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ChangingMinds Blog! > Blog Archive > 28-Jun-06
Wednesday 28-June-06 Abundance, HP and networkingI learned about the principle of abundance years ago when I worked for Hewlett-Packard. The general idea is that if you give generously and without seeking something in return that you will still, somehow, get rewarded. It is an optimistic philosophy and perhaps it is no surprise that I learned of it in California, HP's home state. It was one of the secrets of HP's success: imagine tens of thousands of people working together and generously helping one another. The cynic might say that the individual's work would suffer, but it didn't. On the contrary. In other places I have wasted an inordinate amount of time trying to see others, but in HP it was never a problem. The 'open-door' policy, for example, really worked. It was a hard-working company, but space was built in for mutual support And so I learned about networking without calling it that -- it was just a part of the 'HP Way'. When you live abundance enough, it becomes a part of who you are, and I naturally extended my network and sharing to people I met outside HP. One result of this was that when I was affected by cutbacks and lost my job after 17 years, I quickly found new work through my network. Perchance my daughter is writing her master's thesis on the changing in culture in HP. I wonder what she will find. Deposed CEO Carly Fiorina reportedly never understood the HP culture and sought to make it individualistic. perhaps replacement Hurd understands. In the hurly-burly world of the chief executive, it is easy to be entranced by the numbers and forget the criticality and complexity of the people thing. It is also easy to caught up in the cult of the personality and think that it is all about you. The web is a glorious place of abundance, and I am in my element. So many people to help! As a former teacher I love to turn on light-bulbs wherever I can. And I get kind emails from around the world and know that I have friends everywhere. Advertising revenue, whilst not yet enough to let me work full-time on the site, does at least pay the internet bills. Friends have asked why I do not sell more aggressively, but to focus first on the money would be to lose my way. People who give, somehow get what they need. Some will take advantage, but it is a trap to dwell on them. Enough will repay in some way so it all works out. 'Abundance' a natural law to which I subscribe. Happiness is not proportional to wealth. Having many friends, even distant and unknown ones, has been found to be a more effective way. And so I research, write and blog with optimism. 'If you build it, they will come' is a phrase about belief and positive hope from the movie 'Field of Dreams'. My web is my field and you are welcome. Your comments Ah, Batailles, the Attitude of Gratitude from Bill W., and Potlach. It
works. Why are we trying to "fix" it?
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| Home | Top | Quick Links | Settings | |
Main sections: | Disciplines | Techniques | Principles | Explanations | Theories | |
Other sections: | Blog! | Quotes | Guest articles | Analysis | Books | Help | |
More pages: | Contact | Caveat | About | Students | Webmasters | Awards | Guestbook | Feedback | Sitemap | Changes | |
Settings: | Computer layout | Mobile layout | Small font | Medium font | Large font | Translate | |
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