Power of Our Way Blog

The Evolution of Leadership

When we launched the official kick-off for Conscious Dialogues™ in April, we received a number of questions pertaining to the future of leadership. It is my belief that, never before in the history of humankind, are we being called to become more conscious in our roles as leaders. We are being called to step up as higher level leaders in our families, our businesses, and in each of the communities we participate in; social, learning, spiritual, and of course, the communities within which we reside.

A new generation of leaders is being called to evolve and emerge from the frameworks in which we currently relate to one another. This evolution is creating a demand for the emergence of leaders who are not dependant on position power, manipulation, fear, exclusion, and coercion but rather who operate under a higher mindset, believe in human potential, and see themselves as an influence for powerful, social change.

The Energies of a Conscious Leader

Conscious Leaders possess a certain “energy” about them. It is tangible, natural, and contagious in nature. In addition to traditionally respected qualities such as integrity, personal accountability, visionary and strategic thinking, and confidence, the Conscious Leader embodies a powerful, positive energy that impacts their relationships, environments, and in the quality of how they communicate.

They are more vulnerable than ever, the vulnerability exposing a supreme openness to initiating change within themselves and a humbling gratitude for what they also recognize as co-created circumstances, opportunities and relationships.

They emit energies of compassion, strength, persistence, love, unity and connection, and most importantly, are completely present in their day to day interactions. Conscious Leaders emanate the energies of curiosity, intrigue, and are possibility thinkers; looking less to the past for answers and more to what they see as possible, ideal, and exciting to co-create in the future.

They, although are often in a position of “power, prestige, and influence,” emit an energy of equality so great that people naturally feel valued and important when they interact with them or are in their presence.

Conscious Leaders care less about “what people will think about them” and more about how people will “feel” in their presence. They are spiritually and emotionally intelligent and utilize intuition, higher guidance, and emotional and spiritual information in their decision making.

They are generous with praise and recognition in an incredibly genuine and authentic way. They are influential not manipulative. They inspire by tapping into the internal world of the people they lead, as opposed to motivating through external rewards, threat of punishment, or the promise of approval.

Conscious Leaders Facilitate Change

Conscious Leaders are less absolute in their opinions and decisions, are open to “having their mind changed,” and therefore swim in the rainbow of possibilities that exists between the space of “either, or, right or wrong” thinking.

They are willing to abandon traditional, typical, historic, and less effective policies and procedures for processes that are more aligned with the development of conscious teams and organizations that seek to find the “greatest good” in both people and situations.

And, they see their role in the development of others as an honor, not a burden, and are unafraid of developing intimate relationships with their workforce. They no longer buy in to self limiting beliefs about what motivates people and keeps them engaged. Instead, they assume people want to be inspired, want to contribute their best, and want to access their greatness.

They desire to understand the cause and effect of beliefs and attitudes on human behavior and foster environments where people can naturally evolve into their potential, thus leveraging the hidden talents and passions of the people they serve.

They see their business as an opportunity to influence positive change, empowering others to live their purpose, and build long term relationships with their customers, stockholders, and employees.

They foster interdependence and are easily able to ask for and hold people to their commitments and therefore do not enable people to live below their greatness and potential. Yet, they have an uncanny ability to inspire people to stretch beyond their comfort zone without feeling abandoned, scared, or set up to fail.

They have faith in the inherent abilities we all possess to move beyond our current understanding of what is possible and they actively create the conditions within which people are invited to evolve and change. Therefore, they expect that people will change and grow and are less likely to categorize, label, or box people into predetermined, unwavering, unchanging identities.

They practice spontaneous forgiveness, don’t hold grudges, and are not vindictive or vengeful in their decision making. They are honest and open, yet are able to make confident decisions that are “right” as opposed to widely accepted.

This evolving generation of leaders does not buy into fear and lack consciousness, but rather are experienced as faith and abundance in thought and action.

Vulnerability as a Strength

In spite of their openness, vulnerability, and ability to change, they are seen as strong, as opposed to “wishy washy,” because they have fostered a culture where “changing one’s mind for good reason” is a strength and an indication of being a forward thinker who seeks to do the right thing as opposed to being right.

