Ivy SeaZine - April 2008 - Slow Business and New-Era Business: What's In, What's Out

This edition of the Ivy SeaZine explores 'Slow Business' and 'New-Era Business: What's Out? What's Emerging?', and points the way to several insightful explorations of some of these topics, with links to other articles and resources as well.

For a personal or project-specific consultation, Ivy Sea's inspiring and insightful guides, advisers, and mentor-coaches can partner with you in asking into these questions and moving forward.

You'll find more by browsing Ivy Sea Online or scheduling a personal consultation or insight-session to explore the questions and pathways unique to you.

Jamie Walters
Founder, Ivy Sea
Author, Big Vision, Small Business (Berrett-Koehler Publishers) & a few other things.

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Most of us can sense, see, and hear a whole new 'way of seeing, way of being' being born, affecting how we view and 'do' every facet of our lives, including how we do business and how we approach 'work'.

Do you remember when greed was definitely NOT good, and 'urgent' was seen as a life-threatening emergency, rather than default business jargon?

And how about when you were a 'citizen' rather than a 'consumer' -- and 'consumption' was considered to be a disease rather than a cornerstone of culture?

There is no doubt about it, the old assumptions that we used to make about 'business' and 'success' are being challenged, and are (or will be) changing considerably, and not a minute too soon.

For example, 20 years ago, the business icon was like Gordon Gekko, from the movie Wall Street, proclaiming that 'greed is good'. Machiavellian antics weren't just tolerated, they were viewed as 'the norm', and celebrated as being necessary for 'success', no matter who got stepped on.

And as the Gordon Gekko's of the business world were celebrated, and 'downsizing' was on the rise, anyone talking about 'social responsibility' or 'environmental consciousness' or 'spirit-aligned work' or 'following your heart' was marginalized, or even ridiculed.

During the passing era, small wasn't beautiful, it was invisible. All that existed, for all we knew, were larger corporations, celebrity CEOs, 'titans of industry', and 'corporate raiders'.

Times have changed. Markedly.

Now we hear terms like 'conscious business' and 'spiritual business', or even, as I've written about, 360-vision 'holographic business'. Spirit-centered and integrity focused 'right livelihood' is replacing the old ideas about 'the rat race' career track.

Greed for greed's sake, urgency for urgency's sake, and big for big's sake are increasingly out of favor and out of style. 'Social responsibility' and 'green business' are even viewed as 'yesterday' -- only the first tentative steps in re-imagining how we might meet the needs and unfold the greater potentials of the new era and new millennium.

More and more, those who are celebrated in this new era are the formerly 'marginalized' trail-blazers talking about whole and edgier new ways of viewing livelihood, business, and success.

If it doesn't take into account its real, net effect on people, Nature, and planet -- and ensure that that effect is respectful of Nature, people, and cultures -- it's 'old era' business.

Resource-chomping, culture-zapping, Nature-pillaging, 'empire era' mega-corporations run by Gorden (or Glenda) Gekko are out.

If it threatens your health, marginalizes your family and community, and violates your heart and conscience, it's not 'success'.

In 2008, we have 'LOHAS' (Lifestyles of Health and Sustainability) businesses, but the real, emerging stars of the show are the 'human scale, living economy' enterprises, and a 'slow business' approach.

Now, a growing number of us know that more than 90-percent of all U.S. businesses have fewer than 5 people -- known as microbusinesses -- and a majority of those are actually one-person sole proprietorships. Yes, these 'itty, bitty' ultra-modest, often-simple enterprises are the drivers of economy and culture.

Small is 'in', simple-and-elegant is the trend, 'seven generations' is the horizon for decision-making, heart is the center, and we are returning to our role as 'conscious citizens' rather than frenzied 'consumers'.

The 'Divine Feminine' is replacing Gordon Gekko as the force to be emulated, embodied, awakened, and celebrated to restore balance and healthfulness, and ensure 'sustainability'.

Though the harbingers of change have been afoot for quite awhile, we're at the edge of a wave that will grow before it peaks. Greater change, or perhaps the final changes to prevailing systems and norms, are before us. And while change can be challenging, it's also rich with creative potential for systems that are more appropriate to our times.

There are many elements and facets to 'the new-era' way of being in business or approaching our work, and if you haven't already starting to think about it and embody it in your own organization or livelihood, it's time to take a fresh look and begin doing so. Pretty exciting!

Ivy Sea has experimented with, written about, and consulted on these 'new-era' ways of 'mindful business' and 'conscious solo/SOHOpreneuring' for more than fifteen years now, and the Ivy Sea Circle has a lot to share.

You might have heard the inklings about the 'Slow Food Movement', pioneered by Carlo Patrini of Italy, whereby the cultivation of appreciation, mindfulness, and awareness is suggested as an antidote to the poison of our frenzied, 'fast food' (and fast everything) culture.

In other words, with the Slow Food Movement, you replace 'fast food' and 'eating on the go' with an attention to eating fresh, local food that is prepared at a gentle pace at home and enjoyed, perhaps, in the company of loved ones.

Or, you simply allow the time to cook yourself a fresh, lovely meal and eat it as if it was a meditation.

