Leadership

Leadership – A Journey in Self-Awareness

~ Kay Robinson ~ 2 Comments

dreamstime_7847493Leadership from an intuitive perspective is a journey in personal awareness. To have this journey we have to create challenges to the things as they are. Working with a client who has a successful company showed how leadership is an evolving ability.

Karen has a successful company and she has a vision for growth that moves her away from doing the work of the company, growing leaders and doubling her revenue. Ambitious goals and very achievable.

Karen began the process of change by creating a new organizational chart needed to reach her goals. Then she plugged in her current staff not based on what they are doing but in positions aligned to their strengths, not just holes they were filling. Finally, she created a hiring plan to fill in new positions. Karen was excited by the vision and her plan to get there.

What blindsided her was staff’s reaction to change. While her organizational plan incorporated changes, they have said they wanted when the plan was in place they reacted to the changes in their roles.

The biggest changes were in leadership. Though successful her company is small ($700k), and she have been the only manager with staff acting as leads in specific areas of the business. For Karen to grow her company, she needed to step back from managing the day-to-day work of the business and hire leaders.

Chaos ensued. For the first time, Karen was having a leadership crisis. One lead and the staff that worked in this division were in resistance to having a new boss. The lead liked the way she had things and did not want a change so engaged the agreement of others in resistance to the plan.

Karen was in a leadership crisis and so her journey in self-awareness began.  She realized she wanted everyone to like her, and that got in the way. She realized that the changes were long overdue.  Her wish to stop managing the day-to-day began a while ago with her abdicating her role as manager.  The result is her staff controlled the company.  She found her leadership style was command and control using her 3rh chakra to overpower and control it which worked, in the before small agreeable group.  She did not really know how to lead in a way that would produce the results she wanted.

The staff takes cues from their leaders about what is an acceptable way of being. Since Karen used control and command, her staff reacted in the same way. It became a confrontational and uncomfortable situation.  Karen realized she had created a void in leadership making everyone feel insecure.

In this new stage of her business, Karen is at a loss on how to lead her company past this crisis. From an intuitive perspective, Karen is on a journey of self-discovery. She is beginning to realize how much she controlled her company not lead it. Leadership comes in many forms but for Karen this meant to change to leading from her upper chakras: 4th for affinity for others, 5th for clear communication, 6th for clear seeing and reading the energy then the 7th to show leadership and vision.

The first step was for everyone to get out of each other’s space, release energy and focus on themselves and their goals within the company. Leadership begins with each person taking ownership of their position and producing results.  Karen decided that she will meet with each person and agree on expected results, giving them ownership of their position.

Next Karen had to change and change begins within. She needed to see herself as a leader in a new way for herself, her company, and her staff. Staff wants leadership. Leadership makes everyone feel confident and gives him or her space to be successful.  Clients want to experience leadership at every level of the company and from every experience they have with any staff.

Karen is not comfortable now. Change is uncomfortable. Her vision is strong. She is strong and knows the journey begins within to discover how she is as a leader in this cycle of her company. One thing she knows for sure, this is just the next stage of her growth as a leader. There are surely others to come.  She is grateful for the challenge to get to know herself within and decide how to be in the world in a new way.

Change Will Happen – Gracefully or Not So Gracefully

~ Kay Robinson ~ Leave a comment

????????????????????????????????????????David started his business ten years ago. Today his gross revenue is close to half-million. David and his wife, Carmen, run this plumbing company with no staff. David does the work – plumbing. Carmen manages the office. David is exhausted, does not charge enough and works on jobs on an average of one-hour from their very rural home. Last year David injured himself, and he can not continue to do all the work himself.

David wants a change. His wife, Carmen, wants change, but they have very different and opposing ideas of how to move forward. Carmen wants out of the business. David wants to stop doing the work of the business, hire staff and grow the business so that it serves his life. In EMyth terms, he wants to stop being the technician and become an entrepreneur.

David started coaching because he was unsure how to make such a big leap. He started with great enthusiasm. David was determined to proceed to define the changes needed to grow this business with him as a leader.

