Purpose Shared: Sharing Your Purpose by Finding Your Passion

Photo Credit: Daniel Scotton

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Serving the "Next Generation Human": I recently had the privilege of working with Roger Kenneth Marsh as he co-led the series Road to Renewal in Houston, Texas. Today we’re going to talk about how he leads people through "The Passion Test" as a path for discovering their purpose. But more than that, The Passion Test is a framework for what Roger sees as emerging: the "Next Generation" human. Roger has a rich background as a formally trained engineer, businessman, leadership and life coach (bio below). Join us for a fascinating leadership conversation.

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Roger Kenneth Marsh is a formally trained engineer, businessman, leadership and life coach. He has a degree in engineering, an MBA, is a certified Leadership and Life Coach, a Certified HeartMath® Trainer, a Certified Passion Test® Facilitator, and is a Senior Teacher of Integral Transformative Practice (ITP) emanating from the Esalen Institute. Through his company Beyond Belief he offers Organizational Development Consulting that includes Leadership Development and Coaching, and The HeartMath Resilience Advantage workshop and training.

Website: NexGen Human

Author, NexGen Human: A Modern Age Path to Fulfillment

The Passion Test: The Effortless Path to Discovering Your Life Purpose, Janet Attwood and Chris Attwood 

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On Purpose Meetings & Your "Webside Manner": 5 Steps

Photo Credit: Craig Neal

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"Virtual collaboration is fast becoming the norm. Are you ready?" (Harvard Business Review, 04/24/18)

14 years ago, sick and tired of attending meetings where I left feeling, at best, depleted and others moaning about, yet another meeting, "that didn't go anywhere"; I invited 12 leaders to join me in the 1st Art of Convening Teletraining. It was an early virtual laboratory or "skunkworks" project to explore what the components of what makes for a transformational meeting, gathering or even conversation. Now, 14 years later, we've learned a thing or two.

Here are 5 bedrock steps to improve your "Webside Manner" in any virtual meeting or conversation...

1. Clarity of Purpose and Intent- Get crystal clear BEFORE your engagement on why you are meeting and what your intent is for success.
2. An invitation that has meaning and relevance- Make sure your invitation clearly articulates the form, function, and purpose. Then ask yourself why people should come and what's in it for them.
3. Set the Context- Open with a warm welcome, tell them why they have been invited and review the high points of the agenda including expectations and outcome.
4. Create a container of safety and generativity- People want to know what the "terms of engagement" will be. For example: ask people to be present by resisting the urge to multitask.  
5. Hear all the Voices- When people feel their views count, they become more engaged and engaged people tend to own the outcomes. (Accountability!)  Start with a check-in to take the temperature of the group. Take a few minutes to ask each to respond to what expectations they have for the meeting. A simple 30-second check in from each will tell you volumes about where you might go and what people want from the meeting.
6.  

These simple 5 steps can go a long way in improving clarity, buy-in, and alignment in any virtual meeting. Check out our next Convening Powerful Virtual Meetings Training!

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The Purposeful Warrior: A Conversation with Meg Wheatley

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Meg Wheatley has been a seminal influence on CPL since the publishing of her book, 'Leadership and the New Science', followed in 2002 by 'Turning to One Another'.

As a Conversation Starter at our Thought Leader Gatherings, Meg brought a provocative yet compassionate message on leadership. In addition, her books were foundational texts for early Art of Convening Training's.

This interview allowed us to catch up on her new book, 

Who Do We Choose To Be?: Facing Reality, Claiming Leadership, Restoring Sanity. 

We saw it as an opportunity to bring together our work on activating purpose, as purpose shared, and her work "to reclaim leadership as a noble profession that creates possibility and humaneness in the midst of increasing fear and turmoil."

In a time of unprecedented volatility and disruption, Meg's fierce commitment to defining the new warrior as present and compassionate is what is needed today. It was a thrill and honor to be with Meg again.

[Click to Watch Full Interview]

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Purpose Shared: A Young Man With a “Big Heart for Society and the World”

[Click to Watch Full Interview]

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Ren Wei is a family man, OD consultant and convener sharing his purpose on a global level. I have the good fortune to work closely with Ren Wei, along with five of his fellow Chinese colleagues, in the current Art of Convening training. This brief yet inspirational interview captures the commitment he has for being an active catalyst for societal and global transformation.

