I thought I was applying what was obvious,without a clue that for nonprofit and healthcare application, I was an early adopter.

-Patrick M. Anderson, A.B. Princeton, J.D., U. Michigan

Sustainability and Health as a System

The management philosophy I use is based on respecting people and systems that are interconnected, often in complex ways. In the culture I grew up with, Tlingit people live in a world Raven organized with custom and tradition. We all live in the same world, and the customs and tradition we grew up with shapes the way we interact with others. When conditions change, our behaviors change, but the foundation of our culture should ground us in the way we interact with people and life around us.

Yéiks, or spirits, live in everything. Respecting yéiks is a Tlingit cultural requirement, punishable by a loss of life sustaining food. All our practices promoted sustainability by respecting spirits in nature. At a Tlingit tree cutting ceremony, the cutting must be immersed in respect for the yéik of the tree. This respect included, in the ceremonies I attended, burning of food for the Yéik. Among foods that might be used is halibut, which has its yéik as well.

A Tlingit halibut hook is an example of a respecting yéik. Made of natural materials, the hook is designed to catch no more than a 90-pound halibut, typically male.

Female halibut are mothers of the future. By targeting smaller male fish, carved hooks send a message to the halibut yéik and promote halibut sustainability. Tlingit Clans established order through practices like fishing for halibut in a respectful way that promotes its sustainability in the Ocean system. In its turn, the halibut gives its life for ours. We gain health when we live in harmony with the earth and preserve the world halibut live in.

Today our world is in crisis, consumed by toxic stress created from consequences of disrespecting it. Sewage is dumped into our oceans. Plastic is entangling or being eaten by marine life to their detriment.

Yéiks are damaged as we lose respect. We are damaged as well, from a compromised ability to tend to the physical world, and our survival is risked while neglecting the spiritual world. The more we fear our ability to survive, greed starts to grow. As we take advantage of the physical world to feed greed, we lose connection to our world.

When businesses practice respect for people and learn how to continuously improve systems, we all benefit. Our health as Tlingit is tied to the earth, as is the health of all people. If our culture breaks down, our life sustaining practices disappear. Greed and waste in business practices damage all of us. Learn how to respect people in a spiritual way and improve systems continuously through your people.

Take the first step towards change and call for a free consultation.

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