Lemming Fever

Have you ever worked with or for anyone who has inspired your inner lemming?

Someone you would willingly follow off a cliff into the As Yet Unknown, because they have ignited in you a passion so fierce and utterly compelling, that not knowing the terror and ecstasy of that 8 second free fall seems worse than the potential of a single, terminal “splat”?

When I contract a sustained case of "Lemming Fever" (as I describe the above condition), I know I am in the presence of a great leader. There are many qualities that can describe great leaders, but there are several in particular that resonate with me.

The great leaders I’ve met inspire me to believe in them, but also, without my even being aware of it, they inspire me to believe in myself. They recognize in me attributes and potential that I may not see, tease them out, buff them to a brilliant shine and reward them. The magic here is that I come to believe that we can achieve the goal; I become invested because I believe in both the leader's vision and what I can contribute to it. 

The best leaders help me see and understand my role in the ecosystem, and how it relates to the greater good and benefit of all. 

When the human mirrors around them reflect changes that must begin with and/or be sustained by them, they respond with humility and integrity of action. 

Great leaders deflect credit and heap it upon those around them. And they mean it. They live by "we" versus "me".

They don’t need to tell me what they want or believe or are committed to doing, because they’re too busy showing me.

In addition to finding interesting ways to engage and challenge the matter between my ears, they understand what matters to my heart and find ways to encourage that, too.

Great leaders challenge the status quo and encourage others to do the same. They make time to explain the “why” behind the “what” for every person at every level, and model how each of us – whether individual, group or organization – is either moving forward or sliding backward.  

In my estimation, great leaders avoid rhetoric and “buzz” words, favoring plain talk that helps constituents answer those perennial, existential questions such as: Who am I to you? Where do I fit? Does what I do matter and if so, how? Do you see me? Hear me? Do you care?

Even today, when long-term loyalty between employers and employees is in decline, great leaders can still engender such sentiments. At the very least, they can earn respect and credibility by acknowledging that employees know their jobs best, and by talking openly and honestly with (not at) employees about issues and decisions that affect the organization.

Great leaders are willing to fail on occasion, and are not exempt from the rules that apply to "the masses". No one is held to higher standards than those to which they hold themselves. They push through their limitations and places of discomfort to grow and evolve, even if they look imperfect doing it. They show up and own up every time it counts. 

I think humility and humanity are central to great leadership. Every great leader I've met has a killer sense of humor and refuses to take himself or herself too seriously. They cultivate an environment where laughter is an essential nutrient, and the ability to laugh at oneself is a core competency. 

I believe great leaders are passionate about great leadership. They don’t want to “manage” people, they want to inspire, groom and mentor other great leaders. They don’t want people to “follow” them, they want people to take ownership of the vision and carry it forward of their own volition – with the necessary direction, resources and support – but fueled by personal passion, not a mandate or a model for action.

I don’t know how much cliff jumping is in my future, and I’m not selling my parachute on eBay any time soon. But this week, during time spent with several leaders from my past and present, I’ve felt the flush and tingle of Lemming Fever stirring in my veins. And it feels something like hope.

Tending the Goats

I am asked, in a dream, to tend a friend's goats. Her request requires that I choose between an old commitment and a new one; to face my fears and risk failure in trying something new; to put the needs of others before my own sense of ease and security. 

In exploring aspects of the dream through a poem, I find myself reconnected with the path of nature, with the excitement and joy that new challenges can bring, and the importance of remaining open to life's larger lessons.

Tending the Goats/Honoring a Dream

I am coming!

I am coming!

I found the key,

beautiful girls,

and I am coming.

Through sunlit woods

and down the well-marked path

to your door

I will travel,

silver pails swinging.

I will offer food and drink

in return for your

sure-footed company,

will delight in your curious gaze

as you learn to recognize me

and I learn to recognize myself

in you.

I had other plans today

but I chose you

or you chose me,

or perhaps we are choosing

each other.

I have never done this before

but having chosen, at last,

I am ready to work,

ready to learn.

I left my fear along the path,

somewhere between

the leaves crunching underfoot

and the breeze stirring

in the pines.

Teach me to climb and trust

the earth beneath me.

Teach me to climb and seek

the sky above.

Teach me to be agile

when the landscape changes without warning,

to trust my heart

and the warmth of your lips on my open palm.

Oh, hard-headed beauties,

you wear your confidence like a cloak,

wield your independence like a shield.

But you play like rambunctious children

and it feels so good to laugh.

My arms will be tired tonight,

but my heart will be full.

Standing before your door

which has not yet swung open to greet me,

I catch myself, day dreaming

our afternoon together

before remembering that I am still holding

the key.

July 17, 2012

Check Your Sources

I'm at my alma mater with three strong, capable women. One is an attorney with a fierce intellect. Another is a fiery marketing professional and my colleague. The third is an earthy recruiter for the accounting field who spends much of her time telecommuting from the wilds of Alaska. My role is more fluid, and I'm not yet sure what it is.


In the middle of a conversation with some other folks, an alarm goes off. It gets progressively louder, sending us racing into the large adjacent room to see what gives. No fire, no unwanted guests, no water main breaks. The alarm continues to sound, so we decide it's best for all involved to leave the premises until someone arrives to turn it off or otherwise determine the source of the problem.


Only we can't leave. We're locked in. Even the building's two maintenance men can't help. 


To escape the noise of the alarm, my friends and I climb a staircase to the second floor. I bring up the rear.


