An Interview With Judi Neal, Ph.D. President & CEO, Association for Spirit at Work

(June 2007 Allied Ronin E-Newsletter)

Recently I traveled to West Hartford, Connecticut to deliver leadership and team effectiveness event hosted by DeSai Learning Systems. There I was joined by Dr. Judi Neal, President and CEO of University of San Francisco.

What makes Judi Neal rare and special? In my opinion, it's the result of the adversity she has faced, what she has learned from it, and how she managed not only to rise above it, but to carry her learning into the world in ways that touch others so that their lives transform. Judi's book "Edgewalkers" has just been published and she has agreed to an interview for the June 2007 Allied Ronin e-newsletter. Enjoy … but most importantly, put into practice what moves you!

Lance M. Giroux, Founder/Executive Director, Allied Ronin

AR: Judi, what is the Association for Spirit at Work, why did you create it and what do you see it does for the world?

Judi: The Association for Spirit at Work is a membership organization that provides community, networking and resources for those who are integrating work and spirituality and those who are called to support societal transformation through a shift in organizational consciousness. Back in 1992, when I first became interested in the integration of spiritual values and practices in my own work, I felt quite alone and often wondered if I wasn't a little bit crazy trying to do this. Eventually I discovered other people on the same path and I felt it was important that we find ways to connect and support each other in a world that often does not support or reward the value system we are trying to live by.

I think we have done a tremendous amount to legitimize the role of spiritual values and spiritual practices in the workplace. In 1992, there was only one book on the topic, now there are thousands. All of the mainstream media have written articles on spirituality in the workplace and some have even had cover articles such as Business Week and Fortune Magazine. The Academy of Management now has a special interest group called "Management, Spirituality, and Religion" that I helped co-found and chair, and it is now the fastest growing group in the Academy. Thousands of consultants and coaches are incorporating spirituality into their work and having a positive impact on organizations.

One of our major contributions is the creation of the International Spirit at Work Award (formerly the Willis Harman Spirit at Work Award). We honor organizations that have an explicit commitment to nurturing the human spirit in the workplace. In five years, we have honored 35 organizations from 12 countries. Case studies of these organizations appear on our website, and the leaders of these organizations run workshops at our annual conference, teaching other people how to do what they have done.

AR: What do you feel is the biggest challenge facing organizational leaders today?

Judi: The biggest challenge is attracting and retaining key talent, and bringing out the creativity and passion of all employees. All organizations basically have the same access to technology, business processes, and information. The deciding factor in competitiveness is the creativity and involvement of their people. The secret is to find ways to tap into their deepest values and their creativity. One of our International Spirit at Work Honorees was a company called Elcoteq in Germany. The CEO of this company was Ruediger Fox who came into a company that was losing money like crazy and he turned it around in just six months through the application of spiritual values like trustworthiness, humility, respect, and unity. Within two years the company was breaking all performance records. However, the parent company did not understand the importance of spiritual values and they began to implement policies that were in conflict with these values. Mr. Fox fought these for as long as he could and when he knew he was not making any progress, he left the company and went to work for a more spiritually focused organization. Elcoteq lost the person who had created incredible performance and a positive measurable impact on the bottom line. This kind of thing happens every day, and organizational leaders need to begin to understand a new way to lead that is based on a values-driven code of leadership.

AR: How would you answer that same question with respect to those we call "teachers" whether they be involved in elementary education, high school or the university level... or at a much more basic level ... the parents of today's youth?

Judi: Teachers today are challenged with trying to teach in a system that is soul-deadening and not very conducive to learning. First of all, education only focuses on intellectual learning, and to a minor extent - physical education. Research has shown that success is based even more on emotional, social, and spiritual intelligence, yet these are not taught in any of our halls of learning. Students are more sophisticated than ever, and in many ways, are more scared than ever of the world that is being left for them to lead when they become adults. They want to be treated as whole persons and they want some assurance that their education will prepare them to survive and thrive in an increasing chaotic and unpredictable world. It is very difficult for teachers to be able to give them what they need in the midst of a bureaucratic system that requires that a certain level of curriculum be covered, whether its of interest to students or not, and whether or not it is relevant. Teachers are encouraged to not get too close with students, physically or emotionally, for fear of litigation. They are not allowed or encouraged to be creative, and many teachers leave the profession because it is not nurturing to their own souls.

Parents also have incredible challenges today. Usually both parents have to work in order to make a living, and so there is always the challenge of finding ways to be with their children and time to truly be a parent. Parents are stressed out and are not always in the best emotional and spiritual space to be able to give their children what they need. And the world is not as safe for children as it seemed it was for us when we were growing up. I remember when Halloween started to become a dangerous holiday because of the potential of pins or razors in candy. Violence in schools, child abductions, sexual abuse from teachers and priests and trusted others – all of these make it harder to be a parent in today’s world.

Teachers and parents both can benefit from any techniques or practices that help them to stay whole, centered, values-driven, loving and compassionate. Most of our institutions do not provide ways for them to do this, but there are a few pioneering organizations, and we can learn from them.


AR: What about the students they teach, particularly the young women and men about ready to leave home and establish their own mark in the world?

Judi: These young men and women have an interesting mix of cynicism about the world, and a passionate idealism. Perhaps that’s healthy. They have seen a lot more of both the good and the bad of humanity that my generation did when growing up. They have more information about the state of the world than we ever had, and they know that it is going to be up to them to make a difference in critical issues like world poverty, peace, the environment, and a fair and just society for all. The more we can help them to know their strengths and encourage their idealism, the better. We can understand their cynicism but have to help them realize that it can be paralyzing if it is all that they focus on. They can make a difference.

AR: You have quite a story with respect to what occurred for you at Honeywell. Can you talk about that and shed light on what happened, what you learned as a result of that and how that has shaped your life and work?

Judi: In 1987, I was working as the Manager of Organizational Development and Training at the Honeywell Defense Systems Division plant in Joliet, IL. We made ammunition that was sold to the military. During a team building process with the ballistics team, I discovered that the reason for the poor morale was that people were being told to alter ballistics test data and to report faulty ammunition as meeting specifications. I became a whistle blower and did not have my anonymity protected. I made the mistake of reporting the fraud to our internal ethics hotline, and the person I called told high-level Honeywell managers that I was the whistle blower.

For the next several months I suffered retaliation, including having my life threatened, my job duties taken away, and a promotion blocked. I ended up quitting my job and went into a deep depression because all meaning and purpose had disappeared from my work. I now call that my “Dark Night of the Soul.”

To help me through this difficult time, I started reading everything spiritual I could get my hands on. I began to meditate and pray and do yoga. Somewhere, in the midst of all this, I had the sense that this was all happening for a reason and that some day I would understand.

I had seen the dark underbelly of the corporate world, and I wanted to do whatever I could to ensure that others would not have to go through what I went through. I began, over time, to explore how spirituality might be helpful to organizations, and that’s when I decided to created the Association for Spirit at Work.

I learned that integrity is the most important value we can live by, and that everything else flows from that. When you live from integrity, you no longer have to live in fear. You are being authentic, and that gives you power. No one can ever take that away from you, no matter what. To not have integrity is to lose your soul.


AR: When we worked together this past April for DeSai Learning, you told me about your new book, "Edgewalkers" (Praeger Publishing). What is an "Edgewalker", who are some of history's "Egewalkers", and what differences are being felt today as a result of their lives?

Judi: An Edgewalker is someone who walks between worlds, or different realities. In ancient cultures, each village had a shaman or medicine man who would visit the invisible world to obtain vital information, guidance, and healing for members of the tribe.

In today’s world, we need people who have this capacity more than ever. Edgewalkers are the first ones in an organization to take on a challenging new assignment. They are the ones with breakthrough ideas. They have an uncanny intuition about the future. They are the ones that people often describe as crazy when they first propose ideas, and then later, when they are successful, people describe them as brilliant.

Some of history’s Edgewalkers include people like Albert Schweitzer, Nelson Mandela, Igor Sikorsky (the inventor of the helicopter), and Albert Einstein. They each had a strong spiritual or mystical life and that gave them the courage and insight to do things that others said could not be done.

We need Edgewalkers in the world today because they are able to rise above a single paradigm or reality and to see the interconnectedness and systemic nature of humanity. We also need them because of their ability to see underlying patterns in the chaos and they can help to lead us to a better future that works for all.

AR: Would you say that "edgewalking" is generally supported by institutionalized education and business today? Why is this so?

Judi: I wish I could say that this was so, but it’s not. Edgewalkers are often treated as if they were an invading virus into a system. Institutionalized education and business have strong antibody systems that fight people who have different and unique ideas, who appear different, and who are uncomfortable with playing the institutionalized game.

That is the main reason I wrote this book. I wanted to give these people a name and to legitimize their importance in organizations. I want organizations and educational institutions to find new ways to value what Edgewalkers have to bring to the party. And I want Edgewalkers to have the courage to be themselves.

I cannot tell you how many people have read my book and have told me what it meant to them to have a name for what they are and to know that they are needed in the world, just the way they are. If you are an Edgewalker, knowing that there is a concept and that there are others like you, can be very empowering.

AR: If the average person has it within him or herself to be an edgewalker what must they do to get onto such a path ... and then stay on it?

To get on the Edgewalker path, the first step is to work on self-awareness. Each human being is unique. We each have special gifts, and I believe we each have our own calling. No one else can tell us what our gifts and our calling are, although they may be able to help point to it. It is extremely important to spend time in self-reflection. This can be done through journaling, through meditation, through prayer, and through time in nature, for example.

