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Fundamental #4 – Being a non-anxious presence
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Dear friends,
Born from the foundational texts of the humble inquiry and process approach, the Ten Fundamentals of Process Consulting are designed to help us understand the theory and practice of being in the Process Consulting mindset.
Whether you are a Process Consultant helping a Client, a CEO leading a team, a department head bringing together leaders to solve an emerging challenge, embodying these fundamentals can be helpful to you in charting your course.
Expressed in the triad below, the ten fundamentals form the DNA as Process Consultants. They are a starting point in our work with others and our traits as we prepare to show up in service to them. In this way, they are distinct and set apart from the core competencies of Process Consulting.
Integrating the ten fundamentals into your leadership is a lifelong journey that will help you become exemplary in their practice.
Leading up to the Society for Process Consulting’s inaugural conference in mid-November, we offer these fundamentals for your use, iteration, and adaptation, modeling our willingness to improve, learn, and grow as humans through this publication.
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Fundamental #4 – Being a non-anxious presence
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A Process Consultant is at peace[1] and present in this moment and in their work with a Client. Their minds, bodies, and hearts are here and nowhere else[2]. To have a non-anxious presence in stressful and challenging situations with a Client, a Process Consultant continues to do their own work on themselves. Growing as humans requires us to continue to learn and develop our emotional intelligence, technical skills, and professional competencies.
Being present in the moment can be challenging. There are many things vying for our attention that take our minds, hearts, and hands away from what is right in front of us...the person we are seeking to help. I was talking with a member of the Society for Process Consulting a few weeks ago and they were sharing with me a recent experience with a Client. They were on a call and the Client started to share with them a significant challenge they were facing with their board of trustees. It was huge. Our member shared, that the exact same thing had happened to her when she was a chief executive.
So I asked, what did you do next...how did you respond? She shared, I closed my computer and sat right down. I had to focus on the words they were using, I wanted to listen to the tone of their voice, I needed to engage with what they are going through. I had to push away my own memories and focus on them.
Our colleague was being a non-anxious presence. When you are calm and able to hold the container needed for your Client without bringing your own emotion such as anxiety, fear, or frustration you are exhibiting this fundamental. Well done!
If you have any comments about fundamental #4, please don’t hesitate to email me. I’d love to learn your prospective. Please watch this space for the 5th fundamental next week.
We will be reviewing all ten fundamentals at the Society’s upcoming conference on 11 November 2024 in Philadelphia. Please sign up through this link today!
As always, if you’d like to learn more about the Society for Process Consulting, please don’t hesitate to give me a call.
Best,
Interim CEO Society for Process Consulting
[1] Becoming A Multi-Rested Leader, Lon L. Swartzentruber, 2024
[2] Listening: Distractions and Actions. Lon L. Swartzentruber, Walking Alongside blog, 2023.
Please take a moment to learn more about the Society's upcoming conference in Philadelphia PA 10 - 12 November 2024!
If you'd like to write a blog post for the Society for Process Consulting, please send an e-mail to admin@societyforprocessconsuting.com.