It's not often a book comes across my desk that I rave about. I'm frequently recommending good books because there actually is a lot of good stuff (old and new) out there that supports constructive personal and professional growth, leadership, team effectiveness and awareness: e.g. The Silent Pulse (George Leonard), Coming To Our Senses (Jon Kabat-zinn), The Leadership Challenge (Kouzes & Posner); and past stalwarts like In Search of the Warrior Spirit (Richard Strozzi-Heckler) and Mastery (again ... George Leonard), plus some that get you thinking with an aesthetic touch - Zen Guitar (Philip Sudo) and Illusions (Richard Bach ... remember him?). To recommend is common. To rave is rare.
Not to take anything from the above-mentioned authors and their listed works, here’s a rave about Deep Survival: Who Lives, Who Dies, and Why (Laurence Gonzales). You must, should, ought to get this book. In a recent email to selected clients I advised them "if you don't own it, buy it; if you own it, read it; if you've read it, read it again ... and then recommend it to others."
Background. Last month Chuck Root, Managing Director of Double-Eagle Financial, attended the Allied Ronin Summer Retreat and gave all attendees a copy as a gift. A few days later on a flight to Phoenix I cracked open my copy. Last week I finished it. No, it's not a difficult read; that's not what took the time. In fact, it hits straight and hard and is well researched and documented, combining philosophy with current understanding of brain functioning, and it’s a fun and quick read. I just really wanted to absorb and take it in what was there, make margin notes, highlight and cross reference to other readings and life experiences ... and jam as many personal scribbles inside the front cover as possible.
While reading I recalled that a friend and classmate from the Academy recently told me he was reading it too. He's not a "touchy-feely" kind of guy. Rather, he's an avowed get-to-the-point-make-a-profit-run-it-hard-turn-and-burn businessman. But he has depth of spirit, a sense of feeling and a great heart and he firmly believes in people - particularly his family, friends, clients and those who work for him. He knows compassion and empathy to his bones – I know this because I know some of his history. So his endorsement made my reading even more poignant.
Here's my endorsement. I've just finished reading Deep Survival and today I am starting to read it again. That’s right, front cover to back cover – every word. This time even more slowly. It's that good. The messages and research are that important. Here are three reasons (though there are more) why I’m recommending you do the same.
Number 1. The lessons from my own could-have-been-a-near-death event of January 1997. While taking a leisurely walk on Capitola Beach (Santa Cruz, CA) with my friend John Gallagher I had a serious accident. This was walk for which I was ill-prepared and throughout which (until the moment of the accident) I disregarded my internal voice which was saying quite loudly, "What are you doing hiking over these slime covered boulders wearing smooth soled shoes and dress jacket? Sure it's beautiful out here ... but right now you are in the wrong place with the wrong equipment!" About 30 minutes into the walk in a very remote section I fell off a large rock and severely severed my left femur - a complete split 10" in length starting at the ball joint and spiraling down the shaft.
My first reaction were words of denial, "Uh, John, I think I've dislocated my hip." In fact, I had heard the bone snap ... and so had John. That denial plus the events that happened between that moment and the next morning’s surgery is another story for a different, though related chapter. But for this newsletter and this book review/endorsement let's just say that the accident gave rise to two months of rehab during which I questioned a lot of what my life was about and what I felt was important. My days of reflection informed me that if I could just communicate a singularly important message regarding the need to BE HERE NOW then this could be one of the greatest services I might provide others - individuals, businesses, students, teachers – in my life.
Archimedes said, "Give me a place to stand with a lever and I will move the whole world." Question: What determines the effectiveness of a lever? Answer: The focal point. To Be Here Now is, in my opinion, the focal point for many of life’s levers. Laurence Gonzales hits the need to BE HERE NOW over and over again in Deep Survival. Yes, he uses those exact words. From jet jockeys to mountain climber to corporate executives to snow mobile experts to river rafters to moms and dads, to artists ... it doesn't matter the profession, occupation or avocation … BE HERE NOW is THE KEY.
I have a sign taped to the wall at home ... a saying I came up with recently: "The NOW has NO COMPARISON." The message: each time you try to compare what is happening in the now to something else you in fact miss the moment that is now. As a result you lose ground. You move out-of-touch with reality. You are most likely trapped by the past and, sadly, you probably don’t know it. You are not living! You are reacting. I suggest that comparing the now to something else is a wide spread phenomena and habit; and that it’s become normal and is the cause for why we humans tend to repeat so much of our past – especially the parts of the past that we swear we don’t want anymore.
On a flight last month from London to Los Angeles I watched a documentary about the nomadic sea gypsies living in the waters off Thailand. Of interest to documentarian was how these people are so in touch with the natural world around them (i.e. being here now) that they were able to sense the massive tsunami of December 26, 2004, as it was happening and take actions that allowed an inordinate number of them to survive when compared with other people of the region who perished. Researching these survivors the film maker interviewed an expert on their culture and found that these nomads have no word, no language construct, no concept for what we call “yesterday” or “tomorrow”. Ask one of these people, “How old are you?”, and they look at you like you are from Mars. “What are you talking about?” they would ask, because they have no concept called “age”. They sometime spend years (that’s our measurement) not seeing other family members and then decide to paddle over by for a visit. They have no “hello” or “goodbye” in their language. As a result when these family gatherings come about they do so without the extreme emotions present in most other cultures. It’s as if they went next door for a moment (our calendar might measure that moment as being 1825 days) and then came right back over. No big deal, they live in the now. The documentary ended with an equally profound observation about another word missing from their vocabulary. While they do have a natural sense of fear, they have no concept of, nor word for worry. Interesting!
Benjamin Disraeli once said, “Everyday, man crucifies himself between two thieves: the regrets of yesterday, and the fears of tomorrow.” Think about it. How much of what you want or once had (or you had the opportunity to have had) has been robbed from you by your regrets of yesterday and your worries about the future? I suggest that our culture, our society, individually and collectively, lives in regret and worry to an extreme. For evidence: take a good look at a newspaper; OR watch a popular TV sitcom or drama; OR listen five minutes of network radio news; OR watch a commercial; or listen to today’s political rhetoric. Then ask yourself, “was regret or worry used in what I just saw, read or heard?”
Number 2. Historical perspectives. Reportedly Charles Duell, head of the U.S. Patent Office in the late 1800’s was once quoted as saying, “Everything that can be invented, has been invented.” If he did say this … then was he ever wrong. I’ve often thought it would be great if we could exhume his body, load it onto the space shuttle, put an iPod on his chest and outfit him with earbuds, leave a copy of USA Today addressing the development cruise missile weaponry that uses scramjets to reach speeds on the order of 16,000 mph, leave a laptop computer on a table with instructions how to download and use Google-Earth®, put a blender and a microwave on the floor just for fun with instructions on how to make smoothies and bake a potato in a couple of minute. And then, wake him up and watch him freak out. Everything that can be invented … hasn’t. We (today) live in a reality that someone (past) would call impossible. BUT if we think in terms of the imagination, perhaps Duell had it right, assuming he actually said those words. Everything that can be invented lives in the imagination (Einstein believed this) … and therefore has already been invented at some level. Sound far-fetched? Read Steven Hawking’s work A Brief History of Time – another highly recommended book.
What’s this all got to do with Laurence Gonzales and Deep Survival? It has to do with our perceptions of reality and how we act upon perspectives with (or without) cognitive awareness. Gonzales asserts that people (including you and I) are run daily by our emotional/physical bodies and we don’t know it. We need to enhance our cognitive abilities.
Deep Survival builds upon itself. I recommend you start at the beginning and read progressively forward. Sure you can skip around if you want, but the author (a contributing editor for National Geographic Adventure magazine and winner of numerous awards) is a serious student of life and a professional. He writes what he does, in the order that he does, for a purpose. Don’t miss this!!! That being said, if you were to skip forward to page 31 would find the following, “The oldest medical and philosophical model, going back to the Greeks, was of a unified organism (here he’s speaking of the human being) in which mind was part of and integral to the body. Plato, on the other hand, thought of mind and body as separate, with the soul going on after death. Aristotle brought them back together again. But it seems that people have been struggling with the spit for a very long time, indeed, probably because they innately feel as if they have minds that are somehow distinct from their bodies.”
As you continue to read you will find soundly researched and scientifically based arguments for the notion of one-ness … within individuals, between systems, across borders, etc.; indeed a connectedness (if you will) that has been proposed by some of the greatest thinkers and researchers old and new, e.g. Carl Jung and Meg Wheatley. Gonzales’ selected bibliography lists in excess of eighty well-accepted texts and authors, none of them lightweight or “fu-fu” or “woo-woo”. His homework runs from Marcus Aurelius (Meditations) to Maurice and Maralyn Bailey (117 Days Adrift) to Clausewitz (On Strategy: Inspiration and Insight from a Master Strategist) to Epictetus (Enchiridion) to Jim Collins (Good to Great) to R.F. Haines (A Breakdown in Simultaneous Information Processing) to Paul Fussell (Wartime: Understanding and Behavior in the Second World War) to Daniel Goleman (Primal Leadership: Realizing the Power of Emotional Intelligence) to Tao-tzu (Tao Te Ching) to Al Siebert (The Survivor Personality) to Shane O’Mara (Spatially Selective Firing Properties of Hippocampal Formation Neurons in Rodents and Primates) to J. O’Keefe and L. Nadel (The Hippocampus as a Cognitive Map) to R. M. Yerkes and J. B. Dodson (“The Relation of Strength to Stimulus to Rapidity of Habit-Formation,” Journal of Comparative Neurology and Psychology) … and on and on.
Number 3. This book relates to every aspect of daily life. When Chuck Root passed out copies last month my first impression was this would be a series of vignettes about mountain climbers and thrill seekers. I was wrong. I literally judged a book by its cover. Something many of us do with people and organizations and companies and philosophies. We judge by what we first observe (their covers) … then we shove our thinking into a box called the past … and it gets us into trouble.
Gonzales takes us through current research and understanding of brain chemistry and functioning. From this you will get a clear and basic knowledge of what each of us walks with every day that impacts our every moment whether you or not you want to believe it … the amygdala, functioning of the left and right brain hemispheres, pattern-recognition, nerve synapses, the hippocampus, etc. These are at work, even without our understanding or awareness; yes, even in this moment as you now read these words. They are at work right now, and will affect you today as you study for a test (if you are a student); or ask a girl or guy out on a date or you are wanting to break up or (if you are “looking around” or doing the opposite); or take your kids to school or change a diaper (if you are a parent); or go surfing or skinny dipping or water skiing or swimming (if you are on vacation); or run into a burning building or a forest fire or a bar fight or a domestic dispute (if you are a fireman or police officer); or buy or sell stocks or bonds or real estate (if you have money to invest or otherwise “play with”) … in short, no matter what you are up to today.
My own reflection. I found Deep Survival giving me a clearer understanding of myself, particularly in relationships – what I seek and avoid and why, what I am attracted to, what I’m blind to, what I am averse to, what I rush towards against all better judgment, what I attend to and (alas) what I disregard or want to pretend just isn’t so. Deep Survival also allowed me to better understand patterns of attitude and action that exist outside of myself, i.e. in other people, most importantly in those people I am or have been very close to or intimate with, and how I can make sense of these patterns. I found my first reading to be, in a word, unsettling. This is good, because being unsettled allows me (perhaps you too?) the opportunity to look anew and take fresh courses of action.
Deep Survival now becomes a highly suggested book for my friends and loved ones, and of course for those who have been and will be touched by the work of Allied Ronin. Get it. Read it. Take notes. Dog-ear it. Think about it … and then think about it some more. Read it again. Recommend it to others. And if you will --- Take Bold, Yet Mindful Action!
Tuesday, September 11, 2007
Thursday, August 23, 2007
Blogging from Poland
Two days visiting Warsaw prior to heading off to CentrumKongresowo-Szkoleniose Magellan in Wolborz, Poland http://www.hotelmagellan.pl/- the forest hotel venue where on Wednesday we (Pawel Olesiak, Pawel Bernas and I) lead the Samurai Game for Pierre Fabre Medicament(pharmaceutical) company.
Monday I decided to really walk the city - Warsaw - to rid the jet lag(which, by the way, this trip didn't work). Out the door at 10am and on and on and on for 4 and 1/2 hours into and throughout Centrum Warsaw.
Ninety-four percent of the city was totally flattened in Sept '44 by German forces while Stalin's armies stood across the Vistula River and watched 200,000 die in a 62 day assault on the city. Who was is that said war is an extension of politics? I don't remember, but I do remember that the great war in Europe which began in 1939 did so as Germany and the Soviets made a political pact to carve up Poland for their own mutual benefit. Here, in this city, five years later their war machines came face to face. One watched while the other wipe out the city. "Politics," Dr. Jeff McCausland (CBS Radio) reminds us, "is often a matter of kicking a can down the street for the next guy to deal with." Russian and Germany kicked the can down a street, and left nothing much for anyone else. Russia ultimately got the can ...well at least until seventeen years ago when the Polish people rose up and took it back ... which history shows is exactly what the Polish people have always done, i.e. taken their country (the can) back from all invaders. From an outsiders view, they've been doing very well since. Sure there are problems; what nation doesn't have problems. But here this country appears to be growing and very vibrant. Strikingly a head of Slovakia and Hungary.
