Consciousness: inspiration

CANADA’S OBAMA MANIA

Barak Obama made Canada his first international state visit and that pleases this country. Our population is small but we are the largest trading partner of the US. Protocol suggests each new US President will visit our country first, since we are its closest, most stable neighbor. But giving Canada that honor has not always been the case, as when George Bush chose Mexico for his first state visit.

Some media think Obama has an even greater adoration factor in Canada than in the US. His espoused social values are in alignment with those of Canadians but does adoration equate to an ability to govern?

WE WOULD LIKE TO HEAR FROM YOU

What do you think is the state of consciousness of the administration in the US?

Our consciousness is reflected through our thoughts and feelings. We believe, from study of quantum energy and consciousness, that the energy emitted by our thoughts and feelings or our consciousness, makes us like little radio stations. Energy follows thoughts and feelings. We send out a signal and we attract back at the same frequency. If we are in a consciousness of Anger, we will be amazed at how many things happen in our day to generate even more Anger. Does the consciousness of a country or its leadership determine its relationship with others in the world? Does it shape foreign or economic policy?

Our Body Conscious Guide is a list of states of consciousness from lowest energy to highest energy. It can serve as a road map to understand our consciousness and the impact our consciousness is having on results. It is a valuable tool for communication and change, and it can serve as a directional guide for making MindShifts.

Observe the Body Conscious Guide. What is  your perception of the state of consciousness of:

1.  George W. Bush  – and the global community during the past 8 years
2. Barak Obama -  and the consciousness of the global community at this time.

Share your thoughts with us.

CONSCIOUSNESS DEFINED

Let’s make certain we have common terms by taking a look at dictionary definitions of consciousness. Here are some of the ways we relate to the term:

• the thoughts and feelings, collectively of an individual or of an aggregate of people
• the moral consciousness of a nation
• awareness of something for what it is; internal knowledge,
  
• consciousness of right and wrong doing
• philosophy, the mind or the mental faculties as characterized by thoughts, feelings and volition.
• to raise one’s consciousness, is to increase one’s awareness and understanding of one’s own needs, behaviour, attitudes especially as a member of as particular social or political group
• being totally  awake and responsive to ones environment.

We love to hear from you..share your thoughts in our comments section.

BLESS BLESS
JUDY BERG

Organizational Behaviour Consultant
author: Imagine Your Soul Abundant: Attracting Success, Fulfillment and True Happiness
more about: www.theconsciouscorporation.com www.soulabundant.com
Judy’s book can be ordered from her website www.soulabundant.com. Special prices for bulk orders upon request. Seminars and retreats customized to the needs of your group or organization.

enlightened orgs: inspiration

A NEW BLACK GOLD

In the debt-free province of Alberta, where the black gold that first gushed from the ground in the 1950’s, has resulted in a Heritage Trust fund worth of billions of dollars being set aside for a “rainy day” – getting anyone to think about alternative energy sources is not an easy sell. But two framers from the tiny farming community of Vegreville have risen to the challenge.

Their innovation to create Biogas from cattle manure seems a perfect fit for a province that has ranching as it second largest industry. It is also timely for a province aware of the implications of the depleting sources of non-renewable oil and gas, and the challenges of a reliance on an industry with a Boom/Bust economic cycle.

“Inventing a new technology is a pure Alberta story… a great example that building a knowledge economy can happen on the farm, not just in ivory towers” – Evan Chapko, CEO, Highmark Renewables (Edmonton Journal, 02/08/09)

FROM POOP TO PROFIT…Alberta’s new Black Gold…

ALBERTA’S FIRST GREEN ENERGY MEGA-PROJECT

Shane and Evan Chrapko are taking the cattle manure from a 30,000 cow feedlot, owned by partners Mike and Bert Kotelko, and turning it into Biogas, something their company Highmark Renewables, markets as “renewable natural gas.”

They have just tapped into what is probably Alberta’s most abundant and renewable resource…cattle poop.

