As Dale Carnegie would say.. learning is an active process. We learn by doing. In our interactions, try to understand the other person’s point of viewpoint.
It is much easier to find fault with people, then to praise them.
It is human nature to talk about what we want, than what the other person wants.
Respect and honor the person through trying to understand their back story( what situations and factors brought them to where they are now).
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
Monday, January 25, 2010
Reflective task for the New Year-- 2010
As we continue into the new year of 2010, it is important to reevaluate your interests, values, leadership abilities – to take an introspective look at where we are in our professional and personal lives..
There are various sites that can help us in this reflective task. . Some of these are free and others are not.
Here is one for online assessment and testing. This one looks at transformational, transactional, and people management competencies.
: www.myskillsprofile.com
There are various sites that can help us in this reflective task. . Some of these are free and others are not.
Here is one for online assessment and testing. This one looks at transformational, transactional, and people management competencies.
: www.myskillsprofile.com
Sunday, January 3, 2010
Listening and Holistic/ Organic Communication
Listening is the one key ingredients of holistic/ organic communication. It involves and embraces all the senses as well as the heart , mind and spirit in reaching out to build a bridge unifying all parties. But, to achieve this goal, get ready to do some hard-core active and totally engaged listening.
Monday, October 19, 2009
Books for Inspiration and Motivation
Books for Personal Motivation and Inspiration:
I thought I would share with you some treasured books that have influenced me and others in their interactions in the workplace.
Here are some of my Favorites:
Living the Seven Habits : Stories of Courage and Inspiration by Stephen R.
Covey
Yesterday I Cried: Celebrating the Lessons of Living and Loving by Iyanla
Vanzant
Travelling Mercies by Anne Lamott
Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life by Anne Lamott
The Woman's Book of Soul by Sue Patton Thoele
One Day My Soul Just Opened Up by Iyanla Vanzant
Don't Sweat the Small Stuff and it's all small stuff by Richard Carlson
I thought I would share with you some treasured books that have influenced me and others in their interactions in the workplace.
Here are some of my Favorites:
Living the Seven Habits : Stories of Courage and Inspiration by Stephen R.
Covey
Yesterday I Cried: Celebrating the Lessons of Living and Loving by Iyanla
Vanzant
Travelling Mercies by Anne Lamott
Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life by Anne Lamott
The Woman's Book of Soul by Sue Patton Thoele
One Day My Soul Just Opened Up by Iyanla Vanzant
Don't Sweat the Small Stuff and it's all small stuff by Richard Carlson
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
Build a healing bridge in times of conflict
In times of conflict, seek wholeheartedly to find the common ground. Try to understand and have empathy for the behavior of the person . The reason a person acts a certain way is not always so obvious.
When a person acts out, take a breath or two, and mindfully try to build a healing bridge through caring dialogue.
When a person acts out, take a breath or two, and mindfully try to build a healing bridge through caring dialogue.
Saturday, September 20, 2008
The recipe of organic leadership
A seminar that I attended this past week addressed how the development of humanity can be likened to seeds that are planted and leaven yeast with dough emerging into the bread of kindness, universal love and caring. In dwelling on these thoughts, I realized that the development of that organic leadership is very much in the same vein.
As the seminar revealed to me: “From even the smallest of seeds, mustard seeds, pine nuts, and mighty plants emerge” I realized that great and wonderful things can grow from things that seem to us humans so insignificant and out of everyday ordinaryiness…. Just like that of a “few tiny grains of yeast can leaven whole loaves of bread”.
Organic leadership is like kneading dough… in our daily bread- in the making of it and in the sharing of it. This process is like herbs growing and farmers farming, we are much more conscious of where our bread comes from . It is a daily journey of every day ordinary work . The seminar brought forward Oscar Wilde’s poignant reflection that “ what people need is not so much high imaginative art, but that which hallows the vessels of everyday use” seems to apply very well here indeed.
The vision of humanity expressed at this seminar can be that of organic leadership because we need the vision of the caring and humane world to inspire us as healers and reconcilers in creation of the human spirit – an important ingredient for the recipe of organic leadership.
So, loving leadership -the highest form of organic leadership- can be part of this creation.. The art of making bread can be an analogy for the art of loving leadership. The seminar mentioned that” Good recipes are like good stories- they embody truth and experience.”
There is a well known tradition in the Amish culture – a great well-loved and time honored custom. This custom is a great bread recipe known as Amish Friendship Bread, which found its seeds of origin( pardon the pun) among the Amish people- Mennonites essentially- in Pennsylvania. This practice involves a form of sourdough bread that begins with a starter portion and is in turn shared amongst the community, along with the ensuing batches of bread.
Each person nurtures a portion of the starter for several days, and then uses some to bake bread. S/he then passes on some to other people who nurture and tend it, then gives some to others and thus it continues in this fashion.
The analogy of the starter in essence spreads like yeast throughout the community is a core principle of organic leadership.
