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Everything is Waiting for YouThe Washington Post ran a cover story in its Sunday magazine this past weekend that completely stopped me in my tracks. Maybe you saw it, too. It seems the paper recruited a world-renowned violinist and his priceless Stradivarius to play a "concert," unannounced and anonymously, in a Washington metro station one busy workday morning. The idea was to see if anyone noticed, and the paper actually considered some contingency plans in case there was a need for crowd control in the event they did.
As it turned out, they needn't have worried; only a couple of people out of the hundreds who passed by recognized that this was something extraordinary. The rest merely went about their regular morning commute, distracted by cell phones and iPods and perhaps their own thoughts. Some who were interviewed later didn't even remember seeing or hearing a street musician, let alone one who regularly fills a concert hall with $100-a-seat patrons.
While this is all great fun and certainly revealing about the state of the arts in the capital of the free world, the commentary it offers on how we live our lives now is to my mind even more poignant. We are becoming ever more insulated against our own sensory experiences as we spin our individual cocoons to keep the world at bay. It may well be that the world of the metro during the morning rush hour is not a particularly beautiful or joyful scene, but the Post story does remind us that even in these grim and gritty surroundings beauty and joy do sometimes show themselves, if only our senses are attuned to the possibility.
It's easy these days to shut out everything that doesn't have a direct link to the work we do, to ignore the messages that arrive via our senses rather than those that are delivered electronically, in bits and bytes. We try to wring every last little drop of time from already over-stretched days in order to get that last little bit of productivity for the job, or perhaps just to stave it off for a few more minutes. In doing so, we cut ourselves off from connection to the larger world around us, to other living beings, to our own humanity.
We know what happens when a leader isolates himself from "reality," by which we usually mean other ways of seeing the issues. But do we fully appreciate what is lost when each of us, leaders of our own lives, stops using our senses to notice what is going on around us all the time? Being a good leader entails being a first-class noticer, being someone who takes in information from all the senses and integrates it with what he already knows, either to enlarge his view of the possibilities available to him, or to shift his own perspective.
Spring is the time of year when the natural world wakes up and offers us a feast of sights and sounds, scents and sensations that remind us that yes, we are still alive and have made it through another season of darkness. The delicacy of pale pink cherry blossoms, the earthy smell of the garden out back, the songs of the sparrows beneath the bird feeder, and yes, the reappearance of musicians on the street all speak to us of renewed hope for a better year ahead, and of the comfort to be found in the ancient cycle of life on Earth. As the poet David Whyte puts it in the title of a favorite poem, "Everything is waiting for you." You only have to notice, and join the ongoing conversation.
What are you waiting for?
Coaching can help you sharpen your sensory skills and become a better noticer. Let's talk. Call (410)626-6008, or email info@bloomfieldassociates.com.
Over the next five workdays, focus for one day on each of your five senses - sight, sound, smell, taste, touch - and what you are noticing through that sense. Be especially alert to the things that are there in the background all the time, as well as to those that stand out as unusual.
Make some notes for yourself as you go, and at the end of each day summarize what you have noticed about your environment, about other people, and about yourself. At the end of the five days, reflect on what you have learned overall. What will you do differently from now on? How do you think this will affect the quality of your leadership?
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According to a new study by the Corporate Library, a governance watchdog organization, companies pay their chief executives nearly three times more when they hire them from outside the company than if they promote from within.
A recent survey by Vault Inc. said that 79% of employees surveyed admit to participating in office betting pools. It's not just sporting events like the recent NCAA tournament that cause people to waste time; "baby pools" to guess the delivery date for a pregnant coworker and guessing the winners of the TV series "Survivor" are just as likely to trigger employee betting.
More than half of U.S. workers believe that undergoing plastic surgery or cosmetic dentistry can help advance their careers, according to a poll by Monster.com. Fearful of losing out to more youthful rivals in the job market, 53% of American employees think surgery could tip the scales in their favor.
Sleep Salon
Research shows that napping boosts productivity and performance, so maybe it's not surprising that "sleep salons" are popping up in some cities with a high concentration of stressed-out overachievers. Weary urban workers can partake of a power nap in a private sleep chamber outfitted with luxury linens, relaxing soundscapes, aromatherapy, and personalized lighting.
"Pearls Before Breakfast," by Gene Weingarten in The Washington Post. What I like about it: Watch the video. Beth Bloomfield
Executive Coach, Strategy Consultant
Principal, Bloomfield Associates  Appreciative Coaching - A Positive Process for Change, by Sara L. Orem, Jacqueline Binkert, and Ann L. Clancy.. What I like about it: This approach focuses clients on the positive present and possible future, rather than on the problems of the past and present. The authors have adapted the four key stages of Appreciative Inquiry into their coaching approach -- Discovery, Dream, Design, and Destiny - and they provide actual examples of how appreciative coaching works. One of my favorite coaching questions in the book is "What gives you that spark of life?"
Pamela Walker
HR Professional & Student in the Georgetown University
Leadership Coaching Certificate Program Share what you’re into — books, articles, movies, music, websites — with others on the list! Send us the
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