The Manner Of The Receiver

A long time ago, Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274), an Italian Dominican friar and priest, wrote the following statement: 

“Whatever is received is received according to the manner of the receiver.” 

I believe that many leaders, and for that matter, many people are focused on sending their message. For them, the message once sent, in what ever form such as spoken, e-mail, text, vlog, etc., equals message received and message understood. I don’t know how many times over the course of my career I have heard a leader say “I told them, but they did not listen.”

At the same time, I do not think most originators of the message, whatever position they are in or whatever season of life they are in, ever think about the manner of the receiver. Instead, they are focused on defining and releasing the message, more than the receiving and understanding of the message on the other end. In short, the spoken word, the written e-mail or a text message, once sent, is done and no longer their responsibility. Then, the sender of the message is on to the next thing on their list. 

However, if they want to be a good communicator, especially a good and effective leader, then the moment after the message is sent becomes very important. This is the moment when they should be even more focused, because this is the moment when success or failure of communication actually happens. 

Yet, we are really fickle people, who rarely pause to give this critical space in communication much thought, let alone time or attention. We merrily move forward believing that we have nailed it when it comes to communication. We perceive ourselves to be brilliant communicators and that everything we say and do makes total sense to everyone around us. Shutter to think that we may have messed up. The message was sent. The problem lies with the receiver rather than the sender. The problem is not with our thinking and sharing. Instead, it is with their attention and interpretation. So, off we go into the wild blue yonder, thinking about the next thing on our list of “to dos.”

But, I have met leaders who do not follow this trajectory. They actually know that speaking and writing, communicating and understanding is, at best, a convoluted process with minimal success, even on our good days. They recognize that just because we said something or wrote something is, by no means of our own effort, actually going to amount to something more than a hill of beans. 

So, these unique leaders do something so small and insignificant that most people miss it. But when they do it and when they do it well, then all involved are impressed. And what do they actually do that separates them from the rest of the pack? They send a message and then ask some simple but deeply profound questions, such as “Does that make sense to you?”, “Do you understand what I am saying?”, or “What do you think about all of this?”.  

In simple terms, they are focused on the message they are sending, and at the exact same time, they are concerned about the manner of the receiver. They want to know what the listener or receiver thinks about it all. They want to know the receiver’s understanding or lack thereof. They want to know because they care that the receiver actually receives the message and understands the message. It is more than just the receiving the sounds of the spoken word or is more than just a message sent back to the sender that said “delivered” or “read.”  The goal is not awareness, but actually understanding. 

Thus, the best communicators, and the best leaders, work hard on their messages and they are focused on the person receiving it. In particular, they are focused on having a relationship with the receiver based on trust, dignity, and respect. They get that this is the first form of communication, and that the second form is speaking, e-mailing, or text messaging. With the former being the beginning, then the later becomes a successful outcome. 

While Thomas Aquinas lived over 750+ years ago, his message transcends time and space. It is a powerful statement and an important insight. It could have been written yesterday, because it so applicable to today’s world. Lucky for us someone wrote it down and then passed it on generation after generation . For us here today, we now have the opportunity to pause, think, reflect, plus learn from this wisdom. 

Geery Howe, M.A. Executive Coach in Leadership, Strategic Planning, and Organizational Change

Life Is A Journey

“To journey without being changed is to be a nomad,” writes author and poet, Mark Nepo. “To change without journeying is to be a chameleon. To journey and to be transformed by the journey is to be a pilgrim.”

Right now, the word pilgrim and the concept of being a pilgrim is not part of our every day lexicon. It feels like the word is from centuries long ago. Now, we are just busy people who focus mostly on work and getting lots of things done. We are get there people more than we are being here people. 

We forget that the word pilgrim is defined as a person who journeys to a sacred place for religious reasons, or one who travels to a holy place. I think part of the challenge for many people is that we do not think about sacred places or holy places on a regular basis. We are more focused on getting to the grocery store, the mall, or shopping on-line. And if we did think about sacred places or holy places, it would be for a very brief period on a Sunday morning as long as it did not interrupt our plans for the rest of the day. 

