Embrace the Power of Creating a New Reality!

Posted on by Martin Murphy

I was having a conversation with somebody I’d mentioned this quote to around a decade ago.

“Don’t fight the existing reality, create a new reality which makes the old one obsolete.” – Buckminster Fuller

The person was somewhat irked at the time by the ‘Cheeky B**stard’ Quote when she was pouring her life and soul into her attempts to shift the prevailing paradigm.

But I’ve spoken to many people in the paradigm-shifting business who’ve experienced burnout from banging their heads against institutional walls.

Rebels and mavericks have to be masters of two worlds. They have to create the new 🌍 paradigm whilst not starving in the present world.

🔥 Burnout in the ‘Telling others to be sustainable’ business world is common! 💡

In our journey towards a sustainable, socially just and soul-satisfying future, we often find ourselves in a constant battle against the current reality.
We strive to convince those who have thrived in the existing paradigm to change their ways, to relinquish their wealth, success, and power. But this struggle can leave us exhausted and disheartened.

💪 It’s time to shift our approach! 🌱
Instead of trying to change the minds of the winners in this game, let us become real explorers, pioneers, and leaders.
It’s time to channel our energy into creating new pathways that make the old reality obsolete. Let’s build a brave new world where sustainability and prosperity go hand in hand, inspiring others to follow our lead.

✨ Forge your own path! ✨
Rather than solely focusing on convincing others, let’s focus on demonstrating the possibilities of a new reality. Let’s show the world what can be achieved when we align our actions with our sustainability values and carve out a pathway towards a brighter future.

🌟 Lead the way! 💡
By becoming the change we wish to see, we become catalysts for transformation. It’s time to embrace our role as innovators and trailblazers. Let’s pioneer sustainable solutions, champion ethical practices, and inspire others to join us in shaping a world where sustainability thrives.

🚀 Together towards a brave new world! 🌍
I invite all like-minded individuals who are passionate about being real humans not widgets in the capitalist system, to join together on this exciting journey. We collaborated our way to the top of the evolutionary tree.

Let’s unite as a community of change-makers, supporting and encouraging each other as we navigate uncharted territory. Together, we can create a new reality that renders the old one obsolete.

#CreateANewReality #SustainabilityLeadership #PioneersForChange #InnovationMatters #BrighterFuture #NewPathways #BraveNewWorld #SustainableCommunities #TogetherWeThrive #Trailblazers #BeTheChange #ExploreUnchartedTerritory

STOP WASTING MONEY ON USELESS LEADERSHIP TRAINING: Why Immersion Training, Outdoor Learning, Eco-Coaching, and Adventure-Based Learning Experiences are More Effective

Posted on by Martin Murphy

Leadership development training is a topic that has been widely discussed in the business world. While some organisations swear by it, others view it as a waste of time and money. The truth is that leadership development training can be ineffective and a waste of resources if it is not done correctly.

In today’s rapidly changing business landscape, organisations need leaders who can adapt quickly to new situations and think creatively to solve problems.

However, traditional leadership development programs that rely on classroom lectures and theoretical concepts are often not effective in developing these skills.

At the same time, many managers in the public realm, are only interested in ticking a box as they have no intention of rocking the boat or risking their pensions.

Organisations in the business world will perish if they continue to invest in outmoded and inefficient leadership development methods offered by the major institutions that seem like a safe bet.

Just as species die if they don’t adapt, organisations will falter if they don’t stop

wasting money on ineffective leadership development. Instead, they should focus

on innovative approaches that promote real-world learning and development.

Our realisations and experience led us to developing the Stoic Pilgrim Leadership Programme.

This programme combines adventure-based learning experiences, community

self-learning, and eco-coaching to provide a unique and effective leadership

development experience that’s effective, impactful and focuses on behaviour

change not just the acquisition of knowledge and pointless qualifications.

Adventure-based learning experiences allow participants to step out of their comfort zones and engage in challenging activities that require them to think creatively and solve ambiguous and novel challenges.

By pushing themselves beyond their limits, participants learn to

overcome obstacles, build resilience, and develop leadership skills that can be

applied in the white-water conditions we’re floundering in.

Community self-learning is another critical component.

Lifelong support is available through The Stoic Pilgrim Leadership Fellowship.

Participants can collaborate and mentor others to develop their leadership skills in a supportive and dynamic environment. new ideas will be proffered and discussed as they emerge in this developing paradigm.

