Fully Integrated Leadership

What else is there to talk about these days? Coronavirus is dominating our media, our lives, and our thoughts.  It calls up our greatest fear, our own mortality and the impermanence of things.  It is VUCA (volatility, uncertainty, complexity, ambiguity) on steroids.  In this episode, I offer many different "lenses" on how I am looking at this virus and how I and others are responding to it.  

I first call on people to make decisions based on the collective good rather than just their own well-being.  We need to stop the meme "this thing only kills older people."  This kind of thinking is destructive and perpetuates a world that is built on the paradigm of separation and competition.  If anything, this virus is showing us how connected we really are on this small planet.  

I invite people to spend some time getting away from focusing on what we don't want so we can individually and collectively focus on what we do want.  Our ability to create is what makes us uniquely human.  Spend time every day breathing and being present, and once you are in a state of calm spend time visualizing, hearing, and feeling a vibrant, healthy, and happy world.  This has two effects: 1) it quells the anxiety that we are all feeling as the numbers continue to rise and we are told "it is only going to get worse." 2) When we collectively focus on what we do want, we move the universe's energy towards a vibrant, healthy, happy world.  This is quantum physics folks.  Where attention goes, energy flows.  When we focus on problems, anxiety, death, worry we perpetuate this energy.  It is up to each of us to see a different path forward.  Spend time every day focusing on what you want.  I am also putting a call out to people to see if there is interest in gathering at some specific day and time to collectively put our focus and energy on what we want.  If you are interested in joining an online gathering, please send me an email at [email protected].

I then call on continued compassion for our political leaders as they navigate a significantly complex and ambiguous dilemma.  Yes, there is arrogance and failure from our president.  Yes, many of us would like him to be more vulnerable and empathetic in the face of this.  But when we hit him with hatred and disrespect we are doing ourselves a disservice.  We need to find the space in our hearts to exercise compassion in the face of this.  I believe this is a critical need right now, even if it's just for a few minutes a day.

I then do an analysis of the failure of our leaders to effectively manage through this complex situation.  I look at this through multiple frameworks:

-David Stroh's model of "conventional thinking" vs. "systems thinking."

-Balancing "polarities" of economic stability and public health

-Dr. Theo Dawson and Lectica's identification of key VUCA skills, including perspective coordination, collaborative capacity, contextual thinking, decision-making, overcoming cognitive bias, self-reflection, and making use of feedback.

 

Turn on the news today and you're likely to see two talking heads (or more) fighting with one another over whose views are right, which political leaders are "stupid" and "immoral."  I don't know about you, but I'm tired of it.  I'm tired of the Facebook posts where people rail against the opposite side, and where they say incredibly disrespectful things about people with opposing views to their own.  This is not the world I want to live in, so I'm using the platform of this podcast to talk about some new ways we can approach this political season, and life in general. 

I first talk about the role of compassion and how it is the fabric that holds our universe together.  I introduce a "loving kindness" practice where I ask you to bring people to mind and repeat the following: may you be well and happy; may you be free from suffering; may you live your life calmly and peacefully.  I encourage you to see the people you bring to mind living that life now, understanding that each of us is, in some way, suffering.

I then talk about the role of "temporal consciousness" and quantum physics.  What we observe is what becomes our reality, so when we observe our political foes as evil and disloyal, we collectively tell the universe to keep reinforcing these ways of being.  What happens if we all find compassion for those we disagree with politically?  What happens when we stop viewing a world of problems and start viewing the world we want...as though it is happening now?  The best minds in physics tell us that we have the power to collectively change reality with our consciousness.

I then move into Systems Thinking and how the paradigms of struggle, competition, and separation are perpetuating a system where people fight against each other, compete to be right, and do almost whatever is necessary to win.  What happens if we shift the paradigms to ease, collaboration, and connection?  The system will start to produce different results, the kinds of results we need in a world that is so filled with problems and struggle.

I finish off the episode talking about the evolution of consciousness and the way Integral Theory talks about the predictable pattern of individual and collective awareness.  We are at a critical juncture in the story of our planet and our species.  It is up to each of us to contribute in a positive way to this story.  Struggling to prove we are right and the other side is wrong only perpetuates the story of decline.  

In this episode, I go "solo" and share my experience working with people on facing fears in a VUCA world.  There are only two things we naturally fear when we come into the world: falling and loud noises.  We come to develop four fears during our life:

1. The fear of failure

2. The fear of being wrong

3. The fear of experiencing emotional discomfort

4. The fear of social rejection

I break down each of these fears and how they hold us back in a VUCA world.  Learning to face our fears is critical skill, and it starts with becoming aware of which of the above four fears is dominant.  

