Making a Difference, Together
Shortly after I finished writing my book, Working for Good: Making a Difference While Making a Living, people started asking me if I planned to write another (as if finishing one weren’t enough!) My response typically was, “If I do, I will probably call it Working for Good: Together.” Out of all of the insights I garnered and lessons I learned or reinforced through and during the process of writing the book, the power and primacy of collaboration was among, if not the, most essential.
I truly would not have been able to write the book without the support from and collaboration with Elad Levinson and Julie van Amerongen. And without Kelly Notaras’ early editing and guidance it would not have been worth publishing.
During the same time I was writing the book, as I was navigating challenging territory with the production of the 2009 Catalyzing Conscious Capitalism Summit, without the tireless presence of Phyllis Blees and the moral and creative support from Ted Robb, I don’t know if the ship would have sailed.
And as I reflected on all of the “missions accomplished” over the years, in every case there was a team of collaborators (myself included as one among a team) who made it possible.
This recognition purposefully led me to find, attract, and engage a new team to build Working for Good and to continue the work I have been doing for the past ten years under Cause Alliance Marketing. The process of catalyzing the team, (with Susan Hollingshead, Velco Farina, and Chris Robb at the core, Julie and others deeply engaged and connected to it), and laying the foundations for our conscious collaboration, is one of the most energizing and inspiring things I have ever experienced.
While the process is still unfolding, and we have many miles to go before we sleep, it is no mistake that the signature line (or tag line) for our business recently emerged as Making a Difference, Together. And, I must add, I really did not drive the process of getting there. It truly emerged as the essence of what we are about.
True to the principle of transparency, which is core to our process, I intend to document much of our process in my blog and, eventually, we are likely to do so via video.
Stay tuned, and please share your insights into the process of collaboration - the ups and downs, principles and skills, and anything else that feeds the journey.
Yours in Working for Good!
Jeff
March 8, 2010
Tags: awareness, C3 Summit, Collaboration, Principles, Working for Good Posted in: Principles, Reflections, Working for Good 
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Coherence
At the recommendation of my general physician during my annual physical, I recently purchased a portable emWave device from the Institute of HeartMath as a tool to reduce stress and increase heart wave coherence and overall health. In this context, coherence is the “highly efficient physiological state in which the nervous system, cardiovascular, hormonal, and immune systems are working efficiently and harmoniously.” More coherence = less stress.
The benefits of coherence include greater ease, faster recovery from stress, increased health, more presence, deeper sleep, and better performance in general, among others. Kind of a no-brainer, and very easy to practice in very little time.
I have no doubt that the coherence cultivated through the emWave practice will enhance coherence in other aspects of my work and life, and will serve as a metaphor for the cultivation of coherence in general.
Coherence in our work implies aligning ourselves with work that connects with our passion and draws on our strengths. This requires inquiry and exploration. Coherence in our relationships implies greater synchronization and alignment - working together harmoniously and efficiently. This requires listening, learning to connect, and practicing dialogue (rather than diatribe or debate).
While the HeartMath tools provide easy-to-apply technology to cultivating heart wave coherence, the Working for Good tools for cultivating coherence with our purpose, passion, and action, and coherence with our relationships take a little more initiative on our parts. But they are relatively straightforward. With clear intention and ongoing practice, coherence becomes increasingly easy and over time becomes our baseline pattern.
It is never too late to start or restart the practice of cultivating coherence and, as in most Working for Good practices, doing so together makes it easier and faster to progress.
Yours in Working for Good,
Jeff
February 22, 2010
Tags: Add new tag, awareness, connection, conscious business, Principles, Working for Good Posted in: Principles, Working for Good No Comments
Take Care of Yourself
Boy, this is a big issue. I’ve always know it to be so, but since I started writing this piece a couple weeks ago it’s significance has become even more apparent.
People frequently ask me how I do all that I do and how I look and act so young. I suppose I have a pretty full life - working essentially all the time, while (solo) parenting, working out regularly, and always finding time to play. And, I acknowledge, I carry my nearly 52 years well. I actually think I am in the best physical condition of my life, with strength and endurance comparable to, if not better than, that of my teens. And I seem to be healthy in other domains - including emotional, mental, spiritual, and social - too. (Have to be careful not to presume too much!)
