Shifting Toxic Workplace Culture: Part 1 – From Squabbling Seagull to Navy SEAL By Virgina Robin

A 4 part series to bring coherence back into the workplace

I recently had the most educational experience, in both overseas and domestic air travel. Flight cancellations, delayed flights, dismissive airline staff demeanour and disgruntled passengers left me wondering what had become of a once relatively streamlined travel experience. 

One insider confided that the workplace culture in one of our domestic airlines was toxic. It seems this toxicity is contagious as I have since read elsewhere that other airlines have caught similar bugs. It is not surprising then that this is reflected in the overall consumer experience. “Let’s fly toxic airlines” is not an appealing slogan.

What makes a workplace toxic?

I see the world from an energetic perspective. The basic properties of energy are connection, frequency and flow. A toxic environment exhibits disconnect, a negative frequency and the rising resistance of the individuals within the environment. I believe this is due to the long-term disconnectedness developed within the hierarchical nature of certain industries. No longer are people willing to play their work life as undervalued pawns. 

Contrast a toxic culture with one of a more coherent flow and connection as seen in teams like the Navy SEALs who understand that leadership is a fluid horizontal platform where creative input is valued. For this model to be effective there must be a dissolving of the self into a more coalesced unification. This is where true satisfaction arises. In the feeling of being part of something bigger.

The great resignation, to me, is an indicator of the dissatisfaction arising from disconnection. Since the peak of the pandemic, we have had time to question our life purpose. In answer to that question, many of us have moved our locations, left relationships and changed careers. We are seeking something more from our lives, but we are looking for it ‘out there’ somewhere as if that something will bring us to the connectedness we long for.

Henry Ford said: “if you always do what you’ve always done, you’ll always get what you’ve always got”. We believe that conditions external to us must change before we will be happy. Yet the opposite is true. Our reality is a reflection of the way we see the world. If you see the world as toxic and unlovable, if you think you are not valued, then all of this is your truth and this is what you will continue to see.

The tricky part for many people comes in finding the courage and willingness of a Navy SEAL to turn their lives around. Many of us would rather blame our circumstances, and then demand that THEY change, rather than look at life as if it were all about our own choices. “I didn’t choose to be treated like this!” is a common response. Yet the weird thing is, you did. 

If you do not want to take that step to see yourself within your creation, that’s quite okay. That’s just a choice too. Your life is yours to live how you see fit, but don’t expect anything to change. This is not just about the workplace. This idea touches every area of your life. It’s just that many of us spend much of our time within our workplaces so it might be a great area within which to bring a new focus on your belief systems.

If a more coherent Navy SEAL-type workplace seems more appealing to you than trying to work within the incessant squabbling of seagulls, then this 4-part series might interest you.

Over the next 4 articles you will learn how to:

1. View the world from an energetic perspective and why this perspective is necessary.
2. Adopt the idea of radical acceptance: Look at the hand you’ve been dealt. You chose the cards.
3. Conduct a life audit: Surrender the things you cannot control and that are not aligning with your purpose.
4. Shift reality: How to make choices that are more satisfying.

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Virginia Robin is a disruptor of systemic dissatisfaction. Her methods are unorthodox, but that’s what disruptors do. 

She helps bring teams to a more coherent place, cleanse toxic environments and revitalizes bottom lines. To book an initial free consultation on bespoke solutions for your team visit www.virginiarobin.com.