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Appreciating Small and Mighty

Caterpillars are on the move at the San Francisco Botanical Garden. Visitors are warned to proceed with caution as 100’s of small caterpillars feast on their only food, the California Pipevine. California Pipevine Swallowtail Butterflies are endemic to northern California and are very rare. The Botanical Garden pulls out the cones and warning signs to protect the species while they are in the caterpillar phase. These small but mighty black and orange caterpillars are racing to eat as much Pipevine as possible to help them transition to beautiful black and blue butterflies.

Stopping to watch these voracious animals is a lesson in appreciating small but mighty. When you look around what do you notice as small and mighty?

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Be Deciduous: Learning To Drop Things From Our Plate

Walking in the forest in the spring is an opportunity to see fresh green leaves. On a recent hike at the Hoyt Arboretum in Portland, Oregon I marveled at the myriad shapes and sizes of these brand new tiny leaves. The colorful autumn leaves were long gone and now were replaced by vibrant new growth. Could this seasonal cycle of growing new leaves in spring and dropping leaves in the fall be a grand metaphor for us learning to actually drop things from “our plate”?

There are so many opportunities at work, in our families and in our community. It is easy to keep adding things to “our plate”. It seems easier for people to add things than to drop them. A supervisor may ask you to take on a new project. When has the conversation continued with….”And if you are going to add this to your plate, I need you to take something off your plate. What do you think you need to drop for now? ”   A family member needs help, when did you pause and say…”if I do that, I think I”ll have to stop doing….”.

Perhaps taking a walk in a spring forest is an opportunity to become inspired to try being a little more deciduous.

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A Combination: Lightness of Heart and Firmness of Foot

Andres Amador is an inspiring artist. His captivating images in the sand are energizing and calming all at once. He and his associate Kelsi Anderson now offer public workshops through Elemental Arts. I have attended two workshops and now have my own rake. I now can create my own art in the sand. It is rather addictive to make mandalas on a low tide beach.The trick to creating the impermanent art pieces (low tide) is thinking about the whole while working on the parts. It’s also one of those rare exercises where you must, as Richard Rohr calls it, have a lightness of heart and a firmness of foot.

Doodling or coloring mandalas is one form of meditative art. This, however, requires large scale imagination. It requires you to just let your heart lead you and then start stepping into the art and sand. You can’t worry about your footprints, you just have to walk intentionally and start drawing with your rake. A little foot shuffle erases your mistakes but for the most part when working large scale you really don’t get to see the whole until you are finished.

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When Was the Last Time You Got On The Dance Floor?

Do you remember  your first junior high dance? For some it was great fun. For others, it was a moment to cling tight to the wall. And for some, it was a time to make up an excuse to get out of there as quickly as possible and say… “My parents are picking me up early”; even though they were not. Comfort, curiosity, discomfort all rolled into one frenzy of adolescents. As managers, it’s a good idea to ask ourselves…When was the last time I got on the dance floor? What drew me on to the floor? What kept me away?

Managers are often told to practice Management By Walking Around (MBWA) . Described as ” the habit of stopping by to talk with people face to face, get a sense of how they think things are going, and listen to whatever may be on their minds.”  If you follow this approach are you truly on the dance floor? Or are you just going through the motions?  [Read more…]

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The Strength of Responsibility: Sometimes Needs a Volume Adjustment

Big Basin State Park is home to the largest continuous stand of ancient coast redwoods south of San Francisco in the Santa Cruz Mountains. There are many trees over 1,000 years old. Next to the visitor center you notice the “Tree of Responsibility”; a reminder of the many people who have worked tirelessly to protect redwoods since 1901. The responsibility tree and it’s noble champions reminds me of people with the Gallup Strength of Responsibility. People with responsibility are filled with dedication and commitment. And, at times, it is a strength that needs a volume adjustment.

We all know the people with responsibility strength. They are hard wired with the values of loyalty and honor.When people with the responsibility strength say, “yes, I’ll get that done”, you can count on them. Their dedication to people, process, deadlines, and projects brings them great success in organizations. They are energized by the completion of tasks and stay true to their word of “you can count on me”. However, this is one of those strengths that the “volume” sometimes needs to be monitored by: individuals with the strength, fellow team members and managers.

