Retail Observer

July 2018

The Retail Observer is an industry leading magazine for INDEPENDENT RETAILERS in Major Appliances, Consumer Electronics and Home Furnishings

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RETAILOBSERVER.COM JULY 2018 46 O ver the years, I've written a lot about the natural world and about how its metaphors and symbols are good guides for one's work life as well as one's inner life. Once, when I told a colleague that part of what I did with my clients was to help them become stronger, more trusting teams, he gave me a challenge: could I write a poem about trust? To be honest, although I know exactly what I do when I work with groups and teams, I wasn't sure how to convey that in a poem—plus 'poems on demand' are really tough for weddings and birthdays, so they're even worse for work topics! But, I did it, and the poem "Trust" uses a journey metaphor and a mountain climb at daybreak as the comparison for how to lean into things you may not know yet (like how to do something or what will come next), and be willing to see it unfold. Be willing to trust its unfolding. These last lines, 'oh you, daybreak on mountain peak/ how could I do anything now/ except trust the unfolding of things?' show how, no matter what, without our permission or cajoling, the sun rises. Every day. It's simply a miracle, as Thich Nhat Hanh says, to walk on earth. Too lofty for the workplace and workplace culture? I think not. Outside my window here in Feohanagh, Kerry, Ireland, the day is misty or 'soft,' as the Irish call it. The sheep are in the meadow calling to each other, and the view of Mt. Brandon is obscured by fog this morning. I still know it's out there. I still trust that its sturdy pilgrimage is just over the road and up the winding paths. Although in Ireland, like in Seattle, people seem to feel the need to apologize about the weather, each landscape has its seasons and its seasonality. In a rural setting, you are closer to it, more in sync with it, because you are not distracted or obstructed by very much at all, which is why I like coming here, no matter the season or the weather. In the northern hemisphere, it's currently summer. The days are longer and the temperatures warmer. In some places, perhaps you're experiencing the Dog Days of Summer, or times of lower activity and slowness. Or maybe in your part of the world, summer is a time for activity and getting things done. No matter. What you can use is the metaphor of seasonality to think about your place of work and your team. You need to look at the times of year that make sense for planting and cultivating (Spring); the times for tending and curating (Summer); the times for harvest and bringing things to fruition (Autumn); and times for coming 'inside,' reflecting, planning for the coming year, and preparing for the new horizon (Winter). And in between times, you must rest, reflect, and perhaps dream. Some businesses or industries have seasonal aspects built into them (aka travel, accounting/finance, tourism, sporting), so your seasonality may not actually be in sync with the natural world, but the metaphor still holds, and you cannot be in only one season, no matter what romantic notions we have about places like Hawaii and the Bahamas; locals will tell you there are definitely seasons! What are the seasons of your business and work? How can you usher in each new season for your team by trusting 'the unfolding of things?' For fun, here's a video link to the 1960's band, The Byrds, singing Turn! Turn! Turn! (To Everything There is a Season): www.youtube.com/watch?v= GJbz0lieLbw SEASONALITY: WHAT TIME IS IT? Libby Wagner Culture Coach RO Libby Wagner, author of The Influencing Option: The Art of Building a Profit Culture in Business, works with clients to help them create and sustain Profit Cultures. www.libbywagner.com

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