Blowing in the Wind

On some days, if you asked me what I do I would tell you I am a systems coach. Thanks to CRR Global I have a deep and profound set of skills that enable me to support people in the way they show up most naturally- in relationship with each other. To quote Brene Brown in her Ted talk, “Connection is why we are here.”  And it turns out that it is a lot easier to living meaningful and fulfilling lives at work and at home if you have some capacity for thriving in relationships (otherwise known as systems).

One of the most powerful concepts to come out of CRR Global is the idea of a Third Entity ™  

Here is the way CRR describes it on their website:

 

Each group, team or partnership is more than just a collection of individuals. The combined experiences, intelligences and energy form a unique and separate entity that is more than the sum of its parts. 

So every relationship I find myself in is comprised of me, the other, and our third entity ™.

For those solopreneurs out there it will come as no surprise when I tell you that I have a relationship with my own business. I used to brow beat my business into succeeding. It didn’t take very well to that. I would occasionally enter into a period of benign neglect. It didn’t like that much either.  It has taken me years to go from a very administratively competent, linear, strategic professional to one who is willing and able to sense what is trying to happen and stay open to that. When I really stepped back and listened to what the Third Entity ™ of my business had to say and really heard what it needed I learned something interesting.

 

It thrives in the wind. When pinned down-- it rebels and flies off.

And it is brilliant at catching the energy of passion and integrity. It told me that sometimes when I start panicking, or feeling inferior to others out there doing amazing work, (and this doubting my business) I need to remember that what looks like flailing is actually dancing and we (my business and I) have our own path.

 

When I feel the breeze and trust that dance—let me tell you the possibilities are endless. I have been carried off into places with so much potential. So many of you striving to do good, striving to contribute.

 

A business that thrives in the wind may not have a formal business plan—but boy does it pick up!

 

 

 

I was triggered: It was good!

I was sitting in a meeting with my teammates on a new project. Someone expressed the view that if all that we accomplished was for our target audience to "tweak" an aspect of what they were doing, that would be progress.

My heart started to race. Something was welling up from inside of me. "Tweak? We are going to be satisfied with "tweaking"? We are going to invest all this money and brainpower and be satisfied with "tweaking?" My outburst completed, I took a deep breath and sat back. 

I love this team I am on and as we continued to talk, no, none of us will be satisfied with tweaking. 

But here is the important bit: I tapped into my own passion. I was reminded of how much I care about making a difference. I reconnected to my guidepost that my work be meaningful. How I spend my time matters. That energy carried me through the rest of the day. 

This is what I love about being in relationship with others. It opens me up. It connects me to what is real. What is here. What is possible. 

 

Slow & Small

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I was part of a conversation with Peter Block yesterday with my system coaching colleagues from CRR Global. I was already a huge fan. I became a bigger one. He doesn't just walk his talk he lives and breathes it. 

 

"The world is committed to speed and scale. But we go slow and small and are committed to relationship...we create sacred space in secular settings." 

 

There were many more profound things spoken in this conversation. But these words lodged in my heart. It speaks to why I do what I do. And why it can feel like a struggle sometimes. In the part of the world I inhabit, the workplace is shaking from exhaustion and nervous energy. Human relationships are a means to an end. People are valued for what they produce. Meetings are a waste if they don't result in a result I can use to perform better. 

In all my team coaching sessions, there is always a moment when humanity breaks through. When eyes lock or hearts are moved. Suddenly there is silence born of awe. It is so rare.

 

And it changes everything.