I was asked recently about leadership. This client often heard me speak about using the principles of Feng Shui and energy to design your office or home for success but wanted to know if you could do the same for leadership. I answered by saying “if you can focus positive energy on your well defined goal and that goal is meant to make life better for those around you, then yes, you can design your surroundings to support your leadership goal”.
I questioned this client about the type of leadership he had in mind. He needed to define the leadship he wanted to exhibit before I could help him be creative in his environment and focus positive energy in the appropriate areas. Was his leadership desire related to his work, his family or his community service involvement? Did he wish to cover more than one of these areas? After giving it careful consideration, he decided that he wanted to not only improve his leadership at work but also at home as a father and husband.
After further questioning him about the skills he already possessed and what he might need to add, we developed his leadership plan as follows. Since he was in need of developing leadership and motivational skills, we began by uncluttering the northeast knowledge area of his office. There we created a mini library of books, videos and upcoming seminars he would attend to help him focus positive energy onto learning the leadership skills he needed.
Next, we uncluttered the two other areas of his office we would be working with, the northwest and the southwest. Whether you are the leader of your family, a volunteer organization, a two person office or a large corporate CEO, you always need to have helpful people to guide you and encourage you along the way. We placed a silver plaque of recognition for excellence he had received into the northwest helpful people corner of his office. We further enhanced that area by adding a wonderful motivational poster about leadership framed in silver.
We then moved to the southwest relationships’ area of his desk and placed a small clay sculpture of his college drama classmates and their teacher. This was especially symbolic of relationships for him because he was known as the class gofer and virtually did everything and anything to help put their annual play together and make it happen. He was recognized by his peers and the teacher for his excellence even though he never made it onto the stage. Leadership requires forging a lot of good relationships with a lot of people. It is very difficult for people follow a leader unless he exhibits qualities they can respect, trust and admire.
Because this client was equally interested in improving his leadership role with his family it was important to unclutter and enhance several areas of his home. The primary room we used for improving positive energy was the family room as it is the one room except for the kitchen that everyone gathered together in at least once per day. Since relationships in a family are of utmost importance we first focused positive energy in their southwest relationship’s corner by hanging a number of family pictures together in a large wall grouping. We made sure that the pictures were all framed in ceramic or glass, all of them faced each other plus included achievements by any family member. The pictures all reflected good times together whether doing daily activities, celebrating the holidays, a birthday or on vacation. Because he also wanted to improve his leadership as a spouse, we also enhanced the relationship area of their master bedroom by placing two equally sized long stemmed soft yellow silk roses in a beautiful but simple crystal bud vase. As luck would have it, the southwest corner of the bedroom was on his wife’s bedside table.
In the northwest of the family room we placed on a table a lovely collection of silver candlesticks with white candles to encourage more helpful people to enter his life including the members of his family. And, in the northeast on an existing shelf we placed a small collection of self help books and audio tapes on family relationships that he could listen to at his leisure.
Leadership comes easily for some but others need to work at it. But by clearing out the cobwebs figuratively speaking (or the clutter) and focusing positive energy on the areas in ones life necessary to becoming a leader, the journey becomes less difficult. Feng Shui is all about using positive energy to bring about desired results, in this case, leadership.
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© Pat Heydlauff, All Rights Reserved
Pat Heydlauff, president of Energy Design, uses Feng Shui design principles to eliminate chaos and stress at home and within oneself. More than a Feng Shui expert, Pat is a consultant and speaker who helps remove clutter and negativity while encouraging personal growth, improved relationships and prosperity. Her new book, “Feng Shui: So Easy a Child Can Do It,” shows how to achieve a better tomorrow. For information on her consulting, speaking and artwork, call: 561-408-2708.