Archive for the ‘Navigational Compass’ Category

What would Christmas be without Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer?  The original story was created in 1939 by Robert May an employee of Montgomery Ward. May is said to have created the story based on his own childhood where he was taunted for being shy and small.

In the tv special, Rudolph wasn’t allowed to play in the reindeer games because of his bright, shiny, red nose. It seemed that everywhere he looked, he just didn’t fit in. He and Hermey, the elf who wanted to be a dentist, didn’t fit in either and so they head out on their own. In one of their songs, they sing, “Why am I such a misfit? I am not just a nitwit … seems I don’t fit in.”

Boy oh boy, have I been in situations like Rudolph and Hermey. At times I felt like I was on the island of misfit toys. I knew I wasn’t a nitwit and neither were those other folks; it just wasn’t a good fit. That’s when I decided to be the leader of me and find/create a tribe that fits me. With a wonderful community of support, I charted my own course. If others want to laugh and tease me, so be it.

Seth Godin, in his book, Tribes, says what Karen & I have been saying all along – that everyone is a leader and we need you to lead – yourself first. I feel very strongly that when you determine what you want, you’ll be in a much better position to help others get what they want, and then you’ll create something extraordinary together as leaders.

Maybe you’ve been excluded from the proverbial “reindeer games,” or felt like you don’t fit in, or have encountered some monsters on your path. If you choose to, you can return back to your brilliant essence, shine brightly, and lead – with noses of all different colors, shapes and sizes. With a community cheering you on and supporting you, there’s no telling what you’ll accomplish – in your business, your organization,  your home, your school … everywhere!

Thanks to Chris Scholle at Social SAM for making me aware of a new movement via Twitter:  Conscious Capitalism . The movement was launched with a conference on October 20-23 of this year. They say the reason they are launching this movement is:

What a thrill is was for me to read these words!

Our intention in developing the IAM movement is to transform the way we work and live so that everyone can be their best.  The basis of our work, the starting point of every product or service we offer, the point we revisit over and over again, is to bring people back to their “essential best.” We define “essential best” as the awake, infinite, abundant, expanding, conscious part of each of us.

The reason we landed with this approach for the IAM body of work can best be explained by the Einstein quote: “We can’t solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them.” I’ve also seen this quote where ‘thinking’ was replaced with ‘consciousness.’ Another way of looking at what Einstein was saying: there is nothing more important to address than the evolution or transformation of our consciousness if we are going to work and live in ways that move beyond the problems or struggles we experience (what we like to call drama!)

What I know is that Conscious Capitalism requires individuals that see the transformation of their individual awareness as the first priority of anything they do, whether in business or their family life. This very personal process of evolving awareness is necessary for Conscious Capitalism to be different than traditional capitalism, otherwise we will be recreating the same problems that currently exist, as Einstein so poignantly described.

Our contribution to Conscious Capitalism includes use of the IAM Maps: the Essence Map (a map of consciousness), the Energy Map (a guide to dynamic self knowledge and understanding energy flow) and the Navigational Compass (a way of navigating through personal development and business development – which links individual internal conscious to external practical realities).

Some of the key aspects of IAM movement that contribute to the Conscious Capitalism movement:

• Start with individual consciousness first: Group, societal and environmental factors are important and change begins within. As within, so without. Individual consciousness is needed to embody evolving conscious leadership.
• Anchor in abundance based thinking: Scarcity thinking is the root of all conflict. Teaching and practicing “both/and” thinking is required for foundational and incremental conscious action that will benefit the whole, rather than being reductionist and benefiting a few. Abundance based thinking is essential if we are to experience mutual exchange of value and mutual benefit.
• Develop awareness of self as energy: Without the ability to separate our awareness of self  from physical realities, shifting to awareness of ’self as energy’,  it is impossible to participate in the transformation of capitalism to conscious forms. Until we shift our focus from drama to our essential best (energy self), alignment of our efforts will only create more drama, recreating old patterns, instead of aligning our values, strengths and passions to create new realities.
• Connect personal and business: Business can not become conscious if people do not bring their whole, evolving, conscious selves to work. Personal growth is required for business growth, and we need language, concepts and maps for making these connections concrete and practical.
• Connect to nature: Being reductionist and overly profit driven has caused people and businesses to become disconnected from the natural rhythms of life, living and indeed the environment. Ways to connect to nature are critical in remembering our wholeness, in re-establishing a healthy relationship with our planet and in generating financial prosperity.
• Address defense mechanisms: Until we can consciously and actively participate as a collective in healing from defensive patterns, we will not be able to fully participate in the sharing of information and resources. Full transparency and openness in our processes requires the ability to ‘love our way through’ our patterns of separation.

