An anonymous writer contributes:

I have been giving deep thought to the current crisis at Esalen, and here is the product of my ruminations.

We might consider the current crisis a fiery manifestation of an all-too-cliché dialectical relationship. On one end of a spectrum of positions we can conceive of an ideal philosophy endorsed by the Community Mind (CM). On the opposite end of the spectrum we might place the ideal philosophy endorsed by the Management Mind (MM). From what I have gathered, roughly, CM is concerned with creative experimentation, the expression of human emotion, a “harkening back to the old days,” and bottom-up leadership with an emphasis on those who are closest to the earth, soul, and history of the place. MM, on the other hand is pragmatic, and it focuses on preparing Esalen for the future in ways that emphasize fiscal responsibility, comfort for revenue generators (seminarians and personal retreaters generate the most profit), efficiency and consolidation, and top-down leadership by those who have expertise in corporate survival. CM fights for tradition at the expense of dollars and cents, while MM fights for dollars and cents at the expense of tradition.

Of course, as is often the case in political discourse, both positions are tenable. CM has prevailed at times, leading to periods of creative expansion, innovation, and healthy experimentation. At other times, MM has prevailed, guiding the ‘tute through periods of financial disaster, close calls with closure, and periods of CM-run-amok unhealthy experimentation. Both MM and CM have contributed in countless ways to the vitality of Esalen. We should be grateful to and wary of both of these personalities.

Though this recent rumbling does seem to be quite radically polarized, individual philosophies regarding the ideal culture and circumstance at Esalen likely fall somewhere in between the above poles. These opposites form a dialectic that gives shape to the continued growth and constant maintenance of Esalen as a force that pulls tradition into the future.

Keeping this in mind, it seems to me that the fundamental problem here is that the legitimacy of a position is quite distinct from the execution of that position. As we have all witnessed, both CM and MM have added to the ruckus by acting out in ways that are counterproductive to a healthy culture of dialogue. MM has chosen to consistently ignore the call for more transparency, community involvement, and openness. It has dealt blows to the pride and integrity of individual members of the community by surprising them with sad and disappointing organizational decisions, effectively ignoring the point of view of the CM. At the same time, the reaction of the CM has been less than pleasant. Vicious pointed verbal attacks on individual members of the MM, exaggerated statements, grimy condemnations, and childish tantrums have taken place.

The sum of these actions has resulted in an isolation of CM from MM, like a brilliant and stubborn child loudly stomping up the stairs and slamming the door in the face of an inexcusably abusive yet understandably frustrated and burdened parent. Read the rest of this entry »

An anonymous contributor reminds us of this…

How do we consciously create our service culture together, in a cohesive and collaborative way, taking pride in what we offer to the thousands of lives we touch & change every year? … Now Chip and Vanda will join the whole community as we learn more about Peak leadership, Abraham Maslow, and creating a “healthy pond” which symbolizes the vibrant culture we are co-creating.

…and offers the following:

Remember last year: The healthy pond

What is Chip Conley’s view of the recent “restructuring” which involves the savage loss of 3 of Esalen’s most talented and dedicated workers. It’s been a long road since we strived to “consciously create our service culture together in a cohesive and collaborative way” in April last year. Many departments believed that they had already consciously been doing just that for many years. Most departments had already reached a high level of service with staff dedicated to working with and collaborating with other departments to serve their community and seminarians and beyond. Perhaps this was preaching to the choir. Read the rest of this entry »

An anonymous contributor writes:

I was the other half of this conversation, which was held in the shadow of the ruins at South Coast.

Esalen is billing itself as a community, when it is running itself as a corporation. The response to the fire at South revealed how poorly suited the leaders were/are to crisis situations, and how all the talk of community and caring didn’t translate into caring action. I was, and am, appalled by the treatment of the displaced. In addition, there were a few other casualties in the brief time I was there, and the ham handed treatment of letting people go — in the presence of serious medical conditions! — bespoke the corporate “fuck you” attitude the management seems to have towards employees.

I entered the compound feeling hopeful and optimistic, and left three months later with the scales fallen from my eyes. But it’s the management that’s the problem — not the place, which is still magical and needs to be stewarded responsibly.

An anonymous Esalen elder writes:

The attitude of the Management Caste at Esalen, currently, is the authoritarian bigotry of low expectations:

“They are just gardeners, cooks, jews, blacks, primitives… Look what a mess they make of things. We have to control them and teach them to be humans.”

