Business Secrets of the Trappists Lecture at Duke University
The lecture was a huge success.
Hundreds attended and the standing room turnout was riveted by Turak’s call for personal and organizational transformation.
Attendees in the packed lecture hall eagerly asking questions…
Click here to see the Q&A from this event
Comments were overwhelmingly positive…
“This topic of ethics and moral values is at a crisis level yet mostly overlooked in our society today. Your talk was thought provoking and well worth the trip.”
“We need to think in a different way about difficult things. This is a great example.”
“This lecture can help each and every one of us learn more about selflessness, in the hope that we would transform our selves.”
Click here for comments we received from the event
…as were the surveys…
Click here for the press release from this event
Learn how your organization can tap into Mr. Turak’s experience as a successful executive, entrepreneur, award winning author, and part time Trappists monk. Contact us today to book Mr. Turak for your next event. Here are a few available topics:
- Business Secrets of the Trappists: How the Power of the Monastic Tradition Will Transform Your Business and Your Life
- Building the Transformational Organization: How to tap into the Heart of all Human Motivation with Explosive Results
- Saving Capitalism by Transcending It: Or Why Adam Smith Was Only Half Right
- Aiming Past the Target: The Critical Secret to Success
- Brother John: The Odyssey of Personal Transformation
To check August Turak’s availability, simply call (919)810-7926 or send an email to Melissa@AugustTurak.com.
Q&A Transcript
The main reason why transformation fails is because organizations are very resistant to change, especially in organizations where powerful executives have their own interests and territory. How do you overcome that?
First of all we try to be compassionate. All resistance to change is not rooted in hard-headedness and vested self interest. Genetics teaches that the vast majority of “change” called “mutations” is actually harmful to the organism. Only a tiny few lead to evolutionary breakthroughs. We are all genetically programmed to be conservative as a result. The “change” that the vast majority of political and social revolutions lead to is chaos not utopia. My company sold software and resistance to change was our biggest objection. If the new software implementation went off without a hitch no one cared or noticed. But if it crashed the organization heads rolled. This resistance to change was not irrational and it was up to us –not our clients- to manage it. There is a lot of wisdom in the old adage that “no one ever got fired for buying IBM” —or Microsoft or Google. So first of all put yourself in the other guy’s shoes and realize that the risks involved are real. It may very well be his job not yours that is on the line if your transformation goes awry.
Also compassionately remember that top management may not have all the power you give them credit for. The days of telling people to jump and having them say how high are gone. As my company grew we kept moving into bigger offices. At first and without exception our people HATED their “transformation” into a new office. Every transformation has its “desert” stage where like latter day Israelites everyone is unhappy and complaining to Moses that “things weren’t so bad back in Egypt.” We are ALL resistant to change, and in today’s world it is usually Moses who gets fired when he tries to force change on his subordinates without their buy-in. Even with that buy-in people often later turn fickle. Make sure your proposal takes into account these legitimate concerns. Make sure you have a plan for getting initial buy-in that includes a contingency for what you’ll do if people turn against you later on. This will prove to your client that you are thinking like a business person and not a consultant.
The next step is to minimize these risks. Think of all those cleaning solutions that recommend that you try them out on some inconspicuous swath of fabric first. Try to find some “out of the way” department or project to experiment with where the variables are controllable, the investment is minimal, and results can be easily measured. Let the success of your little experiment become contagious. Other people will start saying: “Who are those guys? How can we get results like that?” Soon your experiment is spreading virally and top management is no longer risking a revolution but responding to a bottom up groundswell backed by hard data.
This final point about hard data is critical. If you can’t or won’t measure results don’t expect sympathy from me or any line manager. I don’t care how “worthwhile” your transformation is, you must link your efforts to the mission of the company and that means, whenever possible, financially. If you can’t measure results then you probably shouldn’t try.
You talked about the three different types of transformations; do you think that transformations of condition and circumstance usually lead to a transformation of being?