This approach helps participants to develop empathy, communication, and teamwork skills that are essential for effective leadership.

Finally, eco-coaching helps participants to develop a deeper understanding of the environment and the impact of their actions on the planet.

By integrating greater awareness, increased sense-making practices into their leadership, participants learn to be responsible leaders who are mindful of their impact on the world around them.

In conclusion, leadership development training can be a waste of resources if it

is not done correctly. Traditional approaches that rely on yearlong online and

classroom lectures and many theoretical concepts are largely ineffective in

developing the skills that leaders need to succeed in today’s business

landscape.

The Stoic Pilgrim Leadership Programme offers a unique and innovative approach that combines adventure-based learning experiences, community learning, self-reflection, and eco-coaching to provide an effective and transformative leadership development experience.

 

An Interesting Week!

Posted on by Martin Murphy

First down to London to deliver a “Resilience Mindset During Challenging and Changing Times’ workshop to an international audience…

Then a strategy & planning session followed by a stomp in the hills around the Hope Valley.

Which would you prefer, indoors, outdoors OR Both!?

All possible across a range of contexts and subjects.

Freshwalks

#strategy #planning #mindset #missionpower #outdoorlearning #leadership #teamwork #resilience #mentalhealth #wellbeingatwork #teambuilding

The Cruel Charade of the Personal Development Industry & Why it’s Bad for the Environment

Posted on by Martin Murphy

Wouldn’t it be great if hard work really did enable you to achieve your goals?

In order for it to be a possible you would need to be motivated and have the resources. If that is the case, a good performance coach could help you achieve those goals.

If I’m coaching a business owner, they will usually achieve their success because they’ve got the resources and they’re motivated. But there can be a downside.

Somebody can achieve goals and realise it wasn’t worth the effort and neither is it worth keeping up the charade of ‘being seen’ as successful.

French chef Sébastien Bras, having achieved three Michelin stars, realised it wasn’t worth the effort to maintain them and so handed them back. The Michelin stars were not aligned with his motivation or values. They were not ecological.

The personal development industry probably started as far back as the Axial period which occurred around 500-300 BCE. This is when humanity experienced a cognitive shift from a narrative style and acceptance of what happened as being beyond our control, to one which was more reflective and analytical.

It also helped us focus on longer-term meaningful goals as opposed to short-term materialism. This was enabled by the invention of symbols and writing which we used as memory tools but also helped us reframe our own lives.

It was now possible to understand the effects we and others have on the systems around us. Which, given the situation within the world presently is obviously not being utilised effectively by the winners of this paradigm.

As the agrarian revolution became established, we see that warfare increased as the already powerful people grasped for more land and power. This was the beginning of capitalism.

A good performance coach would have been useful then because not only do wealthy landowners have the resources to achieve all the goals they desire, they’re also highly motivated being infected with greed and self-importance. So, a performance coach appearing as a Machiavellian bureaucrat could help them identify strategies and opportunities to increase their wealth.

However, at what cost?

As chef Sébastien insightfully realised, the goal is not WISE.

Worthwhile – Is the goal worth the effort in terms of resources and impact on your health and wellbeing?

Inspiring – Is it a long-term goal which will be a positive benefit to the world?

Stretching – Will the goal stretch me personally making me a better person?

Ecological– is it ecological? What do other people and the planet think about it?

We have to think more in terms of ecology. The universe and nature do not move in straight lines powered by simplistic philosophies, which is where the pseudo-scientific world of personal and professional development world abound.

For example, if you were to examine any business from an ecological perspective and ask

“Is your business profitable?”

Then you would, if you were to add back into the equation all the external costs such as pollution and waste which occurs, realise most businesses are not.

We work in a world which is unfair and unequal. The rich don’t play by any rules that the rest of us abide by. They have armies of accountants and lobbyists to keep it unfair.

Being told you’re not winning because you’re not motivated enough, not in possession of the right skill set or got the right coach, is only half the story. That philosophy plays right into the hands of the winners to keep them winning.

The system isn’t able to operate on everybody being successful in a way which suits the status-quo.

Only some people are in the right place and time to be competitive enough to be successful entrepreneurs. Not everybody can or wants to be a tech-digital superstar.

The world of capitalism is based on compete and control, so is only designed to suit some winners. If you’re being coached on chasing somebody else’s version of success then you might want to think again.