The greenist electrical generating plant in the province is now producing one megawatt of power which is enough to meet the electrical demand of the feedlot and 700 homes in the tiny communities of Vegreville and Two Hills. When the construction on this plant is completed, it will also produce ethanol to be added to gasoline without the current problem of having to take away from farmland to produce ethanol from crops like corn. Together, with the help of Xiaomei Li, a scientist from China, they have developed more than 40 recipes for turning waste, including slaughter house waste and municipal sewage, into biogas. Patents are pending.

Their motto: “Where there is waste…there is opportunity.”
Chrapko calls it a “virtuous loop – producing power, cattle feed, fuel and fertilizer .”

The goal is to have a string of plants across the prairies at sites where manure is plentiful. When you consider each cow produces the manure equivalent of six humans, the idea of continuing to spread this volume of waste and its resultant methane gas, over the land forever, without negative consequences, is to ignore a looming environmental problem.

Travis Nickel who heads up the company, Growing Power, responsible for the electrical side of this innovation, sees a time when every feedlot in the country will have such a plant to provide fuel for nearby towns and will deliver ethanol to the big refineries for production of gasoline.

Shane and Evan Chrapko are no strangers to successful ventures. They launched, built and sold The DocSpace Company for 811 Million (538 Million USD) in just 30 months from inception to final sale. Both are graduates of the University of Alberta. Shane is the recipient of the rare Early Career Achievement award awarded to one graduate from a pool of 100,00, who has achieved remarkable success in business within ten years of graduation.

ANOTHER LOCAL, HOME-GROWN SOLUTION…a company to watch in the future!

BLESS BLESS
JUDY BERG
If you know a company that is making a Mindshift towards serving humanity while still turning a profit, we would like to know about them. Let us know by contacting::
attractingsuccess@soulabundant.com... or leave the information in the comments section of this post.

Organizational Behaviour Consultant
author: Imagine Your Soul Abundant: Attracting Success, Fulfillment and True Happiness
more about: www.soulabundant.com
Judy’s book can be ordered from her website www.soulabundant.com.  Special prices for bulk orders upon request. Seminars and retreats customized to the needs of your group or organization.

enlightened orgs: inspiration

ECONOMIC SOLUTIONS WILL BE FOUND AT THE LOCAL LEVEL

Michael Kalmanovich, owner of a unique, organic food supermarket in Edmonton, Alberta, does not lack for inspired, innovative ideas to fulfill his passion to sell locally grown organic food, socially conscious products, and a free dose of education in the process. He took his first step of faith in 1991 by opening a store with $20,000 invested, $167.00 in his bank account and a huge abundance of dreams.

Earth’s General Store was opened in a small location on the fringe of the university in the capital city of the province. It is also smack dab in the heart of a ranching and oil-based economy. It was in this province that KD Lang, a home-town celebrity, riled local extremist ranchers who defaced community signs outside her home town of Consort, Alberta, after her public service announcement in which she spoke out in favor of vegetarianism.

If opening an organic food store in a business culture like that sounds like it takes guts and a leap of faith, that pales by comparison when you hear Michael’s latest dream!

A STORE WITH INTENTION

“I started the store in 1991 in response to some trends I noticed while conducting workshops on environmentally friendlier lifestyles:

• People wanted to know where to find the information that I was sharing outside of the workshops and more of it;
• People wanted to know where to purchase products that lessened their impact on the environment;
• People were concerned about the world – both environmentally and socially;
  
• People were scared;
• People wanted to do something about what was happening in the world.
  

I survive by people purchasing items from the store but it is not the purpose of the store to sell products just to sell them and to make profit. The purpose of the store is to create change. It is a tool for change.

“People have the ability to make choices at every decision in their lives. I am not talking about all the big ones where people angst over their decision, I am talking about all those small decisions. Many of these small decisions were made a long time ago and they become routines but these “small decisions” collectively add up to major effects. As a consumer you are always faced with a choice and each choice will involve a compromise.

The people that attain this level are called conscious citizens and since we are creatures that need to consume to survive we can also say that these conscious citizens will also be conscious consumers.”

MICHEAL’S LATEST INNOVATION – GETTING A LOAN FROM HIS CUSTOMERS

Right from the  outset, Michael’s dream was much bigger than the location he has occupied for the past 18 years. Now, in the midst of an economy that has most businesses ducking for cover, he is ready to expand.

But, in a very novel way.

