The Power of Being

Andreas Gruber

The Power of Being

Embracing your Potential as a Leader

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Inhaltsverzeichnis

Titel

1 Introduction

2 What the Power of Being is about

3 Reflecting on yourself

4 Reflecting on your impact

5 Where do opinions come from?

6 Controlling our own lives

7 The games we love to play

8 Evaluate your work-life balance

9 Personality or authenticity

10 The wounded heart

11 The chatterbox that needs rest

12 When nobody is at home - up there

13 Standing up for yourself

14 Health as the foundation of life

15 Human robots

16Observing the drama

17 How we jump to conclusions

18 How we control others

19 Failures and divine setbacks

20 Finding your balance

21 Embrace the qualities you have

22 The Child in your heart

23 Clouded minds

24 Seeing uniqueness around

25 Performing your rat race – properly

26 Body awareness and regular practice

27 Appreciating your habits

28 Accepting what is

29 Exposing your assumptions

30 Appropriate willpower

31 Corporate games

32 The value of nature

33 About integrity

34 Healing the heart

35 Clearing the mind

36 Developing awareness

37 Doing or being - that is the question

38 Regulating your energy

39 Being in charge of your actions

40 Let it all go, in peace

41 Finding your drivers within

42 Driven by principles

43 Boardroom courage

44 Keeping balance in the midst of change

45 Living your qualities

46 Make happiness possible

47 Introflection and clarity

48 Solitude and silence

49 Doing less - achieving more

50 Caring for the slaves

51 Giving what you desire most

52 Reflecting the ego

53 Setting new standards for reasoning

54 The basics of negotiating

55 Loving conflicts

56 Being in sync with change

57 Creating trust and marketing

58 Living from the heart

59 Simply letting go

60 Make yourself dispensable

61 Finding and giving meaning

62 Having the courage to excel

63Why teams don't work

64 Unfolding corporate integrity

65 Corporate values - but integrated

66 Difficult Conversations

67 Dealing with collective games

68 Burning for a cause – not burning out

69 The basics of motivation

70 The basics of inspiration

71 The art of not knowing

72 What if we are awareness?

73 The power of being

74 Dealing with a life of intensity

75 The future of teamwork

76 Corporate passion

77 Finding out what matters

78 The future of marketing

79 The bigger picture

80 Giving a choice

81 Forgetting yourself

82 What if you had courage?

83 The intuitive mind

84 Reviewing the goodies

85 Epilogue

Impressum neobooks

1 Introduction

Legal disclaimer

I have recreated events, locales, and conversations from my memories of them. In order to maintain their anonymity, I sometimes have changed the names of individuals and places. In some instances, I may have changed some identifying characteristics such as physical properties, and occupations.

Although the author and publisher have made every effort to ensure that the information in this book was correct at press time, they do not assume and hereby disclaim any liability to any party for any loss, damage, or disruption caused by errors or omissions, whether such errors or omissions result from negligence, accident, or any other cause.

This book is not intended as a substitute for the medical advice of physicians. The reader should regularly consult a physician in matters relating to his/her health and particularly with respect to any symptoms that may require diagnosis or medical attention.

Credits

Cover Illustration: Copyright © 2016 by Andreas Gruber

Cover photo: by Joern Materne

Book design: by Andreas Gruber

Editing: by Andreas Gruber

Author photograph: Oliver Gruber

Special thanks: to Daivid Hopkins, Mary McBride and Maria Rosenlind

Contact to the author: feedbacktotheauthor@gmail.com

Copyright Copyright © 2016 by Andreas Gruber

All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof in any form whatsoever.

The intention of this book is to inspire you to live a rewarding professional life and to be able to find purpose and meaning in the midst of a seemingly

superficial and high paced corporate world.

"Two roads diverged in a wood, and I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference."

Robert Frost

Our mind is creating our reality. Therefore, this book is mainly about you, your mind, and what matters to you. To some, it will be the external wealth, for others the internal. It may also have to do with your purpose or wisdom.

