This week’s article is the third of a series of seven about the Considerations for a Beautiful Syntropic Enterprise. In the article, we explore Pillar #2. Self-development as a leader/steward.
If you want to read the introduction article from March 17th, you can access it here. https://syntropic.world/unlocking-the-power-of-enterprise-for-a-more-beautiful-world-part-1/
To access Pillar #1, here is the link. https://syntropic.world/unlocking-the-power-of-enterprise-for-a-more-beautiful-world-part-2/
As a reminder, here are the 6 Pillars we are currently working through.
Pillar 1. Clarity of the Source Idea – the original impulse and Evolutionary Purpose
Pillar 2. Self-development as a leader/steward.
Pillar 3. Structural Integrity of Organisational Design. Creating Ecologies of Trust and Synergy
Pillar 4. People, teams, culture. A company of people and relationships.
Pillar 5. Networks and the field. A healthy economy is a healthy network of relationships with people, creatures, our Earth, the future, and the sacred.
Pillar 6. Strategy and Implementation. The Dance of Time, emergent strategy, strategic intention, and the autopoiesis of a living enterprise.
Let’s dive into the four elements of Pillar 2. Self-development as a steward leader
1. What are your skills and capabilities? What are your limitations? What are your superpowers, if you have any?
Let’s name them with profound clarity and honesty to support your enterprise. Get some feedback from trusted advisors who will tell you the truth. When will you know you are in the wrong role? Or need to exit? What kind of developmental support do you need? In a Deliberately Developmental Organisation (DDO) like a Syntropic Enterprise, everyone knows the strengths and weaknesses of everyone, with no exceptions. This is done without shaming, recognising each person’s unique qualities and skills, and acknowledging that an ecology of synergy is built from complementary yet diverse skills. When an internal culture enables support for the development of the whole human, everyone from the chief steward to the cleaner can manifest strange, diverse brilliance. This will only happen when there is safety, all shame has been removed, and people can show up fully human.
2. Who else do you need to support you?
Name the skills and abilities that are critical to the success of your enterprise. Any skills you do not have, find people who do to complement your team. If you have blind spots, and we all do, then gather a small team of trusted advisors to raise your awareness of your blind spots. We all need rigorous feedback, particularly if we are going to be part of a deliberately developmental Syntropic Enterprise where an equal part of the mission is human development as we create the product or service toward our Evolutionary Purpose. Do you need an Integrity Council, a small group of people who will hold you to the Pattern Integrity of the Source Idea, even against the most difficult circumstances? How do you honour the support of friends and family – the backbone of your life? Do you need a mentor? Someone who has walked the path you are walking? Or a coach, who will hold the space for your best to be expressed?
3. Let’s talk about your saboteur and shadow. How do you sabotage?
We all have a saboteur – the aspect of ourselves that disrupts success for many reasons, including a deep-seated lack of worth, a run-a-way ego and imposter syndrome. What are the patterns in you of the saboteur? How do you protect against this/against your own saboteur – build the mechanism into the design and set up systems to ensure minimal sabotage or corruption. How does the collective sabotage? How do you respond to collective sabotage and collusion? How do you prevent it from happening? What is your shadow – the dark places that emerge when risk or threat is high? How might your shadow as Steward Leader infect the enterprise? To explore further, please read, How do you sabotage?
4. What will you do if things are not working?
Is there a process? Who is included? In a Syntropic Enterprise, it is an everyone process. The cleaner’s opinion is as valuable as anyone’s. This would include your customers and stakeholders. With rare exceptions, responding to issues and breakdowns within an enterprise will be better when it is a whole system, whole enterprise approach.
A conscious effort towards these areas of self-development is an essential pillar of creating and stewarding a Syntropic Enterprise.
Next week, in part 4 of this series, we will cover Pillar #3. Structural Integrity of Organisational Design. Creating ecologies of Trust and Synergy.
Get to know your saboteur. https://syntropic.world/your-saboteur-and-its-role-in-leadership-development/
Embrace difference. Manage too much charge. Refuse a singularity as a response. https://syntropic.world/embrace-difference-manage-too-much-charge-refuse-a-singularity-as-a-response/
