“Hold Your Nerve - There’s no Map”

A decade ago He began to show us how To be more human - Marty

In Gordon Livingstone’s 2005 Book ‘Too Soon Old Too Late Smart’ there’s a Chapter titled ‘Not all who wander are lost’. That Chapter ends with this:

“Though a straight line appears to be the shortest distance between two points, life has a way of confounding geometry. Often it's the dalliances and detours that define us. There are no maps to guide our most important searches; we must rely on hope, chance, intuition, and a willingness to be surprised.”

After attending Mark’s Human Manager Experience I made some changes, not just with my career, but in life. Mark’s ‘no BS’ approach was refreshing and really resonated with me. -Naomi

I’ve been wandering along on this thoroughly ‘human’ experiment for a decade now, but I’ve never felt lost. When I look back on the past ten years the line between now and then is by no means straight.

Quite the contrary, the line has bends, hooks, curves, and plenty of bumps in it.

I’ve battled uncertainty and loneliness. I’ve stared down the imposter. I’ve had incredible support and encouragement. I’ve trusted my intuition. I’ve most certainly been surprised. I’ve taken chances and remained eternally hopeful. I’ve met some amazing humans. I’ve had plenty of fun.

Doing my little bit in the universe to try and re-humanise work and organisations has been, and remains, an important ‘search’.

My time with Mark was a pivotal moment in my career. He helped me understand that we all deserve balance and connection - Jess

To mark my decade as The Human Manager I shunned the ‘corporate style’ cocktail function complete with speeches, book signings, and merch sales and opted instead for time away with my family in the great state of Tasmania.

A little wilderness, a little togetherness. A little wander, a lot of wonder. Shared with those that I couldn’t do life without.

I took myself off to a wellness retreat too. There’s merit in reflecting, resetting, and recharging every now and again - both personally and professionally. It’s the advice I offer regularly to clients - so I felt it best to heed it myself.

Mark is the best sort of human. His ability to learn new things and listen to what you're not saying is one of many of his endearing qualities. He has helped me to remain calm in the chaos that is work and life by giving me the tools to explore my own leadership style in the safest way, whilst still remaining true to myself - Johnnell

One of the sessions at the retreat was a journaling meditation. It served as a bit of a ‘retrospective’ on the decade that has elapsed of Human Being rather than Human Doing. The journaling and meditation set some prospective guidance too, as the next decade beckons.

From my ‘notes’:

You are an experiment. Everything is an experiment. Keep being what others don't expect. There is no 'later'. Stop wondering why and how it happens. Love more… love more… love more.

And note - there’s not a Business Plan, Strategy Pillars, or Values Statement in sight. I used a pen and paper too - meditating and populating PowerPoint slides with the outcomes just wouldn’t have been right.

Mark LeBusque is a game-changer. He has provided me with powerful insights that challenged my leadership approach and helped me overcome personal barriers. His unique blend of authenticity and practical tools have left a lasting impact on how I lead and make decisions - Jason

When I set sail from the safety of a corporate job, and the insanity of corporate life back in October 2014, if you’d told me then that I’d be ‘here’ now in October 2024, I reckon I’d have called BS on you.

But ‘here’ is where I am, and I’m glad I’m ‘here’.

The ‘human’ search continues though. I’m looking forward to the next tranche of dalliances and detours. I might have another decade in me - just.

I love Gordon Livingstone’s point of view that ‘not all who wander are lost’. I have learned first hand too that there is no map to guide my search. If Livingstone was open to me adding a few words of my own to his ‘hope, chance, intuition, and a willingness to be surprised’, I’d add you have to ‘hold your nerve’.

If in another decade's time I am to be remembered by just three words - these are them -

‘hold your nerve’.

Thanks for being with me on the search to date Human. Here’s to the next decade.

Go well.

Mark