Edgewalkers

Serving Those Who Walk Between the Worlds

Edgewalkers

Keeping It Light: Appreciating the Guardian

By Susan K Furness, Edgewalker Senior Associate

“The View” by internationally-acclaimed Contemporary Master Artist, Dario Campanile

It is a precious responsibility to step into any of the five Edgewalker Archetypes of Change. Yet acting in or out as the Guardian orientation feels especially huge. I mean, a Guard takes care of something deemed valuable. And adding the ‘ian’ brings a truly intimate energy. Like it is my sole responsibility. Or indeed my ‘soul responsibility’. 

In 2008, I embraced the Guardian as my default archetype. However, the way I wear the proverbial overcoat sees me ever eager to fill the extra-large pockets with ‘responsibility for the responsibilities of others’. The precious role of the Guardian – to tend what is precious – falls heavy on my shoulders. 

In her book Edgewalkers; People and Organizations that Take Risks, Build Bridges and Break New Ground, Dr Judi Neal’s definition offers immediate light, with words like future, gift, sensing, protecting people: 

Guardians are the people who look to the future and tend to see all the things that could potentially be a problem. They have a gift of analyzing and/or sensing what could go wrong before it happens. They are committed to protecting people and the organization from potential harm.

To lighten up, I need to repack. In earlier blogs I ignited a fresh relationship with the Edgewalker Skills of Sensing and Focusing. Thus, I love that Judi honors the sense-ability of Guardians as they look to the future with a focused beam to reveal potential pitfalls on the road less travelled. 

I also warm to the play with polarities, bringing the left and right brain into the game calling to work the ‘analysis of facts and the third eye of intuition’. Intuition is an Edgewalker Quality of Being. 

But what feels uncomfortably hot and heavy is the ‘commitment to protecting from harm’. 

I take some moments to listen to my Guardian-filled heart and recall the need to deploy ‘sensed-based situation analysis.’  Is my responsibility as a Guardian to shout ‘fight or flight’?  I recall the Indian philosopher, Anthony De Mello’s suggestion: “…find truth in observation, not opinion….”.

Another light goes on.

In the unlikelihood of serious physical harm to anyone my commitment to protection can be met by delivering the message as a well-rounded observation, stripped of opinion, demand, directive or order. 

In this light, my Guardian overcoat immediately feels much lighter. 

My responsibility is not to carry the responsibility of others, rather to appropriately name what I sense and/or know. This is made even lighter presently as life during and after corona offers no known facts. Sensing the Future is showing up as an ‘alternative strategic driver’ in business and in life. 

Let’s unpack some more. 

‘Problem’ features boldly in in Judi’s definition and this tugs uncomfortably at my heart strings. I do not do problems and to further empty my pockets I need to find a replacement word. 

Diane Musho Hamilton wrote the book Everything Is Workable. With inner listening and outer practice, I know Diane to be right and that a conscious conversation can clear the pathway – and help keep the luggage light. 

Indeed, if I notice my polarity excitement rising at the mention of a ‘problem, issue or challenge at home, in the office or the boardroom’ I am going to re-christen it swiftly as an ‘opportunity’.

This lands beautifully at the door of the next Edgewalker Café entitled ‘Blessings in Disguise; Six revealing gifts of Intention’. Do join us on February 11, 2021. See our Edgewalker Newsletter for details.

The Purpose of Placeholders

Patricia Campanile, Senior Edgewalker Associate

In Dr. Judi Neal’s book “Edgewalkers”, she explains the five Archetypes of Change that people and organizations may adopt, depending on the situation. They affect the extent to which the organization can truly be on the leading edge. Placeholders, one of the Edgewalker Archetypes of Change, provide stability and predictability to the organization. One key positive point about Placeholders is that they keep the organization stable. They are the keepers of the boundaries and can keep an organization from going over the edge. However, a shadow side of Placeholders is their propensity to resist change for the sake of change and are comfortable with routine. They tend to be focused on the past, but sometimes the past actually was better than the current situation.