Secondly they must pay attention to what they are passionate about, regardless of whether it seems practical or not. Passion is a key source of energy and by following our passion, we open up the doors for greater intuition, creativity, spiritual guidance, and synchronicity.

In my book I talk about the need to also develop one’s integrity, vision, and playfulness. These five characteristics; self-awareness, passion, integrity, vision, and playfulness, are the hallmarks of an Edgewalker, and each of these characteristics can be developed through conscious attention. I have developed a workshop called “Walking on the Leading Edge,” that takes people through each of these characteristics and helps them to deepen the way they live them.

There are also five key skills that people can develop, and these are the skills that are needed if people want to stay on the Edgewalker path:

* Sensing the future
* Risk-taking
* Manifesting
* Focusing
* Appreciating

These are skills that are taught in a more advanced Edgewalker workshop. People can learn more about Edgewalkers and about these workshops at http://www.edgewalkers.org/.

AR: What about organizations ... are there edgewalking organizations, and if so what stands out about them?

Judi: Edgewalking organizations are rare, but they exist. What stands out about them is that they don’t follow the rules of business, they make their own rules. One wonderful example is the San Francisco hospitality company Joie de Vivre, founded by Chip Conley. Chip wrote a book called “The Rebel Rules” and his company is a perfect example of an organization that no one would have ever predicted would have been successful. But while other hospitality companies have been losing money for years in the San Francisco area, Joie de Vivre is growing and thriving. Instead of trying to create economies of scale and to standardize their hotels, like say a Marriott or a Hilton, each Joie de Vivre hotel has a distinct personality and is extremely unique. If you go to their website, you can take a questionnaire that tells you which hotels are the most likely to be ones that fit your personality and tastes. They are a very spiritual organization and they trust their instincts and they have the courage to turn right when everyone else is turning left.

Edgewalking organizations embrace their Edgewalkers and create a values-driven, fun, and creative culture. They also have room for what I call Hearthtenders and Flamekeepers, people who create stability in the organization and who help the organization to live by its core values.

AR: You write in your book (p 69) that the key to being an Edgewalker is "to be true to yourself and to your own calling. If you immerse yourself in what matters to you, keep yourself open to possibilities, and make a commitment to act on what is calling you at the deepest level, you will be shown the future." What advice do you have for those who seek to be true to themselves and seek their own calling? What pitfalls do you see they need to attend to as they move forward with this calling?

Judi: Our society teaches us to focus on money, status and success. Edgewalkers are not at all driven by these factors, although they are often very successful financially. My advice to those who seek to be true to themselves and to seek their own calling is to stay away from naysayers. Ignore the people who tell you that your dream is impossible. To them it is. To you it’s not. If it is truly your calling, you will find a way to manifest it, and the Universe will help.

If you think that you don’t know what your calling is, I suspect that you are lying to yourself. James Hillman wrote that we all have our own “Soul’s Code” implanted in our spiritual DNA and signs of it show up in our childhood. You may be burying dreams that you thought were impossible or impractical. Or you are just too scared to shake up your current life. And following your dreams will shake up your life. There will be some losses. My friend Martha Finney, author of “Find Your Calling: Love Your Life” calls them necessary losses.

If you follow your calling, you will lose relationships that no longer serve you. You may go through a time of financial difficulty as you build something new in your life. You may lose some sense of your old identity as you build a newer and truer you. It takes courage and tenacity to go through these changes and losses, but the new reality is absolutely worth it. You begin to build a world that plays by the rules that you are creating, and believe me, that’s a lot more fun!

AR: What is your hope for the future?

Judi: My hope for the future is that we as a human race begin to live our full potential. We are evolving as a species and are developing a greater sense of our interconnectedness and a greater reverence for life and beauty and joy. There are pioneers who are already living in this new reality and they are passionately committed to creating a planetary community that values each human being as precious and worthy.

My hope is that enough of these people can evolve quickly enough to create a critical mass that will shift us away from a culture driven by materialism, greed, hatred, violence, and a disregard for nature. It is important to watch for the signs that this is happening and to tell the positive stories so that we can give others hope and courage to make the changes that need to be made.

AR: If you were limited to one central idea, one thought ... as if it were the first, last or only thing you could ever say to anyone ... what would it be?

Judi: Love is all there is.

Judi Neal, Ph.D.
President & CEO, Association for Spirit at Work
http://www.spiritatwork.org/
President, Judi Neal & Associates
http://www.judineal.com/
Author of /Edgewalkers: People and Organizations that Take Risks, Build Bridges, and Break New Ground/ (Praeger 2006)
http://www.edgewalkers.org/

"Coming to Our Senses"

A dear friend recently recommended the book "Coming To Our Senses" by Jon Kabat-Zinn, and I am slowly taking my journey through it. In so doing I'm recommending it (the book and the slow pace) to others. Last week while sitting at a local coffee house reading and reflecting I came across what follows (from p.70-71). Because this passage resonates with my work in general, and my CD "The Art of Practice" in particular, I wanted to make sure it is passed along to you.

"Thich Nhat Hanh, the Vietnamese Zen master ... aptly points out that one reason we might want to practice mindfulness is that most of the time we are unwittingly practicing its opposite. Every time we get angry we get better at being angry and reinforce the anger habit. When it is really bad, we say we see red, which means we don't see accurately what is happening at all, and so, in that moment you could say we have 'lost' out mind. Every time we become self-absorbed, we get better at becoming self-absorbed and going unconscious. Every time we get anxious, be get better at being anxious. Practice does make perfect. Without awareness of anger or of self-absorption, or ennui, or any other mind state that can take us over when it arises, we reinforce those synaptic networks within the nervous system that underlie our conditioned behaviors and mindless habits, and from which it becomes increasingly difficult to disentangle ourselves, if we are even aware of what is happening at all. Every moment in which we are caught, by desire, by an emotion, by an unexamined impulse, idea, or oopinion, in a very real way we are instantly imprisoned by the contraction within the habitual way we react, whether it is a habit of withdrawal and distancing ourselves, as in depression and sadness, or erupting and getting emotionally 'highjacked' by our feelings when we fall headlong into anxiety or anger. Such moments are always accompanies by a contraction in both the mind and the body.

But, and this is a huge 'but,' there is simultaneously a potential opening available here as well, a chance not to fall into the contraction -- or to recover more quickly from it -- if we can bring awareness to it. For we are locked up in the automaticity of our reaction and caught in its downstream consequences (i.e., what happens in the very next moment, in the world and in ourselves) only by our blindness in that moment. Dispel the blindness, and we see that the cage we thought we were caught in is already open."

Friends

Who are your friends? Do you know? Who lives under your roof or works at your place of business or in your town … and roots for you? Really?

Who knows you well enough to listen to your faults, and has room to understand because maybe similar faults reside within their own organization or mind-body system? In other words … they really understand? Who stands with and accepts you as just you are? Without judgment? Who sees the powerful person you have it within yourself to be? Who encourages you to step beyond your self-imposed limitations into your constructive potential? Who doesn’t rush you in your decision-making processes for the sake of some fad or for the sake of pressing you to develop a sense of urgency? Who encourages you to take basic and fundamental one-day-at-a-time steps? Who makes room for your failures and rejoices in your wins?

And who, if they were asked today, would say that they count you among those who will do the above same things for them?

This morning I decided to walk to Petaluma’s Apple Box restaurant, sit and write this month’s newsletter. It’s a sunny day, the river’s high, a slight northwest breeze is blowing – perfect springtime weather in northern California’s wine country. Lots of stuff has been happening that could be the grist for this month’s article. A few days ago Lisa Ludwigsen, Founder of The School Garden Company and I provided a unique team building program for the Petaluma branch of Frank Howard Allen Realtors. We’re still riding the buzz from that because it was such a success for the organization. You know … the kind of success when a client’s discovery exceeds their own expectations and they want you to come back to work with them again. Additionally, the previous six weeks have provided abundant experiences– four extensive trips supporting: Krakowskie Stowarzyszenie Aikido in Krakow, Poland Top Human Technologies Ltd in Shenzhen and Shanghai, China the University of Nevada undergraduate L.E.A.D. program in Las Vegas; DeSai Learning in Hartford, Connecticut. Plus Allied Ronin hosted a special team effectiveness program for the Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria here in northern California. On top of it all, a bundle of recently uncovered source material arrived for study and application including: George Leonard’s The Warrior (Esquire 1986) and Don Levin’s The Liberal Arts and the Martial Arts (Association of American Colleges, 1984) and Somatic Elements In Social Conflict (Blackwell Publishing/The Sociological Review, 2007).

So the walk to Petaluma’s Apple Box was awash with thought: what to draw from and how to organize it. I mapped out my plan, settled into it, ordered tea, turned on the computer, and got serious about what to write. Then … things changed.

While I sat gazing out the window, tea in hand, laptop buzzing, and preparing to write, I was unaware that Peter Welker, friend and world-class musician was sneaking up behind me – until his tap hit my shoulder and his familiar greeting sounded in my ears, “Hey man, can I buy you a pastry?”

There is no need to go through the details of our discussion. It is all far too personal to write about at this time, though we spent a good half hour catching up on the past few months of life. Our relationship goes back ten years to the evening when he (a strange face stepping out of a local bookstore) stopped me on the street, introduced himself and said he would be attending a Samurai Game® that I was scheduled to facilitate. I had no idea then who he was nor the caliber of artists he associated with. I had no idea regarding the challenges he was facing or what was going on in his life; and he had no idea regarding similar things about me. But this I will say … his life is much different today – it’s richer, fuller and more alive with bigger and better challenges. And so is mine. I’d like to believe that the event I facilitated helped his life. He’s told me many times it has. But he’s a gracious guy and who knows, maybe he’s just being nice. I do know this though … the times I’ve spent with him over the past ten years has truly helped me – whether it’s been chatting about kids and relationships, or playing chess together or just talking about life’s idiosyncrasies Peter Welker has made a positive difference in my life. So I said, “Sure, I’ll take a poppy-seed muffin.”

