Creatorship

The Unintended Impact of Certainty

Louise van Ryhn told this story during her presentation, "Creating an alternative future for South Africa" hosted by "A Small group: Restoring & Reconciling Cincinnati." I'd like to paraphrase it here:

After a lecture (in South Africa), a woman came to me and asked if I’d like some feedback. Now presenters often expect the worst when someone asks to give feedback so, a bit reluctantly, I said, “Yes, I’d like to hear your feedback.”

The woman then said, “You are very certain. When you are that certain, do you know what your certainty does to me?” 

“No” I said.

 “When you are that certain, I lose my voice. I need you to be a little less certain so there can be room for my voice.”

As these words washed over me, I knew them to be true. At the same time, I also knew we live in a world where certainty is king.

As a culture, we reward holding a strong position: "It's better to be wrong than indecisive." The certainty espoused by media pundits and in political sound bites is valued and rewarded. If a politician changes his/her mind, its derisively called, "flip flopping."

On a personal level, certainty makes us feel in control, it quiets our fears and insecurities. As a consultant I was often rewarded for my certainty. People wanted me to know the answers so they would be more comfortable. I used to joke I had answers to anything, whether or not I know what I was talking about.

Yet such certainty precludes any meaningful exchange of different perspectives and experiences. Certainty excludes differences.  It lets people off the hook of having to engage. And in these times of massive change and of complex problems, certainty stops the conversations needed for new solutions to emerge. After all, If I'm so certain that I know, why would you bother to add your thoughts?

So, I'm committed to being more skilled at being a little less certain.  I want to invite your voice into the conversation, to know what you think. I want to stay curious. I want to choose to ask questions even when I think your voice is threatening mine. I want to act on my belief that we are in this world together. I want to experience hearing all the voices I can, because they can only enrich me.  It is, as Louise* says, the "symphonia" of life.

*'Symphonia' literally means the sounding together of voices and this is the ethos of  our work and our vision for this country. Engaging people in their work and enabling people to live remarkable lives starts by creating opportunities for all the voices to be heard (Symphonia). 

Picture by Simon Marshall

What would peace look like?

Here's something we can all do for peace!

"Envisioning the Peaceful World You Want to Live In...
Creation starts with thought, desire and imagination….the same as desiring a new house, job, etc. Thoughts, desires and imagination create an energetic blueprint for what we want; then taking action steps towards our goal helps to create the building blocks for intentions to manifest."

written by Bruce Cryer from ways to contribute to Peace this month.

International Day of Peace, September 21

President-elect Obama - we have a request!

President-elect Obama is carefully staffing his administration with people who are respected and thoughtful.  But the Obama Administration inherited "silos," existing cabinet posts and staff offices that have historically been organized by topic and function.   It is the thinking behind this organizational structure that may now be part of the problem.

The complex problems of today are not problems that can be solved in isolation or even within departments, nor will they be solved by the same level of thinking that created them. We need “out-of-the box” thinking and systemic solutions that are mutually reinforcing.

The problems we face are interdependent: the financial crises, ending the war, global warming, aging populations straining medicaid and medicare budgets, health care, the social security fund that was spent on other things, loss of jobs, communities not training their  children for future jobs, failing “war on drugs,” corporate executive greed and disconnection from their workers and the communities within which they operate, and a country horribly in debt to name a few.

We need to ask President-elect Obama to host a working conference* of the best “out-of-the-box” thinkers, researchers and practitioners along with members of his Administration, to meet together to develop integrated, systemic solutions across traditional boundaries. 

CONFERENCE FOCUS: What integrated approaches can we put in place for the prosperity and sustainability of our people, our country and the world?

WHAT "OUT-OF THE BOX" THINKERS, RESEARCHERS AND PRACTITIONERS WOULD YOU INVITE?

Here are some of my thoughts:

• Peter Senge, MIT, a longtime proponent of systemic thinking and sustainability who’s working with businesses and corporations through Society for Organizational Learning (SoL).
• Bernard Lietaer, an economist ,  Chairman of the ACCESS Foundation, an educational non-profit organization relating to monetary innovations aiming at re-aligning sustainability and global financial interests and a Research Fellow at the Center for Sustainable Resources of the University of California at Berkeley.
• Paul Hawken, an sustainability entrepreneur and author who is continually challenging the status quo and looking for what works.
• Judy Wicks, co-founder of “Business Alliance for Local Living Economies” (BALLE), and owner of the White Dog Cafe. in Philadelphia.
• Arie de Geus, formerly of Royal Dutch Shell, is an author and consultant who believes most enduring companies treat their enterprises as 'living work communities' rather than purely economic machines.
• Michelle Rhee, Chancellor of the DC Public Schools who is working to revamp their whole system.
• Coen Gilbert, co-founder of B Labs (corporations that write their social and environmental commitments into their charters).
• Dean Radin, PhD, is Senior Scientist at the Institute of Noetic Sciences (IONS) who’s working to understand the practical applications of the power of our minds and our intentions.
• Greg Morrison, author of Three Cups of Tea,  co-founder of nonprofit Central Asia Institute, founder of Pennies For Peace  known for building schools in Pakistan.
• Maya Angelou, a poet and activist and author of "Pledge to Rescue our Youth"
• Amy Domini, founder and CEO of Domini Social Investments.
• Someone from Shore Bank in Chicago or similar banks or micro lenders (sustainable community investing)
• Someone from Green Jobs: The Los Angeles Apollo Alliance 
• Innovative Mayors (e.g., Thomas M. McDermott Jr., Hammond, IN with his College Bound program for homeowners
•  Local Green Activists
  
• Some young people who will be inheriting what ever we do......