Nevertheless, there are sacred spaces and holy places all over the world. We could, if we wanted to, or were so moved, travel to these places. But most of the time, we feel we don’t have the time to do it, or don’t want to put in the effort to step outside our comfort zones to engage in the sacred or the holy. It is much easier to touch base with that stuff on Sunday morning and then get back to our getting there focus. 

Still, there is one sacred and holy place in life that we can not avoid, namely our own death. As Rainn Wilson in his book, Soul Boom: Why We Need A Spiritual Revolution (Hachette Books, 2023), wrote: “Death is inevitable…. Our personal life span is decreasing continuously day by day.” And he continues, “Death will come, whether or not we are prepared for it.” 

For some, this sacred and holy place is defined as an ending. Others define it as a place of special significance. I like the way the poet Rabindranath Tagore defined it: “Death is not extinguishing the light; it is putting out the lamp because dawn has come.” I also like the way Father Gregory Boyle defined it, namely “the last amen and the eternal hallelujah.” In essence, no matter how we define it, we are all going to experience it. Death is part of our life journey, and we are all pilgrims moving in that direction. 

As I reflect on being a pilgrim and life’s journey as a pilgrimage, I am reminded of something Father Richard Rohr wrote: “If you do not have someone to guide you, to teach you, to hold onto you during the times of not knowing, not feeling, not understanding, you will normally stay at your present level of growth.” The phrase that speaks to me today is the one that states “If you do not have someone…”. The presence of others, individually or collectively, to transform an experience into a sacred moment is powerful. Their ability to see the truth and to experience the truth is the key to the journey. It also is the key to be transformed by the journey. They help us to be pilgrims by their own willingness to be a pilgrim. 

Mark Nepo opened my eyes to this insight when he wrote, “… it is no secret that slowness remembers and hurry forgets; that softness remembers and hardness forgets; that surrender remembers and fear forgets. It is beautifully difficult to remember who we really are. But we help each other every time we fill the cup of truth and hold each other up after drinking from it.” I consider myself extremely lucky that I have people in my life, who have held me up and are holding me up as I drink from the cup of truth. They support me when I choose slowness and softness. They get it when I choose to surrender as a pathway to remembering who I am. They believe in being transformed by life’s journey and they grasp the notion of being a pilgrim. They walk with me and I walk with them as we all move to sacred and holy spaces. 

Geery Howe, M.A. Executive Coach in Leadership, Strategic Planning, and Organizational Change

Remember Packard’s Law

It was an amazing dinner of incredibly good food, excellent wine, and a very lively conversation about strategic and operational choices given current events. As we started to wrap up and focus on next steps, I shared with the team that “the key right now is to make choices that are sustainable. Senior leaders can take risks to get better at what the company is doing, but not at the cost of loosing the engagement of their people. When people become disenfranchised, i.e. feeling disconnected from the core mission of the company and each other, then things are not moving in the right direction. It all boils down to Packard’s Law.”

Jim Collins in his book, How The Mighty Fall and Why Some Companies Never Give In (HarperCollins, 2009), explained Packard’s Law with such a clear and helpful definition: “No company can consistently grow revenues faster than its ability to get enough of the right people to implement that growth with excellence.” I like this definition and have referenced it often over the course of my career. However, I believe that it needs to be thoroughly unpacked and discussed for all involved to grasp the significance of it. 

In the beginning, most people focus on the words consistently grow revenues faster because this is what they want. This is the desired outcome, the strategic goal, the expectation of owners, CEOs, and share holders. The big idea is growth, quarter by quarter, year by year. 