#PurposefulLeadership #Purpose #Leadership #Convening #ArtofConvening #Engagement

2018 Center for Purposeful Leadership The Art of Convening

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A Case Study in Collaboration: Whole Person Leadership for Women

by Patricia Neal

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"What is most exciting is that even though there are clear outcomes and objectives for the program and each session, we also know that this is a dynamic and emergent process"

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As Oprah said beautifully at the Golden Globes recently: "A new day is on the horizon [for women]." Now is the perfect time to explore and bolster whole person leadership for women.

A year ago, Rachel Harris had the idea to renew an offering for women leaders from 2008 as a way to explore what Whole Person and On-Purpose Leadership means in the world of life and work for women leaders today.

What it means to be a woman at work has evolved significantly since 2008 to include an understanding that to be a great leader, integrating who you are with what you do is crucial. Additionally, the definition of "leader" has expanded beyond a title to include situational leadership that calls on not only functional capacity, but capacity for authentic engagement and collaboration. Perfect opportunity!

Your WPL Faculty

What began a year ago as an endeavor of 2 expanded in scope and capacity with the addition of Center for Purposeful Leadership team members as content contributors, and so much more...

With the addition of this dynamic team, what has transpired is a collaboration of spirit and expertise. I presented the initial concept and inspiration as a basic framing. Since then, each team member has assumed a role of stewardship and primary contributor to design from not only their area of content expertise, but from many-decades-real-time experience with the challenges and opportunities for women in the workplace, as well as their own personal and professional development.

This evolution to stewardship didn't just happen by accident. We utilize the principles and practices of convening to create a consistent structure, path and map to build trust and mutual respect, parallel to getting work done.

We follow the thoughtful 9 steps of the Convening Wheel as the structure of each meeting and conversation. At the center: the heart of the matter.

What is at the heart of the matter is always a crucial place to begin. So, what IS at the heart of the matter? First and foremost, we are colleagues that did not know one another before being introduced by CPL becoming trusted colleagues and even friends. What is crucial is a relationship-first orientation.

Next, in a collaboration structure that is developing quickly to meet the timeline of the work to deliver, there are some crucial constructs still being worked out:

• How are all voices heard?  
• How do decisions get made that honor each voice and expertise?
• What are our individual and collective values?
• What does excellence look like for each of us and for the whole team?
• What do we agree are the "non-negotiables" for trusted participation and delivery of content?

We are "building the ship" as we design program and presentation together. We set sail next week on January 22 for the first of five Zoom video sessions and complete in May for a 2-day in-person Summit.

What is most exciting is that even though there are clear outcomes and objectives for the program and each session, we also know that this is a dynamic and emergent process: the learnings that emerge from each of the sessions and [very accomplished] participants will guide and propel us towards that final two days that will be more about co-discovery than about teaching and learning.

I can't wait to see what happens and who we will be by June 1!

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Purpose Moment

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#PurposefulLeadership #Purpose #Leadership #Convening #ArtofConvening #Engagement

2017 Center for Purposeful LeadershipThe Art of Convening

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Purpose Moment

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#PurposefulLeadership #Purpose #Leadership #Convening #ArtofConvening #Engagement

2017 Center for Purposeful LeadershipThe Art of Convening

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Purpose Moment

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#PurposefulLeadership #Purpose #Leadership #Convening #ArtofConvening #Engagement

2017 Center for Purposeful LeadershipThe Art of Convening

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Purpose Moment

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#PurposefulLeadership #Purpose #Leadership #Convening #ArtofConvening #Engagement

2017 Center for Purposeful LeadershipThe Art of Convening

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Work/Life Expo was an impactful day

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"Creating a New Story for Work/Life: No More 'Business as Usual'"

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Vivian Jenkins Nelsen and I really enjoyed participating in a fantastic day of visionary and practical stories and learning experiences at the 2017 Work/Life Expo. Our workshop topic was:

"Be a Purposeful Agent of Change in Your Organization: E.Q. for Leaders". We covered a rich list of topics from "The Business Case for Trust," one of Vivian's favorite subjects to the ROI of Purpose and Engagement for powerful collaboration. Contact us if you'd like to know more!

"At the heart of the matter is purpose. Recent research shows that a sense of purpose, not a specific set of characteristics, is the key to successful leadership. How do purpose and emotional intelligence work together? How do you find or align your purpose with your leadership? How can this transform your leadership and your team or organization? Thriving cultures create higher ROI and engaged people. Engagement is about linking life's purpose with work that matters. Engaged people are happier, more alive, productive and collaborative. Having a clear purpose is the key to successful leadership and thriving organizations."

