Media Release-AMERICAN BUSINESS BATTLES THE ENEMY WITHIN

Media Release-Business
AMERICAN BUSINESS BATTLES THE ENEMY WITHIN 

How Toxic Workplaces are Destroying America’s Companies, and What Executives Must Do To Reverse the Trend 

While most observers blame the current struggles of America’s business community on external or unusual sources – war, terrorism, decreased consumer spending and a handful of corrupt CEOs – one author sees something entirely different.  According to Danna Beal, U.S. businesses are failing because of toxic workplace environments that make responding effectively to external challenges all but impossible. 

“Businesses are collapsing from within – not without,” Ms. Beal says.  “Our nation has been through challenges before, other wars, other recessions, other fears, but business has managed to pull through.  There’s something very different in play right now, and it threatens the future of our economy.” 

In her book The Tragedy in the Workplace, Ms. Beal describes the modern workplace as a scene of fear, mistrust, high drama and rampant egotism. “The average worker is scared silly right now,” she says. “They’re fearful of being laid off, they’re anxious about traveling, they’re worried about loved ones overseas.  And rather than responding in a humane fashion, business leaders are ignoring these concerns.  The result – the fears grow, workplace tension increases to a level of toxicity, businesses collapse from within and the whole cycle starts once again – getting bigger and bigger each time.”  

There is a ray of hope, however.  Ms. Beal notes that numerous businesses are waking up to internal threats and are taking action.  Ms. Beal has noticed a dramatic shift in the way top executives respond at her on-site training sessions and public speeches.  “Executives are bottom-line types.  In the past, when I’ve spoken about workplace conflict, dealing with egos, handling employee’s fears, leaders were aware of the environment but didn’t consider it a priority.  They were interested in increasing production and profits, and didn’t have time for what they considered ‘touchy-feely’ approaches,” she says.  “But recently, owners and leaders are discovering that the web of intertwined egos cannot be ignored.”  

What’s happened to cause the shift?  “Top executives are now just as scared as their employees.  They see that no one is safe in the current environment and, most importantly, they are beginning to be personally impacted by toxic workplaces.  You can’t shield yourself any longer.  As a result, they’re taking a personal stake in saving their companies by fixing what’s wrong within the workplace,” she says.  “This is an exceptionally important and exciting development, and it offers real hope for the future.” 

According to The Tragedy in the Workplace, toxic workplaces are the end result of gossip, back stabbing, cliques, fear, greed, power and ego. “Business leaders have two choices. They can recognize that the current workplace situation is unique in American history, and then take the steps needed to remedy the problem.  Or, they can ignore the cancer that’s growing within their companies and face the consequences.  That’s why I consider what’s happening to be a tragedy – it doesn’t have to be this way.  Workplaces can be repaired, and companies can thrive, even in tough times.  That obvious solutions are being ignored is, in fact, an absolute human tragedy.” 

According to the book, some of the healing steps business leaders can take include: 

 ·       Replacing fear with trust, integrity and compassion.
·        Understanding the source of ego dramas, and taking steps to unravel them.
·        Taking a hard look at their own egos and facing their part in the dysfunction.
·        Increasing personal responsibility for workers at every level.
·        Giving up the need to demonstrate power and superiority.
·       Identifying ego driven managers that drain resources and limit creativity.
·        Showing a public willingness to be wrong, and to listen to employees.
·        Taking aggressive steps to end cliques, office gossip and personal agendas.
·        Rewarding and creating opportunities for employee contributions and teamwork.
·        Establishing broad two-way employee/management communications systems, including the  opportunity for   confidential expressions of concerns and fears. 

The Tragedy in the Workplace (Destiny Publications, $19.95 suggested retail price) is available at leading bookstores and online booksellers. And at Products Page

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Would you like to interview Ms. Beal about this vitally important topic?  Would you like to see a review copy of The Tragedy in the Workplace?  Call 425/467-8214 or e-mail danna@dannabeal.com 

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Workplace Expert Offers Tips to Those Trapped in Offices Filled With Fear, Conflict and Power Struggles

It’s a difficult time to be an employee at an American company.  Terrorism, war, corporate corruption and extensive layoffs have instilled an atmosphere of workplace anxiety that may be unrivaled in our history.  The result, according to consultant and author Danna Beal, is the phenomenon of the “toxic workplace” – offices filled with fear, insecurity, endless conflict and ego-driven battles.   

