In this issue:
The One Who Is Not Busy
Grow Your Business/Grow Your Life
Business and Social Change
Listening: Staying Close To The Customer
Appreciation
Good Reading
Upcoming Workshops
Z.B.A. Zen of Business Administration; How Zen Practice Can Transform Your Work and Your Life
Dear Friends:
The One Who Is Not Busy
A recent article in Fortune Magazine featured an investment banker who had an amazing breakthrough — he discovered that it was possible to be a successful business person, in the field of mergers and acquisitions, and have a life! His observation was that the quality of work improved, when people led a more balanced life.
As the year comes to a close, it seems that the demands and pace of our lives intensify — as we complete our work for the year, spend more time with family and friends, and develop plans and aspirations for 2006. More then ever, this is a good time to slow down and reflect on how much richness and wonder there is, in the midst of our "busy" lives.
There is a story from a collection of ancient Chinese Zen koans called The Book of Serenity: A Zen teacher is sweeping the grounds of the temple. He is approached by another teacher who looks at him and says, "Too busy." The teacher sweeping responds, "You should know there's one who is not busy." The other teacher answers by saying, "If so, then there's a second moon." The sweeping teacher holds up his broom and says, "Which moon is this?"
So many people feel pressured and stressed, working too hard, juggling priorities and not feeling as though there is enough time to do what really matters. Technology, rather then making life more leisurely, often has the effect of blurring work and leisure. Many people believe that by working hard now, that someday they will be able to then pay more attention to the important stuff; some day...
The above dialogue is a playful and powerful debate about completely turning upside down our views about work, stillness, and busyness. This dialogue points to a different way of being, outside of the usual judgments and measurements about our activity. The teacher who is sweeping asserts that he just appears busy. The second teacher in this dialogue responds that this working without being busy is as possible as there being "two moons." The sweeping teacher, with his words, and with his actions, demonstrates that it possible to transcend the conventional view of busyness, to be completely present.
How can we find the "one who is not busy" in the midst of our activities? How can we bring the spirit of meditation and mindfulness into our everyday work lives? How can we train ourselves to be fully present, while active and engaged? How can we let go of our busyness, of our focus on being somewhere other than right here, of being caught by not loving and appreciating what we are doing right now? In Zen practice there is an expression — "don't put your head on top of your head" — a way of saying to "let go", pay careful attention, and notice how much there is to be thankful for.
"A great deal of chaos occurs in the world because people don't appreciate themselves." Chogyam Trungpa
Sending my wishes for a healthy, nurturing, and successful New Year.
Marc Lesser
Grow Your Business/Grow Your Life - Monthly Group - beginning January 2006
Who is this group for?
Coaches, Entrepreneurs, Consultants, Small Business Owners
What is it?
This is a group of up to eight people that meets for three hours one day per month, (9:30 a.m. — 12:30 p.m., 3rd Wednesday of each month) from January through December. During this time we address your most pressing business issues — sales and marketing, strategy, cash flow, leadership, management, and vision; we also address issues of balance, integrity and spirit. This group is like taking a hands-on experiential small business class combined with the support of a Board of Advisors for your business.
We begin each meeting with 20 minutes of meditation. These groups combine problem solving, with warmth and support. In addition to this monthly meeting, I meet with each person for a one-hour individual monthly coaching session. The cost is $275 per month. Limited to 8. To register send me an email — mlesser@zbaassociates.com, or 415 389-6228.
Business and Social Change
There is a phrase chanted regularly in Zen practice that says, "Beings are numberless, I vow to save them." This is a large, audacious, intention — a vow to help others, all others, to relieve suffering, to "save" people from separateness, fear, and narrowness. I think that in our work lives, and in our hearts, we need this large, impossible, and sacred promise or intention that we make, to ourselves and to others. We know, in our bodies, that our lives and our work are much larger then they often appear. Something in us resonates with the sense that living with these "impossible" vows more accurately describes our lives, and what is possible, then the conventional goals we set for ourselves.
Remember not so many years ago when people used to smoke on airplanes. Those who didn't smoke grumbled and thought it absurd to have smoking and non-smoking sections; and this went on for some time. I wish that I knew the details of how this changed, but I imagine that it began with a few people having conversations — listening to and acting on their unspoken vows to help others. These conversations must have spread, and led to action and eventually to systemic change. For me, this small, relatively inconsequential event serves as a poignant example of how vow and courageous conversations can change what seems impossibly stuck. And, this leads me to wonder why there aren't more conversations — about social inequity, hunger and poverty, and even about violence and war. Why aren't we all discussing the obvious — that war is insanity, and that the rules of "war" only serve to highlight this insanity.
