As I contemplated what I might contribute to a November post, the typical themes of Thanksgiving came to mind ... and the Pilgrims. What also came to mind was John Bunyan's classic tale, Pilgrim’s Progress. Not that the book has anything to do with the Mayflower Pilgrims and nonetheless, I did some research which revealed that John Bunyan was actually born 8 years after the Mayflower Pilgrims landed in Plymouth. Of further interest I found that Bunyan wrote the book during his second term of imprisonment for preaching outside of the established law of England at the time. Ironically, the laws changed, Bunyan was released from prison and he became one of the most popular preachers in England - heading a Church in the very same town in which he had been incarcerated for over 12 years. That's perseverence for you!
The book begins thus; “As I walked through the wilderness of this world, I lighted on a certain place where was a den, and laid me down in that place to sleep; and as I slept, I dreamed a dream. I saw a man clothed with rags, standing in a certain place, with his face from his own house, a book in his hand, and a great burden upon his back. I saw him open the book, and read therein; and as he read, he wept and trembled; and he cried out, “What shall I do?”
There was a time when most every school child read Pilgrim’s Progress as part of their educational foundation. It’s allegorical collection of aptly named characters and circumstances reflect life, the pursuit of purpose and destiny. The story is just as applicable today as it was in the sixteen hundreds.
The word Pilgrim warrants some forensics. It dates back to the 12th century and it describes one who journeys in foreign lands - a wayfarer, one who travels to a shrine or holy place, one of the English Puritan colonists of 1620 and (contemporarily) an early/first settler to the U.S. western territories. John Wayne addressed wide-eyed, naive, newcomer/settlers to the west as “Pilgrim” in many of his western films. He also generally assumed a role as their reluctant yet “practical and savvy” protector … their gun wielding, jaw smashing guardian angel. Along the way Wayne’s characters usually came to respect the “Pilgrim’s” innocent honor and quest and it often became his own.
Considering all of that, I’ve always thought of a Pilgrim as a person drawn to something that they pursed often not knowing the dangers along the way - but pursued it nonetheless. I’ve seen Pilgrim’s as sometimes self-absorbed, obsessed with purpose and often exhibiting a child-like blissful ignorance and headstrong belief that they would prevail in their quest if they only persevere. Pilgrims dismiss the risks and “practical” advice of others and move ahead. Pilgrims generally travel in lands that are foreign to them … they are sojourners. They view hardship and estrangement as temporary conditions. There is always something noble about the Pilgrim’s quest. To me, Cervante's Don Quixote de la Mancha qualifies as a Pilgrim.
You don’t hear much about Pilgrims these days. They are a backdrop of our "americana" consciousness, a throwback to more naive times. Their spartan and severe lives are a spectacle at which to shudder. But do we ponder what vision would drive such people to such extremes? Are there no more worthy noble quests? Is there nothing grand enough that is worth sacrificing and struggling for unless it involves an immediate and rich reward? Surely there is. Why do we love the underdog so? Why do we root for the bloodied man in the arena battling a smug and formidable foe? To our core we love noble causes and our hearts are restless for their inspiration.
I think we were all created to be Pilgrims - sojourners for a moment that is but a vapor on this planet. I think that in each of us there burns a yearning for a noble cause, to be part of a bigger story, to face adversity, to be tested, to enjoy risk taking adventures as we pursue the impossible dream … to find out whether or not we have what it takes. Remember the song - - - ?
The Impossible Dream – Lyrics by Joe DarionTo dream the impossible dream
To fight the unbeatable foe
To bear with unbearable sorrow
To run where the brave dare not go
To right the unrightable wrong
To love pure and chaste from afar
To try when your arms are too weary
To reach the unreachable star
This is my quest
To follow that star
No matter how hopeless
No matter how far
To fight for the right
Without question or pause
To be willing to march into Hell
For a heavenly cause
And I know if I'll only be true
To this glorious quest
That my heart will lie peaceful and calm
When I'm laid to my rest
And the world will be better for this
That one man, scorned and covered with scars
Still strove with his last ounce of courage
To reach the unreachable star
That’s a “Pilgrim” song. The heart of a Pilgrim. A deep commitment to a quest that often meets with tremendous adversity, goes unappreciated, may be unpopular, costs dearly … but is pursued nonetheless simply because it is right.
Now imagine the realization of that quest and the utterly profound depth of thanks that would well forth from the heart of the overcomer … the Pilgrim. Get into that sort of mood on Thanksgiving Day …. Pilgrim!
All the best!
Bill
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
Thursday, October 28, 2010
Sufficient for each day is its own trouble …
“Yesterday is gone. Tomorrow has not yet come. We have only today. Let us begin.” ~ Mother Teresa ~
Mother Teresa’s words reflect a life lived in the moment and such a life orientation can seem strange and even ill advised to the serious, planning, in-control professional business person. We are taught and encouraged to plan and execute, to visualize and strategize in all things professional. Plan your work and work your plan - right?
Something in our hearts is drawn to Mother Teresa’s words and we know deep down that it is right and good. One cannot deny that Mother Teresa lived a life of high impact and the difference between her and, say, a die hard professional business achiever can be summed up in her goal orientation. The world generally rejects wisdom such as Mother Teresa’s or writes it off as good advice for those "in ministry", wonderful anecdotal spice for a greeting card - heedful for those disconnected from the “real” and more important and more “desperate” work at hand. Her wisdom may present as impractical. And so, lifestyle statements such as Mother Teresa’s largely go un-reconciled as we move on with our business until the circumstances of our lives bring us back to them.
Mother Teresa tells this story;
"When once a chairman of a multinational company came to see me, to offer me a property in Bombay, he first asked: ‘Mother, how do you manage your budget?" I asked him who had sent him here. He replied: ‘I felt an urge inside me.’ I said: other people like you come to see me and say the same. It was clear God sent you, Mr. A, as He sends Mr. X, Mrs. Y, Miss Z, and they provide the material means we need for our work. The grace of God is what moved you. You are my budget. God sees to our needs, as Jesus promised. I accepted the property he gave and named it Asha Dan (Gift of Hope)."
Did Mother Teresa have NO plans? Of course she had plans. But she did not invest time or energy worrying about them. The chairman’s question about budgets comes from a heart in need of control over uncertainty, doubt and trepidation. Outcome control. Mother Teresa refused to live with such anxiety – turning it over to God’s providence. What a luxury - eh? One must ask if this only works for Godly projects and, if so, are our projects, our lives and our businesses un-Godly? Not necessarily.