There's literally nothing left of old (like 400 years ago) Warsaw.But, the rebuild is impressive, with a definite flair of Dutch influence mixed in. Why the Dutch, I thought? Don't know, but given what I've seen elsewhere in Poland, Holland's thumbprint is very much part of this country's lineage.
Inside Warsaw ... tucked away here and there ... you'll find half a brick building or half a wall. Testaments to a past of just 63 years ago reminding the youth that what once was done (rather undone) can happen again. But, are the young people listening? Do they care?
In June during my first visit to Warsaw a man in his early forties spoke to me about the problem facing his country today: the youth have no comprehension of what it was like even 17 years ago. His story(which he lived as a teenager): "Back then there were lines to get bread; buying chocolate was out of the question; having to wait months to purchase a refrigerator was common, and after the wait father and mother settled for whatever became available and were grateful. Kids today have no idea. They don't know. They've heard about it. But it's so un-real to what you see. It's as if it never happened. It certainly didn't happen to them. They don't believe it could happen again. But it can."
This week as I walked around I'd have to agree. I thought if such a story were to be suggested to an outsider walking with me the listener may reply, "Impossible ... here?" There is not much un-modern,un-appointed, un-fashionable, un-drivable, un-electrified, un-marketable or un-marketed, un-advertised, un-sexy, un-anything around. As I was leaving on this trip I told someone I was headed for Warsaw and their response was , "Well you'll see a lot of old Soviet style buildings."Hmmmmmm ... not really.
I walked the tunnels under the streets ... how you get across big streets in Warsaw ... and what did I see? Shops. Everywhere. What can you buy? What do you want ... that's what you can buy ... and it's pretty good quality, too.
On Tuesday my partners, Pawel Olesiak and Pawel Bernas, took me by car on a tour for "something special" before leaving for the countryside for the Pierre Fabre conference. The something special was WinalowPalace. Built in the mid 1600's it became the home to Poland monarch's. How it survived the onslaught of Warsaw I don't know but it did. Today's it's interior walls are covered with fine oil paintings,mostly portraits. Hundreds ... maybe thousands of paintings. The upper reaches of the palace are noticeably low ceilinged. The doors were made for short people. The floors are oak planks. It is aone-of-a-kind treasure. Too bad we only had an hour. To view for yourself go to http://www.wilanow-palac.art.pl/ then click on the British Flag in the upper right hand corner of that website (unless you want to wade through the Polish version). Quite detailed.
I have to say, though, that it was on the way off the palace grounds that I had one of my two most moving moments of this whole week. Therein midst the manicured gardens of Winalow, just having left the old palace. Looking down the path could see a woman standing. On a bench was a man sitting, hunched over. She singing. He playing an accordian. Two gypsies making music and ... making money. I was a ways off and didn't want to disturb them or somehow dishonor them, but wanted their picture. See attached.
My second most moving moment? Two hours later. Driving down the highway. Flat, green Polish countryside. Corn stalks. Forests. Blue sky. Hugh white clouds. Off in the distance black thunderheads and lightning. Two story brick and stone farm houses skattered across fields. A guy leading two cows by rope. A couple of young women pushing bikes up a path. And as we're zipping down the road ... there next to the road ... sitting on a wood bench ... her back flat,straight against the brick and stone side of what must be her home ...boots on her feet ... long dress to her ankles ... a sweater ... a scarf covering her head ... sits a woman, maybe in her 80's. And I wonder, "What has she seen?"
I couldn't get to my camera fast enough. But I'll never lose the picture.
Thursday, August 09, 2007
Blogging from China
Wenzhou – August 4, 2007
This is China.
Yes, so are the other cities I’ve been to over the past few months –
Beijing, Shanghai, Haining, etc. … but this IS China. Large, urban
constantly moving, not “getting ready for the Olympics”, gritty city
China. Right now the sun is a large hot smog-screened ball burning
through the haze scorching the skin. I don’t know it, the scorch, but I
feel it.
WHAT DO I NOTICE? The grit and grime. In the air. On the sidewalks. On
my skin. On the cars. On the bicycles.
What do I notice? The traffic flow, sometimes dangerously making no
sense – like other things in life – slipping past itself scarcely
missing death and injury in a disorderly form of order. The people get
by … don’t we all.
What do I notice? Along side the street where I walk adjacent to the
outdoor fruit market the stench of rot, yet the fruit is OK, it’s
edible, it’s nutritious. I guess the smell is yesterday’s discards or
juices mixed in with the dirt and the spit and the wash water left by
those who want to keep things clean.
What do I notice? The young woman riding past me on her bike who turns
and stares at me (the white guy in cargo shorts), and laughs and grins
and keeps looking like I’m from some of alien … and, of course, I am.
What do I notice? The puppy, maybe less than a week old still in its
world of wobbliness. The one year old kid sitting in diapers on the
sidewalk playing with a bowl full of small bolts and screws ( I
remember doing the same thing when I was a boy at grandma’s house –
‘cept I wasn’t that young). The city roadside shop keeper, legs propped
on a chair … no one else in the shop.
What do I notice? Old men and women … maybe not as old as they look ..
walking underneath the freeway (I don’t think it’s called “freeway”
here) scavenging wood into pots and bowls, and I wonder what will
become of the wood … and what will become of them – probably the same
thing.
What do I notice? A man peddling a three wheeled awning covered taxi
cab (they’re everywhere) and placing his right foot on a break attached
to the frame above the front tire. The motor scooters. I saw a Harley
Davidson!
What do I notice? Lexus, Buick, Audi, Volkswagen, Toyota, Nissan,
Honda. (Some of this is really curious given the anti-Japanese
sentiment here. Kind of like, “I hate you, but I’ll drive your car.
Thank you very much.”)
What do I notice? People love it if you smile at them… well most people
do. One guy looked at me like I was just plain stupid.
What do I notice? The trees and grasses are green. The buildings and
streets are brown. There are no clouds, but I can’t see the sun right
now. Funny it was here a while ago … but not the sky… it’s gone …
haven’t seen blue up there at all. It’s either gray or grayer.
What do I notice? The fumes of diesel, tobacco, coal, gasoline and who
knows what else.
What do I notice? People – walking, biking, working, physically active
everywhere. They’re all thin – regardless of age – well most are. Oh
sure there’s a fat one now and then. But over ninety percent (my guess)
are in surprisingly good shape. Hmmm.
What do I notice? I haven’t seen a 24-Hour Fitness Gym anywhere.
I begin to think – these are hearty people. And then I think that maybe
a hostile environment makes for being in-shape. If they had to they
could take care of themselves … because they already are. They seem to
move in peace, but don’t (screw) with them.
Then I think .. there are signs … billboards … now and then advertising
the military.
Then I think of my country where similar signs exist – in magazines and
on TV (I guess, because I don’t watch TV at home). And I think “citizen
soldier”.
And I think … I remember … an “ism” from my days when I was in the Army
and was instructed that the regular army was meant to be a ready force
that would exist to absorb the initial shock of war (in other words
“die”) so as to give time for the average citizens time to gear up and
sustain the fight themselves.
And I think, “That’s alive here.”
And then I think, “That’s not alive back home.”
Hmmm.
These people live in peace. Lots of ‘em. Getting around each other and
all the (stuff) that’s around – iron bars, scraps of paper, bricks and
concrete blocks, a pan of water I see some guy washing his shirt in.
The people are constantly moving through and around each other. I don’t
see anyone running into anyone and I haven’t seen an angry person yet.
Maybe somebody is and I haven’t noticed ‘cuz I’m just too overwhelmed
looking at all this stuff, I don’t know, I just haven’t seen one
though. But then again – they’re all kind of straight faced people and
who knows what anyone’s really feeling anyway. Feelings change all the
time. I’m sure that there’s crime, problems and all that here … it’s
planet Earth for God’s sake (yep God’s here too … maybe no religion
here … but that doesn’t mean the people don’t believe in prayer or a
Higher Power … don’t you bet on it … the woman I sat across from last
night sure looked like she was saying a blessing over her food). Yet
even though they seem to live in peace, I get the sense that … they
could be ready for … anything. And … they could probably handle it. No
questions asked.
August 6 ... following up. I saw the blue sky yesterday and mountains
and a river about three miles away that I didn't know were there. And
last night I saw something spectacularly strange. A star! Actually, it
was a planet - probably Saturn ... I guess that's the brightest one up
there right now, and the ONLY "star" in the China sky. Thinking back
from here to Shanghai to Jinan to Shenzhen and Beijing a bunch of other
place ... I guess ... yep, that's right ... it's the first "star" in
the China sky in that I've seen in probalby two years. Hostile
environment, but at least I'm having a good time star gazing.
After "star gazing" I went to a tea house ... taken there by two of the
students from the Samurai (Warrior) Game ... both are business owners.
Wenzhou is a business/manufacturing center in China. The tea house was
a magnificent and quiet place (and very un-Chinese) filled with
valuable artifacts from all over Tibet --- all for sale, and some
priced as high as US$12,000. Place is owned by a woman and a guy -
he's a devout Buddhist. See comment above about "Higher Power".
We talked about peace.
I see what I get to see, when I get to see it ... and enjoyed the
moment.
An interesting trip. Too bad it had to end so soon.
This is China.
Yes, so are the other cities I’ve been to over the past few months –
Beijing, Shanghai, Haining, etc. … but this IS China. Large, urban
constantly moving, not “getting ready for the Olympics”, gritty city
China. Right now the sun is a large hot smog-screened ball burning
through the haze scorching the skin. I don’t know it, the scorch, but I
feel it.
WHAT DO I NOTICE? The grit and grime. In the air. On the sidewalks. On
my skin. On the cars. On the bicycles.
What do I notice? The traffic flow, sometimes dangerously making no
sense – like other things in life – slipping past itself scarcely
missing death and injury in a disorderly form of order. The people get
by … don’t we all.
What do I notice? Along side the street where I walk adjacent to the
outdoor fruit market the stench of rot, yet the fruit is OK, it’s
edible, it’s nutritious. I guess the smell is yesterday’s discards or
juices mixed in with the dirt and the spit and the wash water left by
those who want to keep things clean.
What do I notice? The young woman riding past me on her bike who turns
and stares at me (the white guy in cargo shorts), and laughs and grins
and keeps looking like I’m from some of alien … and, of course, I am.
What do I notice? The puppy, maybe less than a week old still in its
world of wobbliness. The one year old kid sitting in diapers on the
sidewalk playing with a bowl full of small bolts and screws ( I
remember doing the same thing when I was a boy at grandma’s house –
‘cept I wasn’t that young). The city roadside shop keeper, legs propped
on a chair … no one else in the shop.
What do I notice? Old men and women … maybe not as old as they look ..
walking underneath the freeway (I don’t think it’s called “freeway”
here) scavenging wood into pots and bowls, and I wonder what will
become of the wood … and what will become of them – probably the same
thing.
What do I notice? A man peddling a three wheeled awning covered taxi
cab (they’re everywhere) and placing his right foot on a break attached
to the frame above the front tire. The motor scooters. I saw a Harley
Davidson!
What do I notice? Lexus, Buick, Audi, Volkswagen, Toyota, Nissan,
Honda. (Some of this is really curious given the anti-Japanese
sentiment here. Kind of like, “I hate you, but I’ll drive your car.
Thank you very much.”)
What do I notice? People love it if you smile at them… well most people
do. One guy looked at me like I was just plain stupid.
What do I notice? The trees and grasses are green. The buildings and
streets are brown. There are no clouds, but I can’t see the sun right
now. Funny it was here a while ago … but not the sky… it’s gone …
haven’t seen blue up there at all. It’s either gray or grayer.
What do I notice? The fumes of diesel, tobacco, coal, gasoline and who
knows what else.
What do I notice? People – walking, biking, working, physically active
everywhere. They’re all thin – regardless of age – well most are. Oh
sure there’s a fat one now and then. But over ninety percent (my guess)
are in surprisingly good shape. Hmmm.
What do I notice? I haven’t seen a 24-Hour Fitness Gym anywhere.
I begin to think – these are hearty people. And then I think that maybe
a hostile environment makes for being in-shape. If they had to they
could take care of themselves … because they already are. They seem to
move in peace, but don’t (screw) with them.
Then I think .. there are signs … billboards … now and then advertising
the military.
Then I think of my country where similar signs exist – in magazines and
on TV (I guess, because I don’t watch TV at home). And I think “citizen
soldier”.
And I think … I remember … an “ism” from my days when I was in the Army
and was instructed that the regular army was meant to be a ready force
that would exist to absorb the initial shock of war (in other words
“die”) so as to give time for the average citizens time to gear up and
sustain the fight themselves.