I've come to realize that this is my vow, and for many of us our vows — to change the world — through working in the world of commerce, and by engaging in real and courageous conversations. What is the large role business leaders have in social and economic change? Where are we stuck and why? What is the role of vow and the role of wisdom in business and in leadership? What an amazing idea — wisdom in business! I feel in my heart that through compassion, vow, working to help others, and having real conversations, anything is possible.
Listening: Staying Close to the Customer
In the 1982 classic In Search of Excellence, Tom Peters and Robert Waterman discuss what makes great companies great. I have always been struck by one of their findings, which they call "Close to the Customer." They describe the importance of being tuned in, perhaps obsessive, to what our customers are saying, needing, and not saying.
In reading this chapter, the words that jump off the pages for me are: listening, intensity, and flexibility. In their discussion of innovation and breakthrough business discoveries, their studies show that a major portion of these new business ideas comes from customers, and from the ability of company leaders to listen to their customers.
When I first began Brush Dance, my vision was of starting an environmental products mail order catalog. Though most of our energy was directed at the mail order customers, stores and other mail order catalogs began to contact us. This was a case of our customers telling us that we weren't a mail order catalog; we were a wholesale distributor. It took a few years to make this transformation, but listening to what our customers were saying to us was crucial to the company's success.
As business leaders, our customer may include our employees, vendors, and other stakeholders, as well as the traditional customers who purchase our products or services. How can we really listen to our customers? In some way, this means to pay attention to what is obvious. How can we see beyond our ideas and preconceptions, and see what our customers say as fresh and useful. What "systems" do we have in place for paying attention to ourselves, and for paying attention to our customers?
Appreciation
I received a letter last week from a good friend that stopped me in my tracks... This was a difficult and important letter for me. My friend pointed out that she had helped make some significant connections that resulted in some wonderful business opportunities for me. She shared with me that she was happy for my good fortune and also that she felt hurt and disappointed that I did not express my appreciation for her efforts, support, and kindness.
I hate, and love, being shaken in this way. I immediately called her and apologized for being such a dolt and acknowledged how much appreciation I felt. It made me realize how easy it is for me to fall into the trap of not taking the time to see beyond the tasks right in front of me. How could I have overlooked and taken for granted the gifts that my friend had given me, and most of all, overlooked and not taken care of our friendship.
I've been reading several books about the business of consulting. In one book a chart lists three key activities for someone in the consulting business. I actually think this applies to many businesses. The activities are 1) our products; 2) the services we deliver; and 3) our relationships. In the column above products this chart says that these must be good; in the column above services it says these must be very good, and above the relationships column it says these must be extraordinary. One of the best ways we can have extraordinary relationships is to get out of our own way, to open our hearts, and to openly express our gratitude.
Good Reading
It seems I'm surrounded more then ever with lots of books. Here are a few I've been enjoying:
The One Who is Not Busy; Connecting With Work In A Deeply Satisfying Way, by Darlene Cohen — Great little book, with lots of practical advice and body practices.
Shambhala, The Sacred Path of the Warrior, by Chogyam Trungpa. This was Trungpa's attempt to make his writing available to people who live and work in the world; translating powerful and subtle Tibetan Buddhist teachings, with power and insight.
Difficult Conversations; How To Discuss What Matters Most, by Douglas Stone. I read somewhere that much of this book was re-written more than 200 times — it shows. Practical guidance for having real, direct, and meaningful conversations, at work and anywhere.
Upcoming Workshops
I have several workshops scheduled throughout 2006; details are on my website. This will be the 10th year that Norman Fischer and I will be leading Company Time workshops/retreats at Green Gulch. Our first company Time workshop in 2006 will be February 4. I will also be offering a Zen of Business, three-day workshop at Hollyhock Retreat Center, on beautiful Cortez Island, British Columbia in May 7 — 11.
I have updated my website to describe a new series of workshops that can be customized to meet the needs of your company or organization. Some examples are listed below and more detail can be found on my website.
- The Power of Mindfulness
- The One Who Is Not Busy: Accomplishing More By Doing Less
- Creativity and Innovation: For business problem solving, new ideas, and a better life
Z.B.A. Zen of Business Administration: How Zen Practice Can Transform Your Work and Your Life
This book, released in February 2005 by New World Library, is available at your local bookstore or on Amazon. "I love this book. It is profoundly simple. It is understandable and accessible - a profound way to integrate life and work." - Eileen Fisher, president of Eileen Fisher, Inc.
Coaching, Consulting, and Facilitation - To learn more about the services offered by ZBA Associates call me at 415 389-6228; email is mlesser@zbaassociates.com.