Come to think of it, if you examine a bit closer you will discern that, while a “live in the moment” mindset involves a healthy measure of trust, relinquishing of control, patience and confidence, it is not at all a “wait and see and hope” approach to life. Indeed it very much requires a “carpe diem”, tremendously adaptive, agile and change-ready constitution. Practical but not for the faint of heart. For a scorekeepers approach to a life of faith in the moment that any Accountant would endorse, read about the life of George Mueller some time.
Take a turn back in time with me for a moment to February 1862. The American Civil War is raging. President Lincoln has lost friends and colleagues to the war and now he loses his 11 year old son “Willie” to typhoid. Nothing is going right. In that vulnerable moment of grief and despair the President’s perspective of control is rocked. Historians say that the words of a Presbyterian Minister, Dr. Phineas D. Gurley, at Willie’s funeral penetrate the heart of an already reverent Lincoln. In his eulogy Gurley says, “In the hour of trial one must look to Him who sees the end from the beginning and who doeth all things well.” Lincoln asks for a copy of the eulogy. Shortly thereafter he writes the Emancipation Proclamation and the moral trajectory of our country, and it's greatness amongst nations takes a decidedly positive turn upward thereafter. God has plans.
The tide of our times takes us with great velocity into vast mazes of information and opinion, greater interconnectedness and a consciousness of myriad potential outcomes. Such a frenzy of information can drown us in a cocktail of variables, fear factors and imaginings that can paralyze even the stoutest of souls. Ironically, it is from that same cloud of swirling chaotic uncertainty and uncontrollable variables from which unforeseen opportunities come.
Mother Teresa was an opportunist! Let that sink in.
Not long ago, in meditation, these words came to me which I wrote in my journal; “You are being taught humility, patience, to depend on Me, to hear Me when I whisper to you. Do what is before you. Not for any end that it may represent but for what you will discover along the way. Nothing you are doing is for waste. Do it. Experience it. Explore, discover and express who you are. This is the adventure! I will keep you along the way. Be anxious for nothing. Let opportunity present itself. Seize it when it does. Rest in this.”
Funny how life sometimes puts a string of related pearls before us – to consider. Oh, that we would be of a mind and heart in the moment to recognize these strings of wisdom so expertly crafted and personalized for each of us and so gently and unobtrusively dangled before us as if to say – “this can be yours – put these on - you are worthy of them”.
Yesterday is gone, tomorrow has not yet come, pause and be still, stand firm in the torrent of the nervous frenzy around you and contemplate.
All the best!
Bill
Mother Teresa’s words reflect a life lived in the moment and such a life orientation can seem strange and even ill advised to the serious, planning, in-control professional business person. We are taught and encouraged to plan and execute, to visualize and strategize in all things professional. Plan your work and work your plan - right?
Something in our hearts is drawn to Mother Teresa’s words and we know deep down that it is right and good. One cannot deny that Mother Teresa lived a life of high impact and the difference between her and, say, a die hard professional business achiever can be summed up in her goal orientation. The world generally rejects wisdom such as Mother Teresa’s or writes it off as good advice for those "in ministry", wonderful anecdotal spice for a greeting card - heedful for those disconnected from the “real” and more important and more “desperate” work at hand. Her wisdom may present as impractical. And so, lifestyle statements such as Mother Teresa’s largely go un-reconciled as we move on with our business until the circumstances of our lives bring us back to them.
Mother Teresa tells this story;
"When once a chairman of a multinational company came to see me, to offer me a property in Bombay, he first asked: ‘Mother, how do you manage your budget?" I asked him who had sent him here. He replied: ‘I felt an urge inside me.’ I said: other people like you come to see me and say the same. It was clear God sent you, Mr. A, as He sends Mr. X, Mrs. Y, Miss Z, and they provide the material means we need for our work. The grace of God is what moved you. You are my budget. God sees to our needs, as Jesus promised. I accepted the property he gave and named it Asha Dan (Gift of Hope)."
Did Mother Teresa have NO plans? Of course she had plans. But she did not invest time or energy worrying about them. The chairman’s question about budgets comes from a heart in need of control over uncertainty, doubt and trepidation. Outcome control. Mother Teresa refused to live with such anxiety – turning it over to God’s providence. What a luxury - eh? One must ask if this only works for Godly projects and, if so, are our projects, our lives and our businesses un-Godly? Not necessarily.
Come to think of it, if you examine a bit closer you will discern that, while a “live in the moment” mindset involves a healthy measure of trust, relinquishing of control, patience and confidence, it is not at all a “wait and see and hope” approach to life. Indeed it very much requires a “carpe diem”, tremendously adaptive, agile and change-ready constitution. Practical but not for the faint of heart. For a scorekeepers approach to a life of faith in the moment that any Accountant would endorse, read about the life of George Mueller some time.
Take a turn back in time with me for a moment to February 1862. The American Civil War is raging. President Lincoln has lost friends and colleagues to the war and now he loses his 11 year old son “Willie” to typhoid. Nothing is going right. In that vulnerable moment of grief and despair the President’s perspective of control is rocked. Historians say that the words of a Presbyterian Minister, Dr. Phineas D. Gurley, at Willie’s funeral penetrate the heart of an already reverent Lincoln. In his eulogy Gurley says, “In the hour of trial one must look to Him who sees the end from the beginning and who doeth all things well.” Lincoln asks for a copy of the eulogy. Shortly thereafter he writes the Emancipation Proclamation and the moral trajectory of our country, and it's greatness amongst nations takes a decidedly positive turn upward thereafter. God has plans.
The tide of our times takes us with great velocity into vast mazes of information and opinion, greater interconnectedness and a consciousness of myriad potential outcomes. Such a frenzy of information can drown us in a cocktail of variables, fear factors and imaginings that can paralyze even the stoutest of souls. Ironically, it is from that same cloud of swirling chaotic uncertainty and uncontrollable variables from which unforeseen opportunities come.
Mother Teresa was an opportunist! Let that sink in.
Not long ago, in meditation, these words came to me which I wrote in my journal; “You are being taught humility, patience, to depend on Me, to hear Me when I whisper to you. Do what is before you. Not for any end that it may represent but for what you will discover along the way. Nothing you are doing is for waste. Do it. Experience it. Explore, discover and express who you are. This is the adventure! I will keep you along the way. Be anxious for nothing. Let opportunity present itself. Seize it when it does. Rest in this.”
Funny how life sometimes puts a string of related pearls before us – to consider. Oh, that we would be of a mind and heart in the moment to recognize these strings of wisdom so expertly crafted and personalized for each of us and so gently and unobtrusively dangled before us as if to say – “this can be yours – put these on - you are worthy of them”.
Yesterday is gone, tomorrow has not yet come, pause and be still, stand firm in the torrent of the nervous frenzy around you and contemplate.