They are not concerned that changing their mind or demonstrating an openness to challenge long held beliefs in themselves will be perceived as weak minded, therefore they are not easily influenced by fear, pressure or a desire to be popular.

They understand the difference between commitment and compliance and are fluid in their ability to see when and where there is a lack of alignment between the mission, purpose, values of the organization and the individuals who are there to serve the mission, purpose and values.

Alignment is a continuous priority and they intuitively know when individuals and/or teams are veering off course and empower them to bring themselves back into alignment without the use of guilt, shame, or punishment. Rather, they are able to get to the core of the disconnection and quickly re-connect people to the bigger “why” of their organization.

The Awakening to Higher Purpose

Conscious, evolving leaders see their “purpose” as an awakening, a process that evolves and influences their focus and they seek opportunities to further explore their role in a bigger picture context.

In fact, this “Awakening to Purpose” is a pivotal point in their development and they invite their “higher purpose” to emerge and evolve in all of their roles.

They clear out old patterns of thinking and behaving and although they never quite see their evolution as complete, they are also not in a constant state of seeking, but rather give in to a natural “unfolding” of their purpose, giving heed to the calling to transform themselves in the moment and continually align their thoughts and behaviors with their deeper sense of purpose.

Do you know a leader who exemplifies these qualities? If so, please share your examples with our community by posting a comment or emailing me at [email protected].

Are you in the process of awakening to your higher sense of purpose and how that impacts your role as a leader, in both your professional or personal lives?

You may be ready to explore this deeper awakening to purpose at an upcoming 3.5 day, horse enhanced transformational retreat led by myself and Amy Skolen.

Check out http://www.powerofmyway.com/pages/45/index.htm for more information about “Awakening to Purpose,” which sets a beautiful foundation for the evolving, conscious leader within.

Until next time, Namasté, Anita

Anita Pathik Law is the CEO of Dare Dreamers, a Strategic alignment and Innovation firm in Annapolis, Maryland. She is an Executive and Entrepreneurial Coach, retreat leader, lyricist and author of The Power of Our Way, A Path to a Collective Consciousness, a 31 day spiritual development process that guides people into their inknown wisdom and a deeper sense of purpose, passion and authentic living.

Her passion for initiating and fostering Conscious Dialogues™ has led to working with business and faith based communities to raise consciousness and build bridges of higher understanding through the art of Conscious Dialogues™, a direct reflection of her divine purpose.

For more information about Anita, her books, cds, and programs, please visit www.dare-dreamers.com, www.powerofourway.com and www.powerofmyway.com.

Bonus or Bribery: a Personal Reflection

What was originally going to be a short blog entry, turned into an article, which proceeded to push the limits on length! So, for your convenience, you can listen to and/or read this interesting look at the worlds of internet marketing, book bonuses and joint venture campaigns! Enjoy!

Click the arrow above to listen!

About a year and a half ago, my husband and I decided to go the music and publishing industries alone. After investigating all of our options; hire an agent, manager, publicist, sign with a publishing house or record label, remain independent artists, give up our publishing and distribution rights, maintain our rights, earn 50 cents or a dollar a cd or attempt to actually earn a living sharing our gifts and passions, we found that our decision making was in fact influenced by a few things.

CONTROL, MONEY, PERCEIVED VALUE AND TRUST

One major influence was desire to maintain a semblance of control over how our work was shared.

Another influence unfortunately was money (we actually went the entire winter without a working furnace so we could have our PowerPoint prototype of www.thepowerofmywaymovie.com made into flash).

Money was a huge influence, especially since we did not have an abundance of it, given the fact that we are both completely self employed, have a whole bunch of kids to feed, put thousands of hours into writing, producing, editing and marketing, which does not pay money when you don’t have a distribution contract!

The third major influence was the fact that out of the majority of various services I have outsourced (marketing, web development, book keeping, copywriting) none have ever yielded any real results or value (actually pretty shameful results and lots of broken promises). So regardless of whether we have been complete idiots and totally ignorant (that remains to be seen) we decided to try it on our own.

So, tomorrow is the 5 month anniversary of the January 11, 2006 release of

www.thepowerofmywaymovie.com and my book, “The Power of Our Way, A Path to a Collective Consciousness.”

