Mark Twain once said: “A man who carries a cat by the tail learns something he can learn no other way.”

We all have been there – many days, months or years later, we say, “that was the best learning experience I ever had.”… but while we are going through it, we are cursing the day this person or situation came into our lives.

Here’s to appreciating the gift of the painful lessons. I suggest not shying away from whatever it is that seems distasteful to you, especially when you know there are high rewards – if you can “suffer through it.”

Suffering is so overrated. Let’s skip that part – just for today. Carry the cat anyway.

Copyright 2010 Sage Leadership Strategies, LLC   All rights reserved.   www.sagelead.com

~Oscar Wilde, Lady Windemere’s fan, 1896

We seem to only pay attention and really get the learnings when we make mistakes. Is it possible to garner great experience and start learning with grace and ease – without having to make mistakes?

And when you make mistakes do you take the time to reflect on what the learnings are?

“If experience was so important, we’d never have anyone walk on the moon.” (By Doug Rader)

Sometimes you just have to trust your intuition. We are living in times where old structures, identities – what we have known to be true - are falling away or dying – because they don’t work. You can’t lie to yourself anymore about who you are or what your purpose is. Companies can’t cut corners on integrity anymore.

The times are calling for new vision, courage and the bold audacity to reinvent yourself or your business.

It’s time to clean out and reboot.

…And lean into the wind of possibility.

Copyright 2010 Sage Leadership Strategies, LLC   All rights reserved.   www.sagelead.com

The article in The Huffington Post today by Robert Lanza is interesting, not just because of his provocative message – scientist are now starting to work on experiments that explore the thought that perhaps we are more than purely physical – maybe even spiritual. (We know we have consciousness in a way that no other creature on earth does) – but also because of the  heartwarming story he tells about the day he just hopped the trolley and went to Harvard because he wanted to meet a Harvard doctor who could help him with his experiment. It sounds like a scene from a movie.

Dr. Lanza implies that this encounter was a seed for reinforcement of his lifelong quest to understand more about life through scientific inquiry.

When Stephen Kuffler, the “world-famous” neurobiologist engages Robert, the boy, he doesn’t “shush” him away but instead he listens to him and invites him inside the building where he does indeed introduce him to one of his colleagues. It’s a very human moment that we come to understand had a profound impact on Dr. Lanza. One wonders if this scene happened today, would the individual be too busy answering emails or trying to secure grants to give an aspiring next generation scientist’s brave inquiry and venture any attention – let alone invite a stranger into the building?

What can you do today to listen to, or inspire a tween or teen to pursue their questions or dreams? Just think, if Bill Gates or Steve Jobs didn’t pursue their curiosity and drive while coming of age, what would we all be typing on?

Copyright 2010 Sage Leadership Strategies, LLC   All rights reserved.   www.sagelead.com

Today, I attended a very close friend’s father’s funeral. He was 91 and had an illustrious career as a physician in a specialty area at a prominent New York City Hospital. As with many occasions like this, I was moved by what his family and colleagues said. They spoke about his manner in making the contributions he made to his patients and medicine. He was described as “an old school physician” who had a personal touch, even once driving a patient in an acute state to the hospital in his own car while the patient threw up! His children spoke eloquently and emotionally about the kind of man their father was. I knew him and will miss him.

My friend’s husband said, “It just makes all the politics and office stuff seem so trivial.”

We all have defining moments like this when we are moved, touched by how fleeting life is and called to respond to something larger than ourselves and our view of the world. And then we go “back to reality.” Or, go back to sleep.

All strategic planning processes start wtih the end in mind. What’s your life strategy? What do you want your obituary to say? Morbid. Maybe. But if you don’t envision the totality of your life and what you want it to be about, you may swim real hard upstream, and miss the boat. Or be on the wrong boat.

So set your sail and do some envisioning of what you really WANT and feel CALLED to accomplish – at home with loved ones – and in the world - with how you make money and give back.

What do you want your reality to be? Question your assumptions and perceptions about what is possible. Have you ever had an erroneous belief?

© Copyright Sage Leadership Strategies, LLC    All rights reserved.   www.sagelead.com

I recently participated in a discussion on all the attributes one should consider when selecting a leader. My colleagues had a lot valuable insights and ideas. We created a hug, unwieldy list.