All the best!
Bill
Monday, September 27, 2010
Prosperity & The Truly Fruitful Life
It’s fair to say that – relatively speaking - many people are going through a tough time right now. Emphasis on “relatively”. In reflection we might take a moment to compare our present circumstances “relative” to the rest of the world and see how far they have yet to go. But we’re in America right? So we’re deserving and we’re special, we’re blessed - so how dare anyone challenge our looking glass lens on reality. Well, the Apostle Paul declared, “We don't yet see things clearly. We're squinting in a fog, peering through a mist. But it won't be long before the weather clears and the sun shines bright! We'll see it all then, see it all as clearly as God sees us, knowing Him directly (and His plan) just as He knows us!” (1Cor13:12, The Message Bible, annotated)
Many religious or so-called people of faith are doing a lot of praying and genie lamp rubbing for God’s will to take a turn toward affluence in their lives. Affluence pursued is a phantom never caught. If I’ve heard it once I’ve heard it many times; “I pray for God’s will to manifest itself in my life.“ or “I know that God has a plan for my life and I can’t wait for Him to present it to me.” when they really mean, “God I know it’s your plan for me to win the lottery so - how about it?”
God does have a plan and that plan, His plan (like it or not) is working every moment of our lives – perhaps especially during those “worst” days, moments or seasons.
I have a Christian brother who is going through a difficult time. He and his wife are drawn to God and have committed to follow Him. They are both go-getter professionals and achievers. They have a young son and they are building a life together. They’ve also been drawn to a deeper relationship with God as a family. Just the kind of fledgling, delicate situation you would ask God to grace with mercy and good fortune. So, of course, with not perfect but exquisite timing – the wife lost her job under some unsavory circumstances – a victim of egos and selfish managers protecting themselves first. The setback is significant to their existence and it is testing their faith. Rather than whine and blame, they are living more in the moment, questioning the basis of their lives before their present circumstances, drawing closer in love and support of each other as never before in their lives and together they are searching for His purpose in it all. Do you see God’s plan?
At the end of the day – if you believe in the God of the Bible - we are created for one thing – to return to and glorify Him, our Lord Jesus Christ who created us and who loves us. While orchestrating the activities of the whole universe down to every hair on your head and every sparrow that falls to the ground - that’s His primary interest. Few humble themselves to intellectually accept that simple concept. Fewer still give their lives to it. As St. Augustine famously surmised, “You have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our heart is restless until it rests in You.”
In John’s Gospel (NKJV) in Chapter 15 verse 2 Jesus says, “Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit.” You may think it satisfying to produce your own fruit – but that fruit spoils, rots and turns to dust – there is no eternal joy in it. His fruit comes from His resources (the sap from His vine that draws through vast roots from resources far beyond our ability to comprehend). Relying on His resources we produce His fruit by abiding in His Spirit. His desires become our desires and we experience authentic joy in seeing Him come through, using our lives as His conduit (we, the branches) through which He flows unimpeded to produce His magnificent and eternal fruit.
Have you ever done any serious gardening? Can a pear tree produce grapes? When you cut back the dead wood doesn’t more than one fresh shoot spring forth? Have you ever had any serious gardening done on you? Those who bear fruit are not left alone. God is a diligent and expert vine dresser. They are cut to the quick – the sap of the Vine oozes forth from the wounds - so that fresh growth is possible – and more fruit! The most fruitful have the most scars from pruning. His vine is a perfect vine – everywhere it is green. There is no dead wood to be found. But there is pain, change, transformation and growth in the process.
There is an elite fighting force that claims as a slogan during their arduous physical training regimens that pain is the experience of weakness being driven from your body.
In James 1:2-8 (NKJV) the author writes, “My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience (a fruit). But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing. If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. But let him ask in (abiding) faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.” Read the rest of James for inspiration, encouragement and conviction.
Are you a person of faith? Are you going through a tough time? Consider the purpose for it and focus on the moment. Look for the good reason for it rather than focusing on some outcome you want in some uncertain future full of variables you do not control. What does He want? Why is He putting you through this? How can you glorify Him through it? Then, after a time, some serious prayer, an abiding heart, contemplation and quiet time away from others; invite God to speak to you personally. Then, finish this sentence; “I’m beginning to realize ____________.”
All the best!
Bill
Many religious or so-called people of faith are doing a lot of praying and genie lamp rubbing for God’s will to take a turn toward affluence in their lives. Affluence pursued is a phantom never caught. If I’ve heard it once I’ve heard it many times; “I pray for God’s will to manifest itself in my life.“ or “I know that God has a plan for my life and I can’t wait for Him to present it to me.” when they really mean, “God I know it’s your plan for me to win the lottery so - how about it?”
God does have a plan and that plan, His plan (like it or not) is working every moment of our lives – perhaps especially during those “worst” days, moments or seasons.
I have a Christian brother who is going through a difficult time. He and his wife are drawn to God and have committed to follow Him. They are both go-getter professionals and achievers. They have a young son and they are building a life together. They’ve also been drawn to a deeper relationship with God as a family. Just the kind of fledgling, delicate situation you would ask God to grace with mercy and good fortune. So, of course, with not perfect but exquisite timing – the wife lost her job under some unsavory circumstances – a victim of egos and selfish managers protecting themselves first. The setback is significant to their existence and it is testing their faith. Rather than whine and blame, they are living more in the moment, questioning the basis of their lives before their present circumstances, drawing closer in love and support of each other as never before in their lives and together they are searching for His purpose in it all. Do you see God’s plan?
At the end of the day – if you believe in the God of the Bible - we are created for one thing – to return to and glorify Him, our Lord Jesus Christ who created us and who loves us. While orchestrating the activities of the whole universe down to every hair on your head and every sparrow that falls to the ground - that’s His primary interest. Few humble themselves to intellectually accept that simple concept. Fewer still give their lives to it. As St. Augustine famously surmised, “You have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our heart is restless until it rests in You.”
In John’s Gospel (NKJV) in Chapter 15 verse 2 Jesus says, “Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit.” You may think it satisfying to produce your own fruit – but that fruit spoils, rots and turns to dust – there is no eternal joy in it. His fruit comes from His resources (the sap from His vine that draws through vast roots from resources far beyond our ability to comprehend). Relying on His resources we produce His fruit by abiding in His Spirit. His desires become our desires and we experience authentic joy in seeing Him come through, using our lives as His conduit (we, the branches) through which He flows unimpeded to produce His magnificent and eternal fruit.