Nathanael Zurbruegg is a survivor, but more than that he is an inspiration.  His 31 years on the planet have been quite difficult from a medical perspective, yet he has found the grace and tenacity to live life to its fullest in the face of challenging circumstances.  In this episode, Nathanael shares his story of almost dying six times from complications from a chronic illness.  He talks about wanting to end his life at age 9, how he worked with therapists to shift his mindset, and how he now spends his life inspiring others to overcome the challenges in their life.  This is a soulful man with a deep wisdom about what is truly important and why we are here.  

To learn more about Nathanael and to download his free ebook, visit his website at https://nathanaelzurbruegg.com/

 

 

Wendy Bittner is a scientist, a former McKinsey & Company consultant, a leader, a coach, a seeker, and an all-around wise person.  In this episode, we explore the concept of leading and living in a complex world, based on her own experience and through the academics and theories that are the foundation for her work.  

Wendy first encountered complexity from the scientific side while getting her PhD in inorganic chemistry at Caltech.  From there, she became a consultant at McKinsey & Company, where she ran head-first into the complexity of the business world…and the many ways in which we, as humans, are ill-equipped to handle it.  A move into leadership development at McKinsey and beyond brought her into contact with Jennifer Garvey Berger and, later, Keith Johnston, who helped her begin to adapt the learning from the science of complexity into the practical application of complexity to organizations.  Today, as a partner at Cultivating Leadership, Wendy serves a range of clients around the world from non-profits to commercial banking, from small startups to tech giants.  Her work is as wide-ranging as her clients, encompassing individual coaching, team-based interventions, leadership programs and keynotes to larger audiences, but always working at that critical intersection of complexity and  human capabilities, helping her clients to grow into and thrive as their biggest selves.

In addition to her work with Cultivating Leadership, Wendy is a periodic guest lecturer at the Berkeley Haas School of Business and a certified MBTI, LVI and Leadership Circle practitioner.  When not following the nomadic lifestyle of a leadership development practitioner, Wendy has the good fortune to live in northern California wine country. Her passions outside of people development include cooking elaborate meals for friends, baseball (full disclosure, she is a Dodgers fan), games of all kinds, and wine.

A few links to some of the topics covered in this interview:

To read Wendy's bio and learn more about Cultivating Leadership: https://www.cultivatingleadership.co.nz/our-team/wendy-bittner

To learn more about the Cynefin Framework: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N7oz366X0-8

To learn about Robert Kegan's work on Adult Development: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xUOapqI3rzs

 

In this episode, I am joined by Dr. Mariana Bozesan.  Dr. Bozesan has earned an outstanding track record as an Integral Investor by de-risking early stage investments in high-tech and clean-tech using the Theta Model based on the Integral Theory by Ken Wilber.  Mariana has been appointed as a full international member of the Club of Rome, is a Fellow in the World Academy of Art and Science, is a National Advisory Board Member for the G8/G20 Social Impact Investment Task Force, and a strategic advisor on integral finance and sustainability to various funds, governmental organizations, social businesses, and NGOs. Moreover, she is a prominent keynote speaker and an inspiring lecturer on the future of investing, business, finance, and economics at prestigious organizations including Stanford University, Oxford University, INSEAD, TEDx, and RIO+20.

We cover a range of topics in this interview, starting with how her background and upbringing shaped her, how her spiritual practice continues to evolve, and how she spends her time working for the greater good.  

Here are links to some of the items we cover during the interview:

To read more about Mariana and her work, visit her website at: https://aqalgroup.com/aqal-ag/team/

To read about Ken Wilber and Integral Theory, go to https://integrallife.com/four-quadrants/

To learn about some of the assessments Mariana and her team use to invest in companies, go to https://lecticalive.org/about/why-lectatests and https://leadershipcircle.com/en/home/

In this 12th episode, I interview Dr. Ruben Perczek about his life and experiences as a high performance athlete, coach, speaker, and spiritual practitioner.  Dr. Ruben is a highly sought after speaker, coach, and advisor to individuals, teams, and organizations, but it is his story and his life experiences that are the most fascinating part of who he is.  He challenges us to constantly ask ourselves the question Why am I here?  Who am I? And these are not questions that are to be answered with our minds, but instead with our entire being and the greater energy/awareness that we all have access to.