And I think, “That’s alive here.”
And then I think, “That’s not alive back home.”
Hmmm.
These people live in peace. Lots of ‘em. Getting around each other and
all the (stuff) that’s around – iron bars, scraps of paper, bricks and
concrete blocks, a pan of water I see some guy washing his shirt in.
The people are constantly moving through and around each other. I don’t
see anyone running into anyone and I haven’t seen an angry person yet.
Maybe somebody is and I haven’t noticed ‘cuz I’m just too overwhelmed
looking at all this stuff, I don’t know, I just haven’t seen one
though. But then again – they’re all kind of straight faced people and
who knows what anyone’s really feeling anyway. Feelings change all the
time. I’m sure that there’s crime, problems and all that here … it’s
planet Earth for God’s sake (yep God’s here too … maybe no religion
here … but that doesn’t mean the people don’t believe in prayer or a
Higher Power … don’t you bet on it … the woman I sat across from last
night sure looked like she was saying a blessing over her food). Yet
even though they seem to live in peace, I get the sense that … they
could be ready for … anything. And … they could probably handle it. No
questions asked.
August 6 ... following up. I saw the blue sky yesterday and mountains
and a river about three miles away that I didn't know were there. And
last night I saw something spectacularly strange. A star! Actually, it
was a planet - probably Saturn ... I guess that's the brightest one up
there right now, and the ONLY "star" in the China sky. Thinking back
from here to Shanghai to Jinan to Shenzhen and Beijing a bunch of other
place ... I guess ... yep, that's right ... it's the first "star" in
the China sky in that I've seen in probalby two years. Hostile
environment, but at least I'm having a good time star gazing.
After "star gazing" I went to a tea house ... taken there by two of the
students from the Samurai (Warrior) Game ... both are business owners.
Wenzhou is a business/manufacturing center in China. The tea house was
a magnificent and quiet place (and very un-Chinese) filled with
valuable artifacts from all over Tibet --- all for sale, and some
priced as high as US$12,000. Place is owned by a woman and a guy -
he's a devout Buddhist. See comment above about "Higher Power".
We talked about peace.
I see what I get to see, when I get to see it ... and enjoyed the
moment.
An interesting trip. Too bad it had to end so soon.
Saturday, August 04, 2007
RANDORI … WHAT IS THIS? YOU’VE BEEN THERE BEFORE, AND YOU WILL BE THERE AGAIN.
In early July I was invited to present two very experiential programs for The Leadership Group (TLG) Santa Barbara. Then on July 14th – 18th I had the great pleasure to host the sixth Allied Ronin Leaders’ Retreat. Both TLG presentations and the Leaders’ Retreat at times featured exercises influenced by the martial art of aikido. Attendees at both – many of them CEO’s, business owners or senior executives - received a brief article attending to pressures faced in a world where technology is increasing at an almost exponential rate, while the opportunity to slow down and live a balanced daily life seems to slip away if not diligently. In an effort to serve you that article is reproduced for this month’s e-newsletter. Consider the fact that in some fashion you are proficient at something enough to be ready for big-time challenges – signifying sincere and rigorous practice in your art, craft, skill or ability. In a sense you are ready for black belt level testing. If that is the case they you will face something know as Randori. What is this? Let’s look through the lens of aikido … and then you make the translation.
Our article begins with a series of thoughts from the man who created the art of aikido. Then we glimpse three simple principles foundational to all the techniques of that art (and perhaps foundational to skills that are important to you). Next you imagine being on a mat in a learning situation and facing “your test” – and you translate that scene into the real “mat” and daily “learning opportunities” that make up your life. And finally we take note four key principles from David Baum, Ph.D. and Jim Hassinger as presented in their book, The Randori Principles.
First – Thoughts from Morihei Ueshiba, Founder of Aikido
“The Way of a Warrior cannot be encompassed by words or in letters – grasp the essence…. Instructors can impart only a fraction of the teaching. It is through your own devoted practice that the mysteries of the Art are brought to life. The techniques of the Way… change constantly; every encounter is unique, and the appropriate response should emerge naturally. Today’s techniques will be different tomorrow. Do not get caught up with the form and appearance of a challenge. Fiddling with this and that technique is of no avail. Simply act decisively without reserve. The Art … has no form – it is the study of the spirit. In your training, do not be in a hurry, for it takes ten years to master the basics and advance to the first rung. Never think of yourself as an all-knowing, perfected master, you must continue to train daily with your friends and students and progress together in the Art…. ”
Second – Three foundational principles to all techniques in this martial art (with some translation for you to consider)
• Aiki – blend with your opponent (listen, understand and move with what you encounter)
• Kuzushi – break your opponent’s balance (speak and act in the appropriate moment)
• Shisei – retain upright posture (maintain integrity)
Third – Your Test … and Your Randori – As you read … you translate this supposed situation into the real tests, grabs and hits of your daily life.
Imagine - you have been training ten years. It is time for the test – black belt. You are alone on a mat in a room (soon to become hot) surrounded by thirty potential opponents, some you know, others you may not. For the next hour of your life you will have to respond immediately to your test director (teacher – sensei). A series of foreign words with which you should be familiar will be called rapid fire - a language for action learned through the body in response to a series of strikes and grabs aimed at your head, your face, your throat, your temple, your chest, your shoulder, your wrist, your stomach, your back, your knee … in short, where ever and whenever and for as long as the teacher decides whether or not you have learned what is expected of you. Your peers, your seniors and your juniors will all be watching.
The attacks will come - open hand blade and closed fist strikes, single hand and two hand grabs, perhaps kicks, plus attacks by weapons - tanto (training knives), bokken (wooden swords) and jo (wooden staffs). Sometimes your opponents will be allowed to stand and rush you from above while you remain kneeling. Sometimes they will stand behind you with a knife to your throat or against the back of your neck. You will have to move and disarm them in ways that if the knife were real you would not be cut, and somehow the knife would end up in your hand. Through a blend of your action with the energy of their aggression, and finding the risks reversed, your attackers will submit and yield … provided you give them no room to re-engage.
During five preceding tests over the past decade your opponents gave you some “slack”, appropriate for those stages of your development. But at this level they will seek and will take every opportunity given them to keep coming at you and increase the pressure. Your pins must be true or you will falter. Your throws must work, or your opponents will not fall; they will turn on you and be in your face, they will take your center and you will be upended.
At times the test sensei will direct the opponents to deliver particular attacks. At times permission will be given for jiuwaza (free form) and an opponent (you won’t know who until it happens) will attack anyway he or she wants and will change the attack forms at whim, coming again and again and again, as fast or slow, direct or sneaky, until they are called off.
Throughout the test you must continue – like it or not. If you are granted a rest, it won’t last longer than fifteen seconds … and getting more than one respite probably won’t happen. However, your opponents will be continually rotated on and off the mat. In this way they will remain fresh and relaxed, being always prepared fully able to move against you. You won’t know in what order they will be called. You must be ready … all the time. Is this randori? No, not yet. Randori happens at the worst possible time … at the end of the test.
It has been fifty-some minutes. You are tired. The test sensei directs you to sit seiza (on your knees, your butt resting on your heels) in the center of mat. He picks three or four opponents to similarly sit around you, each about fifteen feet away. He waits and then with his hand … he strikes the mat. The attackers simultaneously stand and rush you. This is randori. What do you do? Who knows, but you’d better do it. The time for figuring out what to do no longer exists: no time for scheming or making excuses; no one is going to let up, no one and nothing is going to rescue you, and if you don’t empty your mind of everything except for the fact that you are right here right now, you will be in trouble. Everything about you – your body, your thoughts, your emotions - must surrender into the notion of flexibility. You have to move yourself again and again and again without predictability or pattern, and you must live AIKI, KUZUSHI, SHISEI. As this occurs those who attack will hopefully miss or glance off you, falling to the mat or stumbling into each other as they attempt to grab and/or strike your side, your arms, front and back, in a line or from different angles, alone or in pairs. But know this: however it unfolds and for as long as it unfolds, your attackers will rise again. They will not give up. What the sensei is waiting for – looking for - is a moment when surrounded you are caught, with all attackers pressing in on you, because in that moment something crucial must happen. You must give up what you think will work to free yourself, and yet continue moving. You have to remain present, no matter how fatigued, you have to relax and blend, and you have to enter into every minute opportunity presented by your attackers and your environment. You will not be able to “out do” your opponents to survive. Rather, you will have to meet the person inside yourself and come alive with him or her. The Japanese kanji for this is a union of dagger and heart, and it means “to persevere”. The Japanese word KiKi, meaning crisis, becomes a reality. KiKi - every crisis is composed of two things: (1) Danger/Risk; and (2) Opportunity.
When your randori is complete this test is over – but if you are growing there will most likely be other tests in your future. Randori – facing multiple attack, you (individual, team, organization) must put yourself in the right place, with the right action, at the right time, and with the right amount of power. For 3,650 days (give or take some) you were a beginner. If you pass the test you can wear a black belt and are now considered … a new student.
And Finally … The Four Randori Principles” (from David Baum’s & Jim Hassinger’s book “The Randori Principles”)
- FULL POWER PRESENCE - Leadership Worth Following (You must at all times practice and refine your ability to Be Here Now)
- TENKAN – Turning Resistance Into Collaboration (You must be willing to Turn and Look at every situation from new perspectives including from a perspective that is completely opposite to your current stand)
- IRIMI – The Single Sword Strike (You must be willing to Enter Into A Crisis – as would a fireman or a police officer or a mother lifting a car off of her trapped child)
- GET OFF THE MAT – The Skill of Disengagement (You must study human interaction … individual and group … and from that study increase your ability to Know What’s Too Much, What’s Too Little … and most importantly … When To Stop What You Have Been Doing)
Wednesday, July 11, 2007
July 11, 2007 – Santa Barbara.
Yesterday here was cloudy, cool and so very pleasant. It’s been thirty-five years since my last visit to this beautiful California bay city, surrounded by mountains. Then it was for a high school friend’s wedding, following our mutual college graduations June of ’72… he from UC SB and me from a, let us say “more structured place” (info on that school is found at www.usma.edu).
This week’s trip, though, was to assist The Leadership Group – currently serving CEO’s, COO’s, CFO’s and company owners in the Santa Barbara and Los Angeles area, though I doubt they limit their selection to people from only these areas. Two days were dedicated to two separate groups – one for senior managers, the other for company owners. Each day’s discussion began with the individuals checking in with each other regarding how their past month has unfolded re: personal and professional goals. Nice … accountability from the get-go. Then it was time for presentation – my offer. Topics presented were: Be Here Now, the Five Step Leadership Process, The Randori Principles (see Baum & Hassinger’s book by same name); and the fundamental concepts underpinning aikido, namely “aiki”, “kuzushi” and “shisei”. All of this was interactive and a lot of fun.
Participants were put into action pairs. They tugged and pushed on each other (quite literally), discussed meaningful issues about the challenges they now face, translated the exercises we did (all founded on aikido practices) into solutions – business and personal. It was very heartening to witness the willingness displayed by each person and the value they created for each other regarding issues that matter to them.
A big THANK YOU to Dan Waldman, CEO of Forester Communications (www.forester.net) . Dan and I were introduced to each other by Bob Dunham( www.enterpriseperform.com ) two years ago when I led a Samurai Game for Bob’s organization. Both have attended the Allied Ronin Leaders’ Retreat.
Should you or someone you know be interested in what The Leadership Group has to offer I highly suggest you contact Kim Johnson at 805-968-2344 or send email kim-j@mindspring.com . Even if you have to fly to Santa Barbara on a periodic basis to participate … from what I can see, it is well worth the effort, scheduling and financial costs to engage with such top-notch people.
This week’s trip, though, was to assist The Leadership Group – currently serving CEO’s, COO’s, CFO’s and company owners in the Santa Barbara and Los Angeles area, though I doubt they limit their selection to people from only these areas. Two days were dedicated to two separate groups – one for senior managers, the other for company owners. Each day’s discussion began with the individuals checking in with each other regarding how their past month has unfolded re: personal and professional goals. Nice … accountability from the get-go. Then it was time for presentation – my offer. Topics presented were: Be Here Now, the Five Step Leadership Process, The Randori Principles (see Baum & Hassinger’s book by same name); and the fundamental concepts underpinning aikido, namely “aiki”, “kuzushi” and “shisei”. All of this was interactive and a lot of fun.
Participants were put into action pairs. They tugged and pushed on each other (quite literally), discussed meaningful issues about the challenges they now face, translated the exercises we did (all founded on aikido practices) into solutions – business and personal. It was very heartening to witness the willingness displayed by each person and the value they created for each other regarding issues that matter to them.
A big THANK YOU to Dan Waldman, CEO of Forester Communications (www.forester.net) . Dan and I were introduced to each other by Bob Dunham( www.enterpriseperform.com ) two years ago when I led a Samurai Game for Bob’s organization. Both have attended the Allied Ronin Leaders’ Retreat.
