The Tao of Human Interactions

Zen and the Art of Communication

By: SULI Daniel Johnson

Narrated by: Paul Metcalfe

I decided to write this book because of the need for an effective system of managing and enhancing people's ability to communicate. Its applications span business as well as personal interactions. It can be a simple way of assessing the personalities of people around you and enabling you to better interact with them. During my professional as well as personal life, I've played the role of an employee in middle management as well as upper management. One essential skill for any good manager is communication. It is important to be able to assess the people you are managing and also to be able to effectively deliver the correct messages. It is not only important to deliver the ideas, but it also needs to be done in a way that has the correct impact on the audience. An effective manager must also assess and manage the emotional states of the people involved. I have spent a good part of my life involved in working as an employee but also working in upper management and middle management. I have also consulted management for many different types of organizations in the public as well as the private sector. I have worked in specific industries such as transit, technology, public works, city government, the military, and hospitality. My approach has always been to try to create effective modes of interaction and communication between employees and middle management, as well as between management and upper management. I have discovered in my journey from employee to management and finally to consulting that many of the management skills are effective; however, the complexity oftentimes makes them challenging to apply.
This book is concerned mostly with daily interactions at the employee level. The system and skills taught can be applied to any interaction inside the business and also in personal life.

A Different Perspective:
There are many other ways to relate to the world than through logic and scientific inquiry. This is the method we have adopted largely because it has made us successful as a species. It is important to remember that throughout history and in different cultures, there have been very different ways of relating to the world. Taoism is an example of a different way of relating to the world. This is not a book about Taoism. I merely use its perspective to perceive human interactions in a way that differs from the traditional methods. Logic and science are very powerful tools, but they often deal with inexactitudes. Day-to-day interactions do not often operate this way, however. I have discovered that most of the time, managers adopt a much more fundamental and organic approach towards management. This often evolves out of their experiences and generally is not grounded in any formal management systems. Management systems are often well thought out and well structured, but quite often, they do not lend themselves to the chaotic, on-the-spot timber of human interactions. Quite often, the more unstructured informal approach works better than the structured formal approach. The Tao of Human Communications is a system rooted in present-moment fluid interactions. It is a very different way of managing human interactions. It is, in many ways, just as effective as more recognized approaches. Most importantly, it requires little time to learn and, in many ways, is closer to the way people naturally communicate. It does require being open to a different way of looking at things. Like all management tools, it is not the solution to everything. It is, however, a very effective skill to add to your tool kit.

©2023 SULI Daniel Johnson (P)2023 SULI Daniel Johnson