integral architects

Writing my first email newsletter has become a process that has helped me gain clarity about where I want to go with my work life (what I want to do when and if I grow up). As one of my peers is fond of saying, "the reason parents are always asking their kids what they want to be when they grow up is because they're still fishing for ideas!" I must admit the irony in having turned 55 this month and that I'm still doing stuff like this. That made me realize how when I was younger I would think less and just do. For better and for worse. Then I accumulated all this stuff over the years - some wisdom, some knowledge, lots of clutter and irrelevant garbage disguised as important. I should've been doing more housecleaning more often, but maybe this is how it works?

While the newsletter I created looked interesting, it, like my default brain, had lots of stuff, including clutter. My shadow side: not knowing when enough is enough. As my StrengthsFinder assessment validated, my intuition is good and I was drawn to finding newsletters I had that I actually liked. I saw & felt the distinction. I yearned to recapture the simplicity that lies beneath the rubble. I followed where my energy was drawing me. And noted where I was being sapped. Which then drew me to my SF assessment itself, a more focused look into what really makes me tick, articulated better than I was doing myself. The irony of it's recommendation that I find a partner for whom that was their strength was not lost on me.

So basically I clarified that my passion is simply coaching leaders or visionary thinkers, and then working with them with their organizations to create the kinds of organizations that are places like I describe below. Everything below, btw, is taken from some part of my own StrengthsFinder, mostly various pieces from the Action-Planning Guide section adapted for this purpose. In other words, it just validates that this is what I'm made to do and love to do.

Primary Focus:

• Coach visionary thinkers and leaders who share their original ideas. Encourage them to dream big dreams.
• Certain forward-looking thinkers will feel completely understood. They get that their inventive minds can change the future.
• Prefer to spend time with people who respect and approve of my (our) talents.

Work with these leaders to restructure & transform their organizations (and be paid accordingly as a partner in maximizing their success). These organizations will encourage, support & sustain:

• Helping people see connection and purpose in everyday occurrences.
• The organization puts Connectedness into practice.
• People understand how their efforts fit in the larger picture.
• People see the connections among their talents, their actions, their mission, and their successes. When people believe in what they are doing and feel like they are part of something bigger, commitment to achievement is enhanced.
• There’s an understanding of the commonalities inherent in humanity and universal capability, a shift from the mindset of “us” and “them.”
• We spend more time building on great talent than fixing weaknesses.
• We identify and invest in the parts of the organization that are working.
  
• We make sure that most of our resources are spent in the build-up and build-out of these pockets of excellence.
• We make most of our weaknesses irrelevant. For example, finding a partner, devising a support system, or using one of our stronger talents to compensate for one of our weaker ones.