filter by tag: dalailama

On October 1, 2009 Carol Cone had the unique honor of speaking at the EngageNow Conference in Calgary, Canada directly following the Dalai Lama. She was so moved by the experience that she decided to share her thoughts here. To view a brief video clip of her speech, visit the event blog.

Now that I have met His Holiness, the 14th Dalai Lama, and he has deeply touched my head and heart, I continue to look to his wisdom. So many have asked what it was really like to meet him, so I’d like to briefly share my experience with you.

The first time I saw him in person was among a crowd of 15,000 spectators. When he entered the arena, I felt a warm white light inside of me. Really. Truly. It calmed me and filled me with serenity. The arena full of people was so completely mesmerized; you could hear a pin drop. As he talked, his comments on universal responsibility gave me hope for mankind, to make peace with one another and the planet.

The second “meeting” was in a more intimate setting among a group of 1,200 at the Telus Centre in Calgary, where I would follow him on stage. While his energy was a bit lessened, (even the Dalai Lama who travels 300 days a year, with a jam packed schedule of multiple speeches and meetings a day, combined with 5+ hours of meditation can become burnt out) his message deeply penetrated the audience. “Be kind to one another. Help others to gain peace inside yourself.”

When I met him and he grabbed my hand, I felt so humbled, and grateful for just a moment of his presence. His look into my eyes deepened my resolve to share his message through my work, speeches, friendships and acquaintances.

When I came across blogger Justin Dixon’s list of “20 Quotes from the Dalai Lama,” I wanted to share them. So much wisdom from a “simple monk.”

Enjoy.

----------------------------------------------------------

“Happiness is not something readymade. It comes from your own actions.”

Recently I “spent” two days with the Dalai Lama at the EngageNow conference in Calgary, Alberta. Hosted by the University of Calgary, the focus of the event was to inspire and create active participation in local communities throughout that city.

I was asked to speak at the conference, joining a global roster including F.W. de Klerk, Sir Richard Branson, Stephen Covey and His Holiness. Certainly I was honored to join such accomplished individuals. “When will I speak?” I asked the event organizers. “Directly following the Dalai Lama.” Humbled and curious, I inquired, “Why?” The answer was that they felt my life’s work and message about the power of business authentically embracing social issues would provide a perfect bridge for the audience.

A request like that causes one to deeply reflect. I reviewed my work spanning over 25 years guiding companies to genuinely embrace social issues. Our clients approached this strategy quite personally. Paul Fireman at Reebok, Jim Preston at Avon, Bruce Rohde at ConAgra, and more recently, Clarence Otis at Darden, Jim Rohr at PNC, Christina Gold at Western Union and Steve Loranger of ITT. Each desired to authentically and sustainably engage with a cause. Intuitively they knew this could be a powerful way to inspire employees, engage more fully with customers while enhancing their reputation and make a social impact.

In each case, the work with these companies resulted in innovative and long-term commitments to many causes, new awareness and increased funding, with each showing significant results. The issues and approaches varied: human rights, breast cancer, childhood hunger, youth enrichment, economic opportunity for migrants and access to clean water. While each CEO explained his or her vision in a different manner, they all had one thing in common: compassion.

Compassion? Frankly, in the years of our work, I never thought of it as the expression of compassion. That is, until I “spent” two days with this self-proclaimed “simple monk.”

Indeed, I had to ask myself, “Could business be compassionate?”