There are many aspects of both IAM and Conscious Capitalism that we have yet to discover. Yet if you look at these aspects here, we have a solid foundation to start with! The IAM body of work quickly and easily helps people work with the capabilities I have described here.

There are more aspects of IAM that contribute to Conscious Capitalism, and I’ll continue to add to this list. For those of you who are familiar with IAM, help me draw the connection between the work we are doing and what you would like to see Conscious Capitalism be. Let’s participate NOW in carrying both of these movements forward!

I tend to attract clients who are ready, really ready, to change and influence how work gets done. They see how being unhappy in a job is detrimental to themselves and a business. They see how the surplus of chaos and stupidity in organizations has got to change. They are reluctant to participate in ‘business as usual.’

My clients include newly liberated free spirits (laid off people) who would do just about anything to not contribute to business as usual. Or people who are currently employed who have woken up to the reality that ‘business as usual’ is failing and they are proactively interviewing for new jobs or exploring startup options.

These folks are determined to contribute to a more evolved way of working and conducting business, for themselves and society. They are people who typically have the resources to take time to rethink how they’ve been working and are motivated to create better ways not just for themselves but also for generations to come. They are not going back to the way things have been!

Imagine these same folks interviewing for jobs with people who don’t get it, folks who are blindly ’sheep walking’  thinking the dinosaur they work for is still strong. I could focus on these businesses – how to attract top talent, how to survive in a radically changing economy, but I’ll leave that for another post!

Given how these interviews with sheep walkers are going, my enlightened clients are discouraged, wondering how to proceed, and asking ’should I look for a job or start a new business?’

My advice to these folks, initially, is to proceed as if the job or the business startup were one and the same. In both cases you start with the following questions:

• What is the work that will most fully leverage my essential best?
• What am I passionate about creating or contributing to in the world?

By flushing out the first question, you determine how you can best create value for others – eventually matching your gifts with a compelling need that people have.

By considering the second question, you determine the markets, areas of industry, and business you would target, either in a job search or business startup.

I have heard that outplacement firms are advising folks to consider what companies they want to work for. This is a nice idea, a start to considering what you want. But it doesn’t take things far enough for my clients. It leaves these questions hanging:

• How do I make sure that my next job or work is not business as usual?
• How can the next stage of my career contribute to creating more visionary, evolved, effective, dynamic ways of working?

These are practical questions that, when carefully considered, will put you at the leading edge of the job seeking, business creating crowd – moving toward work that will be viable and sustainable in the future. These questions help you bypass or pull yourself out of the dying cycle of ‘finding that job or startup that pays the bills but is in a dying dinosaur business that will just lead to another layoff or struggle in a short amount of time …’

These are not questions that should land you in a dark corner, meditating on your navel, afraid to venture out into a scary world where people are still in a stupor or where uncertainty creates confusion.

Instead, these questions lead to the adventure of  explorative conversations with people about the unknown, or the chaos of our times … from which you can see new needs that uniquely match your gifts, perspective and vision … or from which new opportunities or order emerges.

I recommend a tight cycle of personal reflection/journaling/learning and venturing out to talk with people about what’s needed, what’s possible, what’s inspiring. Back and forth between reflection and action, that eventually leads to finding jobs or creating business that often didn’t exist before.

Some examples, based on personal and client experience:

• coach and consultant with background in technology, business and organizational change leverages new developments in social media and networking to contribute to the evolution in consciousness and business (that’s me!)
• technology marketing specialist participates in a startup business bringing a new, locally sourced bio-fuel to market as an alternative to petroleum diesel
• ICU nurse with MBA creates new job/startup helping doctors evolve their businesses so they can bypass insurance companies
• artist, knowledge management expert, change leader combines radically diverse gifts to move work toward business startup using artistic talents to capture learning and tell stories of successful change efforts, that will be used to inspire and guide new change efforts

From these examples, you can see people uniquely combining their gifts and experiences to meet a current need while also participating in creating a world they want to see emerge. The way forward demands ‘business as un-usual!’ And your strategy could include a job or startup, depending on what you bring, the need you are meeting, and the future you want to create both for yourself and for the world.

So what’s the next step for you?

I met with a former client today – I love hearing stories of how people are moving forward with the work we’ve done together. Doing versus being was a big part of our conversation … how we need both in the practical combining of our spiritual energy and creation of things.

What struck me about our conversation was how people coming from very spiritual perspectives can be uncomfortable with language like ‘making things happen’ and practical topics like ‘making money.’ Similarly,  people coming from practical perspectives, especially financial, can eschew language such as ‘being as a way to create value’.