Near the end of our talk today, Peter tells me, “Hey man, check this out. I’ve invited Fred Lipsius to play with me June 8th and he’s going to be staying at my place. We’re going to turn the town, maybe the county, upside down with people” I looked at him puzzled. “You don’t know who Fred Lipsius is!,” he laughs … and then pulls a flyer off The Apple Box counter and hands it to me. “Look here … Fred Lipsius … multi Grammy Award winner … former leader of Blood, Sweat and Tears. He wrote the huge hit Spinning Wheel.” I had to grin BIG. First, because the song Spinning Wheel has always been one of my favorites. Second, because I didn’t know until that moment who wrote it or who Fred Lipsius was/is. And third, because Welker – at this stage in his life with all of the challenges of his past - continues to grow and expand and live his dream and play his horn and make thousands of people happy.

When we wrapped up our conversation and he got ready to leave for an appointment, he said, “Hey man, I gotta tell you something else … I’m getting married!” My BIG grin spread completely across my face. Then he added … “You know what else … you’re doing some great things in the world and I’m rooting for you.” I couldn’t say much to that, it was as unexpected as the touch on my shoulder a half hour earlier. But I felt I had to write about it.

True friends. They make all the difference in our world. They show up when least expected, and they don’t quit on you. Who are yours? Do you know? Who roots for you in the quiet moments? Really?

Notes On Listening

Adapted from “On Principled Leadership: It’s Person, Not the Title” by Lance Giroux, published September 2002, in the University of San Francisco Graduate Business Journal*


Do you truly hear what other people are saying, or do you just catch the words and wait to put forward your own opinion? When you are listening to others, what are your agreement patterns? Are you aware of the foundations upon which you base these agreements? What pattern does your automatic disagreement take? Do you hastily disagree out of a need to be heard or to be right?

As you become aware of your quick responses, give yourself permission to go deeper. Listen deeply, with all of your faculties, to what is going on, and in those moments, suspend your judgment of self and others. Step aside from your automatic responses and honestly ask yourself: “What is the basis for my reactions whenever I hear something I like or something I dislike? How long have I been doing this? When did it start for me? What price do I pay for this approach? What does it really get me? What do my actions and reactions produce in the lives of other people?”

This practice of self reflection is fundamental for those who want to grow in their ability to practice the art of leadership and for organizations that want to practice the art of teamwork.

To simplify consider this … there are basically three ways we can listen. Most people spend most of their time doing unproductive listening. Few people practice productive listening. How about you?

Listening Way #1. Believe everything that other people say.

When do you do this? You are listening to someone talking (or you observe them doing something) and you get caught up in their story, and soon without awareness you automatically find yourself agreeing with everything comes out of their mouth. Why? Because, what they are saying fits your past patterns of acceptability. Maybe they remind you of someone you once met that you liked. What ever it is your head starts to bob up and down, your mouth smiles, you relax

Listening Way #2. Be skeptical about everything that other people say.

When do you do this? You are listening to someone talking (or you observe them doing something) and you start resisting what they are saying, and soon without awareness you automatically find yourself disagreeing with whatever comes out of their mouth. Why? Because, what they are saying fits your past patterns of unacceptability. Maybe they remind you of someone you once met that you distained. Whatever it is, your head starts to shake from side to side, your teeth start to grind, your hands get tight and you get tense.

Both these ways … Listening Way #1 and Listening Way #2 … are unproductive, because they involve no self reflection.

Listening Way #3. Self Examination.

It goes like this.

Hear what someone says (or observe what they do).

Notice your own internal and external responses. Do you find yourself agreeing? Do you find yourself relaxing? Are you drawn closer to that person? Do you hear past voices in your own thinking that sound similar? Do you find yourself disagreeing? Do you find yourself mentally arguing? Do you find yourself getting physically tense? OR … are you bored?

However it is that you find yourself responding is OK … because it gives you the opportunity to learn about yourself.

WHAT TO DO … Imagine that you can step outside your body, and look back at yourself. Then imagine that you can poke that person (your other self) in the arm. Then imagine that you can ask that person (your other self):

HEY, WAKE UP … WHY ARE YOU REACTING THAT WAY? WHY ARE YOU AGREEING … WHAT IS IT ABOUT YOU (YOURSELF) THAT WANTS TO AGREE WITH THIS?

Or WHY ARE YOU DISAGREEING … WHAT IS IT ABOUT YOU (YOURSELF) THAT WANTS TO DISAGREE WITH THIS PERSON?

Or WHY ARE YOU BORED … OR WHATEVER THE REACTION YOU ARE HAVING? WHAT IS IT ABOUT YOU (YOURSELF) THAT IS CREATING THIS BORED (OR OTHER) REACTION?

When you do this, your mind will begin to dish up some answers. If you are calm and can wait and wade through things it will tell you about yourself, what it is about you that has formed opinions about what your are hearing. From this you can learn and take productive action in a responsible fashion.

Simply put, the art of Listening The Third Way hinges on one’s ability to BE HERE NOW.



©Lance Giroux, 2006


*note: to request and obtain a pdf file of the complete article
“On Principled Leadership, It’s the Person, Not the Title”
send email to AlliedRonin@aol.com

Today's Thought.

It's Wednesday, April 11th, and it's a sunshine day at Shanghai's Pudon Airport, but smoggy nonetheless. Thick gray air has been the standard or over a week now, and maybe prior to my arrival. This is what I've been used to the last few visits to China. I'm beginning to believe it's just the way things are permanently. Sad. Where in China is the air clean and the sky blue?

Today is the day for my 20 hour journey home. My thoughts before getting on Dragon Air #803 are of last night's conversations over dinner and along the walk in The Bund - the "old Shanghai side" just off HuangPu River. I was met by Adam, Evian and Wing - all of the Top Human organization the focus of my support for this trip, first in Shenzhen and then in HaiNing. We enjoyed "everything duck" for our meal and then our stroll along the people-filled walk where one is struck by the differences between what once were European embassies (now high end fashion stores) to our left and the enormous expanse of
towers, high-rises, and skyscrapers to our right ... nonexistent eleven years ago. China is changing.

Over dinner I was asked my opinion about the current state of affairs in the US, vis-a-vis attitudes toward the situation in the Middle East. This led to an expanded discussion of relations between China and Taiwan ... and on individual leadership in both countries at the highest levels. I'm still processing much of the discussion, but one of the more striking things we noticed is how driven by fear (or controlled by it) people often are. If we operate from fear and look to negativity and constriction we will fail to see opening and constructive possibility.

Taking a macro perspective this little band of colleagues curious-about-each-other's -countries, agreed that if we allow the drum beat of fear to be the basis of our understandings (and

misunderstandings) then the costs, no matter what we do, will be too high. We're all smart enough and old enough to know and understand the results -- provided we learn from history and move forward accordingly. We cannot afford to live mesmerized and in denial.

An Interview with Gene Barton, PhD, Paradigm Systems

Gene Barton graduated in 1972 from the US Military Academy at West Point . He received his Master of Science degree in Electrical Engineering from Fairleigh Dickenson, and his Ph.D. in Computer Architecture from the University of Texas. He served with the U.S. Army for 22 years before retiring as a Colonel and forming Paradigm Systems, Inc. www.para-sys.com.

Gene has over 30 years of experience in the analysis and design of computer architectures and the development of associated applications. He has been a pioneer in the development of innovative software applications in a variety of fields, including unique products to support leadership development, e.g. SBPT™ 360-degree profile, and PulseCheck™ survey. (see www.AlliedRonin.com/surveyar.htm)

He is an expert in computer systems, project management, processes analysis, and control systems, with knowledge encompassing all aspects. He has built systems literally from the transistor through the operating system level. His ability to understand and solve problems has breadth as well as depth. Gene is frequently called upon to assess and design systems. His analyses and predictions are accurate, provably correct and understandable to management.

Recently I asked Gene if he would be willing to be interviewed for the Allied Ronin News letter. He agreed.

AR: Gene, you had a long career as an Army officer. Looking back on it now what were some of the most important leadership lessons you experienced that you feel would serve today's leaders, managers and organizations?

GB: Leaders who take a "can-do" attitude, and not give up will find that the attitude will spread through the organization. Against conventional expectations, this is more likely to move up than down. That is, a leader who takes initiative will often find his boss taking on the same attitude. In other words, Leadership stands on its own, and it is surprisingly easy and effective to "lead from below."

AR: As a West Point graduate what were some of the lessons learned at the Academy that you wish you would have seen more of once you arrived into what has sometimes been referred to as "the real Army" ... and how is this mirrored in today's business and government environments where good leadership is so important?

GB: There is a tendency to have tunnel vision. At West Point, the emphasis was on "the big picture", perhaps even too much. However, in both the Army and in the private sector, focusing on the immediate job at hand, while laudable, can be carried to extremes. Too often, a perfect job is done on the wrong task. That is, by not stepping back, or making the effort to see what is going on around oneself, it is often the case that good work is wasted on something that does not fit, is duplicative, or has become irrelevant, to the detriment of morale as well as the loss of opportunity. Leaders should seek to be informed and ensure that others are aware of the "big picture".

AR: From the perspective of the benefit provided to leaders and organizations, what was your purpose in creating Paradigm Systems?