Although he is able to get financing from the bank, Kalmanovich says, “I would rather be beholden to the community rather than to a bank.” (I think I a lot of people around the world today, Michael, would agree with you!).

Two weeks ago, Michael sent a request, through his newsletter, to his regular customers making them an offer.

He is asking for a loan.

Investors will get a 15% discount on their store purchases for purchases up to the amount of the loan! He is also adding a further 5% gift to their loan, which means an investor who puts in $2,000.00 would actually get  $2100.00 in discount credits.

The sentiment of the dozen people who have already donated upwards to $2,000.00, is they see it as a no risk investment, certainly at much higher levels of return than they can get anywhere else today, and mostly, they see it as an investment in their community.

WOW – THAT’S A MUCH BETTER OFFER THAN I HAVE SEEN FROM ANY BANK!

WELCOME! -  EARTH’S GENERAL STORE – to our directory of Enlightened Orgs.

IF YOU LIVE AND SHOP IN THE EDMONTON, ALBERTA AREA, WE HOPE YOU WILL GIVE THIS INNOVATIVE IDEA YOUR SUPPORT. TELL A FRIEND!

Sustainable business will emerge through creativity, innovation and inspiration. This economy is the best possible stimulus to get us thinking and being more creative than we ever dreamed possible.

Does Michael’s idea trigger any others that might make your business more viable and sustainable? If so, let us know!

BLESS BLESS
JUDY BERG

Organizational Behaviour Consultant
author: Imagine Your Soul Abundant: Attracting Success, Fulfillment and True Happiness
more about: www.soulabundant.com
Judy’s book can be ordered from her website www.soulabundant.com.  Special prices for bulk orders upon request. Seminars and retreats customized to the needs of your group or organization.

enlightened orgs: inspiration

IT’S ALL ABOUT THE PASSION

I discovered our Enlightened Corporation for this week while watching a segment of the Oprah show in which she interviewed young, self-made millionaires.

Tony Hsieh, CEO of Zappos.com, was one of the guests. He is a great inspiration, a model CEO of a model corporation, for our Enlightened Orgs directory.

His business achievements are certainly significant for such a young man. While still in his twenties, Hsieh (SHAY), a computer undergraduate from Harvard, co-founded an internet advertising agency called LinkExchange, which was sold to Microsoft for $265 million in 1998. But it was actually his business philosophy or mindset, that really caught my attention.

“I AM NOT NECESSARILY PASSIONATE ABOUT SHOES…WHAT I AM PASSIONATE ABOUT IS…

CUSTOMER SERVICE“.

Hsieh says the company could go in any direction, perhaps even the airline business, one day, because it is CUSTOMER SERVICE that he is passionate about, and it is their commitment to customer service that will drive the success of the company regardless of  its product line.

“We`re continuing our focus on service, which includes 24/7 customer service, free overnight shipping and free return shipping with a 365-day return policy.” (source:ecommerceoptimizations.com)
Zappos believes in putting WOW into service.

Zappos.com is an electronic commerce company specializing in footwear and is currently based in Henderson, Nevada, USA.^[2] The company warehouse is located in Shepherdsville, Kentucky, along with an outlet store. In addition, Zappos has two outlets stores in Las Vegas, Nevada and Henderson, Nevada.[wikipedia]

The company was founded in 1999 and went from virtually no sales activity in its first year, to grossing over $800 million in 2007 and projecting sales of $1 billion in 2008.

The company specializes in Relationship Marketing.[wikepedia]

Using this model the company knows its primary focus must be on the customer and the relationship the company will have with the customer over extended periods of time. Contrary to many companies, a company committed to Relationship marketing puts retention at the top of their agenda. It seems an obvious position to take when research indicates that retaining even 5% of your customers can increase your profitability by 25 – 85%.

WHAT QUALIFIES ZAPPOS AS AN ENLIGHTENED ORG?

The things Tony Hsieh described that most caught my attention, and why I have included Zappos in our directory of companies that are doing things differently, and achieving great success at a time when others are “dying on the vines” include…

1.  Relationship Marketing model – it is ALL about the customer and customer retention. That the e-commerce business is built on customer retention is one of their core values.

