Focus on the field, not the flowers

When leading law firm Lawfront invited me to speak to their Emerging Talent group about ‘Confidence, Identity and Purpose’, little did I know what was about to emerge…

The process leading up to the talk is a model for all organisations that wish to invite speakers to talk with their teams.

1) Through deep listening, research and consultation, Chief People Officer Justine Whittaker and the team had developed a keen understanding of the subjects and themes that were most important to the group.

2) We had expansive, open preparatory conversations to refine the format, interactivity and other elements that would be most beneficial.

3) The group were fully briefed on me and invited to prepare and submit questions in advance, to feel a sense of agency and understanding as we prepared for the talk

4) The talk itself was beautifully framed, the space held with great care, clarity and compassion. The group were consistently invited to reflect and share their questions in ways that felt most comfortable and impactful for them

This all provided a safe and strong container for a beautiful conversation to emerge.

One of the key points that flowed from the talk on purpose was…

* Focus on the field, not the flowers. (Thank you Thais Corral for sharing this beautiful metaphor with me many moons ago)

Too often we are fixated on desired outcomes. When we see a field of blossoming flowers our attention is usually drawn to the colour and beauty above the surface (flowers might represent desired outcomes, celebrities, income), instead of the conditions that led to them (support, friends, ancestors…)

Reflect on the conditions when you feel most alive, most aligned with your values – and then make choices to cultivate the most fertile conditions for those to arise. When we focus our strategies and choices on the soil (the field) instead of the flowers (outcomes), we feel more empowered and can trust that when the conditions are ripe, the flowers will naturally, inevitably emerge.

Thank you once again to Lawfront and the Emerging Talent group for a dynamic conversation, with a host of powerful, deep and thoughtful questions. Again, these questions did not arise by chance – they were fruits of a process that cultivated the conditions for them to naturally emerge.

Focus on the field, not the flowers.