Disseminating the New Business Paradigm – Part 3

Disseminating the New Business Paradigm

Part 3

This is the third in an 8-part series examining the new style of business leadership being championed by Uplift Consulting and shared by spiritual/professional thought-leaders worldwide.

In recent years, I have seen an increasing need and intense pressure arising in the corporate world for people to be supported in ways that help them heal, to come back to a place of peace and calm, grounded and centred. We’ve been armoured and protectionist for too long; it’s almost as if the walls are finally coming down. I’ve seen a refreshed and renewed way of professional development build resilience while creating a depth of kindness and compassion. One of my colleagues said recently, “I admire what you are doing at Uplift, launching a business that stays true and consistent with your values”. In the busyness of day to day life, it’s easy to get caught up in the next great thing. We aren’t taught to maintain our sense of who we truly are as an adult and moreover, how to nurture that Self in our workplace.

The fact is, staying connected with our natural rhythms is an integral piece to staying grounded through times of transition.

In this Wisdom 2.0 video, Bill Ford, the executive chairman of Ford Motor Company, talks about the harrowing experience he went through when Ford nearly declared bankruptcy several years ago. For him, taking time to meditate and check in with himself each day was critical. “The practice of mindfulness kept me going during the darkest days,” he says. He also took time each morning to “set the intention” to deal with whatever arose that day with a sense of compassion and kindness.

In that video, this strong leadership question really sticks out for me. Jack Cornfield asks Bill Ford, for the next generation of leaders, “how do you keep true to your Vision when the world around you criticizes and undermines you?” Well what about this? We will always be faced with the ‘naysayers’, but we can use the knowledge of that to figure out how we can play our part and support and uplift each other on that journey.

Like Bill, my sense of wellbeing and my greater connection to life through spirituality is dependent upon the time I set aside to listen to my own natural rhythms. This daily practice allows me to identify and paying attention to my needs, really hear what my body is telling me, and set intentions for my day. Practices like gratitude, mindfulness, meditation, and yoga teach us how to do just that. These practices are at the centre of the new business paradigm.

Michael Stone, from his radio show Conversations, Are We Listening, calls for awareness and action.  There are greater conversations that need to happen:

 “We stand at a critical moment in Earth’s history, a time when humanity must choose its future. As the world becomes increasingly interdependent and fragile, the future at once holds great peril and great promise. To move forward we must recognize that in the midst of a magnificent diversity of cultures and life-forms we are one human family and one Earth community with a common destiny. We must join together to bring forth a sustainable global society founded on respect for nature, universal human rights, economic justice, and a culture of peace. Towards this end, it is imperative that we, the peoples of Earth, declare our responsibility to one another, to the greater community of life, and to future generations.” ~ The Earth Charter

I would take one step further and say that in order to “declare our responsibility to one another”, we need to declare our responsibility to our true selves. We need to be accountable for our actions, our needs, and our intentions. If we face our lives with a wholly compassionate perspective, so we are in a better place to “bring forth a sustainable global society”.

“Though the unwise cling to their actions, watching for results, the wise are free of attachments, and act for the well-being of the whole world.”  3.25, Bhagavad Gita

I am really proud of what Uplift is and it continues to evolve—we’re helping more and more people, front-line workers to professional executives.

We are literally changing the world, one person at a time. We all need support and guidance (just as Bill Ford found in Jack Cornfield). Uplift is here to guide you along your path.

Please join me in this meditation.

I invite you to find a quiet place. Sit back, take a deep inhalation, and let your breath leave your body fully. Just for one moment, allow everything in your body to dissolve: your thoughts, any physical tension, your emotions. Just let go. Continue to breath deeply, until you feel a connection with your breath. Allow this connection to grow stronger and deeper. Breathe like this for a few minutes, allowing your body and mind to quiet and calm.

Now imagine, imagine if we all got right with ourselves, out of our limited storyline. Imagine who you can Be if you let go of your criticism, your personal barriers, your limiting beliefs. Imagine what you can contribute, what we can all do for humanity and Mother Earth. Know that everything you do, matters.

Continue to follow and be with your breath.  Expanding and creating space for what is yet to arrive, welcoming with kind eyes and open heart.

This is your natural rhythm.

Now set an intention for your day. Bring this intention into your life and your business or place of work. You see, business has a big role to play, and it begins with You.

In the next post, we’ll look at how the gift of service and the dissolution of ego can be our best allies. Then over the next several posts, we’ll take a better look at this refreshed approach and how it might take shape. I’ll also share some resources I find inspiring and show you how Uplift is helping to lead the way.

Love & Light,

Paula Pyne