Bonfire with Soul — Drop #3
…so that was a Bonfire with Soul
The third and final drop from the fantastic Bonfire with Soul team. What a trip.
I’ve covered what Bonfire with Soul is, and how it is delivered in the previous two blogs: Bonfire with Soul — Drop #1 and Bonfire with Soul — Drop #2. But essentially, it is an unlearning business school, promoting progressive business practice. Bringing together a community for common inspiration.
The course is delivered in 12 modules, with three drops of 4 video packages. Plus ‘kindling conversations’ with inspiring guest speakers, alongside Q&A sessions and a slack community of participants.
In the third bundle we investigate:
- Trust Breeds Magic
- Inspiration vs Desperation
- Honesty vs Perfection
- Dare to Suck
Trust Breeds Magic
The importance of letting go.
Key takeaways:
- Allow yourself to learn the art and practice of letting go. And get comfortable with that.
- Take the time to understand what it would mean for your company or culture to look at a decentralized structure. Have you got the necessary conditions in place; clarity of vision, clarity of strategy, and the people and talent willing to embrace empowerment.
- The art and practice of integrating the unexpected. Control minimises impact. Invite what you can’t see, which opens up possibility.
Kindling conversation: Tina Roth Eisenberg— Founder of Creative Mornings and Tattly
Tina is creativity. Born into a tiny community in Switzerland, Tina was brought up in the grounded world of swiss stoicism. Cows and mountains. However, Tina’s father was an entrepreneur. And, happened to receive an early apple mac as part of a real estate deal. One thing led to another, and resulted in Tina’s father setting up the first apple computing school in Switzerland. This dynamism, opened Tina’s eyes to the opportunities of creativity and particularly design.
Having studied design, and moved to New York. Tina sees everything through a design lense, and feels design thinking is a gift. The ability to see the world through possibility, and the willingness to test and learn, to prototype, everything with no fear of failure.
Having established a well regarded and well read blog, swiss-miss.com, Tina has founded several other creative projects: Tattly: fake tattoos by real artists, and Creative Mornings, the world’s largest creative community.
Her mission is to ‘amplify the web of love’, through human connection, and creativity.
Givers get lucky.
Inspiration vs Desperation
Key takeaways:
- You can can control your chosen response. How you respond to adversity, or success, in your life, is within your control.
- We’re all humans, and this is a practice. We’re not trying to be perfect in this endeavour. But there should be a recognition that it is a practice, and like practicing anything, we can grow overtime.
- Where your focus goes, your energy flows.
Kindling conversation: Eduardo Garcia— Iconic outdoorsman and Co-Founder of Montana Mex.
Eduardo is resilience. Born in California, but raised in Montana, the outdoors was Eduardo’s barrio. Using nature as a mentor, outside was the dictionary.
Trained as a chef, Eduardo, was building a career in catering. Serving home made traditional home cooked Mexican cuisine. The cuisine of his own family.
However, one singular event has shaped Eduardo’s life. Whilst out hunting in the backwoods, Eduardo, was electrocuted by an uncovered ground line. In hospital, they removed his left hand and forearm, as they were so badly damaged. And, in addition, whilst under medical inspection, they discovered testicular cancer. This double whammy, left Eduardo physically and mentally floored.
But what is most remarkable about Eduardo is his resilience. He doesn’t dismiss the pain and hardship, but he embraces it alongside positive opportunities.
Put aside what you can’t do, and don’t have. It doesn’t serve you. Focus all your energy on what you do have and can do. Desperation vs Inspiration.
He has since re-established in a catering business in Montana Mex.
Honesty vs Perfection
Key takeaways:
- Honesty is gold. It’s a currency that goes beyond measurement of its positive impact for culture and individuals.
- Create a culture where people can remove the armour, take off the mask and be themselves.
- Their effortless selves.