An anonymous contributor writes:

I’ve been going to Esalen for over 25 years. I recently spent 2 months as a Work Scholar. In addressing the apparent current management temperament, a fellow Work Scholar friend from that time observed that Esalen was moving from a “community” style to a “corporate” style. I concurred. A simple but insightful observation which carries many, many nuances of differentiation.

What I see primarily in the current trend is a loss of being able to assess true “value” in human terms. I find this both alarming and disturbing, as such a loss of humanistic coherence only implies a creeping dominance of narcissism. Unfortunately this is both a rampant and broad social malaise, as well as a symptom of “modern times.” Not good for a place like Esalen.

An anonymous contributor writes:

I was thinking today about how Eric Erickson was so instrumental in guiding us through our trials during the big fire two years ago. With grace, ability and a rock solid cool head he tirelessly and unselfishly constructed a web of safety and direction for the fifty of us who chose to stay behind after the mandatory evacuation was put in place. With the loss of Montgomery and now Eric, we should all be concerned with the safety and leadership factor when the next inevitable disaster strikes.

As for the way Kathleen was treated: shame on those who could not see the forest for the trees. As for Daniel: he is a good friend and should have been treated better than than being fired on his birthday, just days after he had returned to our so called community after sitting through his brothers passing. Shame on the powers that be.

An anonymous business leader writes:

My career has consisted of owning and working in small to medium businesses like Esalen, and for 5 years I worked in a large corporation, so I am able to hold both sides of the Esalen coin. Esalen is and organization and an organism. Here is what I know from personal experience of living at Esalen for 18 months (ending in 2008) and returning each year for 1-2 months ever since.

As a company, Esalen is unhealthy. It is top heavy in management, and lacks a clear communication mechanism to get concise an accurate information between the top and bottom. It lacks an effective chain of command with ‘buy in’ of a common vision from all levels. The hybrid factor of community amplifies these problems. [Making the 'obvious' solution to erode the community. —Ed]

In such an environment, first reactions to events and dictates tend toward fear of the unknown. Leadership has repeatedly and consistently refused to tap in-house expertise, breeding more mistrust of management. The regular practice of hiring from the outside the organization is like bringing in a grad student to ‘fix’ an indigenous culture. It hurts the organization in the long run because of the the ramp up time and cost to inculturate newcomers, and the cultural damage done in the interim.

The business structure has been reshaped by a Board of Directors which in itself is unhealthy — being unbalanced in skills, experience and conscience. A balanced Board would be diverse enough to guide an organization as multifaceted as Esalen. To be successful, the proposed business structures require everything to fit into box and be measurable. This model simply cannot be applied to a place such as Esalen because of its dualistic business-community nature and all its accompanying intangibles.

A failing model of direct income — per head, per bed — has been implemented. Land and facility restrictions, as well as the cost of a top
heavy management team, have doomed this model. The ancillary and unseen costs of this strategy are becoming more evident with the severe cultural casualties and development delays seen to date.

Until a year ago, the leadership did not actively pursue grant and donation income — funds which would have easily bridged the financial gap between corporate and community philosophies. Done properly and aggressively, grants and donations are the saving grace of any nonprofit. Indeed, most nonprofits require board members to procure substantial donation money as part of their duties. Esalen’s Board has fallen entirely short in this regard.

My first round of recommendations:

• Cut loose about half the management (Directors and their assistants)
• Empower departmental managers to do what it takes to stay in the black and make their departments thrive
• Establish a top to bottom, transparent communication system
• Cut loose the board members that aren’t pulling their weight and aren’t aligned with the heart of Esalen
• Find a new CEO — she’s a good person, but (like her predecessor) does not have the skill set or the right demeanor for the position
• Find a new Human Resources director/manager. That position is one of ensuring compliance with the law. This position should
  never be in charge of hiring. Hiring is normally done at the departmental level. HR is only part of the checks and balances in a healthy organization. The current HR dept has a disproportionate amount influence over Esalen as a whole.

The Nine reply:

We take exception with the characterization of the Board as lacking diversity, although it may lack competence. The makeup of the Board is irrelevant in the face of the power of Chairman Sam Yau, whose iron endorsements by Founder Michael Murphy and President Gordon Wheeler tightly binds the hands of the other trustees.