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We covered trust, EQ/emotional intelligence, CI-Q/conversational intelligence, neuroscience of connection, purpose, purposeful leadership, engagement, meeting design-- an amazing amount of information in a short amount of time.

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CPL Team Reception with Richard Leider!

This past Wednesday, Center for Purposeful Leadership hosted its' first reception welcoming over 45 colleagues.

Our purpose was not only to convene and reconnect with colleagues but to introduce the CPL Team.

We were honored to have purpose leader Richard Leider speak on the Purpose Movement and Purpose Research.

Scroll down for a livestream of remarks from CPL, The Waters leadership, and Richard Leider.

We were so pleased to connect and convene with others to spread the voice of what Center for Purposeful Leadership stands for.

The Waters leadership embodies purposeful leadership. Thank you to Kyle Didier, Lynn Carlson Schell, Katherine Todd and The Waters for hosting, and to those who attended. 

Gathering with so many thought leaders from the Twin Cities truly shows the great direction purposeful leadership is headed.

CPL is honored and excited to have you on this journey with us!

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#purpose #PurposefulLeadership #leadership #RichardLeider #ThePowerofPurpose #TheArtofConvening

2017 Center for Purposeful LeadershipThe Art of Convening

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Report from the Field: Dave Rapaport, Aveda Corporation

Photo Credit: Daniel Scotton

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Welcome back! This is the second podcast in our new series: Report from the Field, where we focus on creating purpose in your life and work, and how convening with purpose creates the outcomes you want! Each podcast we invite an inspirational professional to share their experience with convening and purpose within their lives. 

Today CPL welcome's Dave Rapaport, Vice President of Earth and Community Care, Aveda Corporation. 

Recently, CPL worked with Dave and his team to develop a series of Earth Month meetings with the leadership at Aveda. Today we will hear Dave’s story about how he utilized convening practices to create collaborative outcomes. Thank you Dave, for your time and commitment to organizational excellence at Aveda! Check out the interview below or click the picture!

Click here to watch the interview [5:00 minutes]

#PurposefulLeadership #Purpose #Leadership #Convening #ArtofConvening #Engagement

2017 Center for Purposeful LeadershipThe Art of Convening

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Transformational Leader Updates: Where is Richard Leider now?

photo credit: craig neal

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In October 2016, Heartland/CPL celebrated its 20th anniversary with Uber Master Coach Richard Leider. Richard, a longtime friend of CPL and best-selling author of The Power of Purpose, spoke to the top 3 lessons of the meaning of purpose:

1. Purpose is a Choice
2. Purpose is an aim outside yourself
3. Purpose is a practice

Richard’s definition of Purpose: "Your aim or goal. Your reason for being. Your reason for getting up in the morning." In leading others to their true purpose, Richard poses these 3 questions to ask yourself for self-discovery:

1. What do I stand for?
2. What won’t I stand for? What are my values, boundaries?
3. Who do I stand with?

Since we last saw Richard at our conference, he continues to coach and speak on finding and leading a purposeful life. At a leadership breakfast in February, Richard spoke about the power of purpose and how to activate your purpose daily. Richard also spoke at St. Cloud’s Well-Being Summit, addressing the importance of “Working on Purpose. Living on Purpose. Leading on Purpose." Later in February Richard led a Webinar on Repacking On Purpose focusing on life transitions.

cpl is fortunate to have a friend as visionary, influential and inspirational as Richard. Check out Richard's foreword to our book The Art of Convening. If you or your organization are interested in convening with more purpose, call us today at 612.920.3039 to begin your journey. For more updates on CPL and other leaders in the community, connect with us on our LinkedIn page.

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Report from the Field: Convening and Flushing Your Toilet

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"Over 30 years I have come to learn that we need to protect the environment WITH you, not FROM you."

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Welcome! This is the first in a new series on creating purpose in your life and work and how leaders convening with purpose create the outcomes you want. Let's get to it..

Bet you never thought about what happens when you flush the toilet or watch the water go down your sink. Bob Nordquist not only cares, but has created a unique workshop for customer engagement in a 3.5 million population system. Watch Bob tell his story about how he implemented a recent successful workshop using convening skills, focused on purpose.

In this segment, Craig Neal interviews Bob Nordquist, Industrial Waste and Pollution Prevention Manager at Environmental Services in the Metropolitan Council of the Twin Cities, and Art of Convening graduate.