However, most have not done the in-depth reading and reflection around the concept of sustainable growth. Jim Collins and Morten T. Hansen in their book, Great By Choice: Uncertainty, Chaos, and Luck - Why Some Thrive Despite Them All (HarperCollins, 2011), explore 10X companies, i.e. “enterprises that beat their industry’s average by at least 10 times.” Within this detailed research study, Collins and Hansen write about something they call the “20 Mile March.” As they explain, “The 20 Mile March was a distinguishing factor, to an overwhelming degree, between the 10X companies and the comparison companies in our research…. To 20 Mile March requires hitting specified performance markers with great consistency over a long period of time. It requires two distinct types of discomfort, delivering high performance in difficult times and holding back in good times.” They explain that this model of sustainable growth “builds confidence. By adhering to a 20 Mile March no matter what challenges and unexpected shocks you encounter, you prove to yourself and your enterprise that performance is not determined by your conditions but largely by your own actions…. The 20 Mile March helps you exert self-control in an out-of-control environment.” So, when a company wants to consistently grow revenues faster, it needs to create clear and self-imposed performance markers that are largely within the company’s control to achieve. Again, it is a choice defined by the company, not driven by external factors or conditions. 

The next phrase in Packard’s Law that most people focus on is the right people. But I have to point out that the full definition of the phrase and the concept around is as follows: its ability to get enough of the right people. The author of Packard’s Law assumes that the reader understand the definition of the words the right people. But over the years, I have found that most people do not have a clear understanding of this concept. Referencing back to the book, How The Mighty Fall and Why Some Companies Never Give In, Collins ask the question “What makes for the ‘Right People’ in key seats?” He then provides the answer based on his research: “the right people fit with the company’s core values”, “the right people don’t need to be tightly managed”, “the right people understand that they do not have ‘jobs’; they have responsibilities”, “the right people fulfill their commitments”, and “the right people are passionate about the company and its work.” The combination of all these characteristics generates the capacity for the company to implement growth with excellence, namely 20 Mile March level growth. It also create the ability to get enough of the right people. Recruitment and retention interconnected. 

For me, one phrase within Packard’s Law that I find very interesting is the following: growth with excellence. Most people define the word excellence as doing something perfectly. The dictionary defines the word as the quality of being outstanding or extremely good. For most leaders, it all comes down to being the best in something. I like this definition to a point, but find in lacking at the exact same time. 

For me, the best definition comes from the work of Tom Peters who defined excellence as a workplace philosophy where problem solving, teamwork and leadership result in on-going improvements or continuous improvements in the organization. Tom Peters grasped that excellence is a constantly evolving definition because the needs of the customer are constantly changing. He does not define excellence as being a singular act once accomplished, i.e. being the best, as a one and done. Instead, it is a perpetual or continual state of improvement. Furthermore, it is a self-imposed choice, referencing Collin’s earlier idea, rather than on being driven by outside factors. In short, we want to  implement that growth with excellence, because we recognize that the customer is constantly changing and we are constantly changing too. 

So, when I shared all of this over that marvelous dinner, all involved understood what I meant when I said  we needed to “make choices that are sustainable,” I was speaking to the importance of creating the right conditions within the company to attract the right people, retain the right people, and to empower the right people to implement growth with excellence. In essence, I wanted to support people who are mission-driven and vision-led, all day and every day.  And understanding the full depth of Packard’s Law is the first step in that journey to generating clarity, alignment, and sustainable execution. 

Geery Howe, M.A. Executive Coach in Leadership, Strategic Planning, and Organizational Change

Listen To Your Inner Voice - part #2

A Clearness Network

Once we grasp that we are in constant evolution, we will need a mirror, a window, a sanctuary, and a clearness network in order to listen better to our inner voice. Jim Collins in his book, Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap. . . and Others Don't (HarperBusiness, 2001), writes that the best leaders “look out the window to attribute success to factors other than themselves. When things go poorly, however, they look in the mirror and blame themselves, taking full responsibility.” On the other hand, poor quality leaders “looked in the mirror to take credit for success, but out the window to assign blame for disappointing results.” The combination of the two, namely a metaphorical window and mirror, create the capacity for self-inquiry and self understanding. 

