<h2 id="h-emilie-mogensen">Emilie Mogensen</h2>

Emilie is Danish born with design and spirituality in her DNA. Besides being a designer, she holds an Inner MBA, a Masters in conscious business and entrepreneurship, from NYU. She is on a mission to enhance unity, compassion and heart centered entrepreneurship in modern life business endeavors. 

<h2>Steve Macadam</h2>

Steve is a senior executive and conscious CEO who was the President of EnPro, and is a director on the boards of Louisiana-Pacific Corporation and Valvoline Inc. He is committed to ethical behavior, sound corporate governance, profound people engagement, and long-term decisions for the greater good.

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Steve Macadam and Emilie Mogensen

<h4
 class="block-heading"
 id="h-emilie-mogensen-attended-steve-macadam-s-module-as-part-of-the-inner-mba-and-she-is-deeply-inspired-by-his-way-of-building-authentic-communities-steve-is-an-mba-from-harvard-a-baker-scholar-and-currently-an-independent-director-for-louisiana-pacific-corporation-and-valvoline-inc-in-part-2-of-the-series-they-explore-the-4-phases-of-building-authentic-communities"
 >
 EMILIE MOGENSEN
 attended
 STEVE MACADAM’s
 module as part of The Inner MBA, and she is deeply inspired
 by his way of building authentic communities. Steve is an MBA from
 Harvard, a Baker Scholar, and currently an independent director for
 Louisiana-Pacific Corporation and Valvoline Inc. In part 2 of the
 series, they explore the 4 phases of building authentic
 communities.
 </h4>

 <hr class="vertical-space1" />

 <h5 class="has-text-align-center block-heading">
 “The next Buddha may take the form of a community – a community
 practicing understanding and loving kindness, a community
 practicing mindful living.”
 </h5>

 <h5 class="has-text-align-center block-heading">
 —Thich Nhat Hanh
 </h5>

 <hr class="vertical-space1" />

 
 We are exploring Steve Macadam’s model on how to build authentic
 communities. The model is simple and based on 4 phases:
 

 
 Phase 1, the pseudo community
 

 
 Phase 2, the chaos community
 

 
 Phase 3, the emptying phase
 

 
 Phase 4, the authentic community
 

 
 Phase 1, the pseudo community, is artificial, not real.
 Steve explains that this phase is often where most companies and
 organizations are stuck for long periods and some people seem to be okay
 there. But the bottom line is that the community can thrive much better,
 and some people break away from those communities that don’t offer space
 for authenticity.
 

 
 This leads us to Phase 2, the chaos community, where a
 lot of people leave and some stay back, and often insist rather strongly
 on maintaining things “as they have always been.” We see this a lot in
 the world today, where the “great resignation” is a hardcore reality for
 many companies. People are simply no longer willing to put their jobs
 and positions above their personal well-being. I believe this is an
 unavoidable result of decades, even centuries, of the individual trying
 to fit in at any cost.
 

 
 This fitting in often comes from a very strong need to feel a part of
 the group and not to stand alone, which is a very sweet and innocent
 quality of the human heart – the need to be with fellow beings and to
 connect. But the question to ask is: do we really connect? And do we
 really thrive if we constantly value the profit of the company, the
 peace of the room, over our inner most truthful need of being allowed to
 feel okay just as we are?
 

 
 I am writing this article with a funny sense of insecurity, as I know
 the Heartfulness Magazine is a multicultural magazine, with readers from
 around the world, with different backgrounds, cultures, and religious
 beliefs. I respect this and want to honor everyone’s feelings. Some
 cultures believe strongly in putting the group’s needs over the
 individual, which a part of me does as well.
 

 <hr class="vertical-space1" />

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 <figure>
 <img
 alt="4phases-community2"
 class="lazyload has-img-center"
 src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/4phases_community2_700x523_03be816d90.jpg?updated_at=2023-04-12T10:46:45.011Z"
 />
 </figure>
 </div>

 <hr class="vertical-space1" />

 
 So why am I so drawn to Steve’s model? Because another part of me is
 truly thirsty to step into a new world and a new expression of myself:
 of being able to hold space for others, and not feel threatened nor hurt
 when someone holds a very different opinion than me.
 