I believe now is the time for these two perspectives to come together.

Think about it: How often have you seen the practical entrepreneur who acts without regard for matters of the spirit and heart – that becomes a callous, shallow (and not very effective) doer? Or the spiritual devotee who reads, and reads books, but isn’t investing their beliefs into practical endeavors?

Doing without being, and vice versa, results in a life lived without courage and risk taking. Both extremes are hiding out in ’safe houses’ of tradition – either focused on ivory tower intellectual pursuits or seeking safety in the daily grind where doing is the caffeine of the high achiever.

How about doing that is inspired by our being? That is infused with our creative passions and sense of purpose?

How are you living your live by both being and doing?

Have you ever felt like there are almost TOO many options to choose from when it comes to what you want? That the hardest part of getting it can be figuring out what “it” is??

I find it both liberating AND scary to think about what I want. After all, moving toward something can mean leaving the comfy and familiar behind, and what happens if I want something with my heart and soul and it doesn’t happen?? Could it be better to just not want to begin with??

Whew…that either/or scarcity thinking is exhausting! I know from experience…lately I’ve been under a smothering cloud of tension about what I want compared to the comfort of how things have been.

There’s nothing like the joy of falling in love with a man that you want to spend your life with! And there’s nothing like the cloud of tension I’ve felt about life as my daughter and I have known it for 9 years changing when we blend families! Toss in the start of a new business from home, the daughter being a tween, and well…it’s been a little ugly (and funny when I have perspective!).

How do you move from scarcity thinking to abundance about what you want?

For me, the shift happened this morning. I was frankly tired of the drama and crying (which was useful for a little while!) and simply made a choice to return to abundance.

What impact did that choice have? I got up to go for a run (which I felt too tired for when mired in the drama). Running is magic for me when it comes to getting perspective and energy. What is magic for you??

Before I left I was browsing an old Oprah magazine. I read an article about a Leadership Summit for ‘regular’ women who’d won a contest to bring forth their humanitarian ideas and get support for moving them forward. In abundance mode, I noticed which stories inspired me most and what I want with my own work if I could have it any way at all. I have several ideas I can’t wait to follow up on!

And – ideas for this article just hadn’t been able to get through the smothering cloud of tension. As I joyfully ran, getting out of my own way, ideas tumbled in…

I still don’t know what blended family life will look like, but I’m remembering that I always get what I want or something better!

What helps you move from fear of change to risking what you really want?

So what does saying YES really mean to your life?

I believe it means having the faith and courage to step into the next and highest version of who you are meant to be as spiritual beings and Creators in a physical body. And to keep expanding into your highest potential which may beyond your imagination to conceive. It means going the distance without giving up and quitting; releasing the false illusions about who you think you are to allow the real magnificent you to more fully emerge.

Fulfilling our dreams and desires does not end with a single yes to any vision, action plan, or goal. Thinking that just because we came to a decision to do or have something that our success is assured is naive. We must say yes every second, every minute, and every hour of every day as we make choices that move us towards what we truly desire. And, we must know when choosing to say no is the right answer because saying yes will take us in an opposite direction of what we desire.

Are you aware of what your soul is calling you to become?

Have you been listening the whispers of your spirit and following your inner nudges?

What YES have you been resisting that is persisting?

Have you been making choices that are moving you towards or away from your desires?

Questions that arise:

1. What will be I be asked to do that I may not want to do?

Life (God, Soul, The Divine) will not give you step two until you take step one. Spiritual practices such as meditation, morning papers, journaling, and walks in natures create connections for Life to speak to us through intuition, instincts, feelings… It is true that the guidance we sense or hear might seem scary, confusing, …even nuts. Our ego/mind screams, “No way. It’s not safe. It’s crazy…” Our gut and instincts say, “Trust that all will be well. Go for it.” What is guiding your decisions? The fears and illusions of your mind? Or, the knowing wisdom from your soul looking beyond the limitations of your mind and beckoning you to the wonders of what’s next?

Attempting to remain stagnant is impossible because evolution and change is a constant. You are either moving forward or you are moving backward. Look at your life to see where you are.

2. How far do I need to s-t-r-e-t-c-h?

You want some guarantees or a preview of what is to come before decided to take the plunge? Sorry,. Life doesn’t work that way. That’s why it’s called taking a leap of faith. You must stretch as far as is needed to receive what you desire. There may be periods of extreme challenge that can cause you to waver in doubt and fear.

How well you know yourself, your spiritual practices, ongoing evolution, attitude shifting tools, and circle of support are critical factors to staying strong no matter what is happening.