I think the answer to the question (how I do what I do and look and act so young) is simply “I take care of myself.” While that may be a simple answer, I realize that, for many people, doing so is not so simple. While laziness or busyness may explain it, as I think about this more and more and observe others, I think the root of the difficulty for many people is that they were never really encouraged to take care of themselves or taught now to do so. Many of the explicit and implicit messages in our culture say “Follow the rules.” “You don’t really have any power or authority.” “Someone else will take care of making important decisions.” “Something wrong, the professional will take care of it for you (you pay, of course).” “To get the golden ring you have to sacrifice almost everything except the pursuit of the golden ring (and the golden ring is a single, specific goal, usually material or status related).”
I vividly remember my visit to Bainbridge Graduate Institute last April and how exhausted and stressed so many of the students were and, with my invitation, they acknowledged this to be true. And this is at a wonderful program designed to cultivate conscious, sustainability-minded MBA students.
So, what does it mean to take care of yourself, of ourselves? First, is to recognize that we are multi-dimensional beings with an array of needs, including physical, emotional, spiritual, intellectual, relational, etc. Second, is to truly understand the nature of interdependence and to recognize that healthy systems, sustainability, peace, and other virtues we aspire to manifest in the world begin with healthy individuals, embodying the attributes we envision defining the system. “Put your own Oxygen mask on first before you assist other passengers.” And third, we need to understand that, as with all things, we reap what we sow - it takes focused, persistent attention and effort to cultivate health in every domain, but this effort ultimately creates a positive inertia - movement in the direction of health. And the process of focusing of self care generates a sense of confidence, capacity, and sensitivity that carries over into other realms, including caring for others, and creating or building whatever it may be - a company, project, product, work of art….
Over the years I have found countless ways with countless teachers or guides to care for different aspects of my being, which I actively apply to myself and my relationships, and which I enthusiastically share with others. I think we need to create a culture in which open exploration and collaboration in caring for ourselves, each other, and our groups is a primary focus. This is one of the core commitments of the Working for Good team and we embody it in practice every day. The result is deepening understanding of and love for each other, and a safe and supportive container that allows us to more fully show up, express our unique gifts, and co-create together. While our team is relatively new, the depth and openness of our relationships is stunning, and the results are magnificent.
I find the same to be true in relationships in general - with my daughter Meryl Fé, with friends old and new, and in intimate relationship. If we can truly hold ourselves, then we can hold each other without grasping. We can celebrate each other and enthusiastically embrace the success and full expression of our beloved, without feeling diminished or out of balance.
While it may seem counterintuitive, I think a key to liberation is to love yourself and to truly take care of yourself. From there, you can care for all people and things, and transcend your self. The object is not to become self absorbed or narcissistic, but to become healthy and secure, so you can fly beyond yourself.
I encourage you to give yourself full permission to take care of yourself, and to find ways to do so that really serve. Asking others for support and attention may be one of those ways.
Yours in Working for Good,
Jeff
February 20, 2010
Tags: awareness, conscious business, self care, Working for Good Posted in: Reflections, Working for Good No Comments
Gestation
This is my first blog post in over ten days, after posting twice a week since April 2009, with a little break over the holidays. Interestingly (at least to me) I wrote or started a few pieces since my last post - Restoration – on February 1st.
For some reason, I decided not to post, but to wait – to be with the great flow and deep development process unfolding with Working for Good and Conscious Capitalism, among other things.
As I reflected on all of this yesterday, I had a clear sense of gestation – that period and process between conception and birth, when life is dramatically developing, form and function are revealing themselves, and character begins expressing itself. With all of it being invisible to the naked eye, though very much available to subtle perception.
The gestation periods for a new business, a social movement, a sacred relationship, and other collaborative creations are not as predictable as those of biological beings, but, at some point, birth happens. While the births my collaborators and I are midwiving are not yet crowning, the signs of emergence are quickening.
