Graduate Stories – 2002

Laura Read

Being unafraid to listen and grow

Laura Read sold her company PMT in 1991 to raise her two daughters. She is currently developing a hospice in southern Maine. She lives with her husband Bruce in Arundel.

I first learned about The Seven Intentions® in 1998, when reading a New York Times article about Tom Chappell. At the time, I was writing a business plan for a freestanding hospice center. I expressed an interest in The Saltwater Institute and was invited to participate in The Seven Intentions® program. I found the training to be especially useful given my entrepreneurial background and approach to business.

I was particularly interested in one of the intentions entitled Seek Counsel which encourages participants to talk about what they hope to accomplish. I chose my friend Barbara, a wise and attentive listener with whom to discuss my plans. She asked the hard questions and helped me to understand my next step of partnership.

Now, sitting on a non-profit board to develop the hospice center, I can use what I learned from The Seven Intentions® on a daily basis. I accomplish more with this highly skilled ‘counsel’ than I ever could have alone. I’ve also learned to listen. If I’m overly interested in speaking my mind, it’s a warning signal to sit back and to hear what everyone else on the board has to say, and to be intuitive about the people who aren’t speaking.

The Seven Intentions® gave me a path and the tools that I’m using now. During an exercise about values (Know Thyself, Be Thyself), I had an insight on the importance of speaking the whole truth all the time. I’ve held to it and it’s changed the dynamics of what’s happening with the board members. Instead of glossing things over, making them seem better than they are, I’ve been able to tell the rocky truth and deal with the consequences.

During the program we explored our values and honed them down to five things that were personal to each one of us. One of my values is courage, which also goes along with honesty. I use this in my hospice patient work all the time. I often go into situations that are uncomfortable and, even though my heart is pounding, I can always walk through the door.

I think entrepreneurs have a problem reaching out and asking for help. We tend to think that we can do it all, that bringing someone else in takes a little of our power away. The Seven Intentions® has a real focus on these issues. It was also valuable to see how Tom Chappell has been able to make his company work and how he is able to let pieces of it go. If he can do that, I can do that.

The Seven Intentions® permits me to focus on the things that are the most important in my life right now. It has given me the tools to use and to rely on, going forward.