Archive for December, 2011

Working ‘with’ not ‘on’ your business. The Pattern Integrity of your business

Monday, December 19th, 2011

Part 3.

Anyone who has been on a team knows that add or subtract one person, and the dynamics of the team changes. Add one more child to a family, the dynamics change. Each team has its pattern integrity. Each relationship between two or more humans has its pattern integrity. Further, each relationship between human and other living things has its pattern integrity. By pattern integrity (see part 1 and 2 of this article) I mean a unique dynamic that is present and holds the integrity of that relationship. If the pattern integrity is not maintained, the relationship breaks down, or breaks up.

At the more complex level, an idea has a pattern integrity. When it is originally born as an idea or impulse, it has an integrity to it, like a seed has a DNA. If we do too much genetic, or in this case, memetic (memes are ideas) modification to the core DNA, we will end up with something very much out of integrity to the original idea/impulse.

This memetic modification happens more often than not. We get seduced by all variations of egoic distractions, like offers for money, fame, and the accouterments of ‘success’. Or by bright shiny objects of various forms. Before we know it, we wake up and our idea is nothing like what we held originally. To hold the pattern integrity of an idea, or a business, or a relationship requires focused effort and attention. Tragically, few people give relationships or ideas this kind of attention consistently.

A business has its own pattern integrity. (I hope you now realise that every dynamic has a pattern integrity…a tree, a spade, a blade of grass, an hour in the day)

Just as in part 2, we tuned into the unique pattern integrity that is you, we are now going to tune into the pattern integrity of your business, or your primary relationships.

In tuning in, it is also important to recognise that each pattern integrity has a beginning, and an end. To honour the pattern integrity of a relationship, we need also to honour that it may be at its natural end. This is dependent on the core DNA of that particular relationship. Endings do not mean failure. They mean endings of the pattern integrity. What is complete is complete. It is the incompletions that cause havoc and emotional/physical stress.

Lets consider an intimate personal relationship. You meet, and whether you like it or not (despite yourself) a dynamic field is already present. Just as two atoms at the quantum level create a field when in approximation of each other, two humans create a field. The integrity of the field is not something you can tamper with. It is a result of everything that has been present to this moment in your life, and everything that has been present in the life of the other. This is what you are tuning into when you tune into the pattern integrity of the relationship. The field can morph with time and changed circumstances, but the core DNA is very consistent. There is a purpose to the dynamic of the relationship that transcends human contamination. When that purpose is done, then so is the relationship. If we really honour the pattern integrity of the relationship, if we approach it with wisdom, then the pattern integrity will inform us as to the nature of the dynamic from moment to moment.

I have been working with a young client who created a project 18 months ago. It was an ambitious project, and from his point of view it failed. When we sit in consideration of this project, he now clearly sees that his original idea was then distorted through giving his power/authority away to people he felt knew better, and/or being seduced by shiny objects, to the point that his original idea looked nothing like its core seed. When he had to pull the pin on the project he suffered tremendous feelings of failure. The work we are now engaged in is to get ALL of the lessons from this experience. In my experience, when people get all of the lessons, they switch from being bitter and disappointed, to being in gratitude. Resentment, vengeance, disappointment, blame, anger..are all residual emotions from unreconciled lessons. The core impulse that this young client had is still resident. In time, and by affording this impulse its respect and honour, he may be able to maintain the pattern integrity of the impulse, and allow it to become expressed in the world in the form for which it was designed.

In my own life, as I use this “tuning in” tool, I listen to the pattern integrity of all of my relationships, with people and with my business. My business has its own dynamic, which is emergent, and therefore ever calling for refining and recrafting. To tune into its expression is a very powerful activity that deserves at least several hours of time a week. (What Michael Gerber from the E-myth talked about as working ‘on’ your business. Here I am suggesting a slight refinement…working ‘with’ your business. Working in partnership with the unique pattern integrity of your business.)

This time of year (late December) is a great time to pause and tune into the pattern integrities of all of our relationships, and with our business, our teams, our families.

