No more being seduced by your culture… familial. tribal, organisational or national… to fit ‘norms’, some of which are so skewed they are, without a shadow of a doubt, lunacy.  Is it just me or has bullying become the order of the day with certain kinds of pin-stripes???

Enough!

Is it so crazy to live by vision, a vision within which we humans, you and I,  become self-aware and reflective; living in line with our natural integrity and self-esteem?  Human beings who, rather than being reactive robots, are able to respond with grace from our hearts, minds and souls acting as one.  Human beings who altruistically collaborate with each other and our environment for the greater good… and, therefore, our own.

I spent much of my life ‘living dead’ so I know how it is to be a reactive robot.  I also know how fabulous it is to come alive; to be and do as a free woman and a continually freeing herself woman.

That’s why, for sure, I AM CRAZY!

I am undeniably 100% intoxicated by living on purpose, by living with the kind of passon and power which comes from Unlocking The Power Of YOU! Ecstatically and divinely drunk through living by vision.  Through keeping faith with my vision of MAGNIFICENCE for all human beings…

And you… ?

Not unsurprising…

Like a harvested field, I’ve been burning off arrogance, omnipotence and other dark side smack side hell side personality crap!   I hear me judging myself for swearing in public…   But crap doesn’t get used as a fertiliser for no good reason.  It’s fecund with possibilities and creation.  And, it’s my experience that always, but always, when I work with my crap what’s even more challenging emerges… something of the best and most noble in me.

Whatever you do, don’t give me what’s best and noble in me!!!  Haven’t I done enough, Universe?  How the hell am I going to serve and live up to this one?

If you’re a traveller of  journeys yourself, these sentiments will not be unknown to you.  I/they burn with a passion of profound inverse humility!  How dare I think I’m not up to the job when it’s been assigned to me in the certain knowledge that I am?

I’m crying profusely now… vulnerable and red skin raw.  My offerings feel like my very blood and guts… these  things I was born to do… and I struggle without adequate vocabulary to describe them.   And I struggle with putting my head above the parapet.  Yet I’m aflame with visions.

Pictures of how you and I and the whole of humanity could live in I/thou relationship.  Images of how our everyday lives at work and at home could be fantastically transformed with qualities of love and grace.  How you and I could truly operate from not my will but thy will be done… and, paradoxically, the immense and joyful freedom that brings.

If I was passionate before… I now carry my own personal incinerator in which I become consumed and rise again.  Purpose, passion and power has nothing on this!  It’s beyond beyond.

And, through this process, I’ve been inspired to create ‘Unlocking The Power Of YOU!’ teleseminars and programme … This is where I re-begin, where I start anew offering of myself all that I understand and experience to be profoundly true.  All that burns unquenchingly in my heart and soul.

And… having put my head above the parapet… when will you?

When chameleons come in human form, they appear to be the sincerest of sincere, the most absolutely believable and credible anyone could ever be.

The problem is, without a continuous, integrated and solid core self, they have to mirror their environment.  That’s you or whoever the ‘you’ is with whom they’re relating in the moment.

So, when with you, they’ll mirror your beliefs, your values, your attitudes… and, because of that, create fantastic rapport with you. You’d think they were your best buddy.  Ten minutes later, they’re with some-one else and… what do you know?  Now they’re mirroring that someone-one else’s beliefs, values and attitudes and, because of that,  creating fantastic rapport with them.

In the office, a chameleon is a Grade A menace!

In a group, they’ll mirror the general consensus of beliefs, values, norms and attitudes.  They’ll go whichever way the wind’s blowing so as to maintain their likeable front and serve their own particular agenda.  The problem is that, as part of  a group, once alone with an individual they’re blowing hot and cold again according to that individual’s take on things.

And, with Machiavelian tendencies, they’ll be divisive and destructive, often opposing the leader, or setting themselves up as ‘better’ than the leader, and/or stirring up trouble in subtle and underhand ways.

