When I first meet with a CEO to begin work with her or him as coach, I make it clear that the emphasis of my work is on behavior. Let’s understand that I’m fully cognizant this is a very talented and accomplished person who’s my new partner in a wonderful undertaking. To be in this position as CEO they already are in the 99th percentile of the executive population.

But I still see them as people whose final topping out on claiming their singularity, in other words, their true value proposition to the world, is work they have yet to do. I look at a CEO and say, “You’re a 7/8th man and we’re here for you to claim that final 8th. I doubt even you know what a phenomenal impact it will have on this company when you fully own yourself and go that final distance.”

If this idea resonates for you and you wonder how you might put the pieces together in the human puzzle and claim your final 8th, whether you have your eye on the top job in a corporation or are curriculum director of a large urban high school, I have some ideas to share with you.

A couple of weeks ago I addressed the University of Chicago Booth School of Business Entrepreneurial Roundtable and covered this topic. A link to the video of that presentation appears below. Of course, I’d be delighted if you find it useful.

http://yourinnerceo.blogspot.com

All the best,

Allan

When I first meet with a CEO to begin work with her or him as coach, I make it clear that the emphasis of my work is on behavior. Let’s understand that I’m fully cognizant this is a very talented and accomplished person who’s my new partner in a wonderful undertaking. To be in this position as CEO they already are in the 99th percentile of the executive population.

But I still see them as people whose final topping out on claiming their singularity, in other words, their true value proposition to the world, is work they have yet to do. I look at a CEO and say, “You’re a 7/8th man and we’re here for you to claim that final 8th. I doubt even you know what a phenomenal impact it will have on this company when you fully own yourself and go that final distance.”

If this idea resonates for you and you wonder how you might put the pieces together in the human puzzle and claim your final 8th, whether you have your eye on the top job in a corporation or are curriculum director of a large urban high school, I have some ideas to share with you.

A couple of weeks ago I addressed the University of Chicago Booth School of Business Entrepreneurial Roundtable and covered this topic. A video of that presentation appears above. Of course, I’d be delighted if you find it useful.

Allan

Determination, stamina, devoting your time and energy to realizing a dream, which you are not certain to reach. Talent is not enough in itself, still hardwork in itself has its reward anyways for athletes who choose to follow the long path to success, as they can learn many things about themselves and others through preparing for various competitions including the Olympic Games. However, the most wonderful feeling is when an athlete can be ’there’ and is able to show the world and particularly themselves that they are the best of all.


There is a wonderful song called ’Olympic Dreams’ by a German band called Mr. President. I would like to quote here the lyrics and you can listen to the song at this link on YouTube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AClVcmBvxGE&feature=related
Listen to it, because it is one of the greatest of all and expresses the spirit of the Games so truly!! :)

Olympic Dreams

No day before
so full of deep devotion
and in my heart
I feel a strong emotion
Olympic fire
wakes my desire
to join in the games of the world

So far away the day's of pain and sorrow
enjoy the games
there's a new tomorrow
let's share the story
of fame and glory
the party of friendship for all

Refrain:

Goin' for Olympic dreams
Goin' for the gold
Goin' for the medals
That I never thought I'd hold
Flyin' on the wings of freedom
reachin' for the sky
the Olympic dreams will never die

The time has come just do it now or never
a star is born
and it will last forever
congratulations
and celebrations
it's only one moment in time

Refrain

The winner really takes it all
no loser will be standing small
so come on let us celebrate together

Refrain

(performed and written by Mr. President and Nino de Angelo)


I feel very proud of the athletes of my country who reached the 21st place of the overall medal standings for Hungary in Beijing.