Click here to watch video [6:39 minutes]

#PurposefulLeadership #Purpose #Leadership #Convening #ArtofConvening #AuthenticEngagement

StoryNotes

Craig: Tell me a bit about your position at MCES

Bob: I am the Industrial Waste & Pollution Prevention Manager. With a staff of 30 engineers, scientists, technicians and administrative staff, we issue and administer permits to over 850 Industrial Users of the sanitary sewer system, to protect the rivers of our region and our facilities, sewer workers and the public health. We do this by controlling the discharge of pollutants to the sanitary sewer.

Craig: Frame the IW workshop – purpose/intent/goals

Invitation? How did you frame? Why should they come and how many did come?

Bob: I opened the workshop by telling our Industrial Users that I came to this job 30 years ago, fresh out of college and eager to protect the waters of our region and that my attitude at the time was that I had to protect the environment from – you the Industrial Users. Over 30 years I have come to learn that we need to protect the environment WITH you, not FROM you. This shows our overall purpose – to invite the Industrial Users, our customers, to join us in collaboration to meet a common goal. The goal of the workshop was to show that this was an actual, tangible change and not just lofty words.

Craig: Tell me about the format and how it was different than the past workshops – what was unique?

How was the physical space different and how did you create the container?

Bob: It was a conversation rather than a lecture. 

The first change we made was to the name of the event.  For sixteen years we had held an annual Industrial Customer Forum. There was a lot of PowerPoint to present our rates for the next year and a few slides on what was new in Environmental Regulations. There was a short question and answer session, but the meeting was held late enough in the year, that it was unlikely anything would change, especially concerning the rates.  Our attendance had dwindled to the point where only 12 people had shown up in the previous year.

This year we changed this to an Industrial Workshop and we held it in April. We had an idea what next year’s rates were going to be and we knew what was driving them, but they were not ready to propose yet. We set this up so that after a short introduction to tell people what to expect about the format, and to stress our commitment to action, we pulled the dividers in the meeting room and broke into two small groups – one for financial issues and one for regulatory issues. We sat in a circle with a facilitator and introduced topics, then encouraged our customers to share their thoughts. We had a staff member recording the notes on large easels.

Another change is that prior to the actual workshop we hosted an open house, with informational tables with staff to answer questions and promote conversations.

Craig: Tell me about the outcomes/learnings for you personally and for ES.

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Bob: We learned we have willing partners. I learned to take a risk. I learned a lot about my staff and how professional they are.

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I'm interested in the “listening session.” Why was that important and how did you create the comfort?

Bob: We had specific comments in several areas that we are working on addressing. These areas included financial topics and showed that there was interest in looking at evening out some of our fees and making them more transparent.  There are teams working on these now and stakeholders that we need buy-in from before I can get more specific.

We did learn that our customers appreciated the honesty and commitment to action that we demonstrated in this process. They were also pleasantly surprised with the format, in that they were expecting to be lectured to again, but instead, we sat back and listened. Not that education isn’t important and there are important things they need to know about us, but we’ve done that for years. It was time for us to listen to them.

The other thing we learned is that we need a bigger room or more of these sessions. Instead of 12 people we had over 50. That tested the limits of our facilities and staff, but it probably added to the energy and enthusiasm with which staff and attendees approached this.

Craig: Tell me about how the Art of Convening may have played a part in the success of the workshop.

Bob: I think Art of Convening played two important roles in our success. First, it gave us a wider range of tools to consider as far as creating the container and hearing all of the voices. And second, it gave us a structure to follow to make sure that with this radical change, we weren’t forgetting a vital step.

Art of Convening gave us gave us a checklist to follow using the Convening Wheel. The Invitation, understand what's At the Heart of the Matter, what is a real Commitment to Action. During the planning stage of this meeting, you and I talked about a commitment to action as the most important takeaway. 

If we go through this whole process and get the comments we were seeking, it was going to come back and bite us if our customers feel it was a waste of their time.  We committed to presenting the results to the Executive Team, but that ended up being unnecessary.  Most of the Executive Team, including the General Manager was at the workshop and actively participating and listening.

Thank you, Bob, for your time and commitment to organizational excellence at the Met Council! Stay tuned for future vlogs in this series! 

 2017 Center for Purposeful LeadershipThe Art of Convening

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Message from Houston: Navigating the Road to Renewal

photo credit: daniel scotton

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"The capacity to renew is an essential strength. Both women and men need renewal and resilience."

