Blog

Have You Made The Flip?

by KarenTax on February 5, 2012

“The Flip” is a shift in perception and experience that leads from trapped and limited possibility where you are at the mercy of your circumstances, to experiences of liberation and infinite possibility where you are the creator of your reality.

Here’s how “The Flip” happened with one of my clients.

The Story of Sandra

I started working with “Sandra,” the director of her department, when her manager became frustrated with Sandra’s inability to be strategic and passionate about her work. Sandra was also aggravated by the craziness of her organization. Both Sandra and her manager agreed that career/leadership coaching would help.

Frustration was warranted on both sides:  Sandra was getting mixed messages about her performance from her manager and was working with a leadership team that demonstrated very little strategic ability themselves. She had become timid because of these mixed messages she experienced –  her hesitation reinforced her manager’s perception of a problem.

Sandra was allowing herself to be limited by a difficult situation. She felt trapped with no options and saw no clear action that would resolve the situation. As our coaching progressed even I was concerned that Sandra wouldn’t break out of her difficulties.

It was Sandra’s decision to quit her job that finally allowed her to become empowered and see more possibilities, both inside and outside of her organization. She decided that she had had enough of “the crazies”; she could and would try something different.

Ironically, once Sandra decided to quit her job, she became both more strategic and passionate about her work. Where before she had been afraid to take risks and “rock the boat,” she now felt she had nothing to lose and she became more assertive. She took the lead in conversations and projects that she cared about, and persisted in presenting her solutions.

As a result, Sandra’s manager began to see her as more strategic and passionate, exactly the goals of our coaching. Sandra had made “The Flip”.

Plato’s Cave

“The Flip” is not something that you can just read about and understand – it must be experienced. As a coach I have learned to be very patient with the process of flipping.

At the same time, I can’t emphasize enough the importance of “The Flip”. The sooner you flip, the sooner you start moving out of difficult situations.

The fictional story of Plato’s Cave from Plato’s work, The Republic, illustrates the power of “The Flip”…

A group of people is chained and held immobile since childhood in a deep, dark cave, their heads held in place in such a way that they can only see a wall in front of them. Behind the prisoners is a huge fire. Between the fire and the people is a pathway, where people walk with objects that create shadows on the wall the people can see.

The people live their lives seeing the shadows cast by others, believing that reality is comprised only of the images on the wall.

The story continues with one of the prisoners being freed. This person sees the things that create the shadows: the people, the objects, and the fire. After a lifetime of solely seeing shadows, these things are confusing and not recognizable. The fire is too bright and overwhelming and the person is compelled to look back at the familiar shadows for orientation.

It takes time for this person to realize that the shadows are just a partial component of reality.

The story continues with the prisoner being brought out of the cave into the world of the sun, with day and night, seasons, and plants: an expanded reality. Eventually the person acclimates and comes to enjoy this new reality.

But the freed prisoner remembers the people in the cave. How might they understand how shadows are created as projections from what Plato called “The Forms” or “thoughts”.  How might they understand the expanded possibilities of reality outside the cave?

“The Flip” is a process of answering these questions and understanding that the reality you know as true is a result of your perceptions and experiences, as in the story of Plato’s Cave. The IAM Essence Map is the tool we use in the IAM Way to make this flip.

The IAM Essence Map

When I started working with Sandra, her main focus was on her manager’s mixed messages and the reactive behavior (not strategic) of the leadership team: all true perceptions.

Sandra’s focus was on what we call Drama – the difficult details of her situation – the shadows dancing on the walls of her perception.

Once Sandra decided to quit, she broke the chains that keep her focused on Drama. She experimented with what we call her Essential Best – the ideas and behaviors that come from her Essence – the light that is the source of her soul or true self.

Sandra made “The Flip” only after she saw for herself the response of her manager and the leadership team to her new behaviors. She created different experiences and an expanded reality that included possibilities that were not available before she flipped. This includes her being much happier in exactly the same situation she was in when we started coaching.

Some examples of what people see from a Drama perception include:

  • Focus on people, situations and circumstances outside of yourself as the source of your problems
  • Feel resigned about ‘what is’ with little or no belief that your career or life could be any different
  • See other people as fragile or not capable of handling the feedback and challenge you can provide

Some examples of what people see from an Essential Best perception include:

  • Focus on your beliefs and patterns of behavior as the source of your experience
  • Find opportunity within difficulty to clarify what you want and then have that happen
  • See other people as healthy, whole and resourceful

The IAM Essence Map can be used as a diagnostic tool for yourself and others to check where your perception is coming from.

A Continuum of Flipping

Once Sandra saw how people responded to her when she made some changes, we could discuss additional flips and possibilities.

Sandra and I now talk about her first major flip as we discuss the challenges she is facing as a leader. I occasionally remind her of what she was like before she flipped and challenge her to coach people in their own process of flipping.