Stay tuned!
Yours in Working for Good,
Jeff
February 13, 2010
Tags: awareness, Collaboration, conscious business, conscious leadership, Working for Good Posted in: Reflections, Working for Good No Comments
Restoration
I’ve been dancing with this blog post since last Saturday, when the theme appeared to me. I recognized that the week ahead (now nearly past) called for a deep level of retreat and restoration, while maintaining full out engagement with the river of activity in my life (parenting, training, building, serving, etc.).
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I heeded the call and wove real retreat and purposeful restoration into the week. It began with the weekly Sweat Your Prayers convergence Sunday morning in Sausalito. Fortunately, the music perfectly supported a flowing, reflective, restorative wave for me (I didn’t even break a sweat, which is incredible since, as Meryl Fé observes frequently, I sweat just thinking about moving - i.e. dancing, running, training, etc.).
On Monday I was able to swing by Kabuki Hot Springs in San Francisco between meetings, and Wednesday afternoon I made a quick foray to Harbin Hot Springs for a deep dive into healing, hot water, beautiful open nature, and all that goes with it. Just the drive - taking in the mountains and music, fed the place that was calling for attention. And a 30-minute nap after a long soak probably replaced hours of sleep (I am still sleeping only 3 - 5 hours a night).
So what is this all about? I think it is a call to cultivate the ability to source stillness in any situation at any moment. I just started reading Yoga Nidra by Richard Miller (and beginning to explore working with Richard and his iRest material) and recognize this opportunity eloquently expressed in his work.
As I engaged with the rest of my life this week (that is, the aspects of my week that were not in hot water or slow movement) I recognized the profound effect of connecting to this source while engaged in action. Among other things, I was able to stay steady and present in a meeting that was not starting out with flow, and guide it to beautiful resolution. I held Meryl Fé through tears without leaving her (in any respect) and supported her to find solace and ease in spite of her fears and sadness. And yesterday, I had the most fun I have ever had sparring in a martial arts class. Coming from a relaxed, easy place, my speed, strength, precision, and seeing reached a level I have never really recognized before in that context. It was awesome. And I realize that it was the presence and energy that flowed through me by coming from the stillness that enabled the experience.
As I write this I am en route to a Conscious Capitalism leadership retreat at John Mackey’s ranch outside Austin. While a month ago I was somewhat reticent about attending, I am as enthusiastic as a child going to the circus, anticipating adventure, joy, and lots of energy. The facilitator (a good reason I am looking forward to this so much), Rick Voirin, is profoundly masterful. Last night, in an email to set the tone and deepen the context, he referenced the US Constitutional Congress and the work of Mark Gerzon Leading Through Conflict: How Successful Leaders Transform Differences into Opportunities, and truly set a transcendent frame for our retreat - tapping into the vast field of time and space in which Conscious Capitalism is emerging and supporting us to relax our small I - our individual interests and differences - to tap into the potential of a profound collaboration between us, with others, and with the unfolding potential of Conscious Capitalism itself. I like that it is called a retreat and I feel that the personal restoration process I tuned into this week is right in sync.
I look forward to witnessing and diving into what next week calls for. Right now, I’ll just show up for what presents itself - right here, right now.
January 29, 2010
Tags: Authentic leadership, awareness, conscious capitalism, conscious leadership, John Mackey, Working for Good Posted in: Principles, Reflections, Working for Good 4 Comments
Foundations
Yesterday the Working for Good founding team met to finalize our formal organizational process, discuss our business development strategy, review current project, and break bread together (we’re really good at that!).
Consistent with the rich organic process by which we have come together, it was so enjoyable and productive, no one wanted to leave when it was time to disperse. Deep roots like to stay in the ground.
Among other things, we got clear on our respective roles and even manifested our respective titles. Here’s what they look like:
Velco Farina, Chief Business Design Officer
Chris Robb, Chief Creative Officer
Susan Hollingshead, Chief Integration Officer
Jeff Klein, CEO + Chief Activation Officer
Like a good Gurkha team, we all have a broad range of skills and can cover each others’ backs, yet we excel at one area, which is reflected in our roles and titles. Creating a business is truly an artistic process and we get to paint the picture or compose the symphony or cook the meal, with ourselves as the ingredients!
