Continually keep your system open so that you have the capacity to slow down and really see what’s in front of you. ⏤Joseph Jaworski
When the world suddenly changed for most of us last month, three words immediately came to my mind:
Observe. Observe. Observe.
I learned those three words from Joseph Jaworski, author of Synchronicity: The Inner Path of Leadership.
I met Joseph in 2014 at just the right time in my leadership journey. It was a time when I was experiencing significant synchronicity and personal change. Much of it was incredibly exciting ⏤ and some of it wasn’t. I really didn’t understand why or what was behind it.
I was introduced to Joseph’s work by Marilyn Jacobson, who I interestingly wrote about in a recent blog post, How to Create New Energy for Change. In her book, Turning the Pyramid Upside Down, Marilyn writes about Joseph and the powerful influence he had had on her work.
Marilyn says:
The imperative for him [Jaworski], is the requirement that organizations be open to a new world of ‘possibilities.’ A second imperative is the need for people at all levels in organizations to participate in creating the future. ⏤ Marilyn Jacobson
The day after I met Marilyn Jacobson in May of 2014 and felt the connection to who she was and her work, I purchased Joseph’s book, Synchronicity. I immediately started reading it on the plane flight from Chicago back to Washington, DC.
Reading Joseph’s book provided me with an endless stream of insights and aha moments. My life didn’t seem so chaotic anymore. I now had a better understanding of what was behind the changes I was experiencing. I had to talk with Joseph.
Shortly thereafter I had an opportunity to interview Joseph and attend one of his weekend workshops. The scenic mountains of West Virginia provided an excellent venue.
Over the past few weeks, I’ve taken the time to slow down and observe what’s happening and changing in my world.
When I sat down to write a weekly newsletter just one month ago, I knew what I was about to write wasn’t going to resonate with me ⏤ or my readers.
That’s when I permitted myself to:
Observe. Observe. Observe.
It’s taken several weeks for some clarity to emerge, but one trend I’m observing is a change in Google search traffic.
Suddenly, role clarity has become a hot topic in the global shift to a remote workforce. And for a good reason.
Role clarity is essential to creating workplaces in which people feel valued and share a sense of trust. ⏤ Martha Kesler.
Martha Kesler is the Founder and Principal at Buffalo Creek Consulting. I interviewed her almost exactly one year ago to the date. In my conversation with her, she highlighted the critical need for role clarity in today’s modern workplace.
Frankly, it was the first time its critical importance had come to my attention. And it didn’t seem to resonate with many readers at the time.
That’s all changed. It makes a lot of sense to me that as more of us work remotely, gaining clarity on our roles becomes even more critical. I highly recommend you read it.
Get the highlights in the presentation below or read the full interview at Why is Role Clarity So Important in Today’s Workplace?
May you find inspiration, boldness, and courage to lead from the life and words of Joseph Jaworski and Martha Kesler.
As always, to your great work life & success!
Bill