We started with finances and soon found that while they were keeping books the information was not entered correctly and was not available to guide them in their business. First change was to contract with a great bookkeeper. Seemed like a simple solution though David found he could not change his involvement in managing the books.

Next step was to create a budget for the changes planned. David was used to keeping his “budget” in his head and resisted writing it down and planning on paper.

David needed to hire a plumber to take his place as the only technician. He worried that no one could do the work the way he did, as good as he did it and with the care he showed his clients. David found it hard to give up being the plumber.

It became clear that as much as David wanted things to be different he was unable to change. He thought the changes would be in his business but discovered that the changes needed were within him, and he just couldn’t do it.

David’s story is a great example of wanting and desiring something different, but not being able to make the needed changes. David was getting in his way. When we want something to change it always starts within us. Getting out of our routines, being willing to be uncomfortable, letting go of what is familiar and, in David’s case, letting go of the need to control.

From an intuitive perspective when we decide we want change, the change will happen one way or another. We can be the leader of change, and it will happen more gracefully or if we resist it will still happen but in a less comfortable and forced way. I imagine David’s desired changes will happen by his knee giving out. There are easier ways to create change.

Notice the changes you desire then find what has to happen within you so that it can.

Best wishes on your success, Kay

Work Hard or Ground

~ Kay Robinson ~ Leave a comment

dreamstime_5775817If you are not grounded then chaos reigns. Worse yet success is outside your reach. I was reminded of this working with two new clients this week. When we are grounded we are clear, focused and can think straight. When we are ungrounded we tend to be busy, doing what comes our way, that is simple to do, needs to be done but may not move us any closer to our success.

Two new clients this week are in different industries but in the same place with their businesses. They have been in business for a while, are working hard and making slow progress in their gross revenue. They wanted help, feeling overwhelmed, unfocused and without a plan.

As an intuitive, I look first at their energy. Are they grounded? From which chakra do they work? These two questions tell me a great deal about their business because our businesses are always a reflection of us. Scary but true so the solution begins within us.

Neither of them was grounded. They both operated from their third chakra (a powerful energy center) to work hard, react and respond to whatever comes at them. This is the opposite of being grounded, focused with a plan that determines where we place our energy. Sound familiar?

Both of them are smart, know their business very well but cannot get out of their third chakras (below sternum) and move into the crown (at the top of the centerh). The crown chakra is leadership. Because they work from their third, they do much of the work of their business. For a business to grow the owner has to be able to lead the business (crown chakra) and see the bigger picture, their vision (6th chakra) then communicate that to their staff (5th chakra) for agreement (4th chakra).

Do you find that their story is in some way familiar to you? To be focused, we have to be grounded. Try this today. It only takes a couple of minutes though you can spend longer.

  • Sit in a quiet and comfortable place (once you learn how to do this you can do it anytime and any place, eyes open or closed)
  • Close your eyes and relax into your chair.
  • Take a deep breath, exhale and relax.
  • Bring your attention onto yourself.
  • In your mind’s eye imagine where the base of your spine is (1st chakra)
  • Imagine where the center of the planet is.
  • Now imagine connecting those two points. You can imagine a tree trunk, a beam of light, a rope, etc. Any imagines that work for you to connect the base of your spine to the center of the planet. This is your grounding.
  • Take a deep breath and relax into your grounding. Feel grounded. Let go and allow yourself to be grounded.
  • Let go of whatever you are controlling.
  • Relax and feel connected to the center of the planet.
  • Continue to feel yourself grounding for as long as you want but at least a minute until you feel grounded.
  • Notice your awareness changes.

You can start your day this way. It helps to create focus. Then you can do this several times throughout your day, creating time to stop, ground and get clear again.

Stop and ground when you:

  • Find you cannot think straight or are having a tough time focusing stop and ground.
  • Find you are doing random things and not implementing a plan that moves you toward your goals, stop and ground.
  • Find yourself unsettled by something or someone and want to get your space back.
  • Have a problem to solve and want to get it right.
  • Want to regain perspective.
  • Are feeling stressed or tense.

There are a many reasons to be grounded. Make this part of your routine, and it will change everything.

