The Stage of Work E-Book

BRIAN GROVES

• Herausgeber: EDUCatt
• Kategorie: Geisteswissenschaft
• Sprache: Englisch
• Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2023

Beschreibung

The idea of studying specifically the workplace as the stage of performance is perhaps a natural extension of the theme initiated back in 2009 with the publication of Training through drama for work3 and continued throughout my subsequent books to date.4 With emphasis on living and working to our potential, some ideas here were origianlly produced as input for my personal blog5 during the period July 2015-June 2016. Whilst the aforementioned series of books have made reference to a number of key sources – including although not limited to Co-Active Coaching: new skills for coaching people toward success in work and life,6 Emotional Intelligence,7 The Inner Game of Work: Focus, Learning, Pleasure, and Mobility in the Workplace8 and Winning!,9 – The presentation of self in everyday life by Erving Goffman10 remains a text deserving special mention for this latest book. Despite being first published in 1959, the notions put forward within its pages still hold learning for us all today. Detailing particular aspects of work-related performance in the opening chapters here, one of the four Co-Active Coaching cornerstones of the CTI organization, creator of Co-Active Coaching, namely “The client is naturally creative, resourceful, and whole”, is a central stake for further words to be attached to. To explore The Stage of Work from the position of the performer, four interviews involving five industrious people are included in the fourth chapter. The interviewees – two based in the United States of America and three operating in the United Kingdom – provide insight into modern working practices and interesting personal perspectives.

Leseprobe

This work has been published with a contribution from the Fondazione Cariplo

Questo volume è stato pubblicato con il contributo della Fondazione Cariplo

© 2016EDUCatt - Ente per il Diritto allo Studio Universitario dell’Università Cattolica

Largo Gemelli 1, 20123 Milan - tel. [phone] - fax [phone]

e-mail: [email protected] (production); [email protected] (distribution)

web: www.educatt.it/libri

ISBN: 978-88-9335-062-4

ISBN ePub: 978-88-9335-086-0

AIE’s member – Associazione Italiana Editori

Cover: graphic design Studio Editoriale EDUCatt

Cover image created with an application

available at http://www.wordle.net/

© 2014 Jonathan Feinberg

Contents

List of illustrations

Acknowledgements

Introduction

Universality of work

– The basics

– The details

Our outlook

– On life

– On work

– On ourselves

– On others

– On time

Positioned simply

Chapter 1Rehearsing the role/part

Connecting with the role/part

– Exploring choices

Developing ourselves

Facing challenges

– Creative solutions

Breakthrough

– Ready for business

Chapter 2Performing

The first act

The second act

The final act

Chapter 3Audience reaction

First moment

Listening

Extracting learning

Moving forward

Chapter 4Four performance case studies

Performing where required

Performing globally

Performing locally

Performing from the heart

Conclusion

Concluding

The next step

Select bibliography

Index of names

List of illustrations

1. The stage door, Theatre Royal, Brighton, England, 2014.

(Photo: Donatella Tomassone) 23

2. Setting the stage, Modena, Italy, 2016.

(Photo: Donatella Tomassone) 24

3. Delivery man, Modena, Italy, 2016.

(Photo: Donatella Tomassone) 43

4. Country pub, Small Dole, England, 2016.

(Photo: Donatella Tomassone) 43

5. Bowls match, Southwick, England, 2015.

(Photo: Donatella Tomassone) 57

6. Community festival band, Shoreham, England, 2014.

(Photo: Donatella Tomassone) 57

7. Air show audience, Bari, Italy, 2015.

(Photo: Carmelina Maselli) 71

8. Sea watchers, Hove, England, 2013.

(Photo: Donatella Tomassone) 71

9. Taxi stand, Hove, England, 2016.

(Photo: Donatella Tomassone) 93

10. Eric Wentworth, aka Dharmachari Rijupatha, Newmarket, USA, 2016.

(Photo: supplied by Eric Wentworth) 93

11. Caroline Jameson and Stuart Jameson, Rottingdean, England, 2015.

(Photo: Luke Churcher) 94

12. K.L. Belvin, New York, USA, 2015.

(Photo: supplied by K.L. Belvin) 94

13. Cleaning the stage, Teatro Storchi, Modena, Italy, 2013.

(Photo: Brian Groves) 102

14. End of the summer season, Brighton, England, 2016.

(Photo: Donatella Tomassone) 103

For Giuseppe Gario,for coaching me, for mentoring meand for lending me Zen in the art of archery1many years ago.

