Energy partners…
As an extrovert, much of my energy comes from interacting with others. My wife is an introvert… so the rhythm of my being gone for a few days worked well mentally and financially for us both 😉 The long drives to DC allow me to charge up with loud music, work with a bunch of leaders where there was more work (and money), and return a little “quieter” and less charged up 😉 So when COVIC shut everything down, how would this work for each of us? Looking back, a couple of key findings are going with me into Forever…
… my business partner also retired, closing a very productive 12-year partnership. Not having someone to bounce ideas off of initially caused me to worry a bit, as I have always had partners, but this forced me to pay attention to my inner chatter– some of that was not helpful. The Positive Intelligence assessment named my Saboteur voices: Restless, Hyper Achiever,Hyper Rational. And – Sage voices can always bring you back: Curiosity, Explore, Empathy. With COVID pausing all of the driving, work, etc, I had the bandwidth to stick with this every day – EVERY DAY – which is never easy for me (see Restless). We were also required to form Pods of 3 other Coaches. We know that change happens with partners, and as the person leading the workshops made it mandatory, I had to embrace it.
… where are yours?
Chick consistently partnered with Stanley Clarke through all the Return to Forever incarnations. Stanley was over 6 feet tall – when he was 12. His family was very musical, with his Mom, an opera singer, recommending he take up the accordion and violin – but his hands were SO huge, that those instruments didn’t work for him. In Junior High Band, no one wanted the big upright bass standing alone in the corner… which he was built for. He studied it profoundly… and intended to be the first Black player in the Philadelphia Orchestra… until he met Chick in Miles Davis’ band. Realizing that chicks (the female kind) liked electric bass, he picked that up just for the heck of it so he could play “rock”…
… which was perfect timing as jazz was JUST going electric, and Stanley was on the very leading edge of that work. Chick moved the band to Columbia where they would record their breakthrough album, Romantic Warrior – a concept album in which each band member wrote one of the songs. It was my first foray into Forever music, and I still cherish it every time I listen to it. The intricacies of each player’s partnership with the other 3 is something to behold… and the songs through Sunday will all come from this album… which was certified Gold. Today’s comes from Chick and closes the album, but fit today’s theme perfectly…
Their perspective…
Partners are important to pay attention to. Some bring out your best – and sometimes that is because they are irritating 😉 Either way, it is worth paying attention to what will help motivate you to focus on what is important … for you. It is easy for me to partner with leaders who know what they want… and equally very complicated if they don’t. Many have been sleepwalking through their career… and this year woke many of them up. I have enjoyed reconnecting with those who have some clarity, and helping them move forward.
… can change your Return
As you do your own Retrospective, look for the partners that helped move you forward, sideways, or backward – ANY influence is probably worth paying attention to. And then start to look for what you notice about that pattern that you want going into… Forever . I have noticed that writing these help me, and in this strange year, have stabilized me… and that alone is worth it. Many of you have commented as partners along the way, for which I am grateful. The Brain courses sharpened the focus on what we are always telling ourselves… those little voices from our own internal “partners.” Whose perspective do you need to add to avoid your own… Dual of the Jester and the Tyrant…