This tradition is an example of every day ordinariness that is transformed into universal community values. Organic leadership and its end result - loving leadership, is not rocket science, you don’t need a Ph.D. to develop it, nor do you need a highly complex matrix of systems for its evolution. Possibly, this is why it is so hard for us to comprehend and assimilate it into our natural ecosystems. Organic and loving leadership has to ferment and grow from the natural yeast of our organic foundation: a foundation that is built upon caring, respect and honouring of the individual no matter who or what they are.
As the seminar revealed to me: “From even the smallest of seeds, mustard seeds, pine nuts, and mighty plants emerge” I realized that great and wonderful things can grow from things that seem to us humans so insignificant and out of everyday ordinaryiness…. Just like that of a “few tiny grains of yeast can leaven whole loaves of bread”.
Organic leadership is like kneading dough… in our daily bread- in the making of it and in the sharing of it. This process is like herbs growing and farmers farming, we are much more conscious of where our bread comes from . It is a daily journey of every day ordinary work . The seminar brought forward Oscar Wilde’s poignant reflection that “ what people need is not so much high imaginative art, but that which hallows the vessels of everyday use” seems to apply very well here indeed.
The vision of humanity expressed at this seminar can be that of organic leadership because we need the vision of the caring and humane world to inspire us as healers and reconcilers in creation of the human spirit – an important ingredient for the recipe of organic leadership.
So, loving leadership -the highest form of organic leadership- can be part of this creation.. The art of making bread can be an analogy for the art of loving leadership. The seminar mentioned that” Good recipes are like good stories- they embody truth and experience.”
There is a well known tradition in the Amish culture – a great well-loved and time honored custom. This custom is a great bread recipe known as Amish Friendship Bread, which found its seeds of origin( pardon the pun) among the Amish people- Mennonites essentially- in Pennsylvania. This practice involves a form of sourdough bread that begins with a starter portion and is in turn shared amongst the community, along with the ensuing batches of bread.
Each person nurtures a portion of the starter for several days, and then uses some to bake bread. S/he then passes on some to other people who nurture and tend it, then gives some to others and thus it continues in this fashion.
The analogy of the starter in essence spreads like yeast throughout the community is a core principle of organic leadership.
This tradition is an example of every day ordinariness that is transformed into universal community values. Organic leadership and its end result - loving leadership, is not rocket science, you don’t need a Ph.D. to develop it, nor do you need a highly complex matrix of systems for its evolution. Possibly, this is why it is so hard for us to comprehend and assimilate it into our natural ecosystems. Organic and loving leadership has to ferment and grow from the natural yeast of our organic foundation: a foundation that is built upon caring, respect and honouring of the individual no matter who or what they are.
Thursday, August 7, 2008
Becoming a Better Leader of Your Team
To become a better leader of your team:
1. Start with yourself- by growing into a leader.
a) Listen empathically ( listen with authentic and genuine concern) to your team.
b) Develop new skills for yourself e.g. mediation, project management, negotiation, conflict resolution, etc.
c) Raise the bar for yourself- expect more from yourself.
2. Work on developing “authentic ethics”- those that grow from a place of genuine caring and respect for the individual.
3. Remember to be always available to the community and to your team- there should be no barriers for this interactive, caring, and continuous dialogue.
4. Recognize you have to come from a place of abundance in your attitude- people rise to your level of expectations and your concern for them.
5. Develop co- leadership- often the best leadership is shared leadership. Camelot had a round table for a reason- in that all those who sat at the table were regarded as equal in value and status - no one was above anyone else in their noble quest.
6. Maintain a positive genuine attitude and your energy as your bricks and mortar. By putting these into the foundation of your leadership development, you will be getting more out of what you put out into it.
7. Shift your perspective from “me” to “we”- from self-serving to serving others. This is the new spiritual paradigm shift.
8. Recognize that you are working towards a higher purpose in a new leadership value system that is emerging and transforming. Leadership is not just about getting through to people’s heads, but it is also about getting into their hearts. To embody and embrace this fact may help you as you walk the pathway to becoming a better leader for your team.
1. Start with yourself- by growing into a leader.
a) Listen empathically ( listen with authentic and genuine concern) to your team.
b) Develop new skills for yourself e.g. mediation, project management, negotiation, conflict resolution, etc.
c) Raise the bar for yourself- expect more from yourself.
2. Work on developing “authentic ethics”- those that grow from a place of genuine caring and respect for the individual.
3. Remember to be always available to the community and to your team- there should be no barriers for this interactive, caring, and continuous dialogue.
4. Recognize you have to come from a place of abundance in your attitude- people rise to your level of expectations and your concern for them.
5. Develop co- leadership- often the best leadership is shared leadership. Camelot had a round table for a reason- in that all those who sat at the table were regarded as equal in value and status - no one was above anyone else in their noble quest.
6. Maintain a positive genuine attitude and your energy as your bricks and mortar. By putting these into the foundation of your leadership development, you will be getting more out of what you put out into it.
7. Shift your perspective from “me” to “we”- from self-serving to serving others. This is the new spiritual paradigm shift.
8. Recognize that you are working towards a higher purpose in a new leadership value system that is emerging and transforming. Leadership is not just about getting through to people’s heads, but it is also about getting into their hearts. To embody and embrace this fact may help you as you walk the pathway to becoming a better leader for your team.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
