I'm sure I'm not the only one who found myself crying at the incredible determination and achievement of John Bishop. It leaves me with a question: what is it that enables us and empowers us to endure? For John it was perhaps a sense of outrage at what he witnessed in Sierra Leone and an overwhelming desire to do something in the face of insurmountable injustice.
Perhaps it was the vision and hope offered by the little girl who wanted to grow up to be a lawyer, or the tragic death of a small child from a diarrhoea related disease, or the anguished cry of her mother at the realisation of her loss. These may have contributed to the impetus to even dream the impossible.
What enabled him to succeed was the incredible support he received from all those that helped him run, row and cycle, the crowds that pledged financial support and turned out in the dark and the rain to cheer him on and the belief of those on his team that despite the physical trauma, he could continue, he could endure.
What about us? what gives us the power to endure?
Perhaps the thing we all have in common with John is our need to live a life beyond ourselves, to be motivated by making a greater contribution, to leave a legacy for our children. Perhaps we all actually have a sense of calling, a higher purpose that in the "noise" of everyday life has become drowned out. Perhaps the greatest thing we can all do is to connect with that calling, discover that higher purpose and fulfil our destiny.
The power to endure can be found in unlikely places, perhaps we should all start to become more attentive, more attuned to where ours could come from and then perhaps we could take our ordinary lives and become as extraordinary as John Bishop is. Perhaps too we'll discover that as we step out and step forward, others will come and cheer us on and keep us going and we'll realise that our destinies are more connected than we'd ever realised and that the power to endure ultimately comes from our connection to a greater purpose that we achieve together.
Grand words? Idealistic? Perhaps. But what if, like John we all possessed the wherewithal to attempt and even achieve the seemingly impossible. Perhaps we have more in common with the stand up comic from up North than we realise. Perhaps there resides within all of us some greatness that yet needs to be discovered.
Saturday, 24 March 2012
Wednesday, 14 March 2012
Pass it on!
In the light of the present "Kony" debate and the criticisms of the "Invisible Children", I am motivated to ask the question: Just what are we passing on to the next generation? For amidst the politics, finances, accusations of naivety are a growing number of young people who have a sense of injustice and a passionate desire to confront it, expose it and transform it.
Isn't there something even deeper than Justice at stake here? Or protecting the rights of innocent children? I suggest that what is actually at stake is what we are giving to the next generation of leaders. What exactly are we passing on?
A sense of futility perhaps? or hopelessness? or in a world filled with corporate greed and hidden agendas the idea that the fight for human rights and justice is naive? or just too complicated to comprehend?
Yes, the film exposing Kony was sensational, yes it may have over-simplified the issues, but what it has also done is given hope to a generation of young people that they can have a voice, and make a difference and be champions of justice in a world filled with corruption at every level.
That's huge. Massive. Significant.
I really hope that Kony is found and Justice is delivered. I hope that there is an end to the current abuse of children in Uganda and throughout the world. I hope that we will all appreciate the need to carry a sense of responsibility for what happens in our world. But more than anything else I hope that we can pass on to the next generation the self belief, the courage, the confidence, to believe they can not just stand against oppression however it manifests itself, but that they can transform it and ultimately defeat it.
Some will say I am a hopeless idealist. Perhaps I am. But I'm crystal clear about what I want to pass on, are you?
Isn't there something even deeper than Justice at stake here? Or protecting the rights of innocent children? I suggest that what is actually at stake is what we are giving to the next generation of leaders. What exactly are we passing on?
A sense of futility perhaps? or hopelessness? or in a world filled with corporate greed and hidden agendas the idea that the fight for human rights and justice is naive? or just too complicated to comprehend?
Yes, the film exposing Kony was sensational, yes it may have over-simplified the issues, but what it has also done is given hope to a generation of young people that they can have a voice, and make a difference and be champions of justice in a world filled with corruption at every level.
That's huge. Massive. Significant.