We congregate in a large room with high ceilings and beautiful architectural flourishes, including floor to ceiling arched windows that overlook the campus. Oddly - and conveniently - enough, there are four single beds lined up side by side in front of the windows. I glance at the clock - it's around 1:40 a.m. I worry about the hour and, deciding it's too late to call my husband, sit cross-legged on one of the beds to send a text that I will not be home tonight.


As I begin to type, my phone becomes putty in my hands. It expands, contracts, twists back and forth like a piece of licorice. A disturbing text comes across the screen, sending my stomach into knots. It is misspelled, rendering it open to multiple interpretations. I question if it's truly meant for me and if it is, what it could portend. I think, "I've been hacked!", but of course, this does not explain the shape-shifting phone in my hand. 


What is going on here?!


Since this is a dream, there could be multiple explanations, but my sense is that it goes something like this: 


I am in an institution of higher learning, so I know to look for a lesson or two. The alarm disrupts our environment, which creates some confusion and anxiety, but also mobilizes us into action: Stop what you've been doing and move to higher ground.  


Leading the way are three women I respect and admire for very different reasons, and who bring distinct skills and wisdom to this situation; I can hold their examples out in front of me and learn from them. 


There is a role for each of us to play, as evidenced by the four beds, but we will need to align our energies effectively and collaborate if we are to be successful. 


Though I worry that it's so late and that my evening is not going at all as I had planned, it appears that the decision has been made for me: for the time being, I must stay where I am. Opportunity is close at hand, as suggested by the large arched windows. In the daylight, we'll have a higher and broader perspective on our environment and options. And the new day is not so far away.


My shape-shifting phone seems to tell me to look inward for answers to the questions I have carried with me to this place. Messages from external sources may get twisted or misinterpreted. 


For now, it is enough to lay my head on the pillow, just inches from the window through which dreams may travel to provide clarity, if I am meant to receive it at this time, from a source that can always be trusted to give me the straight scoop. 

Do We Practice What We Post?

I feel pretty fortunate that most of my Facebook friends are of a good-natured ilk. The majority of posts to which I'm privvy are positive, with little foul language or mean-spirited musings.


In fact, on any given day, I can usually scroll through a proliferation of virtual Post-It notes offering encouragement, enlightenment and self-help tips on loving myself, the benefits of meditation and connecting more deeply with my spirituality.


I value these easily digestible nuggets of nutrition for my soul. It's not so rare that I take one or several with me through my day as a personal mantra. And it's nice to be reminded that there are people out there who are thinking about, struggling with, questioning the same types of things that I am.


But I am questioning if that's enough. Enough to spark and sustain the real changes that are required of each of us, all of us, if we truly want to make the world a better place.


A friend recently pondered whether all of these bite-size gems of wisdom aren't actually ego parading around as enlightenment. Another friend, in an essay about how the women's spirituality movement is currently at a threshold, posits that the movement has become, in essence, an outgrowth or alternative form of individual therapy; she suggests that until we turn our attention from ourselves and to the greater healing that must occur within our culture and upon the earth, we can never truly attain individual healing.


These ideas speak to me deeply.


As I sit here typing a blog that may never be read, or that may be read by one or more people I do not and may never know, I ask myself what I am doing to bring the precepts of "enlightenment" into my daily life -- not solely for my own benefit, but in service to, and for the benefit of, others. And by others, I do not just mean other people, but the myriad sentient beings with whom we share our planet, and the planet itself.


I take small steps. I am trying to remove unwanted bugs from the house and deposit them outside, instead of crushing or vaccuuming them up. I am making an effort to purchase cleaning and cosmetics products that are environmentally safe and cruelty-free. I eat an almost exclusively vegetarian diet. I contribute financially and otherwise to local and global organizations that support social justice issues. I am attempting to be more prayerful, and to cultivate gratitude and tolerance on a daily basis.


And I do these things without ever really getting my hands dirty.


This is not to say that all attempts to be a better global citizen requires the dirtying of hands. But there is something to be said for going out into the world to practice what I preach, or that I would have preached to me - whether in the form of Facebook posts, or consciousness-expanding workshops, or the latest book on how to look/feel/do/be better.


I can pass on what I learn on my own journey to betterment by changing my profile picture to a bright pink bumper sticker with my Lesson for the Day; I can also volunteer my time and listen to someone else's story for a change, see where our stories connect, diverge, and connect again.


I can feel better about myself by counting the "likes" beneath my latest favorite quote from a revered spiritual leader; I can also cultivate integrity by speaking out against things I know are wrong and in doing so, risk being disliked.


This could go on for quite some time; my larger point is that in the time it takes me to search and post quotes and mantras that belong to others and which may somehow telegraph the state of my own evolution, I can take meaningful action in the world around me, putting these pearls of wisdom into daily practice, connecting me in deeper, more personal ways to the people and world around me.


So I try to gut check my intentions and motives before posting such items:


Am I sharing an inspiring thought for inspiration's sake in hopes that it may cause someone to have a change in perspective today? 'Cause that's not a bad thing, and sometimes, I need reminders for myself.


Is there something I want the post to say about me, and if so, does it speak as clearly and as loudly as my actions out in the real world? 


Am I showing you what I'm telling you? And if not, why not? Can I do more to bring my online inspiration into my daily life and interactions? 


Is there anything standing in the way of my moving from passive participation in a movement toward change, to a more active participation? If so, what can I do to remove the obstacle(s)?