The soul mission of the Center for Transformational Presence is: We ignite Power-Love. We strive to embody the dynamic partnership between power and love that Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. spoke about so eloquently in a 1967 address to the Southern Christian Leadership Conference:
Power, properly understood, is nothing but the ability to achieve purpose. There is nothing wrong with power if power is used correctly. One of the great problems of history is that the concepts of love and power have usually been contrasted as opposites – polar opposites – so that love is identified with resignation of power, and power with a denial of love. What is needed is a realization that power without love is reckless and abusive, and love without power is sentimental and anemic.
Dr. King’s words remain incredibly relevant and potent in today’s political and social climate. When we ask members of our Transformational Presence community how we can best support them in living Power-Love during these uneasy and uncertain times, the recurring themes in their responses are connection, partnership, a sense of belonging, and a space to be together.
It also seems significant to notice what our community members are not asking for. They aren’t asking for quick fixes or short-term solutions. They aren’t asking for simple answers and feel-good approaches. There is a strong sense within our community that we are where we are for a reason, uncomfortable and unsettling as that may be. We may not yet fully understand the bigger picture of what is happening, yet together, we can and will find our way forward.
Acknowledging the increasing uncertainty and complexities of our world over the last year, we at the Center for Transformational Presence have been very intentional in expanding our unique offerings in transformational leadership, coaching, and service. We recognize that the frameworks, tools, and skills that we offer are foundational to the emerging Conscious Leadership movement. Many initiatives are underway, yet one in particular has recently helped us define who we are and what we do even more clearly.
About six months ago, a small group of Transformational Presence graduates from North America and Europe came together around their common interest in supporting next-generation leaders. They also wanted to support the Center as ambassadors in taking the Transformational Presence concepts, approaches, and frameworks further out into the world. Having met via teleconference four or five times now, collaborations are beginning to form and projects are emerging. We are learning from each other.
The bonus, however, is that we are discovering anew the power of “intentional space.” We are experiencing the power of creating a space with specific intention for supporting and nurturing one another, expanding awareness, and empowering transformative action. It is within this intentional space that we are finding deeper connection with each other and a sense of belonging. There is a feeling of being held by the group. When times are tough, when the learning curve is steep, or when you want someone walking beside you, that feeling can make an enormous difference.
Creating “intentional space” is actually at the heart of what we are about at the Center for Transformational Presence. We create intentional space to support leaders, coaches, creators, healers, teachers, visionaries, politicians, entrepreneurs – anyone who wants to do their part to create a world that works. We support them with simple yet powerfully effective frameworks and approaches for navigating today’s complex world. And we offer them a global community of 600 graduates that is the embodiment of Power-Love – a community grounded in compassion, creativity, innovation, commitment, and transformative action.
Throughout 2017, the Center for Transformational Presence, in partnership with our graduates, will continue to create intentional spaces throughout the world. We began the year with our first workshop in Costa Rica. Later this week, we lead our first multi-day program in Spain – Transformational Presence: Leadership in Action. We’ll be back in Barcelona for the Transformational Presence Leadership and Coach Training in May. We will also lead programs in 2017 in the U.S., Canada, the Netherlands, Sweden, and Poland. Conversations are underway for possible programming in Germany as well as our first forays into creating intentional space in Southeast Asia. And we will soon be announcing a program in the U.K. for early 2018.
Already this year, we have expanded beyond in-person workshops and events to include virtual intentional spaces in the forms of webinars and podcasts. In the next few weeks, we will publish our first company Manifesto, articulating clearly who we are and why we do what we do. Furthermore, the Manifesto will provide guidelines for partnerships and collaborations with members of our community as we continue to serve and support leaders, coaches, and people committed to making a difference all over the world.
As 2017 continues to unfold, so does our ongoing commitment to igniting Power-Love. We look forward to continuing the co-creation of both virtual and in-person intentional spaces with our Transformational Presence graduates all around the globe. We will continue empowering transformational leadership, coaching, service, and action.
What is your dream or vision? What difference do you feel called to make? Join us and let us help you bring your gifts to the world. Let’s create intentional spaces. Together, we can create a world that works.
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Related Blog Posts:
- Holding Fast To Love – Being a Transformational Presence in Disruptive Times
- The Great Breaking Open – A New World is Waiting
- Whole-Mind Thinking and Whole-Being Awareness: The Power Behind Transformational Presence