I really hope that Kony is found and Justice is delivered. I hope that there is an end to the current abuse of children in Uganda and throughout the world. I hope that we will all appreciate the need to carry a sense of responsibility for what happens in our world. But more than anything else I hope that we can pass on to the next generation the self belief, the courage, the confidence, to believe they can not just stand against oppression however it manifests itself, but that they can transform it and ultimately defeat it.
Some will say I am a hopeless idealist. Perhaps I am. But I'm crystal clear about what I want to pass on, are you?
The importance of being a failure
What a strange title you must be thinking, surely we don't fail we just find ways that don't work! or we re-frame "failure" in classic NLP style by reclassifying it as "feedback". Well, yes there is value in both approaches, but I was recently inspired by an article in the Harvard Business Review written by a CEO who had constructed a "failure" wall in his office on which he encouraged employees to write their failures and what they learned from them.
What an interesting idea! Could it be that we are so worried about failure, so keen to avoid it, side-step it, deny it, re-frame it that we are missing the importance of being a failure ourselves?
Ah but, I hear you say, failing is one thing "being a failure" is quite another as it suggests a state of being which affects our very identity. What if being a failure is an important part of our identity? If being a failure is part of what it means to be a human being, then can't we all relax a little, or a lot? If failure is part of who I am, how might "owning" it be useful?
I might give myself permission to try impossible things, or dream impossible dreams. I might take up hobbies that I have little hope of excelling at just for the fun of having a go. I might put myself forward for promotions that seem well out of reach, or bid for contracts that seem impossible to achieve. I might actually celebrate my failures and write books and articles about my learning.
And I might just inspire others to have a go at failing too! What if the worse thing that could actually happen is not failure after all? What if we've all been misled? What if the worse thing we could do is to deny that failure is part of the experience, a valuable part of the journey? A question often asked by development coaches such as myself is "what would you do if you knew you could''t fail"? but perhaps a better question would be "what would you do if failure simply didn't matter?"
Failure has the potential to provide the richest and the most valuable learning for all of us, if we would stop for long enough to embrace it!
What an interesting idea! Could it be that we are so worried about failure, so keen to avoid it, side-step it, deny it, re-frame it that we are missing the importance of being a failure ourselves?
Ah but, I hear you say, failing is one thing "being a failure" is quite another as it suggests a state of being which affects our very identity. What if being a failure is an important part of our identity? If being a failure is part of what it means to be a human being, then can't we all relax a little, or a lot? If failure is part of who I am, how might "owning" it be useful?
I might give myself permission to try impossible things, or dream impossible dreams. I might take up hobbies that I have little hope of excelling at just for the fun of having a go. I might put myself forward for promotions that seem well out of reach, or bid for contracts that seem impossible to achieve. I might actually celebrate my failures and write books and articles about my learning.
And I might just inspire others to have a go at failing too! What if the worse thing that could actually happen is not failure after all? What if we've all been misled? What if the worse thing we could do is to deny that failure is part of the experience, a valuable part of the journey? A question often asked by development coaches such as myself is "what would you do if you knew you could''t fail"? but perhaps a better question would be "what would you do if failure simply didn't matter?"
Failure has the potential to provide the richest and the most valuable learning for all of us, if we would stop for long enough to embrace it!
Wednesday, 7 March 2012
Altruism- the key to innovation, engagement & leadership development
As I work as a developer of leaders in the executive coaching field and in leadership training I am asked similar questions: How can we better engage our employees? How can we create a culture of innovation in challenging economic times? How can we develop personal responsibility and develop our leaders without subscribing to expensive programmes? How can we build a sense of "team" in an environment in which people genuinely fear for their jobs and competition seems to trump co-operation, and fear and suspicion seems to triumph over trust?
Challenging questions for challenging times, and there seem to be no simple answers. Or, are there?
Is it possible we have missed something absolutely key?, something so simple and something in our time pressured world that almost seems counter intuitive? Have we made some fundamental assumptions about what people need in order to be self motivated and have we misjudged what develops personal responsibility and leadership? Have we confused programmes with progress? In focusing on tangible (health and safety, renumeration, incentive schemes), have we neglected the more intangible some might say "spiritual" aspects of human motivation?
