Hmm....You know, the interesting thing is that if you are always growing, and learning, then I think you are probably on "track". Or even "on purpose". Even if it doesn't feel like it. For years, I have felt that my profession didn't perfectly suit me. I enjoyed the hard work, I felt that I was growing, mostly, but I had this hunger for something different. I couldn't put my finger on it, but it kept me exploring. So I went from undecided engineering in college, to Andersen Consulting, to IBM (IT Consulting, project mgmt, to sales, to sales management). I should have had a clue when my favorite freshman class was "Great Ideas of Western Culture", which all the other engineers in training referred to as "GFI" (Great F...ing Ideas - you fill in the blanks).

How many of us go through our entire lives feeling that there must be something else, a better fit? Or perhaps burying the hunger so deep that we don't even notice it anymore?

Anyway, without getting really long-winded, as a sales manager at IBM, I got introduced to professional coaching, and my whole body and soul just went ...aaahhhh.... You know the feeling, when you fall into your favorite chair (or bed) at the end of the day? I knew that this would become part of my future. It wasn't love at first sight, but almost. The first exposure was about 2 hours of coaching training (very simplistic) in a 2 day mandatory manager's class. It wasn't enough, but I was intrigued, and I scratched the itch. I brought the instructor, who ended up becoming my first coach, into my sales team's kickoff meeting the following quarter. The big ...ahhhh... and aha came during my first 2.5 day coaching class, almost 9 months later. It was an IBM-sponsored workshop, and it was like a retreat. (Note: the content of this 2.5 days comes from CTI - Coaches Training Institute. Check it out at http://www.thecoaches.com/index.html)

So, all these years, was I off course, or "on purpose"? Well, it's a matter of perspective, I suppose. It became clearer to me as Dan and I faced this latest cancer "O'Marathon". We both had to rely on all of "whom we had become on our journey", separately and together, in order to climb that next cancer mountain. It was in the way, and there was no going around it. By the way, it had lots of "false peaks". Just when we thought we had reached a summit, and could surely start the descent, another peak loomed around the corner.

We used everything we had learned about the web, about business travel, about frequent flier miles. We leveraged our personal and professional networks, and created new ones. We leveraged our knowledge of nutrition, and supplements. We leveraged our ability to communicate with others about "difficult" topics. We leveraged our medical and hospital experiences with my broken leg, and with the illnesses of other family members. The kids and I drew strength from our local church, where we had only become actively involved in the previous year! And I drew on all the personal growth and professional development resources that I had used as a sales manager and a coach. And I used them in parenting, in all my relationships, and in ways I am sure I don't even comprehend.

So, was I living "on purpose"? I couldn't have articulated exactly what my life purpose is. But I was learning, growing, and making good decsions that kept me moving in the right direction. I feel sure in retrospect that I have had "angels" or "divine energy" or the Hand of God (pick your language) guiding me, supporting me, nudging me. Would I have said the same thing a few years ago? Probably not...

What about you? Are you growing, learning, and listening to your intuition? Are you on purpose? I postulate that you are. Are you "where you want to be"? Maybe not! Maybe so! It's just really important to notice! Pause, reflect, and notice. You know the answers, it's all inside of you. The search within can be very interesting, and can last a lifetime.

My two bits... now how about yours?

Innovation That Matters...to the world.... one of the three IBM Values is what this IBM article is all about. And this is one of many incredible stories that demonstrate where IBM really "gets it" in my opinion. This is what makes me passionate about IBM's future.

We can make SUCH a difference in the world - and we do - when we look at innovation that matters from a societal perspective. There is no shortage of pain in the world, as we all know. And I believe there is no shortage of compassion. IBM'ers care. Our clients care. We all care - when we let ourselves. Here's the thing that we're starting to "get"... we can actually do something about this pain, and this opportunity, in each industry, and in any country around the world - if we decide to do it. We find the partners (our clients, allies in the industry, allies in governments, great thinkers, leaders). We create a vision, and we enroll these partners in a "bigger game" that matters to the world. Social innovation, not just technology innovation....

