Emergence

Thoreau wrote: "Though I do not believe a plant will spring up where no seed has been, I have great faith in a seed. Convince me that you have a seed there, and I am prepared to expect wonders."

This week was filled with the wonder of emergence and great reinforcement for having faith in seeds. In this spirit, I spent a good part of the week holding space for, facilitating and witnessing a process of deep healing between colleagues both reflecting and informing the transformation of an organization. While at times I may be more inclined to “try to make things work” or to intermediate, as my faith in emergence increases, I do less of this (and less pushing or trying to control) and focus on how can I tap into the emergent possibilities and create conditions to foster their manifestation.

This same awareness is deeply informing how I approach the “marketing” of my new book, Working for Good: Making a Difference While Making a Living. When I was marketing Private Music, Yanni, Spinning, Seeds of Change, ChiRunning, among other things, I was informed by my understanding that marketing is a process of cultivating relationships, and relationships are emergent processes. Thus, in marketing Working for Good I need to show up for the exploration of relationship and put forth what I have to offer to the relationship (in this case, the book), then it is up to others to relate to and respond to the offer, or not. Offering blog posts reflecting my experience and insights, writing articles, engaging in interviews, presenting at conferences, and delivering Working for Good engagement experiences at bookstores are all part of the process of showing up, and presenting my offer. The next step is up to others – to receive it or not. And from there, the process continues, as dialogues with people who have read the book are already leading to other things.

I find this orientation of embracing emergence, versus driving towards a specific goal, to be highly satisfying, full of delight, and fruitful – as in producing significant results.

Not that emergence is always easy or stress-free – on the contrary. But trying to control or push for a specific outcome is at least as challenging if not more so, yet lacks the ease, grace, and flow of emergence.

You can’t pull the leaves of a plant and make it grow faster or differently from its nature, but you can understand its potential and needs, and create the conditions for optimal growth.

So, we can ask ourselves “what does this situation need for its emergence to unfold?” And in the answer, find right action.