Marj Fleming"What if you really did have the answers to many of your biggest challenges within yourself?" asks Tara Mohr, author of "Playing Big: Finding Your Voice, Your Mission, Your Message" and a columnist with the Huffington Post.
Mohr focuses on how to "access and utilize your unfailing inner wisdom." She speaks to women about "our future self, who is waiting to be called on for guidance and help." It's the voice of wisdom that "knows exactly who we would be if we were brave enough to show up as our true selves," says Mohr.
That's a powerful concept. Inner wisdom or intuition. Women's intuition. Men have it too, but maybe women are unabashed about their ownership. As a leadership coach and one of the founders of Chattanooga Women's Leadership Institute, I have had the unique opportunity of helping women recognize and value their inner wisdom. In turn, their discoveries have had an impact on major corporations in town.
If you don't believe there is a voice inside each of us that sees around corners, take a close look at the innovation explosion occurring in Chattanooga and ask yourself if those people are listening to their inner wisdom. Intuition is alive and well - and gender-free in Chattanooga.
We're looking at the future through the eyes of rising leaders with unique business concepts, enthusiasm for education reform and creative community-building. Civic and business entrepreneurs trust their instincts to launch a great idea, look closely at the mistakes, make changes and move on. They aren't paralyzed by fear, doubt and worry. They aren't waiting for a task force and a slew of data to confirm what they know in their hearts to be true. Inner wisdom.
Twenty-five years ago, my dear friend Henrik was an exchange student here from Denmark. Downtown Chattanooga was a virtual ghost town ,but the Tennessee Aquarium was just opening and the Southside was beginning its transformation. Fast forward to his most recent visit this year.
"There is so much energy in Chattanooga! Your community has wisely chosen to refurbish and refresh. Look at the people and the restaurants. The neighborhoods are clean and vibrant. Such wisdom from such a young city," says Henrik, a man who is surrounded by thousands of years of world history in his home country.
Chattanooga almost disappeared in a cloud of smog, smothered by the weight of hard industry until a few community leaders listened to their inner wisdom and, in spite of initial resistance, developed a shared vision that changed everything.
Now those people are mostly gone. A new generation of visionary leaders is stepping to the front. They seem to be listening well and capitalizing on their inner wisdom, and are seen as the next generation of thought leaders.
Wisdom is attained most rapidly by learning the real lessons from life and by listening with your eyes, ears and your heart. When you see people playing the blame game, you know they are missing the point. True wisdom means having the courage to own your missteps and make something good out of them.
Stephen Culp, a business and civic entrepreneur, told a story in his keynote address at the 2016 Spirit of Innovation Awards about presenting a business idea to "a giant herd of venture capitalists."
"At the top of our opening slide was 'Here's Everything We Screwed Up'," Culp said. "And the next slide was 'Here's How We Fixed It'."
Culp also noted they got funded from that presentation. Transparency and proof of change show ideas are tested and transformed. They learned from their mistakes, and they leveled with themselves. That's wisdom.
Stephen's inspiring speech is an amazing tribute to the growth and change that is taking place in our town and a call to action for a larger more strategic effort. As a diverse community, we can be transformative with shared wisdom among people with new ideas and a willingness to learn from each other.
The Cherokee Indians have a saying:
"There are those who have seen many seasons, and they are the elders. There are those who have learned from the seasons they have seen, and they are called the wisdom keepers."
Marj Flemming is a certified professional coach, mentor, trainer and entrepreneur. As a pioneer in the world of women's leadership, she is a founding member and original director of the Women's Leadership Institute.
Contact her at mflemming@launchpointleadership.com.