Mental Drought, Creative Rain

Contour Lines 020

The Cultivar Newsletter will be changing formats soon. Find more details at the end of this article.

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The rain is falling steadily and appropriately for the spring season here in the mountains, for the first time in several years. The reports say it might even bring my area out of the drought we have been in for far too long.

It's been nearly a year since I first started writing on Substack, and almost nine months since I stopped publishing newsletters on a regular basis.

I've missed it.

The truth of the matter is that I never stopped writing; it just wasn't in public. I was experiencing a drought of bandwidth and clarity, and had to direct my flow of creativity and mental energy elsewhere. I tried to put out articles here and there, but I wasn't able to maintain consistency given my other responsibilities.

But, just as the spring rain brings my area out of a drought, I've completed a milestone and opened up more bandwidth to build my business once again, startng with putting out content to help and guide people towards becoming better leaders fostering positive cultures.

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I'm proud to say I just completed a master's in Strategic Management and Executive Leadership; most people do the program I did at Penn State over the course of a few years. I had decided I would do in it one year, while concurrently building up my leadership advisory firm.

It seemed like a good idea at the time, when I started I had the time to do so and I anticipated much of what I would learn to be applicable to my work. I went back to school to augment my years of experience in leadership development, and was very excited to find my coaching philosophies and perspectives backed up with research and experiences from professionals much more seasoned than I.

That said, we all know the best laid plan doesn't last past first contact with trouble. What we don't know - or rather think about - is the severity of the impact. Many entrepreneurial or adaptive leaders find success through adjusting to meet the conditions on the fly, managing to accomplish everything and bring everyone with them as they go - but it can manifest a mindset of surviving versus thriving. It's hard to admit something has to wait, but trying to do everything at once leads to suffering of clarity and quality.

In my case, our childcare situation changed drastically inside of two weeks, and right before my second semester I found myself being the stay at home parent, while doing grad school full time, and trying to consistently maintain a presence online - I already knew I wouldn't have the time for clients.

But taking 4 classes a semester on 4 hours of sleep hits different in your thirties. It was all I could do to get my classwork done. I couldn't work on the business. I was exhausted in every aspect of the word.

It was frustrating and depressing at first. What of the lost time I wouldn't be able to make up? How far would I be if this wasn't the circumstances I faced? I thankfully shifted my perspective early on to align with my leadership guidance philosophy, and tried to practice what I preach.

We as leaders, as people, are a series of successive ecosystems.

It starts with yourself, mind and body.

That ecosystem connects to your family and friends, your local social network.

Those ecosystems intersect with your work ecosystems, be they team, department, or company.

And ultimately they all connect to the wider industry and economies you work in.

Effects are felt back and forth between all ecosystems. When it rains in one, it nourishes or floods another.

Part of my why for building Cultivar is seeing (and experiencing) the imbalanced leadership ecosystems so many of us face. Is it worth it to have success, fortune, and fame (whatever that looks like for you) at the cost of your own mental well being, and a stable personal life? I think not.

So I took the time away from building my business as an opportunity to internally enrich my life and that of my family.

I let my roots grow deep, I focused on applying everything from my M.Mgt to strategy and leadership development that I would carry forward once done. I made myself as present and supportive to my family as possible, knowing that once I reached the point on the path forward that I'm at now, I'd be able to not just pick up where I left off with Cultivar, but have a much better read on the terrain I was navigating and how I was going to get to the top of the mountain.

Some people don't like the rain, and they don't like getting wet.

For me it is a beautiful and needed thing. It forces you to pause versus take action. It allows you to see where you need to make adjustments and repairs to roads and buildings you thought were secure. Rain is necessary nourishment for our ecosystems, and you don't know how long or how severe a drought might impact you - so might as well get comfortable being uncomfortable.

Here's to new growth 🌱

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As I mentioned at the top, the Cultivar Newsletter will be changing soon.

Current subscribers will still get both Contour Lines, and Compass Points, as well as the Cultivated Perspective when it comes out, and for now, all publications, commenting and chatting will remain free.

Each segment of the Cultivar newsletter will be distributed as a no-cost tier so you can choose what type of article you are receiving from me. Once the changes roll out (which I will announce via note) new subscribers will have the following options:

Tier 1: Contour Lines

Much like the depiction of elevation on a topographical map, these short(er) segments signify the altitude I currently find myself at. They are more personal in nature, looking at philosophy, food, poetry, and whatever else I am inspired to talk about yet generally still relate to leadership in some way shape or form. They are more conversational in nature, so if you want to see where I'm at in navigating the terrain of my life's ecosystem, subscribe to this tier.

Tier 2: Compass Points

We all need a direction to go in, especially when trying to grow personally and professionally. This series showcases medium-length exploration into a lesson or concept I've come across as useful to leaders and organizations that helps readjust or maintain the direction going forward. Slightly more analytical than anecdotal, I try to find at least 3 different instances of the lesson that you may not have thought of, and weave them together - everything from geopolitics to movies, musical artists and internet urban legends. From my perspective, it's less about the presentation of formal case studies that show a polished perspective on how a leader should be, and more about finding a way to make you understand the concept in a way that will allow you to apply it to your own circumstances. If this type of content resonates with you, subscribe to this tier.

Tier 3: Cultivated Perspective

Cultivating a perspective takes time, and so do these long form articles. They are more academic-leaning in their writing format and level of analysis, and while I will include peer-reviewed sources and more professional sources, I still weave in pop culture, philosophy, and other types of references as applicable. When subscribing to this tier you get what's included in the other two tiers as well - again free of charge. The segmentation is to allow you to have more agency over the type of content you receive from me. Current subscribers will automatically be placed in Tier 3.