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N e w s l e t t e r January 4, 2011
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LOGBOOK
Time is a construct that intrigues me. On Sunday I used the turning of the year to go inward and created the luxury of a day-long private retreat. First, I reflected on the past year identifying what went well, what I learned, and where the not so great places were. This process of revisiting the year as a whole felt like pure luxury. Themes and insights bubbled up like unbidden gifts. As often happens, this process led to the first draft of my intentions for 2011 followed by a substantial surge of clearing out energy. Not one to waste this precious commodity, I sorted through my books, pulling out the ones I am ready to pass on and creating a section on the bookshelf for those I wanted to read soon. Moving to the basement, I let go of extra vases and jars, uncovered my workbench and did a long-overdue fix-it project, before going through piles left over from summer projects.
I love this process as I am tending not only to the material level, but I am de-cluttering psychologically, as well.
I topped off my retreat by cleaning my house to welcome in the New Year. What rituals do you create to step into the New Year?
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RESUPPLY
What does wisdom mean to you?
Watch this 5:46 minute video
Inspired by the idea that one of the greatest gifts one generation can give to another is the wisdom it has gained from experience, multi-award-winning photographer and filmmaker Andrew Zuckerman has recorded the thoughts and ideas of fifty prominent writers, artists, designers, actors, politicians, musicians, and religious and business leaders, all over sixty-five years old. To create profound, honest, and truly revealing portraits of these luminaries, Zuckerman has captured their voices, their physical presence, and the written word. The resulting book and film, provide an extraordinary legacy for the generations that follow, and a timeless portrait of the common experiences that unite us all.
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Scouting?
For more information
about our services, to engage in a discussion about leadership , to talk with us about professional development opportunities and/or to schedule your free 30-minute, coaching-session,click here to email us. |
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 Reading the waters
We chose the topic of stepping in to the new year to put attention on this marking point and on what can be enlivening, in contrast to the much tooted new year's resolutions. My guess is that you have a strong opinion about that tradition and its impact on your life. Most often the resolution focuses on a deficit or course correction - perhaps necessary and sometimes our approach punitive. So - we turn our lens and hopefully yours on reflection as a powerful and potentially liberating practice. One part of the definition of the word reflection is 'the return of light'. What light is returning to you? What is it illuminating in your leadership, in your life?
Margaret Wheatley reminds us, "..And time for reflection with colleagues is for me a lifesaver; it is not just a nice thing to do if you have the time. It is the only way you can survive."
In the 'Navigation Tools' section of the newsletter we offer you some strategies and tools for using reflection as a practice that builds better balance, strengthens leadership, and brings kindness to your queries.
Laurie Fogelman, ED of Next Step Domestic Violence Project responded to our query on how leaders renew: "The number one way I can build my leadership capacity is by completely withdrawing from a leadership role - turning off all the brain cells that I need for that goal and feeding other cells. Sometimes that means doing as little as possible - stretching out in my kayak and floating with the tide while warming in the sun is my favorite way to do that. At other times, it means losing myself in a good mystery or other novel, laughing with friends, or playing with my grandchildren. It also helps to study others' styles and learn from colleagues and other professionals about what works for them. The one thing that keeps getting clearer to me as I grow older is how much more I have to learn."
How are you stepping in to your leadership in 2011? How are you finding time to reflect? We will post your ideas in our newsletter.
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Steering the Course
Deb and Carol are facilitating interesting and exciting work in service to organizations across Maine.
In addition our our individual executive coaching; board development, strategic planning, and facilitation work we have:
- Paddling the Rapids: Nonprofit Executive Directors meeting to build leadership effectiveness; one group in Bangor and one in Camden
- The Journey: a group of 6 professionals in the Portland area meeting to support each other in achieving more work-life balance.and practicing strategies to embed new learning. Starts in February.
Here is what is planned - contact us and let us know if you are interested in learning more. Details will be in upcoming newsletters. - Succession Planning: Not Just About Leaving: January 25, 9AM-Noon, Bangor Public Library. In this confidential workshop, craft your legacy statement and succession plan as a way to be fully engaged in your leadership role today. See MANP for a full description and to register.
