Evoking Solutions: Shera R. Sever

It’s been over a month since I have posted on this blog, however, if you have been following me on Twitter or Facebook, you know why.

Right now, rather than another 10:00PM sunset swim in the Mediterranean, OR bicycling and strolling along some of the most enchanting 13th century countryside caminos, I choose to fulfill my need to CONNECT with all of you.

When I first received an offer to spend some time “en retiro”, living on the north side of the island of Mallorca, Spain,  I was very confused  about what TO DO, fearing what I would leave “behind” if I actually left my home, community, live and social networks, and other “opportunities”for 4-6 weeks.  It was an obvious reminder of the need to LET GO!

Did you know that Americans actually take less annual holiday time (i.e. vacation) than any other ‘Western” country in the world?  Reason: FEAR that by letting go of routine that their “career/business” will fall apart or that they won ‘t get ahead!  My question- Ahead of what?  Aren ‘t we all in this global transformation together?

When is the last time you gave yourself the beautiful gift of just BEING?  For those of who have, you know how much clearer and more effective (focused and intentional) you are internally, as well as once back on the  “playing field”.

Having reinvented myself a number of times, I’ve consistently been a big advocate of work-life balance. Starting back in the mid- 90s, I introduced a personal needs/values assessment component in all of my leadership seminars that continues to serve as a transformative catalyst for organizational and business leaders.

Awakened Entrepreneurs™ Create Decisions based on Needs/Values

I used an NVC method (universal needs- based process from Marshall Rosenberg) to make the decision.  What needs will be fulfilled if I go?  What needs will be fulfilled if I stay? Not only was my list longer for going, but I got more in touch with what is important to me.

Bottom line: Do what FEELS good- and in my case that meant my physical body-
(warm Mediterrannean sun &  sea,  healthy, fresh food, lots of movement outdoors) Simply YES!! Now Mallorca, is in no way Spain, unless, of course, you refer to Maui, the USA. But I used to live and work in Madrid and Barcelona, and the idea of spending time on the island of Mallorca seemed like a good choice. ( And then that night,  after taking myself through this personal exercise, I received a loud message in a dream- clear and simple:  GO TO SPAIN

DOING vs. BEING

Particularly in our fast-paced culture, DOING has much more perceived value that BEING. How often are you asked “ How are you?” – if the response is anything other than BUSY, something must be wrong. Yet, wouldn ‘t we all agree that all work and no play/rest makes anyone dull (rather than vibrant), inflexible and, well, uninteresting. How many relationships and dreams (personal and professional) are not realized as a result of this “busy/work” epidemic?

Especially in these times of information overload, including fear- based marketing and propaganda, I find “unplugging” essential in order to access one’s truth, values, goals, direction  and strategies for living in purpose in order to make our greatest contributions (to self and others)

The Awakened Entrepreneur™ understands the essential need for regular  “unplugging” -be it a long weekend retreat with no technology (yes, that!) or several weeks (3-4?!) of an actual holiday is exactly what is needed in order to optimize our engines for peak performance.  Tony Robbins claims it takes 21 days to break/change any habit, which is another way of saying it takes 21 days to drop into a new reality.

Having reinvented myself a number of times in personal and professional pursuits, I’ve consistently been a big advocate of work-life balance. Starting back in the mid- 90s, I introduced a personal needs/values assessment component in all of my leadership seminars that continues to serve as a transformative catalyst for organizational and business leaders.

I am very impressed with the models that Mallorca is advocating from progressive youth education, Transition Towns (using Appreciative Inquiry) to local organic food production, permaculture, biking as preferred transportation, reducing meat in one’s diet (and revealing the truths about the costs of the meat industry),  to a very sophisticated recycling system (including compost) throughout the City of Palma.  The official unemployment rate in Spain is over 20%, (one of the highest in Europe),  however  that isn’t stopping most from finding new ways to connect, collaborate (an inherent value in this culture), and reinvent, once again, a 700+ year old way of being.

Most importantly, the general philosophy here is TRANQUILLA- and this includes the time you take to connect with those you know  (and don’t know) throughout your daily activities.

And so here I am concluding a month of  (once again) witnessing  who I am, what I value, what I deeply desire-

The Result- a simplified life style with real time connections/dialogs that support personal and planetary health, wellness, sustainability, and collaboration-all essential elements for the Awakened Entrepreneur™.

It’s 2009. Let’s all agree- Collaboration is a Social Imperative.

Thus, I am delighted to be  one of 20+ contributing writers to the just released publication,

42 Rules for Successful Collaboration

What do Cisco, Disney, Toyota, Mindjet, Adminstaff, Joire De Vivre have in common?

