavior is really about who’s in charge.
So what does Buddhism teach about the lust for power and control? As with all external prizes, you may win them, but it is only a matter of time before someone bigger and stronger than you takes over and becomes the new top dog. Your lust will remain, but your fulfillment will not.
So, what do we do about sexual harassment? First, we look at ourselves and make sure our own behavior is above reproach. Right speech and right action always begin with us. Then, we work to make sure everyone in our organization knows about sexual harassment laws—both the spirit of the laws and the letter of the laws. Those laws are based on respect for all individuals and the right of people to feel safe where they work (the Buddha might refer to this as the well-being of all beings). More important than knowing the law is knowing the morality of human relationships on which the law is based.
We also need to be bold in stopping harassment of any type when we see it. The welfare of individuals is dependent on the welfare of the whole group. Everyone has a stake in maintaining a harassment-free environment, because any harassment affects all workers.
How Would the Buddha Mediate between Squabbling Coworkers?
I will not be brought down by the fighting
Of childish people in their little quarrels.
Their words arise from conflict and emotion.
Instead, I’ll understand and give them love.
—Bodhicharyavatara 5.56
THE BUDDHA IS, above all, compassionate. He does not judge the squabblers as bad people but simply recognizes them as squabblers. They are where they are on their own paths. We can’t get discouraged, depressed, or angered when our coworkers are quarreling, any more than we get when we see children arguing on the playground. Since it’s in our nature to fight, many of us will fight. We need to strive to see that these fights are as ephemeral as playground tiffs.
The Buddha tells us to understand this fact and to act lovingly. We must listen to both sides, soothing hurt feelings with patient words, helping the coworkers find common ground, and searching for compromises they all can live with. The Buddha tells us to be peacemakers, working with compassion and understanding to help others mature. Note that this does not necessarily mean making them happy; it means making them mindful of the other’s conflicts as well as their own.
Is There Such a Thing as Compassionate Firing for Poor Performance?
The Buddha performs acts that discipline, because he wishes to show that negative actions have consequences…. The monk supporting the teaching does the same. Seeing an offender or harmer of the teaching, he drives them away with censure.
—Mahaparinirvana Sutra 4
OF COURSE THE Buddha teaches us not to harm others, even animals, even insects, when we can help it. But this does not mean we need to let the termites eat our whole house. Some employees are like termites. They weaken the entire business, hurting other employees, and often customers too. The Buddha would say that they have to go. Luckily, we don’t have to kill them like termites, but sometimes we do have to fire them.
When someone needs discipline, we must provide discipline, sometimes even expulsion. This may be hard for us: hard because we may be reluctant to hurt the person, or hard because we may be angry at him and want to hurt him. Here we need to go back to the fundamentals: compassion and wisdom.
The Buddha tells us to fire people, but only when their negative actions have demonstrated an undesirable impact and shown that we must withhold our teaching, our company, our benefits from them. When we fire someone, we must remember why we are doing it. We fire someone because we care about every person in the workplace and every person we serve. We harm every one of them if we allow one person to undermine what we’re doing, for an organization is only as strong as its weakest employee. This is wisdom.
We actually harm problem persons when we don’t deal with their poor performance or misconduct, for they will never learn to do better unless they experience the consequences of their own behavior. We cannot be passive here, though we act as gently as we can. This is compassion.
So the Buddha would fire an employee reluctantly, but confidently, because he would do it for the greater good of the organization as well as of the person being fired.
The Buddha’s situation was obviously different from ours today. He had followers who joined him to learn from him—they did not come together to make a product or provide a service. We can, though, still take the Buddha’s lessons on justice, compassion, and community and figure out for ourselves how the Buddha might accomplish the difficult job of firing someone. Given what we know about the Buddha, he might do something like the following:
First, he would ensure that the person had been given every opportunity to succeed in his job; that he had been given appropriate training, coaching, and support along the way; and that he had not simply been thrown into a job to sink or swim on his own.
Second, the Buddha would ensure that the person had been given an opportunity to improve his performance, once it became clear that he was not living up to expectations.
If the person was still not performing up to standards, and all fairness and patience had been extended to him, the Buddha would clearly and compassionately tell him he was being fired, and facilitate a departure that was quick and clean.
The Buddha would not lie to the fired person, or to others, about the nature of the firing. For not only could that person learn much from these consequences—others could also learn from seeing that poor performance has consequences.
Above all, the Buddha would make sure at every step of this process that his heart was free from malice or revenge. Instead, his heart would be filled with loving-kindness (albeit tough love) for the person he was firing, for his other employees, and for everyone else with a stake in his organization.
What Can You Do When Mistrust Poisons Your Workplace?
Gods, humans, demi-gods, spirits, angels, and all other kinds of beings are bound up in envy and selfishness. This is why … they live in hostility, violence, rivalry, and malevolence.
—Digha Nikaya 21
MISTRUST IS BORN of fear, a result of perceived separation from others. If I see you as “other,” I’m likely to mistrust you. Perceiving a world of scarcity, I fear there is not enough for each person and I worry about getting my share … of attention, acknowledgment, rewards (bonuses and pay increases), status, power, and so on. I hold on tight to my treasures and envy others. If they do the same, an entire organization becomes hostile, even violent.
If you work in such a toxic organization, there’s not much you can do to change the corporate culture. But there is something: you can choose not to add more toxins to it. You can choose to quietly take a stand for integrity in the form of right view, right intention, right speech, and right action. Do it in small ways first, gingerly moving forward as though you were trekking through a swamp—because you are.
Start with yourself, regardless of what others are doing. This is a perfect example of being the change you wish to see in your workplace. If this becomes unsustainable for you, do the best you can to take care of yourself, and quietly begin the task of looking for a new workplace. Some workplaces are poisoned beyond healing. The company you keep in such environments will gradually destroy the character of all but the most bodhisattva-like workers. It’s okay to not let this happen to you.