The Positive Energy Workplace

A couple of weeks ago, at the Inc 500 Conference in DC, I was having dinner with my good friend and colleague Ari Weinzweig (co-founding partner and CEO of Zingerman’s Community of Businesses and early adopter of Bootist Leadership) when I felt like I was going to choke. It wasn’t the company (—or the company :)—) but rather a delicious fresh piece of organic spinach that had lodged itself halfway down my throat and halfway in my mouth. You may know the feeling – halfway down, half way up – and you have to make a choice, take another bite, swallow it and hope for the best OR pull it back up and spit it out. I felt like I was going to gag, but instead of choking it up all over my dining partner, I opted to gulp it down and hope for the best. It went down, but with tears in my eyes, and recovering from my “near death” experience, we started to laugh at how swallowing fresh organic spinach and almost choking is a lot like organizational change…well any change for that matter.

First off, it’s uncomfortable. At first you feel like you’re gonna gag, your eyes may tear up, it may be hard to communicate to your peers, and your gag reflex makes you want to choke it up, spit it out, quit. Problem with that is that if you do any of these, you gave up too fast, the spinach doesn’t get digested, the organizational change doesn’t happen, and you’re back to square one – possibly having to gobble it down again (and maybe with a better strategy, but who’s to say?) Second off, it’s green – organizational change is green for a couple of reasons – 3 that I think of now are – it’s new for everyone, it’s got to have time to grow like grass, and it’s not always a pretty color. Third, if you throw it back up, you’ve made a big mess, and it’s probably better not to have started eating it in the first place, plus your dinner companion and employees may be less likely to believe you’ll follow through the next time.

Years ago when I started coaching clients, I bought into the idea (for a very short snippet of time) that life could be perfectly balanced and SHOULD be perfectly balanced and that it was all about getting the "wheel of life" balanced into equal "scores" to create peace and balance in their lives.

I was talking to one of my sisters this a.m. (can’t say which for confidentiality – and I have 4!) about life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. And what creates happiness. And what doesn’t. We got to talking about problems. And solutions. And what has to be present to move a problem from the point of being a “problem” to a solution. Component #1? You have to love the idea of creating a solution – MORE than you love the idea of having your problem. Think about that. Seems obvious, but in my experience it’s not. As is often the case – the idea is not rocket science – the active implementation of it is.

Ever seen this? “I’m having a problem….xyz…I hate it, it’s hard, I wish I could solve it, I want it to go away.” Ever said this? “Hmmm…What about? Or? Would this be helpful? Here’s another way of looking at it…How can I help?” And then by any bitty chance, have you ever gotten this response? “Uggh…no, my that won’t work, nor that, or that, my problem is unique, it’s different, it’s hard, you don’t understand, if I do that than this might happen, it’s hard, it won’t go away, gosh I wish I could solve my problem!” Or some version of that? Likely you’ve heard and spoken your own. I think we all have at least once! (Grin.)

Two things on my mind today in particular this morning. Both of which have been inspired by conversations with other hungry human beings and clients who seek to optimize their abilities to do great work and to lead really great lives and organizations.

Getting what we want and creating lives we love can be a complex process, but most often not as complex as we think. I find over and over again in my work with clients a couple of very common themes. (After all, being human beings, we tend to have common threads of growth and it makes it really convenient to help us learn together.) A couple of these helpful themes are: 1) get quiet, breathe, 2) look inside for answers, trust your inner knowing, 3) directly engage, don’t waste your time in “he said/she said,” making stuff up, and gossip, 4) take excellent care of yourself in the process, and, 5) just do…after contemplation, due diligence and decision making – action must occur.

Whether I’m working with someone on their leadership, their business or their personal life, I believe that it is necessary that we look inside ourselves for answers, that we take great care of ourselves while we do it, and that we put it all to good use focusing on action, outcomes and results. There’s the “being” of life and leadership, and the “doing”….one cannot escape the other, as much as we might try or believe it can work (in a sustainable and peaceful fashion!) There’s an integration of the being and doing, and an opportunity for a very holistic approach to all of it. When we stop, implement even one or two of the five things I mention above, and move forward, we become more aware, leadership happens, our life unfolds even more. It’s a beautiful thing.

I’ve come to call the work that I do with clients and teach in seminars, “Bootism.” It’s easy to remember, offers a kicky and unique style, and it’s fun. I find that it sticks, puts a kick in one’s step, and it’s sticks because it’s congruent with the individual – after all, they choose their path, their plan, their action. It’s theirs. It’s not hard, but it’s effective. It’s not complex, but it’s powerful. And it’s not for me to say WHAT exactly it means for you, but it is yours to find.

So what is Bootism? In a nutshell think Eastern Philosophy (wellness, spirituality, joy, peace) meets Western Philosophy (business, great results, leadership, bottom lines, growth), add in "boots, hugs and cupcakes" as core secret ingredients, and you have a way of creating sustainable results, authentic leadership and joy in the process.