The more I read and learned about the Slow Food Movement, the more I realized that it mirrored the principles that I have endeavored to explore and share through Ivy Sea, and that I researched and wrote about in Big Vision, Small Business.

The primary difference is that, where Carlos Petrini is talking about 'slow food' and mindful agriculture and eating, I've been talking about 'slow business'.

What would Slow Business look like?

When we hear such a thing, we might immediately associate 'slow' with something negative. This would be an automatic response that comes from an indoctrination in the 'fast is better, bigger is better' culture.

Yet when we think about it, mindfully and heartfully, we know that our frenzied, urgency-worshipping, fast-everything culture is not optimal; in fact, we have plenty of evidence -- perhaps even in our own experience and life -- that 'fast' and 'urgent' are often unnecessary and harmful.

With 'Slow Business', as with Slow Food, we simply become more mindful, more aware, more skillful.

We have a greater sense of why we're doing what we're doing, and that 'why' is linked with heart-centered intuitive guidance about our own purpose, deep values, and 'right livelihood' than the old way of externally defined 'should do, or I won't be successful' thinking.

With 'Slow Business', we emphasize connection, in our actions as well as our vision or mission statements. We embody and demonstrate a true respect or valuing of the opportunity we have to share our gifts, skills, and 'pearls of experience', and to express our vision and purpose through our livelihood.

We extend this respect to all beings: in our way of relating to other people within and outside of our business or organization; in our decision-making, where we reflect on the ripple-effect and consequences of our actions, intending that they be positive and life-affirming.

We seek to explore, embody, and express deep values and the principles of 'holographic business' (read the article in the Transcendent Leadership Portal, linked below).

We approach our work as a master-craftsperson approaches his or her art; we're artisans of business (or livelihood), creating a work of art in and through our organization or business, whether we're a larger group or a one-person enterprise.

In 'Slow Business', we weave a tapestry of positive connection and collaboration, seeing plenty and potential in the opportunities to co-creative with others on behalf of, and for the benefit of, others as well.

'Slow Business' simple means slowing down and visioning and acting from our center of being, our hearts, our 'Divine Essence' (whatever you might choose to call it), and make choices from this center, rather than 'fast business' where you're simply reacting and making hasty choices regardless of their ripple effects or consequences.

With 'Slow Business', you're experiencing joy and plenty and creativity right NOW, versus the frenzied 'always trying to catch up' or 'fast business' and 'fast life.'

And oddly, though we've been conditioned to fear being 'left behind', we all remember the story of the race between the turtle and the hare, where the turtle's deliberate, steady, mindful pace outruns and outdistances the fast-hopping hare every time.

Slowing down can seem frightening, but that's just old conditioning talking. In reality, a greater mindfulness and awareness yields better choices and far-better outcomes.

And you get to enjoy your life and livelihood along the way, instead of constantly placing that enjoyment 'out there' somewhere in the distant future.

Since 'creativity' and the Feminine Archetype are such integral elements of the 'cultural creatives' trend, and in business in general, Jamie Walters, founder of Ivy Sea, sat down in dialogue with Julie Daley, founder of Creative Wellspring, to discuss just what we're talking about when we say 'creativity' and 'Feminine', and why it's so important right now -- both within and beyond the realms of business.

This content-portal at Ivy Sea Online takes a look at the power and purpose of clear vision, and how the old ways of leadership are giving way to 'new era' leadership and business/enterprise to meet the needs, and lay the groundwork, for the era we're living into.

Explore some of the issues and potentials of Creative Vision, Transcendent Leadership, and Holographic Business, including feature articles, dialogue-starters, and vision-catalysts on:

The Ivy Sea Online VIP Member 'Premium Content' Center and our PDF Resource Store offer a wealth of articles, workbooks, and guides to help you re-engage with your passion, reconnect with your vision, and catalyze your passion for a new level of skill and purpose.

You'll find our online articles, PDF workbooks & guides, audios, connections to advisors and mentors, and more on topics such as:

* big-vision small business, 'Slow Business', and 'conscious' business

* marketing that's 'conscious', authentic, and integrity centered

* communication (interpersonal, organizational, leadership, inner-space)

* vision and visioning

* right-livelihood and good work

* wisdom paths and practices

* personal mastery

* authentic 'heartful' prosperity

… and more, created to help you live into your purpose and potential with skill.

Unravel the Questions With an Ivy Sea Tele-Consultation or Mentor-Coaching Series.

It's a powerful alchemy to clarify your vision and power-up forward-momentum -- and it's an alchemy that we at Ivy Sea are very familiar with, not just from 'intellectual knowledge' but from our own real-world experience as well as deep research.

Is there a question you're exploring, or a sense of chaos, overwhelm, or 'too many options' (or no clear options)?

Are you in the midst of, or just beginning, a major transition or shift in work or purpose?

Send us an email or give us a call to explore and schedule a tele-consultation, insight-session, or arrange for a more indepth consultation with an Ivy Sea advisor or mentor-coach.

Ivy Sea Online also offers a wealth of self-study resources to help you live (and work) into your authenticity and vision.

Learn more about our May-June special.

May your own authentic, inspired, creative, audacious, passionate vision come alive and find joyful expression that benefits all.

Wishing you an extraordinary time of joy and creative-vision beyond imagining.