Year-End Reflection From CTI | Co-Active Training Institute

December is well upon us and here we are, face-to-face with what has been a turbulent and, for many, an intensely trying year. It’s possible that, as the year comes to a close, you are among those less than happy with the way the world looks in the wake of 2016.

It can be easy to dismiss the events of 2016 as plain bad luck, or even the result of conspiratorial and nefarious forces. However, it’s more likely that these circumstances have come about as a result of a leadership vacuum that has subsequently been filled by more extreme agendas.

If this is the case for you, there are some hard truths to consider in assessing who we are in the unfolding story of the global trends we have witnessed this year.

If you don’t believe you have agency to shape the world, you will be shaped by it. It is only through our embrace of all aspects of Co-Active leadership that we can offer the totality of who we are in service to creating our world.

We are all leaders, and we create our world together, every day. As leaders, it is time for each of us to take an in-depth look at the world we are creating. When we take responsibility for our current state, how we got here, and what is still wanting to emerge, we find ourselves more open and willing to engage with the world around us. And it is from this place that we create a new reality — one that emerges from and in connection with self and other.

The process of completion offers us clarity and, with it, an opportunity to notice the world we have created, both internally and in our communities. This is an integrative process, as it asks us to rigorously examine our past and current impact while, simultaneously, beckoning us to greater courage and leadership moving forward.

In reflecting on the close of 2016, we at CTI would like to offer you this year-end exploration. Our challenge to you is to work with it individually, with loved ones, and with a new connection outside of you regular community.

When we come together in completion, we find a deep sense of recognition and appreciation, not only for what opportunities we have, but also for where we have fallen short. It is only then that we can boldly and bravely step into our full responsibility and take ownership of our world. Together.

Completion Practice

Take some time to consider all of the successes, wins, celebrations, and accomplishments that have come from 2016. What significance do they hold for you? How have they shaped you, and what have you learned from each? What did leadership look like for you this year? What was your impact on those around you? What breakthroughs are you celebrating?

Consider all failures, disappointments, letdowns, breakdowns, losses. What significance does each hold for you? Where did your leadership fail you this year? What aspects were forgotten or left behind? Where have you colluded to support this leadership vacuum? Where have you abdicated responsibility? Where are you hiding? Where have you failed to act? How are you listening to your Leader from the Field, or not? How are the other aspects alive in you, or not?

What has this year taught you about yourself? How have you transformed? In the context of the broader community, what has been your impact? Where do you need to up your game in 2017? What is your commitment to creating the world you envision? And how will you make this commitment real in 2017?

We create our world. Together. Every day.

Wishing you and yours a rich and abundant season’s greetings,

Your CTI Family