“The Flip” is not actually one flip but a series of many shifts as we explore what it means to be powerful creators of our experience, more and more every day, leading others to be empowered.

The story of “Plato’s Cave” shows that it’s a process that takes time to journey out of a “dark cave” of sight and perception, into the world of possibility above “the cave”:

“The prison-house is the world of sight, the light of the fire is the sun, and you will not misapprehend me if you interpret the journey upwards to be the ascent of the soul into the intellectual world according to my poor belief, which, at your desire, I have expressed whether rightly or wrongly God knows. But, whether true or false, my opinion is that in the world of knowledge the idea of good appears last of all, and is seen only with an effort; and, when seen, is also inferred to be the universal author of all things beautiful and right, parent of light and of the lord of light in this visible world, and the immediate source of reason and truth in the intellectual; and that this is the power upon which he who would act rationally, either in public or private life must have his eye fixed.   ~~ Plato, The Republic, Book VII

Remember that “The Flip” requires challenging yourself and others to reconsider what is “real” on an ongoing basis. The IAM Essence Map is a simple and practical tool that you can repeatedly use to guide people out of “dark cave realities” that are created when they focus on Drama, and flip to a focus through the perspective of their Essential Best.

Your IAM Coaches are here to remind you of the possibilities that are available to you in the world outside of “dark caves”, the kinds of experiences that are possible when you flip to a perception of the world that is available from the perspective of your Essential Best – especially in a holistic way that honors your head, heart and spirit!

So let us know the story your flip! Or your hopes for a flip … It’s all good  you know.

{ 3 comments }

Leading and Managing Upward

by DickHoffmann on January 21, 2012

Learning to lead and manage upward is critical to delivering winning results for your career and for your organization – double win.

This is a follow-on article to “The Myth of Hierarchical Leadership“, which I published in the IAM blog on December 22nd.  In that article we discussed how leadership in organizations does not just flow from the top. In fact, the majority of day-to-day leadership decisions and actions can and should emanate from all over the organization, particularly from the front lines of action.

In the healthiest organizations, front-line people are enabled, empowered and trusted to make autonomous decisions in real-time that benefit the health and goals of the Empowerment Zoneorganization. This kind of autonomy also enables higher job satisfaction and fulfillment in our personal careers. This is a key bridge between what IAM refers to as “Career Alignment” and “Workplace Alignment”.

From where does that trusted enablement and empowerment emanate? Is this yet another type of blessing that people must wait for from “top management”?  No … and that is the point!

The very words “enablement” and “empowerment” have become soured over time largely because many people see them as something they need to wait for someone else to bestow on them.  If so, the people and the organization as a whole choose to remain entrapped and limited within the Myth of Hierarchical Leadership.

It Begins with You

For decisions and actions that relate to your area of responsibility and your career, the path to trusted enablement and empowerment must begin with you. That begins by first realizing that most organizations have their management hierarchies turned upside-down. Healthy organizations flip the model of who leads and who serves.

Leadership Hierarchy

One of the most important roles of senior management in any organization is to serve the needs of the groups and individual contributors within the organization, not the other way around. The best senior management leaders know that they serve their organizations and their people best when they operate continuously in service and support roles rather than in modes of artificial command-and-control.  If yours don’t, it is critical to your job and your career to help retrain yourself and them.

The best way for people in senior positions to know what service the organization needs from them is for you to tell and show them … you “Leading and Managing Upward”. Unless the people who have authority over budgets, people and resources know what you need to accomplish your goals, they are left in a position of guessing and you are left in a position of waiting. This simply perpetuates the Myth and a continuous cycle of us-versus-them … “We can’t get anything done because we are always waiting for them” … “They don’t accomplish things fast enough because they are always waiting for us”.

Key Factors of Managing Upward

The most effective way that you can serve your organization, your own career and your personal job satisfaction is to realize your role as a leader in your organization and Manage Upward. That means being very clear in your communications about exactly what you need to accomplish your role in the organization and exactly how you need senior management to serve you in that role.

To be most effective, your communications about your wants and needs should have at least five important characteristics:

Context:  Understand the other goals and priorities of the organization and do your best to present your request within the context of those other priorities. You do not work in isolation. Often decision-makers must weigh your requests and recommendations in the context of other, perhaps competing, priorities. Help them with that.

Fact-Based: Do your homework, understand the details as best you can and present the facts. Stay away from speculation, estimations and personal assumptions. The time to use your gut-feel and intuitive judgment is AFTER you have the resources you need, not when you are trying to get them.

Results-Oriented: Frame your requests and recommendations within the context of how they will benefit the organization. These benefits should be as tangible, realistic to achieve and measureable as possible.

Concise Clarity of Need:  Be as specific as possible about what you need from the person you are asking, as well as from the other resources within his or her range of responsibility.

Timing:   Timing is very important. Being specific about urgency and when you need the resources will help ensure you get what you need when you need it.

