I have been very moved by Thich Nhat Hanh‘s approach to peace and life. One of his statements that will always stay with me is: there is now way to peace, peace is the way.
The miracle is not to walk on water. The miracle is to walk on the green earth in the present moment, to appreciate the peace and beauty that are available now ~ Thich Nhat Hanh
Di Smith wrote an article on engagement: Spending on employee engagement set to rise in 2009. But only a third of workers believe their organization engages them to perform well. I was writing a comment on this post when I found myself paraphrasing Hahn’s approach to peace by stating: There is no way to engagement, engagement is the way.
I believe we are too quick to look for external measures, fixes, tips, techniques, methods, and solutions to engagement. This tends to simultaneously blind us to the engagement that resides within us.
We must change the question from how do we engage employees to how engaged am I and how does my engagement create engagement in others?
Here are 5 invitations on how to engage engagement:
- Take time each day to be centered, balanced, and mindful.
- If you are working with someone who is disengaged don’t catch their disengagement contagion.
- Ensure that you keep renewing your mental, emotional, physical, and spiritual energy.
- Notice the power and impact on others as you model authentic engagement.
- Keep engaging others and don’t make your engagement contingent upon their becoming engaged.
What do you think? Are you ready to take full ownership of engagement?
Engage along with me, the best is yet to be.
David Zinger
His philosophy is beautiful…and much needed in our world.
It reminds me, David, that there are levels of engagement. Certianly there is the level of employee engagement with their employers. But there is also the higher level of human engagement with our world, our environment, our political systems, and our future.
Terry