Feb/Mar 2002
A New Contract With The Planet
Healing
After Terror
Michael Lerner
Indifference
Don Kyhote
The
Globalization of Poverty
Antonia Juhasz
World
Bank President's Secret Plan For Argentina
Greg Palast (Available after Mar. 1)
The
Trade Towers Without Tears
John Darling
Passcode
"Redwood:" Keeping Repression in Perspective
Starhawk
The
Uncooling of America
Kalle Lasn
Frankencorn
Fight
Ronnie Cummins
Oil
Company Advisor Chosen to Represent U.S. in Afghanistan
Patrick Martin
The
Next Technology Revolution
Steve Wallis, MA
Man
of Occasional Two Braids
Antoinette Nora Claypoole
The
Ecology of Community
Jesse Wolf Hardin
Love
and Leadership
Michele LeBien
Fearful
Feelings
Peter Moore, MFCC, CGP
Cosmic
Calendar
Salina Rain
Love
and Leadership
Michelle
LeBien
When I was in my late twenties, I signed up to teach a 7th grade Junior Achievement class with a co-worker and friend. For those that don’t know, Junior Achievement is a non-profit organization that “seeks to educate and inspire young people to value free enterprise, business and economy to improve the quality of their lives.” They offer programs for children from Kindergarten through 12th grade, all of which are delivered by volunteers (www.ja.org).
From the moment I walked into that seventh grade classroom, I was surprised by how desperately I wanted those teenagers to like me. It was as if I had flipped back to being 13 years old myself—a time when I was very shy and insecure. I was terrified of losing control of the class—not because of the chaos it would create for them, but because of how they would perceive me. As you might imagine, my fear created exactly what I was trying to avoid and I was constantly asking the class to quiet down and pay attention.
Halfway through my third class, this unexpectedly changed. I asked the class a question and then stood in silence to give them a chance to think. As I scanned the classroom, I caught the eye of a girl who always sat in the back of the room. In a flash, I remembered how awkward I was at their age and I felt a surge of compassion and love for all of them. I could feel this love beaming from my eyes as I gently looked around the room, making eye contact with five or six of them.
The entire room fell silent. During those 10 seconds or so, no one moved or rolled their eyes or stared out the window. I remember breathing very deeply during those seconds—it was as if I had to expand my body to hold all the love I was feeling. The moment passed, but my relationship with those children was forever changed. I no longer needed them to like me or approve of me. I suddenly saw them, not as noisy and insecure young teenagers, but as beautiful and magnificent individuals. And they suddenly saw me as a teacher and leader.
For the rest of the semester, I had their full attention. Without my having to say a word, they listened when I spoke, answered my questions and gave ideas of their own. And after each class, a few of them would hang around to talk. Our talks were not very sophisticated; they would complain about how much homework they had or talk about what they wanted to do over the break or tell me about something that had happened the day before. But I knew the real reason they stayed to talk was because they wanted to feel that love again.
That experience taught me how powerful and transforming love can be. In seconds, I went from being perceived as just another boring adult in their lives to being perceived as a leader and role model. Because of that experience, I decided to put love of my audience as my number one priority—whether I was to give a presentation on financial numbers or a talk on Life Purpose. And, almost ten years later, I can say that putting love first has never let me down.
Love and Leadership make powerful allies. Without love, leaders can often create fear and separation in the people they lead. With love, leaders automatically inspire connection, teamwork and creativity.
Here are two exercises I use before a presentation or meeting to open my heart, connect with my audience and step into my personal power. They not only calm and center me, but they also have a way of magically attracting new business opportunities! You can use these exercises to prepare for any situation that requires you to use your leadership abilities – be it a public speaking event or a job interview or a small meeting.
Exercise I
“Heart-link With Your Audience”
When to use: At least one day before your presentation or meeting.
Time needed: Approx. 20 minutes
How often: Once is enough, but feel free to use it as often as you would like!
Find a quiet place to sit or lie down. If you are tired, you may want to sit
so that you don’t fall asleep!
Start by relaxing your body. Close your eyes and take some deep breaths. Scan
your body for any tension. If you find an area of your body that feels tense,
take a deep breath and imagine that tension lifting off with the out-breath.
When you feel relaxed, imagine a beautiful ball of light descending over the
top of you head. As you breathe in, imagine that ball of light descending
further into and around your body. As you breathe out, imagine you are releasing
any remaining tension in your body. Keep breathing in and out until that beautiful
ball of light completely surrounds your body.
Now bring to your mind your audience. You do not need to know your audience
personally—simply imagine your audience standing in front of you or surrounding
you in a circle.
Imagine a beautiful line of light going out from your heart to every heart
in your audience. Then imagine beautiful lines of light coming back to you
from the hearts of every person in the group. Breathe deeply and watch your
energy expand to take in all that love.
Now imagine a beautiful golden light above all of you. Imagine that this light
represents the essence of God or Spirit. Sense the beauty and perfection of
that golden light. Feel how its beauty auto-matically increases the beauty
and intensity of your connection with the others.
When you feel complete, gently watch your audience dissolve in light. Remember
to stretch you body and take some deep breaths before standing up.
Exercise II
“An Instrument of Love”
When to use: Immediately before your presentation or meeting begins.
Time needed: 1 minute
Right before you stand up to present or walk into a meeting, say to yourself:
“God, make me an instrument of your love.”
Then imagine a beautiful stream of love coming down through the top of your
head into your heart. From your heart, imagine this love expanding out to
your audience—be it an audience of one or 1,000.
We were made in the image of love. It makes sense, therefore, to consciously connect with that love whenever we step into a leadership role. One does not need to talk about love for others to feel it. In fact, love is far beyond the boundaries and limitations of any language. Simply intending to be an instrument of love is enough to open our hearts and make miracles happen.
As I finish this article, I hold you in love and light.
Michele LeBien is passionate about helping others discover and express their unique gifts and leadership abilities. She is an Intuitive Guide, Healer and Professional Speaker. She is available for one-on-one sessions, workshops and public speaking. She can be reached at (541) 482-1262 or mlebien@att.net.