Should you or someone you know be interested in what The Leadership Group has to offer I highly suggest you contact Kim Johnson at 805-968-2344 or send email kim-j@mindspring.com . Even if you have to fly to Santa Barbara on a periodic basis to participate … from what I can see, it is well worth the effort, scheduling and financial costs to engage with such top-notch people.
Monday, July 02, 2007
Taking Five Steps
© Lance Giroux, 2007
Working with organization all over the world on human effectiveness, especially with respect to topic of leadership, has afforded me opportunities to see how well organizational principles translate into those needed for healthy personal relationships in general, and for those we could have with our youth and children, in particular.
In his best selling book, The Fifth Discipline: The Art & Practice of the Learning Organization, Peter Senge says, “Organizations learn only through individuals who learn. Individual learning does not guarantee organizational learning. But without it no organizational learning occurs.” What more fundamental an organization could there be for the study, application and development of healthy human effectiveness than what we call family? My past thirty-two years observing human interaction, communication and miscommunication have shown me that many of our problems - business to geopolitics -are rooted by influences affecting the fundamental beliefs and behaviors established during one’s adolescent years. This observation is reflected by scholars and some well-know authors, e.g. M. Scott Peck and The Road Less Traveled. We can invent mobile telephones and HDTV’s; satellite navigation systems used by private pilots, soldiers, car rental companies, and large trucking fleets; and iPods more powerful than the largest computers available when I was a cadet at West Point in the early 1970’s. But when it comes right down to it, it’s people and what’s going on in their minds and hearts, that in the long run always matters and makes a difference. When a mechanical system fails, when the electricity goes out, when your car is out of gas, the train derails, when the computer crashes … who is going to take action? The answer is, and always has been, one human being willing to roll up his or her sleeves, take a risk and attract others to join in the effort.
In an effort to help organizations get things accomplished with excellence Stephen Covey points out in 7 Habits of Highly Effective People that we ought consider the distinction between what is important and what is urgent and orient our thoughts and actions toward the former. He argues that managers fall into traps of failure when between these two - importance and urgency – the lines have become blurred. One has a long-term orientation and the other is short-term in consequences and thus conveniently occupies (probably unfortunately) our daily living. We opt for the short-term bustle of the urgent, Covey asserts, rather than take on the taxing and more challenging task of attending to what should be important. Translated into a family situation – how much time do we truly communicate with our children and youth about what matters in our hearts and minds versus how much time do we spend telling them what to do or not to do next (at best) or telling them what we haven’t the time to talk about (at worst)?
In 1994 I developed a five-step method designed to assist organizational executives with the important challenge of developing leaders within organizations. These five steps were influenced by lessons I learned at West Point and then in the Army, and later in business. As I began to use these five steps I saw a need for exposing them to moms and dads and teachers – so that their lives could be more fruitful with kids. You know, the people who will eventually (probably more sooner than later) be parents and teachers themselves, and run organizations and states and nations.
Rule number one to applying this methodology, and perhaps the most important thing to remember from this reading today is: Be Here Now. This means, get present and stay present with what’s happening all around you and inside you moment to moment. Get conscious and tend to what your senses, emotions and intuition is informing you about. A current and excellent source for how to do this is the book Coming to Our Senses: Healing Ourselves and the World Through Mindfulness (Kabat-Zinn).
The five steps then are:
Recognize the individual strength or uniqueness of the persons you are attempting to develop. (This means you have to really pay attention to them.)
Encourage and inspire these persons to develop, practice and unleash their own (not your) strengths and uniqueness. (These words were carefully chosen.)
Give these people a sense of direction … but make absolutely certain that in doing this you and they are grounded in shared principles and values. (Direction not grounded in shared values leads to conflict and revolution.)
As often as possible, get out of their way as they go about developing their strengths, talents and uniqueness. (In other words … let them think, struggle, create and own their results!)
Learn sincerely from them. Apply what they can teach you to your daily living… and acknowledge them for having contributed to you. (The most motivational thing you can do.)
Think for a minute … what if we could use these five steps more often at home and in school? What if we truly saw our children for who they are and could be rather that what we think they should be? What if we allowed our children to be OK with their fears (encouragement) and if we could breath life into their world by healthy actions of our own (inspiration) and then made sincere efforts to repeat this kind of an allowance on daily basis (practice)? What if we showed our kids healthy options through our own actions rather than “do as I say … not as I do”… i.e. what if we walked our own talk? What if we allowed for failure (theirs and ours) and talked with them about it and the accountable and responsible learning that can grow from failure rather than press for the stiffness of perfectionism? What if the younger ones could through direct action see how their efforts inspire changes in our “adult” lives? How much of a contribution could we collectively make to future generations?
To paraphrase Peter Senge: Families and schools learn only through parents, children, teachers and students who learn. Individual learning does not guarantee that families will be healthy and schools will be good. But without individual learning, healthy families, schools and communities simply will not occur. Ours is a dynamic world … not a static vacuum.
Working with organization all over the world on human effectiveness, especially with respect to topic of leadership, has afforded me opportunities to see how well organizational principles translate into those needed for healthy personal relationships in general, and for those we could have with our youth and children, in particular.
In his best selling book, The Fifth Discipline: The Art & Practice of the Learning Organization, Peter Senge says, “Organizations learn only through individuals who learn. Individual learning does not guarantee organizational learning. But without it no organizational learning occurs.” What more fundamental an organization could there be for the study, application and development of healthy human effectiveness than what we call family? My past thirty-two years observing human interaction, communication and miscommunication have shown me that many of our problems - business to geopolitics -are rooted by influences affecting the fundamental beliefs and behaviors established during one’s adolescent years. This observation is reflected by scholars and some well-know authors, e.g. M. Scott Peck and The Road Less Traveled. We can invent mobile telephones and HDTV’s; satellite navigation systems used by private pilots, soldiers, car rental companies, and large trucking fleets; and iPods more powerful than the largest computers available when I was a cadet at West Point in the early 1970’s. But when it comes right down to it, it’s people and what’s going on in their minds and hearts, that in the long run always matters and makes a difference. When a mechanical system fails, when the electricity goes out, when your car is out of gas, the train derails, when the computer crashes … who is going to take action? The answer is, and always has been, one human being willing to roll up his or her sleeves, take a risk and attract others to join in the effort.
In an effort to help organizations get things accomplished with excellence Stephen Covey points out in 7 Habits of Highly Effective People that we ought consider the distinction between what is important and what is urgent and orient our thoughts and actions toward the former. He argues that managers fall into traps of failure when between these two - importance and urgency – the lines have become blurred. One has a long-term orientation and the other is short-term in consequences and thus conveniently occupies (probably unfortunately) our daily living. We opt for the short-term bustle of the urgent, Covey asserts, rather than take on the taxing and more challenging task of attending to what should be important. Translated into a family situation – how much time do we truly communicate with our children and youth about what matters in our hearts and minds versus how much time do we spend telling them what to do or not to do next (at best) or telling them what we haven’t the time to talk about (at worst)?
In 1994 I developed a five-step method designed to assist organizational executives with the important challenge of developing leaders within organizations. These five steps were influenced by lessons I learned at West Point and then in the Army, and later in business. As I began to use these five steps I saw a need for exposing them to moms and dads and teachers – so that their lives could be more fruitful with kids. You know, the people who will eventually (probably more sooner than later) be parents and teachers themselves, and run organizations and states and nations.
Rule number one to applying this methodology, and perhaps the most important thing to remember from this reading today is: Be Here Now. This means, get present and stay present with what’s happening all around you and inside you moment to moment. Get conscious and tend to what your senses, emotions and intuition is informing you about. A current and excellent source for how to do this is the book Coming to Our Senses: Healing Ourselves and the World Through Mindfulness (Kabat-Zinn).
The five steps then are:
Recognize the individual strength or uniqueness of the persons you are attempting to develop. (This means you have to really pay attention to them.)
Encourage and inspire these persons to develop, practice and unleash their own (not your) strengths and uniqueness. (These words were carefully chosen.)
Give these people a sense of direction … but make absolutely certain that in doing this you and they are grounded in shared principles and values. (Direction not grounded in shared values leads to conflict and revolution.)
As often as possible, get out of their way as they go about developing their strengths, talents and uniqueness. (In other words … let them think, struggle, create and own their results!)
Learn sincerely from them. Apply what they can teach you to your daily living… and acknowledge them for having contributed to you. (The most motivational thing you can do.)
Think for a minute … what if we could use these five steps more often at home and in school? What if we truly saw our children for who they are and could be rather that what we think they should be? What if we allowed our children to be OK with their fears (encouragement) and if we could breath life into their world by healthy actions of our own (inspiration) and then made sincere efforts to repeat this kind of an allowance on daily basis (practice)? What if we showed our kids healthy options through our own actions rather than “do as I say … not as I do”… i.e. what if we walked our own talk? What if we allowed for failure (theirs and ours) and talked with them about it and the accountable and responsible learning that can grow from failure rather than press for the stiffness of perfectionism? What if the younger ones could through direct action see how their efforts inspire changes in our “adult” lives? How much of a contribution could we collectively make to future generations?
To paraphrase Peter Senge: Families and schools learn only through parents, children, teachers and students who learn. Individual learning does not guarantee that families will be healthy and schools will be good. But without individual learning, healthy families, schools and communities simply will not occur. Ours is a dynamic world … not a static vacuum.
Monday, June 18, 2007
China – June 18, 2007
Here for the last week of a two week tour: Warsaw, Poland to Malibu, California to Beijing .. and finally expected home on June 14. In Poland had the great fortune to work again with Aiki-Management’s founders, Pawel Bernas and Pawle Olesiak, this time for a full-day program serving 140 members of the Roche Corporation. A very energetic group, I think they were beyond surprised at what they could accomplish in such a short time, though I wish we could have taken a full two days. The impact of being in Warsaw was surreal for me. This is a city many hundreds of years old, but everything visible dates from 63 years ago. Ninety-four percent of the city was completely flattened in September, 1944 during a 62-day long battle. Most if not all of the old-city’s generations were wiped out or fled and never returned. Though the King’s Square (central area) has been rebuilt to reflect the old (albeit with Dutch influence) the current inhabitants live in constant remembrance in an eerie and ultra modern way.
From Warsaw I arrive into Malibu on June 13th for the 2007 Organizational Behavior Teachers Conference, held this year at Pepperdine University with hundred sixty of the top leadership and organizational behavior professors and practitioners from the US and the world. What did I hear loud and clear? That theses teachers are concerned that unless things change, environmentally and politically – and rapidly so – that we are set for dire times. Where once only heard in small discussions around the dining room table at OBTC, this weeks’ voices sounding an alarm were quite loud and from the plenary floor. They see an overwhelming need for strong ethical leaders who will take on the hard problems for the long term rather than looking for quick fixes and fasts profits. And they see it throughout our nation – organizations large and small and including on their own campuses.
A side note: I purchased a copy of Bill George’s new book, “Finding True North.” Bill George is the former CEO of Medtronics and now a professor of management at the Harvard Business School. No he was not at this year’s OBTC (though Pepperdine was my first opportunity to see his book in print). He was at the Gallup Leadership Institute conference that Dr. Tim Peterson (Texas A&M) and I attended last year in Washington, D.C. I strongly suggest you buy Bill Georges’ book. I have yet to hear someone of his caliber so strongly state the need for servant leadership and public stewardship.
One of the good things about the OBTC is that the sessions are designed for attendees to take back to their classrooms and implement. And … I will … beginning with July at the sixth Allied Ronin Leaders’ Retreat.
From Malibu I arrived into Beijing yesterday. Here to serve one of three training organizations that has been using the Samurai Game®. I’ll be here five days and am just settling in. But, here’s today’s report. Visibility is three quarters of a mile … max. No it’s not overcast or fog. You can see the sun, in fact you can look directly at it today, staring for a long time no strain or pain to the eye. Smog. Heavy. Wet. Pungent. Skin tingling. Breath-cutting. Normal. Making a bad-day-in-LA look crystal clear. More later.
From Warsaw I arrive into Malibu on June 13th for the 2007 Organizational Behavior Teachers Conference, held this year at Pepperdine University with hundred sixty of the top leadership and organizational behavior professors and practitioners from the US and the world. What did I hear loud and clear? That theses teachers are concerned that unless things change, environmentally and politically – and rapidly so – that we are set for dire times. Where once only heard in small discussions around the dining room table at OBTC, this weeks’ voices sounding an alarm were quite loud and from the plenary floor. They see an overwhelming need for strong ethical leaders who will take on the hard problems for the long term rather than looking for quick fixes and fasts profits. And they see it throughout our nation – organizations large and small and including on their own campuses.
A side note: I purchased a copy of Bill George’s new book, “Finding True North.” Bill George is the former CEO of Medtronics and now a professor of management at the Harvard Business School. No he was not at this year’s OBTC (though Pepperdine was my first opportunity to see his book in print). He was at the Gallup Leadership Institute conference that Dr. Tim Peterson (Texas A&M) and I attended last year in Washington, D.C. I strongly suggest you buy Bill Georges’ book. I have yet to hear someone of his caliber so strongly state the need for servant leadership and public stewardship.
