New and Improved Worldview Lenses

11.25.2011 By
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  Worldviews can be thought of as lenses through which we perceive and interpret our subjective experience. This "worldview contact lens" advertisement spoof highlights how worldviews color our interpretation of reality. For readers less familiar with the concept of worldviews... a handy worldview primer is offered below that correlates them with the style of leadership each prefers. This is a central aspect of Integral Leadership. These crucial lenses are a primary way human beings filter subjective experience (of objective reality) and interpret those experiences in terms of: how things appear to be; how things should be; what's right and wrong with how things are, and what, if anything, should be done about it. Clearly then, this is of paramount importance if we are interested in understanding how people make sense of the world we share, and especially as leaders, how we can better understand what people care about, their priorities, their motivations, and … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Business, Culture and Society, Featured, Leadership, Psychology, Worldviews Tagged With: , , , , ,

Reaction to Gay Marriage = Litmus Test for Worldview

06.25.2011 By
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In what Mayor Michael Bloomberg called "a historic triumph for equality and freedom," New York joined the growing number of states that have legalized gay marriage, including: Massachusetts (2004), Connecticut (2008), Iowa (2009), Vermont (2009), New Hampshire (2010), and Washington, D.C. (2010). Modern, postmodern and integral thinkers nationwide celebrate New York's decision to take its place on the "right side of history." Traditional thinkers obviously don't agree with this view—which I will elaborate on below. Bloomberg also offered support to the Republicans who voted for the measure, stating that he believetheir actions were consistent with GOP ideals of liberty and freedom, "The Republicans who stood up today for those principles I think will long be remembered for their courage, foresight and wisdom" He added, "Ten, 20, 30 years from now, I believe they will look back on this vote as one of the finest and most proud moments in their life." Indeed. The Human … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Community, Culture and Society, Current Events, Home, Integral Theory and Methodology, Leadership, Morality, Politics, Psychology, Religion, Worldviews

A Conscious View of Bin Laden’s Death

05.11.2011 By
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When some people hear  the word “consciousness” they think of the inconvenient time between naps. Is consciousness just the state of being awake, or is it more than that? There are many theories about what consciousness is and where it is located. It remains a mystery. But there is much to be gained from considering consciousness from multiple perspectives, and finding the partial truths in all of them. In this article I will consider consciousness in the context of personal experience and cultural transformation, as a sample of the many approaches to a complex issue. As a way to illustrate the personal dimension of consciousness, I recall my first experience with miracle fruit. I tried it a few years back while on vacation in Panama with my family. The miracle fruit is an amazing berry. It doesn’t claim to be a weight loss marvel or to increase antioxidants like some other wonder fruits. It’s more fun than that. It’s a miracle because for several hours after eating … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Current Events, Psychology, Religion, Spirituality Tagged With: , , , , ,

Ph.D. Dissertation on Conscious Leadership in Action

04.04.2011 By
Unmergent by Todd Guess

"Barrett Brown has given us a timely, important, significant, and very telling empirical study of some of the highest stages of human development. Combined with his terrific commentary and superb analysis, this is must reading for all those interested in leadership, development, spirituality, or integral studies."  – Ken Wilber, The Integral Vision What does conscious leadership look like in action? I've spent the last two years researching this question, specifically exploring how change agents with complex worldviews design and lead complex change initiatives. The bottom line is that these individuals represent less than 5% of the population, and in some cases, less than 1%. They are true outliers in how they see and understand not only the world around them, but also their own inner experience. The leaders I researched for my Ph.D. dissertation have achieved a level of development that represents the farthest reaches of what science can currently measure. I was … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Ecology, Home, Integral Theory and Methodology, Leadership, Psychology, Sustainability Tagged With: , , , ,

Communicating Sustainability to Different Worldviews

04.04.2011 By
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Why care for the environment? Ask this question of people from around the world and myriad responses will return. You might hear "Do it...." For your children For the technical challenge of achieving sustainability Because the Glorious Qur’an states that this is man’s obligation To save Gaia Because it is the ancestral way For the opportunity to make money To preserve the beauty of Nature So I don’t get cancer from pollutants Because it is honorable and is our responsibility to be stewards To stop the greedy industrialists by any means necessary Because pollution is a sin against Creation To sacredly express love for all of existence. What is your answer? Do any of these responses feel true to you and appeal to your deepest sensibilities? Which responses, if any, fail to strike a chord or feel uncomfortable to you? How and where does that discomfort show up in your body? Place your attention in those areas of your body and feel into how you … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Ecology, Integral Theory and Methodology, Leadership, Psychology, Sustainability, Worldviews

The Law of Attraction – You Get What You Give

03.02.2011 By
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The Eighteenth Century Jewish master, Tzemech Tzedek, was once asked to pray for a seriously ill child. He said to the family, “Tracht gut vet zain gut,” a Yiddish phrase which means “Think good, and it will be good.” The child recovered. The Rabbi asked the family when the child began to turn around. They told him it was the minute they began to think positive thoughts. Stories such as this appear in many spiritual traditions. Jesus described a similar situation with the phrase, “your faith has made you well.” What is the power of the mind? Is it the ability to bend spoons, a la Uri Geller, or is it the presence of mind to reframe thoughts and take a larger perspective? The mind is certainly powerful and I’m sure that we don’t even know the full extent of the mind’s untapped powers if you take into account our subconscious mind. Either way, the ability to frame your experiences and beliefs in a healthy perspective is potentially more powerful than any magic … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Psychology, Religion, Spirituality Tagged With: , , , ,