3. What if my YES upsets others?

It might. And in weighing all the elements of saying yes, you must also trust that the people in your life will benefit in the long run even if the short term brings some discomfort. You do not know what the people in your life have come to experience to become who they are meant to be.

Marianne Williamson’s famous quote from “A Return To Love” speaks to the very heart of each of us who fear or feel undeserving of owning our greatness

“…Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of the Universe. Your playing small doesn’t serve the world. There’s nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It’s not just in some of us; it’s in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we’re liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others…”

My mother used to say, “You can’t have everything you want!” I had no problem expressing what I wanted when I was a child. I was terrific at thinking abundantly. As a young girl I wanted to play with my friends, go on adventures through my books, ride my bicycle, and climb trees.

It was only when I became an adult that I became more aware of scarcity. Concerns about paying the bills, staying healthy, climbing the corporate ladder, and planning for retirement increasingly consumed my thoughts. Although it is important to be a responsible adult, we don’t have to be fearful or self-absorbed adults. Seriously, I am ready to replace scarcity thinking with abundant thinking.

You may be wondering how you will know if most of your thinking centers on abundance or scarcity. Read some of the examples below and see if anything resonates with you.

Examples of Abundant Thinking:

• When I network with people, I purposefully look for ways to help them connect with others. I believe that what I put out into the world comes right back at me, so of course someone will help me – in fact, they already have in many areas of my life.
• When I have a conflict with someone, I look for ways of staying in the conversation to discover ways that both of us can get what we want – no compromises!
• When I sit down to enjoy my meal, I don’t overeat because there is always enough.
• I see myself as a peer to everyone.
• I don’t hold onto grudges and past wrongdoings. I release myself from the bondage of that hurt or pain.
• I enjoy spending time in nature, feeling a strong bond to the Earth.
• In my meditations or prayers, I spend just as much time listening as I do asking or talking.
• I trust myself to know what is right for me.
• I often laugh at myself when I do or say silly things.

Examples of Scarcity Thinking:

• I call on people in my network when I need them.
• I rarely if ever help someone without expecting something in return.
• I love it when I can catch someone charging me too much for something.
• I worry constantly about my finances. Sometimes I even lie to my partner so he/she won’t get mad or be afraid.
• I don’t give my money to charity. Rich people should do that.
• When I’m in a conflict with someone, I rarely say what I think. I’d rather just keep the peace.
• Whenever I’m around this certain person, I say the stupidest things. She makes me feel so insignificant.
• Sara really disappointed me. I thought she was really bright, but when I saw how she handled that project, I realized I am way smarter than her.
• I know that I promised I would do that thing for Astor, but I got tied up. He should know how busy I am. Why did he ask me in the first place? He’s so insensitive.

What speaks to you? Is there anything you want to change? If so, you have already conquered the first step which is acknowledging and recognizing something you want to change. The second step is practice – by yourself or with someone who will support and encourage you.

Integrate your responsible adult thinking with your childlike abundant thinking and get ready for one of the grandest adventures you can imagine!

I’m sure you’ve heard something like the following:

• “That’s just who I am”
• “It is what it is”
• “The key is to accept a person as they are”

How do statements like the above work in situations such as the following?

• A friend is emotionally abusive
• The employee is barely engaged
• A husband is chronically depressed
• The leader is unable to inspire others

Is it helpful for the supervisor to say to the poor performer, “that’s just who you are”? I don’t think so …

I am now seeing platitudes of zen-like acceptance of situations and people as yet another way to resign ourselves to mediocrity, to rationalize abuse and oppression, and to collude with the ultimate delusion that we can’t make a difference. In attempting to ‘accept what is’ and let go of attachment to outcome, we fall into a pit of victimhood!

The first step out of these pitfalls is to want more for ourselves, like friends who are emotionally responsible, colleagues who are passionately engaged, partners who are excited to be on a path of enlightenment, leaders who challenge and inspire the best in others … these are healthy wants.

But our confusion about wanting more for ourselves creates chaos and confusion around us.

I’ve had to learn to want more from the deepest desires in my soul, without creating mixed messages tainted with guilt, restraint, doubt, and scarcity. Wanting more can be seen as selfish, arrogant, idealistic …. I’ve had each of these fearful sentiments mirrored back to me as I’ve gained courage in asking for what I truly want.

Healthy wanting more depends on our ability to see beyond the illusions and fears of our current realities, beyond the behaviors we are exhibiting, to the real essence of people…

For example:

• We can see the CEO rigidly using structure to enforce his will on his organization
• Or we can see the same CEO struggling to be both a compassionate and results oriented leader

Wanting more for my-self can literally pull my vision beyond the limitations of ‘what is’ into a sea of possibilities. A conversation with our CEO can shift from:

• He won’t budge, to
• What are you trying to create, here’s what I want, how can we work together

By wanting more I get to have fun exploring the many realities beyond the one that holds me where I am, into the adventurous territory of who I am becoming.