Ron Heifetz and Marty Linsky in their book, Leadership On The Line: Staying Alive through the Dangers of Leading (Harvard Business School Press, 2002), write that leaders need to “distinguish role from self,” and understand that “you have control over your self-worth.” As part of this level of work, they encourage leaders to “seek sanctuary…. a place of reflection and renewal where you can listen to yourself away from the dance floor and the blare of the music.” For them, the dance floor and the blare of the music are their metaphors for the busy nature of our day to day activities. 

I agree with these authors about the importance of a mirror, a window, and a sanctuary. Each can play a role in clarifying our thoughts, perspectives, and understanding about ourselves and our lives. From my experience, I would add one more element, namely a clearness network. 

In the Quaker tradition, there is something called a clearness committee. As Parker Palmer with the Center for Courage & Renewal writes, “The function of the clearness committee is not to give advice or fix people from the outside but rather to help people remove the interference so that they can discover their own inner wisdom.” These committees are the gathering of a trusted group of people, e.g. advisors, friends and family members. This communal approach to discernment “protects individual identity and integrity while while drawing on the wisdom of other people.”

I call my clearness network, my Kitchen Table Cabinet. They are a group of trusted friends and experienced professionals I turn to in order to gain fresh insights, and thoughtful perspectives on a diversity of issues. In particular, I have learned over time that this group will ask me questions that I had not thought to ask myself and they will ask me questions that stop me in my tracks and make me think deeply about something from various angles. I invest regular time and energy in maintaining and cultivating these relationships. I visit with them a couple of times each month because I understand that the depth of sharing is a two way street. I need to be present to them as much they are present to me. 

Ron Heifetz, Alexander Grashow, and Marty Linsky in their book,. The Practice of Adaptive Leadership: Tools and Tactics for Changing Your Organization and the World (Harvard Business Press, 2009), note that in order to thrive as a leader, an individual needs to grow “your own personal network outside of the system you are trying to change.” We need to “talk regularly with confidants, people outside the environment in which you are trying to lead adaptive change, who are invested in you, not the issues you are addressing.” When you “anchor yourself in multiple communities,” you can adapt and be resilient on various levels. I think the same can be said of anyone, whether or not they are a leader or a manager.  With a clearness network, one is well prepared for today and the future. One can not easily build such a network in the midst of major life challenges. It is always best to be prepared rather than trying to prepare when difficulties arise. 

Find Your Outer Voice 

As we listen to our inner voice, understand our inner dialogue, and engage regularly with a clearness network, we also need to find our outer voice. Stephen Covey, author of The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, wrote another book called The 8th Habit: From Effectiveness to Greatness (Free Press, 2004). The 8th habit focused on finding your voice and inspiring others to find theirs.” Covey defined the voice as a “unique personal significance…. it is the nexus of talent, passion, need and conscience (that still small voice within that assures you of what is right and that prompts you to actually do it).” I like how Covey connects listening to the inner voice and finding your outer voice. I appreciate that he understood that the two elements were each influencing the other. 

There is one part that I wish Covey would have written more about when it comes to the transition from listening to “that still small voice within” to speaking our truth with our outer voice, namely the importance of speaking within safe and respectful spaces. While every one has the potential to speak up, many do not because the environment within which they want to share is not safe or respectful. Therefore, silence is chosen in order to not become a target of violence or harassment. 

However, if we understand the importance of creating and maintaining safe and respectful spaces, then we must understand the importance of inclusiveness, namely the recognition that we must never create an environment where people need to hide their true identities or attempt to fit in. This can happen when we realize that each of us belongs just the way we are. This happens when we understand that each of us are unique. When a home or work environment is based on non-violence, unconditional and loving kindness, plus compassionate acceptance, we are then able to listen inwardly and speak our truth outwardly in a positive and productive manner. 