One of the good things about the OBTC is that the sessions are designed for attendees to take back to their classrooms and implement. And … I will … beginning with July at the sixth Allied Ronin Leaders’ Retreat.
From Malibu I arrived into Beijing yesterday. Here to serve one of three training organizations that has been using the Samurai Game®. I’ll be here five days and am just settling in. But, here’s today’s report. Visibility is three quarters of a mile … max. No it’s not overcast or fog. You can see the sun, in fact you can look directly at it today, staring for a long time no strain or pain to the eye. Smog. Heavy. Wet. Pungent. Skin tingling. Breath-cutting. Normal. Making a bad-day-in-LA look crystal clear. More later.
Friday, June 01, 2007
Coaches Conference and Awards Night - Beijing, China
At the invitation of Top Human Technologies, Ltd., Lance Giroux, Managing Director, Allied Ronin, will attend the Coaching and CSR Conference in Beijing, China on June 22. He has also been asked to be a presenter at the Fourth Professional Coaching Awards Night on June 23, also in Beijing. The China Coach Association, with the support of Global Finance Magazine, is hosting the events. Top Human Technology, Ltd. http://www.tophuman.com/ is the main sponsor. The Conference will be held at The Great Hall in Tiananmen Square and the Awards Night will take place at The Beijing Hotel.
The Awards Night will recognize outstanding persons who have achieved extensive improvements through coaching within their corporations. Over 1,000 corporate executives and corporate coaches are expected to attend from throughout China. For the past two years Lance has been assisting Top Human with trainer development and delivering experiential leadership programs for Top Human’s corporate clients, both involving the Samurai Game®, a creation of author George Leonard www.SamuraiGame.org.
The conference and awards evening will culminate a two week global tour for Giroux: beginning with Warsaw, Poland for a program that he will present hosted June 12th by Aiki-Management http://www.aiki-management.pl/ for the Roche Corporation; then to Malibu, California, where he will present on June 15th at the annual Organizational Behavior Teacher Conference http://www.obts.org/ hosted this year at Pepperdine University http://www.pepperdine.edu/; and then to Beijing to conduct a two day leadership program (June 20-21) for Top Human.
Visit http://www.chinacoach.org/beijing2007/Corporate_Social_1.html for more information about the Coaching and CSR Conference and the Awards Night.
The Awards Night will recognize outstanding persons who have achieved extensive improvements through coaching within their corporations. Over 1,000 corporate executives and corporate coaches are expected to attend from throughout China. For the past two years Lance has been assisting Top Human with trainer development and delivering experiential leadership programs for Top Human’s corporate clients, both involving the Samurai Game®, a creation of author George Leonard www.SamuraiGame.org.
The conference and awards evening will culminate a two week global tour for Giroux: beginning with Warsaw, Poland for a program that he will present hosted June 12th by Aiki-Management http://www.aiki-management.pl/ for the Roche Corporation; then to Malibu, California, where he will present on June 15th at the annual Organizational Behavior Teacher Conference http://www.obts.org/ hosted this year at Pepperdine University http://www.pepperdine.edu/; and then to Beijing to conduct a two day leadership program (June 20-21) for Top Human.
Visit http://www.chinacoach.org/beijing2007/Corporate_Social_1.html for more information about the Coaching and CSR Conference and the Awards Night.
Wednesday, May 16, 2007
An Interview With Judi Neal, Ph.D. President & CEO, Association for Spirit at Work
(June 2007 Allied Ronin E-Newsletter)
Recently I traveled to West Hartford, Connecticut to deliver leadership and team effectiveness event hosted by DeSai Learning Systems. There I was joined by Dr. Judi Neal, President and CEO of University of San Francisco.
What makes Judi Neal rare and special? In my opinion, it's the result of the adversity she has faced, what she has learned from it, and how she managed not only to rise above it, but to carry her learning into the world in ways that touch others so that their lives transform. Judi's book "Edgewalkers" has just been published and she has agreed to an interview for the June 2007 Allied Ronin e-newsletter. Enjoy … but most importantly, put into practice what moves you!
Lance M. Giroux, Founder/Executive Director, Allied Ronin
AR: Judi, what is the Association for Spirit at Work, why did you create it and what do you see it does for the world?
Judi: The Association for Spirit at Work is a membership organization that provides community, networking and resources for those who are integrating work and spirituality and those who are called to support societal transformation through a shift in organizational consciousness. Back in 1992, when I first became interested in the integration of spiritual values and practices in my own work, I felt quite alone and often wondered if I wasn't a little bit crazy trying to do this. Eventually I discovered other people on the same path and I felt it was important that we find ways to connect and support each other in a world that often does not support or reward the value system we are trying to live by.
I think we have done a tremendous amount to legitimize the role of spiritual values and spiritual practices in the workplace. In 1992, there was only one book on the topic, now there are thousands. All of the mainstream media have written articles on spirituality in the workplace and some have even had cover articles such as Business Week and Fortune Magazine. The Academy of Management now has a special interest group called "Management, Spirituality, and Religion" that I helped co-found and chair, and it is now the fastest growing group in the Academy. Thousands of consultants and coaches are incorporating spirituality into their work and having a positive impact on organizations.
One of our major contributions is the creation of the International Spirit at Work Award (formerly the Willis Harman Spirit at Work Award). We honor organizations that have an explicit commitment to nurturing the human spirit in the workplace. In five years, we have honored 35 organizations from 12 countries. Case studies of these organizations appear on our website, and the leaders of these organizations run workshops at our annual conference, teaching other people how to do what they have done.
AR: What do you feel is the biggest challenge facing organizational leaders today?
Judi: The biggest challenge is attracting and retaining key talent, and bringing out the creativity and passion of all employees. All organizations basically have the same access to technology, business processes, and information. The deciding factor in competitiveness is the creativity and involvement of their people. The secret is to find ways to tap into their deepest values and their creativity. One of our International Spirit at Work Honorees was a company called Elcoteq in Germany. The CEO of this company was Ruediger Fox who came into a company that was losing money like crazy and he turned it around in just six months through the application of spiritual values like trustworthiness, humility, respect, and unity. Within two years the company was breaking all performance records. However, the parent company did not understand the importance of spiritual values and they began to implement policies that were in conflict with these values. Mr. Fox fought these for as long as he could and when he knew he was not making any progress, he left the company and went to work for a more spiritually focused organization. Elcoteq lost the person who had created incredible performance and a positive measurable impact on the bottom line. This kind of thing happens every day, and organizational leaders need to begin to understand a new way to lead that is based on a values-driven code of leadership.
AR: How would you answer that same question with respect to those we call "teachers" whether they be involved in elementary education, high school or the university level... or at a much more basic level ... the parents of today's youth?
Judi: Teachers today are challenged with trying to teach in a system that is soul-deadening and not very conducive to learning. First of all, education only focuses on intellectual learning, and to a minor extent - physical education. Research has shown that success is based even more on emotional, social, and spiritual intelligence, yet these are not taught in any of our halls of learning. Students are more sophisticated than ever, and in many ways, are more scared than ever of the world that is being left for them to lead when they become adults. They want to be treated as whole persons and they want some assurance that their education will prepare them to survive and thrive in an increasing chaotic and unpredictable world. It is very difficult for teachers to be able to give them what they need in the midst of a bureaucratic system that requires that a certain level of curriculum be covered, whether its of interest to students or not, and whether or not it is relevant. Teachers are encouraged to not get too close with students, physically or emotionally, for fear of litigation. They are not allowed or encouraged to be creative, and many teachers leave the profession because it is not nurturing to their own souls.
Parents also have incredible challenges today. Usually both parents have to work in order to make a living, and so there is always the challenge of finding ways to be with their children and time to truly be a parent. Parents are stressed out and are not always in the best emotional and spiritual space to be able to give their children what they need. And the world is not as safe for children as it seemed it was for us when we were growing up. I remember when Halloween started to become a dangerous holiday because of the potential of pins or razors in candy. Violence in schools, child abductions, sexual abuse from teachers and priests and trusted others – all of these make it harder to be a parent in today’s world.
Teachers and parents both can benefit from any techniques or practices that help them to stay whole, centered, values-driven, loving and compassionate. Most of our institutions do not provide ways for them to do this, but there are a few pioneering organizations, and we can learn from them.
AR: What about the students they teach, particularly the young women and men about ready to leave home and establish their own mark in the world?
Judi: These young men and women have an interesting mix of cynicism about the world, and a passionate idealism. Perhaps that’s healthy. They have seen a lot more of both the good and the bad of humanity that my generation did when growing up. They have more information about the state of the world than we ever had, and they know that it is going to be up to them to make a difference in critical issues like world poverty, peace, the environment, and a fair and just society for all. The more we can help them to know their strengths and encourage their idealism, the better. We can understand their cynicism but have to help them realize that it can be paralyzing if it is all that they focus on. They can make a difference.
AR: You have quite a story with respect to what occurred for you at Honeywell. Can you talk about that and shed light on what happened, what you learned as a result of that and how that has shaped your life and work?
Judi: In 1987, I was working as the Manager of Organizational Development and Training at the Honeywell Defense Systems Division plant in Joliet, IL. We made ammunition that was sold to the military. During a team building process with the ballistics team, I discovered that the reason for the poor morale was that people were being told to alter ballistics test data and to report faulty ammunition as meeting specifications. I became a whistle blower and did not have my anonymity protected. I made the mistake of reporting the fraud to our internal ethics hotline, and the person I called told high-level Honeywell managers that I was the whistle blower.
For the next several months I suffered retaliation, including having my life threatened, my job duties taken away, and a promotion blocked. I ended up quitting my job and went into a deep depression because all meaning and purpose had disappeared from my work. I now call that my “Dark Night of the Soul.”
To help me through this difficult time, I started reading everything spiritual I could get my hands on. I began to meditate and pray and do yoga. Somewhere, in the midst of all this, I had the sense that this was all happening for a reason and that some day I would understand.
I had seen the dark underbelly of the corporate world, and I wanted to do whatever I could to ensure that others would not have to go through what I went through. I began, over time, to explore how spirituality might be helpful to organizations, and that’s when I decided to created the Association for Spirit at Work.
I learned that integrity is the most important value we can live by, and that everything else flows from that. When you live from integrity, you no longer have to live in fear. You are being authentic, and that gives you power. No one can ever take that away from you, no matter what. To not have integrity is to lose your soul.
AR: When we worked together this past April for DeSai Learning, you told me about your new book, "Edgewalkers" (Praeger Publishing). What is an "Edgewalker", who are some of history's "Egewalkers", and what differences are being felt today as a result of their lives?
Judi: An Edgewalker is someone who walks between worlds, or different realities. In ancient cultures, each village had a shaman or medicine man who would visit the invisible world to obtain vital information, guidance, and healing for members of the tribe.
In today’s world, we need people who have this capacity more than ever. Edgewalkers are the first ones in an organization to take on a challenging new assignment. They are the ones with breakthrough ideas. They have an uncanny intuition about the future. They are the ones that people often describe as crazy when they first propose ideas, and then later, when they are successful, people describe them as brilliant.
Some of history’s Edgewalkers include people like Albert Schweitzer, Nelson Mandela, Igor Sikorsky (the inventor of the helicopter), and Albert Einstein. They each had a strong spiritual or mystical life and that gave them the courage and insight to do things that others said could not be done.
We need Edgewalkers in the world today because they are able to rise above a single paradigm or reality and to see the interconnectedness and systemic nature of humanity. We also need them because of their ability to see underlying patterns in the chaos and they can help to lead us to a better future that works for all.
AR: Would you say that "edgewalking" is generally supported by institutionalized education and business today? Why is this so?
Judi: I wish I could say that this was so, but it’s not. Edgewalkers are often treated as if they were an invading virus into a system. Institutionalized education and business have strong antibody systems that fight people who have different and unique ideas, who appear different, and who are uncomfortable with playing the institutionalized game.
That is the main reason I wrote this book. I wanted to give these people a name and to legitimize their importance in organizations. I want organizations and educational institutions to find new ways to value what Edgewalkers have to bring to the party. And I want Edgewalkers to have the courage to be themselves.
I cannot tell you how many people have read my book and have told me what it meant to them to have a name for what they are and to know that they are needed in the world, just the way they are. If you are an Edgewalker, knowing that there is a concept and that there are others like you, can be very empowering.
AR: If the average person has it within him or herself to be an edgewalker what must they do to get onto such a path ... and then stay on it?
To get on the Edgewalker path, the first step is to work on self-awareness. Each human being is unique. We each have special gifts, and I believe we each have our own calling. No one else can tell us what our gifts and our calling are, although they may be able to help point to it. It is extremely important to spend time in self-reflection. This can be done through journaling, through meditation, through prayer, and through time in nature, for example.
