Bill Fox

Synchronicity speaks of insight for new leadership residing not in the other, the guru, or anyone outside, but rather insight as accessible to everyone.

Letters from Readers (Synchronicity, 2011)

In 2013, I published my first article for the Cutter Business Technology Journal. And as is customary for all authors, I had an opportunity to write a follow-up email to share feedback I was receiving from readers.

The title of the email I sent was The Path to Leadership. In the email, I shared how hesitant I was about submitting my article for publication. I literally held my breath and closed my eyes when I hit send.

The thesis of the article was completely contrary to the prevailing best practices and wisdom at the time ⏤ and even today for that matter. So I never expected it would be published.

But to my great surprise, it was published!

Then after the excitement wore off, I became a bit anxious. Who would hire or work with me when I’m suggesting that almost everybody is focused on the wrong things!

But then, many leading experts (including those who were also published in the same journal edition) started telling me that my observations and perspectives were right on target.

What a relief it was to receive that feedback!

. . .

It was a challenging time for me. Suddenly, I had found the courage and voice to speak out about what I thought and how I see the world. And, I could see that this was changing how people were interacting with me.

Some people didn’t know how to respond to the new me that was publishing articles that were getting attention, so they didn’t say anything. But many others suddenly began seeking me out as an expert on organizational and personal change.

People were now telling me that I was a leader. That was a real shock for me. I was not comfortable with that label at all at first. A leader to me was the CEO or an executive of a big, successful company, the author of a NY Times bestselling book, and so on. People like Lee Iacocca, Tony Robbins, W. Edwards Deming, are just a few names that come to mind.

What I was just beginning to understand back then was that I was on an inner path to leadership. Set in motion by a simple yet powerful intention to fix what I saw was broken

This past week, as I continued to update my presentation with insights from my re-reading of Synchronicity by Joesph Jaworski, I came across this quote submitted by a reader:

Synchronicity speaks of insight for new leadership residing not in the other, the guru, or anyone outside, but rather insight as accessible to everyone through newly honed sensibilities of looking and listening within and to Life as it moves all around.

⏤ Letters from Readers (Synchronicity, 2011)

That’s exactly it in my opinion and experience. And, I believe it’s why so many people on the inner leader journey find Synchronicity so captivating.

In the Cutter article I mentioned above, The CMMI Agile Conversation is a Dead End, I raised the notion of evolutionary self-leadership. This was the idea that was energizing people the most who were getting in touch with me.

It’s my belief that anyone can be a leader at any level at any time and start to bring about change wherever they are. This has been my journey and one that I know that any person who wants to make a difference can take to impact their circumstances.

Continuous improvement and problem-solving aren’t just a job for experts; everyone can be involved and lead. Anyone can take a stand.

When they do, they will inspire others and create more leaders and create the change we are seeking.

And in my experience, the change happens almost effortlessly, right before your eyes.

As aways, to your great work life & success!

Bill Fox

The western scientific-materialistic worldview is no longer adequate for the issues our society is facing; a historic shift is now occurring.

⏤ Joseph Jaworski

One day not too long ago, someone asked me, “Why my work was focused on forward thinking?”

Frankly, the question startled me for a few moments because the story of what led me to brand my work as forward thinking wasn’t top of mind.

Then it all came back to me. It was 2016. I had just decided to move to Estonia after coming for a two-week visit.

In many ways, I was starting over ⏤ from ground zero. So I decided to take an in-depth look inside myself to find my way forward.

During this time of introspection, I was fortunate to discover the work of Sally Hoggshead, author of How to Fascinate. Sally takes an intriguing approach in that she helps you discover how the world sees you.

I decided to take her personality test, which she describes as: “The only personality test to show you how to grow your confidence, increase your value, and live more authentically.”

The test results showed people viewed me as a forward thinker. I was someone who was always looking for new and better ways to improve work and life for everyone. As I looked back over my career and work, that was indeed a common trait.

