I hope we can keep in touch!
–Karen

I’ve also been thinking about the Conscious Capitalism Institute’s approach – where they are “focused on original research and best practices in high performance organizational leadership”. Whenever I see this type of language I cringe a bit because there is no mention of the artistry, creativity and mystery that is inherent in the journey of evolving consciousness. A unique and critical aspect of IAM is how we combine both rigor and mystery in a process that we can know works, and at the same time leave space and anticipation for the ever expanding territory of the unknown consciousness.

–Karen

I first read about Conscious Capitalism in this month’s (December, 2009) Fast Company magazine article, “The Miracle Worker,” profile of John Mackey, CEO of Whole Foods & pioneer of this movement. When I read this article, I thought about the many conversations we have had about our passion for helping people and organizations/companies operate with more abundance and holism.

You asked those of us familiar with IAM to draw the connection between the work we are doing and what we would like to see Conscious Capitalism be. I’ll do my best!

In your 2nd bullet, you wrote about abundance-based thinking and the importance of benefiting the whole. In the Fast Company article, Mackey states that Conscious Capitalism aligns company decisions with company stakeholders (employees, customers, shareholders, suppliers, community, and the environment). I use IAM’s Navigational Compass with my clients to explore how they are/are not creating synergy and congruence in all of these areas. It’s amazing to see them really “get” what is missing and how they can easily get on track.

Conscious Capitalism (as espoused by the Conscious Capitalism Institute) focuses on a higher purpose. In IAM, our purpose is to be our best, and that’s what we challenge and coach individual and corporate client to focus on. The Essence Map is a great way to help my clients see how they can focus on and develop their very best instead of struggling or being stuck.

Another way that IAM is aligned with Conscious Capitalism is in how we view leadership. Mackey says that the art of conscious leadership is through a harmony of stakeholder interests rather than trade offs. You wrote about either/or thinking instead of “and” thinking. Jim Collins writes about the “genius of the and” in his book “Built to Last.” Collins believes that you can be profitable AND altruistic. You can even survive AND prosper. Although Mackey seems mostly to be referring to the top of the organization, IAM advocates that we are ALL leaders. I believe that when each one of us embraces and employs our leadership with the best of what we have to offer and in a way that creates harmony with everything, we offer true & lasting success.

The only thing I see missing from the literature on Conscious Capitalism is joy. One of IAM’s core values is joy – the more joy we give, the more we receive. We believe that experiencing joy is the most important indicator of success.

Thank you, Karen, for your brilliant articulation of how IAM contributes to Conscious Capitalism. Conscious Capitalism seems to capture what we’ve held near & dear to our hearts, so I’m glad to finally know there is a movement going on to support our way of thinking.

~Diane

And the Barking Unicorn gives us classic Buddhist advice to keep things simple. And yes I agree there is always more to the ‘apparently’ simple. The Essence Map is a great example of that – super simple idea. And the discussions about it go on and on …

Thank you both!
–Karen

2. Every *apparently* simple thing is not honest or true, necessarily.

3. The more complex a thing is made, the less likely it is to remain honest or true.

4. If you cannot readily detect the simple, honest truth in a thing, avoid it.

The CCI is designed to be the primary knowledge hub for the conscious capitalism movement, focused on original research and best practices in high performance organizational leadership. It represents a unique collaborative effort among major corporations, research faculty at prominent business schools around the world, and thought leaders from leading consulting organizations and elsewhere.

Sincerely
George Tran
Author of “The Social Marketing Manifesto”
Success Strategies for Small Businesses using Social Media
http://www.socialmarketingman.com
http://www.twitter.com/georgetran