Secondly they must pay attention to what they are passionate about, regardless of whether it seems practical or not. Passion is a key source of energy and by following our passion, we open up the doors for greater intuition, creativity, spiritual guidance, and synchronicity.
In my book I talk about the need to also develop one’s integrity, vision, and playfulness. These five characteristics; self-awareness, passion, integrity, vision, and playfulness, are the hallmarks of an Edgewalker, and each of these characteristics can be developed through conscious attention. I have developed a workshop called “Walking on the Leading Edge,” that takes people through each of these characteristics and helps them to deepen the way they live them.
There are also five key skills that people can develop, and these are the skills that are needed if people want to stay on the Edgewalker path:
* Sensing the future
* Risk-taking
* Manifesting
* Focusing
* Appreciating
These are skills that are taught in a more advanced Edgewalker workshop. People can learn more about Edgewalkers and about these workshops at http://www.edgewalkers.org/.
AR: What about organizations ... are there edgewalking organizations, and if so what stands out about them?
Judi: Edgewalking organizations are rare, but they exist. What stands out about them is that they don’t follow the rules of business, they make their own rules. One wonderful example is the San Francisco hospitality company Joie de Vivre, founded by Chip Conley. Chip wrote a book called “The Rebel Rules” and his company is a perfect example of an organization that no one would have ever predicted would have been successful. But while other hospitality companies have been losing money for years in the San Francisco area, Joie de Vivre is growing and thriving. Instead of trying to create economies of scale and to standardize their hotels, like say a Marriott or a Hilton, each Joie de Vivre hotel has a distinct personality and is extremely unique. If you go to their website, you can take a questionnaire that tells you which hotels are the most likely to be ones that fit your personality and tastes. They are a very spiritual organization and they trust their instincts and they have the courage to turn right when everyone else is turning left.
Edgewalking organizations embrace their Edgewalkers and create a values-driven, fun, and creative culture. They also have room for what I call Hearthtenders and Flamekeepers, people who create stability in the organization and who help the organization to live by its core values.
AR: You write in your book (p 69) that the key to being an Edgewalker is "to be true to yourself and to your own calling. If you immerse yourself in what matters to you, keep yourself open to possibilities, and make a commitment to act on what is calling you at the deepest level, you will be shown the future." What advice do you have for those who seek to be true to themselves and seek their own calling? What pitfalls do you see they need to attend to as they move forward with this calling?
Judi: Our society teaches us to focus on money, status and success. Edgewalkers are not at all driven by these factors, although they are often very successful financially. My advice to those who seek to be true to themselves and to seek their own calling is to stay away from naysayers. Ignore the people who tell you that your dream is impossible. To them it is. To you it’s not. If it is truly your calling, you will find a way to manifest it, and the Universe will help.
If you think that you don’t know what your calling is, I suspect that you are lying to yourself. James Hillman wrote that we all have our own “Soul’s Code” implanted in our spiritual DNA and signs of it show up in our childhood. You may be burying dreams that you thought were impossible or impractical. Or you are just too scared to shake up your current life. And following your dreams will shake up your life. There will be some losses. My friend Martha Finney, author of “Find Your Calling: Love Your Life” calls them necessary losses.
If you follow your calling, you will lose relationships that no longer serve you. You may go through a time of financial difficulty as you build something new in your life. You may lose some sense of your old identity as you build a newer and truer you. It takes courage and tenacity to go through these changes and losses, but the new reality is absolutely worth it. You begin to build a world that plays by the rules that you are creating, and believe me, that’s a lot more fun!
AR: What is your hope for the future?
Judi: My hope for the future is that we as a human race begin to live our full potential. We are evolving as a species and are developing a greater sense of our interconnectedness and a greater reverence for life and beauty and joy. There are pioneers who are already living in this new reality and they are passionately committed to creating a planetary community that values each human being as precious and worthy.
My hope is that enough of these people can evolve quickly enough to create a critical mass that will shift us away from a culture driven by materialism, greed, hatred, violence, and a disregard for nature. It is important to watch for the signs that this is happening and to tell the positive stories so that we can give others hope and courage to make the changes that need to be made.
AR: If you were limited to one central idea, one thought ... as if it were the first, last or only thing you could ever say to anyone ... what would it be?
Judi: Love is all there is.
Judi Neal, Ph.D.
President & CEO, Association for Spirit at Work
http://www.spiritatwork.org/
President, Judi Neal & Associates
http://www.judineal.com/
Author of /Edgewalkers: People and Organizations that Take Risks, Build Bridges, and Break New Ground/ (Praeger 2006)
http://www.edgewalkers.org/
Recently I traveled to West Hartford, Connecticut to deliver leadership and team effectiveness event hosted by DeSai Learning Systems. There I was joined by Dr. Judi Neal, President and CEO of University of San Francisco.
What makes Judi Neal rare and special? In my opinion, it's the result of the adversity she has faced, what she has learned from it, and how she managed not only to rise above it, but to carry her learning into the world in ways that touch others so that their lives transform. Judi's book "Edgewalkers" has just been published and she has agreed to an interview for the June 2007 Allied Ronin e-newsletter. Enjoy … but most importantly, put into practice what moves you!
Lance M. Giroux, Founder/Executive Director, Allied Ronin
AR: Judi, what is the Association for Spirit at Work, why did you create it and what do you see it does for the world?
Judi: The Association for Spirit at Work is a membership organization that provides community, networking and resources for those who are integrating work and spirituality and those who are called to support societal transformation through a shift in organizational consciousness. Back in 1992, when I first became interested in the integration of spiritual values and practices in my own work, I felt quite alone and often wondered if I wasn't a little bit crazy trying to do this. Eventually I discovered other people on the same path and I felt it was important that we find ways to connect and support each other in a world that often does not support or reward the value system we are trying to live by.
I think we have done a tremendous amount to legitimize the role of spiritual values and spiritual practices in the workplace. In 1992, there was only one book on the topic, now there are thousands. All of the mainstream media have written articles on spirituality in the workplace and some have even had cover articles such as Business Week and Fortune Magazine. The Academy of Management now has a special interest group called "Management, Spirituality, and Religion" that I helped co-found and chair, and it is now the fastest growing group in the Academy. Thousands of consultants and coaches are incorporating spirituality into their work and having a positive impact on organizations.
One of our major contributions is the creation of the International Spirit at Work Award (formerly the Willis Harman Spirit at Work Award). We honor organizations that have an explicit commitment to nurturing the human spirit in the workplace. In five years, we have honored 35 organizations from 12 countries. Case studies of these organizations appear on our website, and the leaders of these organizations run workshops at our annual conference, teaching other people how to do what they have done.
AR: What do you feel is the biggest challenge facing organizational leaders today?
Judi: The biggest challenge is attracting and retaining key talent, and bringing out the creativity and passion of all employees. All organizations basically have the same access to technology, business processes, and information. The deciding factor in competitiveness is the creativity and involvement of their people. The secret is to find ways to tap into their deepest values and their creativity. One of our International Spirit at Work Honorees was a company called Elcoteq in Germany. The CEO of this company was Ruediger Fox who came into a company that was losing money like crazy and he turned it around in just six months through the application of spiritual values like trustworthiness, humility, respect, and unity. Within two years the company was breaking all performance records. However, the parent company did not understand the importance of spiritual values and they began to implement policies that were in conflict with these values. Mr. Fox fought these for as long as he could and when he knew he was not making any progress, he left the company and went to work for a more spiritually focused organization. Elcoteq lost the person who had created incredible performance and a positive measurable impact on the bottom line. This kind of thing happens every day, and organizational leaders need to begin to understand a new way to lead that is based on a values-driven code of leadership.
AR: How would you answer that same question with respect to those we call "teachers" whether they be involved in elementary education, high school or the university level... or at a much more basic level ... the parents of today's youth?
Judi: Teachers today are challenged with trying to teach in a system that is soul-deadening and not very conducive to learning. First of all, education only focuses on intellectual learning, and to a minor extent - physical education. Research has shown that success is based even more on emotional, social, and spiritual intelligence, yet these are not taught in any of our halls of learning. Students are more sophisticated than ever, and in many ways, are more scared than ever of the world that is being left for them to lead when they become adults. They want to be treated as whole persons and they want some assurance that their education will prepare them to survive and thrive in an increasing chaotic and unpredictable world. It is very difficult for teachers to be able to give them what they need in the midst of a bureaucratic system that requires that a certain level of curriculum be covered, whether its of interest to students or not, and whether or not it is relevant. Teachers are encouraged to not get too close with students, physically or emotionally, for fear of litigation. They are not allowed or encouraged to be creative, and many teachers leave the profession because it is not nurturing to their own souls.
Parents also have incredible challenges today. Usually both parents have to work in order to make a living, and so there is always the challenge of finding ways to be with their children and time to truly be a parent. Parents are stressed out and are not always in the best emotional and spiritual space to be able to give their children what they need. And the world is not as safe for children as it seemed it was for us when we were growing up. I remember when Halloween started to become a dangerous holiday because of the potential of pins or razors in candy. Violence in schools, child abductions, sexual abuse from teachers and priests and trusted others – all of these make it harder to be a parent in today’s world.
Teachers and parents both can benefit from any techniques or practices that help them to stay whole, centered, values-driven, loving and compassionate. Most of our institutions do not provide ways for them to do this, but there are a few pioneering organizations, and we can learn from them.
AR: What about the students they teach, particularly the young women and men about ready to leave home and establish their own mark in the world?
Judi: These young men and women have an interesting mix of cynicism about the world, and a passionate idealism. Perhaps that’s healthy. They have seen a lot more of both the good and the bad of humanity that my generation did when growing up. They have more information about the state of the world than we ever had, and they know that it is going to be up to them to make a difference in critical issues like world poverty, peace, the environment, and a fair and just society for all. The more we can help them to know their strengths and encourage their idealism, the better. We can understand their cynicism but have to help them realize that it can be paralyzing if it is all that they focus on. They can make a difference.
AR: You have quite a story with respect to what occurred for you at Honeywell. Can you talk about that and shed light on what happened, what you learned as a result of that and how that has shaped your life and work?
Judi: In 1987, I was working as the Manager of Organizational Development and Training at the Honeywell Defense Systems Division plant in Joliet, IL. We made ammunition that was sold to the military. During a team building process with the ballistics team, I discovered that the reason for the poor morale was that people were being told to alter ballistics test data and to report faulty ammunition as meeting specifications. I became a whistle blower and did not have my anonymity protected. I made the mistake of reporting the fraud to our internal ethics hotline, and the person I called told high-level Honeywell managers that I was the whistle blower.
For the next several months I suffered retaliation, including having my life threatened, my job duties taken away, and a promotion blocked. I ended up quitting my job and went into a deep depression because all meaning and purpose had disappeared from my work. I now call that my “Dark Night of the Soul.”
To help me through this difficult time, I started reading everything spiritual I could get my hands on. I began to meditate and pray and do yoga. Somewhere, in the midst of all this, I had the sense that this was all happening for a reason and that some day I would understand.
I had seen the dark underbelly of the corporate world, and I wanted to do whatever I could to ensure that others would not have to go through what I went through. I began, over time, to explore how spirituality might be helpful to organizations, and that’s when I decided to created the Association for Spirit at Work.
I learned that integrity is the most important value we can live by, and that everything else flows from that. When you live from integrity, you no longer have to live in fear. You are being authentic, and that gives you power. No one can ever take that away from you, no matter what. To not have integrity is to lose your soul.
AR: When we worked together this past April for DeSai Learning, you told me about your new book, "Edgewalkers" (Praeger Publishing). What is an "Edgewalker", who are some of history's "Egewalkers", and what differences are being felt today as a result of their lives?
Judi: An Edgewalker is someone who walks between worlds, or different realities. In ancient cultures, each village had a shaman or medicine man who would visit the invisible world to obtain vital information, guidance, and healing for members of the tribe.
In today’s world, we need people who have this capacity more than ever. Edgewalkers are the first ones in an organization to take on a challenging new assignment. They are the ones with breakthrough ideas. They have an uncanny intuition about the future. They are the ones that people often describe as crazy when they first propose ideas, and then later, when they are successful, people describe them as brilliant.
Some of history’s Edgewalkers include people like Albert Schweitzer, Nelson Mandela, Igor Sikorsky (the inventor of the helicopter), and Albert Einstein. They each had a strong spiritual or mystical life and that gave them the courage and insight to do things that others said could not be done.
We need Edgewalkers in the world today because they are able to rise above a single paradigm or reality and to see the interconnectedness and systemic nature of humanity. We also need them because of their ability to see underlying patterns in the chaos and they can help to lead us to a better future that works for all.
AR: Would you say that "edgewalking" is generally supported by institutionalized education and business today? Why is this so?
Judi: I wish I could say that this was so, but it’s not. Edgewalkers are often treated as if they were an invading virus into a system. Institutionalized education and business have strong antibody systems that fight people who have different and unique ideas, who appear different, and who are uncomfortable with playing the institutionalized game.
