Now That We've Got Your Attention...

"We do not believe in ourselves until someone reveals that deep inside us is valuable, worth listening to, worthy of our trust, sacred to our touch. Once we believe in ourselves we can risk curiosity, wonder, spontaneous delight or any experience that reveals the human spirit." - E. E. Cummings

Well, now that Priscilla’s Personal Development List got your attention I thought we might do something with the community that was formed through this wonderful world of blogging. In some capacity, we all grow people for a living, whether personally, professionally, in our local geographical area or globally. Regardless, the ripple effect goes well beyond anything we could ever imagine. I hear all too often how people are too busy to call friends, family, those important to them, or to remember special occasions or no occasions at all....just to remember.

In India on meeting even a total stranger one would greet the other with Namaste which pays homage to the inner light in all living things. It bypasses appearance, age, wealth or poverty. In these times of hurriedness, we fail to acknowledge not only others but ourselves as well. Ignoring others is in a way forgetting life. In ignoring those around us, those known, and unknown we fail to light that spark.

It's not prayer....it's acknowledgement of what's special in someone else. And when we take that moment in time to validate and bless another with our attention and good wishes we touch what's good in them and offer them a haven, even for a second, from a challenging world. This is what strengthens life and nourishes it. It's a way to ignite a tiny spark, blow on it and let it burst into flame enriching the human spirit.

Yesterday someone I have not met took a moment to share a thought, wishes and hopes for me. In doing so a spark was lit and has continued to grow. A gift beyond measure.

So to all of you….every single one of you on the list, who can you recognize today for their talents, strengths, impact and effect they have on your life and those around them? What would it mean if at least for today, but hopefully every day that follows we took a moment in time to recognize someone else for who they are and what they bring to the world? Could you imagine the ripple effect of that? I invite you to join us in sharing and lighting the flame within all those around you. Then please share with us what it meant to them and to you in doing so. And while you’re doing this? Encourage each person you touch to do the same with others in their lives and let’s see how far and wide that fire spreads.

Namaste.....
Donna Karlin

*Note: Check out today's post in my Fast Company Experts Blog on the Leadership Challenge: Acknowledging Leaders

Recently, on our Transformational Girlfriends blog (more about that in a moment) my friend and colleague and, as she calls herself (and is) my muse Susan Meyer wrote some insightful thoughts about the role of the Shadow in Appreciative Inquiry.

Susan Meyer writes...

"I am in the midst of a wonderful dialogue about the role of the Shadow in Appreciative Inquiry. This is shadow in the sense of the darker or unexpressed side, not Shadow in the sense of observer, as coined by Donna Karlin. Often, we work hard to eliminate anything that isn’t positive, light, cheerful. People say, “don’t dwell on the negative” or “lighten up” or “focus on the positive” as if it was possible to have a one-sided emotional spectrum. But the world is not one-sided. Emotions run a full range from joy to sorrow, ecstasy to depression. There is room for fear and anger alongside courage and compassion. In fact, how could one exist without the other? How could there be light without darkness? Day without night? Each shade in any spectrum has its own place.

I gained an new understanding of the word appreciation this morning. We have come to think of appreciation in a context drawn from finance - to grow in worth - and have come to see appreciation as solely positive. In a purer sense, though, to appreciate is to value - a term open to both light and shadow. I may appreciate the many joys in my life, and I may also appreciate the sorrows because of what they have taught me. As a coach and as a consultant, I can appreciate the shadow side of situations and experiences simply because they exist. As a practicing transformational girlfriend, I can allow space for the shadow side without encouraging permanent residence in that place and I can mine the shadows for the rich experiences that will inform the light."

As Coaches we are taught to look for the best in people, to look for talents and strengths and to help our clients evolve because of them. As a Shadow Coach™, one who sees all sides to a person, especially their shadow personalities, I believe we become stronger, not only as we recognize and hone our talents and strengths but when we pay attention to our shadow personalities, accept them as an integral part of who we are and work with them as well. We have to accept all of who we are and make those choices that will help us evolve because of all of who we are, not just a select piece of our true selves.

Transformational Girlfriends is a group of "stellar women involved in the transformation of organizations, people’s lives, and yes, even global events. Truly incredible transformational women." We started off as 8 in a house in Connecticut, women who not only grow people for a living but are all individually reknowned and masterful in their areas of expertise. We figured we can really pack a punch globally if we got together to create transformative change.

So keep watching because we're working on some truly transformational things. I'll keep you posted!

Best..
Donna Karlin

Note: Have you signed up for our newsletter "Perspectives in Brief" yet? Tips on the run...to run with delivered right to your inbox. 2 minute reading time or less that will pack a punch. You'll also find out what's happening in the world of A Better Perspective™, new programs and services as they launch along with special launch rates for subscribers.

For those of you who want to hone your awareness skills, are leaders or grow people for a living, today (August 31, 2007) is the last day of the launch price for 'It's All About You....and Others' so sign up today!

And lastly but never least for those of you who want to explore diversity and cross cultural issues in the workplace, ICCO (The International Consortium for Coaching in Organizations) are hosting an international symposium in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, October 11 - 13th, 2007 on Leveraging Cultural Differences.