Setting goals that are not ecological are usually bad for you, your connections and the environment. We will not transform the world overnight, but by becoming more eco-system literate, we can shift our thinking to when compassion, collaboration and meaning mattered more than material success.

As a rebel, maverick, coach or leader, you can learn to become better at setting more ecological goals. You might not achieve success based on other people’s version of success, but you might be able to see more of reality and perhaps gain insights on how you can make a positive impact in the world.

If you’d like an introduction to Eco-Coaching join me here: https://tinyurl.com/EcoCoaching

The Power of Gratitude and an Indomitable Spirit in Leadership

Posted on by Martin Murphy

In order to have the mental fortitude to take on big challenges, one has to be able to shift your mental and emotional state towards a more positive attitude, otherwise the task you face is perceived as overwhelming.

You’ll feel that the challenge is too big for what you can contribute. But although you’re one person, you’re part of a building tsunami of other stoic pilgrims awakening, realising that paradigms have to transform.

So, the next step is to be grateful for the moment you have, right now to make a positive difference. Be grateful that we still have a liveable planet, relationships and radical hope to maintain us.

When you feel truly grateful for what you have now, then you can go forward knowing that what you’re doing to create a brave new world…. Is worth the effort 😊

Eco-Coaching – What is it? & Why the World Needs it Now!

Posted on by Martin Murphy

Like most ideas in life, people have various viewpoints on what terms mean and entail.

Eco-Coaching will be one of those too.

From my perspective eco-coaching can be utilised out in nature and if possible, should be for 4 reasons:

  • Whilst walking side-by-side in nature we begin to feel a level of connection, and as we exercise our legs and our lungs, we begin to release beneficial neurotransmitters. One in particular is Anandamide. Anandamide derives from the Sanskrit word for bliss and it opens our blood vessels allowing oxygen and nutrients to flow more easily around our body and brain. It also makes us more creative.
  • The natural world has 3.8 billion years of evolutionary wisdom embedded. Being amongst it allows a skilled coach to utilise examples of the natural world as a metaphor during the conversation.
  • We were designed to look over wide vistas, when we look at small screens and live in cubicles, it narrows our perspective and as a result our options.
  • It’s just an enjoyable and rejuvenating experience.

But that’s not the fundamental principle of eco-coaching in my view. At the moment humanity is out of balance with its own eco-system. This is because we’ve been using egological systems and ideologies at the expense of ecological ones.

In summary, the personal development field has been dominated by ‘What I think’ & ‘What I want’ over ‘What we think’ ‘What will the impacts be?’ & ‘What else could we do?’

We’ve built systems based on the mechanistic, linear and hierarchical ever since technological gave some bloke and advantage at the beginning of the agrarian revolution 13k years ago.

But in order to realise that, the winners of the simplistic paradigm have had to externalise all the messy costs onto the rest of society and the natural systems which support us.

It’s like some people have climbed a tree and are now cutting the tree behind themselves because they don’t want to share the fruits of the tree.

On the  Joseph Campbell called this:

‘The Refusal of the Return’

Using an ecology check in your coaching and decision-making means putting in a CRAP filter in the process:

Consequences: What are the other effects downstream of this decision?

Real costs: If you do this, what will be the real costs other than just financial?

Assumptions: What are you assuming to be true? What are the unexamined beliefs that require testing?

People & Planet: Do people really want to go to Mars? Does Mother Nature want us to destroy what’s left of the ecosystem and exploit children, just so that a small minority of the world’s population can travel in EVs?

 

Mentoring is a powerful way of imparting knowledge and developing people within organisations.

Posted on by Martin Murphy

Mentoring is a powerful way of imparting knowledge and developing people within organisations.

Mentoring is a powerful way of imparting knowledge and developing people within organisations.

The word Mentor originates from Homer’s classic poem, ‘The Odyssey’, describing a time around 1200BC when Odyssus was preparing to travel a great distance. He asked ‘Mentor’ to act as a teacher, guide and friend to his son, Telemachus.

Many famous people who have enjoyed success have had the benefit of a mentor relationship. Oprah Winfrey looked on the writer Maya Angelou as a trusted mentor.

The mentor – mentee relationship is also referred to in the Hypocratic Oath: ‘To hold my teacher in this art equal to my own parents; to make him partner in my livelihood;’

Mentor programmes in organisations are beneficial to all parties and increases retention within organisations.