The focus of our business is threefold:
CAUSE ALLIANCE MARKETING PROGRAMS: Working for Good produces and promotes Cause Alliance Marketing programs, which drive social and environmental change through multi-sector collaboration and multi-stakeholder engagement. By cultivating ecosystems of companies, NGOs, government agencies, and other organizations with aligned vision and values, the Working for Good campaigns catalyze collective conscience, intelligence, and energy to drive profound, positive change.
CONSULTING: We provide consulting services to Working for Good Program Partners to support them to deepen more fully integrate their practice of conscious business and, in the process, to more fully engage their stakeholders to create a more resilient and sustainable business ecosystem.
COMMUNITY: WorkingforGood.com will be the web-based home for all of the Working for Good programs and related campaigns. As communities - of companies, NGOs, other organizations, and their stakeholders - come together to collaborate on the programs, a vast and diverse community of organizations and individuals from all walks of life will converge to learn, communicate, and collaborate together.
We are already immersed in our first projects, have several others in the pipeline, and designing the web platform.
I look forward to providing an ongoing story of the development of our work, and invite comments and questions along the way.
Yours in Working for Good,
Jeff
January 20, 2010
Tags: awareness, conscious business, conscious capitalism, entrepreneurship, Principles, Working for Good Posted in: Working for Good No Comments
Reflections on the Week of 1.10.10
The second full week of 2010 was quite extraordinary. If I try to characterize it in a word or two some of those that come up for me are movement, signs, early fruit, acceleration, foundations, and can’t forget full and fulfilling!
There was so much energy flowing in and around me that I found myself waking up at 2 or 3 am, fully awake, even if I only got a couple hours of sleep. I think I averaged 4 1/2 a night. While not optimal, I think I made it through OK. Ended Friday with a visit to Steven Finkbine, my acupuncturist and, as I expected, my energy was unlike he has ever felt it before. And while my eyes showed signs of insufficient sleep, all the other signs were strong.
Some of the highlights of the week included deepening collaboration for the Working for Good Team and we closed our first client/project as a team (details to follow soon). We also had an incredible meeting with leadership of the Women’s Funding Network to explore collaboration. My W4G partner and collaborator Chris Robb nailed the conceptual design of our web platform this week. Our partner Velco Farina, who arrived tonight for a series of meetings next week, pulled out his highly sophisticated tool-box (built through studying as an Industrial Engineer and MBA, and working as a consultant for Bain, McKinsey, and Sapient), which we anticipate employing on our next project, which we are meeting on next week. And Susan Hollingshead manages to shine her brilliance on us even as she focuses most of her time on facilitating her transition from B Labs to Working for Good. I am delighted that my long-time collaborator Julie van Amerongen will be working with us on various projects too.
The week began with a mind-expanding and inspiring call with Rand Stagen and Rick Voirin (one of the smartest and most skillful people I have ever met) who will be facilitating an upcoming Conscious Capitalism Retreat at John Mackey’s ranch outside Austin. To be honest, my interest in attending went from marginal to enthusiastic after the call. It promises to be an extraordinary retreat with surprises for all. I am certainly going with the expectation of being surprised. Tuesday I had the great delight to dine with my friend and fellow CC Alliance board member Cheryl Rosner, which is always fun and expansive. In addition to being a great friend and impeccable collaborator, I consider Cheryl to be a mentor and guide in the art of being a CEO and running a company.
The O.N.E. Coconut Water Campaign I am producing/facilitating is coming together beautifully, as are the materials for the campaign, which we formally launch mid-February. Given the intensification of my exercise regime, I find myself increasing my already high consumption of O.N.E. Coconut Water. What an amazing drink.
Tuesday I drove up to Ukiah for an interview with Michael Toms of New Dimensions Radio, which was somewhat like going to visit a wise man (and wise woman, his wife and partner Justine) for a deep conversation, which will air sometime in the next few months.
