This is a guest posting†by Jodee Bock, of Bocks Office:

This summer, I had the privilege of working with the Farmers Union Enterprise leaders from North Dakota, South Dakota, Montana, Minnesota and Wisconsin.† We worked together†in the beautiful Black Hills of South Dakota as part of their annual leadership training retreat. The topic they chose this year was Lance Secretan’s book, “ONE: The Art and Practice of Conscious Leadership“.

Over the course of two intense mornings, we discussed what leadership really means to the people in the rural communities represented by the participants in each of their states. We talked about some of their frustrations and opportunities working with people in remote locations and in many areas that include Native American†reservations. As we were identifying the roles of leaders in those communities, what came up in some of our early dialogues was our sometimes unconscious biases and judgments about each other. This was a perfect segue to the CASTLE® Principles and the possibilities around first becoming conscious ourselves as leaders and then BEING that in our communities instead of DOING it TO the citizens.

It certainly wasn’t easy for participants†to recognize in themselves the times when they†were not being courageous or authentic or service-oriented or truthful or loving and, ultimately, effective. But† it was very eye-opening when they had a chance to share this discovery and their insights with each other in their small groups.

Interestingly enough for me as the facilitator, the area they seemed to have the most challenge with was the area of truthfulness. Their interpretation of truthfulness upon early introduction, was to bring up the negative, or to tell someone else that they didn’t like something or would like something to be different. With that definition of truthfulness in their minds, they projected that it would be impossible to live in a community, especially a small community where you know everyone and have to live and do business there if you were truthful.

It was a great example to me about how this material is best covered in a much longer time period than we allowed as they really began to open up as time was running out.

Just presenting the CASTLE® principles without any other supplementary information would be a fantastic first step in getting people in any community, town, city, company, organization, even family  to open dialogue about what really matters, and what can be the start to a journey back to oneness. I realized that this audience, and the individuals that comprised that audience, probably had had few if any opportunities to even think about these topics for themselves, much less share their new AHA’­s in a group. A first step, but certainly not the only step. The material Lance has developed is a fantastic tool for taking individuals and organizations on the entire journey.

It was powerful learning space for everyone and the good news is they already booked me to return to their conference next summer!

Thank you, Lance, for your contributions to awakening our spirits in the world. You were definitely present in that spirit in Sturgis, South Dakota in early July!

Namaste, Jodee Bock

Jodee