#160;

PS Even we uptight strategy / nerdy technology guys have a sense of humor, you know. :-)

His book, “Righteous Indignation” concludes with the following paragraph that I found to be very powerful.

quot;I love my job. I love fighting for what I believe in. I love having fun while doing it. I love reporting stories that the Complex refuses to report. I love fighting back, I love finding allies, and-famously-I enjoy making enemies. Three years ago, I was mostly a behind-the-scenes guy who linked to stuff on a very popular website. I always wondered what it would be like to enter the public realm to fight for what I believe in. I've lost friends, perhaps dozens. But I've gained hundreds, thousands -- who knows? -- of allies. At the end of the day, I can look at myself in the mirror, and I sleep very well at night.quot;

In quoting Mr. Breitbart, I’m not saying that everything he did or how he did it was right.

However, he followed his passion and let it guide him (or drive him).

He was authentic – true to his calling and his sense of purpose.

I often wonder (and have often written about) the potential that we would create on this planet if only we would follow our passion in the same way.

The people who have intention to carry out acts of hatred, evil and greed carry out their passion every day.#160; They don’t wait for permission and don’t ask for forgiveness.

If the people who have intent on doing good deeds followed their passion with equal tenacity, we would see a lot less evil in the world.

One of my favorite quotes attributed to Howard Thurman, author, theologian and educator, reads:

quot;Don't ask yourself what the world needs. Ask yourself what makes you come alive and then go do that. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive

John Ruskin, artist, critic, social thinker and philanthropist, had a rock on his desk with one word engraved in it.#160; It read:

Today

If only more people could put the two themes together to bring their potential and purpose into the light sooner, rather than wait for the perfect moment that never comes, then we might see the world develop in the way that we spend so much time dreaming and hoping for.

Not all of it would be perfect.

But since when has waiting for things to be perfect always produced a perfect result?

Create a great day for yourself and others.

In service and servanthood,

Harry

I found this fascinating and disappointing but mostly, after I had gotten over the shock (and, admittedly, a little anger) I found it sad.

I think it is sad that someone perceives a world where respect and courtesy aren’t common and therefore believes that people are only nice to others when they want something.

It is sadder when such people ask that high levels of courtesy and respect be toned down when in fact, the world needs elevated levels of both more than ever.

I guess there is a mistaken belief that toning down courtesy and respect will help the person feel more comfortable since it will confirm for them that people like me are not “up to something”.

Maybe in such situations, I should stop being so courteous and respectful.#160; Maybe I can sell both on eBay as someone once tried to sell their soul.

In fact, to stop being so courteous and respectful would in essence be selling my soul.#160; It is how I am wired, it is something I am respected for in turn by others and it is something that I believe needs to be cultivated in the world.

So perhaps the opportunity is not to tone down my courtesy and respect but to pour it on and demonstrate that there are no conditions attached to high levels of both.#160; It is given as it is intended – no strings attached and no ulterior motives intended.

I give it because I believe that every person should strive to as much as they can.

And I give it because I believe that the other person deserves it.

So on second thought, I’m not going to put it up on eBay.

I’m going to do what I try to do everyday … give it away as much as possible.

And maybe …. just maybe … I will be able to convince someone else that courtesy and respect doesn’t always mean an ulterior motive is at play.

And if I fail, I will have at least lived by my core values instead of compromising them to satisfy the narrower view of someone else.

“To thine own self be true”.

In service and servanthood,

Harry

However, every once in a while, I am reminded that we have reasons for hope.

Today I happened to overhear a performance review in a local Starbucks.#160;

It was a very positive review for the Starbucks partner, which in itself is nothing new to any organization that values its processes and its staff.

However, listening to this review, I was deeply touched by the interaction.

The young partner is a wonderful example of the gifts that EVERYONE brings to the table in the journey we call Life.

She exemplifies the notion that EVERYONE on this planet has potential to make a huge difference to those around them.

She is an example of how EVERYONE deserves an opportunity to allow their gifts to shine.

She is also an example of someone who powerfully demonstrates that sometimes, if a person may not feel like they have equal opportunity to bring their gifts to the table, that ANYONE can accomplish what they put their mind to when we all work together to bring out the best in each other.

This young partner has Down’s Syndrome.#160;

So what?

She is a powerful reminder that we must never dismiss someone just because we might perceive they are not as capable of others.

Because in truth, that is merely a perception and a poor, inaccurate one at that – nothing could be further from the truth.

And as I listen to this exchange built upon respect, love and encouragement, I am reminded of something else.

That as long as exchanges like this occur around the world, the seeds of hope are still being planted.

Seeds that have the potential to blossom into a world of incredible potential and beauty.

We are called every day to help plant seeds of hope whenever we can.

Have you planted your seeds today?

In service and servanthood,

Harry

My Musings-in-a-Minute version of “Sowing the Seeds of Hope” is the same as this one and can be found here.

Sounds pretty silly, doesn’t it?

About 11 years or so ago, I happened to wear a yellow shirt to work on a sunny Tuesday morning.#160; One of the guys who worked with me, Narender Nath, also happened to wear a yellow shirt and we joked that no one else in the office had gotten the “Yellow Shirt Memo” and nothing else was made of it.

The following Tuesday, I thought of the laugh we had had and so I wore a yellow shirt to work just for fun.

As people arrived in the office that morning, I noticed something interesting.

Everybody was wearing a yellow shirt.#160; Even people who didn’t own a yellow shirt had gone out and purchased one for that day.#160; People saw the fun we were having the previous week and wanted to be part of it.