No, in fact they usually do not. Most of us go to our graves thinking that if we could just hit the lottery—a transformation of circumstance—we would finally be satisfied. Most people don’t even recognize the POSSIBILITY of a transformation of being so they spend their lives feeling unfulfilled and wondering why. And when they do wonder why they usually blame that empty feeling on some change of condition or circumstance they’ve failed to achieve. The habits of selfishness are so ingrained that it takes a lot of careful soul searching, a teacher, or a book to introduce us to the concept of a transformation of being in the first place.
We usually only seriously entertain this possibility when we are utterly frustrated in our attempts to accomplish a transformation of being through a change in condition or circumstance. This is what eventually leads an alcoholic to try AA or a messed up kid to join the Marines.
Can you give an example from your own life?
Sure. One of the greatest days of my life was when I got front row tickets to the Rolling Stones back in 1972. I’m in the front row covered in body paint and wearing an Uncle Sam hat. Just before the concert starts a roadie walks up leans over and says, “Mick wan’s to wea’ your ‘at.” Whoa! Mick Jagger wants to wear my hat! I gave him the hat and Mick Jagger wears it during the concert. I was delirious with joy. I will never forget this, like it was yesterday.
But then something weird happened. On the way back to the car I felt completely let down. It was this vague sense of now what? Where do I go from here? In 1972 I didn’t want to think about it too much because it made me too anxious. But I now know that even then I sensed that this pattern of eager anticipation followed by disappointment might become the story of my life. And the reason I was so disappointed is because I was expecting a transformation of circumstance—a Stones concert—to produce a transformation of being. Like Mr. Scrooge on Christmas morning, I was supposed to be turned into a new person by the experience.
Instead, as the euphoria wore off, I realized that I was still the same old me filled with the same old doubts and insecurities. Yet now when I look back, Mick Jagger did me a favor far more wonderful than wearing my hat. He got me looking for something bigger and more permanent and for that I am eternally grateful.
Is there any way around distraction when you are broken down mentally?
I don’t have anything against changes of condition and/or changes of circumstance. I don’t want anybody to stop drinking water to transform their condition when they are thirsty. Distraction is another transformation of condition that temporarily allows us to “lose” or “forget” ourselves. This losing and forgetting of self coupled with the time and money we spend on distraction is yet another proof that what we all really want is selflessness not selfishness. This is what we mean when we say that alcoholics drink to “forget.”
Everybody needs the down-time that a little distraction brings once in a while. My preference is cowboy movies. It is only when we use distraction like a drug that we run into trouble. It is only when we are constantly seeking the temporary relief from painful self consciousness that distraction provides that we are once again trying to substitute a change in condition for a transformation of being.
I feel the same way about ego. We need a healthy ego to do the work involved in eventually surrendering our ego. As to how we apply all this to someone who is broken down mentally I’d have to have more details. Too much distraction can lead to the sense of emptiness, missed opportunities, and guilt that creates mental problems in the first place. Our whole life feels like we just spent an entire Sunday “lost” in football when his taxes are due.
Could you give another example of what you mean by aiming past the target?
The media seems to think that if we could just get the economy moving again everything would be fine. I think if we really want sustainable economic growth we must aim past this target and address the underlying social or even spiritual problems that are dragging our civilization down.
We are corrupting the whole South American continent and destabilizing the Mexican government with our demand for that temporary change of condition produced by drugs. We are spending over 100 billion dollars a year on the distraction called pornography for God’s sake. There were 35 million prescriptions written for Prozac alone in 2005. And I heard last year through impeccable sources that one in four incoming freshmen at this prestigious university is already on anti-depressants… one in four. The countries of Western Europe are not having enough children to replace their populations, and without immigration we would be in the same boat. This represents a crisis in hope for the future. Something else is going on ladies and gentlemen, that isn’t going to be solved by either raising taxes or cutting them. Our whole civilization is suffering from a crisis of mission.