To NOT tune to the things that most matter in our life is a tragedy. I urge you to take at least a morning, create a lovely space free from distractions, and tune in…be still, hold the pattern integrity of the dynamic you are tuning in to in front of you in your minds eye, and inquire.

what do you need from me right now to support your fullest expression?
what I am not seeing that you have been working tirelessly to have me see?
what is the truth of this dynamic (write it down, no editing)
what did I do well to support the pattern integrity in 2011?
what do I need to do better?
what would you like to see expressed in 2012?
is there any one thing that I need to do right now to support the fullest expression of the pattern integrity?

I will be taking the time to sit in these questions in reference to my two businesses over the Christmas New Year break. And will do the same with my primary relationships, including the relationship I have with my body. Care to join me?

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deScrooging Christmas, or any day..

Tuesday, December 13th, 2011

Don’t you love the experience of being gob smacked by people surprising the heck out of you in the best way?

Today I met with a long standing client who is a senior executive in a big Australian Corporate. He is on his 3 months long service leave, and was in my area, so we made time for a coffee.

This morning he spent a few hours at his friends business, a service station (or gas station for non Australian readers). What did he do? He gave free drive through service. You know, what we all used to get when we went to a service station to fill our cars with petrol? Someone to fill our tank, wash the windscreen, check oil, water, air.

He was greeted with everything from delight, to deep suspicion? What is this for? Who are you raising money for? How much will this cost? When people got over their suspicion, some where able to accept this gesture with gratitude and delight. Others still couldn’t quite accept that this was a gift.

There is so much to explore in this action.

*My clients motivation for doing this? B is a highly creative entrepreneur working in a very uncreative traditional business. He has been in the same company all his life. He truly does not accept or live within the ‘business as usual’ model. And he has managed to get away with this for years. Smart enough to know when to keep a low profile, and when to clash the cymbals and bang the drums. He constantly seeks expansion to his thinking and often in the ordinary, not the exceptional. This action was a way to do that. It was also a way to help a mate. And to be an observer of reactions to the unexpected from total strangers.

*The metaphor he now has for his leadership team is powerful. Where are you working the drive through service? Or…where is the drive through service opportunity? In a business that has a narrow margin of distinction from other similar businesses, drive through service moments are gold. (in ANY business, drive through service moments are Gold)

*Then there is the parallel of a senior executive happily and willingly ‘pumping gas’. How much character does this take? How much ego hurdling? How many of your executives would not only volunteer to do this, but actually craft the idea to do this on their holiday? What does that say about their leadership and character?

There is the response/reaction from the commuters, off to their busy pre Christmas work/life.

*How over saturated are we with being manipulated, coerced, conscripted into, seduced… that we regard with suspicion anything that on the surface looks too good to be true? Truly our over marketed hype has created a deep weariness in us. Warning to all marketers, people are yearning for authenticity in messages. The remarkable Seth Godin is an advocate for this.

*People who are clean and clear in advance with their agenda’s are a rare breed. This is a topic I cover in Speak the Truth, my free 23 page ebook. (If you haven’t seen it download it now, no strings, no email address required…just a simple download here.) To show up in all of our relationships with a clear and declared agenda is so powerful, so refreshing. It took my client a costume (Christmas hat) and many repeats of denial to any hidden agenda for people to trust his intentions. Really sad indictment on our society.

*For many people, this simple unexpected act at the start of their day would have set up their day…when people do unexpected deeply thoughtful gestures for us, our heart sings and that energy can carry us through all sorts of bumps. How do we possibly measure the value of these kinds of gestures on our health, our well being, our productivity, kindness to others, our ability to reciprocate? Such a small, inexpensive act, with very significant ripples. We never know the value of a smile, in the very right moment. It has changed lives. Yet where do we measure this in our economy, and our bottom line? And why don’t we consider this? Happiness is after all what most of us most want. Happiness and human connection.

*The tragedy of people so burnt by life that they cannot accept the gift. How far have we come from the gift economy (see my article on this) that we have become Scrooged. Fear, contraction, hopelessness, scarcity, distrust have become standard operating systems for our  over consumed society.

There is a lot in this world that needs life support, blood transfusions, love and care. There is a lot of noise about collapse. Never doubt though that each of us can make a BIG difference.

We can begin with a heart felt smile and a genuine act of service to another. The cost is a bit of time and energy. The return, beyond measure.

