Working With Soul
Last week Sihle Nontshokweni celebrated the fact that her children’s book, Wanda, which she had co-authored with Mathabo Tlali had received its first international review. They wrote the book to “encourage young children to love themselves for what they are born with, despite what society may say or think.”
I don’t know Sihle or Mathabo, but they got me thinking about what it means to work with soul, and so that is the theme of today’s letter. Fortuitously, Pixar’s latest film is called Soul, so we can also play with that.
/ strategy
Soul is Pixar’s first to feature a black protagonist. It was Kemp Powers’ first animated screenplay. This Spark and Fire podcast segues beautifully between Kemp’s own journey, the Pixar process, and the creation of Soul.
Powers’ says that Soul asks “What does it mean to lead a fulfilled life? Are you a failure if you don’t realize your dream? Conversely, if you do realize your dream, does that make your life perfect?” Soulful questions indeed.
Host June Cohen, tells us the Kemp spent 17 years as a journalist. Then he wrote a memoir. Then became a playwright. Then a screenwriter. His first attempt at screenwriting was 2002. He got nowhere. In 2019 he got the call from Pixar. Our trajectory is very rarely a straight line.
After loving listening to Powers, I went looking for his memoir. It’s called The Shooting.
The description includes the following, “in 1987, Kemp accidentally shot his best friend. His parents didn’t press charges, and Kemp was forgiven by everyone, including the state of New York. But Kemp couldn’t forgive himself. He thought about Henry every day and made a promise to never make a mistake again — a promise a child naively made that the adult couldn’t keep.”
I stopped. Here is a person who has confronted unbelievable trauma. Here is a person who has nevertheless shaped a life of incredible purpose and impact. I was humbled.
In that moment I recalled Jerry Colonna’s Reboot in which he says, “Hello to humans who occupy the fullness—the glory and the mess—of their lives. Hello to broken-open-hearted warriors. Hello to the leaders this broken world needs most. Hello to being the leader you were born to be. Hello to warriors with broken-open hearts.”
Going back to Soul; Powers says that, “I can honestly say I’ve seen 10 different versions of Soul. There are versions of Soul with characters that aren’t even in the movie that you saw, I’ve seen four or five different endings of the movie. I mean, but the thing is we can’t land on that version that’s the best, unless we try those versions that just don’t work.”
He describes how they would rewrite in almost real-time as new insights landed. It struck me the level of trust in team members and humility one would need to work on a Pixar production.
10 different versions, four different endings! That’s a commitment to finding the absolute right note.
Powers reflects on the creative force behind the revisions, “There’s this expression called ‘the note behind the note.’ Sometimes people will give you a note and the note doesn’t really make sense. They aren’t able to articulate specifically what the problem is. The fact that it’s bumping for them means that there’s something that needs to be addressed, so it’s up to you to find the note behind the note that they’re giving you.”
So often we get hooked on the words that someone is saying.
How do we listen deeply for the ‘note behind the note’?
How do we take responsibility for ourselves?
Someone’s discomfort may point to the possibility of us doing something better. They just might not have been able to find the words to express it.
Listening for and addressing, ‘the note behind the note’, that’s leadership.
/ self
How does one connect to soul in one’s own work?
Powers says that he follows a simple rule, “Am I the best person for the project?”
Before the Pixar job came along, he had turned down a few other opportunities that he didn’t feel he was best for. If he’d said yes, he’d have missed the chance of a lifetime.
A few days before I listened to the Powers podcast, I had received a call asking me whether I would facilitate a series of strategy dialogues for a foundation that does incredible work.
I was flattered to be asked but declined. Although I have facilitated dialogues for over 20 years, I have not facilitated any strategy work remotely. I felt that the work was too important for me to agree to. I didn’t want to compromise their work.
For days afterwards I carried a sense of sadness. I would’ve loved to have been a part of the process, but I knew I wasn’t the right person. Then I listened to Powers and breathed a sigh of relief. He gave me faith in my decision.
Last week another foundation contacted me to ask if I was available to work individually with their people. If I’d said yes to the other work, I wouldn’t be able to work with this amazing group in a way that gives me joy. I said yes, this time with a light heart and a happy smile.
/ soul
Thomas Moore’s A Life At Work has at its core a simple message; knowing who you are can help you shape a life’s work that is meaningful to you.
He says, “A life work is the work of your life, meaning that your whole life is a work, and every aspect of it can make a contribution to your calling”.
He uses the beautiful analogy of a peacock’s tail. How can the different parts of your life come together to create a life of beauty?
He notes that “A life work is a creative act. You assert yourself in a world that might well resist your efforts…to be able to insist on your vision in the first place, you have to be somebody. You have to cultivate your own ideas and your own style of working…The more substantial your life and personality, the more weight and strength you will bring…”
Connecting your work to your soul’s desires requires intentionality.
Invest in understanding your history, look for those things that you are always drawn to.
Explore the world to see what resonates and what doesn’t.
Moore reflects that love is the fire of a life’s work.
Often, we become convinced that we must find what we love to find happiness. It can lead to an unfulfilling chase of mirages.
We can also bring love to our work. We can work in ways that we love to work. When we’re able to tap into who we are and when we bring that spirit to our work, our work becomes re-energised.
Sometimes we need to do more of something we love and then magically work becomes more loveable, because we are more filled with that which we love.
Moore says “you can’t love your work when you are cynical or holding grudges”. Being able to love one’s work means being open to it, to yourself and to others.
Sometimes this means revisiting our histories to heal, sometimes it means connecting with others to hear ‘the note behind the note.’
I hope that you have a soulful week.
Karl
PS: My clients are people who want to have a significant impact, live joyful lives, and build a humane world. If you’d like to work with me, you can find out more on my website.
PPS: If you’d like to subscribe to this letter, you can do so here.
(This letter was first published on 28 February 2021)