{Entrepreneurs & Leaders} An 8-step initiatory journey to change yourself to change the world

Par Vincent Avanzi le 03/09/2017 • ( Poster un commentaire )

Entrepreneurs and Leaders: An 8-step initiatory journey
to change yourself before changing the world

As a globe-trotter and corporate poet, Vincent Avanzi invites you to take an initiatory journey in 8 stages inside your self and around the world to explore other ways, reconnect to the basics and align your leadership position and your corporate mission on the needs of the future.

What entrepreneur has never dreamed of “changing the world”? In the United States, this principle is the motto of many start-ups. A good goal, provided you know for whom and for what. Gandhi said, « Be the change we want to see in this world », so to really change the world for the « better », should we not first change ourselves? I invite you to undertake an initiatory journey in order to find your « self » and a path that responds to a real need of the world to be able to bring a true positive societal impact, for the common good of all.

How to become the most beautiful version of « leader » you could be, for you, your team, the world, nature, your partners and customers? Ask yourself what you would like to develop in you this year. In my journey to find my way in the last ten years, I went twice to go around the world. My first world trip was called Harmony, the Paradise Journey and my second one in 2013 was called “A Human Odyssey : 12 human steps to change yourself to change the world”. These experiences have profoundly changed my vision of life, my being and the trajectory of my future. They allowed me to find my path and role as “Chief Poetic Officer”, with the mission to re-enchant and humanize the corporate world. To help you make this shift, here are eight pillars on which to base your journey of physical exploration – throughout the world – and psychic – in your heart.

All pictures – Shutterstock.com

1. Develop your awareness of the world

Take time to admire the beauty of the Earth. Go and contemplate the harmony of nature. Rejuvenate, connect to the living and the future. Meet the different peoples of the world in order to feel the “overview effect”, the synthesis effect that astronauts perceive from space looking at our Planet Earth. Marvel at the kindness of ManKind, realize both its unity of Humanity and the interdependence of each being. What makes us human? What is our common denominator? Rediscover the sense of compassion, empathy, justice, fairness, beauty, goodness, gratitude, benevolence or open-mindedness. What is wisdom and what can it bring to your business in terms of « richness »? Before looking at the growth rate of your business, examine your « awareness » level.

Examples of actions to be taken
> Do manual work connected to the Earth.
> Practice an art form.
> Meet non-Western cultures. Go live in tribes in Papua New Guinea or in the wild for a while, go see shamans…
> Experience the Burning Man festival or the mixed society of the World Social Forums.
> Read books of inspirations, textbooks of wisdom and reflections on the happiness of the Dalai Lama, (re) read The Toltec Accords, The Little Prince or The Prophet.
> Visit prisoners or refugee camps to understand the meaning of freedom and dignity.
> Develop your capacity for mutual help, sharing and solidarity as an entrepreneur and demonstrate the virtues of cooperation rather than competition, by looking at how other peoples work.

2. Embody your values

Connect with yourselves, your heart and your values. The daily routine often makes us forget the horizon of our mission or our raison d’être. What is your true mission in the world? Einstein said, « Do not try to become a successful (hu)man. Try to become a (hu)man who has value. » So work your consistency, your congruence, your alignment and your anchoring. Take height and depth to be truly centered and then be able to embody your values on a daily basis. The heart too is an infinite resource of motivation to brave the impossible. Do you have the heart to succeed? Are your actions guided by the heart, not just solely by the head?

Examples of actions to be taken
> Define your three largest intrinsic values and from them, the values of your company. Then look at whether and how they actually manifest themselves on a daily basis.

3. Align the Ego with the “We”

Work on your ego and its role as an obstacle, saboteur or perception distorted from reality. Flourish your « I » to serve the « We » and your collective adventure. This work is essential for the better and for the future. Immerse yourself in the philosophy of Buddhist life, based on harmony within oneself and with the world around it, on the self-effacement of the world to see the present as it is, without thinking about your judgments and desires, the past or the future. It is also based on karma, giving good to have good. Become a free leader of his ego and open to the collective intelligence of your teams.

Examples of actions to be taken
> Do a meditation retreat, Spend a few days to change your pattern of being and thinking.
> On the way back, register for a complementary internship on “collective intelligence” processes, among other possible personal development courses.

