The Soulful Executive
Leading from Deep Wisdom
By Dan Duggan on August 25, 2011
I was working with a client recently who was struggling with the performance of one his supervisors. He came to the session with an elaborate plan for reorganizing the entire work flow in an effort to simultaneously train a replacement and move the supervisor over where his performance would have less impact.
After a few questions about how direct the client had been with the supervisor regarding his performance and the natural consequences of continuing that behavior, it became clear to both of us that the reorganization was a work-around not a solution.
I asked him if he thought the supervisor would be successful after clearly understanding what was expected and how soon his performance needed to improve. His answer was telling…..
“I’m not sure”, he said. “I don’t think so.”
He went on to list all the supervisor’s shortcomings and how long he had seen his sub par performance and disengaged attitude.
I asked what the supervisor was doing well. The client had to think for a minute and then slowly came up with a list. I wondered out loud if that list of strengths was something the client could help him build on while working on modifying the unacceptable behavior. Something shifted then in the client’s sense of what was possible.
He began to “see” the supervisor in a different way. He was able to appreciate his strengths and put the downsides in proper perspective.
We spent the rest of our time crafting the conversation with the supervisor with the intention of developing his strengths instead of designing him out of the organization. In the end, I don’t know how this will work out. The supervisor will need to follow through and do his part to keep his position. But, at least the client is expecting him to succeed rather than fail.
So what’s the lesson? Continue reading “If You Want to Get the Best Out of Others, Get Your Eyes Checked”
Posted in Compassionate Leadership, Heart-centered Leadership, Purposeful Leadership, Self Awareness |
By Dan Duggan on August 8, 2011
This blog is about finding and bringing your soul into business. That includes the business of running the country. I am frustrated and dismayed by the apparent lack of soul in what I witnessed out of Washington over the last few weeks.
What happened to the constitutional ideal of government providing for the well-being of all its citizens? That ideal seems to be lost in the race to “win” at all cost. The outcome is everyone losing at great cost.
Effective organizations focus on what they can contribute, not what they can get. The key to effectiveness is heart-centered leadership building an environment of trust and collaboration in its decision making. Trust and collaboration leads to differing gracefully and honestly. The respectful expression of different perspectives results in accessing the creative capacity of the team to find wise solutions to thorny challenges that include those different perspectives or at least their serious consideration.
If you agree, get involved. Contact your legislators. Speak out respectfully, but powerfully. Let your voice and your votes be heard in support of trust and collaboration for the common good.
Have a purposeful day.
Dan
Posted in Commitment, Heart-centered Leadership, Purposeful Leadership, Spirituality in Business |
By Dan Duggan on July 29, 2011
I’ve been sick for over a week now and while feeling better today, I’m not yet 100%.
My usual M.O. when I’m ill, is to power through and continue with my pre-planned schedule expecting the discomfort will pass. I find I’m not a very “patient” patient.
What’s different this time is a bit of compassion for myself. My level of competence hasn’t been up to my usual standards and I’m OK with that.
The other awareness is my compassion for other people who may succumb to this sickness too, if I don’t deliberately avoid contagious contact; a common polite consideration for most people, but a blind spot for me as my wife likes to point out.
It’s a small thing…
When the realization hit me that you might get sick if I didn’t consciously watch out, it was accompanied by a subtle shift I felt inside from doing to “being”. There was this heightened awareness of my state of health physically, emotionally and mentally that I tend to ignore when the to-do list is running the show.
I knew I had to honor my own needs if I was going to be of any use to others. With that state of presence, I began to notice the richness of life around me starting with the small things – the delicate, but purposeful flight of a butterfly; bright red flowers against green leaf blades. The internal tension I was holding eased and I was able to truly rest. Actual healing was underway.
Wisdom starts with awareness and being present with the small cues that tell you something needs your attention. That awareness provides you with a choice of responses to a given situation instead of unconsciously falling into a familiar pattern. From there, positive change and actual transformation is possible.
Take two minutes today – 120 seconds – and just allow yourself to tune into your inner being and the creation around you. It does wonders for the soul.
Enjoy.
Dan
Posted in Accessing Inner Wisdom, Compassionate Leadership, Life Changing Lessons, Self Awareness |
By Paul Werder on July 15, 2011
As we’ve been exploring different questions around the idea of being a peaceful warrior who is waging the right wars, our country has been ensnarled in a political quagmire around our national debt. I have been a lifelong Independent as I believe in a “meritocracy decision making model,” so I have no interest in advocating for who’s right or who’s wrong here. Let’s consider all points of view and let the best ideas prevail in the spirit of unity, is where I always come from.
Reports out of Washington DC these days range from disappointing to disgusting: another meeting with no progress… to … I will not let you win or look good.
