Power Used, Abused, and So Misused
ROFESSIONAL RELATIONS as part of a hierarchical structure re-flect a struggle for power. Contest and competitions are useful and necessary to test and cultivate abilities. In delib-erations and negotiations, you may want to seize control. You have to tread carefully, however, because the toes you step on today may be connected to the feet you will have to worship tomorrow.
How can you achieve power that becomes part of your character rather than something that can be taken away or lost? White Col-lar Zen seeks to cCol-larify the notion,
• Power, use it or lose it—but don’t abuse it.
In the popular TV series Dallas, Jock Ewing usually left con-trol of the family oil business in the hands of the cold-blooded, Machiavellian son, J. R., a character all America loved to hate. J. R.
explained his recipe for success: “The first step is to give up integ-rity. After that, it’s a piece of cake.” In one episode, J. R. got in hot water and Jock handed over the reins to the idealistic son Bobby.
Not used to having power, Bobby quickly managed to overstep
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his bounds and he was called on the carpet. When Bobby de-fended himself on the grounds that he’d been given the power to make decisions, Jock grabbed him by the collar and said,
• I gave you the power? Then you ain’t got nothin’, boy. Power’s not something you’re given. It’s something you take.
In Zen, however, power is neither given nor taken. Nor does it represent the accumulation of assets. Power is not a matter of adding up years of experience, education credentials, rank or sta-tus. It should not be captured by intimidation. Real and endur-ing power comes through strength of character and genuine self-confidence stemming from an unpremeditated display of dignity and eagerness to accept responsibility.
The less you demand power, because you have risen above the concerns of ego, the more you command the respect and admira-tion of colleagues, who recognize the impact of your words and deeds. The more you transcend the mundane world, the more effectively you are able to operate within it. The hidden spiritual side, like the roots of a tree that are concealed from view, is essen-tial for the trunks and branches of professional life to thrive.
Rather than holding sway over others, obstacles are overcome and momentum built through the mutual benefits of constructive interpersonal engagement.
White Collar Zen attains power by cultivating the inner self and its sense of mastery over the flow of events to foster coopera-tion and positive change. In Japan, instead of saying, “Good luck,”
people tell each other, “Work hard!” implying that opportunities are created from within. However, true power in Zen is not de-rived from your accomplishments alone. You must look beyond your own vantage point to take in the greater well-being of the community. Neither defeat nor victory is seen as personal, so fail-ure and success alike can be taken in stride.
An organization is a vehicle for creative expression, which can bring goals to fruition. Entering into an organizational structure
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is invigorating because it provides avenues of command that en-able you to create and fulfill a vision. But all too often, the struc-ture presents a labyrinthine path leading only to frustration. It fosters a Kafkaesque feeling of helplessness by generating expec-tations that cannot be met, given limiexpec-tations in resources or ob-structions that often seem senseless.
When a problem arises in your bailiwick that seems to be caused by inefficiency or confusion in the system, further impediments are often thrown in your path by the bureaucratic structure, which seems hellbent to frustrate attempts to find a remedy. This is the Catch-22 of the professional sphere. Once disturbed, the machin-ery of red tape and triplicate forms appears determined, as if it had a mind of its own, to preserve the status quo. It gives no sup-port or solace to those who might disturb its inertia, even—or especially—when their aim is correction and reform. This kind of inflexibility and resistance to change is thought to be part of the reason for the downfall of the Japanese corporate system, but it is found in every organization.
The very structure that represents freedom invariably becomes a source of constraint, even a kind of prison. You seek to travel a path toward greater accomplishments and rewards and end up trudging along to and from the dungeon of despair. Procedures, routines, and rules of etiquette and protocol can be daunting for the novice. Hierarchy based on credentials, background, experi-ence, service, seniority, salary, rank, and connections blocks up-ward mobility. Casting about for solutions, you know that the clock is ticking and that you will be the one held responsible for any fail-ure or decline in productivity, or loss of prestige and momentum.
Reacting from emotion means that you may be doomed to alienate possible supporters and create a vicious cycle of disillusion and defeat. Yet logic alone does not provide effective solutions.
Senpai had a friend who was named supervisor of a special account in a financial management firm. This was a substantial promotion she had been seeking for a long time, with a new title,
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office space, personnel, and additional perks and resources. She felt that she had been elevated to Daimyo status, in that she was now a kind of midlevel samurai overseeing underlings though still subservient to the supreme commander or Shogun. She soon learned, however, that the account was fashioned by earmarks and claims, contingencies and hidden subdivisions, and held the potential for considerable shortfall. Moreover, she found herself under pressure from various colleagues, who sought more con-sultation before she made commitments on certain segments of the account that affected the overall budget.
Shortly after taking over, her “Ronin complex” began to kick in. Looking at the computer screen one fine morning, she real-ized the budget was minus X thousands of dollars that were there the day before. Several initiatives might have to be delayed or ter-minated, even though the funds existed in principle. Or did they?
Was this a clerical or accounting error that could be easily cor-rected, or evidence of significant miscommunication or disagree-ment? Had she been misled as to the extent of her authority? When she inquired, she received no clear answer. The accountants could only tell her what was in or not in the budget. Others consulted indicated that the jurisdiction was in fact hers. A round of in-quiries went nowhere fast. Feeling powerless, she wondered about the intentions of those who seemed to stand in her path and ob-struct a resolution. Promoted to a spot at the heart of the organi-zation, she nonetheless felt that she had been cut off from or abandoned by the very structure that was sustaining her.
To explain human motives Zen draws on traditional Chinese and Japanese folk tales. The causes of frustration and failure are illustrated with fables about magical shape-shifting foxes. In Asia, the mythical Fox is the primary symbol of how you can become entangled in a web of misunderstanding. The Fox, which appears to its unwitting victim in human form, represents the miasma of deception and duplicity that brings with it self-doubt and
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trates the pursuit of aspirations. It generally comes to someone who is vulnerable because of a flaw of character, such as a way-ward mate, errant priest or disloyal warrior, all of whom betray a code of honorable behavior. The Fox is a symbol of undesirable tendencies, such as chasing after unattainable aims while leaving important parts of life unattended.
Along with Foxes who deceive, however, there are always Bud-dhas who are eager to support, not because of personal ties or loyalty, but because they objectively evaluate the merits and de-merits of a situation. Yet Buddhas may remain obscure and un-recognized. Both the Fox and the Buddha are often disguised and each tries to pass as the other for strategic purposes. Distinguish-ing between them is a valuable skill. As decisions hang in the bal-ance, the Unmoving Mind is a tool to separate truth or authenticity from illusion or untruth. Illusion renders you vulnerable to anxi-ety and confusion and unable to react to critical situations with clarity and lucidity.
What is unique about folklore in East Asia is that good and evil are always intertwined so that it is important to see one side mani-fested in the midst of the reverse tendency. The Fox’s functions need not be entirely negative. The experience of illusion can also have a positive side, representing a challenge that can inspire. Learn-ing to unlearn bad habits is essential for success. When the Fox is transformed from a sign of inner weakness or vulnerability, the Buddha emerges as a positive image that represents the restoration of character through the discovery of strengths.
In contrast to what is portrayed in typical myth and legend, the Zen standpoint is that external factors are not really outside of you but are to be considered a reflection of interior levels of understanding, whether delusory or enlightened. Since all people harbor the potential to display the Fox-side or the Buddha-side of their innermost nature, these images in the exterior world are inseparable from inner character.
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