When we are willing to stay even a moment with uncomfortable energy, we gradually learn not to fear it. Pema Chödrön

Does it feel like we’ve been living through multiple April Fool’s Days, only they’re not? That feeling arises when thorny problems appear and are very challenging to resolve. As we began to explore in March, the first step in any tension of presence is noticing what we failed to notice before something became a thorny problem. Usually, this shows up in the emotions and sensations called resistance. When we fail to see and acknowledge the truth of what is happening – by tuning it out, ignoring different points of view and options, and failing to dig into the data necessary to be discerning – it backfires by keeping us from taking risks essential to meet the evolutionary change occurring. Learning to notice sooner and have reflection practices to sit in the discomfort of tension a little longer is the path to satisfying resolutions.

The Vanguard Conversation Series, co-hosted with Choice Magazine Editor-in-Chief Garry Schleifer, resumes with our second session this month. We explore the next tension of presence our research identified as common across cultures, industries, and any leader identity, including parenting, educators, and politicians. This one is called Resistance and Risk Taking, and a visionary global leader, Reverend Esther Jones-Alley, will join us. She will share how she solved a thorny problem using our Generative Vehicle for Change and offer an opportunity for you to practice and ask questions about this technique when applied to your own thorny problem. We have one more resource available too. Be sure you subscribe to our YouTube channel to get our video coming out on 4/17, where I share a client story applying the techniques with the executive leader in charge of a post-acquisition, thorny problem in rebranding offices in France, China, and the US. Once he generated a solution, he didn’t stop there; we applied the same techniques with his teams. The reflection practices you will learn about from this story and the Vanguard Conversation Series are excellent to strengthen the archetypal energies for change ~ Renegade and Transformer, especially when we awaken our Sovereign and Strategist. Are you wondering what I’m talking about here? Fulfill your curiosity with this short video to learn about our newest solution, Archetypes At Work, a truly revolutionary way to be fit for the emerging future.

Some of you may recall that what hooked me into coaching so many years ago was engaging in a large-scale culture change for 6,000 employees that was successful expressly because we used a Generative Team Coaching approach. One of my greatest joys was developing our advanced team coaching curriculum in 2007 to transfer the skills I learned back then to the next generation of practitioners. Now that the ICF has recognized the power of team coaching by establishing sub-competencies to coach teams and an advanced certificate, I am thrilled to share that our Generative Team Coaching Certification program prepares you to earn that certificate! The full program includes Team Coaching Supervision, also available one-on-one and in small groups for those who have the training and yet need to fulfill this element of the requirements.

Perceiving and accepting that every person, that means you and me and others, are whole, resourceful, capable, and creative empowers generative living. Make this choice and notice how it supports you in transforming thorny problems into satisfying resolutions courageously.

Keep loving your life’s work throughout April and beyond!

Janet

P.S. April is EARTH Month (Celebrate Earth Day April 21 ~ Plant a tree through our Coach4Planet global initiative), and I want to share the latest data reported in the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the “IPCC.” Rather than scare you, generative overwhelm or trigger climate grief, I share fact-based information to inform your daily choices. The next step is to embody the archetypal energy of a Strategist and a Transformer. Every small step of engagement moves you closer to action. Many actions are how we tip the scales of climate on Planet Earth back into balance!

P.S.S. Happy Holidays to those who observe Easter, Passover, and Ramadan. May you savor the moments with family and friends connected in love and blessings.