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Today's guest blogger is Kim Kristenson-Lee, CPL Team Member, who, as a resident of Houston, TX, is drawing on her resilience reserves!

With over twenty-five years of experience in increasingly challenging roles at a Fortune Five energy company, she brings thought leadership and unique approaches to overcoming difficult situations and changing times.

We are delighted she is part of the team for CPL's program When Women Lead. Here are her insights in a recent essay:

Navigating the Road to Renewal

Resilience for Women Through Purpose and Practice

Are you seeking renewal, in your life or work? Wanting more resilience? Perhaps you are being pulled by possibility, or perhaps you are being pushed by pain. How will you navigate your way forward?

The capacity to renew is an essential strength. Both women and men need renewal and resilience. Women may find they need more access to resilience than men. Women more frequently must confront conflicting roles at home and at work, and overcome unique obstacles in the business world. It is important to become aware of the great amount of resilience you already possess, as well as learning how to expand resilience. 

It Begins with Finding Your Own Authority

In our 24-7, e-enabled, and consumer-oriented culture, at least three areas demand that we learn and apply our own authority:

1. Defining purposeful use of our time and energy
2. Managing our energy expenditure
3. Finding communities that renew us

These are all life elements that avoid burnout. But no one is going to require you to renew. You must make your own commitment, chart your path, and take your journey.

1. Purposeful Use of Energy – Where Goes Your Attention?

At the heart of the matter is purpose. A clear purpose guides wise use of your energy. Richard Leider, founder of The Purpose Company, identifies two universal purposes each of us can utilize: to grow and to give.  Where are you going to grow today?  Where are you going to give?  “Save the world AND savor the world”, he advises. 

What questions now focus your energy and attention? What percentage of your attention goes to “why” questions (purpose based question about what matters most each day) versus “what and how” questions (activity based questions about what you feel compelled to do). Both are worthy. However, a daily pause to focus on the “why” questions is a cornerstone practice of self-renewal. 

1. Managing Our Energy – A Paradox

You might think avoiding stress is a good thing to manage energy. Not true! We grow our capacities by stretching them. With great challenges, great growth is achieved.  Like any athlete, full engagement of our entire being is an important aspect of training. 

However, what differentiates a “self-renewer” from a “burnout”, is also placing a specific emphasis on downtime.  Deep rest and disengagement between challenges is essential.  Stretch and stress.  Rest and regenerate.  Repeat. 

It is essential to carve out undisturbed rest time on a regular basis, and that may mean letting go of other perfectly worthy things on the “to do” list. 

Your calendar is a great aid. Go to it and make a regular habit of booking downtime, with in-depth rest along a regular timeline that works for you. Do you have a day retreat in view?  How will you master cycles of both stress and downtime in your day, week, month or year?  With practice, you will learn the cadence.

1. Finding Communities that Renew Us

Photo credit: pexels.com

I live in a suburb of Houston, Texas. We just survived Hurricane Harvey. Humanity has taken a hit. Friends have lost their homes. It is a disruptive time. But, the storm gives each of us an opportunity to inquire, with fresh eyes. “Is there some way to take this hit as a gift?” In other words, what can we learn?

One of the most touching aspects of the hurricane has been the way people drew together in community, to assist one another. Both neighbors and strangers formed new bonds. I was reminded of the importance of community. We can find, build and sustain communities that encourage rebuilding internally as well as externally, and we don’t need to wait for the storm to awaken the need. 

A community can be as small as two people. Purpose-based teams or groups, that meet on some regular basis, can support renewal in any or all areas of your being - Mind (reading, writing, discussion, critical thinking); body (relaxation, exercise, time outdoors, mindful eating); heart (authentic communication skills, staying current with yourself and others) or soul (uncovering a set of values that have meaning for you). 

Whatever your current priorities, engage with one or more others who share common aims. Find some regular basis to do so. This is one of the most significant hallmarks of women on the road to renewal. Nothing succeeds like resilience. 

Kim Kristenson-Lee, September 2017

#renewal #resilience #resiliency #purpose #purposefulleadership #practice #energy #leadership #transformation #attheheartofthematter #learning #thoughtleadership

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Leading into Culture Change

Photo Credit: Craig Neal

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"The key to creating purposeful and lasting relationships is to design the conditions for authentic engagement and trusted connections."