Go Forth Into The Unknown

“How do geese know when to fly to the south?,” writes  Elisabeth Kubler-Ross. “Who tells them the seasons? How do we humans know when it is time to move on? As with migrant birds, so surely with us, there is a voice within if only we would listen to it, that tells us certainly when to go forth into the unknown.”

Given the importance of authenticity in life and in work, each of us must listen to the voice within. When we choose to actively engage in this inner dialogue, we understand that centering and holding the quiet is the first step to listening. Next, we realize that we are constantly evolving. Our best self today is going to change. And so too will our inner voice. To help us in this inner listening process, we need a mirror, a window, and a sanctuary. We also need a clearness network of confidants who ask us important questions and share thoughtful insights. Finally, we need to take what we hear on the inside and, when possible, share our clarity on the outside. Our outer voice needs to be found. It also has the potential to inspire others to speak up. Still, safe and respectful home and work environments make a big difference in this process. Unconditional and loving kindness is a important foundation for sharing. 

As we all know, geese will fly south each winter. The seasons will turn, and the sun will rise each morning. If we seek to go forth into the unknown of each new day, having the capacity to listen to that still small voice within can be transformational to the entire journey. 

© Geery Howe 2024

Geery Howe, M.A. Executive Coach in Leadership, Strategic Planning, and Organizational Change

Listen To Your Inner Voice - part #1

Introduction

Recently, I was listening to Lindsay Leahy and Brooke Fitzgerald from The Restoration Project talk about authenticity and leadership. During their presentation, they spoke about the importance of leaders listening to their inner voice. Instantly, I was struck by this being 100% correct. I agree wholeheartedly with their insight. And, at the exact same time, I wondered how many people know how to do this and where to start if they want to do this. The conundrum of agreeing with the insight and not being sure how I listen to my own inner voice plus being able to coach others in how to do this was a delightful opportunity for great reflection and great discussions with others. 

The Inner Dialogue

“Each of us has an inner teacher, a voice of truth,” writes Parker Palmer, “that offers the guidance and power we need to deal with our problems.” The first step is to listen to our inner voice, or inner teacher, referencing Parker Palmer, rather than the outside voices of others. When we do this deep, inner listening, we realize that we are really listening to our internal dialogue. And this inner dialogue is an inner discernment process between outer voices and their messages, and our inner voice and our understanding.

Often, the outer voices are sending us messages in multiple forms that state you are not enough, you are not worthy, and you are not working hard enough, etc.  All of these messages impact us on various levels. We feel judged by them and often defined by them. If we accept them as true, then our inner voice becomes an inner critic who reaffirms these messages. Or our inner voice becomes an inner defender who blames and criticizes everyone else for what is going on. As Greg McKeown notes, “… when people fear being judged, it drowns out their inner voice. They are able to focus only on what they think we want to hear, rather than on what they actually see or feel.”

However, our inner voice does not want to criticize ourself or fight with others. Instead, it wants to help us make the best of the various situations within which we find ourself. The outer voice is always present, always speaking, and always inserting itself into the inner dialogue. I believe the goal of the outer voice is uniformity while the goal of the inner voice is unity and alignment. The challenge in the midst of these two voices is to create the time and the space to listen to the inner voice. This process of inner listening often begins with centering. 

Hold The Quiet

During breakfast one day with a mentor of mine, we began discussing the challenges of living in a post pandemic world. As we explored various elements of this unique time period, the conversation turned to the subject of centering. “I think the key,” he explained, “is to hold the quiet.” I paused, got out a piece of paper, and wrote the phrase down, realizing that we had unlocked a critical step to my greater understanding of what is centering, and how to listen to the inner voice. 

From my perspective, centering is the first step we take as we enter into listening. It begins with a personal choice to be 100% present to the moment, rather than reacting to the past or a possible future. It is a silent, deeply personal and internal process of becoming quiet and still. It is where we feel our way into being present, rather than thinking our way into being present. It happens when we consciously choose to clear away the detritus of our daily lives, and turn our attention to our inner dialogue. And as we do this, we listen to the voice within. It is a on-going process that gives meaning to our lives. 