Best wishes on your success, Kay

Meditation

Hold Your Head High

~ Kay Robinson ~ Leave a comment

Business ManMy grandmother said, “Hold your head high.”  I am sure you are familiar with this phrase as well. When my grandmother said it, I did it and felt better. Over the years I’ve had the same experience. When I held my head high and the more I held it high I felt a significant change in my energy level and my feeling of certainty.

Observing Others

Observing others I noticed I could tell those who held their head high and those who did not.   I also observed how I reacted to each.  I was drawn toward those who showed confidence and did not have a strong impression of those whose head was down.  In fact I hardly noticed them. Finally I decided to look intuitively to see what was going on that made such a difference.

 Seventh Energy Center

We all have seven major chakras or energy centers. The first is at the base of our spine and the seventh is on the top of the head in the area that is the soft spot for babies. It is this seventh chakra that is activated when we “hold our head high”. When the 7th chakra is active we feel certain, have ownership of our space and sense of seniority in our life.  We appear strong, in charge of our space and own our personal power.

How to hold your head high

The power of the seventh chakra is undeniable. Try it for yourself before you read further. Here is a technique I use with my clients. Start by holding your head high but more than that – stretch your neck. Really lift your head up so that your spine is long and the top back of your head is the top. Notice how differently you feel. Take a deep breath and really hold your head high.

This is not magic though it may feel like that. When we lift our head up, stretch the neck we are straightening the spine and at the same time aligning our energy centers. When our energy centers are aligned along the spine and our energy can flow clearly and smoothly. That alone makes us feel better. So this concept of holding your head high is the alignment of our energy centers with our energy flowing and our crown chakra energize.

Crown Chakra & Strength of Spirit

The crown chakra (seventh) is a powerful energy center that is energized when we hold it in alignment with our spine and energy centers. We feel more empowered. Others perceive us as empowered. Watch others. Notice how you react to someone whose head is down in their shoulders versus someone who is holding their head high.

This is an important concept for those focused on achieving their goals. Some create from their third chakra (below the sternum) with hard work and a great deal of effort. Others use their upper chakras (5th through 7th) for success from creativity, clear vision and certainty. This is a lot more fun and validating.

Feel Better in Body, Mind & Spirit

There are more reasons why energizing our crown chakra makes us feel so much better. It is the chakra through which our life force energy flows (chi, prana, etc.) into the body bringing life force energy to the organs. We feel energized.

So hold your head high when you want to feel better, feel certain, to be seen as a leader, to have strength of spirit and to feel in charge of your life.

Best wishes on your success, Kay

You Created It!

~ Kay Robinson ~ 1 Comment

dreamstimefree_138882Life happens and we act and react to what comes our way.  That is an atheist view.  What if every thing that happens manifests through our own thinking about things?  This is truer but hard to grasp because it is not logical though it is very intuitive.  The proof falls in line when we see ourselves.  Let me share a story of one of my clients who learned that her thinking about things matters.

Susan – The Failed Leader

Susan is a  new director of a large research laboratory.  Under her is an array of doctors each a specialist in their field. Susie called me because she was trying to bring her team of doctors together for monthly department meeting.  To date some doctors never came, others came and controlled the meeting with their own banter, etc.  She was frustrated, felt disrespected and that her leadership was not recognized in the way that she wanted.  When I met with her I could see clearly how she was creating this scenario through her own thinking.

No One To Blame

Typically we look outside ourselves for why something is not going well.  In this case, Susan believed the doctors were being arrogant, had their egos in the way, etc.  This was what she believed and saw the problem was with them.  From an intuitive perspective I had her not focus outside herself but to be aware that she was creating this reality.   I saw her thinking was in her way.  Susan could not imagine bringing the doctors together under her leadership and to work collaboratively.  She feared their egos were stronger than hers that they would run her over and disregard her role so that is exactly what she created and experienced.  At first Susan argued that she was not creating this because it was not what she wanted.

Change Others or Go Within

Susan came up with many suggestions on how to make the doctors come to the meetings, follow her agenda, etc.  These were possible solutions though intuitively I knew they would not work until she changed her thoughts and pictures about her relationship to her staff.  Susan agreed to a guided meditation in which she could become aware of her thinking and vision of the lab.