For the employee caught in the crossfire there’s another problem.  “Because of the poor economy, you can’t simply pack up and leave.  Jobs are precious so, if you want to keep paying the mortgage and the utilities, you’re all but forced to stay with your job.  It’s a rough situation for millions of people,” Ms. Beal says. 

In her book The Tragedy in the Workplace, Ms. Beal describes the modern workplace as a scene of fear, mistrust, high drama and rampant egotism. “The average worker is scared silly right now,” she says. “They’re fearful of being laid off, they’re anxious about traveling, they’re worried about loved ones overseas.  And rather than responding in a humane fashion, business leaders are ignoring these concerns.  The result – the fears grow, workplace tension increases to a level of toxicity, businesses collapse from within and the whole cycle starts once again – getting bigger and bigger each time.”  

Fortunately, says Ms. Beal, employees are not powerless to change the course of their company and to help create a sane workplace.   “Every person in the workplace is accountable.  No matter what your level, you can play a role in changing the corporate culture by taking responsibility for your own actions, and not simply playing a part in the toxic culture. By recognizing the source of office gossip, cliques, power struggles and ego battles, you can reclaim your authentic power and disengage from the drama. You’ll then have the moral ground and confidence to take a stand for cooperation and teamwork.  You’ll soon find that people will listen and respect your viewpoint.”

In The Tragedy in the Workplace, Ms. Beal offers detailed advice for those trapped in toxic workplaces.  A few of her main points include:
·        Don’t hold others responsible for your feelings, actions and circumstances.
·        Be willing to look at your part in the drama.
·        Don’t compare yourself with others.   
·        Don’t seek personal glory and approval from others.  Let your work speak for itself.
·        Don’t deny or repress your feelings and emotions but face your own inner fears. 
·        Find your inner strength and become a leader instead of a puppet in the drama.
·        Speak out about what’s wrong in your workplace; offer solutions to fix these problems.
·        Cultivate a rich external life. Don’t define yourself solely by what happens at work. 

“America is at a business crossroads, and the health of our economy may ultimately rest upon the health of our workplaces.  The message of my book is that each of us can play a role in shaping a more positive future by our thoughts and deeds,” Ms. Beal says. 

The Tragedy in the Workplace (Destiny Publications, $19.95 suggested retail price) is available at leading bookstores and online booksellers. And at http://www.dbconsulting.com/mall/Order%20Page.asp

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1. __ True __ False   Gossip is an ordinary and accepted form of communication.

2. __ True __False    Management rarely appreciates or encourages new ideas.

3. __True __ False    There is an atmosphere of secrecy and hidden agendas.

4. __True __ False    Workaholism is not only accepted, but encouraged.

5. __True __ False    Competitiveness and power struggles are rampant.

6. __ True __ False    Individuals and departments protect their turf fiercely.

7. __ True __ False    Discrimination (sexual, racial, age, weight, etc.) is common.

8. __ True __ False    Lower-level workers walk on eggshells around management.

9. __ True __ False    Unethical and dishonest behaviors are occurring.

10.__True __ False    Work is not a pleasant and energizing place to be.

11.__ True __ False   Open and honest communication between lower and upper
                                  strata is nonexistent.
12.__ True __ False    White lies, petty theft, and workplace absences are common place.

Scoring:
Tally up the number of True answers. If your score is:
0 – 4 Let the show go on, but work on the rough areas.
5 – 8 This is not a healthy work environment. You organization needs training for a cultural change.
9 – 12 Your workplace story is a tragedy. It’s time for serious leadership training and organizational restoration.
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Article for Public Use
The Great Deception in Leadership
By Danna Beal

What looks like power is often not authentic power.  Leaders operating from artificial power eventually come
tumbling down, as we saw in the corporate scandals. The ego-driven leaders that appeared powerful were
exposed.  The recent debacles demonstrate the intensity of the greed, competition and lack of integrity that can
occur in companies. It appalled and shocked our sensibilities. Yet  similar dramas, in varying degrees, are
occurring in companies everywhere. 