Gold Medallists:

Canoe/Kayak - Flatwater
Canoe Single (C1) 1000m Men VAJDA Attila Sandor
Kayak Double (K2) 500m Women KOVACS Katalin, JANIC Natasa


Water Polo Men
SZECSI Zoltan, VARGA Tamas, MADARAS Norbert, VARGA Denes Andor, KASAS Tamas, HOSNYANSZKY Norbert, KISS Gergely, BENEDEK Tibor, VARGA Daniel Rudolf, BIROS Peter, KIS Gabor, MOLNAR Tamas, GERGELY Istvan


Silver medallists:


Canoe/Kayak - Flatwater
Kayak Four (K4) 500m Women KOVACS Katalin, SZABO Gabriella Timea, KOZAK Danuta, JANIC Natasa

Wrestling Men's Greco-Roman 84 kg FODOR Zoltan

Swimming Men's 200m Butterfly CSEH Laszlo
Men's 200m Individual Medley CSEH Laszlo
Men's 400m Individual Medley CSEH Laszlo


Bronze medallists:

Canoe/Kayak - Flatwater Canoe Double (C2) 1000m Men KOZMANN Gyorgy, KISS Tamas

Fencing Women's Individual Epee MINCZA-NEBALD Ildiko

In the early 70s I read an intriguing book, The Natural Depth in Man, by distinguished psychologist Wilson Van Dusen (1923-2005). In one of its chapters Van Dusen strongly espouses the benefits of meditation with these words: “Those who have spent even twenty minutes a day meditating over a period of months are visibly different. They seem calmer, integrated, all together. It is as though they collected themselves and they remain collected.”

The whole book was a powerful one for me, but especially this particular observation, though it did not have the immediate effect on me that I became a meditator. Yet from memory alone, when I decided to write this blog, I went to my office and pulled out the disintegrating paperback for the exact wording I’ve just shared with you. It’s never been far away from my thoughts..

I don’t know if I’m a true mediator today, but for many years now, I have each morning entered my day within a contemplative framework. I read a passage from the Tao Te Ching, sometimes a Psalm, sometimes a few lines from one of a wide range of favorite poets, and always a reading from a volume I’m about to describe for you that’s dear to my heart. Does this make me a better person? I can’t answer that but can tell you I wouldn’t dream of starting my days any other way.

The little book I speak of is All the Days of My Life . . . a yearbook of found sentences for the human journey. It’s a spiral bound book of a sentence or two for each day of the year, following the seasons and months. It’s published by the Iona Center in Healdsburg, California, a not-for-profit formed by the husband-wife team of Marvin and Nancy Hiles, who in turn are the authors-editors of this and other offerings. You can buy it from Iona for $15.00 book, shipping $2.36, tax for CA residents $1.09.

Until now, as with the Tao Te Ching, when I complete the book, I simply start over because its messages are always worth re-visiting, and have new meanings for me each time I encounter them.

But I have additional good news if my thoughts in this blog have any appeal for you. Marv and Nancy have just completed a new volume that will be available for shipping as of September 1. This one is a little more ambitious apparently and is titled An Almanac for the Soul. It’s a 300 page, spiral bound volume that contains essays, breath prayers, author bios, illustrations and photos, and an excerpt for each day of the year from a wide variety of sources—literature, poetry, journals, and so on, offering life’s vitality from the perspective of contemplation.

An Almanac for the Soul is available only from Iona Center for $25.95. For one copy please add $4.80 for shipping via USPS Priority Mail (1-3 day delivery) or $2.58 for Media Mail (5-9 days delivery). Tax for CA residents is $1.88. Please contact Iona for special orders and international shipping. I’ve already ordered my copy and look forward to it as the companion and supplement for All the Days of My Life.

If you have any questions and need more information, just contact Marv and Nancy directly. They’re fabulous people and would take delight in hearing from you..

Marv and Nancy Hiles
Iona Center
PO Box 1528
Healdsburg CA 95448
(707) 431-7426
ionacenter@comcast.net nancyhiles@comcast.net marvsam@comcast.net

Scandal in Africa
By Joshua Hammer


With his ruthless seizure of power in the June 27 runoff election in Zimbabwe, following a well-organized campaign to intimidate and murder members of the opposition, Robert Mugabe joined Myanmar's military junta at the top of the list of the world's most despised dictators. Both the Burmese generals and Mugabe's inner circle have enriched themselves while reducing their people to near starvation. They have jailed, tortured, and killed supporters of democracy, and shrugged off years of international condemnation. Moreover, unlike Myanmar's secretive regime, Mugabe and the cabal that supports him have seemed to enjoy flaunting their contempt for democracy and their easy embrace of violence.