 A New Vision

In meditation Susan began to imagine the research lab operating in a successful, supportive and collaborative way.  When she became aware of her thoughts about this person or another being in the way she cleared those thoughts and created a new perspective.  Susan meditated on the monthly staff meeting imagining it in a new way.  She began to see her team of doctors coming together, seeing value in collaboration, sharing expertise and generally enjoying the time together.  As she meditated on this she became aware of how much energy she had in resistance to the monthly meeting herself and released that energy from her space.   She was also aware of her fear that the doctors did not value her leadership and cleared those fears.   We continued in this fashion until she could see clearly all the doctors being in communication and support of the success of the lab.

Everyone Is Intuitive

A couple of intuitive points helped Susan understand how she was affecting her ability to be a leader.  Everyone is intuitive and the doctors simply picked up on Susan’s energy  (fear and uncertainty) and reacted in kind.   They intuitive read her pictures especially the one about doctors not wanting to follow her leadership and so they did not.  From an intuitive perspective be aware that people pick up on the energy and pictures in our space and react more to that than what we say.

 A New Reality

Once Susan cleared her thinking and released the energies in her space, I had her begin to see herself as a leader with a clear working relationship with all of her team, leading, setting the tone, being in communication and having fun.

In this meditation Susan changed her perspective and energy about the lab, her staff and specifically the monthly staff meeting.  Not surprising Susan reported that everything changed immediately.  She found herself approaching her communication with everyone in a new way resulting in a new response from each person.  They seemed to sense her clarity and certainty.  All the doctors attended the next monthly staff meeting, and she led them in a lively and productive case discussion.  It was clear to Susan the change was within her.  The staff sensed her clarity as a leader and the change in her perspective.

Clear Your Thinking 

What surprised Susan was she did not have to make her staff change though that seemed to happen.   Susan understood that she was in her own way.  Her thoughts about her staff, her fears about her own abilities and how she saw herself as the leader were manifesting in her reality. That has changed.   Susan committed to regularly assessing the thoughts and concepts she has in her space and on her mind and to meditate to find this clarity.

From an intuitive perspective we create our reality through our thoughts, fears and concepts.  Change your thinking and watch your reality change.  If there is a situation in your life or your work that is not as you would like it to be then stop to see what your thoughts are about it.   It is never the other person or the situation.  It is always manifesting from within us so meditate because the answer may not always be logical.

Best wishes on your success, Kay

Don’t Get in The Way of Your Leadership

~ Kay Robinson ~ Leave a comment
Paris SkyScrapers
Leader

This week was a look at how easy it is for business owners to get in the way of their success.  Here is the story of one business owner getting in his own way. Jake has owned a large heating and air conditioning installation company for 18 yr. and suddenly it is about to go under.

Jake

Jake turned over the day-to-day operations of his company two years ago to two of his key staff.  In general day-to-day operations is the function of managers and so that was a good strategy.  On the other hand, Jake also stepped out, and unknowingly gave them the leadership of his company and this was his mistake.

Setting The Tone

For a business to succeed someone, typically the owner or CEO, sets the vision, values and the tone of the company. Staff, vendors and customers come to know this as the company’s brand which becomes how they feel about the company and what they expect in terms of customer service and product/service quality.

Abdicated Leadership

For two years,  Jake trusted these employees, thought they were doing a good job and left them to run the business while he found new projects/customers to serve.  This year Jake’s intuition told him he better come back as the leader of the company.   He felt compelled by his intuition to ask for financial reports.   With that both men quit leaving Jake with huge debt and little knowledge of the day-to-day operations, staff, vendors, customers and current operational procedures.

Admit Mistakes

Jake made several mistakes as a business owner but the one that harmed him the most was he gave up leadership of his company.

Jake had not been providing leadership from which all work would be done.  One person has to define the vision for the company, the values they hold, the products and services provided and the way everyone will interact with each other,  clients, vendors, investors, etc.  When Jake gave up leadership, the two lead staff took over setting their own vision, imposing their own values and setting the tone for working with everyone. This change resulted in financial mismanagement, decreased quality and delivery of their products and services as well as relationships altered.

Now What?