2. Corporate Culture and Values -they have a Culture Book written by the employees describing what the company culture means to them. A core value for Zappos is the realization that you MUST manage your Corporate Culture. They are absolutely correct. You will have one! It will develop at the water cooler, if you do not define it, manage it… and live it.

3.  Core Values – their website has 10 core values or guiding principles so everyone, both inside and outside the company, can understand what makes the company succeed.

4. Customer Loyalty Training Program - all employees attend this 4 week program. At the end of the first week, they are offered $1,000.00 to leave the company immediately. About 10% of potential employees take the bait. This offer is made to ensure the employees who stay are dedicated to the values and the company, and not just the money.

5. Corporate salaries – Hsieh mentioned he pays himself the same amount of money as his employees make – $36,000.00 per year.

6. Corporate Perks - at a time when Wall Street CEOs are paying themselves $18 Billion in bonuses out of the tax dollars given to keep them afloat, CEO Hsieh, does not have a corporate car, does not have a corner office, sits in a cubicle like everyone else… and says he and his brother share a suit.

7. Work and play have few lines of separation – at any time, Hsieh says, a department may initiate an impromptu parade in costume through the office. He had great difficulty describing his work hours, “Staff like to be together and often the activity at the office spills out into dinner or evening activities together…because I am passionate about what I do, it is hard to tell when it is work, and when it is play.”

8. Don’t be secretive. Don’t worry about competitors - this is another core value at Zappos -  one that is consistent with our belief system for a Corporate Mindshift or a Conscious Corporation. Worrying about your competitors is a belief built on the old model of scarcity. If you believe there is more than enough for all -  you will be open and supportive with all whom you come into contact.

9. Trust Yourself - in our definition of an Enlightened Org, we place heavy emphasis on TRUST and INTUITION (click to see the chart). We believe this is the first step a corporation must take to make a shift from Old Business model to New business model. Learn to trust and rely upon your intuitive voice. It is as powerful for guiding your new reality  – as your physical vision is to guide you in a physical world.

“Make certain you are passionate about what you do – and the money will follow,” says Tony Hsieh.

BLESS BLESS
JUDY BERG
If you know a company that is making a Mindshift towards serving humanity while still turning a profit, we would like to know about them. Let us know by contacting::
attractingsuccess@soulabundant.com... or leave the information in the comments section of this post.

Organizational Behaviour Consultant

author: Imagine Your Soul Abundant: Attracting Success, Fulfillment and True Happiness
more about: www.soulabundant.com
Judy’s book can be ordered from her website www.soulabundant.com.  Special prices for bulk orders upon request. Seminars and retreats customized to the needs of your group or organization.

enlightened orgs: inspiration

SLOW AND STEADY

Will we sleep better knowing we have made a few million dollars on a “paper” or “security” that is not tied to something tangible and could collapse at any minute? … or will we leave this world pleased we have restored the planet to the beauty and abundance it once held for all?

We had the Slow Food industry, as a backlash to unhealthy eating, now Woody Tasch has initiated his Slow Money movement to offset the lust for speedy profits, at any cost. Tasch is our honored CEO of Enlightened Orgs for the work he is doing to bring sensibility to a world made giddy by financial greed.

THE MOST POWERFUL SOLUTIONS ARE OFTEN THE SIMPLEST…

Tasch is CEO of Investors Circle, established in 1992, that has put 130 million dollars of investments into 200 socially responsible companies. Most recently, he has founded the Slow Money movement to raise money for investment in local, sustainable agriculture.

Is it possible the solution to our environmental crisis and the financial meltdown could be a as simple as a potted tomato plant on your patio?…

“It’s remarkable but people who grow their own food, who reconnect with the soil, can immediately appreciate the implications of an economy that doesn’t respect the power of ecology”, says Tasch.

Tasch outlines his theory of patient capital in his recently published book, “Inquiries into the Nature of Slow Money: Investing as if Food, Farms, and Fertilizer Mattered.” (Chelsea Green Publishing).

Taschs’ theory is that soil fertility is the most valuable tool we have to fight global warming.

