
You know those side trails, unexpected roads, and confusing paths our lives sometimes take that don't seem to make sense at the time? We all have them. We all end up walking down roads we didn't expect. We all look back in curiosity to see how it all fits together and what we've gained, so that we can decide where to go next.
I've chosen a new path and am launching new company! Potential Arena is the culmination of the roads I've been on and three unbelievably valuable and deeply transformational competencies I have learned in the journey. Here are the relevant parts of the story that reveal a bit more about why.
For a decade, I had the massively rewarding experience of leading Colorado Thought Leaders Forum and helping business leaders, entrepreneurs, and CEOs build strong relationships and grow as leaders. What I loved about it was being surrounded by amazing people who cared about one another and their work. What kept me there was the way it continuously challenged me to be the best version of myself and motivated me to keep on growing and finding ways to innovate and create more value for the leaders who trusted us with their time and resources. Even the things that didn't work led to a deeper understanding of what does. I learned two essential things: a recipe for building the kind of community that changes lives, and what leadership growth looks like within a community. When we know other people--we know who they are, what they do, why they do it, and what matters to them--we can serve and help them in ways that are both meaningful and impactful. It builds trust and vulnerability. And in this kind of environment, these relationships can help us see ourselves more honestly, deal with things that are in the way for us, and transform the way we live and lead with others. I can honestly say that I was able to expand my capacity for tension and discomfort and work through some of the deepest issues that were holding me back because of the community I was surrounded by.
Then, it was time to let go and let others steward the vision into the future, so I decided to leave CTLF. If you've ever let go of something that mattered to you and was a big part of your life (and perhaps even your identity), you know that it takes intention. The process and practice of stopping, resting, reflecting, and spending my days not doing but being was regenerating to me.
Then, I joined nRhythm to deepen my understanding of how to build regenerative organizations and lead in ways that created the conditions for people to thrive. I worked with many of the most respected and insightful people in the field from all over the world. Here are a few of my favorite things I did... I wrote a Regenerative Leadership Program, delivered it to a global audience and gained a much broader view of the leadership landscape. It's amazing how wherever we live, whatever we do, there's common strength and struggle as human beings. Next, I consulted with a private regenerative ranch to help the team realign around a shared vision and strategies, and we taught them to develop structures to enable both the work and health of their teams and organization (much like their regenerative land practices do for the health and growth of the land and animals). In the process, we helped them transform into a real team and address the difficult human tensions that were plaguing them. Then, I consulted with a foremost expert in regenerative economics to expand the practical application for program participants. In the process, I helped develop a brand new regenerative finance course with an unbelievably cool course project that actually generates real ideas that can be tested in the world to transform our financial system. Fun, right?!?!
And the biggest thing that happened on this road is I joined a team with a completely flat decision-making structures. For the first time in 17 years, I wasn’t “the” decision-maker. I had never really thought about exactly what that would mean, since all I knew was being fully equipped to make any and all decisions in full alignment with the organization at all times. It took time for me to develop the context and clarity I was used to having, and I learned a third essential recipe for team: how to create conditions for a healthy organization and thriving people. As I reflected on my own team experiences, as well as those of the many entrepreneurs I've worked with over the years, I has a profound insight: “I can’t believe we so often let people work with so little agency and clarity!”
Thinking back to my 20-something self, if someone would have told me it was my leader's job to develop me and unleash my potential in work, I'm quite certain I'd have been thoroughly annoyed and thought, "Seriously?! I don't need you to do that. I just need you to get out of my way and let me do that for myself." So, when I left nRhythm in August, I began surveying everything I learned working with thousands of leaders over two decades, and especially what I witnessed over 7 years facilitating leadership growth experiences. The mantle of leadership is so heavy right now. Leaders must understand all the variables, navigate unprecidented complexity, recruit and develop people, build a team, help that team stay a team, achieve predictable results in an unpredictable world, and solve the problems no one else can solve.
And so I wondered: How can people unleash their own potential in work with others without being dependent on a leader or organization to make that happen for them? Rather quickly, ideas began forming into a model--like a personal and team operating method for work as a team.
Honestly, I felt a bit silly trying to develop something so massive., so I let go of the idea and started working on something far closer to home: How can I teach my daughter, a freshman in college, what it means to understand and unleash her potential and the potential of others when she begins her career?
How can I help her discover her unqiueness so she can be who she was created to be in her work?
How can I show her how to draw out others in their unqiueness?
How can I instill the fact that the collective potential of a group is always far greater than the potential of even the most capable person working alone?
How can I support her how to masterfully overcome human tensions and challenges as a team?
How can I help her learn to accomplish excellent work by being completely aligned as a team?
How can I equip her to do all of this in a way that also increases potential for the organization?
How can I help her have agency in her work and never feel like she has to wait on other people to make all of this possible for her?
How can I teach her to be a leader from day one, and see leadership as a service to others?
How can I instill a sense of personal responsibility that she alone can give an account for the way she lives her life?
These questions began unfolding into possibilities, and I started to talk about it with friends and peers.
The first person I showed it to said, “This is a remedy for victimhood!” and asked if I could pilot it with her team when I’m ready. The second asked when she could use it in her team culture coaching work. The third said he'd love to help me build it when I figure out how. The fourth told me that if I could figure out how to make this actually true and really show people how to have this level of agency in their jobs, it would change everything (she’s a Chief People Officer). And the fifth person said her work with hundreds of entrepreneurs validates the premise that most leaders are actively searching for ways to build strong virtual teams and create the conditions for individual agency.
As I’ve tested my hypothesis, it's become clear there's a need for this work. All three of the essential competencies I have learned--building a strong community, growing in our leadership, and designing for health and thriving people--are essential to unleashing potential in virtual teams. It is on this foundation that Potential Arena has been birthed.
Work is one of the greatest platforms we have to do the most good we can for others, and it takes a team. It's a liberating experience to discover who you are created to be, work as a team to overcome tensions and challenges, and accomplish something truly amazing that would never be possible alone.
I'd love to hear your thoughts! Please send me a note or comment.
It takes a village, and I'm so glad you've been a part of mine.
Much love,
Sara
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