Shera R. Sever: Awakening Leaders™

In one of my past blog posts on business models,  I cited Seth Godin and his book: Tribes- We Need You to Lead Us!

Tribes are everywhere,and thanks to the internet, we can find who and what we want to connect with:

Work tribes, community tribes, spiritual tribes ,Ukranian dancers. . .

According to Seth Godin, assembling tribes (not money and factories) can change the world.  You don’t need everyone. What you need is 1000 dedicated fans, true believers, supporters, doers, etc.  The hypnosis of mass-marketing no longer works. Leading and connecting people and ideas does.

What do “tribe” leaders have in common?

• They challenge the status quo- who are you upsetting?
• They are curious and build a culture- who are you connecting?
  
• They commit to leading with unrelentless focus and passion

Get inspired- watch Seth Godin’s presentation from TED :

If you are feeling  a bit stuck or in transition, get our of your comfort zone, and do something! Just by taking the action (any action!) will unleash your potential, creativity, and attract others who want to get on board with you!

Find a  group or cause that is disconnected- organize and connect them. This is what you do for a living!

Start something that matters.

Start.

Do it.

We need it (and so do you!)

Not sure where to get started?  Contact me . . . 1, 2, 3,     GO!

The old skin has to be shed before the new one can come…We must be willing to get rid of the life we’ve planned, so as to have the life that is waiting for us.” ~Joseph Campbell

Change is profoundly in the air this summer.  I have a had a number of past coaching clients contact me in the past few weeks,either seeking a tune-up or in a total melt down. It’s permeating everything and everybody,  and the next turn (personally and collectively) is,  at best, unknown.

Not-knowing is one of the more evolved practices of personal leadership.

Can you trust and allow?  Do you have the courage to simply say “ I don’t know.”

When dancing with change, what’s important is that you are willing to let go of everything that has felt comfortable, familiar- this includes all those habits and plans that your ego is clinging to for it’s own survival.

Yes, it is a death . . . it is transformation.

Breathe into and accept this.
Exhale the doubt, fear, and uncertainty.
Become naked in your own truth.
Imagine, feel, see, smell and hear the new life (business, career, home, etc) waiting for you.

Stay curious
Share your truth  compassionately, consciously and wisely.
Trust and be open to receive.

For the past almost 7 years, I have been going through what I call a ‘slow death” letting go of the family members and friends that have passed over, recovering from a serious auto-accident, leaving the spiritual community I was a member of for over 22 years, along with two beautiful homes,  and so much more.

As an entrepreneur, teacher, writer, coach, these experiences have deepened my ability to guide others through intense change (personally and professionally.  As I reflect upon what seemed insurmountable at the time, I am now grateful for the experiences that allow me to serve you even more fully with a complimentary coaching session through July 15.

For more information on the practice of Not-Knowing

http://traffic.libsyn.com/amberstar/Zencast102.mp3

Summer is in full swing, yet admidst all the celebration, we can’t close our eyes to such unprecedented catastrophic events as the BP Oil Spill, unresponsive government and United Nations initiatives that are not functioning.

Most of us are aware that we as a civilization are on the brink of a huge shift-the old paradigms are collapsing.

Thanks to initiatives such as Transition Towns, Awakening the Dreamer, FourYearsGo, and thousands of organizations that are part of Paul Hawken’s Wiser Earth, communities are awakening and reclaiming their sovereignty with local food production, town hall meetings exploring alternatives to health care, crude oil, etc. and community educational and consciousness shifting opportunities that are bringing us back home to the common thread of our humanity.

The shifts and changes are uncomfortable for many , especially for those of us without strong family ties nearby, who have lost their j obs and homes,  or for those living in urban areas where the social fabric is often weaker.

So what can we do to help each other? Who do you know that may be feeling especially uncomfortable in these times?

Move beyond insular comfort. Expand your capacity for inclusivity.

Take the time to reach out and really be present with someone that you normally would not.
Enrolling people you trust and respect to help you and coach you is one of the best ways to navigate the unknown.

I am here to support you through your shifts and changes.

Are we embryos in a cosmic womb, or are we cells in a gigantic organism?
To turn our consciousness to this kind of speculation is to wrench
ourselves from the rust of millennia, from the habits of insular peoples & ideas.

We are trying to make a gigantic leap of faith – going
cosmic without ever having been there.

For do not doubt it folks, we are
being prepared for the biggest jump in history.

-Jean Houston, Jumptime

In 2010, anything you desire strongly will manifest quickly.

We have a chance to reorient ourselves, bring our wishes into manifestation and truly assert what we want to be. We are literally dreaming our new realities into being.

The more creative we are in dealing with what has held us back in the old consciousness, the more healing will take place within ourselves and as a result in the world around us. Continue focusing on your highest truth and reinventing your lives.

There is a quickening and a deepening of our life directions. We are anchoring our dreams into manifestation and becoming more grounded in our own light. This is a time of great reward for those of us who have done our homework.

Happy Holidays!

What a wonderful time of year for giving and receiving, sharing love and reNEWal!

