LOGBOOK
How do you build your own leadership capacity? In pondering this question, I return to the roots of my leadership training with Alexandra Merrill , knowing that as a leader I need to step into and own my competence and power while at the same time not inflating my importance.
How can I be of use as a leader if I am not aware of my abilities? Conversely, if I am focused only on where I am deficient, I will not be of any use. And thirdly, I will not develop as a leader if I don't take in feedback - from others and myself - about where I need to grow.
How do I notice both my areas of ability and inability without taking my leader self down? Ah, this is telling me I need to strengthen my muscles in this arena. Ah, that feedback was useful (or not useful). I need to pay attention here. How can we simply gather data about what is working and not working and then reflect upon what action to take?
Courageous leadership requires us to know ourselves well to be able to take action on behalf of something bigger.
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RESUPPLY
Words? Words! Words. We all use them.
Take a 3 minute journey into this wordplay video.
Sit back and enjoy the amazing ways we play with words - the power of language and how we communicate.
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Scouting?
For more information
about our services,
to engage in a discussion about your leadership capacity, to talk with us about professional development opportunities and/or to schedule your free 30-minute, sample, coaching-session,
click here to email us. |
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 Reading the waters
The issue of building leadership capacity raises such interesting and provocative questions. Leaders are affected by the measuring stick of their evaluations, the organization's vision, strategic planning goals, targets for fund-raising, and many other external values. How often do we pause and ask: Where am I going? What do I need? How will I get there? What do I want the journey to look like? Who will be traveling with me? Am I at choice? What choices do I want to make? What does my success mean?
In our ever spinning world of vetting information, tending to details, and championing our causes there exists a seed of desire to stop; to stop and consider the path we are on. Here is what we know some of our colleagues do to bring mindfulness to building their leadership capacity:
Read * Write * Reflect * Commit to a daily practice * Regular walks *
Be outdoors * Books on tape * Take a class * Meet with other leaders *
Meet with friends * Go to conferences * Exercise * Eat good food *
Make art * Make music * Dance * Write down their goals * Watch movies * Play games * Laugh *
What does this have to do with leadership? These actions provide some balance and some context for taking considered action in service to building our leadership capacity: for more joy, more satisfaction, more connection, more balance. As we renew we bring that renewal into all parts of our life. As we renew we can notice the gap between where we are and where we want to be and pay attention to the steps that will point in us in a preferred direction. We invite you to share what you do to build your leadership capacity? We will post responses in our newsletter. |
Steering the Course
THE JOURNEY, a group for professional seeking more balance
Join a small group of leaders (6) in a confidential journey of exploring the meaning and practice of self-care in relationship to a rich work-life. Slow down, engage in deep conversation, get curious, try out some new strategies, and leave every session with an action step that moves you toward better balance, more vitality, insight, and renewal. We will share a light, nourishing meal as part of the practice. At the end of the sessions you will have: ·
Identified what serves your vibrancy that matches your values, lifestyle, and energy, ·
Started a practice that internally and externally is a source of energy and renewal, ·
Developed a personal self-care plan that includes scheduled check-ins, and ·
Made a commitment to continued curiosity and experimentation with self-care and stress release.
LOGISTICS:
WHO
: maximum of 6 leaders and other professionals
WHEN: 3 group meetings, once every other week; plus 4 personal coaching call scheduled individually in between group sessions
TIME: group meetings 5-7:30 PM, nourishing meal will be provided; coaching calls scheduled at participant convenience.WHERE: Falmouth - comfortable and private COST: $325 (includes the meals) - or $200 for group sessions only or $200 for coaching sessions only
FACILITATOR: Carol Carriuolo, M.S.Ed, CPCC, ACC
TO REGISTER: contact Carol
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Guidebook
SELF-RENEWAL: The Individual and the Innovative Society by John Gardner This book, first published in 1963 holds stunning relevance for todays leaders.
An excerpt fro Self-Renewal: "Exploration of the full range of our own potentialities is not something that we can safely leave to the chances of life. It is something to be pursued avidly to the end of our days. We should look forward to an endless and unpredictable dialogue between our own potentialities and the claims of life -- not only the claims we encounter, but the claims we invent. And by potentialities I mean not just skills, but the full range of our capacities for sensing, wondering, learning, understanding, loving, and aspiring... "
"Personal Renewal", Delivered to McKinsey & Company, Phoenix, AZ , November 10, 1990 : "I'm going to talk about "Self-Renewal." One of your most fundamental tasks is the renewal of the organizations you serve, and that usually includes persuading the top officers to accomplish a certain amount of self-renewal. But to help you think about others is not my primary mission this morning. I want to help you think about yourselves........(read the rest of this speech).
Do you have a book to recommend? Tell us.
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Navigation Tool
Sophia Korb offers tools around mindfulness (http://www.aspacewithin.com/index.html)
Mindfulness is about being in touch and then staying with the present moment and being open to experiences as they come. It can give us a sense of being more alive, of waking up to our lives. Sometimes I don't even realize I'm sleeping (metaphorically!), and then I bring in some mindfulness, and realize that there's a new richness to reality. Interested? Here's are some mindfulness basics to get started. Here are some traditional principles of mindfulness, then some ideas for starting a practice: 3 Principles of Mindfulness:
Awareness - It's pretty easy to get caught up in patterns of behavior or thought and not really know what's happening. You jump to conclusions and you stop really interacting honestly with the world. You're just interacting with what you're projecting around you. But the alternative is mindfulness. You can take a look around you, both externally and internally, and bring some greater awareness to the situation. Being in the Present Moment - It's pretty easy to be here, but not be here . You might be at that meeting, but you're checking your email on your blackberry and twittering about diaper brands. You might be "in" your relationship, but really you are struggling with your visions for marriage with this person. I've heard that some people tend to go towards the past in their distraction, and some people tend to go towards the future.
Acceptance of the Current Moment - A lot of our struggles come from saying that the current moment isn't okay. And in a way, it's not. There is war and famine, genocide and daily oppression. But that's what we're working with. That's the situation. And fighting against reality only deprives you of energy to bring active compassion to the situation. I'm not saying "the current moment is perfect," but I am saying that the current moment is what we've got. How to begin a practice:
If you're just beginning, you can build up the amount of time that you are sitting. You can start by setting aside just a few minutes, then slowly build up. You can do it! It's just sitting, right? You can try bringing in mindfulness meditation to everyday activities. Can you be mindful as you brush your teeth? Drive? Text Message (not while driving!) Wash dishes? One of the best things to do is set aside time for mindfulness meditation, which might sound intimidating, but it's just sitting with yourself, kinda the same way you always are, but bringing the principles above to your most important relationship, your relationship with yourself. You can try setting aside time in the mornings or just before bed to just sit and be mindful of your thoughts. 30 minutes is a great length of time to practice just being mindful. As each thought comes, you don't necessarily follow that "train" of thinking, you just notice that's what you're thinking. Without judgment, remember? You are just noticing, saying "aha!" (and don't judge yourself judging yourself. It's too complicated, and you are spending all that energy beating yourself up instead of actually becoming accepting and gentle towards yourself. Sitting and practicing in bursts is great, and the advantage of sitting is similar to lifting weights. Sitting and practicing mindfulness can help develop our "muscles." Eventually the idea is that it becomes easier and it starts to bleed into our everyday existence. But bringing mindfulness into our daily life is the point - mindful conversation, mindful buying, mindful parenting, the possibilities are literally limitless. |
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