January 1, 2000
In this issue:
Newsbrief: Wheatley, Lowe, Elgin and Others Join Co-signers for “The 21st Century Agenda for Business” on the Internet.
Editorial: God Bless Those Truckers, by John Renesch
Newsbrief: “Stalker” Attacks Roddick and Renesch at Amazon.com
Peter Russell Writes Guest Editorial for eCHOICE
Newsbrief: Berrett-Koehler to Publish Paperback of Working Together
Announcements and Offers
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NEWSBRIEF:
Wheatley, Lowe, Elgin New Co-Signers for Internet Resolution
Margaret Wheatley, author of Leadership and the New Science, TDIndustries CEO Jack Lowe, and Awakening Earth author Duane Elgin are among a recent wave of people to add their names to the growing list of co-signers of the Internet resolution for a new paradigm for business – “The 21st Century Agenda for Business”.
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EDITORIAL
Back in the late 1960s or early 1970s, there was a national strike where thousands of independent truckers mobilized themselves using two-way radios and evoked the empathy of most of the country’s citizenry (much unlike the air-traffic controllers did later). One of the legacies of the strike, one that continues to come to my mind from time to time is the motto that was coined and heard throughout the nation. The motto was, “Either lead, follow or get the fuck out of the way!”
My life is much different than it was forty or so years ago, and here I am something of a global expert on leadership. By focusing my writings and speeches on what I call “conscious leadership” I am appealing to the transcendent qualities of human existence. But this motto, popularized by a bunch of angry truckers, still has currency in my book. It addresses that unconscious part of ourselves which we all possess – that part that often gets “in the way” of badly-needed attempts to change things when they need to be improved or transformed. In other words, barring some consciousness, inertia in our thoughts and behaviors serves to maintain the way things are.
If you aren’t going to step up to the box and lead the way when you see things that require change, then PLEASE either follow someone who does assume a leadership role or, at least, get out of the way. If you can’t follow the leadership that has stepped forward then for God’s sake don’t be a blockage to the solution. Don’t perpetuate the problem by supporting the status quo. Don’t continue behaving in ways, talking in ways, and supporting things that are clearly not working – that add further dysfunction in your work, your company, your community and your world.
We aren’t ALL going to be leaders ALL THE TIME. It isn’t even appropriate for the same people to lead in all aspects of life or work. After all, we all have different strengths and skills, knowledge and aptitude. And, we don’t ALWAYS know what is best. Sometimes, we need to defer to someone who does know how and what to do when we don’t. So, when someone does step up and assume the mantel of leader, either support that person and his/her leadership or get out the hell out of the way. And, God bless those truckers whose motto still contains much wisdom for leadership today, a couple of generations later.
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NEWSBRIEF:
Roddick “Stalker” Attacks at Amazon.com
In late December, two anonymous reviews were posted to Amazon.com, one on the site for John’s latest book “Getting to the Better Future” (for which Anita Roddick wrote the foreword) and the other at the site of Roddick’s new book – “Business as Unusual.” Each of these so-called “reviews” were personal attacks rather than critiques of the books in question where the faceless author of the commentary accused the authors of assorted charges. This “stalker” identified himself as a reader from New York in one case and being from Chicago in the other. When their attention was drawn to the matter, Amazon.com was quick to call the attacks “spiteful” and assured us that the “reviews” would “disappear” and that the individual was being removed from their database.
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PETER RUSSELL WRITES eCHOICE GUEST EDITORIAL:
Visionary futurist Peter Russell is the author of this month’s guest editorial in eCHOICE , John’s UNfree e-newsletter. The title of his editorial is “The Great Awakening.” Peter is author of a new book – From Science to God: The Mystery of Consciousness and the Meaning of Light, as well as the classic The Global Brain. For a list of past contributors and to subscribe to eCHOICE , see information below.
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NEWSBRIEF:
Berrett-Koehler to Publish Paperback of Working Together
In mid-December, Angeles Arrien (author of “The Four Fold Way” and other
books) and John met with Berrett-Koehler Publishers last week in preparation
for the release of the paperback edition of “Working Together,” the
workplace diversity anthology they collaborated on in 1998; the new edition
will be released in April, 2001 by the San Francisco business book publisher
and will feature chapters by Arrien, Mikhail Gorbachev, Riane Eisler and
Norman Lear among others.
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January 23 Presidio Dialogues Features “Organizations as Organisms”
On Tuesday evening, January 23, The Presidio Dialogues will feature “Organizations as Organisms” with guest presenters author/biologist Elisabet Sahtouris and Tom Hurley, executive director of The Chaordic Alliance; hosted by John Renesch and Elizabeth Bloom, The Presidio Dialogues take place on the fourth Tuesday evening of each month.
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SPECIAL OFFER: FREE SAMPLE ISSUE OF eCHOICE !!
Want to see a sample issue? Send John an email request and he’ll send you a copy of a past issue – in BOTH email and a Word document attached in RTF format – for no cost. Ask John at John@Renesch.com and mention “Sample Issue.”
Guest Editorials in eCHOICE have included to date:
The Body Shop founder Anita Roddick
Visionary Futurist Peter Russell
Bestselling author Gary Zukav
Ciba Executive Peter Sorg
Conexant Executive Paul Walker
Contemporary Mystic Rob Rabbin
Consultants Peter Roche and Hal Isen
California State Senator John Vasconcellos
eCHOICE is SENT DIRECTLY FROM JOHN, not through the automatic system of his Web site – Renesch.com – like issues of Better Future NEWS. Subscribers receive eCHOICE in two formats – as text in the body of the email AND in MS Word as an attached file so more attractive copies can be archived by subscribers.
US$43/two-years ($1.79/issue); US$24/one-year ($2.00/issue):
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GET AUTOGRAPHED COPY OF JOHN’S BOOK:
“Getting to the Better Future: A Matter of Conscious Choosing”
by John E. Renesch, from New Business Books of San Francisco…
Foreword by Anita Roddick, founder of The Body Shop.
Rave reviews by Warren Bennis, Neale Donald Walsch, Peter Russell, Sally Helgesen, Michael Ray and others…..
For a preview go to Getting to the Better Future
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About John Renesch
Better Future NEWS is prepared monthly by John E. Renesch, a San Francisco writer, futurist, and business philosopher. His new book – Getting to the Better Future: A Matter of Conscious Choosing – is just out. He served as Editor-in-Chief of The New Leaders business newsletter from 1990 to 1997 and has created a dozen business anthologies on progressive business subjects, including consciousness, intuition and leadership. These books include New Traditions in Business, Learning Organizations and The New Bottom Line.
He is also an international keynote speaker, having addressed audiences in Tokyo, Seoul, London, Brussels, Budapest as well as many cities throughout the U.S.