RULE #29   Use Leaders as Collaborative Strategists

2009, ©Shera R. Sever & SuperStar Press

Get the right people on the bus and in the right seats, with a commitment to building a best-in-class collaborative culture.

Focus on internal-facing collaboration that encourages collective intelligence (simple yet intentional engagement).

Recognize those within the organization who consistently share information, resources, responsibilities, while engaged in and committed to organizational and personal excellence.

Start with Talent Management

• Get the right people on the bus. Build a superior team by recruiting those who have a track record of working and playing well with others, and communicating with transparency, while confronting brutal facts.

• Make collaboration a core competency for any position. Define the specific functions and expectations in the professional development plan.  When collaboration is a core value, employees are able to see the results of their work and the impact it has on company, clients, and colleagues. This in and of itself is the reward.

• Create a Collaboration Manager/ Coordinator position to promote, coordinate and manage your internal systems for knowledge sharing, skill and learning development. Look beyond HR, Marketing or Corporate Communications for this collaboration evangelist. Design the position around competencies and overarching organizational goals and objectives.

• Engage all your people in “big picture” solutions. Interestingly enough, a 2008 study available through the Society of Organizational Learning shows that fewer than 35 percent of employees from 100 companies surveyed, know or are clear about how their role fits into the bigger picture—the overall business objectives and strategic plan. Best leaders motivate with questions, not initiatives.

• Focus on “internal facing” online communities. Awareness Networks released their 2008 white paper, revealing that 82 percent of over 162 leaders surveyed have seen that Web 2.0 technologies (particularly “company branded” Wikis) increase knowledge sharing, employee collaboration, and improved internal communications, and help employees “find” each other.

• Continue to make Learning & Development a top priority. Optimum learning and development occur in systems where there is a rich web of interactions—and this is collaboration. As organizational leaders, ask where collaborative learning communities could be built or expanded upon?*

What new leadership and communication skills are needed cross-functionally to allow for full collaborative engagement in your organization?

*Note:  Some of the most impressive learning communities are being birthed in the non-profit sector. Paul Hawken’s WiserEarth.org site encompasses shared knowledge and learning communities from more than 13,000 organizations worldwide.

Back  in the mid-90’s, while launching my training & consulting company , Cross Currents Communications,  (my fourth business), I was highly influenced by two powerful mentors: William Bridges and his declaration that “the job is obsolete” and  Tom Peters, who provoked us to Break all the Rules.

Thanks to these revolutionary visionaries and the recession,  we all have the opportunity for reinvention, authenticity, and to “think and be different,”  ie to stand out IN our purpose.

We all have a chance to learn, improve, and build up our skills. We all have a chance to be a brand worthy of remark. Today, we all need to be  CEOs (Chief Enlightenment Officers) of our own companies and to be Head Marketers/Directors of Fulfillment for the brand called You.

Here are a few questions I use in working with clients ready to let go of job titles and duties as their identity, and start thinking of themselves as a company:

1. Start by identifying the positive qualities and characteristics that make you distinctive from your colleagues. What do you do better than anyone else? What are you passionate about?
2. What have you done recently to make yourself stand out?
3. What would your students, customers, clients or colleagues say is your greatest and clearest strength? If you don’t know, ask them.
4. What is your most noteworthy personal trait?
5. What is your “feature-benefit” model? (Do you anticipate and solve problems before they become crises?; Do you complete projects within the allotted budget?)
6. Ask yourself: What do I do that adds remarkable, measurable, distinguished, distinctive value?
7. Ask yourself: What do I do that I am most proud of? (What have I accomplished that I can share confidently and consistently?
8. What value do I offer? Become relentlessly focused on what you do that adds value, that you are proud of, and most importantly, that you can shamelessly take credit for.
9. Finally, ask yourself: What do I want to be famous for?

Once you have worked through the above, with the help of a coach or mentor, you should be able to answer what I call the Golden Branding Questions:

What makes you different? What is it that makes my product or service different and stand out?

After working through the answers  edit it down to 15 words- this is the beginning of your branding message- Brand You .. You, Inc.

I recently introduced Jim Collins’ Leadership Diagnostic tool in a Leadership Seminar for Non-Profit Executives. The participants response was very positive and the results were stellar for designing new organizational development plans and leadership strategies.

Whether you’re leading a community group, social profit, or a senior management team, Jim Collins has created a beautiful leadership diagnostic for a no-nonsense, honest evaluation of your leadership skills and strategies.