Although you will find wise words from different cultures here, no particular religion or philosophy is promoted. Nor is it about reviewing ancient wisdom or comparing philosophical beliefs. Sun Tzu’s and Clausewitz's strategies of war cannot be found here. This book is intended to be a pure expression of personal experience.

It aims for the qualitative and inner strategies you need, to stand firm in the storms of corporate life. Society is changing and so is leadership. Today’s leaders have thrilling challenges and vast responsibilities. External factors such as globalization, information overflow or the dramatically increased pace of technical development, are only a few. Nevertheless, the internal factors need to be addressed because the much-needed change must originate from within if it should last.

I humbly offer this book, to leaders with big hearts, who, mastering a life of turbulence, are willing to be a rock to hold on to.

This book is written for leaders who deal with real human beings with emotions, dreams, and needs. And the most important point is, that you are one of them. The aim is to inspire you to grow, as an individual. It may give you a new outlook on issues like integrity, inner strategies, clarity of mind, and inner peace. Most likely you will also regard motivation and inspiration in a different way after having read this book. It’s not based on studies or science, but on my mistakes, learnings, insights, and mysteries, all properly reflected upon and handed over to you, where they came from in the first place.

In the last 30 years, I have seen many approaches to instill more spirituality into leadership, management and business life in general. For a while, it was for example quite posh for managers to do a little bit of Zen meditation. Often initiated and executed by people with a clerical, psychological, or therapeutic background. However, it is not always clear what exactly was or is intended. Sometimes it’s about getting leaders to meditate and sometimes it's probably just about getting them to behave in a more ethical way. You may think, (depending what side you are on), "Yeah, these managers they could really do with some spirituality." It is as if managers and leaders are not spiritual? Is that true?

Or, could it be that by the time people get to lead a business, they have already gained some experience in life, a practical form of spirituality? And could it be, that there is very little space to practice some of that practical wisdom, without having to worry about getting fired for not attending to business properly? So, maybe leaders need courage and inspiration to embrace their inner wisdom, instead of being trained in methods, tips, and tricks, which ultimately neither fixes their problems nor fulfills them.

There are many definitions of spirituality, many of them religiously influenced. A definition of spirituality that certainly would make a lot of sense in the corporate world could be – a wisdom that helps us to improve our individual and collective human experience, to make the most out of this life on the material plane and beyond.

You can find plenty of leaders out there possessing that kind of wisdom. At least many aspects are already there. The question is, are the business leaders of today aware of the necessity, and do they have the trust to make use of it - in a profitable way? Because if it can't be done in a profitable way, a leader will not survive very long.

This book isn’t about practicing something, it's about opening new perspectives, giving you options within your present frame of mind.

Every page implicitly points toward essentials, human qualities, and latent potential. It's an invitation to reflect, get inspired, discover, and to dig a little bit deeper.

Logical reasoning, planning, and willpower can only take us so far. We need to review outdated mindsets that do not serve us anymore. Ultimately this is a book about changing from within, after discovering for yourself, who you may be, what your heart burns for, what your values and motives are, what drives you from within. Applying this to yourself first will make you contribute to some serious change out there.

Old words of wisdom tell us that "the path is the goal." They suggest not to fix our attention purely on the outcome. We may perceive it as if we merely collect bits and pieces along the way, but once we arrive at our destination, we rest and reflect on what we have been through. In that moment of reflection, all our experiences will make sense and may turn into wisdom if we understood our lessons. However, it seems as if there simply is no time for that. This lack of time is not only external but very much an inner factor to be considered.

"We don't receive wisdom; we must discover it for ourselves after a journeythat no one can take for us or spare us."

Marcel Proust

We have become collectors of knowledge. But since the subtle details of what we learn are frequently missing, it may be of limited value for us. This book is very much about those missing subtle details.