Businesses can easily and affordably create drive through service experiences. To do so will put them in the class of exceptional service for their customers, a rare rare experience.

I bow to the mastery and inspiration of B. How lucky am I to work with such extraordinary people.

And to all of you reading this…where is your drive though? Can’t see it?…Hint…it is right in front of you with the very next person you speak to. At the least, smile…

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You Unique Pattern Integrity

Monday, December 5th, 2011

What is the gap between what you are capable of doing, and what you are doing? What is the fullest expression of your pattern integrity? If we used a scale to measure this, with 10 being fully expressing our pattern integrity, and zero  not expressing it at all, where are you on the scale? The gap describes all of our latent potential. It is the difference between who we really are, and what gets in the way of that.

Let’s begin by describing your pattern integrity. The unique voice that you have. Your own song line that can only be heard in a certain way. If you are visual, describe your pattern integrity in words, and pictures. Give him or her a name. Hold this name as deeply private, not to be shared except with a few very of your closest confidants.

As I mentioned in last weeks blog, my pattern integrity is very tall, very light, very joyous, and very beautiful. She is radiant and loving. If she danced, it would be a waltz. Or classical ballet. The music she would dance to would be the sound of the ocean, a piano, violin, and harp, with the sound of the wind thrown in for good measure. Or a song that called forth beauty and grace. She has great kindness in her, compassion to last lifetimes, and wisdom to know how to be in all situations with dignity. She is also fierce in her love. There is a trustworthiness that is deeper than any ocean. When I think of her everything about me softens, all the hard edges go away. Anxiety disappears, trust is restored, peace is present.

Every day I begin my day with a meditation that invites my connection with her to be present. I feel her through me. She is me. She is the equivalent to the ‘David’ that was already present in the marble block that Michelangelo carved. His job as the artist was to focus on the presence of the unseen but felt ‘David’, trusting that if he removed all of the excess marble, the magnificence of David would be revealed.

I start my day with the invitation and invocation of calling her to be fully me…or me to be fully expressed as her, which is truth.

When she is present I am at a 10 in my expression. For the rest of the day, the task is to notice the gap between her presence and what I am allowing myself to express, which is often far from her presence.

If I happen to catch myself getting wonky, being in fear, anger, frustration, blame, victim….I can call on her to be present. I can breath into her. I call her by name. Or by visual imagery, or by feeling her. This of course takes commitment and practice. I have been ignoring her for decades, so to remember to catch myself when I am far away from her takes conscious choice.

If I am feeling very off centre, or confused, or seeking clear sighted guidance, then I can evoke her presence. Ideally I do this by finding a quiet space, and feeling her presence. I then ask her a direct question, the more specific the better. My personal preference is to write the question down, so I can craft the question to be clear, precise, and directed. Then I write the answer that comes to me, without any form of editing. To not edit is very important. Our ego likes to edit, or argue, or disagree. Once I have written down the answer, if I really want I can invite my ego in for the counter argument. I have learned that the more I trust the answer from her, the more my life moves in harmony with who I really am. The ego has its own agenda, and usually that is based on playing in the lower levels of a 2 or a 3 on our scale of 10.

Every person has their own pattern integrity, their own all knowing, all powerful, all wise self. This is available to us all of the time. We see this present in the eyes of a newly born baby. The question is, do we have the willingness and commitment to turn down all the other noise in our life so we can tune into that aspect of self? Most of the time we do not. We stay in the noise.

In Part 3 of this series, we will look at the pattern integrity present in all relationships, animate and inanimate, and how to tune into these. While this all may sound very ‘new agey’ and woo woo, this work is deeply embedded in physics and science. The quantum field, entanglement, morphic resonance…these are other ways to express what we are describing. Anyone who has worked with teams knows that a team has its own unique pattern integrity. Include one more person, or have one person leave, and the pattern integrity of that team changes. We will discuss how to leverage the pattern integrity of teams, relationships, and systems, so that the unique DNA expression is given an opportunity to flourish, or, if needs be, to be adapted.

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Posted in Change, Conscious Business, Conscious Communication, Guinea Pig C-personal category, Leadership Development, Personal Development | 2 Comments »