Margot Cairnes
B. Ed (Hons), MBA
The seeds of change were first planted in Margot Cairnes when learning Marxist theory at university. To her, Marxist revolution seemed just another form of domination. She saw no solution in the overthrow of one dominant class by another, simply domination begetting domination. It was from this that Margot saw the need for a new system, one where the powerful share their power. An evolution, not a revolution.

Margot’s first degree at the University of Sydney was a Bachelor of Education where she received the University Medal in her Honors year. In search of work she moved to Darwin where she headed up Darwin Family Centers. This organization provided child care and family support for the families across the top end of Australia. It was in this role that she negotiated the Childcare Act at State level and Federal Childcare Funding. With this experience, and at the youthful age of 24, Margot marketed herself as a consultant to other government bodies. Already the mother of one child, she used her evenings to lecture in sociology at the local university, where, after the birth of her second child, she took a one-year lectureship.

It was while studying for her MBA that she started working as a business consultant. On completion of her Masters, Margot was confronted with a number of personal crises that provoked her to reassess her life and its meaning. First, her marriage of 13 years failed, an experience that sent her into psychotherapy. This therapy deeply altered her emotional approach, mainly a realization of the need to learn from personal experience in order to increase our awareness of our inner being. This journey started, two more harrowing events faced Margot that tested her strength. Now a single mother, her daughter became ill with a life-threatening disease that involved extended periods of hospitalization. Around the same time, her father contracted terminal cancer. It was from these challenges of nursing and supporting, both emotionally and financially, two of her most loved people, which forced her to be more than she had imagined. The financial burden of their illnesses left her no choice but to continue seeking better and better work, stretching her to new heights. Emotionally, she learnt the joy of sacrificing and the true meaning of loving another human being. As she herself said during that time If I can come through all this having learnt something, I can achieve anything.

This personal growth added to her learning and Margot was intrigued to see how her experiences translated to her consulting work. Soon she noticed how her clients grew as a direct result from her experience and how they took this back to the work place and continued the growth. Her first big job was with the Portland Aluminum smelter. A challenging job that started with an inner journey for the Operations Manager and led to levels of business, cultural and emotional success never before seen in a smelter plant. And not just within the smelter workers, but the entire community of Portland. The success of Portland gave Margot the reassurance that her theory and methods were the right ones. 

Excited by her discoveries, Margot started to write about her work in an effort to share her knowledge. Books followed up magazine articles as she realized the importance of her work and how her ideas could dramatically change peoples lives for the better. Through her work she has witnessed her clients personal growth and the benefits, emotional and financial, that are a product of this. Having reached this point, it is now Margot’s aim to show everyone how they too can experience this. As she has said, “it is like I have discovered the cure for organizational cancer but very few people are aware of it.” 

Many organizations are based on manipulative power structures that rely on people’s insecurities and emotional fears. The people at the top of the tree use these emotional weaknesses to exploit, simply because manipulation is the only tool they know how to use to move forward. What Margot has learnt is that managers, CEOs, chairman, directors, everyone at the top of the structure use these methods, not only as forms of protection, but also through their own personal ignorance. As David Judd, operations manager at the Portland smelter wrote, 
“…It’s obvious to me now - it wasn’t for many years - that the first individual that we need to work with is ourselves. As managers we’ve been exhorting others to change but at the same time, we’ve been fearful of letting go the old ways on which we’ve based our authority, influence and self-esteem. If we are to be successful in the future, those old ways have to go because they are holding others back from realizing their full potential.”

Now, Margot works with some of the world’s top companies at executive level, helping organizations in times of crisis, such as after mergers and takeovers. She mentors numerous leading international business figures and conducts workshops and conferences. In addition, she undertakes many speaking commitments, another method she employs to further her philosophy. Mixing at such a powerful level is certainly a long way from her teaching degree, yet in principle Margot is still fulfilling her early dreams of being an educator.

“Most people spend a significant amount of time at work. For most people work is an emotionally and spiritually deadening experience. This makes neither human nor business sense. By going on a journey of self-discovery and growth in relationship with people and the world around you, each one of us can use work as a place of spiritual and emotional growth and enrichment.
“This leads to personal fulfillment, environmental enrichment, social improvement and increased business profits. To achieve this win, win, win, win outcome we need to learn to think in a new way. My life’s work is to help people discover this way.”
Margot Cairnes, October 1999