When these two men left Jake had a crisis on his hands.  He was in enormous debt, could not service his contracts, did not have qualified staff or systems in place, all the knowledge about the operations was held by the two that left and he had lost the faith of his bankers, staff, vendors and clients.

Jake’s Fears

How did Jake get into this mess?  It was simple and could easily happen to any of us.  Jake is educated and smart, but like all of us he does not know what he does not know as a business owner.  Two years ago he felt like he did not know enough to keep his business going so rather than admit his uncertainty and finding a way to learn how to take his business to the next level he abdicated his business to others.  Jake’s greatest weakness as a business owner is his fear of not knowing.  His greatest strength is his knowledge of his industry and the high values that he brings to his business.  His greatest fear, stated by him, is that he is not a leader.  Jake is clearly a leader in his family of 14 children and his local community where he works to inspire youth to get an education and sees his role as helping others to be employed and productive.   That sense of leadership is missing in his business.

Intuitive Perspective

Jake belongs to a very conservative religion that values humility and allowing others to be senior to them.  This affects his ability to set his crown at a leadership vibration.   Leadership from the crown chakra is different from the control and command form of leadership which comes from the third Chakra below the sternum.

From an intuitive perspective leadership vibrates in an energy center on the top of the head called the crown Chakra.  When you hold your head high and straighten your spine, you experience an energy change.  Try it. Suddenly you feel more certain. The crown Chakra sets the energy for our space.    We can use this energy center to set the tone in any situation.    Notice for yourself.  Those who hold their head high show the energy of leadership, seniority and certainty.  We notice, listen and pay attention to them.   Those who hold their head low, bowed or below others give off the impression of not knowing, not being important, being weaker and certainly not a leader.

Be Willing to Learn and Change

Jake created a successful company for 16 years based on the information he had available to him then he hit his limit.  He did not know how to manage or grow his $6 mil. company.  In his fear of not knowing, he gave up leadership.

When Jake came back into the company and realized how desperate the situation was he called to discuss business coaching.  He was willing to admit that he did not know what it would take to turn things around.  After working with Jake for a month I realized it would not work.  Jake’s greatest weakness he was his inability to plan and prepare both of which are essential qualities of a business owner and a leader.  It is, in fact, the most important ability, to work on the business rather than doing the work of the business.  He was simply unwilling to spend the time to create the vision of his company, define the brand he wanted to impart, to develop a financial or organizational plan and all the other foundational components of a successful business.  He admitted he hates planning and preparing.

As an intuitive, I see Jake was stuck in an old energy pattern or routine that is familiar and comfortable even if it is not serving him.  He was in resistance to changing his space, energy or focus.  So if nothing changes within us then nothing changes in our lives or in our creations.  In the end we stopped coaching as Jake admitted he could not take the time to plan.  He would try to put band aids on his problems for now.

Being willing to lead, admit what we don’t know and to change ourselves first are essential components of success.

As always, your comments and experiences are appreciated.

Best wishes on your success, Kay

Business Coaching

Ego Is Not Leadership

~ Kay Robinson ~ Leave a comment

????????????????????????????????????????  Leadership seems to come naturally to some and for others it takes learning but one thing is clear, it is no place for the ego.

Ego

A strong ego is not of much use to a leader and, in fact, can get in the way.  Ego is about the self.  Ego is often confused with being  strong.   From an intuitive perspective ego is a set of pictures or concepts of our perfect self.  We measure ourselves against those pictures.  When we like what we see we have a strong ego and we are proud.  When we do not feel that we measure up to our perfect self then we are invalidated.  Either extreme of the ego does not work in the world of leadership.  Leadership is not about self.

Leadership

Leadership is about the ability to lead in contrast to ego, which is about self.   A leader who is ego driven may feel strong to himself/herself, likes the sound of their own voice, likes their thinking and their presence. This seems almost like a performer in a play.  Leadership is about being strong of spirit, having a sense of purpose, wanting to hear the voice of others, encourages others thinking and has affinity for the people he/she leads. These are stark contrasts.

