Coach John G. Agno is your own cultural attache; keeping you abreast of what's effective in leadership. People learn better and are positively motivated when supported by regular coaching.
PERSONAL COACHING Leadership onboarding coaching helps the executive adapt to the employer's culture, create rapport with their team and develop productive ways to achieve necessary goals.
SELF ASSESSMENT CENTER Leadership skills and style testing. Know how you motivate and coach people to gain success at work and in life.
WHAT IS LEADERSHIP? Leadership is an interactive conversation that pulls people toward becoming comfortable with the language of personal responsibility and commitment.
LEADERSHIP TIPS “The crux of leadership development that works is self-directed learning: intentionally developing or strengthening an aspect of who you are or who you want to be, or both.” Primal Leadership by Daniel Goleman, Richard Boyatzis & Annie McKee (Harvard Business School Press)
We live in hurried times. We value going all out all the time to achieve audacious goals.
However, non-stop work backfires. The American Institute of Stress reports that job pressures are the biggest source of tension for Americans, costing an estimated $300 billion a year in absenteeism, turnover, diminished productivity, and medical, legal and insurance fees.
Although this stress epidemic is not new, the question of what to do about it has become more urgent than ever.
We need a reprieve from the constant pressure to achieve, produce and consume. In her new book, expert Marilyn Paul, Ph.D. urges all to seek "An Oasis in Time."
The solution for this chronic sense of pressure lies in the ancient tradition of the Sabbath. But it's not just your normal day off: The idea is that for one day, or maybe half a day or just an hour once a week, you set aside your doing-for-doing mind, your-it's-never-enough mind, and your crazy nonstop trying to-control-things mind. You enter a true oasis. You can start with an hour a week...and with practice, let go of the feeling that there is something else to be done.
"Years ago, I worked very hard, but ineffectively," says Dr. Paul. "I was very grateful to discover Sabbath history: a day of rest each week. It changed my life and I wanted to share how valuable it is with friends, family and leaders so that everyone could find a way to include it in their lives."
Design your oasis time when you've been moving quickly but haven't allowed yourself to stop...you haven't taken a break...you've been ignoring your need to rest. In the distance, you see an oasis, a pool surrounded by sturdy palm trees with ample fronds. It's lovely and green, a colorful sight for your sore eyes that have been scanning the desert for dangers and opportunities. The knowledge that you are on the way to respite and refreshment gives you a spark of energy. You draw closer to the oasis, and you already feel better as you anticipate the pleasures of the sustenance to come.
You stay there for an hour or so. You leave suffused with new energy. You get a break.
Such events are more prevalent than one might expect. A 2006 Gallup poll of 1,004 adults, the most recent it has done on the subject, found that 33% of Americans said the following statement “applies completely” to them: “I have had a profound religious experience or awakening that changed the direction of my life.”
A sense of calling can come through a message, a realization or a series of unlikely synchronistic events.
People of all ages and faiths, agnostics and atheists, have such experiences, yet they rarely talk about them. Sometimes words fall short of conveying the intensity of what they felt.
“The study of spiritual experience is potentially one of the most important areas of research that may be pursued by science in the next decade” writes neuroscientist Andrew Newberg in a chapter of “Transformation of Brain Structure and Spiritual Experience.”They are asking questions like: Can we distinguish between actual callings and delusions? Is a feeling of being called good for you, and can it ever be bad? Do such experiences come from within—certain brain activity—or without—a source that can only be described as divine?
As a 17-year-old college student, I had a near-death experience (before it was categorized as such) during an automobile accident. During this intense positive experience, I said to myself, "If this is what it is like to die, it's not all bad." For I was at peace; calmly watching my "life review" play out while time seemed to stand still.
That experience forever changed how I lived the rest of my life; for I no longer feared death nor failure as I led a passionate life. People like me who have experienced near-death encounters make life-changing decisions and these "Eureka Effects" can help us all think about death as a peaceful and pleasant ending to this physical life experience.
A “God and War” audit commissioned by the BBC found that religion played some part in 40% of major wars over the past three millennia, but usually a minor one.
