Just What We Need

Time Flies

A friend sent this Michael Althsuler quote in a text today:  “The bad news is time flies.  The good news is you’re the pilot.” It doesn’t always seem like I’m piloting time, especially when I realize the last day I shared anything on this blog was January 1^st.  What the heck happened to the past four months?  Is tomorrow really May 1^st?

Many facets of time remain a mystery despite the intensive work of the last two years.  But much like the quote, I find good news.   Upon reflection, I now believe that there is little value in a focus on the supposed “speed of life”.  Days pass, weeks pass, months pass, and years pass – if I’m lucky.  All I have (or will ever have) is the present.   The best I can be is to be more present.

It seems to me that it is in the present moment that the work of piloting life takes place.  If we take our role as pilots seriously, it just might be possible that those who know us best would say that we bring more light to the world than shadow, there is hope for the future, and that the deliberate choices that we make in our ordinary daily life help to create a more beautiful and peaceful world.

 

Happy New Year!!

It's hard to believe 2011 is gone and we are living 2012.   I love the excitment of a new year and the opportunities that appear when we take the moment to shake up old habits and set our vision on how we can be better and do better.  My goals for 2012 are simple - be of more service, create more joy in the world, and make the most of every day.  

Many friends wonder why I spend so little time blogging or tweeting or participating in any other online activity.  The truth is that I'm in love with the real-world.  The last couple of years has taught me much about the value of silence, reflection, and taking actions in the real world with what is right in front of me.  Compared to the prior busy life centered on daily digital updates and most of my waking hours sitting in front of a PC, I'm not missing it.  It seems selfish I know but the truth remains that when I question if the world really needs me to create another tweet or blog post or email... most times the answer remains no.   There is much to share but the knowledge really isn't going anywhere and hopefully neither am I.  

May the peace and joy of the holiday season be with you throughout the coming year.  I hope we have the opportunity to work together in 2012 to create great things.

Present Circumstances

"Your present circumstances don't determine where you can go; they merely determine where you start." - Nido Qubein

One of the things I like best about consulting is the fact that when I join a team I have no history, no agenda, and no personal feelings about any of the individuals or the history of the organization.  I find I am free to be truly present to the project.  

There is tremendous freedom to be able to see the participants and objectives with a newness and openness focused only upon the possibilities.  

I propose that if we can all learn to bring this attitude to our work groups, we will discover more productivity in the meetings, more creativity, and less conflict.  Give it a try today and see how it works for you!

 

The Overcoming of Suffering - Austin Resources

"Although the world is full of suffering, it is full also of the overcoming of it." - Helen Keller

As human beings, it is certain that in some form suffering will touch us.  Our collective challenge is how we respond to these times and ultimately how we help others in their times of need.  The support I have received during my sabbatical has been tremendous and as I return to the business of the work-for-money world, I want to share the top three organizations in Austin that have helped on my journey.

• Eremos – A contemplative community that provides opportunities for spiritual growth through prayer retreats, educational workshops, and spiritual direction.  http://www.eremos.org/
• Seton Cove Spirituality Center –classes and events for people of all faiths  to support and foster a journey towards wholeness http://www.setoncove.net/ 
• Wisdom at Work – founded on the belief that the adventure of work is a spiritual practice, provides insightful learning at 4^th Friday monthly luncheons.  http://www.wisdomatworkaustin.org/

I invite you reflect upon the organizations and activities that support your own spiritual growth and consider exploring how my favorite organizations might also help you learn and grow.

 

A Helpful Perspective

I asked for strength and God gave me difficulties to make me strong. I asked for wisdom and God gave me problems to learn to solve. I asked for prosperity and God gave me a brain and brawn to work. I asked for courage and God gave me dangers to overcome. I asked for love and God gave me people to help. I asked for favours and God gave me opportunities.

I received nothing I wanted. I received everything I needed.

This Sufi wisdom is attributed to Hazrat Inayat Khan. 

 

Interview Preparation Tips

Job interviews give us an opportunity to put on our explorer hats and use our curiosity and the internet to prepare for the meeting.  As preparation for interviews, these are my top tips:

Google the person that is interviewing you.  The more you know about the person conducting the interview, the better.

Research the organization with a few detailed searches.  First, go to their website and review three sections:  the executive team, product/service offerings, and press releases.  

You want to know about the executive team because ultimately these are the individuals whom you support.  Do you believe in their vision and integrity?  

The product/service offerings will help you understand if their business has a future.  It doesn't take much effort to see that our culture is going through a time of upheaval.  I've come to believe that there are no guarantees any organization will survive.  And frankly, there are plenty of businesses that the world will be a better place when they simply disappear.  

