12/01/2021
Are we really building more connection through the Metaverse?
I'm currently, in San Francisco, a city sprawling with ideas, ingenuity and fast movement. All of the founders I've met with so far share a similar sentiment when discussing the next wave of the internet also known as the Metaverse, Web3. We're both excited and deeply terrified of what it could be.
By now, most of us know the effects of being always connected to our devices. We have created new industries, brought recognition to spaces otherwise hidden, and made it easy for like-minded folks to connect. But we also know that it has produced other effects, creating inauthentic connection, distraction, addiction, and a fatigue unknown to past generations. We've made distraction a cultural norm.
And these unintended consequences have in turn, informed decisions - from the hyperconnected founder who can't disengage with his phone, resulting in marriage and family troubles, to team members no longer able to connect naturally around their peers, to the daily burnout most people have been experiencing. What have these consequences done to our society? One that is now always on, but never present?
We have begun to lose what it means to be human.
We have learned to engineer our levels of engagement, ridding ourselves of inconvenient and messy relationships. Through painstakingly curated social posts, we have insidiously fed our insatiable need for validation. We have joined in the weaponizing beliefs and ironically become what we have vowed never to be.
We are losing our humanity.
But it's not like these technological advances will suddenly stop. So what can be done?
How can we coexist with technological advancements, while ensuring our humanity is intact?
Earlier this year, I wanted to see if a couple of people can explore this problem together. I gave them tools to help bring about authentic human engagement - frameworks I've gained from years of my own research, and experiences. I matched them with founders and team members of various companies who expressed their need for personal and team support. These founders and teams came feeling disillusioned with life and work, often making important decisions from this state of being.
"I am starting to feel more miserable with my team, and see no way out. Can you help?"
"How do we make our company a better, more thriving place?"
And our group, these new executive coaches, they showed up. They delivered. I watched them go through our program learning how to actively listen and create presence, ask the right exploratory questions, navigate knowing when to hold space and when to speak. I saw how they themselves used these principles to not only coach others, but work on their marriages, relationships and companies. I watched as our network of founders and teams grew in self-awareness, learning to regulate their reactionary tendencies and make serious decisions from a calm and collected headspace. I saw miracles of transformation taking place as our coaches became the bridge from chaos to clarity.
"Because of this session, I am learning that I don't spend enough time with my kids. This is making me think a bit more."
"The best part of this year, was meeting you, my coach."
A sampling of feedback from their clients, all difficult to quantify through traditional methods, but powerful nonetheless. As I approach another year 'round the sun, one of the best presents I've received this year was being a part of our coaches' journey. I'm incredibly honored to have been a part of their 4-month adventure through this program. And at the end of January 2022, we'll be starting another round. If this post has intrigued you, or you know someone who wants to powerfully impact society through coaching (i.e founders, coaches, great people), send them my way ( [Book a call here](https://app.paperbell.com/checkout/packages?provider_id=6701)). Or they can apply for the [next cohort here](https://www.royaltelos.com/icf-startup-coach-certification).
And to those friends here who have made it a mission to continue to bring about flourishing in our ever connected world, thank you. Every bit counts.