 
 It seems to be part of an evolutionary plan that we are in the midst of
 a paradigm shift. The fact that we have seen numerous communities
 breaking up, families breaking up, friendships breaking up, companies
 breaking up, shows me something is in deep transformation in our
 societal structures. We are in the middle of a collective “community of
 chaos,” phase 2.
 

 
 We travel through Phase 3, the emptying phase, to move
 from chaos to Phase 4, the authentic community. Phase 3
 is where Steve allows all the workers to express themselves, through
 listening to fairy tales and through mindfulness exercises. He
 emphasizes how important it is that the CEO, the leader, faces the
 people within a circle, sitting on a chair at the same height as the
 others in the group. A sense of equality must be present, so everyone
 can express their feelings and everyone can practice holding space for
 one another.
 

 <hr class="vertical-space1" />

 <hr />

 <h4 class="has-text-align-center block-heading">
 A sense of equality must be present, so everyone can
 express their feelings and everyone can practice holding
 space for one another.
 </h4>

 <hr />

 <hr class="vertical-space1" />

 
 This means to leave the thinking part of consciousness, and truly listen
 with the heart and the entire body. The heart holds our compassionate
 qualities, while our body is the container of a lot of hidden trauma. We
 tend to want to bypass the unpleasant feelings, as we don’t like to feel
 uncomfortable.
 

 
 This is where “emotional intelligence” comes into the picture.
 Demonstrating emotional intelligence is actually very simple. It is the
 ability to stay present in our own and other people’s emotions and
 feelings. It is not about understanding them, and certainly
 not about giving advice. It is about being able to hold a
 certain tune of someone’s instrument, even though we might prefer to
 play on other tunes. It requires the confidence to be brave enough to
 allow the unpleasant stream of consciousness to move through the energy
 body, without holding onto it or pushing it away. It’s an exercise in
 letting energy move through the physical body and the energy body, and
 letting it go when it’s ready to pass.
 

 
 I asked Steve to elaborate on the importance of strong and visible
 leadership in the emptying phase. He shares that it is crucial that
 everyone leads themselves from within, and nobody feels they are “being
 watched” by someone in power.
 

 
 I ask a bit further, wanting him to share some insights about how
 important it must be to have very defined frameworks around this in a
 community. It is very sweet how Steve is really not into top down
 leadership, as one could imagine a CEO in a publicly traded US company
 could be. He emphasizes the importance of a free and open environment,
 where everyone can express their truth. However, he ends up agreeing
 with me that a skillful leader is required to facilitate these community
 meetings, where everyone can empty their inner feelings and share their
 truths.
 

 
 He shares how we can benefit from being in a large circle, together,
 then some breakout sessions can take place. This is not something new in
 my own communities, and I have often felt it to be rather boring. Again,
 my impatient entrepreneur mentality! Steve shares with me that the
 typical entrepreneur is often the person who breaks out from
 communities. I resonate with that. Some sort of “don’t care, move on”
 thought pattern in my head.
 

 <hr class="vertical-space1" />

 <hr />

 <h4 class="has-text-align-center block-heading">
 It requires the confidence to be brave enough to allow the unpleasant stream of consciousness to move through
 the energy body, without holding onto it or pushing it away. It’s an exercise in letting energy move through the physical
 body and the energy body, and letting it go when it’s ready to
 pass.
 </h4>

 <hr />

 <hr class="vertical-space1" />

 
 A part of me is sad about this, because I truly wish to be a part of
 authentic communities, not just doing things my way. I feel split into
 these two sides. One is afraid to lose my go-getter power if I have to
 succumb to a group. It truly is faster to get things done on my own.
 Another part of me wants to be part of a group.
 

 
 I ask Steve how to deal with this, and his answer makes so much sense.
 “This is exactly what you have to share in the group,” he says. I feel a
 strong sense of healing when these two rather different personalities in
 me meet and shake hands.
 