Take a look at the organization you are considering joining and answer for yourself if you think its products and services add something of value to our world.

Finally, while press releases might be old-fashioned, staged communications, I believe these still give you insight into what is valued inside the organization.  Many of today's job openings are inside dying organizations - the person who had the position you're considering just got fed-up with the toxicity of the group and left.  Innovation, good works, and results of organizations that are performing leave tell-tale signs in their PR efforts.  A quick peek at their news never hurts.

So, enough about what a company says about itself.  Next tip is to google the company name and read each of the top 10 search results.  This is where you find the real stories (especially the cautions and hazards).  

And finally, no better source of truth than by using your network as your source.  

Use a LinkedIn Search to scan for the company's current or past employees in your network.  There's nothing like hands-on experience to inform opinions.  It's pretty simple to answer an email or call from job candidates asking for tips to interview with your organization and it feels great to help others find the job of their dreams.  

Now, let's go forth and get the job!  There is much work to be done.

Georgetown Job Cafe Meets Wednesday

Looking ahead at this week, Wednesday at St. Helen Catholic Church is the next meeting of the Georgetown Job Cafe and I'm happy to announce that I am this week's presenter.  The topic is Interview Communication Strategies and we'll cover the importance of a focus on shared goals, interview preparation, and take a deep dive into interview Q&A.

The meeting is in the Activity Center which is the 2-story building towards the back of the parking lot.  We meet on the second floor.  Networking starts at 8:30.  I hope to meet you there!

Seton Cove Programs: July to September

Seton Cove has released their catalogue for the current quarter.  As usual, there are many exceptional offerings to assist those of us making spiritual growth a daily priority.  I highly recommend the upcoming 3-week course, Integrating Your Life, with Scott Quinn.  The course begins on July 12th.  The work of Roberto Assagioli is very useful and interesting; and I find that the course information continues to pay dividends in my spiritual work and how I help others.  To learn more, visit http://www.setoncove.net/programs/classes/integrating_your_life.

The printed catalogue highlights the following Cynthia Bourgeault quote:  "Virtually every spiritual tradition that holds a vision of human transformation at its heart also claims that a practice of intentional silence is a non-negotiable.  Period.  You just have to do it...there is a universal affirmation that this form of spiritual practice is essential to spiritual awakening."  

How true.  As my period of intentional silence closes, an interesting idea emerges:  Choosing silence is possible.  Two years ago I would have thought it impossible to close my email and ignore all things digital.  Now I realize all digital contributions can be of our choosing.  

If you find no peace in your daily digital life, I suggest taking a silence and come back when you are at peace.  It is possible to ignore social media and digital communications and still have a successful life in 2011.  Yet the fact remains, if you are in the business of influence and communication... it is hard to find alternate paths in the offline world to compare to the reach and possibility for results of digital contributions.  

I am excited about re-starting my own digital life now and how this experiment will help me better understand how to serve.

 

 

Sketches of Frank Gehry

Looking for creative inspiration?  I’ve just seen the wonderful documentary, Sketches of Frank Gehry.  Directed by Sydney Pollack and released in 2005, it is available via Netflix and would be an excellent activity for teams interested in adding a creative spark to their thinking.

I’ve been a fan of Frank Gehry since I first discovered the Jay Pritzker Pavilion in Chicago.  This venue was site of the 2007 public talk “Finding Inner Peace in a World Full of Turmoil” by his Holiness the 14^th Dalai Lama of Tibet and I believe the beauty of the pavilion clearly added something special to the event.

One idea from the documentary is “forces unleashed find a new order.”  Social media tools and the internet are certainly forces unleashed.  As we look to respond to challenges in our complex and globally connected world, I find it interesting to explore this idea to help myself and clients.  Let’s include “imagining the new order that is possible for our business relationships” as part of all communication strategy sessions.  It seems it could be very helpful in avoiding the common pitfalls of creating internet sites which do little more than recreate offline processes and limitations.

In the film, Frank Gehry offers insights on humanizing things and building incredible spaces.  As many of us work daily to humanize business and build incredible organizations, I hope you see the film and are energize by his creative sparks. 

Seton Cove Program Catalog Available

April through June programs at Seton Cove are now available at http://www.setoncove.net/Calendar.  Seton Cove is a spiritual treasure that we are fortunate to have as part of our Austin community.  I have found the workshops and lectures an essential part of my continuing spiritual journey and recommend anyone who identifies as a seeker to take a look at the catalogue and see what resonates for you.   I share this beautiful quote from their program cover to bring encouragement during times of seeking and growth.

"It may be that when we no longer know what to do, we have come to our real work, and that when we no longer know which way to go, we have come to our real journey." - Wendell Berry