Another highlight of the week was my weekly facilitated inner work session (which some might call therapy). Every so often I find a good facilitator/guide and I’ve found an excellent one with whom I have been working the past several months. This week the shift was palpable - coming into the session and leaving. One thing I will attest to - ongoing practice does yield results.
After an incredible Mixed Martial Arts conditioning class last Saturday (at Marin MMA), I decided to do both the Thai Kickboxing and Brazilian Ju Jitsu classes back-to-back today. I must admit, the old guy was really sucking it up by the end, but I made it through, and feel great for having done so. After a full week of moving and engaging, it feels like icing on the cake to move physical energy with great intensity. I’ll start next week with a Sweat Your Prayers session first thing tomorrow morning, to dance the week in.
As always, the greatest moments of the week are those spent connecting and going deeper with Meryl Fé, friends, colleagues, and people I am just meeting. I am blessed to be surrounded by an ever-growing circle of inspired and inspiring people. I look forward to exploring new dimensions, within myself and with others, in week number three!
Wishing you the same good fortune.
January 17, 2010
Tags: awareness, conscious business, conscious capitalism, John Mackey, New Dimensions Radio, O.N.E. Natural Experience, Principles, Working for Good Posted in: Reflections, Working for Good No Comments
Ten Tips for Working for Good
Last week I posted a piece entitled “Ten Reasons to be Working for Good.” Here is a follow up, with some tips on how to do so. You can find more in depth information and insights into these at workingforgood.com and in my book, Working for Good: Making a Difference While Making a Living.
1. Cultivate your mind.
Awareness is the most important tool for Working for Good. As the Buddha said, “Mind is the forerunner of all things.” What we think is what we manifest, and how we think affects how we act.
Awareness practice supports us to observe and choose how we respond to experiences. As we observe the effects of our words and actions, and the effects of others on us, we can respond explicitly and purposefully-even if it means overriding our conditioning, predispositions, and tendencies.
In addition to increasing presence, connectedness, and creativity, cultivating your mind reduces stress, increases clarity, and promotes steadiness and a sense of ease.
2. Stand for Something.
If you don’t stand for something, you’ll fall for anything. Purpose is the big “why” underlying what we do. It is an activating, motivating, and animating force. It is what moves us to get up in the morning to dive into life with our full being. Purpose sustains us when times get tough, and serves as a guiding star when we stray off course.
Purposeful people build purposeful companies, and make an impact through whatever their work or role may be. Want to work for good? Then stand for something.
3. Know Your Bottom Line.
Thomas Jefferson said, “In matters of style, swim with the current; in matters of principle, stand like a rock.”
Principles are the values, universal truths, and moral standards guiding our behavior. They represent what we are willing to stand up for, and ensure that we respect others and the world in our pursuits.
Want to make the world a better place through your work? Then stand on the bedrock of principles that reflect the kind of world you envision, share these principles with others, and support each other to act in accordance with them.
4. Get Real.
Business is based on relationships. Relationships are based on trust. Trust is based on alignment between words and actions-or authenticity. Authenticity reflects embodied awareness. So, begin with awareness, stand for something, act according to principles, and deepen your practice of Working for Good.
5. Embrace interdependence.
Naturalist John Muir observed that, “When you tug at a single thing in nature, you find it attached to the rest of the world.” When we “just do one thing,” we are always doing more than that, since no one thing exists unto itself, separate from all else. By considering interdependence in our work, we can purposefully build an intricate web of relationships, recognizing the meaningful role all parts play, distributing responsibility, authority, and accountability, and addressing the needs, interests, and perspectives of all stakeholders.
6. Listen. Really listen.
Apply your awareness to suspend your own thoughts, feelings, opinions, perspectives, interests, and objectives. You can always pick them up again. Listen with all of your senses to hear what others really want to express. Perceive the fears, concerns, and motivations behind what they are expressing. Be genuinely curious, asking them questions to help them to fully express themselves. You’ll get your turn, and you’ll speak from a place that reflects, relates to, and builds on what others have to say, cultivating the ground for real conversation, exploration, and collaboration.