GB: While organizations profess to have the leaders' interests and betterment as their goal, in practice the tools available hurt more than they help. Indefensible metrics that attempt to quantify subjective values invite gamesmanship at best, and subterfuge at worst. Even good metrics are inherently judgmental. A tool that provides confidential, irrefutable feedback was needed.

AR: Why is feedback important to leaders?

GB: There are plenty of resources available to leaders to learn what to do. What they lack is a tool to measure their effectiveness without prejudice. Every manager wonders how he is doing, but has no good way of finding out without penalty. Self-Boss-Peer-Team was developed to meet that need. It does not presume to measure the leader, but to tell him how he is perceived.

AR: Can you give an example where feedback has assisted a leader you know to turn the organization to a new and more effective direction?

GB: One major client found that annual management training was considered a waste of time by the participants, and an unnecessary distraction from their daily work. When SBPT was introduced, they discovered that they had shortcomings of which they were unaware. Now the management training became an opportunity to improve under the guise of a scheduled session. Overnight, managers began to look forward to the training, and were making suggestions as to what should be included.

AR: How about an example where feedback was needed but the leader (or leaders) refused to seek it out, and either they or their organization suffered as a result?

GB: Another client implemented SBPT feedback throughout the organization. One leader insisted on requiring his subordinates to perform their ratings on him with his oversight. This was the most glaring example of his micro-management and refusal to trust others. If he had accepted the feedback, he may have come to understand how much he was hurting others and himself. Not surprisingly, he was eventually terminated.

AR: A number of years ago when you first introduced me to the Self-Boss-Peer-Team 360 Degree Feedback Program that you have developed you spoke of its potential value if it could replace the Army's Officer Efficiency Reporting (OER) system. Explain your thinking, and what you felt the value would be to the Army in general and the individuals themselves.

GB: The OER could be an excellent tool. As implemented, it purports to give the leader a comprehensive feedback of his skills. The competencies it covers are good ones, yet it fails in major ways. First, it only captures the boss's opinion. Peers and team members have no way to provide input. Unless absolute anonymity can be guaranteed, such input would be detrimental to morale and discipline. That leads to the second failure. There is no privacy. The report can be viewed by anyone. Indeed, it is a public record. Even in its generation and handling, it is seen by dozens of people. That leads to the third failure. While pretending to be a feedback mechanism, it is in fact a report card. As such, it becomes hopelessly inflated. If it contains even the slightest hint of feedback, it ruins the officer’s career.

AR: In your work with your clients and other organizations what do you find are the most important things they face today when it comes to effectiveness with people and influence?

GB: The most important problem is that organizations have no way to measure effectiveness, so they concentrate on efficiency, which can be measured, and use it to claim effectiveness. Thus, effectiveness with respect to clients is incorrectly measured by sales. Effectiveness within the organization is measured by budget, turnover, ROI, etc, which are measures of efficiency, not effectiveness.

AR: What is PulseCheck and for what purpose was it developed?

GB: SBPT was developed to provide feedback to an individual, but organizations, too, need feedback. PulseCheck provides a mechanism for an organization to din out how it is perceived, both internally and externally, and to see how that perception differs across demographics.

AR: What trends to you see that young emerging leaders will have to deal with over the next five to ten years?

GB: Emerging leaders will have to deal with an emerging workforce. That workforce is technically savvy, but tends to be narcissistic, selfish, and unaccustomed to working as part of a team. The challenge will be to satisfy individual goals while providing tools for collaboration that will coax individuals into interaction in a non-threatening way.

AR: What do you see as the future for Paradigm Systems?

GB: Paradigm Systems will continue to offer to its clients exceptional service, either through existing tools, or through rapid development of customized tools. The ability to respond to clients in days, rather than months, and the "no excuses" unconditional guarantee are unique in the industry. Our approach of "Give us three days at no charge, and then we'll talk," continues to work well as the only marketing we need to do. That lets us pick clients and tasks that enrich our workforce as well as our clients. We do not want to grow large, we just want to take on a limited number of interesting tasks in partnership with visionary clients.

Allied Ronin Affiliate Richard Strozzi-Heckler Interviewed

The following is a description of a dialogue between Allied Ronin affilliate Richard Strozzi-Heckler and Bert Parlee on the Integral Naked website. The Integral Naked website is a pay service so the dialogue is not free, however, the site (a part of Ken Wilber's Integral Institute) has featured such luminaries as George Leonard, Michael Murphy, Deepak Chopra, Peter Senge, Jenny Wade, Marianne Williamson, Tony Robbins and many, many more. If you are looking for lively dialogues with some wonderful thinkers it is a great service, with weekly updates. It can be found at www.integralnaked.org

A Somatic Approach to Leadership. Part 1. The Importance of “Body” in Body, Mind, and Spirit, in Self, Culture, and Nature

Richard Strozzi-Heckler

Bert Parlee

Richard Strozzi-Heckler holds a Ph.D. in Psychology, is a 6th Degree black belt in Aikido, and has been teaching somatic coaching, aikido, and leadership over the last twenty-five years. He is co-founder of the Lomi School, Strozzi Institute, and the Two Rock Aikido dojo. He is a successful writer, having published four books including the classic The Anatomy of Change; In Search of the Warrior Spirit, which chronicles how his teaching helped an Army Special Forces unit dramatically increase its measurable performance; and most recently Holding the Center, Sanctuary in a Time of Confusion.

Richard and Bert begin the conversation by discussing some of the more recent activities Richard has been involved in, which have largely been about finding ways to bring a somatic orientation into international relations. He has been working with the Monterey Defense Language Institute, developing a conference called "Somatics and Counter-Terrorism." He also discusses his work in areas like Afghanistan, where he has created a somatic-based leadership program for the Afghani army.

Richard then gives a brief account of his involvement with the bodily arts, tracing it all back to a torn shirt and bloodied nose he received in a fight when he was 13 years old—and his parent’s fateful decision to put him in a Judo class. Later, in 1968, Richard began a meditation practice after spending time in India. He discusses his own definition of meditation as a way to control and exercise attention, a quality he recognizes as crucial in order to be an effective leader ("successful people should know how to concentrate.") As such, he teaches meditation in his workshops, under the guise of "Attention Training," a phrase which flies under the mainstream radar. An Integral Approach would completely agree with this use and definition of meditation, and go on to point out—in agreement with the great contemplative traditions—that not only can meditation train attention in extraordinary ways, but it can offer a radical freedom and release from all forms, functions, and movements of mind. From this Ultimate view, the quality of attention—whether untrained and roaming, or disciplined and pin-point—can be seen as simply another manifestation of the separate self-sense or self-contraction. However, this in no way makes attention training “bad;” rather, it’s one of the most powerful tools at our disposal. All of this simply goes to clarify the fact that meditation can function in several ways, one of which is to train attention, and another is to introduce us to the awareness that is beyond, or prior to, attention.

Richard goes on to offer a synopsis of his own interpretation of the body, which he describes in terms of five domains: the domain of action, the domain of moods and emotions, the domain of learning through recurrent practice, the domain of coordination and intersubjective harmony, and the domain of dignity.

An Integral Approach is often summarized as including “body, mind, and spirit, in self, culture, and nature,” and the somatic arts are an essential and indispensable part of that equation, naturally focusing primarily on “body” and how it affects the other fundamental dimensions of human experience. Likewise, an integral view posits that for every interior feeling, thought, or apprehension there is an exterior and correlative “body” that quite literally “supports” that experience, whether a gross body, subtle body, or causal body. Somatic or body-based approaches quite correctly notice that if you modify any one of these bodies you will produce a change in one’s interior experience, an important truth that must be included in any truly integral model.

Richard's career and practice is one wave on the evolving ocean towards a more comprehensive understanding of the human condition, and we invite you to enjoy this fascinating exploration into his work with one of Integral Institute’s most experienced founding members….

transmission time: 28 minutes

keywords: somatics, Albert Mehrabian, Silent Messages, martial arts, aikido, Monterey Defense Language Institute, terrorism, Afghanistan, Iraq, judo, Chogyam Trungpa, Naropa, Lomi, rolfing, Army Special Forces, George Leonard, Integral Life Practice, The Anatomy of Change, In Search of the Warrior Spirit, Holding the Center: Sanctuary in a Time of Confusion, "What is Integral?," A Theory of Everything.

most memorable moment: "We could say that one of the things that leaders do is that they make declarations about the future, sort of like Martin Luther King's speech. And our basic claim is that when exemplary leaders speak that way they aren't separate from their declaration, they are that declaration. So we have practices where people will make declarations inside of a physical practice, so we bring those two things together."

It's early afternoon on March 17th, St. Patrick's Day. Odds are a lot of people, especially in the US, will be somewhat less "conscious" by the time clocks strike midnight today. I hope they'll all wake up tomorrow... but unfortunately the odds also are that some of them will no longer be with us. Oh well, people have their reasons, habits and rituals ... and free choice ... for doing what they will. Always have, always will. Hopefully your day will be safe and sane.

This coming Tuesday will be a day of travel for me - heading out for Krakow, Poland, again on an invitation of Pawel Olesiak and Pawel Bernas of Aiki Management www.aiki-management.pl. My last venture there (November) with the Samurai Game® apparently assisted them with increasing their offerings. Poland is a rapidly growing place, and these two individuals are making a significant difference in the way leaders, managers and teams influence each other and the people they serve. This time we'll conduct two Games back-to-back ... and one group will participate in the simulation two days in a row. I've often received feedback asking to do something like this. Well, it's now going to happen and looks like we'll soon know how it will be received.

