John Murphy-Sage Leadership and Change Management Guru
Vasudhaiv Kutumbkam* Interview series
(Global Leaders who have Enlarged, Excelled and Evolved into Global Personal Brands)
Dr Amit Nagpal-Tell us about your leadership retreats aimed at creativity,
innovation, balance and transformation.
John Murphy-I offer a variety of leadership workshops, ranging from 1-5
days. These experiential events teach people how to empower and free themselves
from self-sabotaging mental and emotional energetic constraints. They aim to
help people transcend fear-based ego thinking, scarcity mentality and
victim-consciousness. As a result, participants tap into more of their true
potential. Creativity and innovation are sparked when we learn to “let go” and
adapt a more playful, spirited energy. Healthy balance is restored when we say
goodbye to the emotional and mental baggage weighing us down. The process of
enlightenment is enhanced when we learn to let go of fear, stress, anxiety,
doubt, and disbelief. The techniques I teach and the exercises we use in our
retreats help people reconnect with original Spirit, allowing them to lead with
authentic inspiration and power. First, we transform ourselves. Then we lead by
example.
Dr Amit-Very few consultants talk about self management. How do your
programs help to reinforce more self-management and accountability?
John-Effective, sustainable leadership and self-management are
two sides to the same coin. They reinforce one another. My teachings help
people understand and embrace this vital connection. To realize any leadership
vision, people have to take responsibility and accept accountability. Leaders
must make sure that team members are actively involved, interested and aware of
the impact they are having. This requires systems-thinking, connecting content
with context. All of my programs are built on this important premise.
Dr Amit-What are the 10 essentials for inspiring others?
John-I offer 10 essentials in my book Leading With Passion,
published by Simple Truths. I suggest 8 more in my book Sage Leadership:
Awakening the Spirit in Work. I like to think of these as critical ingredients
or inputs. Just try to get productive outputs or winning results without having
the necessary inputs. It just doesn’t happen. The 10 essentials in Leading with
Passion are Purpose, Vision, Heart, Attention, Integrity, Discipline,
Generosity, Credibility, Grace, and Spirit. I suggest using them in this way: Start
with purpose to make sure you are doing what needs to be done. Add a compelling
vision to give people something clear and meaningful to focus on. Mix purpose
and vision with heart to bind with determination, courage and conviction. Add a
healthy amount of attention to be present and aware of the now. Blend with integrity
to build trust and demonstrate authenticity. Bake with discipline to perform at
optimal levels and be accountable for results. Cover with generosity so that
everyone gets a share. Serve with credibility so that it tastes as sweet as it
is. Give thanks with grace for the abundance we have. Enjoy with spirit and
feed the soul.
Dr Amit-Of the 21 principles for thinking lean, share the five most
important ones.
John-A principle is a truth, like a seed that when planted and
cared for can turn an acorn into a mighty oak. Having said this, I cannot say
that one principle is any more important than another. I offer 21 principles in
my book Do More with Less and each principle adds important value. Here are
five examples. First, be clear on the value you are providing. Know your
purpose and value proposition and stay focused on what matters most.
Distraction and confusion will not serve your team well. Second, simplify
things. Get rid of the clutter, baggage and waste weighing you down. Third,
create flow. Do all you can to get people “into the zone,” a timeless, highly
productive state of mind and being. Great athletes use this term a lot. Another
key principle is to involve, align and empower team members. Capture the
energy, spirit and genius of teamwork. It is also important to recognize the
value of continuous improvement and lifelong learning. We must nurture and
cultivate our journey with food for the heart, mind and soul. Knowledge can be
very empowering.
Dr Amit-Tell us something about your understanding of Taoism.
John-I have been a student of the Tao for many years now. The
teachings of Lao Tzu are a wonderful compliment to my spiritual experiences and
beliefs. The Tao translates into the “Way” or “Great Current.” It essentially
means that everything in the universe is in perfect harmony and balance, yin
and yang, and we are wise to align ourselves with this great flow of life. Most
people go through life with the brakes on, consciously and subconsciously
resisting our true essence. We all grow up with a significant amount of
“programming” and it is these programs that end up taking over our lives. We
are indeed creatures of habit and many of our habits are not very empowering
and productive. They are simply forms of denial and resistance. The Tao, which
I meditate on every morning, helps us clear these limiting beliefs and
experience true, spiritual freedom. It has had a very profound effect on my
life.
Dr Amit-Share some of the activities which you do when you teach “A
Course in Miracles”
John-ACIM is a deeply profound and contemplative spiritual
experience. It is essentially the manifestation of a channeling of Jesus and
his teachings. The trouble some people have with ACIM, aside from denying and
resisting it, is comprehending it. It clearly challenges many of our limiting
beliefs and programs as human beings. I highly recommend that people start the
Course with the Workbook rather than the Text. The Workbook includes 365 daily
lessons and mantras, one for each day. It is intended to be a one year course
of contemplation and reprogramming. It helps us “let go” and “let flow,” which
I write about in my book Beyond Doubt: Four Steps to Inner Peace. By letting go
of our subconscious denial, resistance and disempowering perception of the
world, we learn to see differently and experience heaven on earth. We vibrate
at a higher level of energy, attracting like energy into our lives. This is
also referred to as the Law of Attraction. I teach ACIM one lesson at a time,
allowing for daily contemplation and experience, as the course is intended. The
Text then provides deeper understanding and reinforcement, as does the Teachers
Manual. ACIM has changed my life in amazing ways.
Dr Amit-What is the most important factor in change management in
your view?
John-There are many important factors in leading and sustaining
change. As I write in my book Habits Die Hard, some habits do in fact die hard.
We form habits and our habits then form us. Our habitual mind, also referred to
as our subconscious mind, is over one million times more powerful than our
conscious mind, also known as our will power. Therefore, we have to change our
habitual thinking, our subconscious programming, if we are going to
successfully sustain any meaningful change. This means we have to learn to see
things differently, to change our paradigms and perceptions. A shift at this
level can indeed change everything. This is the most important factor in change
management to me. And it is a fundamental principle in all of my teachings,
writings and workshops. I offer people alternative ways to see the world and
their relationship to it.
*The World is one Family
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Brief Profile
Recognized as an international expert on leading culture change, John Murphy helps organizations address this issue head on. The author of 13 books on related topics, and a guest on over 400 radio and television stations, Murphy teaches leaders worldwide how to integrate the culture piece (of OE) with the systems, structural, and “tools” components. John Murphy has written an interesting book on this subject, Beyond Doubt: Four Steps to Inner Peace which was selected as "Editors Choice Best Inspirational Book of 2010" by Allbooks Review in Toronto, Canada. | :www.johnjmurphy.net |
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