All activity and behavior is based on one’s intentions, and these intentions can be high, medium or low. Our intentions can come from our hearts or from a healthy ego or from an unhealthy ego. Our highest intentions that come from the heart are not bound by ideology or historical precedents and differences. They look at our reality right now in this present moment, from the deepest values in our hearts, and look to see what is the most good for everyone, that can come from our decision now.
To arrive at our highest intentions we must reflect deeply and arrive at the wisdom that is always available in every human heart – if we are able to put down our point of view and transcend our egos and remember that freedom in the outside world is really an inside job. It is contingent on freeing ourselves from being enslaved by the anger we feel at whomever we believe to be the “other.” The human family is one family. Our nation is one people under God…
Can we not find that truth to be self-evident once again? My prayer is that someday we can transcend our differences and move away from political game-playing to a society that is lead with a focus on governance and discovering inner wisdom for our most complex challenges… and that for now, August 2nd, 2011 comes and goes as just another day to wish my daughter Katherine, Happy Birthday.
Can we not remember who we need to find our highest intentions for?
Posted in Heart-centered Leadership, Hope, Purposeful Leadership, Spirituality in Business, Uncategorized |
By Paul Werder on July 8, 2011
Sometimes the best of us go through times of difficulty. We find ourselves being criticized. We are not producing the results we need. We stress ourselves out with thoughts of limitation. We get sick or injured. We forget what we are about for a moment and lose heart.
This is all to be expected as part of the natural course of our journey. We don’t like these times, but we can learn to love the opportunities they present.
During times of ease it is “easy” to be at our best and make our contribution to the world in a heartfelt manner. But how well do we do when it seems we are under attack? During these moments we have the opportunity to dig deeper into our hearts for insight and guidance. Instead of blaming or complaining, we can always find our part in the difficulty – if we look. We can always deepen our expression of a virtue or value that meets the situation we are struggling with. We can always strengthen our character. We can always learn to rely on our connection to the life-source or mystery…and eventually come away from the time of difficulty with more perspective and wisdom.
How does this happen?
Continue reading “The Wounded Peaceful Warrior”
Posted in Faith and Action, Hope, Loss of Heart |
By Paul Werder on June 21, 2011
Yes, I know pummeler is not a word but you get the idea. Last week a valued executive said,
“I often feel as if my colleagues are beating the crap out of me.” This is not an inspired and hopeful place to lead from.
If you were a Peaceful Warrior how would you approach this person who acknowledges that organizational performance is not meeting expectations in this tough economy – and that she is often defensive when questions and new ideas are presented?
We suggest you begin with your own leadership heart and ensure your compassion matches your convictions that change is necessary. Your tendency to criticize must be transformed into a commitment to offer strong support and unflinching certainty that improvement is possible and no amount of defensiveness will sidetrack your coaching conversation.
But you express your strength through your heart as opposed to your ego. You make it safe to be real and vulnerable with the awareness that your colleague is in pain and already beating herself up. She may need a strong dose of tough love so that she becomes more open to exploring new alternatives, but tough love does begin with the love part.
“I care about you. I know you are working hard. I can imagine how painful these conversations must be, but we simply must find what’s missing in your attempts to achieve what our business requires so that we can relieve the emotional and financial pain for all of us.” These are the words of a Peaceful Warrior who will not back down from defensiveness and will not pummel the heart of a valued colleague.
But to speak these words with sincerity, the Peaceful Warrior must do their own work. They must open their heart to wisdom and courage. They wash away their judgments and frustration with reflection and remembrance of their own humility and virtues – before speaking. Otherwise they lose again and make matters worse.
Where do you need to be stronger? Where do you need to be more compassionate? It’s an inside job!
Posted in Compassionate Leadership, Heart-centered Leadership, Loss of Heart, Purposeful Leadership |
By Paul Werder on June 13, 2011
In our last blog post Dan expressed appreciation for all of
the unsung heroes in our world. It begs
the question, “Are we waging the right wars?”
Are you battling wasted effort, limited thinking, and your
own self-destructive behavior? Are you
battling your fear of failure? Do you
face up to your own tendencies to worry or avoid your difficult moments? There’s a lot at stake as you can easily see!
Being a peaceful warrior means you fight what’s not right – first
within yourself. You begin with
compassion for the human element within us all.
You continue with the understanding that we each have what we need to
find our inner strength and wisdom, when we face up to the nasty internal
bogeyman that appears to be holding us back.
And you begin with what’s gotten the better of you. What are you struggling with now in this
moment? Admit it and do so without
judgment – of yourself or anyone else.
Until we apply the wisdom of our hearts we are all doing the very best
we can. We never get more of a challenge
than we can handle, but paradoxically, we can only resolve our challenges with
a growing capability to transform ourselves as we solve our problems.