I now had a theme and focus that energized me and would help me live more authentically.

Forward thinking also matched up perfectly with six questions I had been thinking about for over a year. These six questions became the core questions in the Exploring Forward Thinking Workplaces interviews.

My Forward Thinking Journey

My initial intention for the Exploring Forward Thinking Workplaces interviews was simply to explore the idea and create content that might be helpful to people and businesses.

I never imagined or thought it would become the major focus of my work.

But slowly and step-by-step over the past four years, that’s what happened. Somehow my plans never worked out, and that seemed to open the door for the work to lead me forward.

Eventually, I caught on and started opening myself up to letting it lead me forward more fully. That’s when things really got interesting because it opened the door for more synchronicity.

The right people and ideas appear at the most opportune time.

I belong to a group called Visualization Value. A key focus in this community is learning how to use design to communicate our ideas with more clarity. You may have noticed that I have started to introduce design thinking into my recent newsletters.

This past week, I received a message from Pim Ruhe, a member of the Visualization Value group. Pim had visited my web site billfox.co and had some great ideas on how to use visual design to communicate the forward thinking story.

I welcomed his ideas because I had been admiring the work that he was sharing in the community and on social media. Visit pimruhe.com if you’d like to get into contact with him.

Below are the three images that Pim created for me along with the ideas from my site. I think they brilliantly help express the Forward Thinking story. Thank you, Pim for your contribution to my work.

We Now Live in a World that Has Shifted

Managing change, best practices, working harder, or even smarter are no longer enough.

When everything changes so quickly, these practices keep us stuck living in the past.

You’re here because you understand that.

The New Way to Level Up

Now you move forward with new questions, synchronicity, and one mind.

Working together in new ways to allow the collective voice, wisdom, and energy of everyone to emerge for the benefit of all.

It’s the age of Forward Thinking and allowing people to be themselves.

A Search for Better Solutions

Built upon an ongoing 21st-century conversation with 75+ global business and thought leaders.

Intriguing insights and practical wisdom are distinguished that help you achieve your most important strategic objectives.

You gain new awareness and develop your authentic strategic advantage.

Wrapping Up

Over the past few months, there’s been a lot of interest and feedback on my posts related to synchronicity. Several weeks ago, nine people from around the world met to explore the topic further.

There was a lot of interest in continuing to meet on a regular basis. However, I couldn’t seem to move any plans forward to continue to meet in a similar fashion.

To my surprise, this allowed space for something new to show up. In August, I will be announcing the next version of my work as Forward Thinking Pro.

Forward Thinking Pro will be focused on building a community of forward thinking leaders and helping businesses be the workplace of the future ⏤ today.

I’m looking forward to sharing more with you in the near future.

Thanks for being here

Thank you. It’s because of your support and encouragement that I do what I do. Every email from you in my inbox is exciting.

So I just wanted to take this moment to shout a HUGE thanks and to encourage you to reply to me with anything that comes up for you.

REPLY TO ME

As always, to your great work life & success!

Bill

The silver lining is that businesses have an opportunity to hit the reset button on how they interact with their employees.

⏤ Robert Scott

One silver lining we have today is to hit the reset button. Not only in our businesses, but also in our personal lives.

When so much attention has focused on the employee engagement challenge for so long — with few apparent results to show for it — aren’t we clearly missing or not seeing something?

My conversations with pioneering business and thought leaders have revealed some surprising themes on what people lack and long for in their work.

Recently, my findings published in the March 2020 edition of the Cutter Business Technology Journal.

In the article, I present an in-depth review and analysis of all the responses to the question, “What do people really lack and long for?”

Going through this exercise resulted in the discovery of seven key themes, five of which I cover in the article:

1. Feeling Greater Security in Being Their True Selves at Work
2. More Meaning in Their Work
3. More Alignment with Their Purpose at Work
4. More Appreciation, Recognition, Significance, and Respect at Work
5. More Community and Belonging at Work

Paying more attention to these themes may provide new and untapped avenues for greater employee happiness, engagement, and, ultimately, customer satisfaction and business results.