As we dove deeply into the phrase holding the quiet, we recognized that it is not the absence of noise as much as the creation of stillness. Furthermore, it is the process of removing internal clutter and distractions in order to listen better and understand more holistically what is happening within and around us.  

Holding the quiet is a powerful choice and an important discipline to consistently pursue over time. It requires us to center ourselves and listen to the inner dialogue. It also requires us to be present to the moment and to the people around us. It is based on an understanding that by listening to the inner voice we have access to a transformational system that has the potential to change ourselves and to change the world around us. As a result, when we practice centering on a regular basis, we are taking the first step to building a meaningful life.

We Are Constantly Evolving

When we choose to hold the quiet through centering, and recognize that it an effective way to listen to our inner voice, we also must remember that our best self is constantly evolving. Our choice to listen is not to maintain status quo, but instead to support and facilitate our on-going evolution toward a better self. 

I believe one element of listening to our inner voice is to better understand the inner dialogue that is taking place. This choice is an act of self-inquiry with the hope that we can attain a better level of self-understanding. However, the result of this choice of self-inquiry and understanding is to have a greater level of self-compassion. We are all doing the best we can with the information and understanding that we have accumulated so far in our life journey. Thus, the outer expression of our inner work is greater self expression.

When I reflect on this pathway from inner listening to outer action, I am reminded of the writing by John Kotter in his book, The Heart of Change: Real-Life Stories of How People Change Their Organizations (Harvard Business School Press, 2002). As he explains, “The flow of see-feel-change is more powerful than that of analysis-think-change.” From my experience, I believe that the pathway of see-feel-change may be best applicable at the organizational level, but at the personal level, I believe the pattern is center-listen-feel-change. I think this is a more honest and realistic pattern as long as we understand that what we hear and feel today may not be what we hear and feel tomorrow. As I mentioned earlier, we are constantly evolving and as such so is our inner voice. 

To be continued on Tuesday. 

Geery Howe, M.A. Executive Coach in Leadership, Strategic Planning, and Organizational Change

Pack Your Bags And Go - part #2

How Should I Travel?

I think the answer to the question, How should I travel?, is pretty straight forward. We need to travel thoughtfully, carefully, and mindfully. The difficulty is that what seems so simple and straight forward is actually quite hard to do. It requires us to work on two different levels, namely our mindset and our behavioral choices. And we rarely stop and examine both components in our lives. 

The movement from an operational and reactionary crisis manager to a strategic leader means that we have to shift our way of thinking. One normal outcome of this shift is that we may need to question some of our fundamental assumptions about people, and the world of organizational change. We also may need to change our priorities, and habits, too. 

For example, many people who travel to the edge and seek to be a better strategic leaders often talk with me about the importance of strategic planning and strategic plans. And this is one critical level of work that strategic leaders do. However, many leaders try to create a strategic plan that no one can successfully criticize or undermine. They start from a defensive position during the planning process. They want a document that keeps things under control, orderly, and predictable. This works if we are maintaining status quo. 

Nevertheless, there is another pathway based on a different mindset. These kinds of strategic leaders focus on questions more than definitive answers. They try to discover a few strategic questions that no one has thought to ask. Then, upon asking them, they focus on discovering truly original answers to these important questions. The goal is not to create control as much as thoughtful action, careful collaboration, and mindful ownership of the plan and the planning process. 

But, in the beginning, this starts with an understanding that “we only increase self-knowledge in the process of making changes,” writes Hermina Ibarra in her book, Act Like A Leader, Think Like A Leader (Harvard Business Review Press, 2015). As Richard Pascale further explains, “Adults are more likely to act their way into a new way of thinking than to think their way into a new way of acting.” Ibarra builds on this perspective noting, “When challenged to think beyond their functional speciality and to concern themselves with strategic issues to support the overall business, many managers do not immediately grasp that these are also relational - not just analytical - tasks.”