 <hr class="vertical-space1" />

 <hr />

 <h4 class="has-text-align-center block-heading">
 Most human beings are 
 people with strong intentions for a better world, for compassion
 and peace. And what a human heart needs most is to feel allowed and contained in whatever process it is going through.
 </h4>

 <hr />

 <hr class="vertical-space1" />

 
 Back to the emptying phase, our community meeting, and sharing in small
 groups. What struck me with Steve’s model is that he guides us to come
 back after the breakout session and share together in a slightly
 different way than I am used to. What we share in the plenum is not what
 we discussed, but how did it make us feel to share in the breakout
 session? What struck us? How did we feel sharing? What were we good at
 sharing? This is brilliant in my eyes! Because most human beings (at
 least the ones reading this magazine) are people with strong intentions
 for a better world, for compassion and peace. And what a human heart
 needs most is to feel allowed and contained in whatever process it is
 going through.
 

 
 And who really wants to blame others? Not many! But sometimes we can’t
 stop blaming a certain person, a leader or a group, unless we are
 allowed to be acknowledged for the pain we have felt in the pseudo
 phase. The very fact that we share how sharing made us feel creates an
 authentic community, because we start showing more interest in how we
 feel, instead of what we think and say.
 

 The key takeaways from Steve’s model:

 
 To move from pseudo community to authentic community, each of us must
 demonstrate strong inner leadership.
 

 
 People in decision-making positions must practice asking what he calls
 “powerful questions.” Here are some examples: Why are you not
 feeling safe in this community? Why do you not like the way things
 are? What is your contribution to the very thing you address? What
 is your contribution as a leader?
 

 <hr class="vertical-space1" />

 <div class="block-image">
 <figure>
 <img
 alt="4phases-community3"
 class="lazyload has-img-center"
 src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/4phases_community3_e175ebee65.jpg?updated_at=2023-04-12T10:47:20.643Z"
 />
 </figure>
 </div>

 <hr class="vertical-space1" />

 <hr />

 <h4 class="has-text-align-center block-heading">
 A true leader is someone who cares about having a
 positive impact on others, through role modeling rather
 than teaching or giving advice.
 </h4>

 <hr />

 
 Steve is not a top down leader, which truly makes me want to follow him
 and ask him for advice. He emphasizes that a true leader is someone who
 cares about having a positive impact on others, through role modeling
 rather than teaching or giving advice.
 

 
 Once the emptying phase is processed in a compassionate way, facilitated
 by leaders who are able to hold their vision and allow space for
 everyone to unfold their inner leader, the authentic community emerges
 from deep within everyone. It offers deep meaningful relationships, a
 sense of belonging, and loyalty to the respective organization or
 company.
 

 
 Thank you Steve for this wonderful opportunity to explore your
 experimental ways and to learn from you.
 

 <hr class="vertical-space1" />

 <hr />

 <h4 class="has-text-align-center block-heading">
 Illustrations by ALONA SAVCHUK
 </h4>

 <hr />

The 4 phases of community

<h4
 id="h-emilie-mogensen-attended-steve-macadam-s-module-as-part-of-the-inner-mba-and-she-is-deeply-inspired-by-his-way-of-building-authentic-communities-steve-is-an-mba-from-harvard-a-baker-scholar-and-currently-an-independent-director-for-louisiana-pacific-corporation-and-valvoline-inc"
 >
 EMILIE MOGENSEN
 attended
 STEVE MACADAM’s module as part of The Inner MBA, and she is deeply
 inspired by his way of building authentic communities. Steve is an MBA
 from Harvard, a Baker Scholar, and currently an independent director
 for Louisiana-Pacific Corporation and Valvoline Inc.
 </h4>

 <hr class="vertical-space1" />

 
 Although I have been on a sincere spiritual path for 29 years, I tend to
 be very impatient. When I feel inspired or see a need for change, I
 often find myself wanting to execute before thinking. This tendency led
 to extreme boredom at school, and it has stayed with me throughout life.
 At the same time, I believe it is what makes me move forward as an
 entrepreneur and in life. I am a “street achiever,” often rather
 fearless, with a strong drive. It serves me well most of the time,
 especially when my actions come from within, based on wisdom, or from
 knowledge inspired by great thinkers and entrepreneurs.
 