Participants will explore the idea of effectively operating in different cultural contexts is the integration and transformation of cultural knowledge, self/other awareness, and sensitivity to differences. The three cross-cultural contexts are interdependent and need to operate simultaneously. Appreciate how to leverage these three to move your organization forward.

Registration is capped at 30 attendees, so register as soon as possible to ensure a place in this cutting-edge event. Click here for more information or to register

Being a Part of a Global Community

I was recently asked what it meant to be a part of a global community. It's funny because in Coaching none of my colleagues and friends confine their practices to their general geographical area. However it means more than that....

In writing this blog, for example, I have created a global community of 110 countries and territories where people from many parts of the world can comment on their perspectives, ways of being, challenges and victories and educate us as to what's happening in their worlds in every possible context. I can't imagine confining my learning to just my city or country. How in the world could I bring a richness to my work if I was so boxed into one way of thinking? I certainly couldn't serve my clients well enough that way.

Technology has made the world a very small place where we can now pick up the phone, use Voice over Internet (Skype etc) to have lengthy conversations at very little cost. We can email, post blogs, contribute to Wikis and have intranets like CollectiveX bring global working communities together as if they were around the corner. Even with how easy it is to reach out, most people tend to stay within their immediate worlds.

Is it more comfortable? Perhaps. Is it a way for people to ignore some of the horrific things that are going on in other parts of the world? Also a definite possibility.

What does it mean for me to be a part of a global community? It means expanded learning, a ripple effect that goes beyond my wildest dreams or imagination, connection and possible impact.

What would it mean to you to be a part of a global community? What would it bring to your life and the lives of others?

Best..
Donna Karlin

*Note: Speaking of global community, welcome 111th subscriber country from Armenia. Make yourself welcome!

A Global Dialogue

I was doing a search for a few blogs I'd written way back when and came across a blog I'd written almost 2 years ago today titled "A Milestone…..All of a sudden there were 50….and then there were 51! I wrote "Never in my wildest dreams did I think I’d have regular readers from 50 countries coming by to read, comment and email their three cents."

That was the halway point between when I started blogging to now. Two years since that post I am now celebrating readership from 108 countries and territories! To say I'm blown away at how far reaching a blog can be is an understatement. To tell you how rich a dialogue can be when one has comments and insights from people from across the globe is indescribable. I am honoured and grateful that you take the time to read and write me and hope you stay for a long time to come.

If there is a topic or conversation you'd like to have and for me to write about, please suggest that too.

I will write more over the weekend, but for now would like to welcome our new readers from Bahrain, Fiji and Vietnam. Make yourself welcome!

Best to you all...
Donna Karlin

To Learn You Must Know

People look at their worlds through the perspective of what they know. It’s obvious, right? What I love to see is when they discover what they didn’t know and then want to dive into the deep end of it and learn everything they can. That’s the best part of being a Shadow Coach; watching awareness as it dawns.

It happens to me on a regular basis. When I’m teaching seasoned experienced coaches and look at paradigms, concepts, ways of being and touch on something that had never occurred to them before, all of a sudden the energy in the room is tangible; enthusiasm so intense you can almost ‘taste’ it. Now what if leadership brought that to an organization? Not only would staff want to dive in with both feet, but they know instinctively that through every day they’d learn something that would shift their developmental level exponentially. Now what would one have to do to make that happen?

The first thought that comes to mind is to dialogue and often. Not meetings that drain everyone in the room of any energy they might have arrived with at the start of the day but a true brainstorming dialogue to create and listen to ideas and experiences they never heard or thought of before and to explore the possibilities.

What if, instead of regular meetings, there were creative sessions once a week or bi-weekly that brought out the best of every individual around the table, no matter role or responsibility? What if we went way beyond that? I started reading the book Wikinomics which talks about harnessing the knowledge, perspectives and insights of people from all over the world, not just within the boardroom. Could you imagine how powerful that would be?

Possibilities are endless. But what steps would you have to take to make that happen and then do something with the outcome? Ahh now that’s a whole other conversation for another time. It’s call paying attention to what unfolds.

Best!
Donna Karlin

*A few notes: As I'm constantly asked by coaches, students and businesspreneaurs alike what I use for my graphics work, my postcards, logos etc, not to mention the technology I use in my work, I updated my Coach Tools of the Trade site with all my recommendations. Go to Coach Tools of the Trade to check it out.

Secondly, stay tuned for an upcoming invitation to connect with people from all over the world through 'Perspectives'. Let's see in real time just how powerful it could be to bring people together from all over the world.

Lastly, now and then through my blog I'll be recommending books, websites, new software I've come across that might just meet a need or two of my clients and readers. One such discovery deals with memory improvement. I can't tell you how many times in a day I'm asked if I know any way to improve memory retention, especially when it comes to names! Check out this software. Memory Improvement Techniques It'll go a long way in helping you retrieve that information that seems to have gone poof into the night or the quiet recesses of your mind.


A great book that really packs a punch is Wikinomics. You'll never look at brainstorming and sharing knowledge in the same way again! And for a blogger who has subscribers from 99 countries and territories it makes a world of sense and yet still leaves me with a sense that even more is possible.