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21 years ago CPL (Center for Purposeful Leadership), formerly Heartland, embarked on an experiment to create convening communities and professional leadership environments to consider what was needed to deal with a rapidly changing world. We came to learn that leadership is always an inside game, so each session or meeting integrated personal and professional growth, centered on the power of essential conversation.

The power of essential conversation. With the rise of social media and events around the world, people are making their voices heard. Whether that is through yelling or peaceful conversations, situations can take a wrong turn. However, there are simple practical ways to create environments that support empathy and understanding in even the most toxic situations. CPL harnessed the wisdom of years of listening and learning about how to create safe and generative spaces for the sake of authentic engagement and the highest possible outcome of the group. We developed The Art of Convening methodology as the recipe for these engagements.

Harnessing the wisdom of the group. For 18 years we convened leadership events with their sole purpose being the creation of a powerful conversation in support of leaders navigating an unknown future. We learned about the purpose of a format built around leadership stories that invoked principles, ethics, and new ideas. We combined these stories with convening practices such as principles of conversation, in-depth Inquiry, active listening and reflection to create an environment to harness the wisdom of the group.

Purposeful and lasting relationships with accountability and trust. The key to creating purposeful and lasting relationships is to design the conditions for authentic engagement and trusted connections. This can occur when the container is set for essential conversation.

The words below reflect the power of purposeful relationships:

"Our organization needed a rapid culture shift and reached out to CPL to help. Twelve of our global leaders engaged in the Art of Convening virtual training enabling them to participate from locations around the world. The seven sessions of teaching, collaborating, and presenting case studies were powerfully engaging, with full and enthusiastic participation. Outcomes include meetings that became more inclusive and collaborative, leading to efficiencies in delivering stated meeting outcomes, cross-functional relationships and renewed alignment to the organization's vision."

-President, Global service organization

At CPL, we are here to help you pave the way towards productive collaboration and purposeful leadership in yourself and organization. Follow us on our LinkedIn page and subscribe to our blog to receive more information on transforming your organization. 

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3M’s Cindy Kent on whole person leadership, growth and inclusion in medtech

Edited by Patricia Neal

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...and on her Masters in Divinity and meeting Oprah. Truly inspirational.

Cindy was the opening Conversation Starter for Heartland (now CPL's) 20th Anniversary Celebration last October. She continues to amaze us. She spoke with MassDevice.comPublisher Brian Johnson at the DeviceTalks event in Minnesota recently about her skills as a leader, how she ended up as an ordained minister and the importance of inclusion and mentorship in the workplace. And, how she met Oprah!

Here is an example of amazing mentorship: “Cindy, we see a lot of potential in you, so you take the next five years on us, and you go play, and you go work in as many disciplines and fields as you like, and in five years we’re going to come ask you what you want to do for this company, and we expect an answer.” 

Let me know your thoughts. -Patricia

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Millennials and Leadership Development

photo credit: Todd photography

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By Sarah Flores

Entering a new company or organization can be intimidating and invigorating all at the same time. As more and more millennials enter their careers, the workforce will begin to change its usual ways. Employer’s and mentors must progressively welcome and encourage new ideas from the newcomers. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, it is predicted that by 2030 millennials will make up 75% of our workforce.  Although millennials may have a different approach to operations, it is important that we all learn from each other. Millennials bring fresh new ideas, but also seek guidance from leaders to eventually turn themselves into the leaders of an organization or company.

A study conducted by Deloitte, a professional services firm, found that 71% of Millennials that leave within the first 2 years felt their leadership skills were not being fully developed. However, that percentage decreases to 54% for those who stay more than 5 years. This shows not only does supporting leadership development help to retain employees longer but also helps to increase their satisfaction in leadership development. As we look at these numbers, 54% feeling their leadership skills are being underdeveloped is still a concerning number. We as current leaders and mentors must take it upon ourselves to guide the leaders of tomorrow.

The Center For Purposeful Leadership works to help leaders become leaders that listen and make a positive impact on their employees. The workplace is always changing; we are here to help guide and adapt. Check out more insight to Millennials values in the workplace to see how you can incorporate a leadership development plan to grow your employees professional and personal life here: The 2016 Deloitte Millennial Survey.

Follow us on our LinkedIn account and subscribe to our blog to see how CPL is laying the way for leaders of today and tomorrow.

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Interview with President of CPL, Patricia Neal, on Leadership

photo credit: AtomikPhotography

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"I am fascinated by inflection points that are the beginning of a new trend. Looking into the future, what are some trends on the horizon?"

