Swimming against the current

Change, as many of us know, is most of the time unwelcome. Much as we always tell each other that nothing in life is constant but change, we ourselves refuse to.

This is a major hurdle, especially when the task is to bring trust and openness in a work place.

Lucky are the work places where trust is strong, where its leaders hold each other to high levels of integrity and expect nothing less from every member. I’d say, this is Sun.Star Davao. While there may be some miscreants who snitch and accept bribes, sooner or later, the misdoing will be brought to the attention of the chief. That was me before. Now it’s RJ. The company brandished its integrity as its competitive edge and the public expected nothing less. Thus, anything that is perceived as not is brought to the attention of the leader. Sometimes, given the Filipino penchant not to stir up trouble, the information would come much later. Still, the information about the misdoing would indeed find its way to the people who can do something about it.

That is not so in every organization. Most of the time, those up there in the hierarchy are the most difficult to accept change.

We see that everywhere, including this Administration where the mantra that brought it in was all about Change. Who’re the first ones to resist? The guys who are so used to the benefits of being up there in the hierarchy of power and privilege.

The same can be seen in the rat race we call corporate life. “The trouble with the rat race is that even if you win, you’re still a rat,” said actress Lily Tomlin, and it’s true.

Thus many imbibe the ways of the rat, where you nibble your way up like the rat that you have identified with. Sleep with the boss, destroy the person that blocks your race, or just look at everyone as a potential rat, while the comfortable few just don’t care, content with the morsels they are getting.

What suffers? The organization. What is destroyed first? Communication.

Don’t worry, you’re not alone. This rat race the corporate world identified with, the competitive individualism it nurtured, has created a subculture of distrust and indifference up and down the hierarchy. That is a sad place to be in. But like many realities... this need not be so. It will be very difficult, but it’s not the first time that a culture of cooperation and trust has been established. Meaning, once you’ve figured it out, you’re not going to reinvent the wheel, you will just change tires, buy a new car, or fire the driver. The most important step is acknowledging the need to change. It. Is. Not. Going. To. Be. Easy.