“Food is the field in which we daily explore our harming of the world.” – Gary Snyder, American poet

Recipients of the investment fund will be companies that generate $100,000 to $1 million in annual revenues and who are committed to local, organic food production. This local investment in real companies, producing real products, needed by real consumers, may well be Main Streets perfect solution to the problems generated by the biggest financial meltdown since the depression, linked to abstract financial commodities like hedge funds and derivatives.

EVERYONE PARTICIPATES

In the blush of hope generated by the inauguration of Barak Obama as President, Tasch may well be on to one simple solution that each and every person around the world can participate in that will make a difference to reversing our current environmental and financial devastation.

” If you are investing in a store that is selling local produce and locally made goods, you are building your community. You are building your local enterprise, and it is tangible.”
- Peter Kindler,  President KLD Research & Analytics  (source: Ode Nov.2008)

PARTICIPATION IN OUR FOOD

Becoming more engaged in the origins of our food may not only benefit our physical and financial well-being. I believe it greatly enhances our emotional and spiritual lives. Just try it for a season!

Even if you live in the middle of a highly populated city, it costs only a few pennies to put a tomato plant on your patio…or perhaps, to participate in setting up a community garden. Your commitment to nurturing the plant, and the way in which it repays you with rich abundance of delicious fruit, will dramatically shift your thoughts to higher awareness of the things that are truly important in our lives.

BLESS BLESS
JUDY BERG
If you know a company that is making a MindShift to serving humanity, while still turning a profit, we would like to know about them. Let us know by contacting::
attractingsuccess@soulabundant.com... or leave the information in the comments section of this post.

Organizational Behaviour Consultant
author: Imagine Your Soul Abundant: Attracting Success, Fulfillment and True Happiness
more about: www.soulabundant.com
Judy’s book can be ordered from her website www.soulabundant.com.  Special prices for bulk orders upon request. Seminars and retreats customized to the needs of your group or organization.

Consciousness: inspiration

COINCIDENCES

There is nothing that delights me more than coincidences. I think they are a little “cosmic goose” telling us there is much more to this “life and universe business” than we ever dare to imagine.

It is a higher power having a bit of fun with us, as one would gently and lovingly tease a child. I think they hold metaphorical messages, if we will only take the time and energy to attempt to decode them. I hope the coincidences I have detected this week are a sign that there is…

CAUSE FOR HOPE AND OPTIMISM

GREG PASKE’S, “OPTIMISTS THINK OUTSIDE THE BOX”

My “decoding of coincidences” experience began on Sunday morning as I sat down to write my last blog for the upcoming week. It was today’s -  Friday’s -  Consciousness Blog -  that I was about to write.

I began the morning, however, by reading my colleague Greg Paske’s, wonderful Sunday post, “Optimists Think Outside the Box.”

Ironically, without any sort of editorial board decision, Greg had chosen to write on Optimism. You see, my Monday Blog, already in the queue for publishing, was also on optimism,  honoring Ode magazine and its first annual list of Intelligent Optimists. Now, here I was, about to set “pen to paper” - and prepare my Friday blog featuring the Readers Choice  from that list of 25 Optimists - Robi Damelin - whose dedication is to a situation that requires all the optimism the world can muster – the war in Gaza.

AN OPTIMISTIC AMERICA

I also realized that on Tuesday, one of the most historic, and optimistic moments in world history was about to happen – the inauguration of the first black president of the United States. A moment of great optimism, indeed.

AN OPTIMISM FOR WORLD LOVE AND PEACE

My Friday Consciousness choice for our Enlightenor of the Week – an enlightenor being a person we have chosen who is doing wonderful things for the betterment of humanity -  is someone who has dedicated her life to an optimistic solution to the most sensitive and worrisome circumstance happening globally today – the clash between Israel and Palestine in Gaza. She is the Readers Choice of the top 25 Intelligent Optimists chosen by Ode magazine.

READERS CHOICE

The Readers Choice for Ode Magazines 2009 list of top 25 Intelligent Optimists is…

Robi Damelin, Founder, The Parents Circle, Tel Aviv, Israel

This mother imigrated to Israel from South Africa in 1967 after her son was shot and killed by a sniper bullet while attending university in Tel Aviv. She created the Parents Circle as a non-profit organization for bereaved Palestinians and Israelis to promote reconciliation as an alternative to hatred and revenge. Through initiatives such as the Tears of Peace, the goal is to create awareness that war only creates more pain.

