27 November 2014

Guest Blog: Get what you want and stop wasting time

All the world's a stage,
And all the men and women merely players;
They have their exits and their entrances,
And one man in his time plays many parts,
His acts being seven ages.

Nowhere is the quote from Shakespeare's As You Like It more evident than in the exchange that takes place between job seeker, recruiter, and client (more often than not, Human Resources). The reality is, we are all the lead actor in our own production, and quite often we play a role in someone else's.

The person that we project to be, the one that other people experience, is not the true self. It is an identity that is constructed from a lifetime of positive and negative experiences, belief systems, and attitudes that we've adopted. For most, self-preservation is paramount, and the ego is in charge.

The problem is, collectively we don't acknowledge that we are projecting a 'version' of ourselves that is not necessarily reflective of our subconscious needs, wants and truths. The net result is, we end up in situations we don't want to be in, and we don't live up to the expectations we encouraged those around us to have. We routinely misrepresent ourselves, and we don't even realise it.

This problem is not limited to individuals. It is also prevalent in groups of people who collectively form the identity of a 'company', and believe their conduct will be imbued with the nobility of the words theycarefullyselected to form their 'vision and values'. Unfortunately, it is the collection of individual actions that create a corporate culture and identity, not a handful of colourful words hanging in the foyer.

Whether the recruiter is part of an internal function or an external agency, the term 'middle man' accurately describes their role in joining two parties - the job seeker and the client. Is the recruiter responsible when the partnership doesn't work out? If they lied, hid information or faked test results, sure. Is this usually the case? No. The breakdown will often occur when the honeymoon is over, and one or both parties cannot live up to the projection that was 'sold' during the courtship.  

The thing to remember is that this misrepresentation is not even necessarily deliberate. People usually believe that what they are saying is true, because they'd like it to be so. There just isn't any point in selling a candidate on your approach to empowering direct reports, when the incumbent resigned due to micromanagement. Equally, if there is something in the job description you have no intention of doing, don't intimate that you like to 'get your hands dirty' and 'enjoy the detail'. You will not live up to the 'version of you' that you are projecting. 

So how do we get what we want and stop wasting people's time? We erode the ego, dissolve belief systems and interrogate our idea of 'self'. Who are we, and how did we come to be this way? The fastest, and certainly the most controversial way of doing this, is via the use of psychoactive substances.

The Amazonian plant brew 'Ayahuasca' has been used for centuries by Shaman to produce a modified state of consciousness, during which the subject will often have great insight, and come to revelations about their life and their purpose here on this planet. This non-addictive and non-toxic substance is locally referred to as a medicine, and not the 'drug' it is labelled in the West.  

Interestingly, the molecule contained within the ayahausca brew that is responsible for the psychedelic state, is closely related to the neurotransmitter serotonin. What's even more bizarre is that this molecule, known as DMT, is prolific in plants and animals and is also produced in the human brain.

So our Earth secretes plant material that contains a molecule that is capable of producing modified states of consciousness, which can help people reconcile their trueself…and this same chemical is endogenous to the human brain. Whether this relationship between humans and plants as a 'lock and key' is the result of anintelligent designor evolution, anything capable of radical transformative effects is worthy of exploration.

Having worked in HR and recruitment for over 7 years, I am now acutely aware that I have participated in thousands of pantomimes during the recruitment process. I have given the company spiel that did not reflect my direct experience, and I have chosen politeness over calling candidates and clients out on their advanced states of delusion.

If you are unable to fly to Peru to drink ayahuasca in the Amazon jungle, the message is this:

Be honest. Reflect on what you actually want. If you play the role and say all the right things so you land yourself a job, or fill that overdue vacancy, like any relationship based on lies…at best you are deferring a future breakup.

Julian spent 7 years working for mining and construction companies in the field of HR before relocating to Peru as the Operations Manager for a Shamanic Healing Center in the Amazon Basin. To learn more about Ayahuasca Shamanism visit www.refugioaltiplano.net or contact Julian here.