Max Rempel, Ph.D.

145. Helping Energy Flow

Another approach in building a healthy team is to make sure the energies flow well in it. Understand that our ability to change mentally and to accept new information is very limited. It is also very dependent on age. For many purposes you may want to hire older people, but they are least adaptable. Our neuronal networks solidify in steps and the older we are the less we are capable of adapting. For example, I have trouble with English because I moved to America only in age 33, (with life expectancy in Russia of 70 and in America of 95). The language is learned in first 5-15 years and then the structures responsible for language become rigid. So my English is using secondary networks and systems in the brain, while the basic system remains Russian.

I noticed that many emigrants-immigrants, change their personality radically when they switch from one language to another. Many Russians need to become more physiologically excited to be able to speak English; they tend to speak very excitedly and loud when they switch from Russian to English. These kind of nuances need to be considered with human colonists.

When a human is interviewed for a job, typically, she is interviewed by several specialists, who are her future co-workers, supervisors and also human resources specialists who understand psychology and specifics of hiring process.

Much is negotiable. Don't underestimate the power of negotiation and that we expect negotiation. Employing humans of the colony and maybe from earth in interviewing and negotiation would be a very good idea. Yes, I understand that it might be new to you, but you already may see the pattern. Using human facilitators in all communications would be greatly helpful.

For example you may say to a human: the creator gods (spirits) decreed such and such limitations. This is not possible because creator gods (spirits) prohibit that.

As a human facilitator, I would explain to a human that often creator gods (spirits) change their mind and that it is permissible to apply for exemption.

Many humans are unaware of how much your bureaucracy is similar to ours. The idea of you respecting our individual choices is also would be new to many. A part of your invitation to the colony would be to explain that people can express their wishes, come up with initiatives, like I do now, and to apply for all sorts of things.

Another confusion that we have is a belief that gods and you understand everything and hear all our thoughts. Only recently did I realize that although you can see and read everything, you may ignore much of what we see and think or misinterpret much of what we see and think because you find it uninteresting to relate to many of our deeds and thoughts.

These issues of respect for individual choice, opportunity for initiatives and lack of attention from spirits and aliens to our thoughts should be clarified to the interviewee.

Here is another example. Say, you wanted an individual to come to the station. Suppose she could come only with her beloved dog. If you were negotiating, this might be a no-go for you (meaning you would exclude her from consideration, although other factors would be strongly positive). A human facilitator would suggest that she could give her dog to her say, father, plus add a substantial part of the money to support this dog and the father and possibly add a medical treatment by alien medicine for the father as a part of the deal. I understand that some of these deals may be prohibited by your rules, but I hope that you still may see the usefulness in creative human facilitation in hiring colonists.

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Max Rempel, Ph.D. | San Diego, CA | max@maxrempel.com