“There is no winner, only a greater collection of broken hearts.” – Robi Dameli

I know for certain I have never used the word, Optimism, so many times in one article!

I hope the decoded message in all these coincidences is that “the solution to today’s crisis in the world will come only when we all hold a consciousness of optimism and then act upon that consciousness”.

We know our thoughts, emotions and consciousness are what create our reality. We may not do something significant enough to attract the attention of people like Ode magazine, but in our own small way – by holding a vibration of optimism and hope – we will collectively shift the energy of the planet to a much better place for all.

BLESS BLESS
JUDY BERG

Organizational Behaviour Consultant
author: Imagine Your Soul Abudant: Attracting Success, Fulfillment and True Happiness
more about: www.corporatemindshift.com www.soulabundant.com
Judy’s book can be ordered from her website www.soulabundant.com.  Special prices for bulk orders upon request. Seminars and retreats customized to the needs of your group or organization

enlightened organizations: global trends: inspiration

TOTAL TRUST IN THE CUSTOMER

Can you imagine a shopping experience where the owner tells you to touch everything, ask lots of questions, take your time, have a tea or coffee, and ring up your own purchases! Well, on one of my most unique shopping experiences, I heard all of that.

Hand Works is an eclectic array of mostly local artisan items displayed in a beautiful century home in the tiny village of Bloomfield, Prince Edward County, Ontario. The trip to Bloomfield is, of itself, well worth the experience-just to meet Tammy.

First, let’s get you to Bloomfield. It is located on a tiny island, or peninsula, depending on which part of the local lore you subscribe to… jutting into the northeast corner of Lake Ontario. It is about a 3 hour drive southeast of Toronto-or a lovely 1 hour drive, including a free crossing on a ferry, if you are coming east from Kingston, Ontario. This tiny town has transformed itself into a highly popular tourist destination with little shops, cafes, and boutiques featuring locally made ice cream, chocolates, pottery, clothing and lots of assorted craft and gift shops.

But none are more delightful than what you will experience at Hand Works …

A PASSIONATE, ENERGETIC BUSINESS OWNER

Meeting Tammy Love (truly that is her name) is a large part of the experience.  When she is fulfilling her first passion, she is an artist – by practicality, she is a retailer… but most of all, she is a trusting, loving human being.

When you enter the large old house, you are greeted by Tammy inquiring as to whether this is your first visit to the store. She is not being nosy.  This is an important point for her to get clarity on.  If you have not been here before, she wants you to know the philosophy that the business is built on.

“It is”, she says, “like the old-fashioned hardware stores where the owner would go to buy the new merchandise and come back very knowledgeable about each piece and ready to explain to you what the articles are useful for, where they came from and who made it.”

Tammy lets you know she is anxious to do just that for the thousands of articles creatively displayed throughout the store, including some of her own art work. She knows the artisan who crafted each piece and where the piece comes from.

You are supposed to touch and feel… and if some objects cannot be accessed, you are to ask her to make them accessible to you – and she will get out the ladder or key or whatever is required.

FOOD AND BEVERAGES ALLOWED- BECAUSE WE KNOW YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE

Hot tea or the beverage of the day is offered, and you are encouraged to take your time and browse… no sign at this door saying “Food and Drinks” must be left outside… and amazingly, no damage to the merchandise occurs as a result of her trust in you!

Now here is where it becomes very important for Tammy to know if you are a regular or not. Once you have been to the store more than 3-4 times, it is now time for you to become part of the family.  Just as when you have a frequent visitor to your home, you may wish to tell them to “help themselves” to whatever they want… being a regular at Hand Works means you now get to check out your own purchases. This not only means you now know the ropes, or that Tammy knows and trusts you; but it really is about leaving Tammy free to do what she does best – talk to the customers about the artisans who have created the products she loves and has on display. Here at Hand Works, there is no one walking behind you looking over your shoulder, expecting you might steal something.

HONESTY IS EXPECTED – AND RECEIVED

An old-fashioned till sits on an equally old-fashioned hardware wooden counter. You go behind the counter and ring up what you have bought.