For example, IBM is fighting AIDS, and mapping the Human Proteome in order to fight other diseases on the World Community Grid. Just think about this for a minute... IBM is helping to fight diseases with spare cycles on my laptop - and maybe yours too, if you get inspired!! Here are some more details from IBM's website:

"IBM Chairman and CEO Samuel J. Palmisano announced World Community Grid on November 16, 2004, as an example of how a new technology - in this case, grid computing - can be applied in an innovative way to have a positive impact on the communities in which we live. In the first month of the initiative, more than 40,000 individuals joined as members, and by March 2005, more than 91,000 devices were part of World Community Grid. The computer cycle time they have donated now exceeds the processing power of a single computer running continuously for a six millennia.

World Community Grid is addressing global humanitarian issues, such as:

New and existing infectious disease research: researching cures for HIV and AIDS, Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), malaria and others.

Genomic and disease research: The Human Proteome Folding project - World Community Grid's first project - seeks to help identify the functions of the proteins that are coded by human genes.

Natural disasters and hunger: World Community Grid applications can help researchers and scientists with earthquake predictions, improving crop yields, and evaluating the supply of critical natural resources like water.

IBM encourages every individual, as well as corporations, universities and associations, to join as partners. World Community Grid also is looking for potential research projects that would benefit from grid technology. For more information and to download the simple, free software needed to help in these important research initiatives, follow the link below:

http://www.worldcomunitygrid.org/."

And this only highlights a couple areas where IBM is walking the talk, and truly living our values. And I absolutely know we can do a better job of this. And so can all of us - can't we? We can ALL do a better job of living our values. And boy, when we do get in touch with what's deeply important, we can absolutely evolve the world - intentionally - into a much better place. And we are, just not quite fast enough for me :-)

By the way, I work for IBM, as my profile notes. The opinions expressed in this blog are mine, personally, not necessarily those of IBM. I'm not sure if I have to post this every time I talk about IBM, but just in case... There it is.

By the way, IBM encourages us (IBM'ers) to blog inside and outside of IBM.

Thanks for checking in... and yes, I really do think this way. I think we can make this world a better place. And I work at it every day, as much as I can, and in big and small ways. And everyday, I learn a little, and love a little.... or a lot, on really good days!

If asked my thoughts a few weeks ago on why coaching was born as a profession, I would have had this perspective: Coaching was born out of a need in the world that was not being satisfied by other professions such as counseling, psychology, teaching, or parenting, or ... you name it! It was born to meet the need of human beings that wanted more, and simply needed time and space to invest in themselves to figure out what the "more" was for them. Coaches create that space, and facilitate that process of helping people reconnect with their inner selves, to uncover their gifts and their desire to make a difference in their world. So coaches get to enable change and growth in their clients, one at a time.

And here is what I am realizing now - that coaching is so much bigger than that. There were several incredible speakers at ICF that spoke to the role coaches play as change agents. Most impactful to me were the words and messages of Riane Eisler. Straight from the ICF Website - these words below describe her well.

"Riane Eisler has ignited the visions and actions of individuals and organizations worldwide. An award-winning author, renowned scholar, and dedicated social activist, Eisler has inspired people around the globe with her cultural transformation work that integrates the personal, political, economic, ecological, and spiritual.

Eisler's passion takes abstract-sounding words like "culture" and "leadership" and makes them catch fire. Drawing from three decades of research into the psychosocial dynamics of human behavior, her work shows that we can build environments that support our full human potentials. It shows that we can each be leaders in creating a partnership-based worldview and society: a better organizational culture and a safer, saner world.

