Let's Get Real: It's Time To Be Authentic!

"I know of nothing more valuable, when it comes to the all-important virtue of authenticity, 
than simply being who you are."
- Charles R. Swindoll

Authenticity: A Critical Value for the New Leadership Paradigm

Authenticity is the path to trust. And today people, particularly Millennials, make choices about employment, what organizations to support, and where to buy things, based on whether they trust the organization or company.

Being authentic means there is no space between what you say, and what you do.  People may not agree with what you state, but they know where you are coming from, and your words reflect what you believe.  Authentic people don’t say things just to make a customer or client happy. Instead, they are candid, honest and real. 

It's not about spin, hype or packaging a message to be liked or to make the sale. It’s about delivering on your promises and sharing who you are without a wearing a mask.

"Authenticity is alignment of head, mouth, heart --thinking, saying, feeling and doing the same thing – consistently.  This builds trust… and followers love leaders they can trust."
 - Lance Secretan

La Paz Pelicans: A Lesson for Nonprofits about Patience

It was a beautiful morning in La Paz. I walked along the beach as the fishermen arrived with their daily catch.  Standing sentinel were a group of pelicans still and patient. Quietly they waited for the fishermen to toss the fish remains  from a successful day in the Sea of Cortez.  Waiting, waiting, waiting they were poised to dive in for the rewards of their diligence.  Then a splash and suddenly an orchestra of wings, beaks, squawks--a flurry of activity that  prompted the fishermen to laugh.

 Yes, patience pays off.  The pelicans know this. Nature knows this.  Yet here we are, the world’s supreme species, and we struggle with such a simple concept.  And I’ll be the first to admit, that I am one of the worst when it comes to being patient at home and at work. Seems many of us are hardwired from youth to be productive, to set goals and move towards action. In the process, we have forgotten that patience and thoughtful waiting sometimes reaps the biggest rewards.

 Nonprofits create compelling mission statements eager to make things better. Dedicated, passionate, and yet perhaps impatient.  Changing health and social outcomes takes time.  I know I have been conditioned for immediate gratification and like many type “A” folks, I find myself getting frustrated when change doesn’t happen quick enough. I demand immediacy, rather than celebrating patience and an attitude of nurturing.

 A wise boss and colleague from many years back once pulled me aside, and shared some valuable wisdom. He said that we plant seeds, that need time to grow. Our job, he added, is simply to nurture them.

 So here’s an idea. Today, let's celebrate the virtue of patience. Let's slow down and feel comfortable with waiting--- just like the pelicans. Let’s be happy with the baby steps our nonprofit takes every day.   Here are 5 things I am going to try to exercise my patience.  See if they work for you.

 1. Walk and talk slower.  My high energy persona propels me to do everything fast. So I'm going to try to just physically slow my pace.

2. Set my larger goals not within a tightly defined time-frame, but consider them as a process over time---as a direction I am steadily moving toward.

3. Appreciate downtime. This is thinking, creative and regeneration time.

4. Understand the ebbs and flows that go along with the business of running a nonprofit. Working constantly in high energy "steroid-mode"   will create burnout.

5. Be kind to myself.  Yes, do the work to the best of your ability and complete assignments, but don't be so driven to achieve that your health suffers and you forget to treat yourself occasionally.

 Don't let patience become a lost virtue. Just think about the lesson that pelicans teach us. 

Diversity Brings Beauty and Strength

A walk through Pier Park… Diversity brings beauty and strength

I decided to take a longer lunch today, and engage in one of my favorite past times-- walking the neighborhoods to experience the sense of place. 

I work in St. Johns, a very old neighborhood in Portland, Oregon.  Still affordable for families, although gentrification is threatening. There are many  small, older homes with sidewalks on every block and and I remembered the joyful games of my youth in Portland -- "Red light, Green light"  and "Mother May I".  Soft, fuzzy memories that made me smile.

I headed down to Pier Park to explore, and soon realized the park went farther back than just the soccer fields off the road.  Then I hit the jackpot.  Beautiful deep shaded woods with paths under green canopies and it was quiet and still.  A wonderful respite. 

Now often when I walk, I let my mind wander, hoping it won’t  stray into the clutter of work issues.  But sometimes I find a theme interrupts my random thoughts and my street walking takes on a certain focus.  Today as I wandered I started thinking about the smorgasbord of trees hidden in this green space.    And I remembered my University of Oregon class on “Trees of Oregon”.   I was so proud of myself when I was able to identify at least 15 of the 20 tree species in the park.  And what beauty the diversity of all those shades of green gave the park.  Conifers and deciduous trees… all part of the palette:  apple green, emerald green, asparagus green, avocado green, Caribbean green (of course one of my favorites) , khaki green, lime green, granny smith green… the list goes on.

The trees were healthy and together created a richness, a vibrancy that an orchard of  just one type of tree would not deliver.  And I thought how here in America we are on the cusp of a multi-cultural country, which will soon bring the same richness of diversity ... new faces, values, idioms, and social practices.  It will offer the American culture so much more creativity, with new opportunities tolearn from one another and cross pollinate, creating resilience and strength.    Communities and businesses will reflect the best from multiple cultures, no longer being locked in a singular homogeneous world, but being open and respectful of one another.  I celebrate and welcome this new horizon. 

Won’t you join me?