Tammy told me that when she introduced this concept she smiled to see about 3 people all lined up behind the counter – one a heavyset biker guy, a young girl, and well-turned out middle-aged woman, all ringing up their purchases while looking over each others shoulders, coaching each other on how to work the till, and reminding each other not to forget the federal and provincial taxes.

Since she introduced the “you ring it up” idea, Tammy says her losses due to items “walking out the door” (theft) have virtually ended.

SERVICE BECAUSE IT IS THE RIGHT THING TO DO

If you do get Tammy behind the counter when you present your purchase, you will leave with a parcel so beautiful and artistically-wrapped you will not want to undo the wrapping when you take it home. She told me of a gentleman who came in with a purchase he had made at another store and asked Tammy if she would wrap it for him. He was prepared to pay.  Tammy refused to take the payment for her beautiful wrapping, instead saying, “Next time you are making a purchase, consider Hand Works.”

Tammy is proving that “what you think about – you bring about”.  She believes people can be trusted and that they will act in the way you expect them to act… and she expects them to be as loving and trusting -  as she is. She expects when, “you help others get what they want – you will get what you want.”

It is worth a trip to Bloomfield just to meet Tammy, another of our picks for a business that has made the Corporate MindShift! - an enlightened organization. Hand Works will be added to our Directory of Enlightened Orgs.

Tammy is an excellent example of our Corporate Mindshift from a focus on Profits - to a focus on People. She believes if you are doing the “right” things, ethically and morally, the profits will follow.  This is perfectly reflected in one of her most recent initiatives. Click on this link – and then scroll down on the blog -  to read about another initiative Tammy has introduced at her store that reflects her focus first on people – then on business.

BLESS BLESS
JUDY BERG
Organizational Behaviour Consultant
author: Imagine Your Soul Abundant: Attracting Success, Fulfillment and True Happiness
more about: www.soulabundant.com
The Law of Attraction works by rewarding us with what we think and feel about.  If we believe people are essentially dishonest, that they will rip us off… our thoughts will have been rewarded. And that makes us even more convinced we were right in our first assumption.  It takes TRUST and FAITH to make a Mindshift.  Can you find an aspect of your life you wish was different?  Then, begin to think about what you truly want – not what you have been taught to expect.  It works – like magic!

Staff at Steps Count
click to enlarge

Enlightened Organizations: inspiration

REDEFINING THE COMPANY

Steps Count www.stepscount.com is a small Ontario company with huge inspiration. I have chosen them as the first company I want to profile as an exemplary Enlightened Organization. Located in an office building basement, off the main street in Deep River, Ontario, a little town 2 hours north of Ottawa, it is nothing like any basement office you have been in!

AN INSPIRED ENVIRONMENT

Lee Anne Kennedy (standing) and her staff have created a Feng Shui workplace that has you breathing a sigh of relaxation as soon as you enter the room. Each staff member chose the colors for their visually-appealing offices, ranging from spa-inspired shades of deep chocolate browns, golds and brick reds. Stand-up computer workstations are placed throughout the area encouraging staff to get up and keep the circulation moving. Water fountains trickle over rocks, and inspirational messages adorn the walls – reminding them of the key words by which their organization is run – their Mission Statement of sorts – Inspire – Believe. And people who come to the office just want to “hang around”.

“It is when our lives touch lives that we really begin to make a difference. Is that not the real business, of business?”

HEALTHY WORKPLACES CONFERENCE

David, you will remember Lee Anne.  She approached me following the presentation we did in Niagara Falls at the Healthy Workplaces conference. My subject was “Conscious Organizations” and she was ecstatic about what she was hearing. I recall her telling me she always thought a workplace should operate with people as its most important value.  She also believes if you visualize what you want and really believe it will work out – it always does.  Her life has been an example of the truth of this philosophy.  Suddenly, she told me, here she was at a conference put on by Healthy Workplaces magazine from Kingston, Ontario, discovering there were actually theories about why this happens, and more importantly, that there were people who thought just like her!