1E. Herrigel, with an introduction by D.T. Suzuki, translated by R.F.C. Hull, Zen in the art of archery (New York: Vintage Books, 1989).

Acknowledgements

As with my previous books, the following people have played a crucial part in supporting me with their presence, ideas and feedback during the development process of this work: Donatella Tomassone, Patricia Groves, Sheena Groves, Carmelina Maselli, Annamaria Cascetta, Antonella Forsinetti, Giuseppe Gario and Giuseppe Tomassone.

For the cases studies forming chapter four, in sharing their time and valuable insight Tim Lavy, Caroline Jameson, Stuart Jameson, Eric Wentworth and K.L. Belvin have brought the idea of performing on various stages of work to life.

Heartfelt gratitude to you all.

Introduction

Different people find meaning in different things. We may find our calling in starting up a business, working in a homeless shelter, raising children, practicing medicine, or making furniture. The important thing is that we choose our purpose in accordance with our own values and passions rather than conforming to others’ expectations.2

The idea of studying specifically the workplace as the stage of performance is perhaps a natural extension of the theme initiated back in 2009 with the publication of Training through drama for work3and continued throughout my subsequent books to date.4 With emphasis on living and working to our potential, some ideas here were origianlly produced as input for my personal blog5 during the period July 2015-June 2016.

Whilst the aforementioned series of books have made reference to a number of key sources – including although not limited to Co-Active Coaching: new skills for coaching people toward success in work and life,6Emotional Intelligence,7The Inner Game of Work: Focus, Learning, Pleasure, and Mobility in the Workplace8 and Winning!,9 – The presentation of self in everyday life by Erving Goffman10 remains a text deserving special mention for this latest book. Despite being first published in 1959, the notions put forward within its pages still hold learning for us all today.

Detailing particular aspects of work-related performance in the opening chapters here, one of the four Co-Active Coaching cornerstones of the CTI organization, creator of Co-Active Coaching, namely “The client is naturally creative, resourceful, and whole”, is a central stake for further words to be attached to.

To explore the stage of work from the position of the performer, four interviews involving five industrious people are included in the fourth chapter. The interviewees – two based in the United States of America and three operating in the United Kingdom – provide insight into modern working practices and interesting personal perspectives.

Universality of work

It might be wise to first set out what is being referred to by the term ‘universality of work’. Rather than limit the definition of work to one associated to just a couple of categories of employment, salaried staff or casual worker for example, each and every form of occupation – paid or unpaid, for profit or undertaken as a volunteer – are included here. The so-called performance skills outlined in Performance skills at work11 have relevance for all undertakings linked to the giving of our best whilst we go about ‘working’. As people skills, they are useful instruments for everyone’s toolbox. Sooner or later we will need to apply one, some or all of these items to assist us in delivering our potential on the stage of work.

From a work perspective, the stage is as large or small as our imagination. The universality of work is such that we are no longer restricted to a single location to enact our rehearsed performance. Technology, coupled with a big vision mindset, truly gives us the opportunity to be present anywhere and everywhere we choose to be. The digitalization of our creative output ensures it is stored, transferred and transmitted in any number of formats throughout the world, oftentimes without us realizing this is the case.

Setting aside issues regarding pay, hours and general conditions of employment – valid points worthy of consideration nonetheless – we could ponder whether work is work when we are engaged in an activity we love doing. Is it fair to say we are working as we go about researching some information if data gathering provides a stimulating challenge to us? Being up to our knees in brambles as we clear the garden for a loved one, yet feeling so alive, does not seem right labelled as ‘work’. The enjoyment we obtain from a variety of roles possibly gives to the idea of work a new perspective. Our attitude to whatever it is we are dealing with right now, in terms of how we are spending the so-called working day, perhaps holds the key to how we perceive the task in question. Work is work, yes, but we need not fall into the negative thinking of others and automatically dismiss this time of our life as being just a moment to ‘get through’. We can embrace it and, in doing so, might find we are happy wherever we are and however we are using time. As each endeavour usually consists of a couple of fundamental components, the basics and the details, these can be examined now.