Through it all, I suggest ensuring one essential attribute - an effective leader in this day and age is someone who can quiet his/her mind, to listen internally to be a clear conduit for her own ideas and inspirations - and then ready to listen intently to her constituents before speaking. This shows up by her ability to cut through all the noise and chaos and carve and communicate a clear path that enlivens and focuses people.

Mindfulness is a rare but essential practice in today’s climate. What are you doing to cultivate your own attunement?

© Copyright 2010 Sage Leadership Strategies, LLC    All rights reserved.     ww.sagelead.com

The question I pose to you today is – what is your calling? How are you uniquely positioned, given your life experience and background, personally and professionally to answer a question that the world is asking NOW? This translates to, how do you fill a need that the world has now – at this point in history?

The mediums of social networking and the internet are potentially very powerful and transforming communication highways and tools to bring people together in service of a collective good.

These times are about connection and integration… and about clearing the name of capitalism – making it okay to make money. It’s about conscious capitalism – it’s about HOW you make money and WHAT you do with the money you make. Are you contributing back to the collective good or is it all about you – as an individual or as a company? How do you BE the strong warrior with a compassionate heart?

© Copyright Sage Leadership Strategies, LLC     All rights reserved.   www.sagelead.com

Have you ever had an instance where you were on track to accomplish something and suddenly a strong negative emotion surfaced – anger, frustration, irritation – that threw you for a loop and got you off track? Whoa… Where did that come from?

You’ve been hikacked.

Chances are it came from memory or an association with an emotionally-charged past event. We make our plans with our rational mind then our emotional brain (amygdala) shows up. Who’s really in charge?

Conscious leadership is about being in alignment – coherent – with all your capacities – body, mind, spirit. Don’t be fooled – your emotions are the fuel that enables all that you do. The conscious leader understands that the emotional brain is faster and can take over the rational mind. The only way to harness the true power of emotions is to work with them – engage the heart and discipline and quiet the mind. When these are in sync – you have balanced and clear communication, and right action.

Don’t allow your plans to be hijacked.

© Copyright 2010 Sage Leadership Strategies, LLC         www.sagelead.com

I don’t understand why The Golf Writers Association of America boycotted Woods’s reading of his statement, saying the news conference should have been opened to all accredited media and the golfer should have taken questions. It was most honorable that he made such a deep and heartfelt public apology asking for forgiveness from his family, friends, fans and sponsors.

Let’s be honest with ourselves, it is very difficult and painful to admit our mistakes and transgressions to ourselves let alone broadcast it to the world. Is this about understanding and healing or making a buck? How much does the public really have “rights to” the details of a public figure’s private life especially at a sensitive time of healing when they have retreated from their public obligations? 

Yes, a lot of people have a financial and emotional investment in Tiger Woods – so he should be accountable to them for that, given he is a public figure. Beyond this, I don’t think it is necessary or “right” for them to dictate HOW he apologizes.

© Copyright Sage Leadership Strategies, LLC             www.sagelead.com

There are a number of significant differences with Tiger’s situation. He has taken time out to reassess his life through intensive therapy. He apologized and acknowledged that he thought he was entitled – he doesn’t get to play by different rules than everyone else. I have never heard such sentiments from a powerful public figure. He apologized to the children for whom he is a role model. He appears genuine.

The road to true transformation is messy and chaotic with no quick fixes. He acknowledged he is at just the very beginning of this process. The challenge of any great leader who is at the top of their field is to not to allow their ego to run their life. When their success comes with a lot of money and a lot of people riding on this money, the stakes and temptations are even higher.

My biggest hope for Tiger’s reform is in his approach – taking full accountability for his actions and trying to protect his family from further damage and exposure – and above all else where he rests his ultimate solution – to rebalance his spiritual life with his professional life. He is looking to reclaim his spiritual foundation and values – and recognizes he can’t do it alone. He needs the support and help of the very same people he has disappointed. This humility is the way of the sage leader.

Ultimately, I am with Elin – true atonement comes over time seeing a real change in behavior. Tiger has made the necessary first step – asking for forgiveness. This requires something on all our parts – understanding and giving him and his family privacy to journey through this difficult process.

For the judges in the audience, please remember the great adage: all saints were once sinners and all sinners can be saints.

© Copyright Sage Leadership Strategies, LLC                 www.sagelead.com