Kindling conversation: Jian Pablico— Director of IDEA at Lululemon
Jian is integrity. Jian was born in the Philippines, and moved to Canada with his family at the age of seven. His parents, and particularly his police officer father, were keen for Jian to build a steady, respected career in criminology. Instead Jian had followed his passion and integrity.
Community is core Jian’s outlook. He sees community as a conspiracy of love.
Community is a conspiracy of love.
People looking out for each other. Supporting each other. Lifting each other up. Jian has looked to foster community in whatever he does.
Firstly building the Distrikt Movement; a fitness and wellness studio with heart. Inviting youth to show up, be present, and to grow. Providing motivation, and self actualization, alongside physical and mental wellbeing.
Being a vancouver native, Jian felt compelled to address Lululemon on how they show up in the community. He sent a letter outlining an alternate vision, a vision built on inclusivity rather than exclusivity. Off the back of this letter Jian was invited to join Lululemon to keep the company honest.
Honesty is humanity.
Senior executives were seeking and presenting perfection, but perfection is impossible. And, in turn, honesty is impossible. Honesty is hard when you are trying to prop up perfection.
Honesty is not delivered in one moment, but is a consistent practice of vulnerability. But vulnerability can be expressed in many forms. Laughter is as vulnerable as tears.
Jian has gone on to establish the IDEAs (Inclusivity, Diversity, and Action) at Lululemon. Ensuring Lululemon is honest in its diversity.
A new passion project of Jian’s is the ‘Development Barber’, a safe space for men to build personal development tools. A place to meet, and talk, and learn. A community.
Dare to Suck
Key takeaways:
- Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?
Kindling conversation: Daniel A Epstein— Founder of The Unreasonable Group
Daniel is big cojones. Born as the youngest of three brothers, he was allowed a long leash; ‘Just don’t die dear’. From this Daniel built a healthy relationship with risk, and resilience. A willingness to fall, and the confidence to get back up, with an understanding that, to have not have tried, or to have done something against his own values, would be the only failures.
This attitude has translated into Daniel’s entrepreneurial spirit, and courage in embracing commercial ventures, with the founding of the Unreasonable Group.
The reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore all progress depends on the unreasonable man [&woman]. George Bernard Shaw, Irish Playwright (156–1950)
The Unreasonable Group is a community of entrepreneurs, fellows, investors, and partners, who are on a bold mission to solve global problems as fast as possible at scale. Motivated by being a perceived misfit; interested in the problems being solved by non-profits, but with the solutions of profit driven enterprises, Daniel sought to bring together a group of likeminded ‘unreasonable’ people to invoke change.
Empathy builds empires.
Whilst each social mission enterprise, has its own problem to solve, be that solar panel electrification, or indoor farms, collectively they are on a broader vision to repurpose capitalism for social good. Doing good or doing well is false dichotomy. In-fact they are two axis on a graph, with a strong correlation, between the social good delivered, and the profit made.
In supporting these organisations; the unreasonable group provide mentoring. Mentoring in how to be better leaders. Entrepreneurs shouldn’t seek to be the star quarterback, instead they should seek to be the coach. With three objectives:
- Recruit the best players, into the right positions, that you can afford.
- Create a culture where individually and collectively people achieve things previously considered impossible.
- Set the vision.
That’s it. And then, trust everyone else to do the rest.
Setting culture at scale should be perceived like a school of fish. There is no CEO fish telling the others what to do. Instead, each has three decentralized rules to adhere to: stay as close to the other fish as you can, move towards food, move away from danger. Again, that’s it, and then let the school self navigate.
The greatness of what we achieve will be determined by the depth of our relationships
So what do I take from Bonfire with Soul. The course has been fascinating, offering a window, into some incredibly inspiring stories. With rich lessons to be learnt in leadership of modern enterprises.
But if I had to take one thing away, most pertinent to me, right now, it would be this, quote from Duke himself:
What does the world, or your community, need most, that you are uniquely qualified to deliver?