7. Collaborate.
It takes a village to raise a child. It takes a community to raise a barn. And it takes collaboration between many individuals and organizations to make a real difference in the world. Identify others who share vision and intention. Invite them to explore. Bring your resources and capabilities to the table. And see what you can do together to advance your shared vision, while leveraging everyone’s capabilities, and serving everyone’s needs. The synergy, generative energy, intelligence, and creativity that result from collaboration can be astounding, and the process is fun and fulfilling in itself.
8. Facilitate.
Facilitate means “to make easy.” Facilitating is key to collaboration and to getting along with others in general.
Facilitation catalyzes the wisdom of the group and fosters decisions that engage the hearts and minds of all involved, to generate unified action. We can embody facilitative behaviors whether we are serving as a facilitator or as a participant in a collaboration.
9. Integrate.
Integration is both an internal experience and one of connecting the internal with the external. It involves “digesting” our experiences and incorporating lessons, ideas, insights, skills, etc. into our being. It also challenges us to recognize and address hindrances to our growth-to face aspects of ourselves we may not want to acknowledge. Integration calls for courageous self-reflection and cultivation. It requires effort-to practice what we learn-and delivers immeasurable returns. It is fulfilling and energizing, like plugging in the lights after setting up the holiday decorations: we get to take in the whole experience.
10. Go for It!
I encourage you to get out your calendar or agenda, and use it to map out your next steps. Reach out to mentors, advisors, and peers for guidance and support, and return to the place within yourself where you connect with the passion, sense of purpose, awareness, and energy to sustain you on your journey.
Here’s some wisdom shared by Joseph Campbell. “A bit of advice given to a young Native American at the time of his initiation: ‘As you go the way of life, you will see a great chasm. Jump. It’s not as wide as you think.’”
January 12, 2010
Tags: conscious capitalism, entrepreneurship, Principles, Working for Good Posted in: Working for Good No Comments
Ten Reasons to be Working for Good
Many of us aspire and dedicate ourselves to Working for Good – making the world a better place through our work. The essence of Working for Good is a calling, a sense of passion and purpose that stirs us to action from deep inside. It is based on the belief that what we do matters, that we can make a difference—for ourselves, others, and the world.
In my pursuit and practice of Working for Good over the past three decades, I’ve found that how we work is as, if not more, important than what we do. We can work in a green business, a social service organization, or some other endeavor focused on making the world a better place, but if we treat others and ourselves with disregard or disrespect in the process, we end up creating something far short of our intention. The process is the product. When we align the way we work with our values and our intention to make the world a better place, we create something truly profound.
Here are some of the benefits of aligning our values with our intentions and actions through our work and reasons for cultivating the skills of Working for Good.
1. Generates meaning and purpose: Work constitutes the lion share of our waking, active time. When we work to realize something noble and larger than ourselves (like the greater good) in alignment with our values in ways that develop ourselves and others, life is rich with meaning and purpose. Getting out of bed in the morning is a joy!
2. Fosters a sense of wholeness: When our values, intentions, and actions are aligned and integrated, we feel whole, rather than fragmented. Wholeness fosters ease, peace of mind, and overall health and well-being.
3. Generates optimism, hope, creativity, innovation, and confident action: Having a sense of purpose and meaning, and feeling whole and congruent, fosters a positive outlook. Optimism and hope are catalysts for creativity, innovation, and confidence to experiment and energy to implement.
4. Engage, inspire, and energize others: When we work this way, we become a beacon and a model for others. When our companies are aligned in this way, they activate their stakeholders (customers, employees, vendors, investors, communities, etc) to share vision and sense of purpose, and to feel connected and aligned with you and your company, essentially co-creating your business.
5. Fosters collaboration: The sense of shared purpose, the trust built from alignment between values and action, and the energy of optimism and creativity create the conditions for true collaboration and co-creation.
6. Creates resilience: When the going gets tough the relationships built upon these foundations create resilience to adapt to external and internal challenges, and the courage to take risks together.
