i mean. we all have thoughts. but lately I’ve been itching to get back to getting those thoughts out of my head … if, for nothing else, to clear up some real estate so i can tackle some of the other big things that i feel like i’m going to need to sort out sooner rather than later. (things like, you know, what i want to do with the next chapter of my professional life, how i can balance my need to create time for myself while still meeting the obligations of caring for an aging parent, how to fit in finding a partner to share whatever adventures await me in my remaining years of this existence, what/where I want to be now that the kids are mostly out of the nest… you know, the usual stuff.)
i have been listening to True North — a book about authentic leadership. [actually, I’ve been listening to a lot of audio books lately. bringing a new puppy into the mix has resulted in a lot daily long walks, which result in a lot of time for plugging into new audiobooks. meet teddy. he’s adorbs. a total handful but also totally adorable.]
anyway. there are tons of great summaries of the idea behind True North (like this one, for example), but the gist of it is pretty simple, and really these ideas apply pretty broadly to the goal of living a good life: know and be true to thyself. act with integrity and kindness when possible (and it’s always possible – h/t to the Dali Lama). know the value of building solid relationships.
at this stage in my career I count myself lucky to have had the chance to work with more than a handful of pretty inspirational leaders. I’ve experienced some successes as a leader myself, but have mostly just felt my way along, depending a lot on my intuition. but paying attention to the mechanics, the recipe for good leadership is pretty interesting. especially when you have the opportunity to compare and contrast. to see the impact that the lack of integrity, or transparency can have an organization.
I’m exploring new options now, but I don’t see that as a bad thing. I’ve been in this current role for more than 10 years now. TEN! that’s so many. I’ve learned so much, and have grown a lot. i can point to a number of accomplishments that I can be proud of (and just as many “learning opportunities”…) it’s been a fun exercise gearing up for this next chapter. i have a good story in my head about what my true north is – what my values and motivations are – and am more clear now about the things that I can bring to the table. tomorrow I’ll tackle workshopping a concise summary of my values, but for now I’ll jot down these notes:
when I was in college, I had the opportunity to read through the applications that were submitted by each new student admitted into the environmental studies program at UC Santa Cruz. Of the 100 or so applications I reviewed, most of them responded to the “why are you interested in environmental studies” question with some variation of “I just want to learn enough to live lightly on 2 acres somewhere in the forest with my organic garden and a happy hippy baby.” (i’m paraphrasing, but this was in the early 1990s in Santa Cruz so i’m not exaggerating too much…) it didn’t take me too long to do the math – with 200 students each claiming 2 acres each year… we’d be out of untouched forest land in no time.
this got me thinking about why the drive to retreat to the forest was so strong. what was it about our built communities that people felt compelled to run away from? this is where my interest in city planning began — finding a way to build cities to be places where people could feel real connection — to a place, to a history, to the natural environment, to themselves, and to others.
and while I still have passion around this core question, over the last 10 years or so, as my role has evolved, I’ve turned this same drive to create a place where meaningful connections are possible inward a little. i may not be able to change big chunks of the world, but what about starting with creating authentic community in the workplace. that sounds cheesy — I’ll fix it up later — but it’s coming from an honest place. i have observed how easily people talk about “relationship goals”. i have tweaked this just a smidge to think about what a workplace goal would look like. imagine going into place to work where you felt valued, supported, part of a community united around a shared goal. where you knew you could trust every single person around you to bring their best, and to act with integrity, good humor, kindness. and if you’re able to create that environment where you could tackle meaningful work that matters… well shoot. that’d really be something, wouldn’t it?
eleven bee 