His diagnostic is based on 5 Levels of Executive Leadership.

What do Level 5 leaders do differently?

Ask First Who. . .Then What? (Once you have the right people in place, then figure out the right path)

Confront the Brutal Facts (Create a climate where truth can be heard- lead with questions, not answers-engage in dialog)

Utilize the Hedgehog Concept (Understand what your organization can be best at and then Do It!

Create a Culture of Discipline (Disciplined People, Disciplined Thought, Disciplined Action)

Technology Acceleration (Application of carefully selected technology- thoughtless reliance on technology is a liability, not an asset).

For more information, click here and download the Good to Great diagnostic tool. If you are looking for leadership training within your organization, contact me to discuss an initial needs assessment.

How are you reinventing yourself and your business models? An upside to the recession is that more and more people are awakening to their purpose and mission and realizing that the “job” just may be obsolete. I found author of Tribes-We Need you to Lead Us , Seth Godin’s , recent blog post practical and helpful. The business model revolution is about cooperation and collaboration, not competition.

I’ve been a member of  publisher Dave Riflan’s  Self Growth Community for over a year now. He/we just published  a new e-book:

“How to Survive & Thrive During the Economic Crisis”

I contributed to several sections including “How Do You Keep a Positive Mindset”

A few of my tips:

Turn off the news-or choose Good News for a Change at All-Top

Focus on what you want (rather than what you don’t want).

Take time everyday to tap into your inner wisdom with meditation, yoga, or some other form of body/mind/spirit discipline.

Laugh and Smile more- it’s the second best thing you can do with your lips!

Learn a new skill (or language)!

Do more with less-it cultivates creativity

Practice the Attitude of Gratitude- write down 20 people/things/places you are grateful for- DAILY!

“How to Survive & Thrive During the Economic Crisis”

Download now It’s our gift to you!

Where do your gifts, passions, and purpose intersect?

Dave Pollard calls this the “Sweet Spot” of Entrepreneurship.

Entrepreneurship need not be stressful, risky, expensive, lonely, exhausting or require great skills, ideas or self-confidence.  Right now, when the economy is falling apart, is the best possible time to start your own enterprise, and doing so could propel you into work that’s more responsible, sustainable and joyful than what you’re doing now.  Dave Pollard calls those who recognize this “Natural Entrepreneurs”.  I call them “Awakened Entrepreneurs.” It’s the same.

Read what these entrepreneurs do differently to thrive regardless of  economic swings.

What’s your big dream?  Now is the time to put it into action. Contact me.  I’d love to help you build your own inner economy.

Starting my career in the “non-profit” sector over 25 years ago, I’ve always been a huge advocate of social entrepreneurship, and an evangelist for learning and social profit leadership models. I was very encouraged to see Social Entrepreneurship Goes Mainstream as a feature article in last month’s issue of Ode Magazine.

Social entrepreneurs are change agents and pioneers for humanity who have merged their business, service and life purpose to benefit disadvantaged communities and ultimately society at large.

“Social entrepreneurs never let a crisis go to waste. These visionary leaders take this economic upheaval to be a blessing, providing a chance for business to transition from an anonymous, complex system to one that is direct and transparent.” Ode Magazine, March, 2009

I believe Social Entrepreneurship is where we all need to be focusing our business development models. It’s no longer about you  OR me, but about WE and the cooperative advantage, rather than the competitive advantage. It’s about our personal visions and our business mission serving the greater good along with sustainable practices and metrics.

“In a world where change is escalating exponentially, the only way we’ll make it is if everyone has the mindset of a social entrepreneur.”-Bill Drayton, founder of Ashoka

2009: The Year of the Awakened Entrepreneur In my  January, 2009 Leading Visions to Action e-zine, I declared 2009 the Year of the Awakened Entrepreneur and listed some criteria that I believe need to be part of the mindset of entrepreneurship in these rapidly changing times. There is more need and more opportunity than ever before for Awakened Entrepreneurs. As Joanna Macy provokes us in her book,  World as Self, World as Lover,“What will you tell your great, great grandchildren you did during the Great Turning?”

So in this period of innovation and reinvention, how can you merge your life purpose and what you stand for with a business for the greater good?

Who are your power partners within  your community and network?
Do you need support in clarifying your vision, purpose, strategy, and content marketing?
What arising needs do you see your business fulfilling?

Authenticity is the key buzz word in the world of marketing. Clean, lean, and transparent systems that are both inward facing (internal partners/staff), and external facing (clients and community) is what we all need to be aiming for and creating.