Fruits of Empowerment

The fruits of a workplace of enabled and empowered people are literally limitless. Fruits of Empowerment

When individuals and teams operate in an environment of autonomous freedom, the agility of thinking, nimbleness of response and latitude in the ability to be creative and innovative takes on dimensions that cannot be achieved by environments constrained by structures of top-down management.

When you realize that empowerment is yours to create, your career and your workplace will be transformed in ways beyond your imagination.

Managing Upward Requires Re-Training

Creating an environment of empowered autonomy for yourself and your organization will probably require some retraining for you and for the people who have ascended to senior management positions. The Myth is strong, self-perpetuating and requires work to dismantle its fallacies of command-and-control.  The best way for you to help dismantle it is through your communications and actions. Letting people in senior management positions know exactly what you need and why you need them will not only build their confidence in you, it will give them guidance in what the organization needs from them.

Your enablement and empowerment begins with enabling and empowering yourself. If you choose to remain trapped within the Myth of Hierarchical Leadership, including the crippling effects it has on your organization and on your personal career, look nowhere else to blame but in your own mirror.

{ 2 comments }

Everything You Need To Make 2012 The Best Year Ever!

by IAMLC Admin on January 20, 2012


 Make 2012 Your Best Year Yet!We are participating in the 2012 On Track event with other leading experts on
transformation!

 

(You’ll find us at Money -> Careers. You may need to
refresh the screen to see the IAM listing – they rotate
through 10 at a time.)

Check out the latest products and services from
the world’s top transformation experts — just
in time to help you make 2012 the best year of
your life!

2012onTrack is a directory of the hottest new
books, courses, software applications, videos,
coaching opportunities, and seminars to help you
make your dreams come true this year!

Besides the latest transformational products and
services, you’ll also get dozens of free offers,
downloads, and sample materials — plus games,
quizzes, and other fun resources for personal
growth.

Join IAM and our colleagues at:

>>> www.2012onTrack.com – Click Here! <<<

{ 0 comments }

Get Career Help That Gains Wisdom From Your Family History

by KarenTax on January 15, 2012

I’ve only recently realized the impact my family history has had on my work history. My Dad’s struggle with congestive heart failure got me reflecting on his life and the gratitude I feel for him: he is a good man whose family was always his top priority. He was always a good provider.

My Dad worked at Kaiser Steel in Southern California. He was interested in electricity, wanted to work on trains, but ended up the electrical foreman in the Plate Mill at Kaiser, and eventually California Steel, because it paid well. It was hard, dangerous, dirty, demanding work.

I remember the smell of grease in the Renault he drove to and from work every day. I remember the calls in the middle of the night and my Dad talking people through problems.  I remember the stories of him trying to find other work but nothing else paid as well and so he stayed.

Every choice that my Dad made was guided by his dedication to his family. Other than a weekly stop for doughnuts and coffee, I know of few choices that my Dad made simply for his own personal pleasure.

Once my Dad retired and then had open heart surgery, he seemed to lose some of his passion for living. As each of his children married and then grand-kids arrived, we all knew that his family remained his greatest joy. But ongoing health challenges have been tough to overcome and it was clear that something was missing from his life.

Why would a vibrant, energetic, and driven man have such a tough time in retirement? And what would this mean for me, a person striving to model and guide others in living full and productive careers and lives?

I had a lot to learn from my family patterns and their impact on my thinking about work. Here are some beliefs about work that I learned:

  • Work is hard
  • Work means sacrificing your own interests for others
  • Work is about surviving
  • Work is about making things happen
  • The more work you do, the better

My heart bursts with gratitude for the wonderful life my Dad provided for me as a result of his work ethic: a beautiful home, a stable home life, vacation opportunities, a college education.

I also feel a deep sadness as I realize the impact these beliefs had on my Dad, especially once he retired: there was very little personal passion and purpose to keep my Dad engaged and enjoying life.  His work was done. While my Dad made great strides in his life beyond what his parents achieved, he also paid a terrible price in terms of his health and lack of ability to experience pleasure in every day life.

I now know that the beliefs I inherited from my family about work are based in scarcity and sacrifice thinking.  These kinds of beliefs about work are inherently limiting and result in stunted results of all kinds: money, joy, pleasure, energy, emotional connection, passion, and purpose.

My personal career journey and my work with clients has been one of transforming these “old beliefs” about work into new versions that are abundance based: healthier, soul nourishing, win-win-win.

I now know that better results are achieved by my knowing that:

  • Work is fun and easy
  • Work is about aligning my interests and others
  • Work is about thriving
  • Work is about allowing
  • A little work, excellently done, is all that is needed

I learned to work hard from my Dad, I still love to work hard, and I also know that I achieve my best and most sustainable results when that hard work is enjoyable and aligned with my personal passions.

The essential shift in my thinking about work started when I realized that my “being happy now matters”. If I wasn’t having fun now, it wouldn’t necessarily happen later. If I was in fear about surviving now, I would limit my thriving later. I learned that “being happy now matters” by watching how my Dad’s life has played-out.