What the secularists forgot is that Homo sapiens is the meaning-seeking animal. If there is one thing the great institutions of the modern world do not do, it is to provide meaning. Science tells us how but not why. Technology gives us power but cannot guide us as to how to use that power. The market gives us choices but leaves us uninstructed as to how to make those choices. The liberal democratic state gives us freedom to live as we choose but refuses, on principle, to guide us as to how to choose.
Every reflective individual will ask at some time in his or her life: Who am I?Why am I here?How then shall I live? The result is that the 21st century has left us with a maximum of choice and a minimum of meaning.
Religion has returned because it is hard to live without meaning. That is why no society has survived for long without either a religion or a substitute for religion.
Wars are won by weapons but it takes ideas to win a peace.
The challenge is not only to Islam but also to Judaism and Christianity. None of the great religions can say, in unflinching self-knowledge, “Our hands never shed innocent blood.”
Today Jews, Christians and Muslims must stand together, in defense of humanity, the sanctity of life, religious freedom and the honor of God himself. The real clash of the 21st century will not be between civilizations or religions but within them. It will be between those who accept and those who reject the separation of religion and power.
There must be an international campaign against the teaching and preaching of hate.
Many of us believe we are spiritually driven. But that energy can be dissipated if our actions are scattered and we feel pulled in various directions.
Once we know who we are and what we're meant to do, we have new-found energy that pulls us forward. When we don't know, we feel we are spinning our wheels, we're tired and not accomplishing much.
Defining our life signature begins by tracing our talents back over the years. There is a growing percentage of people thinking about the meaning of their life. This genuine spiritual concern is broader thantraditional views of religion practiced in numerous countries of the world. Yet, it is unclear to most how to live their life in a meaningful way.
It is very hard to bring about significant change without changes in behavior. Powerful countervailing forces appear when we attempt to engineer positive change alone. Although you can do it on your own, a coach or mentor will help to more quickly navigate the hunt toward discovering your life signature.
Let your life signature be your guide. Once discovered, you will know where and how to leverage your time.
Spending time on what's important adjusts your focus toward potentially positive outcomes, instead of negative ones. By knowing who you are and what you are meant to do, you don't waste time tolerating what's not important. This results in building your innate signature talents into well developed strengths while experiencing a sense of well-being and increased self-awareness.
"No man is born into the world whose work is not born with him." James Russell Lowell
With Headscarf Case, Supreme Court Could Make Discrimination Even Easier
By Guest Author R. Scott Oswald
Imagine you're a store owner who's interviewing three finalists for a sales job. All are equally qualified-but two need a little flexibility.
Daniel is Jewish; he doesn't work on Friday nights or Saturdays.
Lisa is a Christian who doesn't work on Sundays.
The third candidate, Kim, can work any day.
At your store everyone gets weekend duty twice a month. A while ago you bent the rules for a Sabbath observer: It was no hardship, but it caused muttering. You'd prefer not to do it again.
During interviews neither Daniel nor Lisa mentions religion; you never ask. But Daniel talks about growing up in Israel, just as your last Sabbath observer did. A potential problem, you conclude, and cross him off your list. You offer the job to Lisa, unaware she has a similar conflict.
Have you discriminated illegally against Daniel? Probably so: The law requires you to discuss reasonable accommodations for religious practices.
But let's be frank: Unless you reveal your private thoughts, you'll likely get away with it.
Hiring bias thrives on such silent brush-offs. Job seekers in wheelchairs know the shabby routine. So do job seekers of color, job seekers with foreign accents, older job seekers, and others. Every day these applicants must swallow unjust rejection, knowing they can't call anyone to account.
Every once in a while, however, an employer tips its hand. Back in 2011, for instance, a federal court found that Abercrombie & Fitch, the clothing retailer, discriminated when it rejected a Muslim job seeker who interviewed in a headscarf, or hijab.
On February 25 the U.S. Supreme Court will hear arguments on whether to let Abercrombie off the hook. The case focuses on religious bias, but it may also affect disabled workers and some pregnant women. In effect, the Court could deny protection to applicants who don't warn employers explicitly that they'll need flexibility-even if the employers end up rejecting them on exactly that basis.