IN THE END IT’S NOT JUST THE RESULTS THAT DEFINE SUCCESS

Are we happy with the results? Yes and No.

Have I learned some things along the way? I think so. I HOPE SO!

At the very least have I made some interesting observations? Yes!

As a business coach and consultant who owns my own business, I realize that the real truth is that we are and always will be a marketing company, or at least NEED to view ourselves as a marketing company. The real truth behind why most business coaches or consultants fail is because they refuse to market themselves, do a poor job in their marketing planning/strategy/activities and follow-through, charge too little, or in the end, they really don’t provide quality products and services.

I realize this may sound severe, hard and cold, and there are, of course, other reasons businesses fail, I am just stating my experience.

Depending on how I define success and failure, I would have to say without a doubt, I have been incredibly successful and I have completely and utterly failed.

The Dilemma

You heard me. I have succeeded and I have failed. The details of which are not as important as the dilemma I currently face. So, I want to share a dilemma and a set of experiences that I am giving great thought to.

It’s the dilemma of the bonus. If you follow, in particular, internet marketing strategies for authors, it has become increasingly popular to offer added bonuses to sweeten a book purchase. For some they are added to help bring a book to number one on Amazon in a grand, one day mass marketing event that generally leverages affiliates and joint venture partners.

It does not matter if a major publishing house is in the picture. These days it is largely still up to the author to “hawk their wares.” Speaking engagements, book signings, workshops, guest appearances, media publicity, joint venture offerings, teleseminars, press kits, videos, cds, interviews, syndicated articles, reviews, write-ups, special internet bookseller strategies, search engine optimization, endorsements, the list goes on and on and on and on.

Whew, I am getting exhausted just writing this down and this doesn’t even cover the expansive list of marketing needs. And, the truth of the matter is that most people do not get rich from writing and selling a book. The middle man, the distributors, publishing companies, and the marketing consultant that charges hundreds if not thousands of dollars per hour - they are the ones getting rich.

UNTIL OPRAH CALLS

Unless you are fortunate enough to be invited to be a guest on Oprah (and she may be a little shy of endorsing authors these days so I won’t count on it!) or your book is identified as say “the top few books” that your publisher is really going to focus on publicizing for the year, even traditionally published authors need to commit to going out on the speaking circuit, hire a marketing firm, set up speaking engagements, etc..

You get the picture.  So, internet marketing becomes one of several strategies for getting the word out about your music, your book, or your program, whatever it is you are sharing with the world.

OK - Back to the Bonus Thing

I decided to do the bonus thing at www.powerofourway.com. I was very careful to select bonuses that were aligned and supported the work in “The Power of Our Way.” Reputable and aligned people and products were very important to me. I spent hours and lots of dough to build the website, get the shopping cart and merchant services set up, the autoresponders, the content for the websites, sales letters, and all of the teleclasses I developed.

We have had some incredible bonuses too!

No cruises or deluxe vacations, no possibility of winning a million dollars or a wide screen T.V., but some really awesome and powerful bonuses provided by yours truly and some other amazingly talented people.

And yet, in spite of the hours and money invested, two things have really impacted me as of late.

Do People Value FREE?

One is that very few people actually take advantage of their free gifts. 

Sad but true. Like for example, right now I am teaching a 4 week class on Building a Soul-Satisfying Business. This course, which in actuality, easily offers a value of several hundred dollars, if not thousands, only had about a dozen people registered. To date, only four people are actually taking advantage of it.

This is actually very common. My conclusion? Most people do not value FREE.

Note, I say most people, because I do know a few who value free, but really, think about it. Even those who take advantage, very often do not APPLY or USE what they got for FREE.

Am I sounding cynical? Maybe, but the truth is that it saddens me and even I can honestly say that I don’t always take the time to fully take advantage of the amazing bounty I have collected as a result of several bonus offers!

The second issue for me is that bonuses can be perceived as bribery.

Adding bonuses can (and do in fact) move people to make a purchase if they are on the fence. The bonuses heighten the perceived value in the actual product; they cause us to say, “This is too good to pass up!” As I put the finishing touches on this “way to long” article” I just received an email about a new book with 41 bonuses. Yes, forty-one, albeit impressive bonuses are being offered for buying what I bet is an incredible book. I am not attempting to incite a global anti-book bonus protest, but come on, is this what we have to resort to just to sell a book? Does it really come down to Bonus or Bust?