It sounds like if you are stuck at the first and the second stage of transformation, you need a teacher to help – do you agree with that?
Absolutely, but what we need more than a teacher is a community that shares our transformational aspirations. At the monastery a monk’s progress is monitored by a Novice Master and the Abbot. This is the kind of top down work we associate with a teacher. But the real teaching takes place every day and is bottom up. It’s the peer pressure – it’s the community peer pressure. The constant “witnessing” and feedback the community provides.
A novice told me a few years ago, “Augie, at least you have some kind of clue to what’s going on around here… everyone else sees nothing but peace and tranquility. But actually it is so intense. Every time I think I’m making a little progress I catch myself elbowing some old monk out of the way to get to that last dish of ice cream. Just being around these guys is a constant reminder of how selfish I really am.”
An executive from Columbia University joined the monastery and one day I said, “Hey Jim, how’s it going?” He looked at me and said, “This is way harder than I thought it was going to be, and in ways I never anticipated.”
I asked what he meant and holding the palm of his hand only inches from his eyes he replied, “I’m right here all the time. There’s no distraction. No place to hide. I’m right here – I’m right in the mirror.”
The New York Times interviewed some people visiting Mepkin Abbey and most of them said how peaceful and beautiful it is. But one guy said, “Yeah, it is peaceful all right, but when you’re sitting on a park bench overlooking the Cooper River under one of those beautiful oak trees for four or five hours at a time, you start thinking about a lot of things that maybe you’d rather not think about. It’s very intense.”
So, teachers are great. I’m a big believer and I have always had teachers. But what we need most of all is community. A community of people acting as mirrors. Who is the last person to notice when a zipper is down? The guy wearing the jeans. We are always the last person to see what is holding us back.
You mentioned The Devil Wears Prada and one of the films that comes to my mind is Field of Dreams where the protagonist is perceived as a crazy person because he sees and hears things that other people can’t. And Hambel and others talked about the importance of finding a compliment for the protagonist in terms of his needs. Within an organization how do you provide that when the coach or the consultant cannot be constantly available?
Well I don’t think there’s any real easy answer to that question. I think that again you have to have the commitment. It depends on how far up the organization you are working, what kind of power you have behind you, and what kind of power you establish through your example and skills of persuasion.
I hate to say this, but I’m going to say it anyway. I’m a “line guy” and I always hated human resources. I’m sorry, but all “line guys” hate human resources because every time we want to hire, fire, or give someone a raise HR is standing there telling us why we can’t do it.
So if you are trying to transform an organization remember that Human Resources usually does not have a lot of clout. I always back door the situation by getting to the line guys, and I always make sure that I link my work to making money.
An old boss of mine once said, “Augie, when you take a new job, hire somebody, fire somebody, rearrange the furniture; but do something fast.” And, “by the way,” he finished with a big grin; “if it has something to do with money, that’s a good idea too.”
All too often consultants and change agents never get traction because they fail to make a business case. This is a shame. Because, as I pointed out in my Forbes article, Business Secrets of the Trappists, the monks and guys like Warren Buffet are not super successful in business DESPITE their commitment to the values underlying service and selflessness but BECAUSE of them. If we want to make an impact we must be creative enough and savvy enough to make a business case for our work. Service and selflessness is not “touchy feely” it is damn good business and it is our job to connect the dots in tangible measurable ways.
If everybody wants transformation, why aren’t we doing it?
One – it is a lot of work. Two, when you make a commitment to aim past all the usual targets and go for transformation it is alienating. It’s very lonely for Anne Hathaway in The Devil Wears Prada. Her father doesn’t understand why she would turn down Stanford law and walk away from a journalism career to apprentice herself as a secretary to a mad woman in the fashion industry. Her boyfriend doesn’t understand, her friends don’t understand, and she’s not getting any sympathy from the other secretary. She is utterly alone.
