Peter Koestenbaum's Leadership Diamond

I strongly recommend subscribing to Peter Koestenbaum’s weekly Leadership Thought from which I re-publish the following:

KOESTENBAUM’S WEEKLY LEADERSHIP THOUGHT - 09 MAY 2011

FREEDOM: The Axiom That Empowers the Human

If there is only one fact of existence we can teach a person, help a person discover and learn, it is that you are born free:

• free to choose what you think
• free to choose what you do
• free to choose who you are
• free to choose who you become
• free to choose to love
• free to choose to serve
• free to choose the art of co-creation
• and free to choose responsibility for who you are

But also free to choose self-deception, to lie to yourself, to convince yourself of fantasies, to deny your share of responsibility, to ignore what happens to others when they are in your presence.

You are free to choose to put on blinders and not see, to shut your ears and not listen, to hold your mouth and not have a voice.

If this freedom you do not teach, help a person discover and learn, then you abandon a human being, give up on a person, dismiss a subjectivity, and neglect, waste, and undermine a soul…, which is a cruel thing to do.

Demand of people that they be free and responsible. But do not abandon them. Choose to make the commitment to them that you care.

#499 – Published Weekly Since 2001. Selected by Laurie Yehia. Copyright © 2011, Peter Koestenbaum. All rights reserved. The Leadership Diamond is a registered trademark and service mark belonging to Peter Koestenbaum.

Thank you, Peter, gifted leadership philosopher and scholar, for your fine body of work. I’m grateful to you also for granting permission to reprint this Leadership Thought.

Please comment and tell me what you think.

Here is what struck me about Netflicks

1. Kudos to Netflix for asking “Why?” about traditional HR practices like vacation time. Until you question the common advice, i.e., “best practices”, how the industry does it, etc.,  you won’t find new truths. That’s a central tenet in Responsibility Redefined. Read The Maverick and The Seven-Day Weekend, both by Ricardo Semler for some in-your-face ideas about re-thinking your business.
2. What a great recruiting tool. Put your values out there and allow them to attract the candidate who recognizes him or herself
3. Netflix says that this stance on Freedom and Responsibility applies to professional, not hourly, employees. Here’s my question about that. Why can’t someone measured in hourly increments be expected to apply principles of freedom and responsibility as well as someone measured in monthly increments?

It’s my birthday and this year I’m giving the gifts…

Shared Responsibility

It’s a tough business environment. You and I know that responsibility isn’t about what happens to you but what you do about it—how you respond…

I’m responding by inventing new ways to help you master your natural source of freedom, choice, and power—your Responsibility Process.

You should not have to stop developing yourself or your team or employees. So let’s call it an act of shared sacrifice and shared responsibility during these tough times…

What Gifts?

If you are on my eTips list, I’ll send you a link for a cool free download everyday for a week…

• new poster PDFs
• audio MP3s on teaching responsibility
• special reports on building your team leadership skills
• mp3 and ebook on Clarity, Focus & Concentration
• and more…
  

What’s on sale?

Call me insane, but, well…Everything.

For one week. Take advantage now. This offer ends Tuesday, April 7, 2009 and this post comes down…

How do you get 50% off?

Copy this coupon code (4/7/09 – Sorry – sale over – coupon removed) then enter it at check-out after selecting any of these items:

The Journey to Responsibility DVD-based Workshop for your business:

Silver Edition – 50% off with coupon code 4/7/09 – Sorry – sale over – coupon removed

Gold Edition – 50% off with coupon code 4/7/09 – Sorry – sale over – coupon removed

Platinum Edition – 50% off with coupon code 4/7/09 – Sorry – sale over – coupon removed

How to Teach Responsibility to Anyone (and Master Your Life in the Process)

12 CD set – 50% off with coupon code 4/7/09 – Sorry – sale over – coupon removed

or save even more with the

MP3 Download Edition – 50% off with coupon code 4/7/09 – Sorry – sale over – coupon removed

Tuition for an upcoming Knowledge Team Leadership

Santa Clara, CA, May 13-14, 2009 – 50% off with coupon code 4/7/09 – Sorry – sale over – coupon removed

New York City, NY, December 8-9, 2009 – 50% off with coupon code 4/7/09 – Sorry – sale over – coupon removed

What about private services?

Want to immediately change the conversation in your business about leadership and responsibility with a powerful keynote, meeting starter, or workshop?

Or are you ready to dramatically increase your leadership power and ability with leadership mentoring from Christopher for you or your entire leadership team?

How about a multi-part tele-seminar for your leaders (easy fees and no travel) applying personal and shared responsibility? Potential topics:

• How to Build Any Team Any Time
• Powerful Partnering Practices
• The Perfect Problem Breakthrough for Leadership Power
• Building a Culture of Responsible Leadership on a Shoestring
• Managing Responsible Change
  

Let’s talk

1. Download Christopher’s information kit (including fees schedule)
2. Then call  +1 830.995-4853  x102 to discuss. Proposal delivered in 24 hours.

For business confirmed in a week with the usual deposit, we’ll be pleased to discuss attractive discounts.

What Do You Think?

Comments?

I’ll repeat his words as best I remember them. He spoke English for my benefit rather than his native Spanish. He began speaking with a gentle, satisfied smile on his face:

I want to share a personal story with you. I have enjoyed a very successful 18-year career. Four months ago I suffered the worst failure of my career—a major mistake.

As he acknowledged this failure, he did not look like a failure. His smile actually expanded, his eyes twinkled, and he beamed expressions of freedom and joy:

Until this morning I had not known how to deal with my failure except through Shame. I assumed there was something wrong with me and I deserved punishment.

After learning about the Responsibility Process™ and the Keys to Responsibility™, and seeing you Christopher demonstrate the ‘pseudo-responsibility’ behaviors of Shame and the behaviors of true Responsibility, I realized I had been stuck in Shame for 4 months.

And I realized I was the one keeping myself there.

I am happy because now I am freed. I can take complete ownership of my mistake.

And then he proudly announced new choices immediately available to him:

My team has been hurting for 4 months. Now I know what to do to help them release their Shame. We will clean up this mess I led us into. We will learn our lessons and we will make amends.

We will be stronger, not as a result of failing, but as a result of acknowledging our honest mistake, and  learning, correcting, and improving as a result.

As you can imagine, you could hear a pin drop on the plush carpet in that room.

I smiled back and said “thank you.” And then I did something else. I beamed a broad smile and I shouted “Congratulations!” I crossed the room to where he was sitting and, standing in front of him, offered two high-fives. He slapped my hands and we laughed together.

I don’t know that everyone in the room understood why the high-fives. Here’s why. Getting yourself over the top from Shame to Responsibility is a huge win, and it deserves acknowledgment, celebration, and even congratulations. This man was reporting a wonderful win to us—a win that happened right there in the room that hour as he learned about Responsibility Redefined™. That deserves more than a mere “thanks for your story.”

Many people are teaching Responsibility Redefined™ now in a variety of settings. If you have similar stories to share, I’d love to read them. Please comment.