If you survived the last 3-6 months with your sense of humor still intact, take a moment now to CONGRATULATE yourself for your amazing navigation and accepting “what is” skills.

A friend recently shared this wonderful reminder with me:

LIFE is an endless transition. Go with the flow, change the flow, surrender to the flow,

be the flow, create the flow… the essence of the flow is: Transition

When we look at nature (biomimicry) we see how true this is.

It’s been quite a time of transition and reorganization for so many!

Most everyone with whom I speak has commented on the “intensity ” of the times with many of us undergoing, slow, yet massive changes in our homes, careers, businesses, and relationships. I believe we are all undergoing a collective re-organization.

What has changed for you this past year?

How are you reorganizing your life/business?

Any new approaches/attitudes you’d like to share?

The on-going theme for me  is SIMPLIFY. I didn’t realize how complicated simplification could be. It takes tremendous courage and trust to get out of our own way, surrender, and let go! As all manifestors know, the clarity of our intentions along with committed action/discipline is what creates “so-called” miracles.

Now is a wonderful time to move from hoping to knowing/feeling what it is we are creating in these times.

“Everything comes to us that belongs to us when we create the capacity to receive it.” -Rabindranath Tagore

Clarity, love, acceptance, and gratitude are wonderful gifts to give and receive. In this holiday season, I am wishing us all more ease, beauty, moments of peace and rest, more compassion and understanding as we continue to navigate and reinvent our lives, businesses, and relationships.

Change cleanses the soul. Enjoy the ride and be kind to your fellow travelers.

Wishing you warm and happy holidays!

The Slow Money movement had their first national conference in Santa Fe a couple of weeks ago.  Over 400 people from around the country showed up to discuss the concepts around slow money, slow food and small, local farms.

The slow money movement has its roots in local, organic and sustainable farming.  But it is part of a broader trend towards creating and supporting local economies and businesses. Read  more in Business Week and Wall Street Journal .

Slow Money is said to be a  new economic vision. Or is it  the reinvention of a system that once functioned?  I see it as a re-emergence of investors, donors, farmers, and activists committed to building local economies starting with the soil of the economy. FOOD! Some “experts”  refer to this as the “nurture capital” industry.” I call it Natural Capital.

I’ll be attending the Economics of Peace Conference, Oct. 18-23 in Sonoma, CA. This conference will be showcase some of the most successful and inspiring examples of economic models that value people and planet before profit. Looking forward to meeting leading thought leaders and hearing their views on collaborative businsess practices and innovative exchange systems for Transforming Money, Rebuilding Community, Redefining Wealth. Featured speakers include: Judy Wickes, (founder of BALLE),  Jacob Needleman, James K. Galbraith, San Keen, Fred Freuddlich & Mikel Lezamiz (Mondragon Cooperative), US Rep. Lynne Woolsey, et al. Still investigating whether conference planners will be livestreaming.

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?

An article this past weekend in the NY Times referred to a new phenomena in todays’ economy, what Mark V. Cannice, Executive Director of the entrepreneurship program at the University of San Francisco calls “Forced Entrepreneurship.”

According to the article, the motivation for these new “forced” entrepreneurs (mostly laid off GenY job seekers)  is to produce quick revenue streams, rather than millions of dollars over the long term.  Jerome S. Engel, Director for the Center for Entrepreneurship at the Berkeley Haas School of Business, most of these “forced entrepreneurs” are focusing on serving immediate needs for individuals and businesses.

“Forced Entrepreneurship” . . . maybe, or . . ?

What if this whole economic shift is yet another opportunity for us (personally and collectively) to awaken to our purpose?  What would that look that?  How would it FEEL to be living in purpose with our work while making the contributions and leaving the legacy that we so desire to offer to our communities and the world.

Is the “job” obsolete?

Imagine starting a business, not with “forced” entrepreneurship, but with deliberate intention- a choice that is in alignment with our values, priorities, gifts, and passions. What if we declared “the job is obsolete?” Plenty of other laid-off workers across the country are doing just that- burned out by a merciless job market- they are building business plans instead of sending out résumés. For these people, recession has become the mother of innovation and reinvention.

Reinvent Yourself!

Whether you are looking for a  personal career branding plan (including social media marketing tools)   or ready to lay the foundation for that long-held dream  enterprise (even part-time),

NOW IS THE TIME!

Contact me for a complimentary consultation (through April 10).

Stay tuned for my NEW!

” INNOVATION & REINVENTION“

6-week coaching program starting in April.

THE FUTURE IS NOW!

I think this recession is a phenomena much more exciting than an economic downturn-

It feels more like a planetary upswing, and right now we are on quite a ride!

It’s a collective transformation and a huge opportunity for all of us to not only live more authentically and in purpose, but to live more simply with less consumerism, less waste, and much more attention to the health and wellness of each other and the planet.

Compassion in Action. Intentional Acts of Kindness.

There is an increasing shared consciousness  that we really are all in this together.

By letting go of the cultural influences of “entitlement” and the illusions of what “security” is,

we ‘re growing up!

Would love to hear your comments- include your website.