An article published this week by the Harvard Business Review suggests that in a time pressured world, employees are looking to their jobs to provide opportunities for "good deeds" that they simply don't have time to do outside of work. Initial research seems to indicate that volunteering creates opportunities for broadening networks and skills, breaking out of ruts and creating meaning which results in increased retention and engagement.
But, I hear you ask, we don't have enough time to do all that needs to be done now, let alone finding additional time for employees to volunteer their skills in the community.
This is where a simple cost benefit analysis may prove useful. Data from the Center for talent Innovation indicates that Generation Y college graduates are more attracted to work for organisations that have a strong social responsibility stance, so these organisations arguably will attract more of the brightest talent. Research also indicates that opportunities for volunteering and social engagement are positively correlated with employee engagement, innovation, the development of wider leadership skills and can even ignite careers.
The corporate volunteer programme launched by Fran Laserson, President of the Moody's Foundation instanced in the HBR article (March 5th) led to 67% of employees building relationships with people they didn't normally work with (which impacted "team" working in the work place) and led to 51% feeling more positive about the company and themselves. In 2011 more than half the entire workforce took part in the programme.
Can it be that altruism is the key after all? There is perhaps a deeper need in all of us that has not given enough credence in the area of employee engagement and leadership development, the human need to feel of significance, to engage in things that have intrinsic worth and that make a difference and to make our contribution to making the world a better place for us all.
What would it be like if we scrapped all expensive leadership development programmes and engaged people in meaningful community contribution instead? I may have just blogged my way out of a role, but I'm convinced that I could draw greater learning out of such experiences with the leaders I work with and that organisations would have a richer, more trusting and more engaged work force with which to tackle 21st Century challenges.
Challenging questions for challenging times, and there seem to be no simple answers. Or, are there?
Is it possible we have missed something absolutely key?, something so simple and something in our time pressured world that almost seems counter intuitive? Have we made some fundamental assumptions about what people need in order to be self motivated and have we misjudged what develops personal responsibility and leadership? Have we confused programmes with progress? In focusing on tangible (health and safety, renumeration, incentive schemes), have we neglected the more intangible some might say "spiritual" aspects of human motivation?
An article published this week by the Harvard Business Review suggests that in a time pressured world, employees are looking to their jobs to provide opportunities for "good deeds" that they simply don't have time to do outside of work. Initial research seems to indicate that volunteering creates opportunities for broadening networks and skills, breaking out of ruts and creating meaning which results in increased retention and engagement.
But, I hear you ask, we don't have enough time to do all that needs to be done now, let alone finding additional time for employees to volunteer their skills in the community.
This is where a simple cost benefit analysis may prove useful. Data from the Center for talent Innovation indicates that Generation Y college graduates are more attracted to work for organisations that have a strong social responsibility stance, so these organisations arguably will attract more of the brightest talent. Research also indicates that opportunities for volunteering and social engagement are positively correlated with employee engagement, innovation, the development of wider leadership skills and can even ignite careers.
The corporate volunteer programme launched by Fran Laserson, President of the Moody's Foundation instanced in the HBR article (March 5th) led to 67% of employees building relationships with people they didn't normally work with (which impacted "team" working in the work place) and led to 51% feeling more positive about the company and themselves. In 2011 more than half the entire workforce took part in the programme.
Can it be that altruism is the key after all? There is perhaps a deeper need in all of us that has not given enough credence in the area of employee engagement and leadership development, the human need to feel of significance, to engage in things that have intrinsic worth and that make a difference and to make our contribution to making the world a better place for us all.
What would it be like if we scrapped all expensive leadership development programmes and engaged people in meaningful community contribution instead? I may have just blogged my way out of a role, but I'm convinced that I could draw greater learning out of such experiences with the leaders I work with and that organisations would have a richer, more trusting and more engaged work force with which to tackle 21st Century challenges.
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