7. Creates healthy companies with healthy people: The result of all of this is a healthy “community” organized around your company, populated by healthy people who are committed to each other and to the common endeavor – fulfilling shared purpose (including advancing the mission of your business).
8. Makes your business a force for social and environmental change: With service to the greater good as part of the core purpose of your company, and an energized ecosystem of stakeholders, including other companies Working for Good, your business becomes a powerful force for positive change.
9. Meets marketplace demand: Since people (as customers, employees, community members, and even investors) increasingly expect companies to serve society and to actively engage in addressing pressing social and environmental issues, Working for Good is a powerful positioning strategy – as long as it is authentically embodied.
10. Fun and fulfilling: Building and working in a purpose driven company, with an energized ecosystem of stakeholders, making a positive difference, while generating wealth is great fun and tremendously rewarding. And you can be proud to tell your kids what you do for a living and perhaps make a real difference for their future.
January 8, 2010
Tags: awareness, Collaboration, conscious business, conscious leadership, Principles, Working for Good Posted in: Reflections, Working for Good No Comments
Development
“I don’t develop. I am.”Pablo Picasso
An oak tree takes decades to reveal its size and shape. Bamboo, even 50 foot tall varieties, can grow to full height in 9 months, but to reach full maturity (for harvesting for use as a building material, for instance) takes three to four years. Each has an inherent pattern and process, which reveals itself in time.
Our personal development similarly requires a natural process – one step following another, from rolling over, to crawling, to walking, to running, etc. And a business or project of any sort requires certain stages of growth and development.
In his hierarchy of needs, Abraham Maslow outlined a progression of the needs human beings address in their development, from physiological to safety to belonging, to self esteem, to self actualization.
But there is something extraordinary about human beings. In the words of Viktor Frankl “Between stimulus and response, there is a space. In that space lies our freedom and power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and freedom.” As exemplified by people like Nelson Mandela, and others lesser known, even in the worst of circumstances, with basic needs far from being met, we can embody some of the highest of human attributes – love, compassion, empathy, forgiveness – actualizing in spite of big holes in our pyramid.
And as represented in Buddhist teachings, at least as I have heard them, among other traditions, we can experience radical transformations, awakenings, in which our whole understanding and orientation transforms. On one level, the process of quitting smoking or losing a great deal of weight, or of getting out of a pattern of spending money and saving, all reflect radical leaps in development or transformations, that we cannot predict in advance.
I find that cultivating development is good (albeit requiring effort and, often, considerable pain or discomfort – but much preferable to the pain of standing still). And finding ways to get out onto the edge where transformation seems somehow more possible, is even more uncomfortable AND more rewarding.
I am enjoying experiencing the edge between development and transformation almost incessantly right now. (Well, mostly enjoying – sometimes I want to run screaming). It is such an alive place to be. Where organic process accelerates. Most everything seems to be bamboo. And when I come across an oak tree, I wonder if something is wrong. Then I remember, everything has its own process, and some things just take a while to unfold. One of the constant challenges is that of discerning what things can accelerate or transform by applying energy, attention, and intention, and what things are going to take a while regardless of what we do.
I am rereading one of my favorite books, The Soul’s Code by James Hillman, in which he portrays the nature of our individual acorn or genius. Stories of great and famous people and how their lives unfolded in many cases ironically, as their genius revealed itself in ways that would not necessarily follow expectations of developmental theory. Part of our developmental process, or perhaps our transformational process, is to discover our genius and open to its expression. As Goethe encourages, “Whatever you can do or dream you can, begin it! For boldness has genius, power and magic in it. Begin it now!” Maybe the genius he is referring to is the acorn, our destiny. Hearing the call and responding with boldness, embodies our genius.
To play on Picasso’s words, be who you are – fully, right now, and maybe the oak tree will be fully revealed, sooner than expected!
January 5, 2010
Tags: awareness, boldness, conscious leadership, development, genius, Principles, Working for Good Posted in: Principles, Working for Good No Comments