But she has the most important thing going for her. She says of Meryl Streep’s character, “She wants me to quit, and I will never ever quit.” That is the most important thing. Despite loneliness we must never quit, and incidentally it is as an antidote to this sense of alienation that community once again plays a crucial role.
The third reason why more people don’t accept life’s invitation to transformation is that not all transformations are positive. Darth Vader is transformed by the Dark Side. The process of transformation, like all authentic adventure, is a journey into the unknown. No one can guarantee the outcome any more than anyone can guarantee that your start-up will be a success. All I can guarantee is that it is worth it, your fears are overblown, and besides, the alternatives are even worse.
What is the place of morality in transformation, either of self and/or organizations?
All immoral behavior is a form of selfishness. I can’t really think of any example of immorality that is not selfish. A transformation of being is the process of becoming a moral person. When selflessness becomes second nature you will naturally do the right thing. To paraphrase Aristotle, morality is not a choice it is a habit.
This goes back to Socrates; I’m not inventing anything new. Socrates said that he couldn’t teach virtue or ethics. Morality is not something you learn it is something you become. All Socrates and any teacher can do is act as “a midwife of moral excellence.”
Socrates did not give people a code. He helped transform them. That’s why so many people get so frustrated with Socrates and Lou Mobley and people like me. I’m not going to give you the back of the book answer. It is your trip. I can midwife the process, I can coach it, but I can’t take the journey for you.
What is the first step?
Easy to say hard to do. Make up your mind that you will stop substituting changes of condition and circumstance for changes in being. It means staying awake and watching your self. I love this anonymous quote:
Watch your thoughts because they become your actions.
Watch your actions because they become your habits.
Watch your habits because they become your character.
Watch your character because it becomes your destiny.
Watching in this context is just another word for thinking. IBM used to have signs all over the place that just said THINK. Outside IBM people laughed at them, but Mobley said these signs were taken very seriously within IBM. THINK, THINK… this is where morality comes from. What will be the unintended consequences of my actions? Are my motives pure? And once we’ve done this thinking then we must have the courage to act regardless of the consequences.
Most morality is not that hard to figure out. What is dangerous is what Father Christian says in my Brother John essay, “All evil begins with a lie, the biggest evil comes from the biggest lies, and the biggest lies are the ones we tell ourselves.”
The vast majority of people who do unethical things every single day are primarily guilty of self deception. The first thing we do is con ourselves in order to make it easier to con others. We don’t admit to what we are doing even to ourselves. 99% of immorality begins with rationalization. “Oh, everybody is cheating on their expense account”… or whatever it is. We must know ourselves and develop the habit of being ruthlessly honest with ourselves. Polonius says to Hamlet – to your own self be true and you can’t be false to any man.
In your description of your consulting with companies, you mentioned that you felt that you had to humble yourself to a young person. I am wondering what that says about your journey?
I didn’t say that I have to humble myself to every young person that I meet; I had to humble myself to this particular young person. I had to show him some vulnerability in order to give him an opening to show his. This is what I mean by “going first.” If we want trust, authenticity, love or whatever from others we must first be willing to offer it. This is scary because, yes, there are people who will take advantage. But over time it will prove out.
Years ago, I was making a lot of money and I got into it with the CEO of a major corporation in New York over some ethical issues I had with him. We had a big blow up and I told him where to stick it.
As we were walking out I turned to the COO and said, “John, do you think I was out of line?” He said, “Augie, you were perfectly justified in everything you said. I just wish the hell you hadn’t said it, because we need you.” And I was gone. I wasn’t going to take it, I didn’t care how much money I was making.
What I feel like I got out of my own journey is I know who I am, what I’m about, and the courage to live it. Being here tonight, talking to you guys, offering my help, is the passion of my life. This is what I want to do.
I am passionately committed to helping others understand the miracle of service and selflessness.
