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Coaching Currents |
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Dear Subscriber, Welcome to the latest issue of "coaching currents from dbcoach"! Each month, this newsletter will offer you some thoughts and ideas based on my experiences as a coach. My work as a coach has a lot to do with shifting paradigms. A paradigm is "an entire constellation of beliefs, values and techniques, and so on, shared by the members of a given community"(Kuhn). The problem is if we are a member of one of these given communities, it is hard for us to recognize the beliefs that we take as absolute truths. This month's article is challenging one of the beliefs held in the business community. I hope you find this edition of the 'coaching currents' both practical and inspirational. Feel free to share it with colleagues and friends. Warmly,
I was just part of a conference call offered by the Newfield Network called "Paradigms - A Global Challenge." Newfield offers coach training and leadership development using ontological approaches to learning. The call was so affirmative of what I see happening in my work that I feel compelled to share my thoughts with you. There is a consciousness that has worked in the past that got us to where we are today, but that won't work in the future. "No problem can be solved from the same level of consciousness that created it," said Albert Einstein. Looking at organizations today, corporations, for profits or not for profits, small or large are set up pyramidical. There is a chain of command leading to the top. It's based on the notion that in order to make decisions that affect everyone, one or one body (i.e. CEO or Board of Directors) needs to have all the answers to the questions before them. With exploding information technology this is an increasing challenge. How can one person know everything? What if the leaders don't know either? I am willing to argue that the best leaders are the ones that are willing to admit that they don't know and that they don't have all the answers. In the past, at least in the western culture, we looked at people as individuals. We are beginning to realize that in fact we are all connected. And technology is teaching us how to work with our connectivity. Just look at the success of the social and professional networking sites. The answers to problems can come from within an organization, up and down the ladder, but they can equally well come from the outside. There is a tendency towards a more collaborative work style. If our connectedness is breaking open the paradigms of organizations, as we know them, what will organizations look like in the future? It's a bit scary, because we really don't know. We have already seen signs of where the traditional organization is changing. Just look at how the amount of telecommuters has increased dramatically. The fact that managers are pulling back from this privilege shows the fear of losing control. They don't know what their telecommuting employees are doing. Therefore, they are reducing the permissible days for telecommuting. We have also seen a shift in corporations to contract more work out rather than have employees on the payroll. This increase in flexibility to the corporations leads to more fresh ideas entering the organization from the outside. We also see the younger generation entering the work force putting an increased emphasis on work-life balance. They don't want to put up with 60 - 80 hour workweeks. It seems to me in order to move towards this new consciousness we, as individuals and as organizations need to let go of some established ways of doing things. For example: What if we were to let go of wanting to please investors with short-term earnings? What if we were to let go of some of the ways of measuring success? What if we would let go of return on investment and replace it with return on expectations? Patagonia for example is recognizing that their customers expect them to reduce their footprint on earth. Yes, ROI is important, but maybe we need to measure another return as well. What would be possible, if we were to let go of pyramidical organization structures? Can you imagine what an impact that would have on you, your families, your community, society at large, and the world? Can you imagine? Wow, I am sitting here with goose bumps. Let's buckle up and enjoy the ride. Rather than being fearful of it, let's embrace it. It's up to all of us to create our new paradigm together. So, here we go: What organizations are you a part of? What shifts do you see happening in the organizations you are a part of? What are you observing about other organizations? What can you incorporate? What belief are you letting go of? Please think of this article as a mere conversation starter. Feel free to share what comes up for you...
Many of you have come in contact with my Virtual Assistant Petra Jakobskrueger before. She has just published her first book, called 'The Pocket MBA for Virtual Assistants'. Please feel free to check it out at www.pocketmbaforva.com
"In order to gain knowledge add something every day. In order to gain wisdom get rid of something every day." ~ Lao Tse ***** "Knowledge is power, wisdom is liberty."
Steering by Starlight: Find Your Right Life, No Matter What! by Martha Beck Description: In Steering by Starlight: Find Your Right Life, No Matter What!, Martha Beck describes the step-by-step process she uses with her private clients to help them navigate the terrain of their best lives. Bringing together cutting-edge research in psychiatry, neurology, and related fields in an accessible, substantive, original way, Dr. Beck offers powerful new methods for solving the problems that beset ordinary people. Using her trademark wisdom, empathy, and engaging style, she connects readers with fresh, never-before published strategies that have proven most effective and efficient for the hundreds of people she has coached. For readers who have found their North Stars, this book will be an invaluable tool to stay the course and overcome obstacles. For those who still feel adrift, it will provide a way to find true North and follow the path of best destiny.
Rivers and Tides "A beautiful documentary about Andy Gold... and his art as well as the art of letting go!" Description:
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