Poland will be a quick trip before I turn around, head back home to regroup for a trip to China (April 3-11). The first China stop be for three days in Shenzhen. Then it'll be on to Shanghai, also for three days. Again to deliver the simulation, though in the People's Republic of China it is frequently referred to as The Warrior Game®.

The upcoming April e-newsletter will feature an interview with Dr. Gene Barton, a longtime friend and West Point classmate, and an associate of Allied Ronin. Gene's the president of Paradigm Systems, Inc. (www.para-sys.com). He has developed some powerful feedback tools available online for leaders, managers and organizations. He's going to talk about this in the newsletter.

The whole notion of feedback seems to be "up" in my world. A number of friends and associates of mine making are some constructive transitions in their lives and/or with their organizations. Good for them!!! It has me thinking about the JoHari Window, something you should know about or, if you already do know about, that you may want to revisit. I first heard of it in 1976, but didn't give much thought to it until Dr. Kathy Kane of the University of San Francisco reinforced its importance in an MBA class where I was guest lecturing.

Do a google search www.google.com for "JoHari Window" and see what you come up with. I urge caution about the websites that may suggest its quadrants reflect specific personality traits. Rather, I suggest one understand it from the perspective of a model, tool or framework for why (and how) people willing to increase their effectiveness might want to invest time, energy and practice in: (1) becoming more transparent, and (2) soliciting and being more open to feedback. Most of the Allied Ronin programs, especially those delivered in corporate and academic settings, begin with a quick introduction or review of the JoHari Window - its application and value.

LESSONS FROM KEVIN CHEGE & the 2007 AISEC IPM IN EGYPT

Cairo, Egypt was the host to the 2007 AIESEC International President's Meeting (IPM) and for the second year Allied Ronin provided leadership training and the Samurai Game® for the organization's newly elected country presidents. Last year the IPM was in the Netherlands. This means that hundreds of young leaders from approximately 90 countries have now had the opportunity to participate one of the most provocative simulations in the world. They have directly linked their performance in the simulation to: (1) how they effectively interact with others, (2) how they will lead their country organizations, (3) how they influence people in general, (4) what their core values really are, and (5) what actions they can take to expand their positive habits and diminish their negative ones.

As mentioned in the Feb 25th blog entry I initially envisioned the trip to Egypt as an opportunity to serve not only AIESEC the organization and its members, but the future of 90 some countries. These your adults are very smart - top college juniors, seniors and master's degree candidates. Most speak four languages and are tops in their studies. Each has weathered many challenges to rise to the positions they currently hold. They are sought after by NGO's, companies and government organizations worldwide. And when their time is done with AIESEC some will go on to become leaders of organizations with international ties; and it is possible that a few could become high government officials and possibly heads of countries, e.g., current President of Portugal.

On February 22nd, while opening my portion of the IPM, I was asked by one of the delegates "Why are you here?" And, as noted above, I stated, "To serve." That answer was and remains valid. But at the end of the day upon being approached by a young Kenyan, Kevin Chege - newly elected president of AIESEC Rwanda, my reason for attending took on a simple ands profound added dimension. In short I was there to benefit from his insight and thoughtfulness, and to receive from him his small booklet, "The Little Blue Book Kenya." What I read could be important lessons for us all.

Kevin lays out a solid awareness of Kenya's, indeed Africa's, problems. And while different from problems faced by US and other countries I’ve recently visited, what he offers is a lesson in personal responsibility when it comes to creating solutions in the here and now. I asked him for permission to duplicate portions of his booklet, and he said "OK." So I have. Please read on, and as you do ... try inserting the name of your organization or your family or your community or your business or your country in the places he has used "AIESEC" or "Kenya.” Substitute the name of something that is deeply meaningful to you and see how this affects your perspective. To clarify, Kevin Chege is Kenyan and when he wrote the following he was an AIESEC Local Committee President in that country. But he has captured the attention of others internationally in his organization and has gone on to create solutions elsewhere -- in this case Rwanda where he is the AIESEC newly elected Country President. Rwanda, like Kenya, is place with a history of dramatic problems. I think he'll have his challenges there, but with support he will do well.

If you want to contact Kevin Chege directly then I hope you will. If so, please send email to him at Kevin.chege@aiesec.net. If you want to support his efforts through financial contribution, please do so. He can it as he goes about making the difference that he will - for constructive leadership, for sustainable living and for a more peaceful world.

READ ON …

"Part Three - My Solutions (by Kevin Chege)

Looking at the problems facing Kenya today, I ask myself, 'Can I, as a young student who is a member of AIESEC, who has networks in 89 countries with fellow students, who regularly meets the most influential people in Kenyan business, make a real positive impact on Kenya?' These might seem to be very mundane questions. In fact, most AIESECers will immediately give 'Yes' as an answer to the three questions. But then I ask, 'Why do you need to do anything for Kenya?' and 'Are you already doing something positive consciously?' and 'How can you do it then?'

These second batch of questions are the difficult questions to answer. Some of us don't even ask ourselves these questions. The sad reality is, most people will probably go through AIESEC without even knowing how to personally gain from it. To such a person, the concept of Kenya gaining from AIESEC just does not begin to arise. So let's start at the questions, and try to answer them together.

1. Why do I need to do anything about Kenya?

This is a very simple question for those who call themselves patriots. However, the vast majority of people in this world simply don't care about anything except themselves. They exist in a world of 'ME.' Let's try and open their eyes a bit.

Anywhere you go in this world, one of the first questions anybody will ask you is, 'Where are you from?' - in which case you give the name of your country. To the person asking, you automatically get a tag based on their perception of your country. If you say Japan, people begin to think of robots, and Sony. If you say America, people think of George Bush, the war in Iraq and so on. If you say Kenya, people think of famine, and corruption. And based on their perception of your country, people will welcome you, or shun your company. Therefore the country tag is a very important tag in this world. It's why South Africans will get a Kenyan visa at the airport, but Nigerians have to apply at the embassy.

From that solitary example, we can see that your country of origin matters a lot. There are lots of other examples that I could give to illustrate the point but I believe that one example will suffice. Whey then should you try to make a positive impact on your country? My answer to that question is, because you must do it even if it is for selfish reasons ... not to mention the fact that you are the only one who can. Nobody will ever come from another place to save your home. They might help. But it is totally up to you to save yourself and your kind.

2. Am I already doing something positive for Kenya consciously?

As we saw before, most people will go through AIESEC without ever realizing how much impact the organization can have on their lives. Others will go through AIESEC with a game plan for themselves, and they will try to learn as much as they can, to experience all they can, and to gain all that they can from this platform. Then a very few number, perhaps less than 10% will not only gain personally from AIESEC<>The Kendo student practices furiously thousands of cuts morning and night, learning fierce techniques of horrible war, until eventually sword becomes "so sword"; intention becomes "no intention", a spontaneous knowledge of every situation. The first elementary teaching becomes the highest knowledge, and the master still continues to practice this simple training, his everyday prayer." - The Book of Five Rings by Miyamoto Musashi, Japanese Swordsman (1584-1645)

In answering this question, I speak of AIESEC as organization. Hopefully, this gives you an idea of what to do as an individual as well. What it doesn't answer for your, it does for me ... and vice versa. That is the beauty of never knowing what God really looks life: it allows each of us to be unique.

Therefore, get the few basic ideas suggested here, have a desire to make a positive impact, then free your mind and try your own ideas everyday. The rest will come naturally."

February 25th- From Egypt

Today is Sunday, February 25. Tomorrow I leave for home after almost a week in Egypt. It will be a two hour early morning drive to Cairo from Palmera Beach Resort, Ain El Sukhna on the Gulf of Suez. This conference, the 2007 International President's Meeting, is the most important annual gathering AIESEC International. It brings together each current country president and each newly elected country president from ninety countries.

For nine days two hundred plus people examine and account for how they are doing with respect to a strategic vision which must be accomplished by 2010. They are also here to create, discuss and legislate new policy, choose their new International President, six new international Directors and six functional Vice Presidents. They are here to have a good time. And ... they are here to examine themselves as leaders on an individual and personal level.

In this regard, leadership - individual and personal, the new elects are mine all day on day three - Thursday - for twelve hours of experiential leadership developmental training. This is my second year to assume and deliver this portion of the conference.

These are some of the brightest and most energetic young people in the world. College juniors, seniors and master's degree candidates - each fluent in many languages. They thrive on getting things accomplished within international communities and frameworks, working long hours at fast pace with short deadlines and limited resources, playing hard and reflecting deeply.

We begin. I ask what they've heard about the event we're going to create, and request that each establish and clarify for him/herself a personal purpose for the day, and move around the room to share with other new elects what this individual purpose is. Five minutes later we reconvene and listen as some begin to dialogue what has been discussed. They know today is the Samurai Game®. They have all ideas about this. But nobody knows exactly what will happen; only that the stakes are high - one's life - metaphorically speaking. Every purpose mentioned is significant. They have already have to understand that today is a one shot deal. Live it as if it's the only one you'll ever have - first day/last day; or as a samurai might explain, ichigo ichie.

Then someone asks me, "Why do you come here?"; Most of them know about my involvement a year ago in the Netherlands at the 2006 International President's Meeting, and the country conferences involving the Game that followed in Slovakia, Poland and Hungary. My response is, "To serve." This is the oldest and largest international student run organization. It has 20,000 active members committed to constructive leadership, global conflict resolution and a sustainable living
environment. It's only natural to accept the invitation again knowing our involvement with each other will, by ripple effect, touch approximately 2,000,000 people worldwide over the next four to six weeks. Most of the delegates will be highly sought after by companies, NGO's, and government organizations that know the value of having AIESECers on their teams as future leaders. Some of the scouts and
recruiters are already here.

