Our 2010 Soul at Work series is starting out with "Be Visible" and that means also declaring how you'll bring more Soul at Work and lead in your own terms. Leading has always meant authentically but also about embracing the complexity of our times in a way that creates positive change! See here for a full list of activities, who is involved, and how you can save time and money by becoming a member of the Soul at Work network.
Our first event is Soul at Work Unconference was on Wednesday, February 3, 4:00 pm - 8:00pm
An Unconference is a gathering in which the attendees create the agenda and lead the session content. We started with 12 topics and widdled the sessions down to four. Other topics are featured here online via a blog. Our key topics inspired from the “Be visible” theme for 2010 Soul at Work, are:
1. Authentic Self-Promotion, how to do it- face to face and online? – 7 dots
2. Visioning 2010: Developing your personal vision – 4 dots
3. Getting Paid – 6 dots
4. Getting past the fear of starting a business or project barriers to being visible both internal and external. – 5 dots
If you are new to the concept of the Unconference, click here to learn more about this "attendees in control" process. What is an Unconference?
Below are the outcomes we uncovered at the Unconference
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For online conversation: (ask others to start an article/ post)
Group facilitation via web/ skype what are the practical ways to hold the “container” via these online tools.
Using social media
Online marketing
Below for online conversation as well, but others thought a workshop would be better to flesh out the topic details.
Time management (see post by Amanda)
“In the absence of the ability to astrally project, ho can we “be visible” and live manageable lives? In other words, so much I’d like to do or events to attend that I’d have to clone myself to be able to attend. Because I can’t, how do a select what best fist where I am at today or is it more about values, aspirations, experience “return-on-investment” or the people I hope to meet. This question is closely aligned with the next topic of :
“Less is more”: Given I can’t be at every worthy event or gathering, how can I partner to leverage my time & resources and achieve more!?
How to approach a mentor and create a mutually beneficial relationship?
The Unconference then proceeded into round one in which we broke out into 2 groups to discuss two topics. Here are the key take aways or seeds to put into practice on a daily basis.
Part 1: Our first round of conversation
Authentic Promotion
- Focus on a few: Build relationship, have conversations, not about # of contacts you acquire at a given event or gathering, but about strong connections.
- Share & Caring: Explore, discover, adapt, essence vs. titles when meeting and having a conversation with others.
- Be yourself, go for you essence vs. title; aim to treat others the same as well.
- Building a relationship focus your energy on building a relationship as you approach a person or potential customer.
- Try pull vs. push marketing—where you attract others rather than running to them with your grand product, service, or idea. It is also sharing and educating potential clients about your service—not about “convincing”. There is a challenge of being authentic in a contrived environment (such as a ‘networking’ lunch) but the question is more about attracting, it’s not a #’s game as you focus your energy on a few.
- Referral when not a “fit”—if you do find the person you are spending time with just doesn’t need what you have to offer, offer a referral to meet an immediate need they may have.
- “Rethinking my passion”
- Energy exertion and the power of no (need more here)
- How does the role of fear play in being authentic—being vulnerable and yourself rather than presenting what you have to sell?
Visioning 2010: Developing your personal vision
- How can I define my vision? Through Collage or dream boarding.
- Get out of the trap of giving myself an “F” for the 10% not working rather than A for the 90% that is working.
- Your “vision” does not have to “live” in the future, rather see it has being here now.
- Process of exploring the vision: Questions and statements to start with--
- Finding vision out of a diversity of interests one is exploring…and not at vision yet.
- What is your tolerance for being out of alignment? Vision is based on your core values (which never change) and not your career (which may change).
- How not to be a receptacle for an organization’s stresses/ troubles/ ideas that deplete your values, etc.
- Remember, 80% of the time, an airplane is not on course and you can only see so far ahead.
- How do I want to be in the world? Who do I want to be in the world? What do I want to be in the world?
- And how does it feel to be you in the world?
- Isn’t there an essential vision that travels with us, that may change in expression but stays the same in pure form?
- What are you struggling for?
- Things to do to get you living your vision:
- Find one or two big clients for whom you can “do everything” and ask what can I let go of?
- Absolute commitment to the right thing
- Form or join a group who will help you develop a plan/ schedule/ or strategy to birth your personal vision—and who will hold you to it!
- Here is a workshop idea: Running your business on the right side of your brain. If I have employees can I still be a designer/ artist (Eva to follow up)
- Visioning exercises get assistance look at resources (Wendy Hansen of the Sassy Ladies)
Part II: Our second round of conversations:
Getting Paid: Started with the question of “What am I worth?” so I have to believe in what I am worth and that my fee is my fee. Helping people is great but isn’t profitable if I do it for free too much. When pricing look beyond the hourly rate: levels, options, packages that you are in control of the time and the client is focused on the outcome.
- Trust: Trust doesn’t mean not getting something up front
- I don’t want to treat everyone like the worst case scenario, when writing up a contract or asking for fees upfront…but mutually understanding of my fees, expectations, and time frames for payment are important if I want to get paid what I need and desire.
- Set a price and if I have to discount it but state what the fee is so folks know what I value my service/ product at. Regarding setting prices, you could also aim high and then discount if the client has a different price in mind.
- Create a “passive” income plan. Passive income needs to be greater than monthly expenses to equal “no more rat race” (getting and spending dance)
- Vetting, pre-qualifying, assessing a client before jumping into the work. Has to be a sense of what will this relationship really cost me.
- Work backwards. Value your effort- setting ‘how I work’ goals, think about what you want and work back from there to your price or what you want as income.
- Money = energy flowing it is an expression
- What if money were a relationship? How would you foster it? Beloved friend.
Getting past the fear of starting a business or project: barriers to being visible both internal and external.
The session attendees focused primarily on the emotion of “fear” and what prevents us from speaking what we desire or need to start a business or a project or an initiative that is new.
Questions to start:
- Authentic risk taking: How present am I in my own life? Can I take off the mask I wear?
- Fear of being thought crazy?
- Is my fear all about what someone else thinks?
- Am I holding myself back? Toning down my enthusiasm, joy and vibrancy just to be accepted by others?
- When someone says “Just deal with it?” doesn’t that really mean compromise, judgment, circumstance, depleting. Yet sometimes the circumstance or people may not be ready for what I want to say or do for the better. It does take judgment on my part to find the window of opportunity, align with allies, and read the tea leaves. And it may be I take the risk of being ostracized—but that wont’ work if I want to work with others on this new idea/ project or business. How can I get past “Deal with it” to “working with”:
- don’t be afraid of others, get past judging what could happen and be in the moment and conversation to engage others.
- Am I more concerned about reputation and what people think of me?
- ***Choose who you are*** often we choose who we “need to be” rather than who we “are” there is an essential distinction.
- THRILL: an acronym to live by for myself and with others
- Trust/ Honor/ Respect/ Integrity/ Loyal/ Love
- Power how I embrace my influence and recognize others.