Full Engagement for Leading Change in Challenging Times…

Full Engagement for Leading Change “To be fully engaged in our lives, we must be physically energized, emotionally connected, mentally focused, and spiritually aligned with a purpose beyond our immediate self-interest.” — Jim Loehr and Tony Schwartz, The Power of Full Engagement (2003)

 If this quote is true, I can hardly think of one organization that I know that is fully engaged. Why? Because organizations are complex systems with so many personalities and each life has its own demands pulling at it, that often this defeats our intention to be fully engaged in our lives or our work, add to that an overwhelmed leadership and you have a struggling organization instead of one that is fully engaged. How many of us say, “today I will be emotionally connected, mentally focused, and spiritually aligned so that I can meet the needs of my staff and accomplish the goals I have on my to do list.” I am guessing that very few of us do that.

 How many of us check in with our inner voice throughout the day to stay on target and in the zone of full engagement. I wonder how many organizations are being dismantled because they lacked full engagement with their donors, their constituents, their funders and their staff? Were people too focused on staying out of the red, and sacrificing as a result the building of relationships? Were the communities engaged in the cause and also expected to participate with enthusiasm and ownership? I wonder….

 On the other hand, I do know people who are Fully Engaged and their common denominator is that they have balance in their lives and are very self aware of their impact on others and how their energy is affecting their teams and their colleagues. They too fall off the wagon sometimes, but they tend to get right back on and acknowledge their mistakes. I see these people in some of the most successful organizations that I know, and it makes me want to be a part of them in some way shape or form. I want to be part of their collective impact on society to feel the reward of positive change.

Advertisement