Call them on their behaviour and they’ll flare up defensively, question your judgement and downright lie.  Only, it’s not a lie to them.  They believe they have integrity, if that’s what you’re calling them on.  They believe they have strong moral values, if that’s what you’re calling them on.  They’ll believe they said ‘white’ in the face of undeniable evidence that they said ‘black’.  They will bombard you with rationalisations and excuses to maintain their position, whatever that happens to be at the time.

Never give a chameleon the benefit of doubt!

Because, due to this psychological personality flaw, they’re eminently untrustworthy… with themselves, as well as other people.   They can talk the talk and even look as if they’re walking the walk because they’re very good at acting out a role, convincing themselves as well as others.

So, it’s not surprising that a regional director with whom I recently worked, doubted his own judgement and sanity, when the chameleon, who had been so plausible. was exposed.  Because, if they stick around in one place for long enough or long enough periods… and, often, they don’t… they’ll get caught out through inconsistencies and incongruent behaviours.  They will always, always trip themselves up eventually.

And when they do, their usual way of resolving things is to get on their high horse, have a big falling out with who-ever’s calledl them on their behaviour and walk out/leave in high dudgeon. Which is exactly how my client’s ‘chameleon’ behaved with him.  No performance management there, then!

The only way I know of managing a chameleon is having them ‘fall in love’ with you.  So besotted do they become with you that they’ll follow your lead, i.e., clone themselves in line with you.  However, that lacks integrity and is manipulative… which mirrors the chameleon’s behaviour wonderfully.

So, your comments on chameleons, in general, and if it’s possible to manage them in an ethical way would be most welcome!

So, here it is… click on the link to discover the Dark Side of Servant Leadership and how to avoid it!  And catch up with some great added value comments there too…

To be honest, I think I went for a fight. I think I went anticipating the same old same old ideas and formulae that I could challenge and kick at.

Ian Roberts from The Thinking Partnership started with a declaration his piece wasn’t in traditional workshop style.  People were free to make comments and ask questions (so could learn from each other anyway) but he wasn’t into a traditional workshop… Or, it transpired, a traditional anything else!

Instead, he launched into several stories which showed how fake most of which goes by the name of authenticity is in our culture.  And how it’s often seen in self leadership as finding your ‘essence’ in a narcissistic way, abandoning relationships, home, work, whatever and looking for some magical fit some mystery somewhere else.

I loved it!  He was talking stuff  in my upcoming book, albeit with a different approach and a different language.  There were a few minor points where I disagreed but, hey, at core, he and I are absolutely on the same wave length,

Some other ‘coaches’ in the large audience most certainly didn’t love it!

They expressed disappointment his ‘workshop’ wasn’t in the traditional formula.  They said they were confused… always a good sign indicating old ideas are breaking down and new ones in the process of forming.

They commented on how his manner had created a negative emotional reaction in them (so much for response-ability!).  They expressed feelings mostly of anger or frustration, some of feeling insulted by his approach.  And some verged on being personally attacking.

Never mind their palpable high levels of anxiety on having their expectations of the workshop and their beliefs about authentic leadership challenged big time!

And, if they didn’t comment, a large number of them just got up and left.

These were coaches!  These were people to whom other people entrust their precious selves for growth.  Yet they couldn’t sit with their own discomfort, dislike, diagreement, inner conflict or whatever else was going on for them.  So, how on earth are they going to be able to sit with that of their clients when at a growing edge???

Found a great quotation from Einstein.  ‘If you are out to describe the truth, leave elegance to the tailor.’

Now, I don’t believe there’s one essential truth… Ian was outlining ‘the’ truth from his perspective.  And he wasn’t elegant.  He gave it straight from the shoulder.  He responded to comments and questions, however uncomfortable, very much in the moment, present, standing in his own ground, saying it how it was for him…

He was modelling authentic leadership, what I call Inner Leadership!… Being aware of the other person’s position and feelings, being aware of his own reactions, which he later used as teaching points, and choosing neither to be defiant or compliant about the criticism but to respond honestly in the moment as best he could.

What a fabulous, fabulous opportunity for learning!

If you enjoy challenging yourself to become even more of who you are, click here to sign up for my fortnightly Inner Leadership Briefing and your exclusive report to find purpose at work right now!