The biggest tragedy is that many organizations will deny this could happen to their own company and cite the mega-crashes as  isolated incidents. This is not true. My audiences and clients from a wide variety of industries, from all parts of the country, openly describe their workplaces as having the following symptoms: dishonesty, power struggles, personal agendas, sabotage, gossip, grandiosity, paranoia, lack of communication, lack of trust and little or no teamwork.

Today, the workplace is a stage for a drama of intertwined egos battling and competing for power.  Managers are dis-empowering employees; co-workers are hurting and sabotaging one another while fear and insecurity are lurking everywhere. Since most people work and spend three fourths of their waking hours in the workplace, this is a critical problem striking the very fabric of the American culture.

Unfortunately, what is dominating management today is what I call “ego-driven” leadership. But it is not clearly evident to most people that the ego-driven leaders are actually operating from insecurity and fear; even those who appear powerful. 

 Believing they will insure their financial success by using dishonorable tactics, these leaders unwittingly, give up their own authentic power and integrity. Their desire to create wealth and power for themselves, at the expense of others, stems from their own deep inadequacies. It is an attempt to convince themselves and others, by grasping for external “props,” that they are invincible. Their schemes, ultimately, will not work and the current crisis in corporate America are visual testimony.

Most leaders and middle managers are afraid someone else could outperform and replace them. So they take on roles to protect their image. Some of the ego-driven roles I see are the following:   Empire Builder, Micro-manager, Fault Finding Leader, Intimidator, Self-Righteous Leader, and Martyr. These leaders douse the spark of creativity, rather than fan it. This kind of false leadership creates fear among those they lead.

Employees and managers alike participate as though they are performers on a stage.  They are drawn into the drama and find it difficult, almost impossible to be out of step from the drama where everyone is playing out their assigned parts.  So great is the fear of losing financial and emotional security, that even in the face of dishonesty, corruption, and inequities, few people will speak up. A few people at the top of an organization cannot take down a whole company. It takes a whole cast of characters, playing out a drama, like puppets on a stage.

As leaders at the top make decisions that primarily benefit themselves, they create an environment where people cannot feel satisfaction and self-worth.  Feeling powerless, employees resort to the symptoms described by my audiences in efforts to bolster their own egos and relieve their fear. This further intensifies the drama, the pain and the suffering. This chain reaction has been going on for decades but it is at an all time high.

What is the remedy for this pervasive problem?

It is time to revolutionize the way we do business in America.   If we don’t heed the opportunity to bring about change, we will continue to see the collapse of companies.  Business leaders must look at their own organizations and more importantly, they must take a fixed look at their own ego and subsequent management style. It is time to stop pointing the finger of blame. It is time for personal responsibility.

Many experts identify the trait that is possessed by truly great leaders, to be the ability to feel compassion and emotion for others. Enlightened leadership is when the spirit in the leader recognizes that same spiritual essence in those they lead.  An authentic leader has the following qualities: vision, trust, honor, commitment, affinity, non-resistance, acceptance, integrity and compassion.  

Enlightened leaders make decisions that benefit all people. Enlightened leaders do not attempt to be superior to others. They understand that it is the participation of everyone that creates the synergy of teamwork and elevates the performance of the entire group.

The key to enlightened leadership is the ability of the leader to look within and discover the limitations and defenses of their own ego.  An enlightened leader understands that aligning with ethical principles rather than the artificial power of the ego will lead to success and satisfaction for all. The cost of the wasted energy in drama and organizational dysfunction is immeasurable.

 The only change that will be long lasting is when, we one by one, begin unraveling the drama of reactions and counter-reactions occurring in the workplace today. It is our ego, our self-created identity that is threatened and hooked into reacting and blaming. But every time we blame someone else we give up our own power and we intensify the drama.

As we restore ourselves to our true identities, and give up casting others as the enemy, we free others to give up their ego defenses. As leaders go through this process, they create a safe environment where people can excel and express their true potential. It is time to bring integrity and personal responsibility to the workplace. It starts with each one of us. It must start now.
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