That is the main reason I wrote this book. I wanted to give these people a name and to legitimize their importance in organizations. I want organizations and educational institutions to find new ways to value what Edgewalkers have to bring to the party. And I want Edgewalkers to have the courage to be themselves.
I cannot tell you how many people have read my book and have told me what it meant to them to have a name for what they are and to know that they are needed in the world, just the way they are. If you are an Edgewalker, knowing that there is a concept and that there are others like you, can be very empowering.
AR: If the average person has it within him or herself to be an edgewalker what must they do to get onto such a path ... and then stay on it?
To get on the Edgewalker path, the first step is to work on self-awareness. Each human being is unique. We each have special gifts, and I believe we each have our own calling. No one else can tell us what our gifts and our calling are, although they may be able to help point to it. It is extremely important to spend time in self-reflection. This can be done through journaling, through meditation, through prayer, and through time in nature, for example.
Secondly they must pay attention to what they are passionate about, regardless of whether it seems practical or not. Passion is a key source of energy and by following our passion, we open up the doors for greater intuition, creativity, spiritual guidance, and synchronicity.
In my book I talk about the need to also develop one’s integrity, vision, and playfulness. These five characteristics; self-awareness, passion, integrity, vision, and playfulness, are the hallmarks of an Edgewalker, and each of these characteristics can be developed through conscious attention. I have developed a workshop called “Walking on the Leading Edge,” that takes people through each of these characteristics and helps them to deepen the way they live them.
There are also five key skills that people can develop, and these are the skills that are needed if people want to stay on the Edgewalker path:
* Sensing the future
* Risk-taking
* Manifesting
* Focusing
* Appreciating
These are skills that are taught in a more advanced Edgewalker workshop. People can learn more about Edgewalkers and about these workshops at http://www.edgewalkers.org/.
AR: What about organizations ... are there edgewalking organizations, and if so what stands out about them?
Judi: Edgewalking organizations are rare, but they exist. What stands out about them is that they don’t follow the rules of business, they make their own rules. One wonderful example is the San Francisco hospitality company Joie de Vivre, founded by Chip Conley. Chip wrote a book called “The Rebel Rules” and his company is a perfect example of an organization that no one would have ever predicted would have been successful. But while other hospitality companies have been losing money for years in the San Francisco area, Joie de Vivre is growing and thriving. Instead of trying to create economies of scale and to standardize their hotels, like say a Marriott or a Hilton, each Joie de Vivre hotel has a distinct personality and is extremely unique. If you go to their website, you can take a questionnaire that tells you which hotels are the most likely to be ones that fit your personality and tastes. They are a very spiritual organization and they trust their instincts and they have the courage to turn right when everyone else is turning left.
Edgewalking organizations embrace their Edgewalkers and create a values-driven, fun, and creative culture. They also have room for what I call Hearthtenders and Flamekeepers, people who create stability in the organization and who help the organization to live by its core values.
AR: You write in your book (p 69) that the key to being an Edgewalker is "to be true to yourself and to your own calling. If you immerse yourself in what matters to you, keep yourself open to possibilities, and make a commitment to act on what is calling you at the deepest level, you will be shown the future." What advice do you have for those who seek to be true to themselves and seek their own calling? What pitfalls do you see they need to attend to as they move forward with this calling?
Judi: Our society teaches us to focus on money, status and success. Edgewalkers are not at all driven by these factors, although they are often very successful financially. My advice to those who seek to be true to themselves and to seek their own calling is to stay away from naysayers. Ignore the people who tell you that your dream is impossible. To them it is. To you it’s not. If it is truly your calling, you will find a way to manifest it, and the Universe will help.
If you think that you don’t know what your calling is, I suspect that you are lying to yourself. James Hillman wrote that we all have our own “Soul’s Code” implanted in our spiritual DNA and signs of it show up in our childhood. You may be burying dreams that you thought were impossible or impractical. Or you are just too scared to shake up your current life. And following your dreams will shake up your life. There will be some losses. My friend Martha Finney, author of “Find Your Calling: Love Your Life” calls them necessary losses.
If you follow your calling, you will lose relationships that no longer serve you. You may go through a time of financial difficulty as you build something new in your life. You may lose some sense of your old identity as you build a newer and truer you. It takes courage and tenacity to go through these changes and losses, but the new reality is absolutely worth it. You begin to build a world that plays by the rules that you are creating, and believe me, that’s a lot more fun!
AR: What is your hope for the future?
Judi: My hope for the future is that we as a human race begin to live our full potential. We are evolving as a species and are developing a greater sense of our interconnectedness and a greater reverence for life and beauty and joy. There are pioneers who are already living in this new reality and they are passionately committed to creating a planetary community that values each human being as precious and worthy.
My hope is that enough of these people can evolve quickly enough to create a critical mass that will shift us away from a culture driven by materialism, greed, hatred, violence, and a disregard for nature. It is important to watch for the signs that this is happening and to tell the positive stories so that we can give others hope and courage to make the changes that need to be made.
AR: If you were limited to one central idea, one thought ... as if it were the first, last or only thing you could ever say to anyone ... what would it be?
Judi: Love is all there is.
Judi Neal, Ph.D.
President & CEO, Association for Spirit at Work
http://www.spiritatwork.org/
President, Judi Neal & Associates
http://www.judineal.com/
Author of /Edgewalkers: People and Organizations that Take Risks, Build Bridges, and Break New Ground/ (Praeger 2006)
http://www.edgewalkers.org/
Monday, May 14, 2007
"Coming to Our Senses"
A dear friend recently recommended the book "Coming To Our Senses" by Jon Kabat-Zinn, and I am slowly taking my journey through it. In so doing I'm recommending it (the book and the slow pace) to others. Last week while sitting at a local coffee house reading and reflecting I came across what follows (from p.70-71). Because this passage resonates with my work in general, and my CD "The Art of Practice" in particular, I wanted to make sure it is passed along to you.
"Thich Nhat Hanh, the Vietnamese Zen master ... aptly points out that one reason we might want to practice mindfulness is that most of the time we are unwittingly practicing its opposite. Every time we get angry we get better at being angry and reinforce the anger habit. When it is really bad, we say we see red, which means we don't see accurately what is happening at all, and so, in that moment you could say we have 'lost' out mind. Every time we become self-absorbed, we get better at becoming self-absorbed and going unconscious. Every time we get anxious, be get better at being anxious. Practice does make perfect. Without awareness of anger or of self-absorption, or ennui, or any other mind state that can take us over when it arises, we reinforce those synaptic networks within the nervous system that underlie our conditioned behaviors and mindless habits, and from which it becomes increasingly difficult to disentangle ourselves, if we are even aware of what is happening at all. Every moment in which we are caught, by desire, by an emotion, by an unexamined impulse, idea, or oopinion, in a very real way we are instantly imprisoned by the contraction within the habitual way we react, whether it is a habit of withdrawal and distancing ourselves, as in depression and sadness, or erupting and getting emotionally 'highjacked' by our feelings when we fall headlong into anxiety or anger. Such moments are always accompanies by a contraction in both the mind and the body.
But, and this is a huge 'but,' there is simultaneously a potential opening available here as well, a chance not to fall into the contraction -- or to recover more quickly from it -- if we can bring awareness to it. For we are locked up in the automaticity of our reaction and caught in its downstream consequences (i.e., what happens in the very next moment, in the world and in ourselves) only by our blindness in that moment. Dispel the blindness, and we see that the cage we thought we were caught in is already open."
"Thich Nhat Hanh, the Vietnamese Zen master ... aptly points out that one reason we might want to practice mindfulness is that most of the time we are unwittingly practicing its opposite. Every time we get angry we get better at being angry and reinforce the anger habit. When it is really bad, we say we see red, which means we don't see accurately what is happening at all, and so, in that moment you could say we have 'lost' out mind. Every time we become self-absorbed, we get better at becoming self-absorbed and going unconscious. Every time we get anxious, be get better at being anxious. Practice does make perfect. Without awareness of anger or of self-absorption, or ennui, or any other mind state that can take us over when it arises, we reinforce those synaptic networks within the nervous system that underlie our conditioned behaviors and mindless habits, and from which it becomes increasingly difficult to disentangle ourselves, if we are even aware of what is happening at all. Every moment in which we are caught, by desire, by an emotion, by an unexamined impulse, idea, or oopinion, in a very real way we are instantly imprisoned by the contraction within the habitual way we react, whether it is a habit of withdrawal and distancing ourselves, as in depression and sadness, or erupting and getting emotionally 'highjacked' by our feelings when we fall headlong into anxiety or anger. Such moments are always accompanies by a contraction in both the mind and the body.
But, and this is a huge 'but,' there is simultaneously a potential opening available here as well, a chance not to fall into the contraction -- or to recover more quickly from it -- if we can bring awareness to it. For we are locked up in the automaticity of our reaction and caught in its downstream consequences (i.e., what happens in the very next moment, in the world and in ourselves) only by our blindness in that moment. Dispel the blindness, and we see that the cage we thought we were caught in is already open."
Monday, April 30, 2007
Friends
Who are your friends? Do you know? Who lives under your roof or works at your place of business or in your town … and roots for you? Really?
Who knows you well enough to listen to your faults, and has room to understand because maybe similar faults reside within their own organization or mind-body system? In other words … they really understand? Who stands with and accepts you as just you are? Without judgment? Who sees the powerful person you have it within yourself to be? Who encourages you to step beyond your self-imposed limitations into your constructive potential? Who doesn’t rush you in your decision-making processes for the sake of some fad or for the sake of pressing you to develop a sense of urgency? Who encourages you to take basic and fundamental one-day-at-a-time steps? Who makes room for your failures and rejoices in your wins?
And who, if they were asked today, would say that they count you among those who will do the above same things for them?
This morning I decided to walk to Petaluma’s Apple Box restaurant, sit and write this month’s newsletter. It’s a sunny day, the river’s high, a slight northwest breeze is blowing – perfect springtime weather in northern California’s wine country. Lots of stuff has been happening that could be the grist for this month’s article. A few days ago Lisa Ludwigsen, Founder of The School Garden Company and I provided a unique team building program for the Petaluma branch of Frank Howard Allen Realtors. We’re still riding the buzz from that because it was such a success for the organization. You know … the kind of success when a client’s discovery exceeds their own expectations and they want you to come back to work with them again. Additionally, the previous six weeks have provided abundant experiences– four extensive trips supporting: Krakowskie Stowarzyszenie Aikido in Krakow, Poland Top Human Technologies Ltd in Shenzhen and Shanghai, China the University of Nevada undergraduate L.E.A.D. program in Las Vegas; DeSai Learning in Hartford, Connecticut. Plus Allied Ronin hosted a special team effectiveness program for the Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria here in northern California. On top of it all, a bundle of recently uncovered source material arrived for study and application including: George Leonard’s The Warrior (Esquire 1986) and Don Levin’s The Liberal Arts and the Martial Arts (Association of American Colleges, 1984) and Somatic Elements In Social Conflict (Blackwell Publishing/The Sociological Review, 2007).
So the walk to Petaluma’s Apple Box was awash with thought: what to draw from and how to organize it. I mapped out my plan, settled into it, ordered tea, turned on the computer, and got serious about what to write. Then … things changed.
While I sat gazing out the window, tea in hand, laptop buzzing, and preparing to write, I was unaware that Peter Welker, friend and world-class musician was sneaking up behind me – until his tap hit my shoulder and his familiar greeting sounded in my ears, “Hey man, can I buy you a pastry?”
There is no need to go through the details of our discussion. It is all far too personal to write about at this time, though we spent a good half hour catching up on the past few months of life. Our relationship goes back ten years to the evening when he (a strange face stepping out of a local bookstore) stopped me on the street, introduced himself and said he would be attending a Samurai Game® that I was scheduled to facilitate. I had no idea then who he was nor the caliber of artists he associated with. I had no idea regarding the challenges he was facing or what was going on in his life; and he had no idea regarding similar things about me. But this I will say … his life is much different today – it’s richer, fuller and more alive with bigger and better challenges. And so is mine. I’d like to believe that the event I facilitated helped his life. He’s told me many times it has. But he’s a gracious guy and who knows, maybe he’s just being nice. I do know this though … the times I’ve spent with him over the past ten years has truly helped me – whether it’s been chatting about kids and relationships, or playing chess together or just talking about life’s idiosyncrasies Peter Welker has made a positive difference in my life. So I said, “Sure, I’ll take a poppy-seed muffin.”
Near the end of our talk today, Peter tells me, “Hey man, check this out. I’ve invited Fred Lipsius to play with me June 8th and he’s going to be staying at my place. We’re going to turn the town, maybe the county, upside down with people” I looked at him puzzled. “You don’t know who Fred Lipsius is!,” he laughs … and then pulls a flyer off The Apple Box counter and hands it to me. “Look here … Fred Lipsius … multi Grammy Award winner … former leader of Blood, Sweat and Tears. He wrote the huge hit Spinning Wheel.” I had to grin BIG. First, because the song Spinning Wheel has always been one of my favorites. Second, because I didn’t know until that moment who wrote it or who Fred Lipsius was/is. And third, because Welker – at this stage in his life with all of the challenges of his past - continues to grow and expand and live his dream and play his horn and make thousands of people happy.
