Corporate 12 Step Program

Hi,

My Name is Kris and I used to work for large corporations. But I’m in recovery. This all came back the other day after interviewing a prospective student. Her story reconnected me with the deep feelings of insecurity and dependence that I associate with the large corporate environment. Her story was compelling. She is an intelligent person with a lot to offer, but the management of the company was making her feel inferior and undermining her self-respect and self-esteem.

She had been reduced to an obedient, and dis-empowered, employee who was more focused on keeping her job than in doing what she knew would help the company. The situation was draining her life force and creativity as she kept her head down, afraid to speak up or make suggestions that could lead to improvements in the company. The fear of negative reactions had stolen her strength.

As I was driving home it all came back. I remembered the managers who would take credit for other people’s contributions, blame the people who reported to them whenever something failed and played politics to make other people look bad. This behavior was more in some companies than others, but it highlights the basic dysfunction of the large corporate environment. At the core is the shift to seeing the competition for promotion as other people in the company rather than following a mission to improve the world.

Departments competed against other departments and employees and managers were always fighting to get to the top or prevent others from getting ahead of them. The large company setting created insulation between the work to be done and the results. Therefore most employees focused on “playing the game” instead of fulfilling the mission. I didn’t function well in that environment. I pointed out ways we could improve and managers would take my ideas as their own and would prevent me from talking to people who could have made a difference. I was treated as a threat and my enthusiasm and self-esteem were ridiculed. It was painful and took me years to forget. But I will always remember the day I left and felt like I could finally breathe again. It was like climbing out of a swamp. I was a mess from the experience but with every step, I grew stronger.

Eventually, I was able to reconnect with my creativity. It took years of Polarity sessions to recover my confidence and self-esteem but over time it returned. And eventually, the feelings of dread and fear were replaced by the daily feeling of waking up with great opportunities to grow every day. However, I also still remember the feeling of leaving the illusion of the safety net of the large corporation.

At first, it was scary to not have the routine or the structure. But as I watched my friends get laid off I realized that the safety net was only an illusion. It became clear that the promises that were made and the benefits that were promoted were based on fear. The term “golden handcuffs” was very appropriate. Insecurity was fed and expanded to maintain the addiction. The realization of the personal price paid for being addicted to the large company benefits and indoctrination is hard to describe until you experience something different. But for those who are able to break free and experience themselves as the source of their creativity and security, freedom has a new meaning. It’s soul freedom that is hard to imagine. But it is one of the most important freedoms we have. And this freedom is at the core of true prosperity. Prosperity and being a slave do not go together. Prosperity thrives in a culture of freedom. So what do you need to make the change?

So that’s all there is to it. The question you have to ask is this: If I do nothing to change, how is my life going to change 5 years from now. If I do nothing, what will change? The answer is almost always, nothing changes. Your life is just more of the same. The only difference is that you are more tired, frustrated, beat down and discouraged with every year that passes. I wish you great experiences and prosperity as you take control and change your life.

Sincerely,
Kris Stecker,
President Spa Tech Institute
P.S. I look forward to your questions and comments.

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