– The basics

Getting the basics sorted gives us the opportunity to move onto the details in a smooth and measured manner. The basics might be the initial training and practice at the start of an assignment. These items have their own timetable. Though we could be tempted to jump straight into a project, it is invariably a false time-saver. With the basics in place, the performance can flow. Without the basics being in place, our performance will most likely be ‘hit and miss’ at best. In terms of personal development, the basics may be the answers we give to a number of key questions about our objectives and how we wish to implement our potential. To what extent are we happy with our current situation? What do we gain by being where we are? In which way would life be different if we were to listen more to our heart? How are we prepared to ensure our true self is, or stays, at the centre of our existence? Even if the basics are not always easy items to work with, they provide a foundation for further growth.

How we feel about something, or someone, often depends on the moment together with a whole host of supporting factors. What is good for this moment may be poor for that one and vice versa. Absolutes appear rare in today’s world. Handling successfully challenges and opportunities alike often comes down to individual input. Great strides taking us forward are found at times only after we have taken two steps backwards. Clarity of choices arrives with the courage to choose, so to speak. Giving ourselves time to explore an issue is oftentimes crucial. On the one hand it could be right for us to just ‘live the moment’, letting go of wanting to analyse away what is before us. On the other hand, reflection allows us to see so much more of an issue. Finding the right balance is itself a basic question of perspectives.

– The details

Our approach towards life, and specifically work, impacts significantly on what we bring each day to our place of work. It might be we are enthusiastic and motivated by the daily challenges. This will most likely be the case when we are engaged in an activity aligned to not only our interests, but also our skills and training. Seeing the schedule as an opportunity to test our abilities, learn new methods of giving our best and being able to stretch ourselves into new areas of development are, in themselves, stimuli for many of us.

For some other workers the occasion to perform at an ever-higher level is not an important consideration. What matters is the security and stability afforded by the position. Repetition of work, routine inconveniences and limited scope to move beyond the highly regulated structure managed by supervisors, team leaders and so forth, are seen merely as parts of work itself.

In either case, our mindset represents an indication of how we live the workday. Risking the indignation of those bothered by generalizations, thirty things we ideally bring to the workplace – besides homemade sandwiches and a cup of coffee from our favourite high street coffee bar – can be set out.

Thirty Things We Ideally Bring To The Workplace

01) A clear notion of who we are.

02) A desire to be heard.

03) A full set of professional goals.

04) A sense of humour.

05) A willingness to embrace change.

06) An ability to live fully.

07) An abundant appreciation for life.

08) An understanding of our life purpose.

09) Authenticity.

10) Connectivity with the present.

11) Creativity.

12) Curiosity.

13) Determination.

14) Discipline.

15) Endless joy regarding the beauty of life.

16) Energy.

17) Experience.

18) Fierce courage to live our values.

19) Heartfelt personal goals.

20) Hope for the future.

21) Interpersonal abilities.

22) Intuition.

23) Mindfulness of the moment.

24) Patience.

25) Personal competences.

26) Respect for others.

27) Respect for the past.

28) Self-respect.

29) The capacity to learn.

30) Tranquillity.

On the one hand our desired path – aligned with our values and life purpose and set out through thrilling goals – may be guiding us each day in our efforts. On the other hand, society and so-called ‘popular opinion’ often suggest we should be following a path towards an immediate gain. Being able to resist instant gratification to achieve our true, heartfelt, objectives is itself a part of our ultimate success. We might be surprised by how difficult this is in practice, especially as it represents ‘the road less travelled’. However, happiness obtained by living our potential as we go about working towards our goals is much deeper than happiness that quick wins usually offer. Of course, each person gets to choose according to what is best for himself or herself. No judgement concerning any particular direction is intended. We all know our own situation and immediate needs.

• Clearing the decks

The action of organizing ourselves, our schedule and our resources is a crucial element of the preparatory phase of any performance. Clearing the decks could loosely refer to those activities we undertake to ensure we deliver our best efforts when called upon to do so. We might need to mentally step away from the clutter of our daily routine to focus attention and energy. Possibly a spot of actual tidying and clearing is called for in or around the workspace. Unfinished tasks and assignments could be abandoned, delegated to colleagues or merely put aside for completion at a later date. Although still popular in certain quarters, as has been expressed elsewhere,12 multitasking rarely produces satisfactory results for those engaging in this action. “Even the common habit of combining mealtimes with business transactions or serious conversation involves a damaging conflict of emotional and physical energies that often manifests in the form of indigestion or even ulcers.”13 Spending time ‘sharpening the saw’, to borrow an expression from Stephen Richards Covey (1932-2012),14 is a way of preparing ourselves fully ahead of the upcoming cue to take our place centre stage.