You're likely to see a couple of things from a different angle. You may get a feel for what relevance or power, subtle perceptions, and mindsets could have. It is likely that you will be eager to try some of these hints, no matter how busy you are. They can mostly be done on the run - in real life. You will save time, energy, and nerves. Your subordinates will love it, without actually understanding what it is you are doing.

Have a good read!

This book has a 7-layer structure as the following chart illustrates.

2 What the Power of Being is about

The Power of Being is about being human in a genuine way, as a universal principle beyond ideology, philosophy, and religion. It is an experiential approach on how to get the best out of our professional lives and thus live more fulfilled lives.

It is based on the assumption that being and doing are of equal importance. It embraces qualities we already have as human beings, but that may be latent or used in other contexts.

It is based on the simple fact, that we can’t buy the hearts of our employees, any more than we can buy true love. It acknowledges the fact that ultimately we are not even able to buy their brains, nor can we buy or order their loyalty or commitment.

Change will take place, whether we want it, like it or not.However, it makes all the differencehow we deal with it, and respond to it.

It is by design about motivation and inspiration, since it puts human qualities in focus, and emphasizes meaning, purpose, direction, and fulfillment as elementary human needs. It acknowledges that more than fifty percent of our employees are unfulfilled or demotivated at work, not only as a fact but as a message that we need to understand. It is the wisdom of the crowds speaking to us.

The Power of Being urges us to question whether our present strategies and behavior are still valid, for the organizations of the future. It encourages us to abandon what is obsolete about our lives.

It acknowledges the fact that most employees have the volition to contribute so much more than their bare hands, and what they are paid for. Most of them would not hesitate to contribute with their hearts and heads as well if we only knew how to access them. It encourages leaders to reflect on the present situation, to consider the odds of success, if things are done the way they are done now. It inspires not only to follow the intellect but also the heart.

The Power of Being claims that it is time to redefine leadership beyond intellectual knowledge, methods, and theoretical studies. It reminds us that in the midst of turbulent times, leaders not only need to embrace human qualities, but they also need to take the time to reflect, to be able and fit to lead. Good leaders also need to be able to look beyond themselves, in order to lead wisely.

3 Reflecting on yourself

Know thyself - said the inscription above the temple entrance of the oracle of Delphi. In different wordings, this has been the core message of innumerable sages and saints throughout the ages.

Most of us do not know how exactly to go about knowing ourselves, let alone to take a decent decision. Do we use logic, or is our decision intuitive, emotional or based on a certain gut feeling? Maybe it is everything combined. Who knows for sure? Nobody will and can hand it to you on a silver platter. You have to find out for yourself.

“It is wisdom to know others; it is enlightenment to know one's Self”

Lao Tzu

There are different paths to gain self-knowledge. It all seems to boil down to two approaches. Firstly the outside and cognitive approach, which is more common in the west, and secondly the inside and introspective approach, as seen mainly in the east. But, it is not about east or west, it is about what is applicable in corporate life.

Imagine how it would be if we did not have mirrors and could not see a reflection of ourselves in any other way. How would you know what you look like? You would need others to describe yourself or maybe to draw or paint your image, in the hope they were accurate. Not being sure of their ability and judgment you might ask several people over a period.

“Everything that irritates us about others can lead us to an understanding of ourselves.”

C. G. Jung

However, we have mirrors, and we do know what we look like externally. And what do we know about ourselves internally? What's the tool we use? Thinking? Up to an age of about 35 it never really occurred to me, that getting to know myself was an option or necessity. If I had a problem, I wanted to understand it. I remember how some inter-relational issues would almost drive me crazy. Talking to a friend about one of these matters that kept me busy, he replied, "But, not everything has to be logical." It would take at least another five years for that to sink in. Wanting to understand the world, but not having scratched the surface of understanding myself, since I was looking out there, preferring logical answers. Over the years, I learned that C. G. Jung's quote above was valid for me too, although I resisted it as long as possible. So, what irritates me about others, helps me to understand myself. That's one of the mirrors I can use to get to know myself on a deeper level.