When we wrapped up our conversation and he got ready to leave for an appointment, he said, “Hey man, I gotta tell you something else … I’m getting married!” My BIG grin spread completely across my face. Then he added … “You know what else … you’re doing some great things in the world and I’m rooting for you.” I couldn’t say much to that, it was as unexpected as the touch on my shoulder a half hour earlier. But I felt I had to write about it.
True friends. They make all the difference in our world. They show up when least expected, and they don’t quit on you. Who are yours? Do you know? Who roots for you in the quiet moments? Really?
Who knows you well enough to listen to your faults, and has room to understand because maybe similar faults reside within their own organization or mind-body system? In other words … they really understand? Who stands with and accepts you as just you are? Without judgment? Who sees the powerful person you have it within yourself to be? Who encourages you to step beyond your self-imposed limitations into your constructive potential? Who doesn’t rush you in your decision-making processes for the sake of some fad or for the sake of pressing you to develop a sense of urgency? Who encourages you to take basic and fundamental one-day-at-a-time steps? Who makes room for your failures and rejoices in your wins?
And who, if they were asked today, would say that they count you among those who will do the above same things for them?
This morning I decided to walk to Petaluma’s Apple Box restaurant, sit and write this month’s newsletter. It’s a sunny day, the river’s high, a slight northwest breeze is blowing – perfect springtime weather in northern California’s wine country. Lots of stuff has been happening that could be the grist for this month’s article. A few days ago Lisa Ludwigsen, Founder of The School Garden Company and I provided a unique team building program for the Petaluma branch of Frank Howard Allen Realtors. We’re still riding the buzz from that because it was such a success for the organization. You know … the kind of success when a client’s discovery exceeds their own expectations and they want you to come back to work with them again. Additionally, the previous six weeks have provided abundant experiences– four extensive trips supporting: Krakowskie Stowarzyszenie Aikido in Krakow, Poland Top Human Technologies Ltd in Shenzhen and Shanghai, China the University of Nevada undergraduate L.E.A.D. program in Las Vegas; DeSai Learning in Hartford, Connecticut. Plus Allied Ronin hosted a special team effectiveness program for the Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria here in northern California. On top of it all, a bundle of recently uncovered source material arrived for study and application including: George Leonard’s The Warrior (Esquire 1986) and Don Levin’s The Liberal Arts and the Martial Arts (Association of American Colleges, 1984) and Somatic Elements In Social Conflict (Blackwell Publishing/The Sociological Review, 2007).
So the walk to Petaluma’s Apple Box was awash with thought: what to draw from and how to organize it. I mapped out my plan, settled into it, ordered tea, turned on the computer, and got serious about what to write. Then … things changed.
While I sat gazing out the window, tea in hand, laptop buzzing, and preparing to write, I was unaware that Peter Welker, friend and world-class musician was sneaking up behind me – until his tap hit my shoulder and his familiar greeting sounded in my ears, “Hey man, can I buy you a pastry?”
There is no need to go through the details of our discussion. It is all far too personal to write about at this time, though we spent a good half hour catching up on the past few months of life. Our relationship goes back ten years to the evening when he (a strange face stepping out of a local bookstore) stopped me on the street, introduced himself and said he would be attending a Samurai Game® that I was scheduled to facilitate. I had no idea then who he was nor the caliber of artists he associated with. I had no idea regarding the challenges he was facing or what was going on in his life; and he had no idea regarding similar things about me. But this I will say … his life is much different today – it’s richer, fuller and more alive with bigger and better challenges. And so is mine. I’d like to believe that the event I facilitated helped his life. He’s told me many times it has. But he’s a gracious guy and who knows, maybe he’s just being nice. I do know this though … the times I’ve spent with him over the past ten years has truly helped me – whether it’s been chatting about kids and relationships, or playing chess together or just talking about life’s idiosyncrasies Peter Welker has made a positive difference in my life. So I said, “Sure, I’ll take a poppy-seed muffin.”
Near the end of our talk today, Peter tells me, “Hey man, check this out. I’ve invited Fred Lipsius to play with me June 8th and he’s going to be staying at my place. We’re going to turn the town, maybe the county, upside down with people” I looked at him puzzled. “You don’t know who Fred Lipsius is!,” he laughs … and then pulls a flyer off The Apple Box counter and hands it to me. “Look here … Fred Lipsius … multi Grammy Award winner … former leader of Blood, Sweat and Tears. He wrote the huge hit Spinning Wheel.” I had to grin BIG. First, because the song Spinning Wheel has always been one of my favorites. Second, because I didn’t know until that moment who wrote it or who Fred Lipsius was/is. And third, because Welker – at this stage in his life with all of the challenges of his past - continues to grow and expand and live his dream and play his horn and make thousands of people happy.
When we wrapped up our conversation and he got ready to leave for an appointment, he said, “Hey man, I gotta tell you something else … I’m getting married!” My BIG grin spread completely across my face. Then he added … “You know what else … you’re doing some great things in the world and I’m rooting for you.” I couldn’t say much to that, it was as unexpected as the touch on my shoulder a half hour earlier. But I felt I had to write about it.
True friends. They make all the difference in our world. They show up when least expected, and they don’t quit on you. Who are yours? Do you know? Who roots for you in the quiet moments? Really?
Monday, April 16, 2007
Notes On Listening
Adapted from “On Principled Leadership: It’s Person, Not the Title” by Lance Giroux, published September 2002, in the University of San Francisco Graduate Business Journal*
Do you truly hear what other people are saying, or do you just catch the words and wait to put forward your own opinion? When you are listening to others, what are your agreement patterns? Are you aware of the foundations upon which you base these agreements? What pattern does your automatic disagreement take? Do you hastily disagree out of a need to be heard or to be right?
As you become aware of your quick responses, give yourself permission to go deeper. Listen deeply, with all of your faculties, to what is going on, and in those moments, suspend your judgment of self and others. Step aside from your automatic responses and honestly ask yourself: “What is the basis for my reactions whenever I hear something I like or something I dislike? How long have I been doing this? When did it start for me? What price do I pay for this approach? What does it really get me? What do my actions and reactions produce in the lives of other people?”
This practice of self reflection is fundamental for those who want to grow in their ability to practice the art of leadership and for organizations that want to practice the art of teamwork.
To simplify consider this … there are basically three ways we can listen. Most people spend most of their time doing unproductive listening. Few people practice productive listening. How about you?
Listening Way #1. Believe everything that other people say.
When do you do this? You are listening to someone talking (or you observe them doing something) and you get caught up in their story, and soon without awareness you automatically find yourself agreeing with everything comes out of their mouth. Why? Because, what they are saying fits your past patterns of acceptability. Maybe they remind you of someone you once met that you liked. What ever it is your head starts to bob up and down, your mouth smiles, you relax
Listening Way #2. Be skeptical about everything that other people say.
When do you do this? You are listening to someone talking (or you observe them doing something) and you start resisting what they are saying, and soon without awareness you automatically find yourself disagreeing with whatever comes out of their mouth. Why? Because, what they are saying fits your past patterns of unacceptability. Maybe they remind you of someone you once met that you distained. Whatever it is, your head starts to shake from side to side, your teeth start to grind, your hands get tight and you get tense.
Both these ways … Listening Way #1 and Listening Way #2 … are unproductive, because they involve no self reflection.
Listening Way #3. Self Examination.
It goes like this.
Hear what someone says (or observe what they do).
Notice your own internal and external responses. Do you find yourself agreeing? Do you find yourself relaxing? Are you drawn closer to that person? Do you hear past voices in your own thinking that sound similar? Do you find yourself disagreeing? Do you find yourself mentally arguing? Do you find yourself getting physically tense? OR … are you bored?
However it is that you find yourself responding is OK … because it gives you the opportunity to learn about yourself.
WHAT TO DO … Imagine that you can step outside your body, and look back at yourself. Then imagine that you can poke that person (your other self) in the arm. Then imagine that you can ask that person (your other self):
HEY, WAKE UP … WHY ARE YOU REACTING THAT WAY? WHY ARE YOU AGREEING … WHAT IS IT ABOUT YOU (YOURSELF) THAT WANTS TO AGREE WITH THIS?
Or WHY ARE YOU DISAGREEING … WHAT IS IT ABOUT YOU (YOURSELF) THAT WANTS TO DISAGREE WITH THIS PERSON?
Or WHY ARE YOU BORED … OR WHATEVER THE REACTION YOU ARE HAVING? WHAT IS IT ABOUT YOU (YOURSELF) THAT IS CREATING THIS BORED (OR OTHER) REACTION?
When you do this, your mind will begin to dish up some answers. If you are calm and can wait and wade through things it will tell you about yourself, what it is about you that has formed opinions about what your are hearing. From this you can learn and take productive action in a responsible fashion.
Simply put, the art of Listening The Third Way hinges on one’s ability to BE HERE NOW.
©Lance Giroux, 2006
*note: to request and obtain a pdf file of the complete article
“On Principled Leadership, It’s the Person, Not the Title”
send email to AlliedRonin@aol.com
Do you truly hear what other people are saying, or do you just catch the words and wait to put forward your own opinion? When you are listening to others, what are your agreement patterns? Are you aware of the foundations upon which you base these agreements? What pattern does your automatic disagreement take? Do you hastily disagree out of a need to be heard or to be right?
As you become aware of your quick responses, give yourself permission to go deeper. Listen deeply, with all of your faculties, to what is going on, and in those moments, suspend your judgment of self and others. Step aside from your automatic responses and honestly ask yourself: “What is the basis for my reactions whenever I hear something I like or something I dislike? How long have I been doing this? When did it start for me? What price do I pay for this approach? What does it really get me? What do my actions and reactions produce in the lives of other people?”
This practice of self reflection is fundamental for those who want to grow in their ability to practice the art of leadership and for organizations that want to practice the art of teamwork.
To simplify consider this … there are basically three ways we can listen. Most people spend most of their time doing unproductive listening. Few people practice productive listening. How about you?
Listening Way #1. Believe everything that other people say.
When do you do this? You are listening to someone talking (or you observe them doing something) and you get caught up in their story, and soon without awareness you automatically find yourself agreeing with everything comes out of their mouth. Why? Because, what they are saying fits your past patterns of acceptability. Maybe they remind you of someone you once met that you liked. What ever it is your head starts to bob up and down, your mouth smiles, you relax
Listening Way #2. Be skeptical about everything that other people say.
When do you do this? You are listening to someone talking (or you observe them doing something) and you start resisting what they are saying, and soon without awareness you automatically find yourself disagreeing with whatever comes out of their mouth. Why? Because, what they are saying fits your past patterns of unacceptability. Maybe they remind you of someone you once met that you distained. Whatever it is, your head starts to shake from side to side, your teeth start to grind, your hands get tight and you get tense.
Both these ways … Listening Way #1 and Listening Way #2 … are unproductive, because they involve no self reflection.
Listening Way #3. Self Examination.
It goes like this.
Hear what someone says (or observe what they do).
Notice your own internal and external responses. Do you find yourself agreeing? Do you find yourself relaxing? Are you drawn closer to that person? Do you hear past voices in your own thinking that sound similar? Do you find yourself disagreeing? Do you find yourself mentally arguing? Do you find yourself getting physically tense? OR … are you bored?
However it is that you find yourself responding is OK … because it gives you the opportunity to learn about yourself.
WHAT TO DO … Imagine that you can step outside your body, and look back at yourself. Then imagine that you can poke that person (your other self) in the arm. Then imagine that you can ask that person (your other self):
HEY, WAKE UP … WHY ARE YOU REACTING THAT WAY? WHY ARE YOU AGREEING … WHAT IS IT ABOUT YOU (YOURSELF) THAT WANTS TO AGREE WITH THIS?
Or WHY ARE YOU DISAGREEING … WHAT IS IT ABOUT YOU (YOURSELF) THAT WANTS TO DISAGREE WITH THIS PERSON?
Or WHY ARE YOU BORED … OR WHATEVER THE REACTION YOU ARE HAVING? WHAT IS IT ABOUT YOU (YOURSELF) THAT IS CREATING THIS BORED (OR OTHER) REACTION?
When you do this, your mind will begin to dish up some answers. If you are calm and can wait and wade through things it will tell you about yourself, what it is about you that has formed opinions about what your are hearing. From this you can learn and take productive action in a responsible fashion.
Simply put, the art of Listening The Third Way hinges on one’s ability to BE HERE NOW.
©Lance Giroux, 2006
*note: to request and obtain a pdf file of the complete article
“On Principled Leadership, It’s the Person, Not the Title”
send email to AlliedRonin@aol.com
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