That cabal is led by hard-line members of the Zimbabwean military and a handful of cabinet officials who served alongside Mugabe in the independence war of the 1970s. They include the commander in chief of Zimbabwe's armed forces, General Constantine Chiwenga, and Emerson Mnangagwa, an heir apparent to Mugabe who, as minister of national security in 1983, allegedly oversaw the massacre of thousands of political opponents in Matabeleland. "He is a man with the capacity to be more vicious than Mugabe," I was told by University of Zimbabwe political analyst John Makumbe.

Mnangagwa was one of the principal orchestrators of the campaign of violence and intimidation against the opposition launched in April—known as CIBD, or Coercion, Intimidation, Beating, and Displacement. (According to recent reports, over a hundred opposition supporters have been killed and more than 200,000 displaced.) And Mugabe, after initially conceding defeat in private and considering resignation or negotiation, quickly embraced the hard-liners' position. "We are not going to give up our country because of a mere X," Mugabe declared in the midst of his bloody campaign last month, rejecting any pretense of a legitimate election. "How can a ballpoint pen fight with a gun?"


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The dictator's spokesman, George Charamba, told the press that Western governments who criticized Zimbabwe's election could "go hang a thousand times. They have no basis, they have no claim on Zimbabwe politics at all." That kind of thumb-in-the-eye defiance has intensified the world's sense of impotence and prompted a hard look at the question: Is there anything that can be done now to get rid of Robert Mugabe?

The days following Mugabe's ghastly recoronation ceremony saw the first test of international resolve. Leaders from Gordon Brown of Great Britain to Kenya's new prime minister Raila Odinga assailed the state-sponsored violence that forced Morgan Tsvangirai to take refuge in the Dutch embassy and withdraw from the race, leaving Mugabe the sole candidate. "What is happening in Zimbabwe is a shame and an embarrassment to Africa in the eyes of the international community and should be denounced," Odinga said, in perhaps the strongest words of condemnation ever uttered against Mugabe by a fellow African leader.[*]

Former South African president Nelson Mandela broke with Thabo Mbeki's long and shameful silence on the issue to condemn, during a major public appearance in London, Zimbabwe's "failure of leadership." George W. Bush tightened a travel ban that already targets 250 people and companies associated with Mugabe's illegitimate regime, and forbids Americans to do business with them. Canada ordered new travel restrictions on senior Zimbabwean officials and their families and barred Zimbabwean-registered aircraft from Canadian air space. In addition, the US and Great Britain pressed the UN Security Council to freeze Mugabe's assets along with those of eleven senior Mugabe officials, ban them from traveling outside the country, and impose an international arms embargo. But the US resolution calling for sanctions was vetoed by Russia and China on July 12.

It's hard to imagine, however, that any of these initiatives would make much difference. Targeted sanctions have been in effect against the Mugabe gang for nearly a decade—when the dictator launched his violent land grab against white-owned farms and sent the economy into free fall—and, at best, they've proven a minor inconvenience. (Most existing travel bans don't include the families of Mugabe's inner circle; as a result, some of the most ruthless suppressors of democracy send their sons and daughters to elite schools in the United States and Europe.) While it's true that a Security Council–ordered asset freeze and travel ban would have hurt them more, the recent dual veto showed that getting the UN to speak in one voice against dictatorships, no matter how heinous, has almost always been nearly impossible.

As in the case of Myanmar, China had a key part as Zimbabwe's protector against the US effort to pass a Security Council resolution punishing the dictatorship. Russia led the veto of sanctions, claiming that Mugabe's election thuggery was an internal matter beyond the scope of the United Nations. But China, the biggest investor in Zimbabwe, with huge stakes in its mines and lucrative deals to provide weapons and ammunition to its military, happily followed Russia's lead. Meanwhile, South Africa under President Mbeki has provided Mugabe's regime with diplomatic cover, as well as fuel, power, and international bank accounts for his inner circle—and that shows no signs of changing now.