Maybe the terrible price my Dad has paid wasn’t so terrible, if I and others can learn from the gift of his life. So I want to say thank you to my Dad, for the way you have chosen to live your life and what it has taught me. I know you made the choices you did because you love us so very much.

Let’s make the most of the example of the generations that have worked before us! What are the “beliefs about work” that you got from your parents?  And how would you like to reframe those beliefs so that you experience “happiness now”? What beliefs do you want to hold on to?

{ 2 comments }

A Guy’s View of Drama

by DickHoffmann on January 7, 2012

“Drama” is a fundamental concept within the process of career transformation.

Given its essential role, I would hate for people to dismiss the term as something solely from the domain of afternoon soap operas, teenage tantrum meltdowns or just a prefix for “Queen”.

Drama is not just a female or a guy thing. We all experience and are facilitators of Drama. It is the voice in our head that tries to convince us we are inferior or superior to the guy in the next cubicle or the woman in the corner office. It is the ego struggles that focus on “who” is right instead of “what” is right.  It is one of the main factors in the erosions of trust and the shutdowns of communication that cause schedules to slip, performance to erode and precious time to slip away.

Owning our Drama

Some of the most damaging drama happens inside our own heads; the “stinking thinking” that tells us we aren’t smart enough, fast enough, have enough degrees or titles, generate enough ideas or have enough connections to succeed. It is also the fictions we create that blame our short falls of success or happiness on anyone but ourselves.

Drama DynamicsMajor work has been done by researchers, consulting firms and universities on the pathology of drama and the impact it has on careers and corporate performance.

Two prominent examples are the “Drama Triangle“, proposed by psychologist Stephen Karpman in 1968, and its corollary, “The Empowerment Dynamic“, proposed by David Emerald in 2005.

Transforming the Dynamics of Drama

Contemplating dynamics like these enable us to understand the field of Drama and transform its components of persecution, victim-hood and heroic pursuit into the far healthier attributes of coaching, challenging and creation.  When we understand these dynamics we begin to take control of our drama instead of allowing it to control us.

IAM Essence MapThrough tools and processes like the IAM Essence Map and the IAM Way, we are able to see Drama thoughts and situations for what they are – teaching opportunities to enhance the journey to our Essential Best.  Instead of being Drama Queens and Kings, we each get to become Queens and Kings of our Drama, rulers over the drama situations in our lives and careers instead of servants to them.

Teflon-coated Ninja Drama Deflector

We are in the process of applying for a patent for our revolutionary Teflon-coated Ninja Drama Deflector. It is a unique shield with the agility of a Ninja warrior and it has a non-stick coating for when even the best martial arts moves cannot escape the incoming assaults of drama.

Seriously, we’re going to be rich; because everyone needs one of these. Like the relentless attackers in a Jackie Chan movie, drama flies in from every direction and seems to never completely go away. The potential for drama always waits around the next corner or down the next dark alley. Our Drama Deflector is always on duty and is rarely idle. It allows you to recognize drama early, acknowledge it for what it is, learn from it, thank it for sharing its wisdom and then incorporate it as a strength instead of a source of weakness.

OK, I was kidding, we really have no “Teflon-coated Ninja Drama Deflector” … but the concept is a valuable one.  Drama is relentless and can be crippling.  But Drama can also be an invaluable gift. It is one of the best mechanisms we have seen for surfacing the knottiest issues in your life and career that may not be working as well as you would like.

Transform Drama into an Asset for the Journey to Your Essential Best

Learning to use the maps, tools and processes of IAM will make the most of your Drama.  The IAM Way can show you how to transform Drama into an asset that works for you as a major part of enjoying your career journey and clearing the path to your Essential Best.

{ 2 comments }

The Story of My Word For 2011

by KarenTax on January 3, 2012

Selecting a word to represent your intentions for the year is a powerful practice.  It sets the stage for the year, can take you beyond your limits and learning edges, and defines a laser-like focus for the year.

Trust Starts With YOU

Early in 2011 I selected a word to be my theme for the year. It took a long time for this word to come to me – I wasn’t clear about what I wanted. After a lot of patience and inquiry, I selected ‘trust’ as my word for 2011.

I picked ‘trust’ because I was working too hard to make things happen and I wanted to put more trust in the flow of life. For example, I wanted to trust whatever people said or did as being right and good.  Little did I know just how powerfully this intention would play out during the year!

Two things happened in 2011 that are beautiful examples of how my intention to ‘trust’ played out.

