I am breaking the last (?) taboo of “the corporate world” – to talk about energy, spirit – those intangibles that we all know exist – that really move us, give us meaning, and make a difference in how we are, how we feel, how we think and how we behave. Every leader and organization wants people’s passion and commitment. Who wouldn’t? But guess what? We are messy, complex, contradictory HUMAN beings and sometimes the road to desire – achieving what we want - is a rocky one. Can we have real commitment without people’s emotions, spirit, energy? Emotion is energy in motion. You don’t have this, you are stuck. This is the stuff we need to move, shape and create our world. Sometimes we have to walk through the mud – vent, disagree, etc. – before we get to the clarity and true agreement. This is sustainable growth – working with what is really going on, on all levels.
“Growth” is an interesting word. Growth can be hard work and painful – it doesn’t always feel good. But sometimes we need a kick in the butt to get out of our comfort zone. Boy was my “growth spurt” uncomfortable for me! It felt like a spurt on steroids. I had to be almost hit over the head to get a perspective on what I could and couldn’t control. But growth can also be fun, joyous and energizing. It’s all of life. To get the results you’re after with yourself, your team or your business, you can’t do this just in your head, you also need to be fully present - in your body and engage your emotions. …and to invite and give permission for others to do this.
When you show up for work on Monday morning, guess what? You bring all of you – head, heart and body. And at the end of the day, amidst bosses, colleagues, spouses, kids, friends - you are your starting and ending point. You can only change you.
But you, you can change!
So, hang on and come on an adventure with me! Let’s blow open the doors of our assumptions and mental models of who we are and how our life or our world should be – to get to what all of it is and can be!
Copyright 2009 Sage Leadership Strategies, LLC
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I was initially going to say that of course you can't have a true commitment without spirit. But then that would be pretty black and white, wouldn't it? So I'll reframe your question as an invitation to see more deeply into who I am and you are at our core.
ReplyDeleteIn a sense I'm not committing to anything. Consider for a moment that if we know each other as we truly are then commitment is irrelevant. We remove the roles, names, appearances and whatever else we use to describe ourselves from our view of one another. What's left is that which we collectively share and know ourselves to be. So I am committed to seeing you as you truly are and from there make choices about the path I'll follow, which helps make clear what I will and won't do.
A whole lot of mess and uncertainty in there, as you suggest Susan. But that’s what makes the process so fun and exhilarating.
David, thanks for your provocation here! I love it. Even if we know each other as we truly are at our core – isn’t the notion of committing to each other still relevant? This word can mean different things - Commitment in the sense of promising to do something in the future. By knowing each other at our core – stripped away all the stuff you mention – it should be “theoretically” easier and faster to get at the intersection of where we are aligned or misaligned – to see what we can individually and collectively promise and want to do for and with each other.
ReplyDeleteAlso in a sense you’re saying that it could feel more like an “invitation” – I am being myself - than an actual “promise” – making a decision?
Let’s get practical - if I am compassionate at my core but have to layoff 100 people and that tears at me – how do I get committed to that at my core when I fear for their futures? First, it makes it “okay” to say how we feel about those effected – and how it may effect us “I don’t want to be a bad guy.” And it could open another possibility that we are not “doing” a bad act necessarily… especially if Jane’s true desire at the core is be a fiction writer vs. a technical writer and this is just the kick in the butt she needed to get that novel done. If I know this, then suddenly I don’t feel so bad about laying Jane off. I am actually serving her as the catalyst to get herself in motion. I am not saying we are necessarily doing a favor to folks by laying them off – but inviting the possibility that there is more at play here than the reality we see and assumptions we make. If Jane and I are “real” with each other, I may say, “I don’t want to lay you off.” Jane may say, “Please give me the package so I have a cushion to pursue my real dream. Even though it still scares me to death to be all I can be – I am willing to take the risk in this way.” Here we are honest with ourselves and each other.