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Interviewing Patricia Neal on Leadership

Edited by Rachel Harris and Sarah Flores

CPL had an opportunity to sit down with Patricia Neal, President of the woman-owned Center for Purposeful Leadership (CPL), formerly Heartland Group. Patricia has been coaching and training executives and thought leaders into transformational outcomes for 12 years. She guides leaders in uncovering their authentic leadership and becoming powerfully vulnerable in presenting their transformational journey in a public forum. Leaders who work with Patricia boost their capacity to relate to others, enhance effectiveness for team management and wow audiences with newfound presentation skills. Currently, Patricia is updating her skills via a Conversational Intelligence® for Coaches and Coaching for ROI trainings. Insight into her extensive network and thought leadership can be found at http://centerfpl.blogs.com/

Check out our interview with President of CPL, Patricia Neal, below:

CPL: I understand CPL celebrated its 20th Anniversary with a conference last year. Reflecting on your own business success, who has inspired your leadership?

PN: My husband and partner, of course! Rachel Harris, really runs the place, as she steps forward in her leadership. Our CPL team--fantastic leaders to work with and be inspired by. Then there is Kiki the wonder cat…

I am inspired by leaders who pay attention to whole systems and whole people. Meaning, they hire for the person as a contributor to the whole picture, not just a set of skills. They are contributors to those around them and their communities outside of work. You can tell they are values-driven, inspired-by-life people.

I won't try to list names specifically, because the list numbers in the thousands. I am constantly inspired by the people whose lives intersect with mine.

CPL: As President of a woman-owned business, your to-do list and inboxes are often overflowing. When you have moments to read, what captures your attention these days?

PN: I have a large network of friends and colleagues whom I track because I consider them to be leading-edge thinkers. I watch what they watch. Forbes and HBR regularly catch my eye, but leadership shows up in many non-business settings, so I subscribe to a breadth of online news sources to broaden my perspective. I am fascinated by inflection points that are the beginning of a new trend.

CPL: After 12 years of coaching leaders into their authentic voice, you have worked with some of the brightest minds in the Twin Cities and Bay Area. You have developed a thought leadership following. Looking into the future, what are some trends on the horizon?

PN: Whole-brain, whole-heart leadership: leading to new ways to engage and collaborate for satisfaction and success. Purposeful leadership: Recent research shows that a sense of purpose, not a specific set of characteristics, is the key to successful leadership. Creating thriving cultures: Culture is how people express and define themselves within an organization. Culture defines what is measured. What is measured, matters, but the measurements will change by demand from employees. More than ever, culture will trump strategy. Sustainability: not just of systems and externalities, but of humans inside the systems.

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CPL: You are an incredible networker with over 4,000+ connections on LinkedIn. For people starting out in the workplace, what are some of your expert networking tips?

PN: I am voraciously curious about many things. In person, as an introvert, I’ve learned how to take that curiosity and start a conversation. I ask questions. Then, I try to listen, which is crucial.

Online, I follow and connect with people that interest me in their leadership styles and explorations, and I let them know they interest me.

CPL: You recently began running and competing in triathlons. That takes courage! How has courage played a role in your position as company President?

PN:Choosing a big goal does take courage! Acting on it takes even more courage and self-initiative, but I am always looking for ways to challenge myself and grow. It’s easy to do intellectually, but then, 4 years ago I decided to challenge myself physically and entered the YWCA Women’s Sprint Triathlon with 1200 other aspiring women and girls. It creates an annual stretch goal and benchmark. I created my own training plan of little steps that became longer strides. A 1-minute run turned into 5 minutes, then 20, then 3 miles. I grew my biking and swimming skills the same way. Some days I am tired and facing a wall of resistance, but I know I’m not doing it alone. Then the big day comes, the goal is met, the joy is palpable.

Choosing to co-found CPL (then Heartland) 20 years ago took courage. Choosing to step forward as President six years ago took courage. I then realized that learning to run a business is much the same way as training for the triathlon. The big goals get chunked into incremental, doable pieces. But, just like the triathlon, I’m never doing it alone. Collaborating with a great team is key. The team keeps me inspired and on track. We choose to be mutually accountable, which takes courage and perseverance, but brings great joy when we find and rediscover our groove together.  

To see more of Patricia’s leadership work, follow us on our LinkedIn and subscribe to our blog.