Who would you add?   (Health Care innovators? Corporations working green and/or across boundaries with communities and non-profits?...)

and oh yes...if you agree, please email Obama's transition team!  If you figure out another way to reach him, please do.

* There are meeting technologies (e.g., Future Searches) that would enable such a diverse group to work together and identify  projects, policies etc. they'd be willing to pursue.

An invitation to make a personal commitment

We've elected a man who stands for change and for hope; hope for a better future for all of us.

No one reading this is assuming the road ahead will be easy, either for our country or for the world. And, a big question looming is "what does this mean for me?"

I think it is no accident I've just come back from a workshop on intention by Lynne McTaggart. Nor is it an accident I opened my email today and saw this "call to conscious evolution" by Barbara Marx Hubbard.

I know that to move forward we need to find a shared vision, a clarity of direction, for what we are hoping to create. We need to decide what our personal commitment will be to this endeavor. We are co-creators of our future.

If you believe in the possibility of a better future, go to this site.  See if this "new narrative" is one you resonate with; one you can add your name to, along with your personal commitment to elevating your own consciousness.

This is the time to make change, and it begins with us.

Love to all of you, Barbara

The Heart of Peace

Sept. 21, 2008 is a day to pay particular attention to spreading care and appreciation!

This Sunday, the 21st, is International Peace Day - I know peace starts with me.

I will focus my attention on appreciating what I have and what is good in the world around me.
I will look for ways to let others know I care and that I'm glad they are in my life.

Peace starts in my heart and flows to others. It is what I can do today for peace.

"Hearts for Peace": International Day of Peace Movie

No John Wayne here.....

Recently, John McKenna asked the question, "Does most leadership suck?"  In reply, I wrote:

Great question John. ...here are some initial thoughts. When I joined the corporate world in the 70’s the emphasis was just shifting from management to leadership training. Corporations were floundering, attempting to deal with the early stages of globalization, rapid technological change, diversity and the need for faster response times in everything from manufacturing to product development. They needed help and thought part of the answer was changing managers into leaders who would envision and lead them to a brighter future. 30+ years later, leaders have not been the “John Wayne” to organizations in distress...What if we confused the need for planning & vision with the need for leaders? What if our belief that nothing good happens without a leader blinds us to our ability to co-create & self-organize? What if leadership is a Newtonian concept in a Quantum world?

Perhaps our fondness for heroes predisposes us to want leaders, someone who will save the day. In pyramidal organizations that may be how it has to work. However, as new forms of organization emerge we see other possibilities. For example, one of W.L. Gore's suppliers said "Gore might just as well be known for the visionaries and thought leaders that comprise its employee roster." Notice they didn't say top leadership because there isn't a pyramid at W.L. Gore.

If leadership sucks, maybe it is because we're ready for more: more meaning, more challenge, better environments, interesting work, balance in life. We're ready to be co-creators.

As we step up and learn to co-create the world we want to live in, the focus on leadership will fade, replaced by conversations on how employees can move around to stay interested, what does it look like to self-organize, are we good stewards of our environment and community, how does everyone share in profit, and so on. Conversations about leadership will feel like beating a dead horse.

PSI Wars - the "Cliffsnotes" Version

It takes time to come to grip with the practical significance of quantum physics. It certainly seems unrelated to the way we live and do business.

However, there is growing evidence that it is related. It has become an accepted scientific fact that there is only energy at the quantum level; energy which exists as potential that responds to a researcher's intentions and methodologies. In other words, we influence the physical world directly through our thoughts in ways we've never before thought possible. Skeptical?  You are not alone.

View this short video clip by The Noetic Institute on the PSI Wars which gives a brief overview of the debate: science or flufff. 

WHAT IS THE SIGNIFICANCE?  This research indicates we need to shift our focus from our actions to becoming aware of our thoughts. It suggests that there is power in a group focusing on the same images and ideas.  What applications are there?

1. The creative use of our imagination in setting intention, individually and in groups
2. Finding ways to involve others to develop shared intention.
3. Noticing what you pay attention to in your organization because this is where is the energy going (problems or vision).

If this clip interests you, the details are in the Entangled Minds: Extrasensory Experiences in a Quantum Reality. It explores what might be the new frontier for organizations: working in a quantum world where our minds and the world are indeed "entangled."