Feature Article - The Principle of Values Exchange - Maintaining Values Equilibrium - Avoiding Resentment - Contributing to Society and the Environment

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Equilibrium occurs when all acting influences are cancelled by others, resulting in a stable, balanced or unchanging system. Equilibrium is not inactivity, but rather dynamic balance.
Nature exhibits a dynamic drive towards equilibrium. For example, if you enter a warm room in winter, allowing some of the outside cold air in as you enter, that cold air will quickly equalise to a mean temperature, rather than stay as a pocket of cold air.
Similarly, we seek, as humans, a dynamic equilibrium in our work and life, through the exchange of value.

Value however, is a very individual thing. Our traditional currency for value is money. I buy a loaf of bread, and I will pay anywhere from a few dollars to $6 plus. If I am starving, and there is only one loaf to be had, I could pay more for it and still consider that I have been receiving fair value for my money/exchange. There are many other forms of currency. I may have lots of time. Time therefore has less value to me. You, on the other hand, are really busy, and have little available time. Therefore, time becomes a value proposition for you, for which you will willingly pay a premium. I may get vital needs met by taking care of someone. The caretaker role could allow me to feel loved, needed or important. Therefore I spend time willingly as a caretaker, receiving my value exchange in the process.
You may be a creative, and love to work with people on new ideas. Time spent in this domain, which is not part of your paid work, could really nourish your soul, and therefore give you such value that you are happy to do this for free.

However, if the value equilibrium if broken, if the forces of give and take are not neutralised or balanced, then a situation occurs where there is more give, less take, or more take, less give. This situation is unsustainable in the long term, both at the micro level, which occurs between two or more people, and at the macro level, which we are facing in our crisis of global warming. (This is a more complex discussion on the principle of values equilibrium, beyond the scope of this article. In simple terms, we have been, as a human race, taking far more value than we have been giving back, in respect to the earth/gaia/the environment)

For the purpose of this article, we shall look at this through the lens of two people. If one person becomes aware that their value equilibrium is no longer in place, they will experience resentment. Initially, this is a mild form of resentment, however, as the situation continues, the resentment will build and has the potential to become explosive/destructive.

Simple case example, I give of my time in a work situation, for which I am paid an agreed salary. My manager keeps asking me to do more and more tasks, take on more and more responsibility, with out any increase in salary. For some people, this situation would be acceptable. They may be getting their needs met - needs to feel important, to make a contribution, to be a vital team player etc. However, another person who has a high need for family and home life will fairly quickly experience a loss of equilibrium, and will start to feel resentment on an escalating scale.

As leaders and managers, it is crucial that we understand this principle of values equilibrium and be constantly monitoring its status. This would be a KRI we would place in the left hand column, which is a measure of the internal people side of the integral work map. (For reference to Wilber’s quadrants, please see “Integral Spirituality”, by Ken Wilber).

As business owners and people in relationship to other people, it is also very important that we understand this principle, and apply it, regularly monitoring the values equilibrium of the people around you. Is resentment present? If so, the values equilibrium may be out of whack.

In all of our relationships at Syzergy, we work with conscious intent to ensure that the values equilibrium is maintained. We do this by introducing the conversation in very clear terms at the front end of the relationship, ensuring that each party is clear on their role, what is expected of them, and what will be their values exchange. We also request that if the other parties ever feel like the values exchange is moving out of equilibrium, they speak up. This doesn’t mean we take our eye off the ball and step over any sign of resentment. We will revisit the values exchange conversation regularly to be sure all parties are within equilibrium.

Unfortunately our society has slipped into ever increasing levels of entitlement. The ~I deserve~ society. Or, ~I am owed~. Or, pure and simple, ~give me!~. This approach is really a “dis-ease” state, breaking the natural law of dynamic equilibrium, where the equation is strongly pitched to the take side, with almost complete neglect of the give side.

To break this cycle, which is pandemic:

Step 1 is to clean up your own act and get back into values equilibrium-ask yourself what are you giving?, what value are you adding?, whether it be as a tax payer, a volunteer, a conscious recycler, an activist, a philanthropist etc. You may already be doing this.
Step 2 is to coach, teach and train others around you to do the same, or in some extreme cases, accept nothing less.

Want to use this Article in your E-zine or Web site?
You can, as long as you include this complete statement with it: Syzergy dares to care about speaking the truth with compassion. We offer our complete flag ship program Dare to Care, into organisations world wide. We also provide Just in Time Coaching globally. If you would like to have your organisation be one where truth, compassion, respect and care work together, please visit www.syzergy.biz. Be sure to sign up for our free newsletter for more artilces like this one.

Resources, Tools and People We Would Love to Share

Caroline Myss’s audio, Sacred Contracts of America. This is a great audio, with relevance to all of us, not just Americans, particularly given that America affects us all.

For those that love great literature, do have a look at the follow up of the Kite Runner, A Thousand Splendid Suns, by Khaled Hosseini. This is a gut wrenching story about women in Afghanistan. I read it in one sitting and cried for 4 hours. Beautifully written and very important for people in the West to gain any perspective of the plight of people, particularly women, in Afghanistan.

Where in the World is Syzergy?

Having spent the last two weeks on the road, we are happy to be quiet for the next few weeks. There are trips to Albury (NSW/Victorian border), Canberra, Sydney and Melbourne thrown in for good measure.

©2006 Syzergy Pty Ltd    

Established in 1997, Syzergy is an international training and coaching company specialising in enabling people to speak the truth with compassion. Our flagship program, Dare to Care, has been delivered to audiences around the world, to great acclaim. Just in Time Coaching offers coaching solutions to organisations in ajust in time, innovative and efficient way.

Bring the power of truth with compassion into your organisation today!