As I mentioned, we have had some pretty incredible bonuses that are high quality, valuable, and completely relevant to the work people do in “The Power of Our Way.”

In fact, I have also developed and offered bonuses for other authors, in particular new ones or people for whom I have a great deal of respect, like Ghalil, the author of “Professional Dreamer,” and a new kindred spirit and most likely, a lifetime friend.

And, for example, Dr. Joe Vitale, author of tons of books, most recently the second edition of “There’s a Customer Born Every Minute,” released on May 9^th, asked me to offer a bonus for his book. I love Joe’s work. I respect him immensely. And, I am honored to invest the time and energy to support a really honorable and talented person and the launch of a fabulous book. Check out http://www.BarnumReturns.com to see the amazing bonuses, including one from Dare Dreamers and yours truly.

STILL – THE CONFLICT REMAINS

And, yet, I am in conflict about bonuses. Do they increase sales? Do they increase the value of the original product? Are they a just a form of bribery? Could they actually cheapen the value of what is truly a work from the heart and soul?

Could it be possible to answer “yes” to all of the above?

STOP GIVING STUFF AWAY FOR FREE

Recently, I was challenged by a colleague (actually several colleagues, plus a few of my coaches) to stop giving away my time, talent and services for free. Stop giving bonuses. Stop doing any free coaching. Stop undervaluing my self. Stop doing the very things that we have come to believe will help us spread the word about our music and the book.

To tell you the truth, before we even released the book and music I was highly discouraged from writing a spiritual book and music that had such positive messages. I wasn’t just discouraged by one or two people either…I was discouraged by a lot of people, even some for whom I have great respect.

I was told that most people just are not interested in developing themselves spiritually. The long and short of was that if I wasn’t writing a book that would help people get rich quick, lose 20 pounds in two weeks, find a lover in 7 days, write a blockbuster book in under 7 hours, or unless I was writing lyrics about bitches and ‘hos (excuse my French) that I may as well give up on trying to be a successful author and lyricist.

It seems as if an awful lot of people believe we have entered into a time where unless we writers are offering a “get rich quick with no effort at all, in fact get rich in your sleep” sort of thing, we should just stop writing all together.

If I am not writing about business strategy or highly results oriented, actionable, steps one can take in their business or marketing plan, (which I do love to write about) I should just not even bother sharing it.

If I am not paying particular attention to why or how something has an unequivocal impact on the bottom line, then anything I have to say is a complete and utter waste of time.

And I love this one…quit wasting my time trying to inspire people, instead, I have to use FEAR to get them to want to work with me or by a book that costs around $16.00.

Or, pay someone $20,000 to tell me to do all of the things I already know I need but do not have the time to do. Or pay another desperate soul $3,000 to send the link to www.thepowerofmywaymovie.com out to their mailing lists.

Bah Humbug!

I have been accused of being too purpose and mission oriented.

I have been accused of being too idealistic.

Too nice, too generous, too positive, too happy, too intuition and faith based.

Crazy isn’t it?

Then, on the other hand, there have been a few people (Thank God, not many) who have sent scathing emails about how sleazy it is to charge money for our CDs and book, since they are spiritual in nature.

Better yet, if I was really a good person I would give them away for free and “how dare I charge money for my time.”

You would think I was the devil incarnate and represented all of the evil in the world because I am trying to earn a living doing what I love and am called to do!

So, where does all of this leave me on the eve of our 5 month anniversary of the release?

I have no idea.

Is there a right or wrong answer or way to earn an honorable living?

Are there steadfast rules and principles about how to spread the word about something that truly offers the potential to change people’s lives without bribing them to just get that small chance to make a difference?

McDonalds or Enlightenment – Hmmm, the Choice is soooo Hard!

For Heaven’s Sake! We are talking about less of a financial investment than it would cost to take your family to McDonalds. And, from the author or musician’s standpoint the biggest reward is not the few dollars of profit for each book or CD sold, it is knowing that in some small way you are enhancing the lives of others in a really honorable, humbling way!

