Quest for Leadership
May 19, 2009 10:09:42 PM
I returned recently from co-leading a new leadership program called Quest for Leadership. The program was co-created by me, Mike Bodkin from Rites of Passage, and Tom Anderson of Live a Mythic Life. I met Tom and Mike when I did my own vision quest in Death Valley a few years ago. I was attracted to the idea of a vision quest for several reasons: First, I love being outside. I feel more peaceful and centered when I’m hiking or spending time surrounded by the beauty of nature. Secondly, I wanted to give myself the gift of time to look inwardly and outwardly for a vision of what was next for me as a leader. The experience was life altering! I spent three days in solitude with the wind as my teacher, the sun to keep time, and a multitude of stars for company after dark. Over the course of the next year, we stayed in touch and began to discuss creating a program that would use similar concepts yet with new elements that might reach a broader audience. We longed to serve leaders in organizations that were struggling to find the time and space needed to explore a new vision.
What an amazing journey we have been on this past six months. We have spent unknown hours together, both face-to-face and over the phone. We have imagined how it would be, dreamed about how it would work, spent hours searching for just the right quote or poem, wrote and edited, and then finally gave birth to something that had form and substance and beauty. I was in awe of how well we held on to what mattered most while honoring our relationships with each other. Alignment was a foregone conclusion. Much of this is a tribute to the wonderful company I keep. I have been honored to work with Mike and Tom who have brilliant minds and huge hearts that willingly look for what they are meant to give away.
The program took on a life of its own, as magic was spun from various disciplines coming together. Bridges were crossed between old wisdom, multi-dimensional experiences, and friends who share a vision of people being all that they are capable of being. Jung said, The creation of something new is not accomplished by the intellect but by the play instinct acting from inner necessity. The creative mind plays with the objects it loves. And play we did, with the whole of nature located in a breathtakingly lovely spot in Sonoma County. Add to that some serendipity that added just the right amount of spice to create new awareness, deep connection, and extraordinary learning.
You won’t want to miss the next program which begins July 26th in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado. This program will remind you that to speed up and move forward, you must take the time every now and again to step back, slow down and listen to the beat of your own heart.
Look to the wisdom of the flower that blooms brightly for a season and then drops its seeds, resting under the blanket of the earth, hibernating until it is replenished and can return with even greater abundance.