Some background: At über-preppy Abercrombie, black clothing is verboten for salespeople, as is some headwear. Nonetheless, in 2008 Heather Cooke, an Abercrombie hiring manager in Tulsa, Okla., decided she wanted to hire then-17-year-old Samantha Elauf, who had worn a black headscarf to her interview.
Cooke correctly assumed that Elauf wore the scarf for religious reasons, but she never raised the issue and figured that Abercrombie could adapt its rules. When Cooke checked with a higher-up, however, she was ordered to ding Elauf for the hijab. The lower rating made Elauf unhirable, and Cooke never called the teenager back.
For most job seekers, the story would end there-another silent rejection. But a friend at Abercrombie tipped Elauf, who contacted the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. The EEOC sued Abercrombie on her behalf, claiming that the retailer knew it should try to accommodate the hijab-yet failed to discuss it. The judge agreed, and a jury awarded Elauf $20,000.
Abercrombie appealed, saying it couldn't be liable for failing to do something that Elauf never requested-and anyhow, that it didn't know for sure about the scarf. A federal appeals court bought that logic, setting up next week's showdown.
How would our imaginary job seekers fare if Abercrombie wins again?
First Daniel, who studied in Israel and never knew of your Sabbath issue. Out of luck, says Abercrombie: He didn't specify his need, so you don't have to accommodate it.
But suppose, in a fit of honesty, you tell Daniel why you rejected him. Now can he hold you accountable? Still no, says Abercrombie: Liability kicks in only after an explicit request.
How about Lisa, who doesn't work Sundays? Let's say she spoke up during your interview, trying to protect her rights. Would you still have hired her?
Or would you maybe have "realized" that flexible Kim is a better candidate-for totally non-discriminatory reasons, of course-and issued another silent rejection?
Thought so.
Employees live in the real world; so must our laws. Hiring bias is common, and already tough to prove. The Supreme Court shouldn't make things worse by making job seekers' legal rights depend on their mind-reading ability-or on their willingness to risk a job offer.
If an employer shows bias, it should answer to a jury.
R. Scott Oswald is managing principal of The Employment Law Group, P.C.
He is a past president of the Metropolitan Washington Employment Lawyers Association.
"Life is not an either/or prospect--you can have it all," says author David Howitt. "It is for the innovator whose creativity is stifled, the job hunter losing hope, the spiritual seeker afraid of financial success, and the professional who no longer feels connected and fulfilled."
We repair the world by living from moment to moment. We discover our heroic purpose. The thing that lights us up that makes us special. We choose to live in a place of purpose.
We all have the drive to share our gifts, despite our egos telling us it is safer to remain hidden in the familiar comfort zone of an average life. We are all made of cosmic elements that make us destined to mature and transform. The hero archetype lives within all of us, and it brings with it the potential power to shine and surpass our wildest dreams. This innate birthright to become a source of light in our world is possible for everyone. It is manifested in our lives, sometimes when we do not even expect it, in places such as our businesses.
The only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven't found it yet, keep looking.
"Give Me Oh Lord Grace to Hear" Edgar Cayce wrote in book #94 of the specially printed, bound and autographed limited edition of "There is a River: The Story of Edgar Cayce".
In a letter to Mr. Cayce, the author Thomas Sugrue said, "THERE IS A RIVER is not only an account of the most completely documented series of experiments in clairvoyance ever undertaken; it is a history of our times in terms of the spirit of man--crystallized and personified in the struggle that constantly went on in the hidden places of your heart. I don't wish to be immodest, for my part in the tale is inconsequential, but if any reader can honestly say that he is not thrilled by this book, as I was in the writing of it, I will pay him the purchase price and eat his copy. The publisher says the cover of the limited edition will easily outlast its first owners."
And so it has, as I now begin to reread this life-changing book in January 2015.
This first edition was printed on quality paper, bound in cloth, with portrait frontispiece. Each copy was numbered and signed by Edgar Cayce with a personal message for each purchaser, since he knew to which of his many friends each copy went after being published on November 12, 1942.