Have you ever done any serious gardening? Can a pear tree produce grapes? When you cut back the dead wood doesn’t more than one fresh shoot spring forth? Have you ever had any serious gardening done on you? Those who bear fruit are not left alone. God is a diligent and expert vine dresser. They are cut to the quick – the sap of the Vine oozes forth from the wounds - so that fresh growth is possible – and more fruit! The most fruitful have the most scars from pruning. His vine is a perfect vine – everywhere it is green. There is no dead wood to be found. But there is pain, change, transformation and growth in the process.
There is an elite fighting force that claims as a slogan during their arduous physical training regimens that pain is the experience of weakness being driven from your body.
In James 1:2-8 (NKJV) the author writes, “My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience (a fruit). But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing. If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. But let him ask in (abiding) faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.” Read the rest of James for inspiration, encouragement and conviction.
Are you a person of faith? Are you going through a tough time? Consider the purpose for it and focus on the moment. Look for the good reason for it rather than focusing on some outcome you want in some uncertain future full of variables you do not control. What does He want? Why is He putting you through this? How can you glorify Him through it? Then, after a time, some serious prayer, an abiding heart, contemplation and quiet time away from others; invite God to speak to you personally. Then, finish this sentence; “I’m beginning to realize ____________.”
All the best!
Bill
Monday, August 30, 2010
The Pursuit of Purpose
Sometimes you have to wonder if progress is being withheld for a reason – a purpose. And you begin to reflect. The recession and its reluctant recovery have us all questioning ourselves, our motives, our methods, our very lives and our purpose.
In the years that I’ve been a manager and leader in business and in volunteer service a recurring theme continues to surface – people have a desire to be inspired. At the root of that desire is a DNA-level yearning to serve a purpose.
In the past year I have never had so much time to contemplate my life and its purpose. This summer has been slow and I believe that most have made a concerted effort to slow down, assess and collect themselves for the future. I hope and trust that the pause is more out of true contemplation and less of procrastination and fear to act.
There is nothing worse than to go through life without a purpose. The accumulation of stuff and titles and power is not purpose. William James was a wealthy heir, notable psychologist, philosopher and contemplative of the 1800s. He was a member of a literary and intellectually elite family that included his brother the novelist Henry James. He said, “The great use of life is to spend it for something that outlasts it.” That statement rings of eternity, purpose and calling. We may all be created equal but we are not all the same. While equal before the law, we are each unique and uniquely gifted – special - purposeful.
I am forever confounded by the free-wheeling misuse of the statement “… life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness”. The American Dream. The phrase itself is adapted from a more materialistic statement made by political philosopher and existentialist John Locke – pursuit of property. It has become every man’s declaration of his/her unalienable individual sovereignty. It is a statement made by men adapted from scripture and there is a nugget within it that draws us and draws our spirits – the pursuit of happiness. What is that? What is happiness? Is it joy? Is it self exaltation? Is happiness the accumulation of things? Truly, it’s whatever you make of it and our so-called unalienable right is not to the attainment of “it” per se but to the pursuit of “it”.
I believe that true happiness lies in discovering the fine line and direction one takes in either the pursuit of a kind of happiness found solely in the pursuit of perishable things or in the pursuit of a kind of happiness or fullness found in the pursuit of purpose toward things that go beyond this life and its “stuff”.
When times are easy and success flows freely, we are easily distracted from our true purpose as individuals and the place where we will find joy – true happiness. It is a narrow path and few find it. It is also a path from which we easily stray.
What defines us? Purpose? Profession? Is it the collection of our possessions? French writer Andre Gide had this to say about possessions, "Complete possession is proved only by giving. All you are unable to give possesses you."
But don’t take my word for it. Let’s get a perspective;
"You do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away." ~ James 4:14 ~
Or take it from King Solomon who had it all – the greatest of knowledge, discernment and wisdom and all the riches of the world at his disposal. He authored the book of Ecclesiastes;
1 The words of the Preacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem.
2 “ Vanity of vanities,” says the Preacher;
“ Vanity of vanities, all is vanity.”
3 What profit has a man from all his labor
In which he toils under the sun?
4 One generation passes away, and another generation comes;
But the earth abides forever.
5 The sun also rises, and the sun goes down,
And hastens to the place where it arose.
6 The wind goes toward the south,
And turns around to the north;
The wind whirls about continually,
And comes again on its circuit.
7 All the rivers run into the sea,
Yet the sea is not full;
To the place from which the rivers come,
There they return again.
8 All things are full of labor;
Man cannot express it.
The eye is not satisfied with seeing,
Nor the ear filled with hearing.
9 That which has been is what will be,
That which is done is what will be done,
And there is nothing new under the sun.
Say what you want about Lee Atwater’s politics, but he was an accomplished man very early in his life, rubbing eldbows with and relied upon by some of the most powerful men on the planet. He died swiftly at age forty of a brain tumor and this was his contrite commentary on his life (from a Life magazine article in February 1991), “My illness helped me to see that what was missing in society is what was missing in me: a little heart, a lot of brotherhood. The '80s were about acquiring — acquiring wealth, power, prestige. I know. I acquired more wealth, power, and prestige than most. But you can acquire all you want and still feel empty. What power wouldn't I trade for a little more time with my family? What price wouldn't I pay for an evening with friends? It took a deadly illness to put me eye to eye with that truth, but it is a truth that the country, caught up in its ruthless ambitions and moral decay, can learn on my dime. I don't know who will lead us through the '90s, but they must be made to speak to this spiritual vacuum at the heart of American society, this tumor of the soul.”
Thousands of years apart – same bottom line - same conclusion about life. What do Donald Trump or Ted Turner have to say on that? If their pride will allow it we may find out some day from their death beds.
Is life summed up in some “bucket list” of “to dos”, “thrills” and “to gets” that justify the self? Or is it about purpose discovered and devoted. In that there is no vanity. While we’re on it, here’s the Merriam-Webster definition of vanity; something that is vain, empty, or valueless, the quality or fact of being vain: inflated pride in oneself or one's appearance: conceit. A cutting word. Surely I am not vain! But is my life vanity?
Another fellow who died young but “in” his purpose was a young missionary by the name of James (Jim) Elliot. If you ever want to watch a compelling documentary film about divine purpose take a look at Through Gates of Splendor which is based on a book written by Jim’s widow Elizabeth Elliot. There is also a movie on the same topic titled, End of The Spear. Convicting to say the least – and perhaps senselessly fanatical in the opinion of some not so focused.
Two Jim Elliot quotations;
“He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.”
“Wherever you are, be all there.”