As a certified Edgewalker Coach & Facilitator, I often work with clients on how to successfully navigate through the stages of transition. I support organizations, individuals and businesses to thrive and transform through change and uncertainty and embrace challenges as opportunities for growth. The purpose of the Placeholder is holding the best practices of the company. They contribute to the necessary building blocks in creating a sustainable, strong foundation for new and innovative ideas as well as solidifying what is working. In a healthy way, Placeholders are the stable container, grounding the organization from going over the edge. They can bring forward from the past what works, which can be beneficial to future growth and evolution.

In the midst of transitions, whether internal or external, the Placeholders resistance can create conflict, stagnation and missed opportunities. Too focused on the past, afraid of change and the unknown, hesitant to take a risk, Placeholders can block the innovation and fresh ideas needed to create a new and thriving company that needs to be in sync with the current marketplace. As an Edgewalker, one of the ways I effectively have worked with a Placeholder is holding space for them to balance their healthy and shadow side.

What does it mean to “hold space” for someone else. It means I am willing to walk alongside another person in whatever journey they’re on without judging them, making them feel inadequate, trying to fix them, or trying to impact the outcome. When I hold space for other people, I open my heart, offer unconditional support, and let go of judgement and control. Sometimes I find myself holding space for people while they hold space for others. Placeholders can find it challenging and meaningful to hold space for the organization. It’s virtually impossible to be a strong space (place)holder unless we have others who will hold space for us. Even the strongest leaders and coaches need to know that there are some people with whom they can be vulnerable and weak without fear of being judged.

In my own roles as coach and facilitator, wife and friend, I do my best to hold space for other people in the same way. It’s not always easy because as a natural coach I have a very human tendency to want to fix people, give them advice, or judge them for not being further along the path than they are, but I keep trying because I know that it’s important. At the same time, there are people in my life that I trust to hold space for me. To truly support Placeholders (and anyone for that matter) in letting go, opening to their own growth and transformation, I have learned that I can’t do it by taking their power away, shaming them, or overwhelming them. I have to be prepared to step to the side so that they can make their own choices, offer them unconditional love and support, give gentle guidance when it’s needed, and make them feel safe even when they make mistakes. Holding space is not something that I can master overnight. It is unique not only in supporting Placeholders and their purpose, but each person and each situation. It is a balancing act, a complex skill that evolves as I willingly practice it.

Tending the Hearth

By Judi Neal, Ph.D., Founder, Edgewalkers International

This is the third in our series about the five Archetypes of Change – Edgewalkers, Flamekeepers, Hearthtenders, Placeholders and Guardians.  Today we focus on Hearthtenders. 

We all have a complicated relationship with change in our lives and our work.  Sometimes change is welcome and embraced because it makes things better. Sometimes we resist change because we fear it will make things worse. Sometimes we are the initiator of change and other times external factors impose change upon us. Sometimes we take the long view of change, such as “What will my life be like when I retire?” and other times we take an “in-the-moment” short-term view, such as “I wish people would stop interrupting me right now when I’m trying to get this report done.”

The third archetype of change is the Hearthtender and they tend to take a short-term view of change and will embrace it if it makes their work more efficient. In organizations, families or faith communities, the Hearthtender orientation towards change is to value getting the day-to-day work of the system completed in an efficient way.  Their primary orientation is towards being of service. They love to keep things running smoothly, and in an organization, they see their team or unit as “family.”  The Hearthtender naturally is attracted to the idea of continuous, small incremental change and often has creative ideas about how to improve workflow and processes. However, they do not tend to think strategically and long-term. They tend to be focused on details and it is easy for them to get caught up in the weeds or to be overwhelmed by long to-do lists.  

Our research shows that in most organizations, the Hearthtender Archetype is the predominant Archetype of Change, and is absolutely necessary for the not only the routine of daily operation but also for the support of transitions from one organizational state to another.

In the U.S. we are in the midst of a major transition. We have just had a very unhealthy, toxic Edgewalker president leave office. He pushed the boundaries of democratic norms of decency, ethics, and service until they broke. He went over the edge. Our new President, Joe Biden, will need to amplify his Hearthtender Archetype in order to clean up the mess left by his predecessor and to handle all the short-term crises that were intentionally left behind. Biden will need his Hearthtender quality of compassion for others, for seeing unity (“family”) where others see conflict, and he’ll need the quality of a healer as he helps to heal a wounded nation.  As he focuses on the short-term, which is necessary in the middle of a crisis, he will also need to draw upon his Hearthtender skill of being able to multitask, the skill of being able handle many issues at once, the skill of attention to detail in policy-making and decision-making, and the skill of streamlining systems and processes to make them more efficient.  