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“If It Scares You…”

The 15th Annual International Ocean Film Festival was held in San Francisco last week. One of the premier films was Kim Swims. The film profiles Kim Chamber’s swim from the Farallon Islands to the Golden Gate Bridge, a 30 mile solo swim. Cold water, white sharks, big waves and crazy currents. Her story is fascinating. At one point, Kim almost lost her ability to walk. Yet, how does that lead to wanting to swim in such dangerous waters? She writes..“If it scares you, that is exactly why you should do it”. 

She adds: “I’m talking about stepping out of your comfort zone and doing something, experiencing something, feeling something that you never thought possible. It’s about challenging yourself not just physically but emotionally and spiritually. Something that reaches to the core of your soul, of who you are. When you’re willing to push the boundaries of what’s possible, you’ll find your best self right on the other side…Of course it is scary, but for me that is precisely the draw, because if it does not challenge you, it does not change you.”

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Perfectionist? Try a Reframe on Your Milestones

I often hear from people….”I’m a perfectionist…and I view it as a  strength and weakness”. So many people in leadership roles self identify as having strong leanings towards perfectionism. Yet, what does that really mean?  What are the milestones of perfectionism?  Is it..Every item on the check list is completed every day? All plans are polished and delivered on time? Meetings are run efficiently?…  It is hard to measure success when perfectionism is a driver. There is always another level of improvement knocking at your door. This week, I challenge you to reframe your perfectionist milestones. [Read more…]

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Mindset: Do You Have an Outcome or Problem Focused Mindset?

A good coaching session begins by exploring what is going well. Leveraging our successes and strengths accelerates outcomes. This approach calls on personal resourcefulness and resiliency. As David Emerald of the TED Dynamic writes: “Focus on problems and you’ll see more problems. Focus on outcomes and you’ll see more possibilities”. Do you tend to have an outcome or problem focused mindset?

In a recent blog by Emerald, he writes “problems stick together like Velcro”. He created a diagram that visualizes the mindsets of both problem and outcome focus. It is simple, elegant and powerful. On the problem side of the diagram are words such as: anxiety, blame, worry and fear. On the outcome side of the diagram are words such as: opportunities, possibilities, innovation, ideas, and enthusiasm.  This simple diagram helps us to notice our mindset around problems and outcomes.  [Read more…]

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“Become One Degree of Change “

A leading college success nonprofit in California, 10,000 Degrees® helps students from low-income backgrounds get to and through college. One of their mottos is “We Help Make College Dreams Come True”. Volunteer mentors, corporate partners, high schools and 10,000 Degree alumni become one degree of change by supporting each student enrolled in 10,000 degrees.

One-hundred percent of the students in the program are low income backgrounds. 85% are first in family to attend college. 83% are students who are people of color. And, thanks to comprehensive personal support, college advising, and financial aid management, over 80% of 10,000 Degrees four-year college students earn bachelor’s degrees, compared to 31% nationally. The staff know that starting a college mindset begins early so they begin work in elementary and middle schools to nurture love of learning and help young students envision a path to college.

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Are you Willing to Create “Islands of Sanity”?

Margaret Wheatley  published an article titled “Who Do You Choose to Be? An Invitation to the Nobility of Leadership”.  She asked the question “Are you willing to use whatever power and influence you have to create islands of sanity?” It is a powerful question and one worth exploring as a leader but also as a community member.

Wheatley calls on us to rely on our “best human qualities to create, relate and perservere”. She invites us to create islands of sanity amidst an ocean of challenges. She admits that the challenges of climate change, hunger, political upheaval and violence are overwhelming. The US Military uses the acronym VUCA to name theses types of challenges facing the world: Volatile, Uncertain, Complex and Ambiguous.Yet,  Wheatley invites us to “be warriors for the human spirit, leaders willing to defend and support people. Leaders who remember and value what humans are capable of creating together.”

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