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The difficulty of getting the world to act together became particularly clear at the African Union Summit in Sharm el-Sheik on June 30, the day after Mugabe's swearing-in ceremony. South Africa's Anglican Archbishop Desmond Tutu and other world figures had called on African leaders to refuse to recognize Mugabe when he showed up at the meeting. But there was no such repudiation, only a tepid collective call for "dialogue" between Tsvangirai and Mugabe and for the formation of a national unity government—as if both men had a legitimate claim to victory. Ignoring the systematic murders, beatings, and displacements of thousands of supporters of Tsvangirai's Movement for Democratic Change, an AU observer statement said only that "the vote fell short of the African Union's standards of democratic elections."

Again, Mugabe's chief protector, South African President Mbeki, hid his support for the dictator behind another call for African solutions, rejecting a European Union position that it would accept only a Zimbabwean government led by Tsvangirai. "The result that comes out of that process of dialogue must be a result that is agreed by the Zimbabweans," Mbeki said on the radio, ignoring the fact that a majority of Zimbabweans had already voted to remove Mugabe—only to be brutalized by a regime that had no intention of giving up power.

Not everybody views the AU conference as a bleak development. The willingness of several African leaders in Sharm el-Sheikh and elsewhere on the continent to condemn Mugabe marked a sharp break from the past, insists David Coltart, a Zimbabwean opposition leader and one of two white members of Parliament. "Even ten years ago what Mugabe has done would be a non-event," Coltart said. "Now a significant and increasing number of African leaders are embarrassed, even angry, about his behavior." Such waning in his support is unlikely to affect Mugabe or his inner circle immediately (even Mandela's criticism was brushed off last week as having been manipulated by the West). But it could, Coltart argued, eventually have a significant effect. "Mugabe has been able to keep his supporters going because of their belief that Africa is on their side and they will ultimately prevail," he told me. "The moment they realize that that is no longer the case Mugabe [or his cabal] will weaken dramatically."

But what hope is there for serious change in the short term? The chances of a Kenya-style sharing of power by Mugabe's ruling clique and the Movement for Democratic Change seem slim. Mugabe and the Joint Operations Command—the military hard-liners that surround him—see little reason to negotiate, believing, probably correctly, that there is little the world can do to stop him. There are some dissenters within the upper echelons of the ruling party: Vice President Joyce Mujuru, for example, a former independence fighter known by the nom de guerre Comrade Spillblood, reportedly expressed misgivings in cabinet meetings about the campaign of violence, as did some lower-ranking generals and colonels. Predictably, the hard-liners won out.

Archbishop Desmond Tutu last week raised the possibility of military intervention to unseat Mugabe, calling for a deployment of UN peacekeepers or AU forces. But barring a Rwanda- or Darfur-style catastrophe on the ground, that clearly won't happen. With inflation running at one thousand percent per day, and mass starvation and state-sponsored violence occurring across the country, Zimbabwe could at some point implode, and the world's powerful nations will have to reconsider what can be done. But Zimbabwe will probably fade from the headlines as world attention shifts to the next crisis. The atrocities of the last two months will be transformed into the quiet terror that Mugabe's citizens have come to expect from their government.

—July 17, 2008

New member Helge Keitel got me to thinking with his response today to “Passage of the Week 3” on our Your Inner CEO Community forum:

http://yourinnerceo.ning.com

He wrote, “There is just a narrow trail between "The valley of death" and "business as usual and/or success." It's important to walk among skeletons, to understand the size of the corporate graveyards. We like to speak about success, but need to know and understand the pain of how to survive in "the troubled waters."

I don’t mean to be morbid here, but it does seem that we often have to be forced to face not just our imperfections, but those attitudes, traits and behaviors in ourselves that virtually guarantee failure if we don’t—and then make necessary changes. When I coach CEOs, most who fall into the category of self-confident, sooner, rather than later, I look them in the eye and ask them to tell me their darkest-of-night fear. It’s not some threatening business situation I’m looking for, which all CEOs face rather routinely, but something that grips them in such a way that impairs or prevents their functioning up to full capacity.