So how can we want more without becoming materialistic and greedy? How do we keep our wants aligned with abundance and authenticity instead of scarcity?

April 2009: Creating Everything

Meritocracy and 100% Responsibility. Thanks to Michele Martin’s blog, the Bamboo Project, and her post on Matt Miller’s new book, The Tyranny of Dead Ideas, I’ve been thinking a lot about these two ideas.

Meritocracy: success based on talent, ability or merit. Jeff Jarvis (What Would Google Do) describes how the internet allows ‘good ideas’ to bubble to the top, and how companies should be meritocracies where customers benefit from your best ideas.

100% Responsibility: claiming the power we have over our own thoughts, attitudes, beliefs and assumptions to influence our experiences (me).

Michele Martin: “much of what passes for merit is really privilege–the privilege of a life that allows you to develop the skills and knowledge necessary to earn a good living.”

How do we discuss 100% Responsibility, a core concept in personal empowerment, and merit or being your best, while also addressing compelling issues of privilege and class?

I address these questions where I can – in my own life and work…

I’ve been using the phrase ‘white dude’ to describe the western European male influenced patriarchy that has created so many of the ideas and structures that have both liberated and oppressed. Ironic given that I’m married to and gave birth to two ‘white dudes’. I love white dudes!

And how can we take the best of the white dude culture, leave the rest, and weave in the best of what the rest of us have to offer?

Some examples:

• Jan (my husband) and I are exploring how he can be freed from the onerous white dude responsibility of holding down the 9-5 job, and being ‘the rock’ for everyone else.

By creating success in my business, I open opportunities for my husband to be his best.

• We met with a white dude to explore collaborating on career development projects. He had some cool tools, we had new approaches, but this guy ultimately wasn’t open to our kind-of new.

By choosing to work with white dudes who want to be stretched, we’re shifting the dominant culture to include the merits of all.

• We are passionate about coaching being accessible to people of all income levels.

By working to create affordable online learning and coaching, we’re breaking down the boundaries of privilege.

Taking 100% responsibility for creating everything happens on a continuum. We start where we can, we create what we can, we encourage others to be responsible, and we do everything to level the playing field so that everyone can be at their best. Before we know it, we’ll be consciously creating everything.

What do you think? To what extent is conscious creation really possible?

April 2009: Creating Everything

As I work with the theme for the April newsletter, I keep focusing on the creating part of that theme. Given that I’m living in the woods, surrounded by nature, I can’t help but think of CREATION. The amazing universe (created by God) that we live in.

So, in reflecting on CREATION, I offer 4 perspectives on Creation as Inspiration.

REASON #1: CREATION cures loneliness

Some of my loneliest times are when I’m with people, especially when a misunderstanding or miscommunication happens. The effort to connect with our fellow human beings is greatly rewarding, often frustrating and potentially isolating. So whether you are lonely with people around you or not, Creation can remind you are not alone. Living, breathing Creation is right there, outside your door to be your companion. Try stepping outside next time you feel lonely.

REASON #2: Creativity comes from CREATION

Just today I saw: a brilliant red cardinal, a wild male turkey pluming its feathers to lure a female, several intricate veins captured in one small leaf, snow blanketing a pine branch, the meandering flow of water in a stream, a startling loud cracking noise of ice breaking up in a flooded pond, and a red and a gray squirrel duking it out for the scattered bird seed.

Each one of these observations offers an opportunity to riff on it for a life meaning, or inspires a work of art or a poem, or a sermon topic. The artistic possibilities are endless. The metaphors are endless. All found in observing Creation.

REASON #3: CREATION reminds you, you are not in control

Spend one winter in Minnesota with a career that includes a lot of flying and you learn this quickly. The weather will do what it wants no matter how much planning one engages in. Or consider the folks of Eastern North Dakota and Northwest Minnesota who are holding their breath as the Red River crests far above flood level. The forces of nature conspired and then eased, offering a concrete reminder of how little humans are in control.

REASON #4: CREATION grounds you

Pun aside – walking on real ground, feeling the solid earth holding you up creates a sense of well being and provides clarity. Last week I spent a few days in a giant high rise hotel with large windowless convention rooms in the middle of an urban center. I missed the earth beneath my feet. Working out on a treadmill on the 40th floor gave me exercise but it did not ground me.

How does Creation inspire you? What do you think of as Creation?