by admin on July 27, 2010
Glenn Gordon
Leadership is an interesting animal. It comes in all shapes and sizes and there are so many lessons to learn in this dynamic world.
I have been around the block a few times and have spent considerable time within MKP since my initiation in 1995. I was drawn to this work then and, now, I am drawn more than ever. I have watched my own leadership change.
I have gone through the leader track here in MKP and I am now a co-leader. I have taken other leadership trainings to round out my game, which has made me a better leader. Hollow Bones gave me the Zen side of leadership. Much can be done in the silence.
Combining all of those skill sets plus being in my own business for 20+ years, I know a lot of things — especially, that I really don’t know all that much. I am still learning.
Someone once said, when fear is in place, shortcuts follow. I thought on that for a while and began to see the truth there. Who wants to deal with anything when fear is present? Avoidance, denial, quick fixes and hiding are some of the mechanisms I use to avoid fear.
Having “eggshell” conversations is when it comes out the most. I don’t want to hurt someone’s feelings. I want my “rep” untarnished. Is this worth it? These points race through my mind. Where is my leadership here?
As I am aging and realizing that the roll of toilet paper moves faster as you get to the end, I am more willing to have the hard conversations. People may not like what they hear and I may not like what comes out of my mouth. And, pointing toward the elephant in the room is important.
“Hey, look over there!” Once it is pointed to, consciousness raises and the shortcuts taken by fear transform into truth telling and action. The antidote to fear is action.
MKP USA got a wake-up call recently from some very bright and fine men who gave us the Stanford Act 2, which contained advice on ensuring the long-term viability of the organization. The bottom line here is, if we don’t change how we do business, we won’t have any business to do! The elephant has been pointed to!
I am on the executive team of MKP USA and we want to do it right. I have been scared a bit because I don’t want to be “the one” who wrecked things. What I have realized is, we love this work too much to be “the one” who wrecks it. And, we are wrecking things that just don’t work. We are in the unique place to create a new flow of revenue, a better way to communicate and a streamlined method to make and implement decisions.
We have realized that dragging our feet just wears out our shoes and we are finding the balance, which is different in different aspects of what we are doing. So keep your eyes open for our new master plan.
So, here’s some advice: Have the eggshell conversations. Time does fly. The younger twenty-something warriors out there, you will be 50 in about two weeks. Don’t wait to create or get back into right relationship. Support MKP and become a member. We want this work to carry on for generations to come. Hone your mentoring skills and begin mentoring somebody. It just feels great. Look at what being right all the time costs you. These are words and my work for the moment. Thanks for reading!
Glenn Gordon
Co-leader
Member, MKP-USA executive team
Twenty-five years ago, three men with seemingly little in common; an educator, a counselor, and an engineer, got together around a kitchen table and hatched an idea that has since brought healing, personal growth, community, life purpose and empowerment to nearly 45,000 men around the world. What they first called “the Wild Man Weekend” is now considered by many to be the most powerful and safe men’s initiation training available, the New Warrior Training Adventure. What these men scarcely imagined was that the vision they held would become a movement of men that would cross continents and oceans, inspiring men to embrace a new kind of manhood – a mature masculinity for the 21st century. The ManKind Project is now represented by eight geographical regions around the world – each with hundreds or thousands of men actively engaged in helping to redefine masculinity for our time. The ManKind Project USA is one of those regions. [click to continue…]