Ruben shares his story of walking away from the world of professional sports at 21, how his lineage helped him to see how power and the desire to win can have dire impacts, and where spirituality and knowledge of self sit at the center of being a "successful" person.

He also shares his "7 Roots of Potential" that he has gleaned from being a high performer and working with/coaching high performers for 30 years.  These are the 7 intentions or signals that you are living from a place of high potential.  The include an openness to learning (about self, others, and the world), having a curious attitude, an ability to partner with others, and being about something bigger than yourself.  He shares all 7 of these high potential areas and then challenges the listeners to become aware of our experience and the way we each construct our reality.  

A few items that Ruben mentioned during the interview:

You can find his website and more about him at http://rubenperczek.com/about-ruben/

You can read more about Integral Theory at https://integrallife.com/

In this episode, I am joined by Mark Rako Fabionar, an incredible soul of a man who has committed his life and work to healing people, organizations, and systems.  Rako cultivates transformative environments for people to experience deeper connection, insight, and well-being. He is sought after for his healing presence and capacity to support people during times of transition. Rako has created equity-focused centers and leadership programs for universities, retreat centers, and other learning organizations, and has trained people within the US and abroad in regenerative approaches to community development and organizational design. 

Rako believes that systemic change requires us to address our challenges or wounds, especially those which persist from generation to generation. Without skillful intervention, these inherited forms of conditioning adversely - sometimes even perversely - shape our behavioral and institutional patterns, extending this impact to our intimate relationships, families, workplaces, communities, and the Earth as a whole.          
  To support this kind of transformational work, Rako draws heavily from western developmental psychology and indigenous knowledge systems, as well as insights from culture studies and time-tested wisdom traditions. This is a deep and informative conversation that is filled with nuggets of wisdom for individuals and organizations.  

Those who were alive likely remember exactly where they were on September 11, 2001.  Today's guest has an amazing and inspiring story about his experiences that day in the days following the terrorist attacks in New York, Washington, DC, and Pennsylvania.  Kevin Tuerff has used his experience to fuel a new life mission to grow compassion across the world.  He is the author of Channel of Peace: Stranded in Gander on 9/11, is a highly sought after public speaker, and a main character portrayed in the Broadway musical "Come From Away."

In this interview, Kevin not only shares his story, but even more important the lessons he took from his experience and how they have fueled his mission to grow a "pay it forward" movement.  Kevin talks about compassion as the "new life hack", how it produces the "helper's high", and how to cultivate more of it through your daily actions.  He mixes story with brain science and humor in a way that leaves you feeling good and motivated to get out there and help others.  It's the perfect message for the holiday season.

You can buy Kevin's book at Amazon

To learn more about Kevin and his speaking engagements, visit https://www.channelofpeacebook.com/speaking

Kevin also mentioned the Integrity Compassionate Training at Life University https://www.compassionateintegrity.org/ccise/ and the Charter for Compassion https://charterforcompassion.org/

In this episode of the Fully Integrated Leadership podcast I interview Michael McElhenie.  Michael is the founder and managing partner of Metatropia, an organization committed to the "human side of organizational life" and helping leaders navigate change in a complex world.  Michael received his doctorate in Organizational, Clinical and Experimental Psychology from the University of North Texas, and his Bachelor of Science in Neuroscience and Psychology from the University of Florida. He is a practicing licensed psychologist, a PCC-level coach, and a graduate of the Gestalt Institute of Cleveland’s Organizational Systems and Development program.

Michael and I talk about his lifelong pursuit of wisdom, how he aligns his work with his interests and passions, and how he helps organizations and governments deal with large-scale transformation in a VUCA (Volatile, Uncertain, Complex, Ambiguous) world.  He shares his thoughts on the human brain and how his thinking about the brain has evolved from a fascination with the biological organ to now believing our brains exist in the space and energy around us.  He talks about the brain's need for validation and how we begin to overcome its more ancient habitual patterns.  

We then shift into how Michael and his team at Metatropia work with organizations to help them evolve (he prefers to say organizations evolve instead of transform).  How do you set the conditions where all views are welcomed and where people align around a common interest of learning?  How do you avoid the common pitfalls that we run into when trying to drive systems change?  All of this and more is covered in this interview.  

Michael has the rare ability to be confident about his point of view, based on his years of experience, while also deeply curious and creative in re-shaping his view given new information.  He is a provocative thinker and asks challenging questions that will reframe how you think about yourself, your organization, and the planet.

You can find out more about Michael and Metatropia at https://metatropia.com/about