This is the hardest thing to get people to understand, because you have to live it to understand it. Confucious said, “I hear and I forget. I see and I remember. I do and I understand.” It is in your self interest to ignore your self interest. This is the first great paradox.
The best way for you to be transformed is to help somebody else transform. This is the second great paradox.
Survey Results from Business Secrets of the Trappists at Duke University
The survey consisted of questions with a yes/no answer OR a scale from 1 to 5. The scale used in this survey was 1 (for disappointing) through 5 (for exceptional).
When asked if the lecture, Business Secrets of the Trappists inspired them, 53% rated it 5 for exceptional. 35% rated it 4 for great and 11% rated it 3 for good. The other 1% left the question blank.
When asked if they would come to another August Turak lecture, 58% rated it 5 for exceptional. 27% rated it 4 for great, 8% rated it 3 for good, 3% rated it 2 for okay, 1% rated it 1 for disappointing and 3% left the question blank.
When asked if they would recommend this lecture, Business Secrets of the Trappists to a friend, 96% said yes and 4% said no.
I have also included some of the feedback that we received either from the surveys or through emails after the lecture, Business Secrets of the Trappists. I included these comments because I think it is very important for you to see this overwhelmingly positive feedback.
Of all respondents, 25.3% read the article, Business Secrets of the Trappists prior to attending the lecture. Of the 25.3% that read the article in Forbes, 55% rated it 5 for exceptional and 35% rated it 4 for great. The remaining 10% rated it 3 for good.
Of all respondents, 30% read Brother John prior to attending the lecture, Business Secrets of the Trappists. Of the 30% that read the essay, 80% rated it 5 for exceptional and 20% rated it 4 for great.
Comments Received
“Inspiring and humbling – August was ‘real’ and sincere. I felt he only scratched the surface of his wisdom.”
“Thank you! Wonderful inspiration! Thanks for all you have done to bring this wisdom to the world.”
“Entertaining, refreshing and insightful.”
“The topic covers multiple areas of life, work, family, and spirituality.”
“Very good perspective…great, honest presenter.”
“Love your approach.”
“August Turak has it all together.”
“Very powerful, dynamic, emotional experience.”
“Was interesting and thought provoking.”
“The lecture addresses core issues that DO need and require word of mouth spreading to achieve the ends it promotes.”
“This lecture can help each and every one of us to learn more about selflessness in the hope that we would transform our selves.”
“I manage a team of seven. I am close to firing two of them. Certainly I am looking at this decision and my development of these employees in a new light.”
“Excellent lecture, anecdotes and discussion! It is wonderful to hear that someone truly believes we are all searching for a higher purpose and something meaningful to involve our souls in. ‘We are what we repeatedly do…’ is one of my favorite quotations.”
“This topic of ethics and moral values is at a crisis level yet mostly overlooked in our society today. Your talk was thought provoking and well worth the trip.”
“Most folks need to hear this message to think beyond themselves.”
“Fabulous and inspiring and encouraging and endearing.”
“Excellent, passionate speaker. Encouraged me to be transformed. Made me want to go back and help make my company better.”
“It’s about business and then so much more. This call for transformation and the love he shares for the monks are important in this world. Thank you! This was very insightful and inspiring and I’d love to hear a series of lectures on “aiming past the target” – especially wonderful.”
“This lecture inspires thought and change… for the good.”
“Highest articulation of what really matters and what you can do about it.”
“I’ve been trying to find passion and motivation and this spoke to me.”
“We need to think in a different way about difficult things. This is a great example. Please let me know of any local opportunities to learn more.”
“I was inspired and long for my own transformation. I needed the reminder about the importance of passion. Enjoyed your emotional experiences where you were close to tearing up. Thanks for the powerful stories about those who have been transformed.”
“I feel a fundamental change of heart.”
“Aside from all the incredible stories and insights which had me on the edge of my seat through your whole talk, what hit me between the eyes was your very first mention of the monks in the first minute of your talk, and the emotion which you unabashedly choked on for a brief moment. So thanks for your vulnerability in that and for all the compelling truth you shared in your talk. I loved every word and hope I’ll get to hear you again.”