First, while driving across the country on vacation with my family in July, I experienced extreme frustration and emotional pain. I kept feeling excluded from what my husband and two boys were doing and I got to the point where I couldn’t stop crying. At this point, my son Alex said to me “I feel like you’re ruining our vacation”…

You might think this was a mean thing for Alex to say but it was the perfect ‘right and good’ response: it was exactly how I felt on vacation as a child. In that moment I trusted Alex and I realized the truth of what he said and thanked him. I shared how when I got emotional as a kid, my parents didn’t know what to do, so my emotions got ignored and stuffed. Now in the middle of Yellowstone’s burbling and gurgling geology, my emotions were bubbling over!

I trusted my family to witness my feelings and healing process. We sat down at a picnic table, I shared what I was thinking and feeling, and so did they. It turned into a profound experience of being open and vulnerable with each other.  My emotions became a catalyst for all of us to heal and connect.

After Yellowstone, if we saw a little kid being unruly or having a tantrum, we collectively cheered them on saying ‘let it out!’ Even better, I was able to receive love and inclusion from my men like never before. My son Lucas checked-in toward the end of the trip asking, “Are you feeling heard now Mom?” Was I ever!

Second, Diane Craver was my business partner in the IAM Learning Community during 2010 and most of 2011. There were several challenges we faced that we just couldn’t seem to overcome…

In September Diane met with Dick Hoffmann about his interest in IAM and Diane said to both Dick and me: you have to meet each other!

As a result of Diane’s grace, generosity and trust, Dick and I are now leading IAM, and those challenges that Diane and I kept facing are being overcome. Diane shifted to participating in ways that are a better fit for her, without any conflict, blame, or drama of any kind.  How many business partnerships have you seen explode into drama when tough decisions need to be made? No, Diane and I trusted what was happening as ‘right and good’ for both of us, and indeed it was!

What I didn’t realize when I picked trust as my word for 2011, was the extent to which I could trust the desire and intention behind my choice to carry me throughout the year. Indeed, my ability to trust is stronger than ever, it is becoming stronger every day, all without any special effort or activity on my part. Easy!

I will admit to effort when it comes to the discipline of inner work. I believe trust is an inside job: it is a faith journey of believing in myself, expanded through the challenges and opportunities of Drama.

The author and minister Blaine Hartford defines trust as:

A feeling of safety in our self
induced by how much
caring, competency, and commitment
we sense another person demonstrates within our relationship.

I believe the world is a safe place. I use the IAM Touchstones with both my family and colleagues to learn from Drama. This perspective and framework give me the competence to create experiences where everyone involved can know ‘we are working for each other,’ we will ‘take 100% responsibility for ourselves’ and we will support each other fully in what we each want.  Caring and commitment are easy when this type of interpersonal skill is present.

My discipline of inner work and the IAM concepts allowed trust to explode inside of me and then with my outer experiences in 2011. Did I know all of this would happen at the beginning of 2011? Absolutely not!  But I am deeply grateful, and I eagerly dove in to selecting my word for 2012 as a result!

Selecting my word for 2012 was easy compared with selecting my word for 2011. I consistently meditate and I’ve added ‘talking with my future self ’ to my practice. I’ve asked this ‘future self’ for guidance and she has clearly responded with suggestions to ‘chill,’ ‘relax,’ along with some very specific priorities to focus on. When I asked her how I could move forward ‘quickly and easily’ with my business, she responded with the delightful: ‘use the key to the magic kingdom!’

If any of you are Disney fans like me, you’ll know exactly what this suggestion is all about: imagination. My last trip to Disneyland, after many, many visits as both a child and adult, was inspiring because I finally realized how brilliant Walt Disney was at demonstrating the power of imagination. Creating anything begins in our mind’s eye. Actually, most of the work happens there!

And so my word for 2012 is ‘imagine.’ I picked ‘imagine’ because I want to move even farther along the path of creating my experiences with ease and grace, further trusting the flow of life to bring me exactly what I want. I’ll let you know where this theme for 2012 takes me. I have a feeling I will go even farther than I can imagine!
Please comment on this article! I’d love to know what your intentions are for 2012 – as a word or otherwise. And what do you think about what I shared here?

{ 5 comments }

The Myth of Hierarchical Leadership

by DickHoffmann on December 22, 2011

Managers who direct, monitor and adjust other people’s productivity are not leaders.

This myth began during the Industrial Revolution when workers in factories and on assembly lines were managed by overseers. The seeds of this myth were no doubt also planted during the Agrarian Age when the productivity of serfs and slaves was managed by lords and foremen on farms and plantations. Perhaps its roots even stretch back to biblical times when, out of self-defense, Moses divided the people of the Exodus into hierarchical groups with a middle person those people could go to for their needs rather than all of them coming directly to Moses.

This is the “Myth of Hierarchical Leadership” – the concept that organizations are best led top down and that leadership and decisions flow primarily in that direction.  This Myth has proven to be completely untrue as we’ve moved through the computer, information, global communications and internet revolutions, but many people and organizations still cling to the Myth.