 
 I share this to emphasize how much I appreciated Steve Macadam’s module
 at The Inner MBA immersion program. If I had to choose one
 module as the most useful take-away, it would be Steve’s on how to build
 authentic communities. I feel the future call for these authentic
 communities and synchronicities whispering to me, “This is true,” and
 hope to share why.
 

 
 Steve has a very practical approach, and his messages resonate with the
 go-getter entrepreneur in me. His model has worked successfully at
 EnPro, where he was the CEO. I am not the right person to go into the
 corporate story of EnPro, a publicly-traded US company with 8,000
 employees; what makes my heart sing is to investigate the essence of
 human beings – in this case, Steve Macadam.
 

 
 Steve shares that building authentic communities is often based on the
 visions held by very passionate visionaries. They can be organizations,
 businesses, schools, or grassroots movements. It seems to be essential
 that someone holds the vision firmly in order for the communities to
 expand.
 

 
 Steve’s model of building authentic communities is simple and based on 4
 phases:
 

 Phase 1, the pseudo community

 Phase 2, the chaos community

 Phase 3, the emptying phase

 Phase 4, the authentic community

 
 Before diving into this, let’s explore what is a community and what does
 it mean when something or someone is authentic.
 

 <hr class="vertical-space1" />

 <div class="block-image">
 <figure>
 <img
 width="546"
 height="600"
 alt="building-authentic-communities2"
 class="lazyload has-img-center"
 src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/building_authentic_communities2_1a53533246.jpg?updated_at=2023-04-12T06:26:12.527Z"
 />
 </figure>
 </div>

 <hr class="vertical-space1" />

 <hr />

 <h4 class="has-text-align-center">
 To be “authentic” means to be genuine and real. It’s about
 alignment between what happens inside and what is
 expressed outside.
 </h4>

 <hr />

 <hr class="vertical-space1" />

 
 “Community” refers to a group of people with shared interests, whether
 those interests are based on culture, spirituality, values, customs, or
 identity. Communities may share a geographical space, like a village or
 a church hall, or they may connect virtually, such as an online social
 network.
 

 
 Characteristics of a community include friendship, support, growth,
 shared attitudes, interests and goals. Some communities form naturally,
 such as those in specific geographical locations, while others form
 consciously with a shared purpose and goal.
 

 
 For example, a Heartfulness community is a gathering of people who wish
 to practice Heartfulness in a convenient and supportive space: a space
 where people can be themselves, meet with others, share experiences, and
 gain support and understanding. Essentially, a Heartfulness community
 provides the space for people to meditate together, share stories, and
 find love and support.
 

 
 To be “authentic” means to be genuine and real. It’s about alignment
 between what happens inside and what is expressed outside. Authenticity
 helps us feel safe. We are more aware of what is going on, instead of
 having to second guess and use various strategies to get what we need.
 

 
 I feel this is one of the most needed traits for humanity. It’s worth
 exploring how we can become better at being authentic together, at work,
 in spiritual communities, and elsewhere. In fact, I feel it is one of
 the missing links in our eagerness to co-create a more compassionate
 world.
 

 
 The most powerful message from my conversation with Steve is that there
 can be no authentic community without conflict.
 

 
 As someone engaged in a spiritual community, this can be difficult to
 embrace. I think many spiritual seekers tend to be pleasers by nature –
 we thrive in peace, and that is honorable!
 

 
 But can we try to dive deeper, and cultivate communities that fill us
 with even deeper connection and meaning? Talking to Steve helped me to
 learn that we can speak our own truth from a place of sovereignty and
 dignity, while holding space for others, especially when we don’t agree
 with them.
 

 <hr class="vertical-space1" />

 <hr />

 <h4 class="has-text-align-center">
 We can speak our own truth from a place of sovereignty and
 dignity, while holding space for others, especially when
 we don’t agree with them.
 </h4>

 <hr />

 <hr class="vertical-space1" />

 
 Next month, I will explore the four phases of the model Steve used at
 EnPro with remarkable results. EnPro is a multiple bottom lines company,
 placing equal value on people, planet, and profit, where the CEO reads
 fairytales to the workers, and everyone is allowed to express their
 inner truths. It comes from a very authentic place in my heart to share
 how Steve has inspired me to build and expand authentic communities. I
 hope it will inspire you too.