by Pamela Scott Crace

The most ambitious performance art retrospective in the history of New York’s MOMA caused quite a stir. Yugoslavian artist Marina Abramovic spoke to CBC’s Jian Ghomeshi about the central piece, called “The Artist is Present.”

The act involved artist and viewer, where for seven hours a day, for two and a half months, Abramovic sat still while people lined up for hours and days for their turn to meet her gaze for up to 15 minutes—that is, if they could handle it. 

For Abramovic, the meaning of the piece was the powerful, uncontrollable effect that close contact has on us in a time-deprived, disconnected world. For many, the experience of just being present, in silence, unleashed a torrent of emotion. It was the most difficult thing Abramovic had ever done. Equally so for the viewers.

I was struck by this, having just wrapped our 12th Face to Face event. It was impossible not to ponder such a profound expression of connectedness in the context of what we shared for three days at the end of May.

Face it. The most challenging aspect of organizations tends to be getting the people part right. Putting the HR manual aside for a minute, you know how it still gets uncomfortable when the lines blur among our personal, emotional, and professional selves. How do we have adult conversations at work, for better or worse? How do we enable each other to be present? To be fully engaged and truly authentic, spiritually and intellectually, free to aspire to our dreams, whatever those may be?

After all, we spend the prime of our life at work. As Phil Holmes said at Face to Face, “If life is a journey of spirit, then everything should flow from that.” That means workplaces. For Phil, the process of discovering one’s spirit, or true self, can and should happen at work, especially if life is lived as a journey of experiential learning. Organizations can be “themes” for that, not the end of the line, he says.

But an organization has to be present. Being in the past and the future is easy, as Abramovic proved with her art. You can deal easily with analysis and strategies. But to truly engage with people happens in the here and now, and it happens up close. Where it can get uncomfortable.

You may not want to go there. And that’s fine. But look what might happen if you try. Phil Holmes is with a consulting company called Ambir. It ranked No. 1 this year on our Best Places to Work in Atlantic Canada list. This is the second time it has participated in the survey, and the second time it has come out on top. They must be doing something right.