TAKING THE MESSAGE HOME

She wanted her staff to hear and experience the excitement she felt in Niagara, so she decided to bring the message to Deep River. Lee Anne set up an itinerary for me to deliver my 6 hour seminar, not only to her staff, but she also organized a session open to the community, as well as, separate presentations to the High School teachers, the High School student council, and the Property Management staff at the Atomic Energy of Canada. We touched a lot of lives that weekend, thanks to Lee Anne and her staff. It was a wonderful experience for me to see how many people actually want to experience a different workplace… a way  (TAO) that lets go of negativity, competition and scarcity.

WHAT MAKES FOR AN ENLIGHTENED ORGANIZATION?

GETTING STARTED IDEAS: Lee Anne’s staff shut down the office every day at 11:30am and off they all go to work out in the gym they have created in a separate room in their basement office.  They each set weight and lifestyle goals for practicing better health and eating habits. They encourage each other to succeed. After my presentation, they also decided to add a few minutes of daily meditation.  Initially, as they were meditating, they were also holding an intention for one of their staff who had been experiencing health issues.

HAVING THE RIGHT ENERGY

Lee Anne believes that positive energy is the foundation of their success.  When positive energy is celebrated in the workplace, morale, work-life balance and job satisfaction score high and Lee Anne believes financial success follows. “Customers are drawn to a company that embraces positive energy.  If positive energy is at the core of everything a business does – from problem-solving – to meetings -  to training -  to day-to-day interactions – it will resonate with customers.”

THE ROLE OF THE LEADER

Lee Anne is a nurse and diabetic educator.  She started this business in the basement of her own home and is now doing over a million dollars a year in the sale of small pedometers! In the office, she developed an environment where everyone is an equal, each with an area of responsibility, but no one individual with an exalted status.  To visitors it is no apparent who is “in charge”. – because there is, in fact, a grass-roots leadership style – everyone is a leader. The entire team is involved in hiring. “Skills can be learned, but it is much more difficult to alter an individual’s outlook from pessimistic to optimistic.  Our first priority when adding to our team is attitude… it truly is everything.”

“Approaching daily life from a positive frame of reference is paramount, it turns challenges and obstacles into wonderful opportunities.” Lee Anne also commented that it becomes quickly apparent when a new team member brings negative energy. “Even one person’s negative energy has a significant impact on positive team energy.  As a leader it is important to openly value, inspire, and even protect, positive energy in the workplace.  This can be a challenge as our awareness of our individual energy’s impact on others is not something we have been taught to think about.”

Positive energy goes beyond the local office environment for Steps Count.  Her manufacturer was chosen as a result of their  positive energy and collaborative approach and has become a good friend.  She has taken advantage of her business trips to expose her teenage children to global travel and interactions with people of different cultures. Her youngest son,  TK, is planning to spend a year with their international friends, learning to speak Mandarin and developing international business skills. He is a mature, delightful Grade 11 student with big dreams!

Lee Anne also paid for her daughter, who is attending her first year of university, as well as two of her daughters university friends, to travel from Ottawa to take the course.  I was so impressed with the maturity and insights of these young people. They will have no difficulty being the leaders that Enlightened Organizations will be seeking to hire.

ENLIGHTENED ORGANIZATIONS INTEGRATE WORK AND LIFESTYLE

The business is truly an extension of everything Lee Anne and her staff believes in for their personal lives.  Their personal and work lives are interconnected.  They share a compassion for each other that is unheard of in most organizations.  Lee Anne sets the tone for this to happen by having a strong belief that the money will follow if they, daily, live their values and ethics and, if they place emphasis first on relationships with staff and customers.  Her growth from a tiny operation in her basement, to a million dollar a year business, is proof the money does follow.

WELCOME TO OUR ENLIGHTENED ORGANIZATION WALL OF FAME

Kudos to this amazing little company – a little company that has made a conscious decision to stay “little in size” – but “big in heart”! Welcome to our Hall of Enlightened Organizations.

Do you know of an organization whose values and practices you believe are indicative of an Enlightened Organization? Tell  us! We would like to profile them and add them to our Hall of Enlightened Organizations that will soon be posted on this website.  We also encourage you to support these businesses.

BLESS BLESS
JUDY BERG
Organizational Behaviour Consultant
author: “Imagine Your Soul Abundant: Attracting Success, Fulfillment and True Happiness”
more about: www,soulabundant.com