Finally, I present to you, William Borden (1887-1913). Yes, he died at age 26. Borden, of the wealthy Borden family we all know, was a well educated millionaire of privilege who had a promising life in industry before him. He turned it all down because early in his life he wrestled with the question of eternal “purpose” as expressed by this passage taken from the book, Borden of Yale '09 written by Mrs. Howard Taylor in 1926. “Borden's first disappointment at Yale came when the university president spoke in a convocation about the students' need of "having a fixed purpose." After that speech, Borden wrote: "He neglected to say what our purpose should be, and where we should get the ability to persevere and the strength to resist temptations.”
Borden died of spinal meningitis as he trekked to China and his mission field. Written on the inside cover of Borden’s Bible in his own hand – “No reserve – No retreats – No regrets”.
Our lives are finite yet despite our intellectual knowledge of it our end creeps up so surprisingly on each of us. The wealthiest and most powerful among us, when asked what they would want more of respond without hesitation – “time”. In the time that we have, to be the best in what we do, not in the eyes of others but in our own eyes and those of our Creator is to live in the purpose from which we derive truest joy and truest happiness.
You only have so much time to_____________________________.
I think we are meant to struggle with our pursuit of purpose.
All the best!
Bill
Acknowledgement: This Blog was a partially crafted draft of thoughts and fragments of thoughts in a file folder until the exhorting, challenging and encouraging words of my Pastor (Gerald Martel, Grace Gospel Church, Swansea, MA) goaded me into action for its completion. I also attribute to Pastor Martel's research the examples of Lee Atwater and William Borden into which I further delved for inspiration.
In the years that I’ve been a manager and leader in business and in volunteer service a recurring theme continues to surface – people have a desire to be inspired. At the root of that desire is a DNA-level yearning to serve a purpose.
In the past year I have never had so much time to contemplate my life and its purpose. This summer has been slow and I believe that most have made a concerted effort to slow down, assess and collect themselves for the future. I hope and trust that the pause is more out of true contemplation and less of procrastination and fear to act.
There is nothing worse than to go through life without a purpose. The accumulation of stuff and titles and power is not purpose. William James was a wealthy heir, notable psychologist, philosopher and contemplative of the 1800s. He was a member of a literary and intellectually elite family that included his brother the novelist Henry James. He said, “The great use of life is to spend it for something that outlasts it.” That statement rings of eternity, purpose and calling. We may all be created equal but we are not all the same. While equal before the law, we are each unique and uniquely gifted – special - purposeful.
I am forever confounded by the free-wheeling misuse of the statement “… life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness”. The American Dream. The phrase itself is adapted from a more materialistic statement made by political philosopher and existentialist John Locke – pursuit of property. It has become every man’s declaration of his/her unalienable individual sovereignty. It is a statement made by men adapted from scripture and there is a nugget within it that draws us and draws our spirits – the pursuit of happiness. What is that? What is happiness? Is it joy? Is it self exaltation? Is happiness the accumulation of things? Truly, it’s whatever you make of it and our so-called unalienable right is not to the attainment of “it” per se but to the pursuit of “it”.
I believe that true happiness lies in discovering the fine line and direction one takes in either the pursuit of a kind of happiness found solely in the pursuit of perishable things or in the pursuit of a kind of happiness or fullness found in the pursuit of purpose toward things that go beyond this life and its “stuff”.
When times are easy and success flows freely, we are easily distracted from our true purpose as individuals and the place where we will find joy – true happiness. It is a narrow path and few find it. It is also a path from which we easily stray.
What defines us? Purpose? Profession? Is it the collection of our possessions? French writer Andre Gide had this to say about possessions, "Complete possession is proved only by giving. All you are unable to give possesses you."
But don’t take my word for it. Let’s get a perspective;
"You do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away." ~ James 4:14 ~
Or take it from King Solomon who had it all – the greatest of knowledge, discernment and wisdom and all the riches of the world at his disposal. He authored the book of Ecclesiastes;
1 The words of the Preacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem.
2 “ Vanity of vanities,” says the Preacher;
“ Vanity of vanities, all is vanity.”
3 What profit has a man from all his labor
In which he toils under the sun?
4 One generation passes away, and another generation comes;
But the earth abides forever.
5 The sun also rises, and the sun goes down,
And hastens to the place where it arose.
6 The wind goes toward the south,
And turns around to the north;
The wind whirls about continually,
And comes again on its circuit.
7 All the rivers run into the sea,
Yet the sea is not full;
To the place from which the rivers come,
There they return again.
8 All things are full of labor;
Man cannot express it.
The eye is not satisfied with seeing,
Nor the ear filled with hearing.
9 That which has been is what will be,
That which is done is what will be done,
And there is nothing new under the sun.
Say what you want about Lee Atwater’s politics, but he was an accomplished man very early in his life, rubbing eldbows with and relied upon by some of the most powerful men on the planet. He died swiftly at age forty of a brain tumor and this was his contrite commentary on his life (from a Life magazine article in February 1991), “My illness helped me to see that what was missing in society is what was missing in me: a little heart, a lot of brotherhood. The '80s were about acquiring — acquiring wealth, power, prestige. I know. I acquired more wealth, power, and prestige than most. But you can acquire all you want and still feel empty. What power wouldn't I trade for a little more time with my family? What price wouldn't I pay for an evening with friends? It took a deadly illness to put me eye to eye with that truth, but it is a truth that the country, caught up in its ruthless ambitions and moral decay, can learn on my dime. I don't know who will lead us through the '90s, but they must be made to speak to this spiritual vacuum at the heart of American society, this tumor of the soul.”
Thousands of years apart – same bottom line - same conclusion about life. What do Donald Trump or Ted Turner have to say on that? If their pride will allow it we may find out some day from their death beds.
Is life summed up in some “bucket list” of “to dos”, “thrills” and “to gets” that justify the self? Or is it about purpose discovered and devoted. In that there is no vanity. While we’re on it, here’s the Merriam-Webster definition of vanity; something that is vain, empty, or valueless, the quality or fact of being vain: inflated pride in oneself or one's appearance: conceit. A cutting word. Surely I am not vain! But is my life vanity?
Another fellow who died young but “in” his purpose was a young missionary by the name of James (Jim) Elliot. If you ever want to watch a compelling documentary film about divine purpose take a look at Through Gates of Splendor which is based on a book written by Jim’s widow Elizabeth Elliot. There is also a movie on the same topic titled, End of The Spear. Convicting to say the least – and perhaps senselessly fanatical in the opinion of some not so focused.
Two Jim Elliot quotations;
“He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.”
“Wherever you are, be all there.”
