Green Lightning a new e-book by Mike Bell about a modern fable about balanced leadership (get two free chapters - see below)   You probably know one of the growing number of busy, successful managers who have lost their enthusiasm for work? Their job fail to engage or excite them in the way it once did. The leadership pressures they now face create a sense of imbalance or overwhelm that paralyses them Did you know that managers are getting more stressed and, despite how much they have to do, they often feel bored? They have lost their zest for work and even face anxiety, burn out and depression. In “Personal Renewal”, John Gardner tells the story of the barnacle. He says "The barnacle is confronted with an existential decision about where it's going to live. Once it decides…  it spends the rest of its life with its head cemented to a rock." For a good many managers, it comes to that. You've probably seen men and women, even ones in fortunate circumstances with responsible positions who seem to run out of steam in midcareer. They stop learning in important areas of their lives and find themselves in a rut that they don’t know how to get out of. You know how it is, you have problems motivating yourself to go to work in a morning, and when you get there you procrastinate a lot, spend your time on level ‘c’ priorities, surf the net or talk with colleagues about non-work subjects. You know this is happening but you don’t understand the causes or know how to cope. You probably tried reminding yourself how much you have to live for and how successful you are but it makes little difference. Maybe you’ve tried pushing yourself harder but now you are tired as well as bored. Perhaps you’ve looked outside of work for more satisfaction with hobbies or volunteering but they have little impact on your state at work. You’ve even considered changing job or leaving altogether, downsizing or running a bar in Spain. None of these make any lasting difference because, as the old Zen saying goes “wherever you go, there you are!” It’s not your external world that is making you feel this way; it’s your internal world. This is an area we pay little attention to yet more and more research shows that it is our inner world of attitudes opinions, beliefs and values that determines how we behave in the world. So the best way to regain your fiery enthusiasm for work and to replace the stress and depression with vitality is to begin to explore what is going on inside of you. I’ve been working with people in all walks of life for over 15 years helping them perceive what is happening within them, make sense of it and take the necessary action to improve their performance at work. Today we have a very narrow view of what it is to be human and all the potential we have available. You have to look back at the old wisdom traditions to find more uplifting and inspiring images of what it is to be successful in our lives and work. I’ve worked in multinational corporations in Marketing and Organisational Development and understand how businesses approach motivation, and it does not work! It's really not possible to motivate someone else; they have to motivate themselves. What’s more, we have developed a pathological approach to business which ensures we are continually looking for what is wrong/broken and trying to fix it. The unspoken myth is that if you fix everything that is wrong, you will end up with something that is right. But this is not the case. We are heliotropic and, like plants that follow the sun, we are attracted to and energised by bright images of the future. For over 10 years I have been studying, practicing and teaching a body of ancient wisdom that has its roots in the Mayan and pre-Mayan culture. They learned that true happiness comes from within, and only when we are at peace with ourselves can we really enjoy and be effective in our work. So they developed pragmatic tools and practices that helped them stay whole and balanced, and vital and enthusiastic in their lives. Green Lightning is a modern fable that tells a story of one of these tools – the Wheel of Balanced Intelligences – in action. Leo, the main character of this new e-book, has been recently promoted and yet feels no real excitement for his new job. It seems like he is just going through the motions again. “Truly awesome – up there with Who Moved My Cheese” Ann Andrew, thecorporatetoolbox.com You can follow Leo as he regains his vitality and sees himself and his work roles from new and energising perspectives. Learn how: A Yellow Jacket inspires Leo to be more creative and free to express himself A Disappearing Orange brings home the importance of staying in the present and not living in the past or future Two Red Football Shirts alert Leo to his emotional intelligence and how he gets stuck in his emotions A Magenta Line helps Leo focus on who he is and where he is going A Purple Cave reminds him of the need to balance all aspects of himself – mind, body, spirit and emotions. A Lilac Web enables him to appreciate cause and effect relationships and better predict the future A Blue Waistcoat teaches him about decisiveness in developing simple strategy and right action Green Lightning creates the energy for transformation and self renewal. Learn how your innate eight intelligences can help you find enthusiasm and energy in your life and work. Watch my presentation "When is a Manager like a Barnacle?" to find out more.   Download the first two chapters of Green Lightning free . Simply enter your email address and first name here:- "I've just downloaded and read the first 2 chapters over lunch - brilliant! I thought I might just have time for chapter one, but couldn't put it down...."     Or you can download the whole e-book now for only £5.00 (about $10 or 7.5euro). Simply follow the Buy Now link.: "...and I'm now heading back to the PC to pay the £5. The words just flow off the page; a very easy read, but with some very deep insights for the times we are living in." Mark Jefferys   For information about forthcoming online workshops, and public and in-house programmes contact Mike now at mike@thewisdommeme.com © The Wisdom Meme 2007