Circular Thinking
Aug 21, 13
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read moreRebellious Ones
Aug 16, 13
Rebellious ones write poetry that doesn’t rhyme, They ride dark horses through the land of joy and plenty. They re-invent wheels, organize troops , and accomplish the impossible every day. They are visionaries, rebels, convicts, actors, saints, thrill seekers, rabble-rousers, children, and circus performers. At best they test the waters for good and expand the consciousness of nations and facilitate lasting change. At worst they court evil, dance in darkness, cause harm, abuse substances, are opinionated and hateful, are self-righteous and are not righteous at all. As a group they are spice to the bland food of human mediocrity, a private butchery against the tyranny of apathy, and the joyful part of the chorus. They are both bad and good and everything in between. The revolutionaries are heroes when their side wins. The change of consciousness of a nation never occurs without someone being willing to challenge the status quo. Traitors are martyrs from the other side of the war. So, I wonder, can rebellion also be quiet? I picture Gandhi and his robes and his quiet rebellion changing the consciousness of a nation. I hope that I can learn to be a quiet rebel. Not going to war but edging my way toward peace. Knowing that a loving place awaits me when I rebel against anger and judgement and walk with acceptance and love. I want to choose a quiet path, knowing I am by nature a heretic, a changer, a catalyst, and a powerful force for change in my circle. I flaunt the rules and color outside the lines. Sometimes I don’t even color on the page. I want to help people see endless possibilities for light and love in their...
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Business: Maintenance or Progress?
Aug 12, 13
What’s the difference between maintenance and progress in business? When I’m doing the day-to-day operations of my business, I’m just maintaining. If I step outside of the day-to-day and develop a vision of how to make the business better, then I am making progress. The same is true at my house and in my garden. Sometimes I am making the property “better.” Occasionally we add something new or improve the property in some way. This year I added some lovely flower boxes in all the windows. One year we installed a larger hot water heater so we stopped running out of hot water. Sometimes we don’t do anything to make the property better–like the year we went on sabbatical and didn’t do all the little projects we usually do to make our home feel good. But aren’t most of the tasks maintenance, really? If we spend a year without doing any big projects, even if I continue fixing or improving routine things, then the paint will be a year older, things will be a little more worn. No big projects mean the house looks older and older, it just doesn’t stay the same. I believe a similar reality applies to leadership and people development in organizations, too. Taking a year away from developing people doesn’t leave you where you were, it takes you backward–just a little. Skills become a little less current, the dialogue in the organization gets a little more stale, and people have a little more distance from company values and purpose. Having learning projects engages staff, channels their energy, and keeps them moving forward. I know the philosophy for many in this economic downturn has been “all hands on deck.” Focus has been on sales and marketing, and on bringing in as much business as possible. I hope the time has come to look around to see how to tend to the people in the organization. How can their development support the bottom line? What are the projects your house needs...
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