More information and a copy of the article are available directly from Cutter by purchasing a subscription.

Or, just shoot me an email to request a copy, and I’ll send you a PDF.

I hope you will read the article, and l’m looking forward to hearing what you find most intriguing?

Thanks for being here

Thank you. It’s because of your support and encouragement that I do what I do. Every email from you in my inbox is exciting. 

So I just wanted to take this moment to shout a HUGE thanks and to encourage you to reply to me with anything that comes up for you.

As always, to your great work life & success!

Bill

Photo by Ocean Ng on Unsplash

A few people can have a profound effect because their consciousness is woven into all consciousness.

⏤ Joseph Jaworski

It’s easy for us to feel powerless when so much seems upside down in our world today.

I have indeed thrown my hands up in the air on more than one occasion recently.

When everything I was working on suddenly seemed to be meaningless, I just stopped. But probably like many of you, it’s hard to stop⏤and do nothing.

While I turned more of my attention to getting the garden ready for planting, I yearned to get back to doing something more aligned with my passions.

But when everything I was working on suddenly seemed meaningless, I didn’t have an immediate answer. 

What is it now time to do? 

If you’ve been following this newsletter recently, you know that I’ve been quoting the work of Joseph Jaworski a lot lately. Joseph is the author of Synchronicity and highly recognized for his innovative work in leadership.

When I discovered Joseph’s book, it was a eureka moment.

I was perhaps unknowingly on a journey to escape an inauthentic life, and his book helped me see that. Synchronicity was the story of Joseph’s escape, and it has been my guide.

For a long time, I wanted to go back and reread Synchronicity. Discovering Joseph’s book and learning from him have had a significant impact on me.

Six weeks ago, I decided that I would reread Joseph’s book for the umpteenth time.

But this time, I would read the book more mindfully. I would hold the question, “What’s most intriguing here?” while reading the book.

I learned from my interviews with leaders that there is enormous power is asking this question. It brings fascinating new awareness that we otherwise miss.

When I ask this question after each of my interviews, there are always 13 fascinating insights that emerge.

Perhaps not surprisingly, the insights I’m gaining from this reading and exercise have had an impact. It has catalyzed me to write a series of articles that are unlike anything I’ve ever done before.

They are also triggering many new insights from readers who reply to share them with me. 

Here’s a fascinating insight from Synchronicity that’s worth highlighting. 

Deep down, most of us are resigned to being powerless. Maybe not so much in our personal lives, but the larger world.

With all the turmoil that’s swirling around us in the world today, we don’t believe we can have any influence, at least in a way that matters.

So what do we do?

We focus on smaller things that we feel we can impact. We focus on our careers, our house, our education, our fitness, and so on.

But in the larger world, we feel powerless.

Here’s what Joseph says about this:

“For the most part, this despair is undiscussable, especially among successful people. We don’t want to talk about it, because we want to maintain a facade of having our lives together. So we create all kinds of diversions. Our culture itself offers abundant diversions. It tells us that all we need to worry about is how we look. Work out, get the body in shape, dress well. Life is about appearances. Diversions also exist in the story we tell about the world—that the world is dominated by politics and self-interest.”

How to regain our power.

Joseph says that fundamental to making a shift to regain our power is to embrace the idea that life is full of possibilities. We also have access to capabilities and wisdom we have overlooked.

That certainly has been my experience too. 

That realization started in 2009 when I decided that I could no longer tolerate the level of petty politics and inauthenticity that exists within many of our organizations.

I didn’t realize it at the time, but I was stepping on to a new path, a path that embraced a life of new possibilities. One that would help me discover that we have access to untapped capabilities that can assist us.

Capabilities that allow us to shape our future and influence that which we now feel powerless to impact.

