Authentic leadership

Checking the Flags

While I still intend to post my piece on Stakeholder Engagement Marketing™ this week, it occurred to me over the weekend that it is time to check and report on the flags I put in the ground with my blog post on July 21st of this year entitled A Flag in the Ground.

In that post I observed: “The act of putting a flag in the ground, of explicitly committing, starts a wondrous, self-organizing process of movement, discovery and development that addresses essential questions and generates responses. Why are we doing this? Who are we called to engage (invite, collaborate with, sell to) in relation to the event, product etc.? What resources do we need? What do we need to do next?!” And I laid out four flags, that I am teams I am working with, had put in the ground for this year.  Here they are again, with brief reflections on their status.

  • It’s Just Good Business. As we enter the 5th week of the 6-week course, It’s Just Good Business is truly coming to life. The course itself has proven to be an enriching conversation – for me and the participants. And the process has catalyzed a whole array of other offering under the banner of It’s Just Good Business, with Brian and Alexandra Johnson and their en*theos Academy for Optimal Living. Beginning early next year we will launch a weekly web-based radio program and a recorded meditation, with other offering in the works.
  • 2011 Conscious Capitalism CEO Summit. While every year the Summit has built upon the preceding Summits to reach a new level of experience and participants, this year (last week) the Summit took an exponential leap. Preceded by a highly productive meeting of the board of trustees of Conscious Capitalism, Inc, I expect the momentum from this Summit to significantly advance the Conscious Capitalism Movement. Video to follow soon.
  • US Open Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Tournament. The final flag I referred to in the July post was this weekend’s BJJ tournament, which I committed to participating in, in April as a way to jump-start and accelerate my training in BJJ. About three weeks ago I cracked a rib and injured a shoulder, which put me out of training since then. While I focused on healing for the past three weeks, I decided to go for it anyway. Thursday night I received a call from the organizers to inform me that I was the only person in my age/weight class (the other guy had moved to another class), so I had a choice. I could show up and collect a gold medal, go up a weight class, or go down an age group, and fight with a 41 or 42 year-old (I am 53). I chose the latter, and made my way from Austin to San Jose. Bottom line: I lost my match on points. While it seems that I put up a good fight, I never really felt in it, as I felt slow and out of touch. Didn’t even break a sweat (which is really unusual for me). While I am a little sore, my rib and shoulder are fine, which indicates that I healed well and my body took care of itself during the fight. I look forward to getting onto the mat in the future in better circumstances. Great experience!

In all cases, putting the flag in the ground had profound effects and led to unexpected developments, which have advanced my learning, growth and development, and opened new opportunities.

Have you checked your flags lately? Have you put any in the ground?

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Moving into Flow

Much (if not all) of my learning happens through my body. Even if I think I’ve learned something, it’s not until I “get it” through movement that I really get it. While surfing recently, I had a powerful experience of moving into flow that integrated months (if not years) of learning.

The specific event found me at the top of a good-sized wave, a little bit too far in front of it, heading down for a nose dive, feeling the impending submersion. But suddenly, I pushed my body up and pulled my weight to the back of the board, lifting the nose of the board just enough to clear the water and catch the wave. It was exhilarating and a great relief.

As I reflect on my journey through this year, and on the entrepreneurial journey in general, I recognize these moments of heading towards a nose-dive and, essentially without thought, adjusting to catch a wave – moving into flow.

Sometimes we crash and have to get up again (another powerful practice with its own value and beauty), but there is something profound about the mind/body’s ability to adjust to facilitate our ongoing movement, growth, and development.

Here’s to the waves!

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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.

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