“I attended your program at Duke this evening which was enjoyable and very informative.”
“My daughter and I were fortunate enough to hear you speak last night at Duke University, and talked about your inspiring insights all the way home. We have had similar discussions on your Brother John essay. You have truly touched our lives greatly.”
“I heard you speak on NPR and was excited to hear you speak last night. I felt invigorated by your talk.”
“I just wanted to thank you for putting together such a phenomenal talk the other day at Duke. I was originally inspired after hearing you on NPR, and it was even better in person.”
“This topic of ethics and moral values is at a crisis level yet mostly overlooked in our society today. Your talk was thought provoking and well worth the trip.”
“We need to think in a different way about difficult things. This is a great example.”
“This lecture can help each and every one of us learn more about selflessness, in the hope that we would transform our selves.”
“Inspiring and humbling – August was ‘real’ and sincere. I felt he only scratched the surface of his wisdom.”
“Thank you! Wonderful inspiration! Thanks for all you have done to bring this wisdom to the world.”
“Entertaining, refreshing and insightful.”
“The topic covers multiple areas of life, work, family, and spirituality.”
“Very good perspective…great, honest presenter.”
“Love your approach.”
“August Turak has it all together.”
“Very powerful, dynamic, emotional experience.”
“Was interesting and thought provoking.”
“The lecture addresses core issues that DO need and require word of mouth spreading to achieve the ends it promotes.”
“This lecture can help each and every one of us to learn more about selflessness in the hope that we would transform our selves.”
“I manage a team of seven. I am close to firing two of them. Certainly I am looking at this decision and my development of these employees in a new light.”
“Excellent lecture, anecdotes and discussion! It is wonderful to hear that someone truly believes we are all searching for a higher purpose and something meaningful to involve our souls in. ‘We are what we repeatedly do…’ is one of my favorite quotations.”
“This topic of ethics and moral values is at a crisis level yet mostly overlooked in our society today. Your talk was thought provoking and well worth the trip.”
“Most folks need to hear this message to think beyond themselves.”
“Fabulous and inspiring and encouraging and endearing.”
“Excellent, passionate speaker. Encouraged me to be transformed. Made me want to go back and help make my company better.”
“It’s about business and then so much more. This call for transformation and the love he shares for the monks are important in this world. Thank you! This was very insightful and inspiring and I’d love to hear a series of lectures on “aiming past the target” – especially wonderful.”
“This lecture inspires thought and change… for the good.”
“Highest articulation of what really matters and what you can do about it.”
“I’ve been trying to find passion and motivation and this spoke to me.”
“We need to think in a different way about difficult things. This is a great example. Please let me know of any local opportunities to learn more.”
“I was inspired and long for my own transformation. I needed the reminder about the importance of passion. Enjoyed your emotional experiences where you were close to tearing up. Thanks for the powerful stories about those who have been transformed.”
“I feel a fundamental change of heart.”
“Aside from all the incredible stories and insights which had me on the edge of my seat through your whole talk, what hit me between the eyes was your very first mention of the monks in the first minute of your talk, and the emotion which you unabashedly choked on for a brief moment. So thanks for your vulnerability in that and for all the compelling truth you shared in your talk. I loved every word and hope I’ll get to hear you again.”
“I attended your program at Duke this evening which was enjoyable and very informative.”
“My daughter and I were fortunate enough to hear you speak last night at Duke University, and talked about your inspiring insights all the way home. We have had similar discussions on your Brother John essay. You have truly touched our lives greatly.”
“I heard you speak on NPR and was excited to hear you speak last night. I felt invigorated by your talk.”
“I just wanted to thank you for putting together such a phenomenal talk the other day at Duke. I was originally inspired after hearing you on NPR, and it was even better in person.”
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