The BLOGLeadership & Beyond

Leadership, lizards, and a joyful invitation

October 5, 2016
/Sara Lawson
/Fear, Leadership
/View Comments

This is a different kind of post.

I love my work. I love the in-the-room, eye-to-eye, light-bulbs-going-on, courage-wings-flapping part of facilitating programs for leaders, entrepreneurs, and instigators. I get to bring together, challenge, and support AMAZING people who are committed to some big ideas in the world. Together, we create an experience that fosters authentic connections, deep learning, heightened clarity, and inspired action. I am so lucky that I get to do this work. I feel like I’m both contributing and learning, all at the same time.

That part is super fun and fulfilling. The marketing and outreach stuff that’s a necessary part of running a business? Not so natural for me. And even though outreach always leads to great things (meaningful conversations, wonderful new clients for programs like Gauge Leadership Lab, and some quite gracious rejections), I have to make a deliberate choice about how I approach this part of the job. I aim for a mindset of ‘making a joyful invitation’, rather than my lizard brain’s ‘holy-smokes-this-risks-rejection-DANGER-why-would-we-do-that-because-maybe-people-will-think-this-is-stupid-WARNING-so-you-should-probably-just-have-more-coffee-and-not-send-that-email’. You know. THAT voice. It probably says different things to you, but you know the one I mean. (Or, well, maybe you don’t know what I mean. And you don’t have that voice. In which case, we probably shouldn’t work together…)

So this week, I’m focused on connecting with fabulous people to fill the last couple of seats of the upcoming Seattle series of Gauge, which starts on 10/21. And yesterday, I saw this unsolicited Facebook post from Scott Squire, an amazing filmmaker, entrepreneur, and human, who participated in the last series. Here’s what he wrote:

“Friends, if you work in the loosey-goosey world of choose-your-own-adventure careers—I’m talking to you my artist friends and do-gooder heroes—or if your work involves using your heart to make hard decisions…

if you’ve been looking for a way to sharpen up your relationship to your Amazing Thing (whatever it may be!), if you’re trying to define or refine your way of doing your work to a higher level…

… then I would unreservedly urge you to check out Gauge Leadership Lab.

Participants will join a powerfully diverse cohort of like-mindedly passionate people exploring the edges of that rarefied space between the vulnerabilities and opportunities that we all live with but very seldom actively, directly engage.

Participating in the Gauge Leadership Lab might just be the best thing I’ve ever done for my own professional development. I have learned more about myself and my relationship to my work than I imagined possible. The growth is ongoing!”

I’m so honored and delighted by this. The little kid in me wants to print it out, put some sparkly stickers on it, and put it on the fridge. And I wanted to share this with you, because sometimes other people are better at talking about my work than I am.

If you’re curious about what Scott described, I would love to hear what’s on your mind. Consider this a joyful invitation. (And all your voices are welcome, even the lizard-brainy ones.)

And if this program isn’t a good fit for you, I still want you to have something of value for reading this far. So here’s one thing I know in my bones. Being on the receiving end of Scott’s spontaneous acknowledgement has been powerful. I feel really seen for the heart, soul, and caring attention that I put into my work. That means a lot this week, as I focus on the outreach side of my business. Scott didn’t need to do that, and he probably didn’t know how much it would mean (or how great his timing was). He just did it. So, here’s my second joyful invitation. Take a minute, and think of someone who has been a meaningful force for good in your life over the past year. Send them a note and let them know. I’m going to do it, too, and I guarantee that it will be worth the effort.

Thanks, Scott. Thanks, everybody. I love the community-minded folks who surround me. Thanks for being a part of it.

Warm regards, Sara

PS. Here are the details. Feel free to pass’em around. Thanks!