I AM AN INNOVATION PROJECT; I am committed to transforming myself for the sake of better innovation outcomes (that I am responsible for leading) in pursuit of God’s master plan. I have been set apart to believe the impossible & live the impossible…and may I also see that same potential in everyone I meet.

I AM COMMITTED TO HELP READY AS MANY OF US (AS THERE ARE READY/WILLING) in my family, on my team, in my community of fellow crusaders to learn new skills, develop newfound muscles/strengths (to face the hard work of understanding how to play the game better) and share the innovation leadership toolbox more openly in order to more gracefully anticipate, adapt & thrive through this irreversible transition to the conceptual age & the exponential speed of change that dominates our lifetime & our children’s lifetime – (change may never be this slow again). I am committed to being stronger together vs. relying on my own strength. The more of us that are ready (fit & “fitted for the times we’re born into”) the farther we will ALL get. Ready or not, now is the time.

I AM AN INNOVATION LEADERSHIP EXTREMIST (FOR THE FUTURE & FOR LOVE), curiously challenging the mental paradigms/habits/behaviors that could be delaying progress and potentially putting me/us on the wrong side of history and separating us from our desired futures. I AM committed to overcome the resistance & fight against the tragic misconceptions /myths of time (assuming a delay won’t cost me or others) that are 1) tranquilizing me with my own rationalizations (reflected in yours) that 2) try to convince us that we’ve done enough already…we can’t risk not doing enough (lest we end up being extremists for the status quo & for hate) – we had all better be dramatically increasing our ability to perform under dramatically increased vuca/stress: we can’t just be better leaders; we must be innovation leaders who know when to shift between nurturing now & “empowering next” (and some of us must train even harder to shoulder the burden of “jedi” innovation leaders).

“All of the great leaders have had one characteristic in common:
it was the willingness to confront unequivocally the major anxiety of their people in their time.”
—John Kenneth Galbraith

Desired Outcome:

Insight statement for today’s enlightened leaders:
I WANT to be an impactful leader…I want to make a difference…

Reason:

BECAUSE my family, my team, (and my own identity) are all counting on me to prepare them to anticipate & adapt to the VUCA in order to get to what’s NEXT in order to thrive (“what’s NEXT” is our re-imagined lives, businesses, relationships)

Tension/Anxiety:

BUT I’m stuck (knowingly & unknowingly) choosing to use “empire age” commitments/thoughts/habits (or systems/beliefs/behaviors) which may be slowing me down & prolonging suffering & permanent damage; I’m not exactly sure what to do different or where to start?
I am obligated (at a minimum) to confront myself & others with the “freedom to choose” to be more awake and to more resiliently avoid the counter productive path of denial.

I AM “THE INNOVATION SITUATION”: a flawed-and-fantastic-don’t-take-myself-too-seriously-still-learning-and-trying-to-figure-it-out-sinner-saved-by-grace superhero combination of macho cubano, playful latino lion and jerseyshore pirate (the “style points” make it more fun – and make it a more engaging and authentic story hopefully; style & story matter to humans – our brains like the “shiny & sparkly”)
I feel most alive when I’m wrestling with the tension – the messy/hard stuff (even if it makes me/others uncomfortable) such as the tension between short term & long term thinking – the tension between bold strokes & long marches – the tension between this world and the kingdom of God. I’m excited by a purpose-driven training regimen that requires me to be more willing today than yesterday to focus on the “will to prepare to win” (will-power, won’t-power, want-power) preparing me to “enter the ring” barehanded & bare-chested (the only way a Macho Cubano from Jersey would do it). Alphas respond to the challenge & intensity that lives in the tension – it fires me up – I might eat your face off – I might wrestle you to the ground & bite you all about the face…but I know (now) that the superhuman power I crave comes from loving these polarities not fighting them…so most likely I will love you for disagreeing and for struggling through it WITH me (iron sharpening iron); we will challenge each other to do the impossible; we will make mistakes; we will win by learning-not by knowing; we will build intimacy through achievement & playfulness; we will have fun accomplishing great things together and we will find treasure…or we will die trying.