So, when we travel to the edge and seek to learn along the way, we need to understand that we will be changing the way we think about our work, the way we actually do our work, and expanding our network of relationships to actually do the work. Thus, the choice to travel thoughtfully, carefully, and mindfully is an elegant and challenging choice, all at the same time. 

The Center And The Edge Are Connected

Having spent a career visiting with numerous leaders who have packed their bags and gone to the edge of their understanding, I have learned one important thing, namely that the center and the edge are connected. This is because at the center of successful company is the mission, vision and core values, which offers stability and continuity to the progress and continual innovation that is taking place at the edge. Each, the center and the edge, need the other to be successful. Without stewardship of the center, or as some like to call it the core, the capacity to innovate is diminished by lack of clarity about what should not change and what can be changed. Innovation without stewardship also has the danger of resulting in strategic and operational misalignments at the cultural or systems levels. 

Furthermore, leaders who move to the edge in order to become more strategic need to recognize that endings and new beginnings are interconnected. The best leaders understand that every new beginning, i.e. innovation, starts with an ending. As William Bridges in his book, Managing Transitions: Making the Most of Change, (Perseuss Books, 1991), wrote, “Transition is different. The starting point for transition is not the outcome but the ending that you will have to make to leave the old situation behind….”. When we focus on endings, which often included letting go of old ways of working, identity and role clarity plus the subsequents losses and grief that comes with this, it is always good to know what is and what is not changing. This will help us as leaders to show how the endings ensure there is continuity of what really matters, and help all involved remember the importance of the original mission of the company. 

The center and the edge need to be connected and in successful companies, they are connected. Through sharing of information, involvement, and, at times, intervention to correct misalignments, we generate the capacity of more people to utilize their strengths and talents, plus imagination and innovation, to better serve the customer. In short, by having a holistic understanding of this critical idea, an individual can move from a reactionary, crisis oriented form of operational leadership, and, slowly over time, become a better strategic and operational leader. 

Be Open To Transformation

As we wrapped up our dinner together and finished off the bottle of very nice wine, I paused and said to him, “If you pack your bag and go to the edge to learn and understand more things about the company, strategy, and your self, you need to be open to being transformed.”

He looked and me and replied, “Really?”

“Yes. Transformation is critical to your success. Let me explain. The word transformation is an interesting word. The word is made up of three words - trans-form-ation. The last part references “action". The first part references “going beyond”. And there in the middle is the word form. So, in essence, transformation is the action of going beyond the present form.

And when we create a new form, we have endings and new beginnings all taking place at the same time. We are caught between what was, the old form, and what will be, the new form. However, when we go beyond the current form, we can carry certain things with us that are essential and truthful. The key is to find them, steward them, and recognize that they are the seeds, for lack of a better metaphor, for this new beginning, this transformation. 

So, the journey of transformation is big work. You will be doing it, hour by hour, and day by day. As Father Richard Rohr reminds us, “Transformed people transform people.” And that is all part of the journey when we pack our bag and go to the edge.”

He smiled, and nodded his head. We paid the bill and headed toward the parking lot. He stopped once we were outside, and then turned and hugged me. “Thanks. I needed that, Geery. I needed to see more clearly the path before me.”

I smiled and replied, “That’s why we visit.”

As he turned toward his car, I heard him say to himself, “Transformation. Really? That’s ought be interesting.”

I smiled, nodded my head, and said, “It will be an amazing adventure. Happy packing!”

He gave me a thumbs up as he got in his car and headed out. 

And as I got in my car, I thought to myself, “Exploring the edge of our faith and our understanding is always a transformational experience.”

© Geery Howe 2024

Geery Howe, M.A. Executive Coach in Leadership, Strategic Planning, and Organizational Change