The day was fantastic. They came from Senegal, Latvia, Russia, Japan, China, France, Romania, Uganda, Rwanda, Kenya, Canada, Lithuania, United Kingdom, Bosnia, Brazil, Australia, Peru, Portugal, Iceland, Slovakia, the Ukraine, Taiwan, Mexico, South Africa ... and on, and on, and on. They laughed and got serious and played hard and died (sort of) and came back and challenged each other - wholehearted and generous in everything. It was a day filled with choices, chaos, crisis, disappointment, victory, testing of honor, loss, courage, positive "grabs" and negative "grabs," unfairness and beauty and grace and how to look at each day of life through a vivid lens. Were they satisfied? No. More like - blown away in a positive sense.

A young Kenyan approached me when our day was complete, placed a small booklet between my palms, caught my gaze with his, somewhat reddened, and offered seven short words, "I have something for you, a gift." He stepped back, caught my gaze again and walked away. I opened it and saw he had written inside the cover, "Thank you for helping me discover myself. Thank you for helping me open my heart. Domo Arigato, Kevin." I brought The Little Blue Book Kenya by Kevin Chege, back to my room to save and read on the plane ride home.

Friday, the day following our event, I played tourist ... heading into Cairo and Giza to the Pyramids and Sphinx, and on to the Egyptian National Museum. All overpoweringly magnificent. How else can you explain ten thousand years of history staring you in the face? Returning to the resort, that evening was dedicated to the annual international awards banquet and the announcement of next six International Directors selected from twenty candidates. It was an evening of emotions that ran the complete spectrum for candidates and delegates alike.

Saturday was to be my day of rest, yet with a promise to be available to every new elect at his/her convenience for individual debrief of their leadership/Game experience and lessons learned, loosely translated: "campus office hours 8am until 8pm." At 8pm I decided to call it a night and head for bed, when one of the African contingent invited me to "The African Party" to start at 10pm. "OK." So off to my room and wait. What to do until the party? Read Kevin Chege's Little Blue Book Kenya. That's when I found a new answer and insightto the inquiry asked of me so many days before by one of the delegates, "Why do you come here?"

To be continued ....

George Leonard- The Silent Pulse

George Leonard will speak about his newly-released book: The Silent Pulse — A Search for the Perfect Rhythm That Exists in Each of Us.

This startlingly transformational book reveals our kinship with the entire universe and all its wonders. To read it is to meet ordinary and extraordinary people who have uncovered remarkable human capacities. The Silent Pulse captures a poetic beauty within a true adventure story.

WHEN: Wednesday, February 21, 2007, 7:00 PM
WHERE: The Book Depot, Throckmorton & Miller Avenues, Mill Valley, CA 94941

The Game IS Preparation and Practice

It's a Monday morning. Gray, drizzly and wet here in Petaluma, California. A parade of kids, moms and dads are making their morning march - umbrellas bobbing like so many flowers down Walnut Street past my front office bay window to Saint Vincent's School just down the street. They (the umbrellas) relate the fact that, yes it is winter. Yet they herald news that Spring is just around the corner ... and like buds and blossoms beginning to appear on the trees the umbrellas bring their cheery hues - yellows, reds, purples. Life goes on. People are learning. Things are changing.

This week is a prep week, as many weeks are. But this one is bigger than usual. Thursday, February 15th, is departure day for College Station, Texas where, on Friday and Saturday, will be the second annual delivery of a leadership program for the Texas A&M University Fellow. My host will be Fellow's Director, Dr. Tim Peterson. Readers of past Allied Ronin newsletters will recall that he and I presented at the Gallup Leadership Institute Summit a few months ago. Tim brought me and Samurai Game® to Oklahoma State University (where he was a faculty member three years ago) after participating in the Game at the Organizational Behavior Teachers Conference. He left OK State in 2005 for bigger challenges at Texas A&M. I've been kidding him that if he's not careful somebody will draft him to join Robert Gates (past President of TAMU) at the Department of Defense. Tim just cringes and says, "No way!". Anyhow ... we will co-facilitate the Game for about fifty (50) TAMU Fellows this coming weekend.

Sunday I depart TAMU for Kansas City, MO, and meetings with my client and friend George Hersh, CEO of GMJ and owner of the Sports Associated Companies. Sports Associated exclusively handles all North American expositions of motorcycles and small watercraft for Suzuki, Yamaha and Ducati. George is the individual most responsible for the creation of the Allied Ronin Leadership Retreat. The next Leader's Retreat will be July 14-18.

Monday will depart Kansas City and head east through Chicago and London to arrive in Cairo, Egypt on February 21. There I’ll attend the AIESEC International President's Meeting (IPM). The IPM is a 10-day long event. My involvement will be the delivery of a full day leadership program which will include the Samurai Game® for approximately eighty (80) newly elected AIESEC Country Presidents.

AIESEC, the world's largest student organization, is the international platform for young people to discover and develop their potential so as to have a positive impact on society. In addition to providing over 5,000 leadership positions and delivering over 350 conferences to a membership of over 22,000 students, AIESEC also runs an exchange program that enables over 4,000 students and recent graduates the opportunity to live and work in countries other than their own. February 2006 was my first involvement with AIESEC when I traveled to the Netherlands to present the Game. As a result I toured Poland, Hungary and Slovakia in November delivering the Game for hundreds of "AIESECers" in their own countries.

So this is a prep week ... and a big one. It, along with the moms and dads and kids and umbrellas, got me thinking this morning about how just important preparation really is. When I was a kid I participated in Boy Scouts. We had a motto then; it was "Be Prepared." Years later I met Jack Cirie, a highly decorated combat veteran and former lieutenant colonel, in a brief encounter that changed the direction of my life. I recall his voice admonishing me and others to - Stay Alert! - a motto frequently echoed these days by George Leonard, president emeritus of Esalen Institute, and author of a dozen books including: Mastery, The Silent Pulse, Education and Ecstasy, Walking on the Edge of the World, and The Ultimate Athlete. My friend, Richard Strozzi-Heckler similarly reminds me of this as we part company especially when I am about to travel internationally. With him it's, "Watch your six o'clock”. Maybe you’d have to have served in the military or on a police force to understand the importance of that one.

Here's what's on my mind. I'm going off in a few days to facilitate a Game, a leadership simulation. One hundred thirty people on two continents will participate in these Games. They will represent almost 100 nations from around the globe. During the fourteen days that follow my involvement, those 130 individuals will directly impact the lives of and bring their learning to over 15,000 people. By day 28 following my involvement the energy of those fifteen thousand will then ripple out to touch over 1.5 million people. Sound like a bit of an exaggeration? Not really. This is a realistic, calculated, statistically sound and even conservative estimate. So given this, how important should my preparation be? With what kind of attitude should I live the next few days knowing what the potential impact could be?

One of the bigger lessons that I try to impart with college level students ... and this is who I'll mostly interface with over the next two weeks ... is that any game (football, basketball, soccer, etc.) does not just occur on the playing field between the referee's beginning and ending whistles. A track and field athlete's race does not just occur between the moment the starter's pistol fires and the instant the runner hits the tape. The Tour d'France does not just occur for only a few weeks in France ... just ask Lance Armstrong. Attaining a certain level in a martial art – especially for black belt - does not happen on the night of the test. It happens during warm up, it happens when one is training with partners you really don’t like, and it happens when you leave the dojo and walk out on the street or into your home and live the lessons of the art that remain in your muscle memory. The "real game" is what happens off the court, off the field, off the track, off the mat … away from the stadium … as one prepares. The Master's Tournament does NOT happen in Augusta, Georgia! That’s where it ends. The Master’s Tournament happens every time the golfer takes a swing … and every time the golfer thinks about taking a swing. Good leaders understand this concept.

A good executive knows that the most important part of any negotiation happens long before she or he arrives in a conference room for the "important meeting." A good attorney knows that the trial will probably be won or lost long before the courtroom bailiff proclaims, "All Rise!" A good pilot knows his or her safety can depend on the important, yet mundane practice of frequent touch & go landings. A good soldier or police officer knows that how she or he is being with squad mates and potential squad mates during off hours can dramatically shape reality under fire. How he or she is being in the classroom or off duty, can be a matter of life or death later, not only for themselves but for members of the public they sworn to serve.

The "real game" is what happens during practice and preparation.

What's your practice? What do you put into your preparation?

When it comes to your attitude, when it comes to people and how you treat them, when it comes to your family, when it comes to your profession, when it comes to your mission, and …

When you think that no one is watching you …

What's your game?

©2007, Lance Giroux

In Charge. But In Control?

Have you ever piloted an airplane, actually been at the controls and flown it?

My mentor used aircraft as tools so me and others could deepen our understanding of certain principles and concepts for more effective living. Planes were our training platforms. The first lessons were designed to illustrate how conditioned we were to transferring past circumstances onto present situations. Here’s one of those initial lessons that we used to do live inside real planes. Reading this will be different because you’re limited to using only your ability to visualize. You can heighten your internalization by involving your body in the process while you visualize. Getting the body involved in any mental process dramatically increases understanding, application and the probability for desired results.

Imagine you are sitting in the cockpit of a small two-seater aircraft like a 1967 Cessna 150. Put yourself in the left had seat – where the pilot-in-command sits. The co-pilot or instructor (in this case, me) sits just to your right. There are a number of instruments on a panel in front of us, and we each have something similar to a steering wheel forward of our chairs. Put your left hand on the one in front of you. At our feet we each have two peddles - left and right. Rest your feet yours. In the space between our seats you’ll find a lever coming out of the floor and atop it is a button that either of us can depress allowing us to raise or lower the lever. Reach down with your right hand, depress the button and click the lever up through a couple of notches to it highest position. There it stops and will go no further.