The development of CEOs—and the growth of their companies—is most assured when they face the fears that wake them up in the middle of the night.

This word is not just for CEOs. For you, simply trying to do your best in your work, getting to the backside of such fears can bring great rewards. What may await you is an incredibly useful understanding of the hidden issues that are blocks to success for both you and your organization. If you look deeply enough you’re likely to find that it’s more than your tasks that haunt you. Boldly enquire if you’re troubled by a nagging suspicion that there’s a pattern to these blocks, and that you yourself may have a hand in erecting them. By probing carefully you can find and give a name to that pattern. With courage you can be rid of the blocks and reclaim unique strengths you’ve neglected that define your true singularity.

The next time you find yourself awake in the middle of the night, don’t just keep tossing and turning. Get up. Go to your favorite chair, turn on the light and sit. Then . . . Look. Look. Look. Look. This is your soul speaking truth to you. Don’t go back to bed until you find something that’s right under your nose.

Joseph Campbell called this the dark night of the soul.

Hi Everyone,

On behalf of The Earth Charter, I'd like to invite you to share your stories and/or photographs for a chance to get published. Please see details below:

Have you ever experienced moments of deep connection with the world around you? Do you have stories or photos that illustrate the oneness of life? We warmly welcome you to become part of the Earth Charter Oneness Book Project...

THE CALL:
Earth Charter International invites you to reflect upon moments when you have suddenly felt a deep sense of oneness or connection with the world around you. We are seeking personal stories and photos on this theme of connection from a great diversity of ages, cultures, religions, and walks of life. Submissions will be selected from every region of the world, and published in a book to be released internationally in 2009. For full details and the Youtube version of the Call, please visit: http://www.earthcharterinaction.org/publication. Please share with us your voice, your images, and your inspiration!

THE QUESTION:
The question we are inviting you to respond to has two parts: When have you experienced moments of unexpected connection or oneness in your life, and how has this feeling inspired and sustained your vision, hope, and action for a better world?

WHAT ARE WE LOOKING FOR?
Stories and photos that come out of your personal experience and speak to unexpected moments of connection. This connection could be with anything that has inspired in you a feeling of oneness – with a culture, a stranger, a mountain, a community, or a passing butterfly. These may stem from experiences of the everyday or the extraordinary, from a random encounter that expanded your sense of connection to a defining revelation in your life. Ultimately, we want to hear about those moments of connection that have had a meaningful impact on your everyday life. Stories should be 1-4 pages in length (500-2400 words). Full details are available at www.earthcharterinaction.org/publication.

WHEN IS THE DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSIONS?


Send in your submissions by August 15th, 2008 (12 midnight GMT) for first priority consideration.

HOW TO SUBMIT?
Visit http://www.earthcharterinaction.org/publication for full rules, guidelines, and instructions.

WHO ARE WE?
The Earth Charter is a widely recognized, global consensus statement on ethics and values for a more just, sustainable, and peaceful future. You can find out more at www.earthcharter.org.

CONTACT PERSON (for Singapore):
For queries, please get in touch with Jacques DM Gimeno at jacqyves@pmail.ntu.edu.sg, mobile number 81385744.

But you and I have oodles to learn from him. Why? Because here in the Your Inner CEO Community, where as a group engaged in the study of the book of the same name, your first learning task is to articulate in 10 words or less—in non-business language—your crystal clear value proposition to the world. Taking our cue from brilliant psychiatrist Alfred Adler, we call this our “Style-of-Life.” SOL for short. This is a difficult task, and we enter into it experimentally and flexibly, actually in a spirit of play, because we’re not going to get it right, right away. But get it right eventually we will if we are to discover, articulate and bring our singular gleaming essence to daily living. This is value not limited to work, but applicable across our whole existence: work, love and community.