Jim, the “Leader”

I was speaking with “a leader” in a company.  I do not know him well. I was seeking his counsel on a mutual client and colleague.  The moment I posed the question for our discussion I saw his aura change with the energy of his ego coming strongly to the forefront.  Immediately I sensed that this was not going to be a discussion, that he was going to tell me the right answer because he saw being right was his role as the leader.  As you might imagine I could not hear or follow him in the conversation because his ego was so loud and occupied the entire space.  In fact, there was no conversation.  Jim was  leading by pushing his ego into the conversation.  Needless to say it did not go well.  I let the conversation end quickly so that I could pursue a solution another way.

Hold Your Head High

Being a leader is a way of being on an energy level.  A strong leader has a strong crown.  Crown refers to an energy center or chakra on the top of the head.  This energy center sets the tone for the group.  How he/she sets their crown give others a sense of how it feels to work with this leader.

An ego focused person tries to lead from their third chakra, the power center at the base of the sternum.  It often feels like control – not leadership – to those under him/her.  To be an effective leader means knowing yourself.   I love the term, “Know where you are coming from.”  From an intuitive perspective this means knowing the energy center do you lead from.  This makes all the difference in how people experience your leadership and their willingness to follow.

Lead from Upper Chakras

An effective leader leads from the upper chakras (energy centers).  Leading from the crown makes people feel comfortable that someone is in charge and has the certainty to lead.  A strong leader also uses the sixth chakra (center of head) to have perspective and experience the ability to see clearly the truth in any situation.  The fifth chakra allows the leader to give and receive communication and encourages creativity. Finally the fourth energy center (in the heart) is the ability of the leader to feel affinity for the people he/she leads.

Control/React from Lower Chakras

Leaders who are not effective are those who lead from their lower energy centers (chakras). They lead through control, have their ego in the way, are in competition with others and engage in power struggles through the third chakra (below the sternum).  It is not effective to use the emotions of the second chakra (the gut) or to be in fear and survival when operating from the first chakra (base of the spine).

Leadership – A Journey in Self-Awareness

Upper chakra leadership allows the leader to have neutrality and a clear perspective.  Operating from the lower chakras causes a leader to be reactive to whatever he/she encounters with little awareness of what is really going on.  None of this is logical but it is very intuitive.  Notice the energy center from which you or the leader in your business leads.  Being aware allows you to grow in your understanding of leadership.  Are you a leader?  Would you like to be a leader?  Begin by noticing what energy center you lead from.  Shift your energy to your upper chakras and experience a whole new way of being as a leader and others will allow you to lead.

Best wishes on your success,

Kay

Palin, Clinton & Female Leadership

~ Kay Robinson ~ Leave a comment

Let me make it clear from the beginning this is not a blog in support of anyone. I am simply reading intuitively what I see. Sarah Palin has a clear vision. She knows how to read energy and read others. She responds to what she sees intuitively. This ability comes so naturally to women. It is a huge asset for her side. Not all women use this natural intuitive ability. If a woman tries to think and be like the men, she works with then she will move away from her intuition and rely more on logic. This does not work as well for her. A woman is most successful and most effective when she combines her natural women’s intuition with her strong logical side. A woman like this is unstoppable. Sarah Palin has this ability. It is confusing to folks because she is so grounded in her these female aspects and yet she has the power and a strength that most do not expect. When given the opportunity this is exactly what women are like. We use these abilities to be a grounding, the strength and the power in our families and communities. Sarah Palin, Hilary Clinton and others are bringing those abilities to the national level.

That is not to say that men are not intuitive because they certainly are. Intuition is not as readily accessible to men because our culture expects them to be logical and operate from strength and power not realizing there is great power in intuition.

Hilary Clinton has the same ability. Hilary’s inability to use her natural intuition early in her campaign came from the notion that she had to compete with the men in the presidential race. She operated from a male perspective, and it did not work. Finally, when she cast off that notion and engaged her natural female wisdom, intuition and logic it was too late. Had she operated off her female information at the onset she would be in a different place right now. We all learn from our life experiences. There are no mistakes. Sometimes what appears as a mistake is the only way we can create a change for ourselves.

Businesses are learning to harness the enormous power of women who combine their intuition, wisdom, logic, passion and creativity. This brings huge success!

Best wishes on your success, Kay

www.insightintuitiveconsulting.com