Assuming you’ve never piloted before, what do you think the wheel you are holding is used for? Turn it left and then right. Interesting thing about it – if you push on it, will move forward into the panel… and if you pull on it, it will come back almost to your chest. With your right foot push down on the right peddle. What’s its purpose? What about the one your left foot is resting on … what is it for? Push on it. What happens in your imagination? If you are a pilot, of course you already know the answers to these questions in reality; but do you recall when you first sat in a cockpit and began to make sense of these things?

Almost always the first response from someone brand new to flying is: “Turning the wheel is – hmmmm, well it turns the plane.” And once they see that the wheel can be pushed and pulled, they say something like – “I guess this is what makes the plane go up and down. Pull back and the plane goes up; push forward and it descends… or … maybe if you pull back it will slow things down, and if you push forward we go faster?” As for the feet, often heard is, “Well, the right one’s must be for the gas – that’s our accelerator - then the left one’s gotta be the brake… and because we have no gears (or this thing has an automatic transmission) there’s no need for a third peddle which, of course would be the clutch.” What’s happening? Assumptions and transference, that’s what.

We are sitting in an environment with an arrangement and display familiar to us because we are used to driving cars. Most student pilots begin their journey into pilot-hood through an introductory process that allows them to see how quickly they act on old assumptions and begin to transfer past experiences into what they are viewing in now time. They are challenged to confront a past that has very little relevance to what is actually in front of them. If you were to try to taxi or fly the airplane and use that wheel to turn with, or the right peddle for pouring on the gas, or the left peddle to slow down and stop, or the lever between our seats as a parking break the results would be silly (at best) or deadly (at worst).

I remember my first experience taxiing the Cessna 150 that I would eventually own. I hopped into the cockpit thinking “finally I get to be in charge of an airplane.” For the next few moments I was told exactly what the peddles were for (and they’re not for gas or breaking) and exactly what the wheel is for (actually it’s called a yoke and it has nothing to do with turning right or left on the ground), and what that lever is for … and I was instructed on exactly how to taxi in good fashion to the end of the runway. My instructor then started the plane. All I had to do was execute a ninety-degree left turn, head straight for the end of the runway and then keep us going that direction. Yet, once I was put in charge my feet and hands seemed to have a mind of their own. They did exactly what they had been conditioned to do by past experience … not what I was supposed to do to succeed at this task. My hands turned hard left, but the plane kept going straight. So my left foot “hit the brake”… and we executed a fast turn to the left that went well past ninety degrees. Off course my hands tried to steer back to the right, but the plane kept going in a circle. I even pulled on the yoke as if the plane was a horse. I could hear myself saying “whoa, whoa, whoa!!” Soon I was zigzagging all over the grass, into some weeds and almost ran into a fence. Because my course corrections were based on an old set of beliefs and patterns imbedded my mind/body system nothing was going the way I wanted. I got scared and frustrated; and the more I slipped into those two mental/emotional states the more obsessed I became at trying to make my unproductive action work. (It was kind of like talking to someone who doesn’t speak your language … so you talk slower and raise your voice. Ever do something like that?) My past mental models took over and things got worse. Soon my instructor took over and brought us to a stop. I was sweating. He was laughing. Yep, finally I was in charge ... but in control – hardly.

In Meditations (CE167) Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius wrote: “Very little is needed to have a happy life. It’s all within yourself, in your way of thinking.” That’s a very positive and uplifting notion to put forth, and one that has been stated by many other great minds – before and after the day that Aurelius wrote those words. But he could have just as easily worded his idea as an admonition for the reader to guard against counterproductive ways of being. He could have said, “Very little is needed to have a frustrated life. It’s all within yourself, in your way of thinking.”

If our thinking orients towards the now, how we communicate and how we attempt to understand and learn from what is happening in the present in order to constructively move forward we are more apt to succeed than if our thinking orients to the past in an effort to maintain control by looking through lenses constructed of what we already know (or think we know). Not that the past should be discounted or ignored… not at all. Use the past, but use it with a sense of balance - wisdom and discretion - for what it is … past.

The pilot-in-command of an airplane is a decision maker; he or she is in charge. But that doesn’t mean they have control over everything. There’s a big difference between being in charge and being in control. You have a lot of authority if you’re a PIC sitting in that left seat. Real pilots-in-command have the authority to override all decisions and desires made by any and all other human beings. Most of the time, though, a PIC follows set procedures and responds to the requests or orders of others in authority – the control tower personnel, the aircraft owner, a chief of operations or the president of the airline. Why? It’s a matter of trust and because most of the time things happen as a matter of routine. But at any moment, should the PIC determine that a situation warrants something other than what’s been instructed by an authority outside of the cockpit then he or she can do anything he or she wants to ensure safe flight of that craft because the PIC has enormous life/death responsibility at his or her fingertips. But authority to override others does not come without a price. When the aircraft finally comes back to earth the PIC must account for, face the consequences of, and if need be pay the prices for all the actions he or she took.

Think about it. When was the last time you felt out of control in a new situation – a new job, a budding relationship, a fresh approach to company governance, whatever - and you got excited because you thought you were finally going to have a little more control in your life and the freedom that you thought might accompany this control. But soon after jumping into the cockpit (if you will) of this new job, relationship for form of governance, you got frustrated or scared or thought things wouldn’t work out and maybe you threw up your hands and wanted to quit. What old data was your mind/body system automatically applying to your new situation? What old thoughts were you bringing forward from your past into the now? There’s nothing wrong with using the past to help the future – it’s part of the genius of being human. But, more often than not, people reach into the past in an attempt to control the now before they truly understand what is really in front of them and what the now actually needs.

How do you know if you’re applying past mental models to a new situation? Listen to your mental chatter, that’s one way. Are you making silent comparisons, seeing someone else’s face in place of the person who’s actually in front of you … or who you’re actually talking with. Are you hearing an old voice? Do you find yourself saying, “Just like son-and-so.” Looking at the results is another way. Do you see old, undesired results creeping into the new scenario? If you do, then it’s time to slow down, stop, and step aside from yourself and ask yourself about what is really going on. Sit quietly. See what comes up for you as you look for patterns. Ask a trusted friend or professional to be your “co-pilot” for a moment or a while – someone who will have no agenda about winning your favor if they say something you like, or losing your favor if they say something you don’t like. Yes, you may be in charge. But in control … this can be an illusion.

Notes from Beijing

Landed in Beijing yesterday, January 24. The Top Human conference here has a much larger scope than what I expected and than what I've seen done by any other training company... not in size ... rather in scope. Eva Wong (Chairperson & President) and Lawrence Leung (CEO) of Top Human are hosting their Third Eastern Summit for Corporate Social Responsibility and Branding.

The conference opened this morning with Eva and Lawrence delivering the keynote presentation, outlining Corporate Social Responsibility as the path of best practice for businesses here in China and throughout the world. Their presentation set the tone for 48 CEOs, business owners and executives representing 48 companies from throughout China in attendance - stressing an alignment of western business thinking with ancient Chinese wisdom & values (Ru) by creating a central code of trust between business leaders and their stakeholders - employees, shareholders, customers, community and partners. (So ... without saying "bushido" that's what they declared the conference would be about ... very conscious of the impact that leaders have on people and the environment.)

Their presentation was followed by Dr. Li Han Jun, CUFE and then by Dr.Li Zhi Neng, of the Research and Development Centre for State Council. These were followed by Corporate Social Responsibility case studies delivered by Ms. Kelly Lau, CSR Director for Nike (China) and Ms. LiuXiaowei, Director of Communications, Shell Oil (China)

Tomorrow ... Friday morning before lunch ... Mr. Esmond Quek, CEO, Hill & Knowlton, China will deliver a presentation on CSR and Branding; andMs. Erika Helms (Executive Director) and Ms. Zhang Zhe (ProgramDirector) both of the Jane Goodall Institute of China will deliver a presentation on Environmental Conservation.

Then for the next five hours Andre' Wai and I will deliver the SamuraiGame® as the conference's experiential centerpiece to raise awareness of leadership, responsibility, trust, warriorship (battlefield =marketplace), honor, respect for people/planet, etc.

Saturday morning following our reflection piece tieing participant experiences from the Game to concrete practices within their organizations, the conference will again revert to "stand up" presentations... as follows:

Saturday Dr. Chen Tian Quan, Party Secretary at Renmin University will present on Confucianism and Management.

William Valentino, GM, Corporate Communications for Bayer China will present a case study on Corporate Responsibility; andForrest li, Managing Director of Debt Capital Markets, China will present a talk on Debt Financing.

Sunday the Summit will end with remarks again from Eva Wong and Lawrence Leung.

This conference is a huge leap from what I have seen other training companies doing in general and vis a vis the Samurai Game. In fact it is quite a spectacular leap for the Game (here called The Warrior Game for cultural & political reasons) as it has taken a place as an experiential tool for organizational awareness and leadership with a focus on how both impact real human beings and the environment (i.e. our planet) especially for the 48 senior executives attending.