We know about the value of imagination, and it doesn't take much to understand that our imagination can be used for many more things, other than merely imagining what our renovated apartment is going to look like when it's ready. There are many subtle dimensions of imagination, even those that cannot be clearly categorized. I'd prefer to talk about inner perception when it comes to these things.

This is not new for us, since we do use these faculties, but for a limited range of things. When reviewing Einstein's way of thinking, it should become apparent to us that he didn't promote logical thinking as much as intuition. I would dare to say that intuition, as Einstein referred to it, was his inner perception or his mind’s eye perceiving complex matters beyond logical thinking. He would then spend considerable time trying to find the logical answers to his trusted perceptions. He would sometimes refer to intuition as the king and logical thinking as the loyal servant.

This does not seem to have very much to do with self-knowledge at first sight. However, we do base most of our decisions on our subtle perceptions, although they may only partly be aware to us. We often regard our subtle perceptions as irrelevant, maybe because we tend to classify them as surreal or even mystical. In reality, they are not more mystical than the process of thinking itself. We have chosen to place subtle perceptions in the realm of phantasy. But to generalize hasn't solved many problems, has it? We may be giving away our potential because we haven't learned to handle the subtleties of our perceptions.

We cannot logically understand ourselves. Therefore, we ought to make use of our faculties beyond thinking. Perception, as I see it, is a separate faculty from our thought process. We normally perceive and think in one go, as if it was one thing, but it isn't. It usually doesn't occur to us that we can perceive and then not think, without even refuting thoughts as such.

As an example, we could perceive something and then just remain still with that perception, without evaluating, categorizing or thinking. Would we like to take it further, we could hold that perception in our heart, instead of our mind. This gives us a hint, of what it could be like to start coming out of our habit of thinking and conceptualizing everything.

While we hold a perception or thought, we must not necessarily seek to understand or find the answer. A clear indicator that we are still trying to find a solution is that our thoughts are racing around all over the place. Another indicator is if we feel impatient, then we are probably too goal oriented. Another one is frustration, which is perhaps indicating that we are looking for something special, maybe a distinct sensation.

We consider the indicators as problems, which need to be fixed, but they are our first-hand teachers. What does this tell you? Does your impatience only exist when you are doing this? Chances are, this is a general tendency of your mind. Naturally you would love to have a complete list of what these indicators mean. But they are just examples with a certain relevance. Ultimately you have the list within; the answers are there to be discovered. That is a major step towards knowing yourself on a deeper and experiential level.

Knowing many things, but not knowingthe awareness behind the thinker within.That's where ignorance is born.

It is imperative to find an application that serves you immediately. Therefore, I suggest the following practice in holding a perception. When you are stressed out or tired, and your mind needs rest because you have an important meeting coming up shortly, do the following to regain the clarity and sharpness of your mind.

Resting your mind by means of holding a perception

Sit down, both feet on the ground, close your eyes. Focus on your perception within, and hold it in your heart without further intention, just rest with it in a relaxed and clear state. Be with that fully, as if this was the last thing you did before dying. Within a few minutes, you'll notice how calmness and clarity start pervading the mind. Take that notion with you, as you come back.

Comments

It's not necessary to close your eyes; you can also gaze if there are not many visual disturbances around. - A perception is anything of subtle nature, within you. Stay fixed on the subtlest one of them. Initially it’ll be body sensations. - If the heart does not suit you, try your belly or any other part of your body except the mind, since it may trigger you to start the thinking process. - The analogy of dying can be very helpful to be with what matters. - For some people, one minute works just fine, but to start with I would recommend three to five minutes.

Who doesn't want to find the stillness underneath the mental noise, to know the awareness behind the thinker, and finally know oneself?

To hold a perception is not like focusing, it is letting loose, but staying with it. To be perfectly present, while letting go. It has very little to do with the act of doing; ultimately it is about pure awareness and nothing about doing. You stay with your awareness and let go of any intention what so ever.