4. Become the most beautiful version of you

Have you found your “talent zone”, your vocation, your raison d’être, your « G-enius Spot« ? Have you defined your life mission: who am I and where am I going? What is your share? Know yourself and connect all your dots and gifts to synthesize them in order to find your singularity, your added value and the uniqueness in which you will have all legitimacy.

Examples of actions to be taken
> Make a balance statement of your “self”: your know-how, your skills, your talents, your skills, your desires, your dreams. Find by convergence the cardinal point of who you are, which will indicate you the course to take for your future.
> Get to know yourself, get out of your comfort zones and test your limits: climb a summit, take an improvisation class, write a poem about your dreams for the future, stay at the beach with an infinite horizon to remove any limit to who you may be, etc.

5. Integrate current and future vital world issues

What are the needs of the planet and the major stakes of this new century? The ecological and climatic transition, a more equitable distribution of wealth, a circular economy and frugal innovation to reduce waste of resources, “happy sobriety” to live with dignity, artificial intelligence or soul intelligence, access to drinking water, social or digital divide, peace in the world and the coexistence of communities, etc. Go around the planet to understand where the world is going and what particularly affects you.

Examples of actions to be taken
> Travel, observe, discuss, exchange.
> Discover the themes of the Social and Solidarity Economy and the Millennium Challenges of the United Nations.
> Participate in a humanitarian or environmental mission in an NGO.
> Visit the changemakers around the globe.

6. Inspire yourself from successes and failures

Go to other cities, countries or cultures to find new business ideas, discover success stories and best practices to import or export in your country. What innovations work for which modes of life? How are such issues dealt with abroad and why is this successful? Become visionary by looking at what might work in your market according to trends and what works overseas.

Examples of actions to be taken
> Inspire yourself from historical figures and icons, leaders of the past and present successful entrepreneurs.
> Visit the vestiges of past civilizations, look at different ways of life, challenge your a priori and observe Evolution to understand the past and act in the future.
> Ask yourself where you would like to set up your business.
> Build bridges between partners and countries.
> Look at what other management methods exist.

7. Adopt another way of thinking

Cut yourself from the internet, your phone and even the notion of time for a while. Develop another way of thinking, outside of the box, creative and visionary. Work with foreigners and learn from multicultural teamwork. Change the paradigm and get out of your national initial mindset to launch an exportable or even universalizable business with a 360 ° view.

Examples of actions to be taken
> Travel to stimulate your creative brain and discover new ways of thinking and acting. Adopt some, feel the bubbling of ideas and thoughts that cross your mind. Write them down and implement them today and on your return, keep that look at 360. Go for example to a coworking space of entrepreneurs abroad and exchange with them about their working methods, their look the world and their visions for the future.
> In situations of blockage, do not hesitate to ask yourself how a particular person would act.
> Try to understand and change your relationship to money.
> Learn a foreign language.

8. Meet an Essential Need

Start from the fundamental point that bridges the gap between your personal desires and the needs of the world. The will is the area where you want to intervene; the need is the business you will create inside it. What is the fundamental societal need for today and tomorrow? This need is essential, is it already dealt with abroad and how? In any case, we learn by walking, so progress and it is perhaps by losing yourself that you will discover your most original and useful human version in the world.

Examples of actions to be taken
> Ask yourself if the world will be better or in the right direction if your project is successful.
> Enjoy your trip to build a network of partners and build international synergies.

All in all, make yourself your own program at your own pace. And in your explorations and introspections, do not hesitate sometimes to travel alone to go deep inside you in terms of reflection, elevation and interaction, whether in your country, on a continent or around the world. Take days, weeks or months to discover, disconnect and reconnect, lose yourself for you to find your true self, and always develop yourself as a human being and leader of tomorrow, inspiring and soothing.

Have a wonderful trip !

The article was first published in french in the Newspaper Les Echos : Entrepreneurs, changez-vous au lieu de vouloir changer le monde !

Other articles and links on leadership and the future :

Author : VINCENT AVANZI, Chief Poetic Officer, The Ink of the Future
Vincent Avanzi is a Chief Poetic Officer, International Speaker and founder of A Human Odyssey – The Ink of the Future (La Plume Du Futur). Former Microsoft employee, globe-trotter and a life passion for poetry, he now gives Inspiring Key Notes and Interactive Conferences to companies and events on Inspiring Leadership, The Genius Spot, Corporate Poetry and Prospective Thinking. He also performs Poetic Speeches in business and public events around the world.