We spend much of our life in the pursuit of and the doing of “work”.
Work can provide us the grist for maintaining a livelihood, developing a career, and personal satisfaction and growth. At the core of this pursuit are the underlying goals to discover and develop who we are; to engage in relationships with other people to express a common humanity and unique diversity; and to actualize a sense of meaning and purpose through service to a good beyond yourself.
First, through the work we do we can develop and become who we are. In the world of work we are required to explore our attitudes, beliefs and values, to test our skills, to learn what we don’t know, expand our limits and boundaries, and solidify a sense of self. Second, we are given the unique opportunity to interact with a diverse range of people who we may never have otherwise met through our friendships, families and community. The workplace, on a daily basis, forces us to negotiate and complement a range of styles and competencies, confront prejudices and biases, resolve conflicts of communication and perspective, and grapple to maintain our own integrity while teaming with others.
Third, perhaps the greatest challenge, is finding meaning, value, and reward in the contribution we make to an organization in which we may play only a very small role. We work in environments operating under constant change, multiple levels of authority and decision making, and we may discover that we have little control over what we might otherwise think of as our own individual destiny.   So, the question becomes –can we approach work from the perspective of an ongoing quest to maintain awareness of our internal processes while coming to terms with what in our experience nurtures our and what we must move through or beyond?
On this path you can challenge yourself to:
- Explore the multi-layered dimensions of self-awareness that interweave into how you “show up†in what you do.
- Explore your essential values, beliefs, assumptions and diversity as you confront inner and outer conflicts that affect your ability to more intimately and deeply connect with yourself and others.
- Develop a plan to actualize your sense of purpose and expression of service through ongoing awareness and practice
Michael Baroff is an organizational effectiveness and workforce development consultant and coach with over 25 years experience serving a wide-range of business, government, and nonprofit clients. He is known for his ability to design and facilitate inclusive, participative, flexible and enriching learning experiences that help individuals and groups enhance awareness in order to take positive action to achieve results. Michael is the author of The Inner Work of Work (Berrett-Koehler, 2000), has taught at the Esalen Institute, and is an adjunct consultant with the Employment Training Network and the Graduate School USA, and is a former President of the Los Angeles Chapter of the American Society for Training and Development (ASTD).
Michael is conducting a 4-session distance learning course on the Inner Work of Work through the Entheos Academy beginning 9/18/12.
Contact Michael at MBaroff@iwow.biz  Â
Website:Â www.iwow.biz