Identify the view or thought that’s waging war against the
better you, and how you’re stuck with an undesirable future due to this moment
of “dis-ease.” Now face this bogeyman
with your heart, remember your highest intentions and qualities, return to the
depth of inspiration that is infinite and enduring. You can only win this war if you wage it
through your heart, as your mind will often turn against you. Your heart is where real leadership resides –
and where we all return when it is time to become a peaceful warrior
again.
Posted in Accessing Inner Wisdom, Compassionate Leadership, Heart-centered Leadership, Loss of Heart, Purposeful Leadership |
By Dan Duggan on June 2, 2011
In my last post, I wrote about how inspirational the memorials in and around Washington, D.C. are. With Memorial Day just past, it reminded me again of the ultimate sacrifice so many on all sides of armed conflicts have given. These fallen soldiers, sailors, marines, and airmen deserve our honor, respect and gratitude.
In this country, hundreds of thousands of service men and women were lost in our history from the Revolutionary War up to the present missions in the Middle East. WWII ended with the second most Americans killed in combat at 405,000, next to our own Civil War, but in total over 11 million lost their lives in that global conflict. A staggering statistic.
The sad fact is innocents caught in the crossfire – “collateral damage” as it’s called – make up most of the casualties when leaders decide the only option left to resolve seemingly intractable differences is to get out the guns. War really is Hell.
As I sat in remembrance and reflection, facing the awful facts of war, I was shown another group of people, with a few notable exceptions, largely unknown and seldom publicly recognized, who also deserve our respect, honor and gratitude. These folks sacrificed every bit as much as our military, and possibly more, to defend freedom and promote peace and justice in the world. They chose non-violence as a method and a model to face oppression and foster difficult change. They valued love and compassion above power.
I’ll call them the Peaceful Warriors. Continue reading “In Memoriam”
Posted in Commitment, Compassionate Leadership, Faith and Action, Gratitude |
By Dan Duggan on May 26, 2011
My wife Claudia and I just returned from our first ever visit to Washington, D.C.
I can only say – WOW! Don’t wait as long as we did to experience our nation’s capitol.
From our first stop at the Lincoln Memorial on Monday to our last stop at the National Cathedral on Saturday, I was in awe of the beauty and grandeur of all the sites we visited. Especially inspirational and moving were the Lincoln Memorial, Arlington Cemetery, the Pentagon Memorial, the Kennedy Center for the Arts, and the commitment to ecumenism we found at the Cathedral. The various Smithsonian Museums are a tribute to the incredible history and innovation of Americans over the last 250+ years.
At the same time we faced a paradox.
Washington is a beautiful city with clean, spacious, tree-lined boulevards, a top-notch public transportation system, and wonderful parks and vistas. Being tourists, we found ourselves confused at times as to where we were, what train to catch, etc. Almost every time, someone noticed the looks on our faces and without us having to ask, volunteered to help us find our way. Good Samaritans abound.
The energy of Washington is palpable. The population is young and diverse; full of promise and purpose. People there are proud and kind.
Here’s the paradox. Continue reading “All That Glitters…..”
Posted in Commitment, Compassionate Leadership, Faith and Action, Life Changing Lessons |
By Dan Duggan on May 13, 2011
Remember the old litmus test: “would you do it if your mother was watching?”
Well, she is.
You have an inner mother. It’s the voice inside that reminds you of your values and values you. It is caring, compassionate and wise. You can count on it for support, for strength. It’s your moral compass and always knows what is best for you.
Leaders in business often ignore this side of themselves judging it as soft or too emotional. “Never let them see you sweat” is the mantra. Being vulnerable is being weak. In fact, the opposite is true; being vulnerable is being strong and authentic. Showing compassion attracts followers. Acting with compassion heals relationships. Strong, trusting, authentic relationships are the core of a healthy business.
I remember early in my career when I was a new manager, my role models seemed ultra cool, savvy, and aloof. They gave off an air of having it all together. I thought that was how I needed to be if I was going to succeed. The problem was it didn’t work. I spent a painful decade plus pretending I was like that too. I’m not.
The bubble burst the day my brother (also in the same line of business) admitted to me that he hated me for acting like a hot shot. I felt shock, disbelief, and shame. I’m so grateful to him for having the courage and love to share how he felt. It started my journey into self-awareness, healing, and authenticity.
So, your inner mom is always watching….. and watching out for you with love and a stern look at yourself when you need it. Deny it at your own peril.
She knows better.
Love to hear your thoughts and stories too.
Blessings,
Dan
Posted in Accessing Inner Wisdom, Compassionate Leadership, Gratitude, Heart-centered Leadership, Life Changing Lessons |
I was working with a client recently who was struggling with the performance of one his supervisors. He came to the session with an elaborate plan for reorganizing the entire work flow in an effort to simultaneously train a replacement and move the supervisor over where his performance would have less impact.
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