“Courage/readiness + self­-honesty/mindfulness + freedom of choice/creativity = self-discovery, self ­determination, resilience, interdependence, liberation

The power is in the self-discovery and self­-determination. Students are not being told what to do because they are telling themselves what to do.”

This is a purpose that fully engages and energizes Adam as he teaches in the most racially diverse community college in Oregon. He guides students aged 16-75 from a wide range of income levels, including homeless students, those with differing abilities, LGBTQ, veterans, international students, and, as he says, “the list goes on.”

About the effects of such diversity, he says: “This diversity becomes complex for, when in one classroom, it is enormously challenging to bring everyone along together without leaving some behind or some bored with what they might consider a slow pace. My PL practice has, for many years, helped me maintain resilience AND the belief that it is possible to teach myself how to teach them."

In the last two years Adam began incorporating PL into leadership classes. For example, he offers PL as the:

• foundation of the two-credit Leadership through Mentoring course, training and supporting college student mentors mentoring youth ages 11-17 as well as for a two credit Leadership Development course

• major piece of the preparation and training provided to student government representatives and other student leaders in his department

• topic of statewide student leadership conference presentations

• focus for the professional development of student services staff who supervise teams of student employees as well as for advisors and counselors on campus

• Title IX Campus Advocates group tasked with serving students involved in sexual misconduct situations.

Any great PL facilitator both teaches PL directly, when appropriate, and always is personally practicing. Adam is an inspiring model:

“The more I teach and use PL the deeper my understanding of it becomes, which only motivates me to keep going even further. Just last night I was re-reading the ‘What State Are We In?’ handout from the ToF binder and the ‘Choosing Our Internal State of Being’ section of the PL book.  Only now do I feel like I better understand the true importance and deeper value of these ideas to the overall power of PL. I think part of this is because I now have enough life experience using PL and have actually become more competent at being able to authentically move myself into expanding emotional states on a regular basis. For some reason it finally really clicked for me last night and it has shown in my facilitation today. Thank you for creating this!”

Thank YOU Adam as YOU, all PL facilitators, and what YOU ALL embody and create, are continuing to make this an enlivening creation.

Increasingly, over the past years as I have worked with highly placed leaders in the worlds of international development and in corporations, I am pressed to offer both solace and practice for times when the going gets tough right in the middle of the fire.  That is, in the fire of diplomatic negotiations, resolving team conflicts, decision making under the pressure of no time to decide.  And perhaps all this is happening while walking down the hall between meetings or when sitting in front of a supervisor not at all happy with current performance.

In sum, there is no time to find a quiet place to work through a particular ‘Something’s Up’ using the PL CMD in any standard way at all.  What does this suggest?

For me, beginning to know how to offer anything useful to those in such situations has always begun with looking at my own practice. I look to discover what has worked for me in similar times, then I translate this into what can be shared that speaks to the call I am hearing. This insures that any response I have is real, true and possible rather than some idealistic platitude that only serves to irritate.

SO, if I might let me offer a personal example.

September, 2016.  A dear colleague and I are beginning a 2.5 day leadership session for all people managers of one of the largest research/ educational institutions in the world.  Past sessions have gone amazingly well and despite long days, I am not physically tired in any way.  Enter a new group of participants; I see two highly positioned people, in finance no less!  This means they approve my fees and payments!

A few minutes after I see these two, I began to sense a different but familiar energy coming over me; as if a veil.  I am getting uncomfortable, feeling tiredness and some anxiety arising. This is clearly not the state I wish to be in! I tell my colleague that I need to disappear for a few minutes and step out into the hall. I find an empty alcove and close my eyes and move into pure allowing, with no resistance at all.  “What are you? You are welcome here.” Images arise. I see myself as a very young girl aware of feeling unsafe.  There is someone who is scaring me and I begin to ‘turn on’ my abilities to pay special attention to that person, to negotiate a relationship, any kind of relationship, that will please and make our connection more positive…that will create safety. “OK, I see you. Thank you. I do not need to pay attention like that anymore; I do not need to use this way anymore. Please leave; I am fine now.” And I open my eyes.

The veil, the tiredness and anxiety are gone, just gone, and I re-enter the room filled with the energy and attention that will allow me to really be present and attentive. All in less than 5 minutes. This is NOT a ‘fairy-tale or a ‘once-in-a lifetime’ experience.  It is absolutely true.

What we like to say in the PL world is that I was able to BE a ‘walking CMD;’ able to engage the CMD in a gestalt, holistic way, on the move. I am quite sure that others of you have developed this same capacity. It is built over time and commitment, bit by bit.  As one PL senior facilitator, Heather Robinson, says, “You don’t learn to downhill ski on the Black Diamond slopes; you get good on the easy slopes and then, when you need it in challenging situations, the skill is there.”Historically, in PL we have spoken about ‘leading self BEFORE leading others’ meaning that we must have our own inner worlds together first so that we can access our highest and best as a firm foundation from which we then serve others.  Yes, this is true, and…

PL is an ever-dynamic process that is meant to be there when we have time and space to deeply reflect as well as to be there WHILE we are in the very midst of life. It, I strongly know, does the potential of PL a disservice, keeping it quite small, to give the impression that we must withdraw from interactions for however long it takes to go through all the CMD questions to receive the power of PL. Presented as the only way to use PL, this is often met with, “Well this is great but I just don’t have the time.” This is the way we must begin to learn PL, however it only is meant to open doors to a greater potential in the ways PL can serve.

If we choose to make a commitment to this level of possibility and transformation and if we go ‘all out’ in our practice of PL, we can become a ‘walking CMD’ embodying the teaching stories and the guidance that can as we all say, ‘Make a New World of Difference’ right in the midst of the fire.