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Learning through
Awareness and Action
Chapter
1.5 (Mastery)
Draft 04/17/09
“I used to think
freedom meant doing whatever you want.
It means knowing who you are, what you are supposed to be doing on this
earth, and then simply doing it.”
– Natalie Goldberg
I had a terrific job, CEO of the
major health system in the community where my wife, Marilyn, and I had raised
our two children, but I felt like I was being pulled in a new direction. I was
becoming dissatisfied with my status quo.
“Where is this coming from?” I wondered. “And why now?”
I reflected deeply on my own life
experiences and where they were pointing me. As much as I enjoyed the CEO role,
my true passion is for building organizational cultures that bring out the best
in people and help them develop the skills and confidence to work together
effectively. I could continue to
work within the boundaries of the organization I led, or I could take the
chance to spring loose and offer my services as an independent agent. As a CEO, I had the opportunity to make
a significant and lasting impact on one organization. As a consultant, I could potentially impact more people and
more organizations, but I could also fail to compete effectively in the crowded
marketplace of those offering leadership services. I don’t sell packaged products; I build relationships of
trust, and that takes time.
Writer Natalie Goldberg says that
freedom “means knowing who you are, what you are supposed to be doing on this
earth, and then simply doing it.”
What is simple about that?
How do you learn “what you are supposed to be doing?”
As a psychologist and consultant, I
have observed that leaders often struggle with the questions of success and
meaning. This is manifested as an
intangible sense of dissatisfaction despite tangible accomplishments. Leaders
begin their work as doers and then managers of others. They achieve and then do still
more. Consequently, the scope of
their work and responsibility increases rapidly. As this continues, many leaders get stretched very
thin. Satisfaction sometimes
declines even as success increases.
Just as with the rest of us, leaders must learn how to go deep as well
as broad and to reflect on the lessons of their experiences in order to
continue to grow.
Leaders at all levels get used to
coping with multiple issues and competing demands. It is considered a good thing to be a “quick study,” i.e., a person who can grasp the
essentials of a situation rapidly, make a decision, and move on. Sometimes, however, a wise
decision depends upon making connections that take a while to germinate and
reaching insights that are buried deeper in our core. When the quality of a decision is critical, good judgment is
more important than speed, so we need to take the time to consider our
potential actions in light of our values and most strongly held
convictions. Unfortunately,
that is “heavy lifting” of a type that few people have the practice or
inclination to do.
In Presence, Peter Senge and his colleagues Otto Scharmer, Joe
Jaworsky, and Betty Sue Flowers tap into the same idea. Echoing the theme of chapter 1.3, they
offer: “Suspending assumptions, individually or collectively, is easier said
than done. The challenges in
organizations start with the frenetic pace many people feel compelled to
maintain. … Breakthroughs come when people learn how to take the time to stop
and examine their assumptions.”
I was reading Presence at the same time I was pondering my own future, and
it reinforced my intuition that I would make a better decision if I stepped
back from the push and pull of daily affairs and allowed myself time to
consider my options in the context of my values and life lessons. It also provided a new way of
interpreting my choices. Otto
Scharmer noted, for example: “My personal experience is that … this larger
reality we connect with is not just sitting there. It is unfolding or emerging, and we’re part of that
emergence. There’s an emerging
future that depends on us.” (p. 79). Therefore, the question changes from “what
do I want to do?” to “what am I called to do?”
As I considered these things, I saw
several ideas begin to converge.
Important leadership and personal decisions need to be informed not only
by good data and information about the external environment but also by
understanding of your personal internal
environment. This knowledge cannot
be gained through hurried or superficial reflection. When deep understanding is achieved, your course of action
will become clearer, but it may not initially be a comfortable one as it could
entail significant change.
Nevertheless, the action that follows from your understanding should
flow with less effort and greater impact if it is aligned with your values,
strengths, and sense of purpose.
The combined process of
introspection and action create a powerful learning experience – including the
recognition that your purpose is not necessarily a choice of your will but the
intersection of your environment and life history.
Application: Do you know what you enjoy? Does your work feel important to you regardless
of how it might be evaluated by others?
Making your experience matter depends on paying attention to the
trajectory of your life’s experiences and lessons and listening to that voice. This is difficult, and that is why this
is a mastery level practice.
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