One of the upsides of the recession is that more and more ecopreneurs and enterprises are utilizing the power of doing more with less by going “green”.

So many in fact, that it leaves those of us who were active in the “ecology movement” of the ’70’s  concerned with  “greenwashed ” marketing.

Read what British Journalist, Nick Rosen,  has to say about “What’s Wrong with Green?“. A fabulous media portal that I’ve been following is Worldchanging - a global network of independent journalists, designers and thinkers covering the world’s most intelligent solutions to today’s problems. Read the latest on Bright Green, Light Green, or Dark Green.

Are you starting a “Green” Business or “Green” Career?  Use my organizational development frame to determine how “green” your enterprise is:

1. 98% of all waste is generated outside of the home- through manufacturing, transportation, distribution. Does your strategic plan include Triple Bottom Line Metrics- measuring performance against economic, social and environmental parameters?

2. Ecological Footprint- What’s your personal and business footprint? The Global Footprint Network has developed one of the most comprehensive methodologies and guidebooks in measuring ecologicial footprint and overshoot.

3.  Collaborative Entrepreneurship: Rather than compete with other small green businesses or “ecopreneurs”- cooperate and collaborate.  What other small “green businesses” can you partner with to offer your clients more complete packages of sustainable products and  services?

4. What is the organization’s commitment to Personal Ecology? At the most fundamental level, start with The 5R’s: Respect, ReThink, Reduce, Reuse, Recycle. Have you seen The Crude Awakening?

5. Citizen Education- Today, there are a tremendous amount of resources available to awaken each and every one of us to our responsibilities of living sustainably-moving from a mindset of consumer to the mindset and actions of citizen. How transparent and educational is your marketing?

6. Green Business Certification- The San Francisco Bay, where I am based, has one of the most advanced Green Business Certification Programs in the USA. Click here for more information.

7. Read and apply Peter Senge’s, et.al.: The Necessary Revolution: How Individuals and Organizations are Working Together to Create a Sustainable World.

Sustainablilty is meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs.

The future belongs to those who understand that doing more with less is compassionate, prosperous and enduring, more intelligent, and even more “competitive”. Paul Hawken

Earlier this year, I declared that I was not participating in this recession, particularly since I had experienced my own 5- year “karmic cleanse” starting in  2003 ( post 9-11). It’s a much longer story to be shared, so let’s BE HERE NOW.

There’s a lot I love about this recession.

In many ways, I see it bringing us all closer as we begin to recognize our interconnectedness (and how similar) we all are when it comes to  needs, purpose, wanting to make a difference and be happy!  There’s a collective global consciousness that continues to emerge as a result of the recession. We are learning to use our own “human technologies” and adapt to the changes.

1. FEAR only has as much power as we allow it.  In other words, it’s simply an illusion.  One of my beloved buddhist teachers from Spirit Rock Meditation Center, during a 10-day Vipassana Retreat, told us a story about  how he helped  his 3- year old “embrace” his fear of the dark.  He simply instructed his son to say “Hello” to the Fear, every evening when it arose. Within a week of applying this seemingly very simple advice, his son was able to recognize (name), befriend, and then move beyond the fear. This 3-year old began greeting the fear of darkness peacefully.

2. Living with uncertainty- births creativity, improvisation, flexibility, innovation- all essential qualities of a great leader and awakened entrepreneur.

3. Doing more with less- we are all adopting”green”  practices- or more accurately put-learning to live sustainably (living in a way that meets the needs of future generations)

4. Social entrepreneurship has become mainstream. See March, 2009 Ode Magazine.

5. Transparent Communication- Social Media has changed the way we do marketing. Now more than ever- authenticity , not hype , is what people are needing and seeking  The underlying message is to Be  Yourself- Everyone Else is Taken.

6. Real Dialogs- Van Jones calls this the need for human technologies- There’s an unprecedented grass roots global movement taking place- a caravan of world citizens.  Paul Hawkin, founder of Wiser Earth, first cited this movement in a keynote he gave at  Bioneers several years ago.  People are returning to their need to connect, gathering together to dialog:  in circles, in community gatherings, in living rooms, around fires, and town hall meetings-to share concerns, solutions, compassion, and their human connection- actually an anthisesis to all the wonderful social media marketing tools that keep us tied to a mobile gadget or computer.

7. Letting Go-We are learning to let go of STUFF , consumption (become citizens, rather than consumers), an illusory future, and simply be with the miracle of each moment.

I think Alan Watts says it best: “No use clinging to the rocks that are falling.”

What opportunities are you creating and what are you learning

as a result of the recession?