6 Takeaways From "The Corporate Mystic"
I’ve been reading more in 2022 than I read in all of 2021, and it feels good! There’s an interesting thing that happens when I’m writing my own books, though. Sometimes I have to take breaks from reading so that I can focus on the ideas I have inside. I imagine this year will be a year of reading and pausing cycles, and that’s okay!
One book I read in January is called “The Corporate Mystic: A Guidebook for Visionaries with Their Feet on the Ground.”
I picked it up solely because of its title. As the Chief of Vision for our company, I love to read anything about visioning!
The book was originally published 25 years ago, and that’s the version I read. I was amazed at how much of it is still relevant to today–maybe even more relevant: It talked a lot about the importance of authenticity, integrity, and listening to yourself. Right up my alley for sure.
The authors of the book worked with hundreds of executives during their careers, and from their experience, they came up with a list of qualities of what they call “corporate mystics,” or leaders who are grounded in vision, integrity, and intuition.
A lot of the book was a little “up in the clouds” for me, but I got some solid takeaways from it that I would love to share with you, with the hope that they will impact you like they did me:
Using the word “because” can stop deep thinking. An example of this is saying, “I’m late because I slept through my alarm.” You’ve come up with a reason, so your brain stops there. But what if the problem goes deeper than that? What if you overslept because you’re dreading going into work, and your brain is trying to send you a message? So instead of going straight to “because,” ask “why”: Why did I sleep through my alarm? Doing so can help you get to a better reason or solution by helping you stay curious.
Each person can take on 100% responsibility, and no more than that. When I think of the times when I felt most overextended and resentful of my work, I felt that way because I was taking on more than my share of responsibilities. But I also wasn’t asking for help or even sharing how I felt. I was trying to work at more than 100% of my capacity–which is impossible. When you’re working as a team, ideally, everyone is taking on 100% of their responsibilities and no more (or no less) than that.
Don’t make agreements you can’t keep. Really question if you want to do something before agreeing or committing. This one is a simple reminder: Don’t say yes to something you know in your gut you don’t want to do. When we back out and don’t honor our commitments, that can affect the way people view our integrity. Either way, it’s a losing situation that we can avoid by saying no the first time.
Own your engagement in meetings. How many times have you realized that you are disengaged in a meeting? It happens. The authors recommend that instead of expecting the meeting’s facilitator to hold your attention, check in with yourself every 15 minutes. If you’re feeling disengaged from the discussion, consider whether you can change the energy of the meeting by asking a question or otherwise getting involved.
Listen to your intuition. The story the authors use to illustrate this point is about a CEO who was faced with a tough challenge and needed to act quickly. Instead of impulsively taking action, the CEO decided to sit in his office for 30 minutes so that he could be quiet and listen to his intuition. In the end, the solution he came up with in those 30 minutes of quiet ended up saving the situation. Their point was that the mind and heart, when quiet, have tremendous intuition, if only we take the time and space to listen.
Use the FACT process for decision making:
Facing
What is the reality of the situation? Is there a difference between how it is and how I want it to be?
Have I communicated anything untrue to myself or anyone else?
Have I broken any agreements with myself or others?
Accepting
What have I not accepted about this situation exactly as-is?
Choosing
What do I want most in this situation?
Taking action
What action can I take to support getting what I want in this situation and by when can I commit to doing this?
So, there you have it: My six best takeaways from The Corporate Mystic. An interesting read for sure! If you’re interested in reading it yourself, you can check it out here.
I feel like I can’t end this blog without acknowledging one more thing: If you find yourself in a season when you aren’t interested in reading, rock that. Don’t let anyone else’s reading put pressure on you to read more or make you feel bad about your lack of desire to crack open a book yourself. There are seasons for everything. You do you! (I’m saying this because I need to hear this, too.)
Big hugs,
Kristen
P.S. Our next Human Leadership Program will take place May 18th + 19th!! Join us and learn how to become a more authentic, human leader. Tickets and more info here!
P.P.S. Looking for a way to invest in yourself in 2022?! We’d love to invite you to join our monthly coaching group. You can find all the deets here!
