By Suzanne St. John-Crane (Class XXV / Urbanism XXXIV)
A Fellow pulled me aside during class and asked for guidance on the 7 minute story exercise. “How much should I say? I’m so guarded around colleagues… My story is pretty heavy.”
Do you give your “A” story or “B” story? The safe version or the real version? I advised the Fellow that they’ll know what to say when they start talking. Go off script, don’t read and you’ll be surprised what comes. I added that they might be surprised by how their colleagues showed up in this exercise.
At the end of the day, when all of the stories were out there, the Fellow looked at me with amazement. “Woah…..We all have our ‘stuff’, don’t we?”
Indeed we do.
I returned from the Wilderness Experience last Friday with Class XXXVII… another epic and life changing week with twenty-two courageous Fellows. For 6 days, we pursued physical, mental and emotional “summits” together, ranging from slabs of rock to brave new perspectives. The face-time with friends, lack of cell phone service and immersion into nature brought our blood pressure way down and mindfulness quotient way up.
Checking out around the circle at base camp on our last day – following 14 hours of silence and reflection, I felt compelled to remind our group that everyone has a seven minute story. Everyone. Those we are in competition with, those we see on the street, our colleagues, friends and strangers. How would we show up differently if we walked into board rooms, staff meetings and public spaces with this understanding? How would our interactions and outcomes change if we lived with this curiosity and empathy? I challenge our network to walk with empathy and a competitive edge. With business savvy and humility. Stretch those muscles of humanity and pay attention to how your relationships and results evolve.
See you on the “mountain.”