Finally, I present to you, William Borden (1887-1913). Yes, he died at age 26. Borden, of the wealthy Borden family we all know, was a well educated millionaire of privilege who had a promising life in industry before him. He turned it all down because early in his life he wrestled with the question of eternal “purpose” as expressed by this passage taken from the book, Borden of Yale '09 written by Mrs. Howard Taylor in 1926. “Borden's first disappointment at Yale came when the university president spoke in a convocation about the students' need of "having a fixed purpose." After that speech, Borden wrote: "He neglected to say what our purpose should be, and where we should get the ability to persevere and the strength to resist temptations.”
Borden died of spinal meningitis as he trekked to China and his mission field. Written on the inside cover of Borden’s Bible in his own hand – “No reserve – No retreats – No regrets”.
Our lives are finite yet despite our intellectual knowledge of it our end creeps up so surprisingly on each of us. The wealthiest and most powerful among us, when asked what they would want more of respond without hesitation – “time”. In the time that we have, to be the best in what we do, not in the eyes of others but in our own eyes and those of our Creator is to live in the purpose from which we derive truest joy and truest happiness.
You only have so much time to_____________________________.
I think we are meant to struggle with our pursuit of purpose.
All the best!
Bill
Acknowledgement: This Blog was a partially crafted draft of thoughts and fragments of thoughts in a file folder until the exhorting, challenging and encouraging words of my Pastor (Gerald Martel, Grace Gospel Church, Swansea, MA) goaded me into action for its completion. I also attribute to Pastor Martel's research the examples of Lee Atwater and William Borden into which I further delved for inspiration.
Sunday, August 1, 2010
Beauty and the Bureaucracy
“Bureaucracy is the epoxy that greases the wheels of progress.”
~ Dr Jim Boren ~
Everyone says they hate a bureaucracy. Bureaucracies hamper our freedom, force us to conform, throttle progress and are no respecter of our individuality. But the idea of bureaucracies is necessary and beautiful in a complex society. How else can complex programs and initiatives be locked-in and translated into meaningful, broadly and evenly applied execution without some form of consistent, non-discriminating deployment mechanism? This is no small task. Personalized service applied with the efficiency of a broad brush is a tall and often counterintuitive order.
Sidebar: There is a trend in the global economy toward mass customization and with it the urgency of rising expectations for more features, utilities and personalized add-ons. We see the implication of this in the ever complex world of personal electronic devices where the explosion in “APP”s is so evident. Here software applications are the enabler of mass customization and every handheld device must be able to adapt through APPs and other “features” to serve the individual’s perception of customized need. The device is manufactured as a one-size-fits-all platform that may be mass produced within acceptable cost efficiency parameters and becomes vastly more complex and costly AFTER it gets into the hands of the user/consumer through imported APPs. Take careful note of the hand-off. This trend is representative of a market tug of war between the bureaucratic and things custom.
Sociopolitical Commentary: As citizens come to expect greater customization our society becomes more and more like a proverbial salad bowl than a melting pot. The complexity of our government bureaucratic programs are, by necessity, becoming bigger and more complex as they attempt to comprehend every variation and peculiar anomaly demanded by society WHILE maintaining control of service vending. Bureaucracies can be great “levelers” – but they can also become contrarily benign in their attempt to “routine-ize” interaction with an increasingly diverse and demanding constituency.
And so bureaucracies, under their own momentum, can become ineffective – the opposite of their intended purpose. What gives?
Like any complex and monotonous thing, bureaucracies resist change. They are often concocted and launched into existence by higher powers and handed to lower powers to implement and run. By design, the bureaucrats who run the programs do not have the delegated power to change the systems they operate. Process is king. Implementers are protected by plausible deniability and things lumber forward – unchanging and unable to adapt. Odd and fantastic logic and problem solving patterns arise as users attempt to personalize results or deal with unanticipated scenarios and outcomes. All effort is made to preserve the integrity and constraints of the established system. Rigid software programs cement the logic circuitry to ensure conformance.
We talk about embracing mass-customization and personalized service. Do our systems reflect that banter?
Every business, no matter the size, creates bureaucracies of its own - its “ways of doing things”. This is necessary and expedient for operational discipline, consistency and efficiency. But here’s a rub; change is not viewed as efficient in a bureaucracy. Change is, we know, a reality of life and adapting to change is critical to success. So how can a bureaucracy be at its “consistent” best and adapt for change at the same time?
The answer lies in two concepts: delegation of authority and continuous improvement cultures that deliberately seek feedback for constructive change. Find the bureaucracies that are inevitably in your business and give them a “delegation” and “improvement loop” checkup. Better yet, involve the bureaucrats in designing the system they will have to use as they interface with customers. And, like the handheld device, let your customer have a greater hand in customizing what they get from you. Push it out a little. Your bureaucracies can be beautiful living and adapting things.
“Make decisions as quickly as possible, to keep momentum; procrastinating causes a different set of problems.”
~ Jeffrey Katzenberg – CEO, DreamWorks ~
All the Best!
Bill
~ Dr Jim Boren ~
Everyone says they hate a bureaucracy. Bureaucracies hamper our freedom, force us to conform, throttle progress and are no respecter of our individuality. But the idea of bureaucracies is necessary and beautiful in a complex society. How else can complex programs and initiatives be locked-in and translated into meaningful, broadly and evenly applied execution without some form of consistent, non-discriminating deployment mechanism? This is no small task. Personalized service applied with the efficiency of a broad brush is a tall and often counterintuitive order.
Sidebar: There is a trend in the global economy toward mass customization and with it the urgency of rising expectations for more features, utilities and personalized add-ons. We see the implication of this in the ever complex world of personal electronic devices where the explosion in “APP”s is so evident. Here software applications are the enabler of mass customization and every handheld device must be able to adapt through APPs and other “features” to serve the individual’s perception of customized need. The device is manufactured as a one-size-fits-all platform that may be mass produced within acceptable cost efficiency parameters and becomes vastly more complex and costly AFTER it gets into the hands of the user/consumer through imported APPs. Take careful note of the hand-off. This trend is representative of a market tug of war between the bureaucratic and things custom.
Sociopolitical Commentary: As citizens come to expect greater customization our society becomes more and more like a proverbial salad bowl than a melting pot. The complexity of our government bureaucratic programs are, by necessity, becoming bigger and more complex as they attempt to comprehend every variation and peculiar anomaly demanded by society WHILE maintaining control of service vending. Bureaucracies can be great “levelers” – but they can also become contrarily benign in their attempt to “routine-ize” interaction with an increasingly diverse and demanding constituency.
And so bureaucracies, under their own momentum, can become ineffective – the opposite of their intended purpose. What gives?
