Facing the Beast
Most organizations are beastly creatures to live with and guide; they have developed power, energy, and intelligence beyond what most of us ever imagined. Many of us pull away from these beasts, automatically assigning them less humanity and heart. We see their primitive power and we stand back from their threat and unpredictability. Our fears often turn to prejudice; we "know" what an organization is before we experience it. Part One is about facing these beasts, facing the truth of their ugliness, and eventually coming to terms with them. It's about taking the early risks that allow us to learn more about organizations and appreciate them for what they are—rather than what we imagine. We are like Belle in the fairy tale, our lives are at risk and we must choose how we are going to see the Beast before us. And we will make her choice: We will proceed with the belief that there is something deeper here, something to be appreciated, if we open ourselves to it. This is a courageous step full of faith, and we may not be rewarded as Belle was. We may not live happily ever after. After all, what we are living is not a fairy tale.
Organizations are with us and will be with us as long as we humans exist. Face it; face them. Imagine throwing your arms around this huge, powerful, hairy creature you call the organization.… Imagine looking it in the eye, knowing it deeply, finding what there is to appreciate. Read this part of the book with the intent of looking deeply. And, while looking at the organization, take a good look at yourself, notice the eyes through which you see organizations. We each use our view of organizations to define and judge them. What is the view you hold?
My view is that the beginning of the beauty we aspire to is here; we just have to see it. The path to the organization we dream about runs through the door of the organization we live in; we must walk it. There is no transporting ourselves to a new and more perfect organizational world. This is it. This is as perfect as worlds come. So we begin here, holding our dreams and living with the reality. Whatever we will do to move ourselves or this organization in the direction of our aspirations will begin right here. This is a hard truth to swallow when we are deep in our disdain for, or hatred of, or revulsion for, an organization. This is not a truth we want to hear. But it is the truth: Face the Beast.