All of us have the capability to tap into any of the five Archetypes of Change even if one of them is more comfortably our go-to place.  When and where are you a Hearthtender? Think about the parts of your life or work that are going smoothly, that run like a well-oiled machine.  Oiling that machine is Hearthtender work. Think about the parts of your life or work where you truly feel you are being of service, where you make a difference. My husband Ellis Ralph is a beekeeper and this time of year (winter in the Northern Hemisphere) is time to feed the bees sugar water to make sure they get through the cold season until they can forage for themselves. That’s Hearthtender work.  Think about the parts of your life where you bring people together to celebrate or to create a sense of team, community or family. That is the heart-work of a Hearthtender. 

I also encourage you to think about the Hearthtenders in your world who support you. Hearthtenders thrive on knowing their work made a difference, and I encourage you to show them your quiet gratitude. 

Let There be Light: Appreciating the Flamekeeper

Flamekeeper, photo by Vadim Sadovski from Unsplash

By Susan K Furness, Edgewalker Senior Associate

I love playing with polarities or opposites. I embrace their canny ability to help recognise positive learning, naming my truth through observation and not opinion. I mean, if I am unable to describe the liberation in fearlessness, could I tackle the paralysis of fear? Likewise, if I haven’t lived in dark or darkness, could I name light? 

In her book, Edgewalkers Dr. Judi Neal unleashes truths in the experience of the moment. Indeed, the book was birthed after years in the corporate world, and she later integrated her business experience with academia-based research. As her professional insights were compared with freshly harvested data she was able to ground her intuitive knowing. 

Published in 2006, her book cements more than 25 years of research. She describes Edgewalkers as on the cutting edge of human evolution suggesting when an Edgewalker archetype is awake to self-truth they become committed to making a positive difference in the world.

Not surprisingly, Dr. Judi embraces the realization we each show up with different worldviews or what we call “Archetypes of Change.”

I joined the Edgewalker community in 2007 joyfully embracing her glossary describing eclectic approaches to communications, planning, innovation, risk-taking, and openness to change that I witness in business and life. 

As with polarities, such words help flick the switch to understanding. In a ‘blink’ as experience is named, my individual worldview and response is ripe for evolution. In that moment, I resemble Dr Judi’s profiling of an Edgewalker : ‘using human potential to integrate intellectual, emotional, physical and spiritual energy in service to something greater (than myself)’. 

Dr. Judi cautions : “It can be lonely being out on the edge, and people often think you are crazy….”.

Ain’t that a fact; one I receive as good news, least not in the these curiously lingering corona times as many seek the ‘new useful’. In this hazy light, I welcome a guiding light and in pops the second archetype, the Flamekeeper. 

Dr. Judi describes : Flamekeepers are those people who keep the original vision of the organization or community system alive. They keep wise counsel and are focused on what is best about the past … open to change, using experience to honor what has worked in the past.

These attributes influence my toolkit as I step willingly yet cautiously into 2021 – some pundits label it ‘twenty twenty won’. I opt to carry luggage not baggage, appreciating the courage required to bless goodbye to what doesn’t serve anymore. This takes de-cluttering to a new place, often on the edge of surrender. 

Dr. Judi reminds us a Flamekeeper orientation pays homage to the guiding mission and purpose : “A strong sense of stewardship permeates the culture of a Flamekeeper organization, allowing the business to carry into the future the best of the past, while also remaining adaptive and nimble.”

The Flamekeeper also appreciate values : ‘…values are clearly articulated, and employees are able to name when actions are in alignment with these values.’

I deeply value the vault of vocabulary unleashed by Dr. Judi’s work especially the nimble relationship to change and a graceful relationship to time akin to the five archetypes. 

And there is no time like the present to face our truth and douse the flame that no longer serves. These times call us as beacons; to illuminate an expansionary view of our world as we walk the bridge to oneness in love, prosperity and peace.

You can read more about Edgewalker Organizations and the Archetypes of Change (called “Orientations” in the article, by clicking in this website on Resources/Articles by Judi Neal/Edgewalker Organizations.