I’m saying this as someone who has perpetuated this old ‘carrot or stick’ business paradigm, personally.
It’s such a common practice, many business leaders don’t even question it. I didn’t for a long time either.
But as I continue to grow as a more socially-emotionally intelligent leader, I have awakened to this toxic workplace norm and am committed to stopping it at my company - both internally and in our business relationships.
We will not have a company culture of stress, fear and frenzied fire drills - we will co-create a culture of thoughtful, strategic and emotionally-balanced approaches & responsiveness.
I owe much of my own growth as a more gentle leader to my daily work with the flight-response of horses. Getting a 1000-pound powerful (and dangerous) animal to work with me willingly shines a spotlight on my edges. They show me where I don’t ask kindly, where I ask too much, where I get frustrated too easily…
And then I reflect, I look at where and how this shows up in my life and work, and I commit to doing better.
I would love to know - who here is doing the same?
I’m considering putting together a support framework for leaders who are doing the HARD WORK to actively dismantle this kind of business-as-usual programming. It’s exhausting to constantly push against the system but for me - it’s the only choice.
The ugly, demanding, greedy side of capitalism is unsustainable. There is a better way. And I would like to spend more time with likeminded people so we can support each other to create it together.
Conscious Leadership Conversation & Virtual Wine Tasting
I talk about “Conscious Leadership” quite a bit but what does that really mean?
For me, it consists of three parts:
1. Breaking the old business paradigm and removing the partition from my heart and my work
2. Committing to a Whole Human approach to company culture that balances profit and purpose, people and planet.
3. Evolving personally, continually expanding my own consciousness - meaning: healing personal trauma and gaining self-awareness of unconscious patterns of thoughts and behaviors (often called ‘shadow self’) to be the most integrated, holistically-well I can be physically, mentally and emotionally so that I bring my best self to work and relationships.
So - in short “doing the work” to live in integrity personally and organizationally.
This is my favorite topic in the whole world right now and if it piques your interest, too - I would love for you to join for a lively discussion with me, my team, leaders from Dough wines, proud supporters of the James Beard Foundation, and the one and only Jennifer English, Food & Beverage Editor-at-Large.
When: Wednesday, June 16, 3pm PST
RSVP Here ✉️ https://bit.ly/3wlcAxN
Our Panelists:
- Jennifer English, Editor at Large, Food & Beverage Magazine
- Clayton Seeto, Marketing Director, Distinguished Vineyards & Wine Partners/Dough Wines
- Kate McManus, VP of Marketing, Distinguished Vineyards & Wine Partners/Dough Wines
- Lee Morse, Assistant Winemaker, Dough Wines
Hosted by:
MTO CEO & Founder Gretchen Fox
This group of conscious leaders will discuss what's at the top of every impact-driven business leader & marketer's mind right now, including:
+ Setting new industry standards in sustainability
+ Creating a new, better normal as we head back into the world
Join us!
It’s been a year.
Exhaustion - let’s talk about it...
It’s been a year of this pandemic. Describing it is pointless - we all know what it’s been. It’s been a collective experience.
We are collectively exhausted - and working parents *especially moms* are the most exhausted humans I’ve ever seen in my life.
Me? I was doing fine for a really long time and then just last month, I hit a wall. I feel like we all did.
I am extremely fortunate - I have my own company filled with my favorite people and really, really good clients and a support network of other female entrepreneurs I can talk to.
It’s still too much.
And I’m optimistic and excited - we were shortlisted for an award for work we did last year *during covid* and we have new projects in innovative spaces.
The excitement helps. The great people around me definitely helps.
But it’s being outdoor with my horse that helps the most. Getting my boots dirty and finding harmony with such a powerful, regal creature re-centers me daily. She stays in the Now and so I must do so, too.
And in those beautiful moments when it’s just she and I, breathing, being, connecting on an energetic level, when my mind calms into quiet and I feel total inner peace and freedom from everything in our man-made world.
In that sense of being, the fluidity of feeling, in her quiet wisdom, she role-models the power of feminine leadership to me - the life-giving flow of emotion, empathy and sensory awareness.
And I recharge.
Many of us have found deeper aspects of ourselves during this last year. Have moved from cities to rural farms, have grown gardens and learned to bake bread. Have learned to be quiet with ourselves during the chaos.
We must now bring this newly-re-found remembrance of what’s most important to us into our work culture.
We must create organizations where our well-being is prioritized, where the flow between get and get is reciprocal. Where the Whole Human is honored and encouraged to thrive. Where money and resources are a part of that soulfully-healthy experience and not mutually exclusive to it.
This is #consciouscapitalism and this is #thefutureofwork
Because anything else is archaic in light of what we have learned ❤️💸❤️