Special Bay Area Event with George Leonard

George Leonard, co-founder of Integral Transformative Practice (ITP), creator of Leonard Energy Training (LET), and associate of Allied Ronin, will open a special program in LET on February 3 in the San Francisco Bay Area and he will teach three of the six scheduled training sessions (Feb 3 & 27, March 17, April 7 & 28, and June 2). This is a rare opportunity to engage with Mr. Leonard who has authored a dozen books, including "The Silent Pulse", "Mastery", "Walking on the Edge of the World", "Education & Ecstasy", and "The Ultimate Athlete" ... and is the inventor and owner of The Samurai Game®. Contact Pam Kramer at pam_kramer22@yahoo.com for program information.

A Reflective Reminder

OZ never did give nothing to the Tin Man
That he didn’t, didn’t already have. - America

It’s oddly sunny this morning in what has been an otherwise rainy December. I’m looking out the office window at 501 Prospect Street, Petaluma CA. 2006 is about to run out the door. 2007 is walking in. A year beyond what I imagined at the last winter solstice is almost complete. What happened? A lot.

Sometimes I get caught up in the swirl of life and need to take time to remind myself what my journey is all about. That happened this year. This can be a good and necessary thing. Without the swirl we might forget that life takes effort and time and questions and answers. This is fundamentally important. When I notice that I’m getting caught up in the swirl I often engage in conversation with good people and I learn.

Earlier this year Richard Strozzi-Heckler and I were discussing a mutual friend who we were concerned about. Our conversation drifted into thoughts of living one’s last days – a very samurai kind of dialogue. I offered that I would like to live my last breath learning something totally new and yet to be appreciated. Today I’m realizing that shortly I’ll draw and yield my last breath of 2006 and begin breathing my 2007. As I do I’ll ask: What did I learn; what will I discover?

The past year has provided a deep appreciation for an important practice that began in January1975 for me, and then sharpened dramatically in January 1997. The practice of Being Here Now.

Being Here Now may sound too simplistic and esoteric to some folks to warrant serious consideration in the domain of leadership and organizational development, and completely “woo-woo” to others. But the greatest teachers and leaders of the past viewed it as essential, e.g. Marcus Aurelius, “all that is needed is in your way of thinking.” Simple it may be. Easy it is not. Indeed, living in the present moment – physically, emotionally, mentally and spiritually - is one of the most difficult and rewarding tasks one can engage in. It transcends action; it is about being-ness. The sages say that this is the key to understanding love, forgiveness and compassion. History’s greatest generals and warriors knew it to be their greatest ally and grounding point when faced with chaos, crisis and fear … and even victory. George Patton supposedly once said, “All victory is fleeting!”

I’m of the opinion that all practices, disciplines, undertakings, missions, abilities, etc. hinge on this single idea. It is the major discipline encouraged by the Allied Ronin offerings, and core to the Allied Ronin mission: Develop strong leaders, teams and organizations who perform through principled and constructive practices. All courses, programs, workshops, retreats, conferences, conversations, consultations and coachings open with Be Here Now as the anchor. It is foundational to the application of the three primary instructional tools employed in all Allied Ronin undertakings: (a) The JoHari Window (Luft & Ingham, 1955); (b) The Five Step Leadership Path (Giroux, 2000); and (c) The Dialogue Process (Isaacs, 1993)

Ten years ago - January 10, 1997 - I fell on some boulders and shattered my hip. My life had been running at a very fast pace… an even faster pace than 2006. That day it was if the universe stopped giving me hints about taking some time to attend to the NOW of my life. Rather, it grabbed me and shook me and threw me on the ground and screamed, “Hey you! Pay Attention! It’s time to stop … to slow down … and to begin to appreciate something.”

Reflecting back on the events of that day I see many immediate lessons – some of them hard to swallow – some I’m still coming to terms with:

• I began to realize that I sometimes live in denial, e.g. I wanted to believe the hip was dislocated, not broken, even though I heard the bone split. (I still deny things)

• I began to understand that sometimes I have to face aloneness, e.g. I was left on a beach by myself unable to get away from the rising tide and the surf while my buddy went to summon police and paramedics. (I still don’t like being alone)

• I began to grasp a more poignant appreciation of other human beings accepting them as they are, rather than as I would want them to be, e.g. lying on the sand I was approached and attended to by a homeless man who I initially pre-judged and feared. Yet he appeared on the scene and simply offered me a hand and some conversation. He kept me awake and possibly alive. (I still wish others would be different sometimes)

• I began to surrender my need to control others, and allow them to do things their way as best they could, e.g. the officers, paramedics, and firemen who finally arrived to take care of me did all the work. I went along for an hour-long wild (and painful) ride in a metal basket through waves, over slippery rocks, up the sand and across Santa Cruz CA in an ambulance. (I still try to control occasionally)

• I began to creatively and playfully deal with loss, e.g. I encouraged the ER personnel who had difficulty removing my clothes to “just cut ‘em off” rather than trying to figure out how undress me which would have caused further pain and possible injury. (I still don’t like losing now and then)

• I started practicing patience and looking at things from another’s perspective, e.g. the surgeon, Dr. Swartz, advised that he and his team would wait until the next day to operate rather than hasten the procedure (which the injury rightfully demanded) even though that to wait through the night would mean hours of severe pain for me. Why did he want to wait? Because he knew that he and his team would do a better job if they could perform in a well-rested state. As a good leader and excellent surgeon he assessed the risks involved, evaluated the situation, gave me his best advice, apologized for the pain, and supplied access to ample amounts of morphine. The next day he and the team did a miraculous job. (I still get impatient and insist on seeing things my way)

The initial eight weeks of recovery from January 10, 1997, opened a new understanding regarding the significance of Being Here Now. Over dinner one night with two friends, Paul and Nancy Nakai, who have been on a similar path of learning, I happened to share my insights. A few days later a book arrived from them for which I am still grateful – “Slowing Down to the Speed of Life: How to Create a More Peaceful, Simpler Life from the Inside Out” by Richard Carlson and Joseph Bailey.

How does this connect with today, sitting here looking out the office window at 501 Prospect Street, Petaluma CA … with 2006 about to run out the door and 2007 about to walk in? Well, I’m still learning. That’s how.

In 2006 I was fortunate to visit some exotic and historic places: Confucius’ gardens and grave in the ancient city of Qu Fu, Amsterdam’s Dam Square, the Van Gough Museum, the narrow stairs leading into Anne Frank’s room where rests her actual diary and loose paper notes, the snow covered mountains in northern Slovakia, Krakow’s ancient castle The Wawel, Pope John Paul II’s birth place, the dirt streets and brown brick barracks in Osweicim, Poland (Auschwitz), the headwaters of the Wisla River, the Hungarian Parliament and Budapest’s Hero Square, and Hong Kong’s Star Ferry. I rode the cold damp all-night trains from Warsaw to Katowice to Ustron in Poland, and through Gyor to Komarom station in Hungary and then backtracked for hours by car through Gyor because I didn’t study my map … finally arriving at Hungary’s great Lake Balaton. I worked around the globe with a few thousand people, some young, some old, some rich, some poor - Poles, Chinese, Taiwanese, Hungarians, Estonians, Romanians and some from the Ukraine and saw firsthand how their similarities far outweighing their differences.

Without diminishing any of these historic and beautiful places, things and people, I have to say that anyplace can be an exotic, and any moment can be a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
The power of what’s most important to me continues to be in the here and the now, right where I live. It’s just as beautiful and worth appreciating as the world out there. This doesn’t mean that traveling abroad is a thing of my past. On assignment I’m bound for Beijing in January, possibly Cairo in February, and most likely Krakow again in March. But here’s the truth for me. The unique beauty of Sonoma County and its rolling oak covered hills, the old timers eating stew at Pete’s Henny Penny Restaurant in Petaluma, a particular bench on a local county park hillside, the hawks and ravens riding ridgeline thermals above town of Valley Ford, the unseen insects singing their strange clicking chorus in branches above a driveway, morning coffee and tea at a hometown market, the rose bush that pricks my hand at pruning time after the first winter freeze, the school kids at recess laughing in the playground outside my back yard … all these are as magnificent or more.

Last night in preparation for the upcoming Allied Ronin Leader’s Retreat I watched the Bill Moyers’ interviews with Joseph Campbell - The Power of Myth. At one point Campbell, one of the greatest minds of our time, said, “Where we have sought to travel outward we shall come to the center of our own existence. Where we have sought to be alone, we shall be with all the world.”

You have a strength, a gift, that is uniquely yours. When you find your strength, your gift, and you make a daily practice of developing it, you grow in your ability to constructively influence others to do likewise. This makes you a leader – even if you are not aware of the influence that you have. The more you practice, the more effective you become as a person of influence. This influence, this kind leadership is foundational, and it has nothing to do with title, rank, level of income, position, authority, age, gender or any combination of letters following your name attesting to formal education. Furthermore, when we as individuals come together and collectively practice developing our constructive strengths we grow in our ability to coordinate. In a very real sense, we dance. And with our dance we become strong as teams and organizations. This is important – this leadership through understanding constructive strength and this team and organizational development through coordinated practice. And it is so simple – though not easy. This is what Allied Ronin is fundamentally dedicated to. Nothing less. Nothing more.

Each of us has at least one core quality worth living, worth practicing, worth developing and worth unleashing. Yes, we all have our shadows, our weaknesses and our dark sides. But that we could focus our own and other people’s attention on constructive qualities and strengths rather than on destructive faults and weaknesses, I believe we could re-shape our world for the better. It begins at home. What does this take? A simple commitment to be present with self, with others with our environment, with our community … every day. It demands nothing short of that we Be Here Now.

The 1970’s rock group, America, said it all in one single lyric: “OZ never did give nothing to the Tin Man that he didn’t, didn’t already have."

Looking forward to seeing you in 2007 – whenever and where ever that may be!