From Mercenaries to Missionaries -Designing, Developing & Leading High Performance Teams

The Book: https://tinyurl.com/BuyTheM2MBook

Website: https://martinmurphy.coach/

Linkedin: http://www.linkedin.com/in/martinmurphy-coach/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/teamcoachmurph/

 

Mission Power Planning

Posted on by Martin Murphy

Using friendly competition to boost performance in your business…

Posted on by Martin Murphy

Competition is seen as a natural part of life and work. There is always a creation stage when an idea must compete for its place in the world. You have to compete for a new job. The entrepreneurial stage in business is when the start-up must prove it’s worth and activity is primarily about winning customers without which the product or service will not survive.

But not everybody enjoys competition whilst some people thrive on it. Leaders have to be careful that when they frame competition that it doesn’t create anxiety and negative impacts on people’s wellbeing.

Competition increases psychological and physiological activation and exercised correctly leads to creativity and supportive behaviours. Done incorrectly, competition leads to cheating and sabotage as we’ve witnessed by banks leading to long term pain for the organisation, employees and clients.

Competition needs to lead to happiness not humiliation if you want to get positive outcomes.

Here are some key points to consider.

Compete originates from the Latin Competere meaning to strive together to achieve a common purpose. Chances are that competition was a key driver of human progress along with the peak performance flow states that competition can engender. It is important to remember that humans collaborated their way to the top of the evolutionary tree, probably in friendly competition.

Constraints

Introduce constraints and be clear about boundaries and ethical values that you are all agreed to upholding. Research has shown that saying the Lord’s Prayer before a competition decreased the cheating that took place by a group of students in a test when the answers were easily obtainable.

Open to Feedback

As a leader encourage the right behaviours and attitude by modelling them such as being open to feedback. Also, introduce the concept of ‘After Action Reviews’ so that the focus is on improving the behaviours and processes not just achieving the results. Keep it non-threatening and friendly.

Mutual accountability

Measure team results more than individual results so that the team members are mutually accountable to each other not a manager. Peer pressure is more effective than dominant pressure. We feel more compelled to help our own people more than a person who is not ‘one of us’.

Purpose vs Material

Make competition success about improvement and personal growth, don’t design rewards purely based on money or status. If you introduce monetary and status rewards then it can lead to jealousy and resentment. Peer-to-peer recognition is useful as we do enjoy basking in the limelight sometimes, even the quieter team members.

Excellence

Regularly emphasise that the aim of competition is to encourage the pursuit of team excellence. If an individual achieves great results, that process should be modelled and shared with the other team members.

Team Building

Brain storming sessions, quizzes around work, shared social experiences are all excellent ways to bring people together and build esprit de corps.

Egalitarian

In military special forces units, hierarchy is shunned and people are recognised for their indivdual expertise. They’re not encouraged to be clones but have individual skills. If you promote egalitarianism and appreciation of individual strengths in your organisation, then it will encourage creative teamwork but harnessing that creativity is a skill.

Collective intelligence from a diverse group is just as effective as having a lone genius- and there aren’t many lone geniuses around- so work on boosting team engagement.

With everything that has happened this year and how that will impact us all going forward, when would now be a good time to make facilitating effective meetings, decision-making and learning to use collaboration tools for effective communication and coaching, a core competency in your business?

Interested in learning more? Mission Power meeting Facilitation Online Course

OPERATION BUTTERFLY (TOP SECRET)

Posted on by Martin Murphy

When I was teaching leadership to intelligence agents in a far off land, they explained to me that although they loved the concepts they feared they would encounter resistance in the bureaucratic systems they work in.

We’ve all got to become leaders. I wrote a book ‘Mercenaries to Missionaries’ (see link in comments) which is about transforming into inspirational leaders on a mission to make the world a better place.

Leaders are ordinary people achieving the extraordinary, leading themselves & by example others, into a world which is socially just, environmentally sustainable & a fulfilling place to live & work.

People need 3 things to change:

ASPIRATIONAL: Who will I become?
INSPIRATIONAL: How will it benefit others?
MOTIVATIONAL: How will it benefit me?

I explained to the secret agents that they had to become like the imaginel cells in caterpillars. These cells act differently within the caterpillar, making small changes from within until they reach a threshold point & transform the whole system into a Butterfly

They were already secret agents, now they had to become SECRET CHANGE AGENTS; steadily influencing the outer world from the inside

WHAT’S YOUR MISSION?

Message if you want help!