Management Hierarchy

Old Habits are Hard to Break

The Myth is a difficult one to break primarily because it is a self-perpetuating model rooted in power, ego and control. For people in “management” positions who are all about control and personal ego stroking, the Myth is very much in their interest to keep alive, despite the fallacy of its application in reality.

Creating and perpetuating the Myth of Hierarchical Leadership in organizations does not create cultures of people who venture to think, act, manage and lead on their own.  Just the opposite, the Myth serves no cultural purpose but to artificially over-inflate the egos of the supposed “management” and artificially demean and under-value the competencies and intelligence of the supposed “staff”.  A Myth culture conditions people not to think, but to wait for direction from an all-knowing “management” and not make decisions on their own. It does not empower people; it drains power away from people or offers them little control or autonomy in the first place.

The reality is that the majority of people in organizations understand their functions and the processes in and around their functions far better than the “managers” to whom they report. People on the front lines see the action first-hand and are in the best position to decide real-time courses of action. Perhaps most importantly, people want and need to be empowered and autonomous in their decision-making to feel valuable in their jobs, satisfied in their careers and, thus, of most value to their organizations.

Because of the downsizing and attrition that has occurred in many organizations in the last few decades, the reality is that organizations have become so flat that many of them have almost nobody who isn’t a “manager” of their function. Yet, the mythical Hierarchical Leadership management model maintains a flimsy facade that considers employees as “staff” who must wait for “management” to tell them what to do.

The Need for an Evolved Model of Leadership

A resounding and consistent theme in studies of leadership conducted by universities, management consulting firms, corporations and the military proves that true leadership happens from all directions – bottom-up, outside-in, across divisional and organizational boundaries, as well as top down. One military leadership model calls it “leading from the edge”, acknowledging that the majority of leadership decisions are made in real-time on the front lines of engagement – “the edge”.

Management at the top of any organization may provide strategy, high-level goals, organizational structure and a framework for decision-making, but mature organizations understand that leadership and real-time decision-making happen best in the field and on the front lines. The majority of leadership decisions and actions happen where people meet the market, customers, partners, collaborators and competitors.

Mature organizations enable the power and control where it belongs … where the rubber hits the road.

Leadership Hierarchy

Timely Non-Scientific Study on LinkedIn

Within the popular business networking site, LinkedIn, there is a group that formed called “Developing the Leader within You”.  As of this writing, the group contains 2,913 people from all walks of organizational life.  In August of 2011, a question was posed to the group by Richard Blakemore, one of the group’s members based in Australia.  The question was, “If you could find a synonym for ‘leader’ what would that be?”

Over the next four months, 128 people responded to that question with individual words, phrases and paragraphs describing their views of leadership. We have captured those words and views in a document that sums up the result.  That document can be found at the following link.

Synonyms for Leader – LinkedIn Summary Report

Within the summary report, you will find 69 words and several pages of directly-quoted prose that describe what we believe define an evolved model for leadership. The leadership characteristics named and described in this report break the centuries-old Myth of Hierarchical Leadership.

You will not find one word in this summary about “control”, “ego”, “hierarchy” or references to “management and staff”.  Quite the contrary, the most popular and consistent concepts you will see within the posts of this group describe leadership qualities of vision, empowerment, humility, servant-hood, advocacy, enablement, stewardship, collaboration and inspiration.

Leadership in Our Time

Leadership in our age requires people who think and act not within antiquated models of hierarchical structure and control.  Our time requires people at all levels of organizations to act with attitudes of purpose, visionary direction, enablement, shepherding, stewardship and, perhaps most importantly, humility – a confident knowledge that none of us individually has all the answers and trust that collectively we can always find them.

Organizations that understand and operate by this model of leadership will be those that attract the most talented people and will receive the most from those talents.  Empowered people who operate within a culture of supported trust, inspiration and autonomy are people committed to the needs of the organization that provides them with that support.  The result is that the people and the organization both operate at peak performance and consistently at their Essential Best.

{ 5 comments }

Honoring The Gifts Of Your Soul

by KarenTax on December 18, 2011

I’ve noticed a paradox this holiday season: people grateful for family and jobs while at the same time they are disappointed with their work situations. “Is this all there is?” clients guiltily ask me, thinking they have no right to despair when they have so much – especially when others don’t.

The holidays are a time when we allow the light of hope to peek into the long and dark winter days – at least in the northern hemisphere! ‘Daring to hope’ intensifies the gap between what feels right and good, and what doesn’t. You may experience this gap as sadness, depression, or simply feeling hollow.

Most people are not aware of the source of ‘holiday blues.’ A lack of light or vitamin D or less exercise contributes. But deeper than these issues is a quiet “crying out of hope” that is too often shut down or ignored. After all, shouldn’t you be feeling grateful and generous?

There is a knot of scarcity thinking inside that causes conflict between gratitude and longing that must be unraveled if you are going to hear the voice of your soul.

