"Yes, by all means, let's get a consultant in here to help us find balance after our down-sizing, reorganization, or merger." My experience is that people are usually eager, after a tangible shift, to have help sorting through the rubble to return to (or initiate) a sense of teamwork and mutual respect. They start with a reasonable understanding of why teamwork is lacking, and they know what the hoped for outcome of restored cooperation looks like and feels like. What's generally not bargained for is the deep, honest, vulnerable look at the self that is essential to achieve reliable, trustworthy connections.

Let's start with deep. This is a process of knowing oneself. Probably all of us can say we know ourselves to a certain degree. We know, for instance, what we are good at, the kinds of skills we have developed and levels of competence that we have achieved. Some of us have addressed the question of whether we enjoy what we are doing. Are we where we want to be? Did we bypass some aspect of our work that thrilled us, captivated us, energized us, only to reach a level of advancement that we find vaguely dissatisfying? As we listen deeply to the answers that our inner knowing offers, it may shed some light on how we are participating in the organization's upheaval.

Honesty is required as we go forward in our exploration of how we interact with the people we work with and the projects at hand. Asking ourselves honestly what we can do to restore harmony in a tumultuous or high pressure work environment requires that we drop all defenses and admit our shortcomings. We don't necessarily have to admit them to others (although as leaders this is not only a breath of fresh air, but can be a powerful motivator), it is, however important to admit imperfections to ourselves. When we experience this level of honesty, we're more apt to be gentle with ourselves and others when we perform less than brilliantly—even mediocre. It is this gentleness that is summoned during a time of tumult and change. Being gentle doesn't mean we relax into nonchalance. We can earnestly stay on course, with conviction and urgency equipping our sails, all the while interacting with one another kindheartedly.

Vulnerability means having the courage to be sincere in your connections with others and speak from the heart. It is the intention to share openly, unburdened by secrets. When one adopts vulnerability, one has nothing to prove and nothing to hide. It is the open sharing that is only done after one's motives are closely examined. If one decides to "be vulnerable and share something" they may have never shared before, it is essential that there is no hidden motive to hurt or embarrass another, or even to "get them to admit" something you think they should. The truest sense of vulnerability is to concede one's own humanness in the name of creating a safe place for others to do the same.

The winds of change can indeed feel like a typhoon. And if there is any hope of restoring a sense of cooperation and camaraderie, each individual must take it upon him/herself to turn inward and find the courage to look deep, and reveal themselves with honesty and vulnerability. It is only from this place that synergy can occur. When it does, peoples' minds, ideas and spirits unite. Intimacy occurs spontaneously. People feel free to risk, because the environment maintains that no one is right or wrong. There are limits, to be sure, but people are invited to explore options and offer their good ideas. Those who participate honestly, feel the storm winds relent, and experience a sea cruise that they never fathomed possible.