Back in history, it was recognized that certain people could be hypnotized while being able to be mentally alert and in a state that showed remarkable intelligence and apparent powers of clairvoyance.
In one full-page article in the Sunday magazine section of The New York Times of October 9, 1910, the headline read, "Illiterate Man Becomes a Doctor When Hypnotized--Strange Power Shown By Edgar Cayce Puzzles Physicians". The first paragraph read: "The medical fraternity of the country is taking a lively interest in the strange power said to be possessed by Edgar Cayce of Hopkinsville, KY, to diagnose difficult diseases while in a semi-conscious state, though he has not the slightest knowledge of medicine when not in this condition."
When asked to explain this, The New York Times reported: "Edgar Cayce's mind is amenable to suggestion, the same as all other subconscious minds, but in addition thereto it has the power to interpret to the objective mind of others what it acquired from the subconscious state of other individuals of the same kind. The subconscious mind forgets nothing. The conscious mind receives the impression from without and transfers all thought to the subconscious, where it remains even though the conscious be destroyed."
Since that 1910 The New York Times article, we have learned much about the superconscious part of the mind or psychic activity:
1: transcending human consciousness
2: of, relating to, or possessing the highest consciousness or a margin of consciousness above that within the ordinary range of attention.
"No man is born into the world whose work is not born with him." James Russell Lowell
Many believe that we are all spiritually driven. But that energy can be dissipated if our actions are scattered and we feel pulled in various directions. Once we know who we are and what we're meant to do, we have new-found energy that pulls us forward. When we don't know, we feel that we are spinning our wheels, we're tired and not accomplishing much.
Defining our life signaturebegins by tracing our talents back over the years. There is a growing percentage of people thinking about the meaning of their life. This genuine spiritual concern is broader than traditional views of religion practiced in numerous countries of the world. Yet, it is unclear to most how to live their life in a meaningful way.
Change takes practice. It is very hard to bring about significant change in behavior. Powerful counter-vailing forces appear when we attempt to engineer positive change alone. Although you can do it on your own, a mentor or coach will help to more quickly navigate the hunt toward discovering your life signature. You will be required to make a commitment to staying focused and being prepared.
Let your life signature be your guide. Once discovered, you will know where and how to leverage your time and talents.
Know what is important. Spending time on what's important adjusts your focus toward potentially positive outcomes, instead of negative ones. By knowing who you areand what you are meant to do, you don't waste time tolerating what's not important. This results in building your innate signature talentsinto well developed strengths while experiencing a sense of well-being and increased self-awareness.
Divine Law can neither be ignored nor put aside. Perhaps, the most important of these laws is the 'law of love.' Put simply, "Love is Law, Law is Love." This amounts to the same thing as "the gift of giving" without the "hope of reward or pay," or serving others.
The Law of Love flows through all religions. Here is an interesting story, Christmas Love by Candy Chand, that speaks to the Law of Love:
"Each December, I vowed to make Christmas a calm and peaceful experience. I had cut back on nonessential obligations -- extensive card writing, endless baking, decorating, and even overspending. Yet still, I found myself exhausted, unable to appreciate the precious family moments, and of course, the true meaning of Christmas.
My son, Nicholas, was in kindergarten that year. It was an exciting season for a six-year-old. For weeks, he'd been memorizing songs for his school's "Winter Pageant."
I didn't have the heart to tell him I'd be working the night of the production. Unwilling to miss his shining moment, I spoke with his teacher. She assured me there'd be a dress rehearsal the morning of the presentation. All parents unable to attend that evening were welcome to come then. Fortunately, Nicholas seemed happy with the compromise.
So, the morning of the dress rehearsal, I filed in ten minutes early, found a spot on the cafeteria floor and sat down. Around the room, I saw several other parents quietly scampering to their seats. As I waited, the students were led into the room. Each class, accompanied by their teacher, sat cross-legged on the floor. Then, each group, one by one, rose to perform their song.