Winter is naturally a time to slow down and hibernate. Give yourself the gift of time to notice the internal conflict that keeps your longings tied-up. When you proactively make space for feeling both gratitude and longing, you will avoid the ambush of sadness and depression caused by your soul demanding your attention.

At a time when you might be ignoring your own needs as you enjoy the spirit of giving, don’t forget to give yourself the gift of time and space to listen to the whispers inside, before they become more demanding.  Now is the time to acknowledge the seeds of hopes and dreams that are ready to germinate in the New Year.

How can you break free from scarcity thinking? By pausing long enough to listen to what your soul has to say.

Slow down! Breathe! Listen.

Know that you can experience both gratitude and longing. As a matter of fact, gratitude is the fertile ground that your dreams need to sprout into reality.

When you gratefully acknowledge the abundance in your life, and respectfully honor your longings, you will shift from feeling guilty and conflicted about your disappointments, to clearly seeing the next steps you are ready to take.

Even better, your hopes will be fueled by the abundant energy of the real you: grateful and creative. You will be confident that your dreams deserve to see the light of day! When you are internally conflicted, you sabotage your dreams. When you are confident about your creative desires, your way forward is cleared of obstacles.

And those little whispers of “is this all there is?”, they are the gifts, the seeds of your dreams for 2012. Give yourself the gift of time, space and listening attention. It’s the perfect way to transition into 2012!

Wishing you a holiday season filled with joy, gratitude and spacious time for your longings to speak to you!

“I wish I could show you, when you are lonely or in darkness, the Astonishing Light of your own Being!”

~~ Hafiz

I welcome your comments below!

ALSO, do you need some help flushing out the seeds of your career dreams for 2012?

The IAM Career Desires Navigator is an essential guidance instrument to orient the GPS for your career journey. Includes detailed instructions and a step-by-step process to navigate to clarity on your career focus.

 

The IAM Career Desires Navigator …

  • clarifies your career likes and dislikes
  • profiles your career strengths and weak points
  • pinpoints key areas in which your career may have led you rather than you leading your career
  • provides key insight into the illusive “soul journey”

Purchase access to the Career Desires Navigator tool here.

{ 2 comments }

The Next Phase of IAM

by KarenTax on December 12, 2011

IAM is all about transformation, from the current version of yourself to the next best revelation. This Fall, we’ve transformed into the next best version of ourselves with our latest offering, The IAM Way Newsletter, and exciting changes in leadership and on the website.

The Newsletter

I can’t tell you how many times I have been in a client conversation and thought “other people need to hear this.” I have piles of notes from these moments that I’ll finally get to share with you.

We’ll send you high value tips and stories that will align our heads, hearts, bodies, and souls – so we live in our essential best and achieve the goals of our work and life. Drama will be learning fodder!

The newsletter is also where we’ll share members only early access and special deals that we don’t provide anyone else!

Want to subscribe to the IAM Way Newsletter? Join as a free member here.

Changes in Leadership

When Diane Craver and I started the IAM Learning Community we had an understanding that a man would eventually emerge to lead the business with us. We knew more masculine energy was needed!

Dick Hoffmann joined the IAMLC as a Free Member in June 2011. After personally meeting with Dick late in September, we all knew Dick had an important role to play with IAM …

Karen and Dick have taken the lead of the business side of things. Diane continues to be involved as our biggest supporter, an IAM Coach, contributor to this newsletter and whatever else is her pleasure.

Changes to the IAMLC Website

In the meantime, Dick and I have been on fire. We’ve clarified and modified the IAM message on the website, and we’ve re-packaged most of the offerings on the site so they are easier for you to access and use.

Go ahead and checkout the changes we have made here:

>>> The NEW and Improved IAMLC Website <<<

Honestly, you will not recognize much!

Let us know what you think in the comments below.

There’s a lot more to share, but that will come over time. We have an extraordinary 2012 already in the works. Every day I feel ready to burst with energy. The anticipation of sharing all of this with you is beyond exciting!

Oh the places we’ll go, fueled by IAM!

“The more that you read, the more things you will know.
The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go.”

Dr. Seuss

{ 0 comments }

Stress and Stress Management Tips Rarely Help You Deal With Crappy Situations At Work

by KarenTax on November 3, 2011

Until now …

You’ve likely seen the typical health related stress symptoms:

Physical Stress

  • Headache
  • Back pain
  • Chest pain
  • Heart disease
  • Heart palpitations
  • High blood pressure
  • Decreased immunity
  • Loss of sex drive
  • Stomach upset
  • Sleep problems
  • Skin rashes
  • Nail biting or picking

Emotional Stress

  • Anxiety
  • Restlessness
  • Worrying
  • Irritability
  • Depression
  • Sadness
  • Anger
  • Feeling insecure
  • Lack of focus
  • Burnout
  • Forgetfulness
  • Overwhelm

Behavioral Stress

  • Overeating
  • Under eating
  • Drug or alcohol abuse
  • Indecisiveness
  • Social withdrawal
  • Excessive use of
    prescription medication
  • Relationship conflicts
  • Procrastination
  • Frequent illness
  • Poor exercise and
    nutrition choices

The bottom line: the latest research shows that stress causes heart disease, unhealthy weight gain, kills brain cells, and impairs our ability to make good choices for ourselves and others.