Like any complex and monotonous thing, bureaucracies resist change. They are often concocted and launched into existence by higher powers and handed to lower powers to implement and run. By design, the bureaucrats who run the programs do not have the delegated power to change the systems they operate. Process is king. Implementers are protected by plausible deniability and things lumber forward – unchanging and unable to adapt. Odd and fantastic logic and problem solving patterns arise as users attempt to personalize results or deal with unanticipated scenarios and outcomes. All effort is made to preserve the integrity and constraints of the established system. Rigid software programs cement the logic circuitry to ensure conformance.
We talk about embracing mass-customization and personalized service. Do our systems reflect that banter?
Every business, no matter the size, creates bureaucracies of its own - its “ways of doing things”. This is necessary and expedient for operational discipline, consistency and efficiency. But here’s a rub; change is not viewed as efficient in a bureaucracy. Change is, we know, a reality of life and adapting to change is critical to success. So how can a bureaucracy be at its “consistent” best and adapt for change at the same time?
The answer lies in two concepts: delegation of authority and continuous improvement cultures that deliberately seek feedback for constructive change. Find the bureaucracies that are inevitably in your business and give them a “delegation” and “improvement loop” checkup. Better yet, involve the bureaucrats in designing the system they will have to use as they interface with customers. And, like the handheld device, let your customer have a greater hand in customizing what they get from you. Push it out a little. Your bureaucracies can be beautiful living and adapting things.
“Make decisions as quickly as possible, to keep momentum; procrastinating causes a different set of problems.”
~ Jeffrey Katzenberg – CEO, DreamWorks ~
All the Best!
Bill
Monday, June 28, 2010
RELEARNING HOW TO FLY
I had an encounter with a dragon fly the other day. He had flown too close to our pool and had inadvertently “splashed”. There I found him upside down and motionless on the pool surface. He was a big guy with a five inch wing span, colorful and with very peculiar markings. I found out later that he was a “Black Saddlebagged” Dragon Fly.
I thought he was dead and proceeded to scoop him out with my leaf net. But as soon as my net touched him he clawed at it and scrambled onboard like a ditched pilot to a rescue raft. I paused at the spectacle and the size of the beast as he gathered his bearings, tested his wings, took off and cart-wheeled back into the pool like a helicopter with a tail rotor malfunction. He lay there motionless again. I scooped him up again. He re-tested his wings but didn’t attempt a take-off this time. The markings on his beating wings created the illusion of three dimensional “bags” saddling his body. I rested the net on the edge of the pool and looked for a stick which I used to transfer him to an Iris shoot in my garden. He seemed to like that.
For about three hours he stayed there perched on the Iris shoot, motionless. He would not fly off. I figured he was recovering, drying-out. I checked on him once in awhile and he even let me pet him - but he stayed glued to that Iris shoot. I thought maybe he was too far gone to fly and was slowly dying.
The sun was setting and I was beginning to get concerned that he might become food for some nocturnal hunter – we have bats. I started to nudge him to fly off and return to whatever safe haven dragon flies go to at night. He wouldn’t even beat his wings. Then it occurred to me – maybe he had just given up the idea of flying and was “playing it safe”. But he was created to fly and he needed to fly. So I had an idea.
I offered him another stick and gently urged him onto it. Waving the stick slowly, I began to walk him around my yard like a child might with a toy glider, letting the air flow across his wings. Then in one smooth arcing motion I swung the stick up and flicked him off into the air. He catapulted upward, began to fall and then, as though snapping out of a daze, his wings sputtered to life - he hovered for a just a moment as if doing a “systems check”, did a little circle and took off in a straight line – a “bee line” – a determined line – into the dusk.
He was himself again. And NO, a bat didn’t swoop down and eat him!
“Saddlebags”
"If black boxes survive air crashes, why don't they make the whole plane out of that stuff?" ~George Carlin~
I help business and organization leaders define and achieve their ambitions by helping them address the issues problems and opportunities - not acted upon – that dominate their thoughts.
For most of us it’s been a tough go. Maybe you haven’t “flown” for a while. It’s time fly.
All the Best!
Bill
I thought he was dead and proceeded to scoop him out with my leaf net. But as soon as my net touched him he clawed at it and scrambled onboard like a ditched pilot to a rescue raft. I paused at the spectacle and the size of the beast as he gathered his bearings, tested his wings, took off and cart-wheeled back into the pool like a helicopter with a tail rotor malfunction. He lay there motionless again. I scooped him up again. He re-tested his wings but didn’t attempt a take-off this time. The markings on his beating wings created the illusion of three dimensional “bags” saddling his body. I rested the net on the edge of the pool and looked for a stick which I used to transfer him to an Iris shoot in my garden. He seemed to like that.
For about three hours he stayed there perched on the Iris shoot, motionless. He would not fly off. I figured he was recovering, drying-out. I checked on him once in awhile and he even let me pet him - but he stayed glued to that Iris shoot. I thought maybe he was too far gone to fly and was slowly dying.
The sun was setting and I was beginning to get concerned that he might become food for some nocturnal hunter – we have bats. I started to nudge him to fly off and return to whatever safe haven dragon flies go to at night. He wouldn’t even beat his wings. Then it occurred to me – maybe he had just given up the idea of flying and was “playing it safe”. But he was created to fly and he needed to fly. So I had an idea.
I offered him another stick and gently urged him onto it. Waving the stick slowly, I began to walk him around my yard like a child might with a toy glider, letting the air flow across his wings. Then in one smooth arcing motion I swung the stick up and flicked him off into the air. He catapulted upward, began to fall and then, as though snapping out of a daze, his wings sputtered to life - he hovered for a just a moment as if doing a “systems check”, did a little circle and took off in a straight line – a “bee line” – a determined line – into the dusk.
He was himself again. And NO, a bat didn’t swoop down and eat him!
“Saddlebags” I help business and organization leaders define and achieve their ambitions by helping them address the issues problems and opportunities - not acted upon – that dominate their thoughts.
For most of us it’s been a tough go. Maybe you haven’t “flown” for a while. It’s time fly.
All the Best!
Bill
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
Power To The People!
“In times of change – learners inherit the earth.” ~ Eric Hoffer ~
The “people factor” peculiar to small businesses. As businesses downsize – less may become more but less certainly becomes critical. In small businesses, flat org-charts are the norm – and both a strength and weakness. It takes a certain type of person to thrive in a small business environment – especially nowadays. Wearing many hats and enduring shifting priorities and tempos can wear on the non-generalist. This goes for both the entrepreneur/owner AND those on his/her staff. The stress is especially acute for those who may have been on the job for some time (having acclimated to the organization during simpler and more relaxed times) or who have formerly luxuriated in a single-discipline focus. CEOs take note: though your staff certainly appreciates their jobs – they have endured downsizings and taken on more responsibilities along the way. This HAS added mental and emotional stress. Be proactive before vital links begin to fracture. Sometimes an outsider’s perspective can detect fractures that you cannot.
