Code of Honor

Creating a False-Ego Free Culture

I want all my disciples to listen to this recording and imbibe the code of honor in all their dealings with other siblings, devotees, Sattva projects and all projects they work with.

Sattva Code of Honor:

• Our lives are exemplary.
  • We make our personal lives and organization an example of what we teach. The success of Sattva is rooted in this principle since the culture of. Sattva is created by the behavior of its members.
• We take responsibility for any problems in the organization.
  • If we make a mistake, we acknowledge the mistake and rectify it. If we see a problem, we do not blame others but take responsibility to solve the problem. If we can’t resolve the problem, we ask for help.
• We never abandon a team member in need.
  • The service and support of another team member comes above our own interests. When another member needs our help, we take it as our duty to help him/her.
• We do not speak ill of others.
  • We create a culture of appreciation by taking opportunities to appreciate others. We refrain from criticism, personal attacks, blame, envy, etc.
• We gracefully give and receive input.
  • We speak in an honest, humble and non-confrontational way when we have an issue with another member(s) and do not give feedback publicly. (We may choose to have a third-party present.) We give feedback with a heart free of envy and judgment, and with the purpose of helping the individual and/or Sattva. We openly receive feedback in recognition that it is being given with affection, and we try our best to apply the feedback.(We also create a system in which anyone can make suggestions/give feedback to the management).
• We see our inability to work well with others as our own defect.
  • We use conflicts as opportunities to improve Sattva, improve ourselves and improve our relationships.
• We keep all agreements, and clean up any broken (or potentially broken) agreements.
  • We take responsibility for our commitments (this includes being on time for meetings, programs, etc.). If unforeseen circumstances make it impossible to follow through on our commitment(s), we find help. If we can’t find help, we notify our authority well in advance of the deadline.
• We empathically listen.
  • We listen to and carefully consider other team members’ ideas and points of view before responding to them.
• We value our relationships, integrity and sadhana.
  • We never achieve results at the cost of hurting another person or harming a relationship, compromising our integrity, or at the cost of our sadhana.
• We help new members fit in.
  • We help new members learn and imbibe the culture of Sattva.
• We support our team members.
  • We support team members in succeeding, and we become inspired by their successes. We are happy if they outdo us, and happy to allow them to do services they can do better than we can.
• We care about the wellbeing of our community.
  • We put the success, common good and wellbeing of our team and community above individual success or personal benefits. Individual success should never be at the cost of the success of our team, community or Sattva.
• We celebrate successes and congratulate failures.
  • We celebrate the hard work and successes of individuals and teams. We also appreciate the hard work and achievements of individuals or teams whose projects were not as successful as desired. This encourages members to try for difficult goals in spite of fear of failure.
• In the realm of plans, ideas rule; not hierarchy.
  • We honor the best ideas. Ideas are never minimized because they come from younger or less experienced members; neither are lesser ideas implemented just because they come from a senior member.
• We communicate internationally.
  • Through regular meetings for all members, we communicate our projects and successes with the goal of sharing what is working (and to inspire others). Matters related to an individual’s personal failings are private and will only be discussed if pertinent to the entire team.
• We live a sattvic life.
  • We agree to refrain from meat, fish and eggs, intoxication, gambling, and sex outside of marriage, and to maintain a daily sadhana practice.
• We hold one another accountable.
  • We hold other team members accountable to The Code of Honor (and to any other agreements we make) by pointing out to the erring member what they are not following. (It is not just the responsibility of the leaders to do this.) If a member continually breaks a code, the team will meet with them to discuss the situation, and this may include terminating their membership on the team. (A majority of corporate managers say that culture fit – people fitting in well with the culture – is more important than skills.)

Notes:

• Use The Code of Honor as a guide when making decisions. Decisions should align with the code.
• We should talk about the culture at every meeting: how we are following the culture (or not following) and recognize those who are following.
• Our actions, especially actions of leaders, affect the culture more than any written document.
• Become aware of how your actions are affecting the culture.
• Become aware of how the guests are perceiving our culture. Our brand is not what we say it is; it is the experience of our guests and students. In other words, their experience of Sattva defines our brand.
• We should ask ourselves:
  • What do we want our guests to experience?
  • What are they currently actually experiencing?
  • What must we do for them to experience what we want them to experience?