There is a plethora of advice on ways to relieve stress and ways of dealing with stress that address health concerns. But what about dealing with stress at work that is often the root cause of these stress symptions? What about the causes of stress at work?

Assess the Causes of Stress at Work

Assess the stress you experience at work with our quick and easy stress test. Keep track of the number of checks you make in the list below:

The IAM Learning Community Stress Test

Create your free online surveys with SurveyMonkey, the world’s leading questionnaire tool.

How many stress test experiences did you check on the stress test above?

IAM Perspective on Stress and Stress Management

How to interpret the results of the IAM Learning Community Stress Test depends on your situation. Experiencing just one item in the stress test is likely an indication of extreme stress, especially if the experience persists over time.

Each item on the stress test above is potentially an indication of a serious stress concern. Each item on the stress test is an opportunity to do something about workplace stress and stress management.

If you checked 5 or more items from the stress test, you are likely experiencing serious stress symptoms related to work. The more stress you tolerate in your job, the more stress symptoms you will experience over time. You will experience health issues as a result.

Ultimately, it’s up to you to determine the results of taking our stress test. What’s most important is to be aware of workplace stress and do something about it …

IAM Approach to Stress and Stress Management Parallels the Latest Stress Research

You may be thinking that the experiences listed in the stress test are simply an inevitable part of life in organizations, or the way people work. We are challenging this thinking!

We know that people tolerate the situations listed in the stress test for one simple reason: they don’t realize they have other options. The fact is, the potential of any individual, organization or business can never be fully realized when work situations are overly stressful .

Relief from stress and stress management is needed. It’s in everyone’s best interest to stop the stress!

The latest research on stress confirms what we have known for a long time: oppressive and/or dysfunctional work situations are stressful. Ongoing relief from stress and stress management at work is critical. Learning how to create empowering and healthy work environments is key.

The following video is a fun introduction to Robert Sapolsky, a professor of biological and neurological sciences and stress researcher at Stanford University:

The Latest Research On Stress


A synopsis of this short video: our social rank in a hierarchy is much less of an indicator of stress than our perspectives on our situations, our ability to fend off oppression (be empowered), and the extent to which we come into real contact and connection with each other (care about each other, tend to each other).

We highly recommend watching the National Geographic movie on stress mentioned in the above video. (We found it on Netflix.) This movie presents Sapolsky’s research on baboons and the Whitehall study on stress in Britain’s civil servant population. Both areas of study found that whether you are a baboon or a British civil servant, when you live lower in the hierarchy of an organization, your:

  • ability to adapt decreases
  • life span decreases
  • risk of disease increases

    stress test

    If Baboons Can Pass Our Stress Test, So Can You!

as a result of stress being ‘displaced’ onto subordinates within an organization by people with position power.

One of the troops of baboons that Sapolsky studies suffered a terrible loss about 10 years into his study- all of the alpha males in the troop were killed by tainted meat. Ironically, the troop re-established itself after the loss with a non-hierarchical culture. The troop maintained this culture over the next 20 years, and eliminated stress symptoms and their consequences in the process.

If baboons can do it, so can we!

Stress Test Experiences, In Reverse, Provide Relief from Stress and Stress Management That Makes Sense At Work

Did you check “you have begun to feel apathetic about your work” on the stress test? The reverse is to “rediscover your passion for work.” Any stress test experience, in reverse, offers relief from stress and stress management suggestions that makes sense . Stress test experiences, in reverse, are antidotes to stress!

Relief from Stress and Stress management Suggestions

The following are excellent ways to get started dealing with workplace stress, and experience relief:

  • Learn to set boundaries and say no to any work where you can’t be your best
  • Become more proactive where you can be your best and less reactive
  • Focus on your strengths, not weaknesses
  • Insist on being involved in decision-making processes; follow your passion
  • Listen to others; carve out time for others to listen to you
  • Pay attention to how your work fits (or not) with business/society needs
  • Love yourself and the people you work with

Ironically, eliminating stress also provides ways to reconnect with being your best – aligning your actions with the ‘original you’.

Stress Test Experiences: Going, Going, Gone

The IAM frameworks and concepts provide additional approaches to creating conscious, equal, non-hierarchical ways of working together, whether as solo entrepreneurs or in larger organizations. What’s needed is the desire to obliterate workplace stress, and a commitment to working at your best.

We welcome your comments and questions below about our stress test, about our suggestions for relief from stress and stress management…

How are you eliminating stress and reconnecting with your best?

What stresses are you finding most difficult to handle?

What questions do you have about how IAM can guide you out of stress?

{ 2 comments }

← Previous Entries