Eisler's The Chalice and The Blade was hailed by Princeton anthropologist Ashley Montagu as "the most important book since Darwin's Origin of Species and by Isabel Allende as "one of those magnificent key books that can transform us." John Robbins wrote of her Sacred Pleasure "This extraordinarily powerful and beautiful book will stand as one of the epic works of our generation," and Gloria Steinem called it "Riane Eisler's most stunning, far-reaching, and practical gift - both to readers and to a world that must change or perish." Stanford professor Nel Noddings wrote that the partnership education introduced in Tomorrow's Children "is essential for human life to flourish," and the book was chosen as the top of the ten most important books published in the last five years by the Journal of Futures Studies. Eisler's latest book, The Power of Partnership won a 2003 Nautilus award, and was hailed by Marianne Williamson as "the map to a world that works for all of us." As coaching already utilizes a partnership model in relationships with clients, Riane's knowledge and insights on moving culture from a model of dominance in relationship to true partnership has the potential of stretching how we look at our coaching relationships with leaders in community and business, executives and managers so that we have the greatest impact with our clients. "

If you are intrigued or curious, visit http://www.partnershipway.org/ Read her books. Be prepared to see the world through a new pair of lenses.

So yes, in my opinion, coaching was born out of a need in the world to help individuals reconnect with their gifts and potential. And, it seems that perhaps it was born out of a need to create and nurture communities of change agents that will intentionally evolve this world, and humanity. My friend and fellow coach Susan Valdiserri calls them "communities of purpose".

We coaches are catalysts for change, and we must recognize our own deep hungers to make ever bigger impacts. And we will need to operate in communities of purpose in order to have the impact we so greatly desire. We can transform families, governments, industries, corporations, cultures... together. I think this is what is "next" for coaching. And we have pioneers like Laura Whitworth and Rick Tamlin, and Virginia Kellogg, and others that I haven't even met yet that are creating models and structures that we can leverage to "play bigger", and to connect with each other.

So, we are part of this movement from a dominator paradigm to a partnership paradigm - whether or not we know it! And we can actually accelerate the shift in so many ways by knowing what we are up to, and being part of a movement of "intentional evolution"! This nourishes my soul, energizes me, and gives me a new framework for making decisions and investments of my time!

It's happening... there is a new movement afoot. My heart beats faster, my mind can't stop putting together the possible implications, the incredible possibilities ahead for our society, and for the world. In Myers-Briggs language - I am an ENFP. A fellow ENFP. Lyn Kyneston, went through Myers-Briggs training last week, and shared what this really means :-) "Every day, New and Fascinating Possibilities". Couple that with some of my core values and strength "themes" (according to Gallup's Clifton Strengthsfinder) of Maximizer, Learner, Strategic, and Connectedness, and it's no wonder that I can't stop thinking about this stuff. And it's no accident that I keep uncovering thought leaders and resources that play in the same space - let's get real intentional about what we want, and we can change the world.

Enter today's thought leader - Howard Bloom, and an incredible source of innovative thinking and journalism, a magazine called "?what is enlightenment". I encourage you to buy this back Issue 28 / March-May 2005 - Can Big Business Save the World?

Here is the description of this issue's theme - "Big business has changed the world-and brought us to the edge of ecological and social crisis. Could the capitalist engines of globalization become a positive force for global unity? In this issue, WIE takes you into the minds and offices of the new corporate change-makers who are unleashing the creativity of capitalism to serve the planet and its people. ". Worth the time - if you work in a corporation, and you would like to be part of something more that increasing corporate profits!

Here is just a sneak peak at some of Howard Bloom's thoughts - from an article in this issue:

"We have to retell the history of Western civilization in a way that hints at the rich ore beneath the slopes and plains of our history's terrain. We have to peel back the lumpy outer skin of capitalism and show the beating heart within. A semi-brain-dead capitalism has given vast new powers to humanity-powers like the ability to light our homes at night with electricity and add five hours a day to the normal human's waking life. A capitalism that knows its mission, a capitalism propelled by the troika of empathy, passion, and reason, can work far greater wonders.