I’m confident Tiger Woods has not sat down and followed our guidelines to construct a formal SOL, but he is a meditative sort and clearly in a groove and very much at home with himself in the world. When you realize that not one-stroke difference occurred between the two finalists in the four rounds of the recent U.S Open Golf Tournament in San Diego, and that a fifth round was necessary, and even that required a sudden death extra hole to produce him the winner, you see how Tiger makes the difficult look easy. That he does it over and over again lets you know he’s tapping into something special.

Check out this piece on Tiger by David Brooks in the New York Times this past week:

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/17/opinion/17brooks.html

The lesson is not to “Be like Tiger” any more than it was to “Be like Mike” a few years ago. It’s to look into your mirror in the morning and think “Be like me.”

Allan

This is wonderful news! I learned about it 4 days ago and I'm overwhelmingly happy that victims of the misguided "assimilation" are finally going to get the justice they deserve. See more here, http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080611/ap_on_re_ca/canada_indian_apology

This follows another historic apology from Australia's PM in recognizing the unjust treatment of aborigines in the country.

More than apology, I believe that unification and reconciliation should follow. Recognition of past cruelty is always good because this shows that humans not only evolve physically...we also evolve with compassion and love for other human beings.

So here's to a better future for all Native Canadians as they start a new life free of injustice and cruelty.

Special thanks to a very good friend of mine who "educated" me about this fact.

We were able to raise about US$124 to cover for Dabo's Canada visa and some of the expenses for his trip to the Canadian embassy in Ivory Coast. The fund was transmitted via Western Union today (June 16).

Huge thanks goes to my friend Manali and to an anonymous donor who also handled transmittal charges.

I always believe in transparency. Transparency prevents corruption on the onset. Imagine how many people will benefit from their country's natural resources if their so-called leaders weren't so corrupt and exploitative. So being true to my words, here's the breakdown of the donation (and yeah I have documentation if you wish to verify). Approximation only because donations were in Singapore dollars (US$1 = S$1.374):

US$54.5 - Ms. Manali Pattnaik
US$54.5 - Anonymous
US$14.5 - Myself

US$14.5 - same Anonymous donor (for the transmittal charges)

Thanks once again.

Please find time to pledge a book for Rwanda's first public library...

We have set up a temporary page for accepting book pledges for Rwanda.

As soon as we have our website up and running, we will direct you accordingly.

For information on how to pledge a book for us to collect in the near future, please go to

http://groups.google.com/group/books-for-rwanda?hl=en

Thanks...looking forward to your help --- one book at a time.

I've been closely following the progress of the establishment of Rwanda's first ever public library. The construction is underway and more info of the project can be seen here http://www.kigalilibrary.org/index.html

Rwandans of course would be needing books and other educational materials to populate their library. As the library is scheduled to open sometime in 2008, Project RAFT International (an organization I'm with) would like to start a Book Drive.

HOW YOU CAN HELP

I'm currently negotiating with a shipment company to help ship the books to Rwanda. What you can do is pledge at least one - just one book for us to pick up in the near future.

It would be great if you can pledge educational books that would aid Rwandan students in their studies.

BE FAITHFUL TO YOUR PROMISE

Once you've made your pledge known to us, write a simple message and your name and country on the inside flap of the book. Let Rwandans know how much you care and they will be ever so grateful.

WAIT AWHILE

Once we reach our target of 1,000 books and secure cooperation from a shipper, we would let you know how we will gather the books from your respective countries. During this time, we would also be looking for volunteer representatives from different countries to help collect the books.

We hope that you'd take time to really think about this important matter.

JUST ONE BOOK WILL HELP SO MANY RWANDANS...IMAGINE WHAT 1,000 CAN DO

An anonymous donor gave another CAD55 for the fund. We now have approximately CAD127 for Dabo's Canada visa and some of his trip to Ivory Coast. I'll be sending the fund to him soon.

If you're still interested in helping, Dabo still needs additional funding for his plane fare.

Thank you to all those who have helped.

A good friend and classmate of mine in Singapore has kindly offered to chip in to the fund that would help Mohamed Dabo realize his dream of presenting at the World Youth Congress in Canada in August this year.

We have raised CAD70 for his visa to Canada.

If you want to help out, please sound off....