In my experience, and with 5 kids--trust me--a trip to McDonalds doesn’t typically inspire you to live your best life, to see yourself as a source of good in the world, or to help you understand your highest potential and purpose.

Don’t get me wrong, I love the occasional Big Mac, fries and a coke followed by a deep fried apple pie!

But, living a life defined by purpose with a best friend, soul, and business partner who happens to be my husband and father of my children, (my other partner, incidentally, is my mother!) is pretty much the equivalent of heaven on earth.

Working with clients and readers who are committed to living their potential and dreams, helping them develop their sense of divine purpose and for many, working with them to design and launch new businesses and products/services, and ultimately celebrate dreams and goals once seen as impossible, is truly my bliss!

So bonus or bribery, I suppose is always in the eye of the recipient or the observer. Everything is a perception. It boils down to perception of need, value, “cost,” investment, alignment with our values and preferences or tastes, readiness, sense of worthiness, fit, timing, etc.

And probably the most important lesson of all is that not everyone in the world will ever love everything we create, do, say, or believe.

In the end, my opinions may change a million times. I will continue to experiment, succeed, fail and experiment again. I will continue to write, speak, coach and teach because they are my bliss.

I will continue to lead by example, set pure intention, and be conscious of what I am co-creating with my beliefs, thoughts, feelings, and behaviors.

I will continue to market and attempt to reach people who will value and benefit from what we have to offer.

And, I will most likely continue to do some things for free, offer a bonus every now and then, and support others in their quest for success and fulfillment by providing them with bonuses (or bribes) to buy their creations.

I would love to hear your thoughts! Are Bonuses a great add on or does it all boil down to taking what ultimately is a desperate measure or bribe in the hopes of sharing our hearts with our readers and listeners?

Post your comment or email me at [email protected]. I really would love to hear your perception!

Namasté,

Anita

Conscious Dialogues - Where Are They?

Immediately following our incredibly received Conscious Dialogue Events, the worst possible scenario emerged. Our studio (we have a full service recording studio) completely tanked. Technology- can't live with it, can't live without it. Fighting back tears, we quickly began to research our options. Find a piece of equipment that is no longer being made or quickly come up with $15,000 and re-build from scratch. For obvious reasons, we tried the first option (thank God for eBay). The equipment has now arrived and we will be working on the audios tomorrow!

So, hold tight, I'll be back in touch to let you know when the remaining audios are posted and available. In the meantime, on this blog we have posted some of the resources mentioned during the dialogues. Just go into the archives and you will be able to access them directly from this blog.

Also, here are some resources from Dr. Laurie Weiss, many of which we mentioned during the calls.

Books on Inner Child work:
Recovery from Co-Dependency: It's Never Too Late to Reclaim Your Childhood by Laurie Weiss and Jonathan B. Weiss

An Action Plan for Your Inner Child: Parenting Each Other
by Laurie Weiss
This is no longer available on Amazon. Laurie still has some copies for sale at www.empowermentsystems.com. This is a very special book. It's a unique way to do inner child work in self-help groups.

In An Action Plan for your Inner Child: Parenting Each Other, author Laurie Weiss shows how crucial it is for Adult Children to cultivate and nourish their Inner Child with unconditional love. This plan sets up a personal program for learning to give and receive appropriate parenting, subsequently learning how to have mature relationships with others. An Action Plan is a structured program that can be used at home in self discovery or by a licensed therapist for group or individual sessions. It contains detailed instructions and exercises for a complete 14 week program for emotional healing through the process of parenting each other.

If you are struggling with how to say what you think without getting fired or losing your friends, check out http://www.TheIntegrityCourse.com

And finally, here are some books on grieving (links to Amazon)

Courage to Grieve -- by Judy Tatelbaum "The death of a loved one is the most profound of all sorrows..."

Living With an Empty Chair: A Guide Through Grief -- by Roberta Temes

The Year of Magical Thinking -- by Joan Didion

And for those of you who requested it, here is Laurie’s contact information!

Laurie Weiss, Ph.D., Master Certified Coach
Expert Coaching for Personal and Working Relationships
Empowerment Systems, 506 West Davies Way, Littleton, CO 80120
303-794-5379 Fax 303-794-5408, www.empowermentsystems.com

I’ll be back in touch soon!

Namasté, Anita