How to Share Power in a Relationship: The Five Cs of CoCreationWritten by Paul & Layne Cutright
As a species, we are gradually moving from self-centered, adversarial uses of power to collectively sharing power for mutual benefit of everyone. We are shifting from a paradigm characterized by “me or them” to “me and them.” We are lifting ourselves into realm of co-creation. It's going to take more than good intentions for us to pull this one off. We're all going to have to learn to think and behave differently in our business-as-usual routines. We offer you 5 Cs of co-creation as a map for your exploration of this new and uncharted territory. Use them in working with other people, deciding how to proceed, and in resolving differences. COMMITMENT - Set your intention by deciding together what everyone wants to accomplish. Do you feel enthusiastic about this? Do you talk about it together often? What obstacles do you foresee, and how can you deal with them? COMMUNICATION - Create environment for successful co-creation. Our relationships live in language, so what we talk about and how we talk about it determines emotional climate of our relationships. Does your communication style foster safety and creativity? Are you communicating readily, honestly, and openly? Are there things you are afraid to discuss that need to be discussed? Are there any recurrent communication breakdowns, and is there a strategy in place so they can be avoided in future? Does your communication include acknowledgment and gratitude? Is everyone giving effective feedback? Are you communicating your unified purpose to others in inspiring and enthusiastic ways? COOPERATION – Cultivate necessary attitude, where working together is motivated by an inner passion, not being forced by fear and need to go with flow of others' intentions. Are you able to find a common path through adversity, or is it everyone for themselves when going gets tough? Are there any competing egos vying for spotlight at expense of others? Are you clear on benefits of cooperation in this creative endeavor? What is at risk if you don't cooperate? COLLABORATION – Use synergy so that everyone's ideas are vital to whole. Are you able to express your ideas freely, without fear of judgment or ridicule? As a group, are you asking BIG questions that bring forth talent of everyone involved? Is system in which you are working set up to receive avalanche of creativity you can generate? COORDINATION - Synchronize action. What's plan? Does everyone have an overview of how all different parts are working together? Are you clear on individual areas of responsibility and accountability? What are consequences, if any, for failure to perform? How often and in what form (phone, meetings, e-mail) do you need to communicate with one another in order to coordinate effectively?
| | The Top Ten Ways To Stop Procrastinating NowWritten by Kerul Kassel
10. Procrastination Condemnation - Lose Labels! All those things you call yourself, such as lazy, scattered, disorganized, not good enough, incompetent, or stupid, for example, aren’t helping you get things done, are they? You’ve learned to believe them, and you think they’ve become something of a self-fulfilling prophecy. If you look around yourself, though, you’ll see evidence that you can accomplish quite a number of things without delay. 9. Procrastination Exaggeration – Are you really procrastinating, or are you simply focusing on other priorities? It’s possible that those things you’re not doing shouldn’t get done until sometimes later, perhaps not at all. Focus on only most significant areas first, and rest will come. 8. Procrastination Temptation – If you hang out with people who coax you to procrastinate, it’s time to start surrounding yourself with better examples. If you know certain that situations are too enticing and will lure you from following through, create a work-around plan that will help you prevent yourself from “taking bait”. 7. Procrastination Alienation – Recognize that you’re not alone, and are, in fact, in excellent company. Most people procrastinate about something, sometimes about many things. In a recent survey on procrastination, almost 1/3 of respondents who identified themselves as procrastinators had a post-graduation or higher education. 6. Procrastination Inclination – At moment you are about to procrastinate, stop for just a moment to acknowledge pattern, even if you continue on to put off whatever you were going to do. Awareness and acceptance that these are your current patterns is a necessary step in procrastination extermination. 5. Procrastination Perspiration – You probably think that only way to stop procrastinating is to use will power and discipline. While that certainly can work, it can cost you a lot of energy and struggle. By allowing yourself to begin recognizing what is specifically in way of following through, and creating simple new patterns, progress is pretty painless and immediate. For more information, sign up for New Leaf Systems ezine at http://www.newleafsystems.com , and soon-to-be-published book The Power of Procrastination.
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