- Evaluation as a Capacity Building Tool - three 3-hour sessions focused on practice, reflection, culture, and embedding evaluation in the organizational work-plan. Each session will focus on evaluation of one element - Executive Director; Board & Staff; and Organization - March 10, 17, & 24; 2-5PM
- The Leader Defined - three 3-hour sessions focused on looking at leadership practice through reflection, several assessment tools, discussion, and reading. May 11, 18, & 25; 2-5PM
- Eleanor Days - a five-day retreat for women leaders on Isle Au Haut focusing on self care and connection. June 14 - 18, 2011
- Rest, Reflect, Renew - a weekend retreat for leaders, October 2011; to be held in a beautiful location in Maine
- Paddling the Rapids - peer consultation groups for leaders, new groups will start in the Fall of 2011
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Guidebook
From the Learn Like A Leader website:
Why are some people able to flourish in their careers, triumph over obstacles, and become beacons for those who follow, while others get stuck, never reaching their full potential? The stories in Learn Like a Leader demonstrate how truly effective leaders have learned how to learn: They learn from all of life, all their lives long.
Each year, a group of best-selling authors, thought leaders and management experts-among them Marshall Goldsmith, Beverly Kaye and Ken Shelton-meet to share their defining moments on leadership with one another. As this annual meeting of the minds became a tradition, one theme quickly emerged: great leaders seize the opportunity to learn, over and over again.
Goldsmith, Kaye and Shelton asked 100 of the most prominent figures in the field of management and organization development to describe their stories of personal learning that shaped their life's work and they received some amazing stories, thirty-five of which are shared in this book.
Learn Like a Leader brings together these remarkable stories of learning and provides a close look at how top leaders were able to grow their careers, overcome setbacks and sore to the top.
Each story offers powerful lessons reflecting key learning moments in the lives and careers of each of the contributors. Learn Like a Leader portrays the power of storytelling in teaching, training and mentoring. Everyone's life is filled with experiences-traumatic, rewarding, frustrating and humiliating. All can be sources of valuable learning.
Do you have a book to recommend? Tell us.
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Navigation Tool
In his writing, "Self Reflection Leads To Greater Success," Kevin Eikenberry describes how to become more effective at reflecting. He writes: "If I could give you a tool or resource that would change your life in positive ways, change your results, create more happiness in your life and help you get better at anything you desired. And if I could promise you that this tool would cost you nothing, require only yourself and could be used at any time... Would you be interested? I'll bet you would. Now at the risk of sounding a little bit like a carnival barker or used car salesperson what I just told you isn't hype - there is such a tool. And you already possess it. The tool is reflection..."
How to Reflect More Effectively 1) Make time
Reflection is about having time. We all have the time, regardless of how busy are schedules are. - Reflect in the shower.
- Reflect on the drive to work (turn off your radio or your iPod and think).
- Reflect in the moments before you go to sleep.
- Reflect with your family as you eat a meal.
- Turn off the television.
There is time - we just have to carve it out.
2) Ask questions
Reflection is about thinking and questions help our brains think. Consider using his list of questions as your "starter set" of reflective questions - the questions to help you think about what happened and what you can learn. - What worked? Why?
- What didn't work? Why?
- What does this situation remind you of?
- How can I use this experience?
- How does this experience relate to other situations I've been in? What can I learn for that situation?
- Knowing what I know now, what would I do differently next time?
3) Think more broadly
Don't just apply your thinking to how you would do this exact same task or respond in this exact same situation the next time. Our lives are too complex for that! Think about what you can take from this experience and apply to other related or perhaps even unrelated situations. Look for generalizations, patterns, tendencies and underlying principles. When we think more broadly we make our reflection time infinitely more beneficial to our lives.
This is some of my reflection on reflection. As we practice this skill we will get better at it and our results will begin to improve dramatically. Make the time. Ask the questions. And by all means apply what you learned. When you do this, you will make your life experiences your most precious source of learning, and your most fertile ground for your own success.
We encourage you to make reflection a leadership habit in 2011. Give it a try. You will discover a multitude of benefits.
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Upcoming Events
January - The Journey, Portland, 3 group sessions, plus 3 individual coaching sessions; contact Carol
January 25 - Succession Planning: Not Just About Leaving; Bangor Public Library, 9 am-noon, register through MANP
March 10, 17, & 24 - Evaluation As A Capacity Building Tool; 2-5PM; location TBD by interest
May 11. 18, & 25 - The Leader Defined; 2-5PM; location determined by interest
June 14 - 18 - The Eleanor Days, Isle Au Haut, contact Deb
Fall 2011 - Paddling the Rapids groups; several regions
October 2011 - A Retreat for Leaders
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The intuitive mind is a sacred gift and the rational mind is a faithful servant.
We have created a society that honors the servant
and has forgotten the gift.
Albert Einstein
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Contact Info
Carol Carriuolo | carol@paddlingtherapids.com | 207.781.9816
Deb Burwell | deb@paddlingtherapids.com | 207.338.2162
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