Because remember, “A few people can have a profound effect because their consciousness is woven into all consciousness.”

In my last email, I wrote about re-discovering The Power of One Mind, and how it was influencing me and what was happening in my life. 

Then a reader shared her intriguing perspective on LinkedIn after reading the article:

“I find this to be quite intriguing as it promotes the power of connectivity and oneness on a level we can all experience if we allow ourselves to flow thematically and systemically in a more natural and less rigid and controlled fashion.” ⏤ Marge Hentchel

A few people.

Many of you have replied to me in response to my last several emails and have expressed an interest in getting together with others to explore these ideas more deeply.

This week, seven of us will gather in generative dialogue. One of the questions we plan to consider from Synchronicity is the following:

“The question to be resolved is how to remove the blocks and tap into that knowledge in order to create the kind of future we all want.”

I hope to have something to share in my next email from this gathering, and I hope this provides you with a perspective and path to gain access to the power to create a better future.

Thanks for being here

Thank you. It’s because of your support and encouragement that I do what I do. Every email from you in my inbox is exciting. 

So I just wanted to take this moment to shout a HUGE thanks and to encourage you to reply to me with anything that comes up for you.

As always, to your great work life & success!

Bill

Photo by ruedi häberli on Unsplash

The mind has powers that allow us to go beyond what we think is possible.

Over the past few weeks, I’ve experienced more synchronicity and unexpected events in my life and work than I have in some time. 

New and unexpected people, conversations, projects, and directions just show up. Everything seems to flow and connect to everything else in the most intriguing ways.

It’s very much like what I experienced during a period in my life six to ten years ago.

After feeling a bit disoriented and demotivated due to recent world events, it’s been a welcome change.

I wondered, what changed?

During the past week, I’ve had an opportunity to talk with a number of people who subscribe to this newsletter.

Last week’s newsletter, How to Allow Life to Lead the Way, received an unusual response. Seven people contacted me after reading it to let me know that it had touched them deeply.

But something started to jump out at me as the conversations with this group of people occurred this past week. 

I started to realize there was a connection with a person and group I associated with in the past. And interestingly, this group had just formed again after being dormant for the past six years.

It’s also a group that’s led by someone who has been a mentor and guide to me, Elyse Hope Killoran. It was Elyse who asked me this question that I shared in last week’s newsletter:

“Is it possible that someone like Joseph Jaworski might, in this unprecedented time, perceive that “surrendering to life unfolding” could be a “leadership” activity?“

Elyse is the founder of Coming Home to Ourselves. She describes the group as “an experimental colab that helps change agents and catalysts become self resourced.”

Here’s where things get interesting.

For the past month, I have been working on a project to capture insights from the book Synchronicity by Joseph Jaworski.

I uncover insights in a unique way that brings new awareness by holding the question “What’s most intriguing here?” while reading the book.

This week, I reached the section in the book that discusses the topic of one mind. This was an idea that was somewhat familiar to me, but I didn’t really remember or know all the dimensions of it.

Here’s how Jaworski describes what he learned about one mind from the quantum physicist, David Bohm:

“At present, people create barriers between each other by their fragmentary thought. Each one operates separately. When these barriers have dissolved, then there arises one mind.”

I learned that when we are working as a group where no barriers exist, there is actually a single intelligence or one mind at work. 

There is no separation between us ⏤ even when we are apart. 

We are operating as one.

When I consider all that is happening across all the activities and projects I’m involved with, there is an uncanny connection and relationship between everything.

But before I go, here’s a sneak peek at the synchronicity project I mentioned. 

The presentation is about 60% complete, but it gets updated every few days. A few people I’ve shared it with have found a lot of value in it already.

In my next email, I hope to talk about it more and also about a special project that is emerging that is too early to talk about in this post.

Because, in my mind, questions, synchronicity, and one mind are the future.

As always, to your great work life & success!

Bill Fox