There is such an extraordinary value to allowing silence to be a part of our every day practice. Find the time, inside of your business day, and “choose” to be in stillness. Take a moment. Stop and listen to the inside and the outside. Simply sit without being compelled to move to the next thought or action. Allow silence.

Later, notice if your performance is affected. Is your mind clearer? Does your energy level change? Has your ability to listen deepened?

Film: http://www.purposeprinciple.com/

Follow Kevin Doherty’ work and insights on Twitter:  http://twitter.com/Kevin_S_Doherty

What strikes me about this film is the authentic and collective voice of leadership. In my opinion, individually and together these leaders recognize that to ensure the sustainability of their businesses, they have to participate in a cycle of generosity: they benefit by the coffee they receive from growers as they ensure that these growers will be able to continue to produce their products. Coffee Kids
About the Video:

“This video served initially as a mechanism to reach an audience at the SCAA convention. It had to be short, succinct and immediately on message. Not only did we achieve that… we have been able to use this video as an outreach and fundraising tool ever since,” said Carolyn Fairman, Executive Director of Coffee Kids. “The team did an excellent job of capturing the nuances of our mission and communicating what makes us unique.”

About its Production

 Josh Backer , the creative director and filmmaker, speaking about his production company: “Animal Studio has always operated on the principal of working collaboratively and utilizing new technology to maximize creative output. By design, we have created a studio that can produce high end work, typically found only in markets used to paying a premium for good strategy, creative and execution. The pipeline we have created for projects – our work flow – the people we bring together and the way we do it – this is something that goes into every project. It’s just who we are.” (read more)

“A leader is best

When people barely know that he exists.

Of a good leader, who talks little,

When his work is done, his aim fulfilled,

They will say, “We did this ourselves.”

                                                      Tao Te  Ching (Chapter 17)

When does the foundation of leadership form?

Rhode Island School of Design students talk about the many meanings of “leadership” on the RISD campus. (Courtesy of Animal Studios)

Somtimes we find that an idea or  behavior becomes viral; other catch on quickly when what is needed in a situation begins to emerge.

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jedd2FiZTqM

I want to ask you to imagine sitting in your meeting today, or one in the near future. Can you consciously make room for the other? You know, that quiet teammate who holds so much tension that you can’t help but find them irritating, or the one who overly compensates and jumps into the gap in defense of her managers, her behavior – more in service of controlling how she is perceived than adding value to your meeting.

Can you make room for these people without reacting or shutting down? Can you find a strategy to utilize them and leverage their talents verses reacting and contributing to counterproductive patterns? Can you move through your own considerations” leading” the process so that all who are involved are enhanced, outcomes achieved,  productivity increased? How much choice do you have?

Here is one way to bring more consciousness to such an opportunity/challenge. Right now, as you are reading this post, bring your awareness to your own body and close your eyes, taking three full breaths. Now with your eyes open find the predominate sensation in your body. Simply note this sensation and again breathe three times while relaxing the rest of the body. Now, allow your awareness to travel to another sensation that calls your attention, breath and relax. Notice if there is a shift in the quality of your attention and gently hold your awareness with these sensations predominate, breath and relax. Note that you can open your awareness now to include the context you are in while remaining aware of sensations, your body, the breath and the space around you.

While sustaining this attention, imagine that you are back in the meeting with your team. Gain a sense of the distance and the degrees of separation. Notice the space and discover with curiosity, canyou choose your response?

Practice this today.

The more positive we are the better we adapt. The good feelings that go along with being positive actually increase our capacity to pay attention, “Beyond their pleasant subjective feel, positive emotions, positive moods, and positive sentiments carry multiple, interrelated benefits.” (read more)

As a leader, feeling positive, is a good thing. You feel better and you are able to broaden your capacity to pay attention and you make better decisions, right? Yes, and only yes, if your feelings include the feelings of others. This means, your empathy quotient needs to be very high; you feel good, your employees, family, and colleagues feel good and you flourish.

If your “positive feelings” are disconnected from these people in your life you should worry. It is a clear indication that you reside in a world of your own making, you have drawn a line indicating that; ”everything on this side I care about and everything on the other side of the line does not concern me!” 

Today, we clearly see that -what affects the global economy, directly affects me, my loved ones and my personal economy. Being connected and empathically attuned – maintaining space for how you think and feel while being available for how other people think and feel – is more important now than ever. We are moving into an age that requires us to have the courage to remain open and available to ourselves and one another. The science of human and social development reveals one simple message: “we are all in this together, what is good for me also has to be good for you.”

For more please email me at tim@drtimothydukes.com

“Your image is the concept that others form about you as a result of the impressions you make on them.

Your effectiveness as a leader is tied to your image.

Your ability to project a leadership presence in the eyes of employees, customers, other important constituencies, and the general public is closely related to your ability to do your job well.”(Read the rest of the article)

For more please email me at tim@drtimothydukes.com

Photo: Tdukes, Paris, 2009

“What can this aging warrior tell you about creative leadership? Honestly, I am not sure. For I am, like each of you, a peculiar balance of contradictions: a large ego and a deep humility; a decent intelligence (no more than that), albeit with periodic blind spots and stupidities; a strong presence along with a profound insecurity; an astonishing confidence, but one that is often punctuated with doubt; an intellectual bent that lacks an academic depth; an aspiring, passionate leader, but without the skills-or, for that matter, the interests-of a manager. I mention this litany to suggest that I’m no more, nor less than each one of you: just another human being.”

by John C. Bogle, Chairman and Founder The Vanguard Group of Investment Companies
Address at the 176th Commencement of Widener University
Chester, Pennsylvania
May 17, 1997

Two Twitter feeds I find particulary insightful today:

eaglesflite  “Coming together is a beginning, staying together is progress, and working together is success.”  – Henry Ford

tonyrobbins: “I don’t know the key to success, but the key to failure is trying to please everybody.” –Bill Cosby