“Tension this month is the condition of pressure or a relentless force causing anxiety, strain, crisis, release, and change.” - Lena Stevens, The Power Path (www.thepowerpath.com)

My goodness me, the month of May manifested much, so much that I can't believe it's already June 1! As the image and quote above suggest, the past month did reveal a great deal of tension, challenging the archetypal energy of the strategist in me to remember that the energy of a storyteller requires following my good advice; pause creates more time than it takes.

When I don't mind that energy, my rope breaks, and those consequences mean more energy is necessary to restore and resolve the breakdowns. Rather than following that rhythm and feeling depleted, I remember that each moment holds the power of choice when I pay better attention rather than operate from auto-pilot habits and routines. For me, therein lies the power of learning to be with tension. Recognizing the 'knot in my rope' that you see in the image signals that the change I seek is occurring. My habits and routines are no longer useful; if I pay attention now, the rope will stay strong. By paying attention differently, I can trust my inner authority to make a shift in how I relate to my situation.

You may recall what I've shared above defines the state of living sovereign. When I accept the responsibility to untie the knot in my rope, I start the process of response agility no matter what's going on outside and around me. I relive this learning more regularly these days in the face of all life's complexity and rapid pace. So, I'm grateful I get to restore myself to sovereignty and hope you do too.

A fantastic phenomenon occurs when I lean into the qualities of any particular tension. Placing my attention on reflecting and listening more internally about what's generating the tension surfaces different choices that harmonize the tension-producing qualities. The act of reflecting to listen within begins to relieve the pressure. Yes, our experiences in life indeed are inside-out, whether we remember that or not!

We invite you to join us in exploring a fundamental tension between Conformity and Contribution for all of us, especially for leaders in organizations. I recently listened to a podcast with Donna Morris, EVP, and Chief People Officer for Walmart. She framed this tension between Conformity and Contribution pragmatically as the big task facing all human resource professionals. "For those of us who are in the people function...at the end of the day, we're change agents. We're individuals who have to be partnered with the outcomes of business success. And we do that by aligning our people to the objectives of our business and then making sure that they understand the role that they play in those efforts." In what ways are you choosing Conformity instead of inviting Contribution? Where are you inviting Contribution too much that is resulting in disorganization? Please work with the handout and then listen to how the CEO of the ICF, Magdalena Nowicka Mook used this process to solve a thorny problem by attending tomorrow's Vanguard Conversation Series session about this tension.

We have many thought leadership and premium learning opportunities available for everyone this month, so scan the offers below. However, I want to focus your attention on two in particular.

• First, we are thrilled and proud to showcase our more than 25-year commitment to artful and generative development of coaching capability through a multi-media, self- managed learning platform we call the inviteCHANGE Learning Cloud. The first two courses explore the core competency skills of coaching for two different levels of development expected by the International Coaching Federation, the Professional Certified Coach, and the Master Certified Coach. If you've been seeking to know how practicing coaches deploy these skills artfully and generatively, these programs are for you (and you get CCEs at a very affordable rate too!).
• Second is a panel discussion planned for June 12 specifically for those of you feeling challenged to grow as a coach and maybe feeling a bit of attachment to business growth that gets in the way of loving your life's work. Two outstanding professional coaches, Sharmin Banu, PCC, and Nina Simonds, PCC will join me on the panel. Bring your questions and challenges, and let's explore what to break down so you can have breakthroughs in your work as coaches and leaders.

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

Janet M. Harvey