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Why Uncertain Times Need Certainty of Purpose

Photo credit: Daniel Scotton

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In a new series, Center for Purposeful Leadership provides guest blog posts from our Purpose Fellows. We are pleased to present the first post from renowned purpose coach Richard Leider.

Originally posted on 02/23/2017 at richardleider.com

What are we to do to survive and thrive in this volatile, uncertain, complex, ambiguous environment? (VUCA) The mere fact that we have to ask that question is unsettling. Many of us did not anticipate that we’d be living in that question, daily, at this point in our lives.

We prepared hard for a future we expected. And, yet, when it comes to our work lives today, we find that it’s the end of work as we know it.  Laid off?  Under-employed? Feeling stuck in your current position?  Working worried? This is not how we envisioned that it was going to be.

Growing up, I envisioned that the future was predictable enough. If I studied hard I could obtain the work I wanted in an environment I understood. I would live a successful “good life.”

Our careers today rarely are that certain.

Why the disconnect between what we hoped would happen, and what is actually happening? The answer is simple – a VUCA world requiring new life skills to navigate it.

The way I was taught to think and act works well when the future is predictable. But, not so much in the VUCA world as it is now.

In transition times, we tend to knock any abstract thinking about our work lives as a luxury we cannot afford. The emphasis is to stay employed no matter the personal toll it’s taking on us. It’s pretty scary when you cannot plan and control your destiny, let alone the work you want.

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"In a world where we can no longer be secure or certain, how can we find some sense of certainty? If we want to play in the new work game, as it is now, we have to change our mindset."

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Freedom “to” not “from”

This simple phrase has changed the way I relate to uncertainty.

Freedom is born of awareness. Freedom “to” means awakening to the reality that we can choose for ourselves how we want to interact with the new work world (and the daily VUCA news!)

Freedom “to” means awakening to the truth of what’s happening in both our inner and outer worlds and then acting on what is happening with our own deeper wisdom or our guide.

While everything outside seems to be shifting, what remains unchanging is what we know inside – our core purpose, values, and beliefs.

Freedom “to” means staying fiercely aware and protective of that which is most important to lead a life of substance.

Freedom “to” is about taking back the steering wheel of our lives and refusing to become VUCA’s passenger limping along aimlessly as we hear the daily sirens signaling bad news.

So, how do we wake up from being asleep at the wheel?

Creating Certainty Amid the Uncertainty

Purpose provides the bones for the body of life – the human story. What I observe in my coaching practice is that many people, today, feel increasingly disconnected from a sense of context, meaning, and the greatest human narrative. They speak of being too busy, hurrying too much, and not knowing what their lives are supposed to be about. They are desperate to feel connected to some purposeful certainty, something more lasting than their momentary dramas and distractions. The ceaseless activity creates a feeling of shallowness. Instant and trivial is how it is – the opposite of grounded purposefulness. They hope their real lives will one day have the certainty that real life is supposed to carry, yet, is slipping away.

It’s critical to take hold of the steering wheel. To reflect on life. To consider where we fit into the larger human story and what purpose our individual and shared journeys holds.

The VUCA world can change radically in a short span of time. But what is 100% certain is what’s valuable and important to you. Who are you?  What matters to you? What is “calling” you to be your best self?

So, how do you grab the steering wheel and get started on concrete actions that are consistent with your desires? How do you find core certainty in uncertain times?

The process for planning your future when you can’t really plan looks like this:

Does This Overwhelm You?

How do I know this approach will work?  Because it already has.  The process works “if” you work the process.  After reading this, you probably feel a bit overwhelmed because it seems like a lot of work.

Want to know why you feel this way?  Because it is a lot of work.

Creating your life the way you want so that you feel a sense of certainty from it requires a commitment to yourself to take actions every day.  There are no magic buttons or pills that will get you there.

So my question to you is this…

“Are you willing to do what it takes to create a certain life you love?”

You have two choices…

Choice #1:  You can continue on the path you are on right now.  There is nothing wrong with going this route.  However, this path is very uncertain.

Or…

Choice #2:  You can grab the steering wheel and begin the What Works practices which will help you speed up the process so you can get where you want to go much faster.

Which do you prefer?

Whatever choices you make today will affect where you will be in your life one year from now because it takes that long for you to see the results of your practices!

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Richard, known to his 1 million readers as “The Purpose Coach”, has written ten books, including three bestsellers – THE POWER OF PURPOSE, REPACKING YOUR BAGS, and LIFE REIMAGINED.  He writes about unlocking the power of purpose at richardleider.com.

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