Is your front office (you know - your SG&A cost center) disconnected from it’s business enterprise roots? In his book, Shop Class As Soul Craft (©2009 by The Penguin Press), Matthew Crawford looks at the office dynamics of small and large corporations that have lost focus on individual contribution and how new “office centric” and often non-productive and erroneous criteria for performance are diluting SG&A value and derailing companies. You know, like focusing on political correctness versus getting the job done and office cultures that use limp phrases like “I don’t disagree with you” that lead to phony consensus building.
In growing enterprises, valuable and contributing individuals are promoted and given increasing responsibility and authority – sometimes beyond their capability – “The Peter Principal”. These very key players can become roadblocks to further progress when their ambitions digress from those of their leader.
Having ambitions and being ambitious are two very different things. A wise business leader is conscious of this. I cannot count the times I’ve seen key middle managers holding back a company while paying lip service to the ambitions of an earnest CEO. The toughest group are the seasoned veterans who have given their all to ambitious projects and implementations in the past. They may no longer “see the light”, they may be tired or just plain coasting toward retirement. These reluctant participants may often be individuals who are viewed as vital. The questions is this; is your ambitious plan equally as vital as you perceive these individuals to be? If so - a line must be drawn. Who may quit and who may need to move on is a function of the CEO’s commitment to and ambitions for the enterprise – for the good of the enterprise. CEOs should realize that their ambitions may exceed the ambitions of their staff and then have the courage to break through resistance – no matter what the perceived or feared consequences in employee turnover may be. Such fears generally exceed reality. This is why enterprises that embrace a culture of change and continuous improvement have a vitality borne from their culture and not supposed “vital” individuals.
Are your production workers BAD ROBOTS? Matthew Crawford (Shop Class As Soul Craft), makes another good observation about worker mentality in the modern age – “If occasions for the exercise of judgment are diminished, the moral-cognitive virtue of attentiveness will atrophy.”(pg. 101) In other words, too much monotony and systemization in human operations can become counter-productive. All the written procedures and auditing you care to apply will not stem this human result. In certain environments where human involvement in productivity approaches that of machines - you might as well invest in the robots - because your workers will evolve into mindless and, worse, error prone automatons.
Along the same line, organizations that lack ambition will trend toward mediocrity in human capital. Jason Jennings in Hit The Ground Running,©2009 puts it like this, ”Without growth a company will eventually be unable to hire and keep talented people. People work for businesses in the hope of achieving their own full economic potential. When highly talented and ambitious people discover that a brighter tomorrow doesn’t exist, they’ll leave at the first opportunity. Eventually the only people left will be those incapable of finding work elsewhere.”(pg.28)
I help organizations define and achieve their ambitions and I’m available to listen and hear about the problems, issues and opportunities - not acted upon - that dominate your thoughts. That’s where it starts.
All the Best!
Bill
The “people factor” peculiar to small businesses. As businesses downsize – less may become more but less certainly becomes critical. In small businesses, flat org-charts are the norm – and both a strength and weakness. It takes a certain type of person to thrive in a small business environment – especially nowadays. Wearing many hats and enduring shifting priorities and tempos can wear on the non-generalist. This goes for both the entrepreneur/owner AND those on his/her staff. The stress is especially acute for those who may have been on the job for some time (having acclimated to the organization during simpler and more relaxed times) or who have formerly luxuriated in a single-discipline focus. CEOs take note: though your staff certainly appreciates their jobs – they have endured downsizings and taken on more responsibilities along the way. This HAS added mental and emotional stress. Be proactive before vital links begin to fracture. Sometimes an outsider’s perspective can detect fractures that you cannot.
Is your front office (you know - your SG&A cost center) disconnected from it’s business enterprise roots? In his book, Shop Class As Soul Craft (©2009 by The Penguin Press), Matthew Crawford looks at the office dynamics of small and large corporations that have lost focus on individual contribution and how new “office centric” and often non-productive and erroneous criteria for performance are diluting SG&A value and derailing companies. You know, like focusing on political correctness versus getting the job done and office cultures that use limp phrases like “I don’t disagree with you” that lead to phony consensus building.
In growing enterprises, valuable and contributing individuals are promoted and given increasing responsibility and authority – sometimes beyond their capability – “The Peter Principal”. These very key players can become roadblocks to further progress when their ambitions digress from those of their leader.
Having ambitions and being ambitious are two very different things. A wise business leader is conscious of this. I cannot count the times I’ve seen key middle managers holding back a company while paying lip service to the ambitions of an earnest CEO. The toughest group are the seasoned veterans who have given their all to ambitious projects and implementations in the past. They may no longer “see the light”, they may be tired or just plain coasting toward retirement. These reluctant participants may often be individuals who are viewed as vital. The questions is this; is your ambitious plan equally as vital as you perceive these individuals to be? If so - a line must be drawn. Who may quit and who may need to move on is a function of the CEO’s commitment to and ambitions for the enterprise – for the good of the enterprise. CEOs should realize that their ambitions may exceed the ambitions of their staff and then have the courage to break through resistance – no matter what the perceived or feared consequences in employee turnover may be. Such fears generally exceed reality. This is why enterprises that embrace a culture of change and continuous improvement have a vitality borne from their culture and not supposed “vital” individuals.
Are your production workers BAD ROBOTS? Matthew Crawford (Shop Class As Soul Craft), makes another good observation about worker mentality in the modern age – “If occasions for the exercise of judgment are diminished, the moral-cognitive virtue of attentiveness will atrophy.”(pg. 101) In other words, too much monotony and systemization in human operations can become counter-productive. All the written procedures and auditing you care to apply will not stem this human result. In certain environments where human involvement in productivity approaches that of machines - you might as well invest in the robots - because your workers will evolve into mindless and, worse, error prone automatons.
Along the same line, organizations that lack ambition will trend toward mediocrity in human capital. Jason Jennings in Hit The Ground Running,©2009 puts it like this, ”Without growth a company will eventually be unable to hire and keep talented people. People work for businesses in the hope of achieving their own full economic potential. When highly talented and ambitious people discover that a brighter tomorrow doesn’t exist, they’ll leave at the first opportunity. Eventually the only people left will be those incapable of finding work elsewhere.”(pg.28)
I help organizations define and achieve their ambitions and I’m available to listen and hear about the problems, issues and opportunities - not acted upon - that dominate your thoughts. That’s where it starts.
All the Best!
Bill
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