“The best way to do is to be.” Lao Tzu
“Seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added unto you.” Matt. 6:33
The message is the same whether it’s from Frank Sinatra, Lao Tzu or Jesus – we need to be reminded that being must takes precedence over doing, and that both precede having. You hear life coaches talk about this subject fairly often – but it’s kind of rare for a business coach. But I believe this is just as important to our work as to any other aspect of life. Unfortunately, business is generally about results (having) or action (doing) and is rarely about awareness (being).
In his book Conscious Business, Fred Kofman uses a computer to illustrate the importance of this construct. The platform or infrastructure relies on an operating system – being. Your computer’s platform supports the process, applications and programs you run – doing. The resulting output, such as a document or file, is dependent on the platform and the process – having. Apply this model to your business structure and you find Values, Beliefs, standard practices, administration, and infrastructure as the platform – being. The processes would include planning, communications, thinking, feeling, and behaving – doing. The resulting product would include growth, connectedness, goal achievement, well-being, happiness – having.
Give some thought to the order of being – doing – having in your business. You will find great benefit in connecting your key performance indicators and success strategies to the order and priority you give to creating a conscious business culture.
Building Better Beliefs 