Imagine what it would be like if at every staff meeting you were expected to put the care of the multitudes we mistakenly call "consumers" first. Imagine what it would be like to go to work each morning in a company that saw your passions as your greatest engines, your curiosities as your fuel, and your idealisms as the pistons of your labors and of your soul. Imagine what it would be like if your superiors told you that the ultimate challenge was to tune your empathic abilities so you could sense the needs of your firm's customers even before those customers knew quite what they hankered after. Imagine what it would be like if your superiors asked you to do what artists and psychics do-find your hidden selves in the hidden hungers of those you serve. There is an implicit code by which we in the Western system live-a code that demands that we uplift each other . . . and that we do it globally.

The "human resources" creed-the real business of business-should be one that comes from the poet Edna St. Vincent Millay:

A man was starving in Capri;
He moved his eyes and looked at me;
I felt his gaze, I heard his moan,
And knew his hunger as my own.

Mine every greed, mine every lust.
And all the while for every grief,
Each suffering, I craved relief.

The world stands out on either side
No wider than the heart is wide;
Above the world is stretched the sky,
No higher than the soul is high.

People are the ones who demand. We do it because we desire, we hanker, we hunger, we're eager, we're roused. Or we're deadened, we're hurt, we're unsatisfied, we need. Consumerism-that wretched sin-isn't what it seems. Capitalism is what we do each day, and it can generate in our daily lives and in the place we work the exuberance of satisfying others, the exhilaration of feeling wanted, the elation of creativity, and the knowledge that we've contributed to something far, far bigger than ourselves.

We desperately need a reinvention and a re-perception of the system that has given Western civilization its long-term strength and its recent weaknesses. We need to wake up capitalism to its mission-a set of moral imperatives and heroic demands that are implicit in the Western way of life. By reinventing capitalism and injecting our own souls into the machine, you and I can raise the bar of human possibility.

We stand at a choice point in history. We can wake up and smell the coffee of our civilization-its pep, its drive, and its power to add to human lives. We can see the ideals and the creative imperatives that capitalism now hides. Or we can go with the flow of the current zeitgeist and condemn all that we have as mere consumerist trash and every workday move we make as an attempt to pick the pockets of the poor. If we fail to see the force of secular salvation, the power of messianic capitalism, in what we do each day, then we will yield the planet up to those who insist on taking the Western system's transformative powers away. "

Again - I say WOW! Now let's start "playing Bigger". It's time to change. Or perhaps is quarter past time to change. Let's go. Let's lead.

 

My life is a journey, destination unknown.

My path is revealed only as far as I can see,

Yet more often than not, I choose its direction.

 

I navigate my path thoughtfully,

with deliberate choices grounded in values

and guided by intuition.

Even when faced with unexpected circumstances,

I choose my path, by choosing my reaction.

 

I choose to live in love, optimism, faith, beauty, warmth.

I choose spontaneity, nature, deep conversations, dreams.

I choose passion, risk, change, color.

I choose light, music, texture, spice.

I laugh, I cry, I experience, I give.

I nurture myself to be strong.

 

Sometimes my path is clear and my journey is effortless.

I savor these times, gathering strength, languishing in bounty.

 

On rare occasions, my path seems blocked,

weather clouds my vision and dampens my spirit.

I trudge on in faith,

overcoming obstacles, trusting the sky to clear.

Sometimes I seek temporary shelter

and wait out the storm.

 

I believe God nurtures me in ways I cannot fully understand.

His grace is at work within me, and He walks with me.

I am a beam of light and many choose to walk with me,

warmed by my love, nurtured by my strength,

trusting my integrity, enrolled by my spirit,

stretched by my pace, comforted by my touch.

I am blessed by their presence.  

I am supported, I am loved.

I am thankful.

 

On certain segments of my journey,

I have chosen to follow others,

nurtured by their spirit and love,

Guided by their wisdom.

I am thankful.

 

I walk with increasing purpose,

as I reflect on whom I have become,

and how my journey has enriched me.

My need to help others choose their paths

becomes ever stronger,

like a calling.

 

I see possibilities ahead that are exciting.

Mountains to climb that are more challenging

than any behind me.

 

I will choose the climb that calls me,

perhaps joining with others

so we can forge a new path,

that becomes a lighted way for others

drawn to higher ground.

Copyright 2003