A call for the corporate sector to make a change…and heal.

When I worked at a top radio station in New York City, I had a wonderful job with high visibility, a lot of perks, and a great schedule. It was a position that was very hard to leave, but that’s exactly what I did nine years ago, when my contract was up for renewal. I feared the future of music radio would become limited… and limiting. So, I took a deep breath and a leap of faith, choosing to leave a great job that spanned over two decades. I was brave, if nothing else.

I declined the contract offered to me with respect and assumed that respect would be shown to me, as well. I thought the management team would, at the very least, reach out to wish me well, and to acknowledge in some way, the years I had been part of the company.

That assumption proved to be way off. In fact, I never heard from anyone from management, and I discovered that my presence on the station’s website was deleted within 24 hours of my decision to leave. I was asked not to return to finish the last three days of the year and that my personal belongings would be packed up and mailed to me. That was it. 24 years, and all that I had to show for it was hastily packed items in boxes.

It made me feel as if I were a criminal, or had something to be ashamed of. Even more brutal behavior had been applied toward people who were let go. I had heard stories about individuals who were fired, escorted down the hall and out of the building, and not even allowed to go back into their office to retrieve a purse. They were just swiftly eliminated.

This kind of corporate behavior enraged me. It was harsh and totally un-necessary. Those who shrug and say, “that’s the way it has always been” instead of examining company practices, seem to me to be followers who don’t  know how to look toward new ideas.

I felt passionate about how corporate entities could start to make changes in a positive manner, finding innovative ways for dealing with their personnel. That is surely a form of healing.

And so now, let’s examine what it means to heal.

Healing for me means being around forward thinking, creative business people who recognize and embrace the idea that their personnel are their most precious resources.
Healing means tapping into our intuition, and being moved and inspired by successful business people who are also highly humanistic, understanding that both qualities are not mutually exclusive.

Last year, I attended and hosted The Healing Summit in Berlin, Germany. There, I met amazing company founders with deep convictions on issues like conservation, sustainability, giving back, and most importantly, turning away from business practices that are old school.

The Fourth Annual Healing Summit, produced by Healing Hotels of the World, is once again set to take place this March in Berlin. It is open to anyone who is looking for inspiration, guidance, sharing and learning how to do business while doing good.

Healing is necessary to get past “the way things have always been done” so that we can open our minds, and our hearts, at the very same time.

For more information on The Healing Summit go to: http://healingsummit.org/
For Healing Hotels of the World info: http://healinghotelsoftheworld.com/