Because the public school system had long stopped referring to the holiday as "Christmas," I didn't expect anything other than fun, commercial entertainment -- songs of reindeer, Santa Claus, snowflakes and good cheer. So, when my son's class rose to sing, "Christmas Love," I was slightly taken aback by its bold title.
Nicholas was aglow, as were all of his classmates, adorned in fuzzy mittens, red sweaters, and bright snowcaps upon their heads. Those in the front row-center stage -- held up large letters, one by one, to spell out the title of the song. As the class would sing "C is for Christmas," a child would hold up the letter C. Then, "H is for Happy," and on and on, until each child holding up his portion had presented the complete message, "Christmas Love."
The performance was going smoothly, until suddenly, we noticed her; a small, quiet, girl in the front row holding the letter "M" upside down -- totally unaware her letter "M" appeared as a "W." The audience of 1st through 6th graders snickered at this little one's mistake. But she had no idea they were laughing at her, so she stood tall, proudly holding her "W." Although many teachers tried to shush the children, the laughter continued until the last letter was raised, and we all saw it together. A hush came over the audience and eyes began to widen. In that instant, we understood the reason we were there, why we celebrated the holiday in the first place, why even in the chaos, there was a purpose for our festivities.
For when the last letter was held high, the message read loud and clear: C H R I S T W A S L O V E" ------------------------------- Candy Chand is the author of, "Gift of Grace,"available at many bookstores or by clicking on this link: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1931412200/heart/ref=nosim
Reciprocation flows from Divine Law that can neither be ignored or put aside. Perhaps, the most important of these laws is the 'law of love.' Put simply, "Love is Law, Law is Love. God is Love, Love is God." This amounts to the same thing as "the gift of giving" without the "hope of reward or pay," or serving others.
This 'law of love' is identified in many different ways--for example, in Wayne Baker's bestseller, "Achieving Success Through Social Capital", this law of love in the workplace is described as the "law of reciprocity."
The law of reciprocityis not what can best be described as "transactional reciprocity." Baker says that, "Many people conceive of their business dealings as spot market exchanges--value given for value received, period. Nothing more, nothing less. This tit-for-tat mode of operation can produce success, but it doesn't invoke the power of reciprocity and so fails to yield extraordinary success."
Baker explains, "The lesson is that we cannot pursue the power of reciprocity. When we try to invoke reciprocity directly, we lose sight of the reason for it: helping others. Paradoxically, it is in helping others without expecting reciprocity in return that we invoke the power of reciprocity. The path to reciprocity is indirect: reciprocity ensues from the social capital built by making contributions to others.
The deliberate pursuit of reciprocity fails, just like the pursuit of happiness. Acts of contribution, big and small, build your fund of social capital, creating a vast network of reciprocity. And so those who help you may not be those you help. The help you receive may come from distant corners of your network."
Rule for Reciprocation:
"One of the most potent of the weapons of influence around us is the rule for reciprocation. The rule says that we should try to repay, in kind, what another person has provided us."
Robert B. Cialdini, author of "The Psychology of Persuasion" (William Morrow, 1993)
What is a reciprocity advantage and how can an organization achieve this?
A reciprocity advantage is the new, complementary business you create by sharing your assets to unlock additional growth potential--it's a new competitive advantage. You create this advantage in four steps: define your right-of-way (the underutilized resources you already own that you can share with others); partner to do what you can't do alone; experiment to learn together; and then scale your new business at low risk.
Grounded in research, "The Reciprocity Advantage" by authors Bob Johansen and Karl Ronn, argues that this strategy will enable companies to grow more and faster than ever before. Your business or nonprofit can grow from this approach too if you:
1. Find your right-of-way--Underutilized assets you can share with others
2. Partner with others to create a complementary new business
3. Experiment together to learn the new business model
4. Scale it when you find a new business that is Desirable, Viable, and Ownable (you know how to win when the market matures).
The reciprocity advantage will scale much faster if it is grounded in trust. In a world of increasing global connectivity, the importance of trust will increase. Transparency will be required, while control of your own brand story will be increasingly difficult. If you are not trustworthy, you will not grow in this world--at least not for long.