We thought it was so funny that we went out as a team for lunch and made a point of complimenting every random stranger who was wearing a yellow shirt on “Yellow Shirt Day”.

It was New York City – nobody thought we were weird.

“Yellow Shirt Day” became a part of our culture and we tried to wear a yellow shirt every Tuesday after that.

Now it is 11 years later, almost 10 years since Narender was killed in the World Trade Center on 9/11 and I am still wearing a yellow shirt on Tuesday.

In the busy world we live in, we often overlook the importance of tradition.

It has a way of bringing people together and keeping them together, in spirit if not in body.

It can be a source of comfort.

It can give us something that unifies us, giving us a sense of commonality or camaraderie with others.

It can provide a link back through time, providing great memories.

It can be a source of inspiration, especially if the tradition is around giving or sharing.

And sometimes, as in this case, traditions provide “an inside joke” that create a sense of levity at the moment, something needed in the busy world that we live in.

Given all of this and at a time when the world can be a challenging place to live, I think traditions are more important than ever.

Traditions, whether at work, at home or amongst a group of friends, can be a powerful force that build upon friendship and love, creating memories that will be with you forever and potentially impacting people in unanticipated ways.

Traditions are important.

If you don’t have any traditions, look for ways to create them or be open to experiencing them.#160; If you have them, cherish them and work hard to preserve and build upon them.

But don’t be surprised if many of the best traditions you may experience are the ones that start by accident.

And whether or not anybody else thinks they are cool, relevant or even make sense, it doesn’t matter.

What matters is that the tradition matters to you.

And that’s all that matters ……

…… like ‘Yellow Shirt Day”.

In service and servanthood,

Harry

My Musings-in-a-Minute entry for “Yellow Shirt Day – The Importance of Tradition” is the same as this one and can be found here.

So what’s slowing my day down today?

Interruptions …. by people who have always wanted to say hi to me but didn’t previously, by people intrigued by a book in front of me, by people who just wanted to stop by to say “hi”, etc.

Ordinarily, I have no issue saying “no” to people.

However, today, despite the pressure of my workload, I didn’t say “no”.#160; In fact, every time someone stopped by to chat, a quiet voice said “Be still and listen”.

And I did.

And by doing so, I was blessed, honored and privileged to share some time with people who, like all of us, are on a journey filled with wonder, excitement, complexity, difficulty and challenge.

Journeys that invite us to be the best we can be while challenging us to overcome obstacles that we may sometimes feel cannot be overcome.

Many times on such journeys, it is beneficial or essential to stop, to rest, to recharge or just to exchange a thought with someone else on their own journey.

And so today, different people on their respective journeys took a moment and provided me with the privilege of exchange, inviting me into their journey while asking me about mine.

These little moments may seem like coincidental moments, fleeting, random connections that have no impact.

But everything we do in Life has impact.

Sometimes we may not see it or believe it.

But the impact is there if we embrace the moment and allow the seed of potential to be planted.

And as I think about this seed of potential, I wonder what our encounters may have created today.

Maybe such encounters will have an impact far more profound than finishing my to-do list ever would have.

Which causes me to think that maybe I actually achieved a lot more today than I could have ever hoped to accomplish by myself.

Or rather … perhaps WE achieved a lot more today than WE set out to accomplish.

In service and servanthood,

Harry

My Musings-in-a-Minute entry for “I’m Getting Nothing Done Today …. Or Maybe ….” is the same as this one and can be found here.

The great challenge with an army of one is that no matter how romantic the notion of the valiant solider holding off the masses in Rambo-like fashion is, eventually the army of one runs out of energy, resources and luck and is overrun.

The same is true in Life.#160; There are times when we must be the army of one, bravely standing up for what needs to be stood up for, striving for a vision that is important or courageously fighting off the hoards until the cavalry arrives.

Many times a situation calls for a leader to step forward whose vision, insight, knowledge, strengths and charisma inspire us and lead us towards whatever we define as victory.

However, once the leader has identified “the hill to be taken”, does the leader charge up the hill without support?

Not at all – because an army of one quickly becomes an army of none.

I am in the process of watching two not-for-profits and three for-profit companies die, taking tens of millions of dollars with them, because their leaders have decided to take the hill on their own.

Meanwhile, the talented, enabled, empowered members of their team who would help them take the hill are waiting for their orders or have been ordered to stand down until needed.#160; Some have gone AWOL with the hope of finding a better leader.

Perhaps the leaders of these organizations have plans to name the hill after themselves when they take it.#160; Owning the credit is something their ego-based existence dreams of, even as they deny it to themselves and others.

The thing that these leaders miss is that if they really want to plant the flag at the top of the hill, then they need to take the hill as a team.

Every one of their team members bring strengths, insights, talents and knowledge to the table that will help the team take the hill together.

Leaders who don’t effectively use their teams to be all they can be in taking the hill together soon discover an interesting lesson.

When it’s you against the world, the safest bet is on the world.

Leaders have a choice – they can plant the flag on top of the hill when the team succeeds together.

Or they can choose to be buried at the bottom of it.

The choice seems pretty obvious if the focus is on the ultimate result rather than the promotion of someone’s ego.

But then again, if it were so obvious, I wouldn’t be watching these leaders storm the hill by themselves right now, would I?

Be an army of one when you need to be – but know when the cavalry is needed to carry the day.

The result will be something to celebrate together.

In service and servanthood,

Harry

My Musings-in-a-Minute entry for “An Army of One” is the same as this one and can be found here.

“The noise in your car will go away if you turn the radio up loud enough”.

This thought came to mind today as I spoke to a good friend and Wall St. client as we exchanged Thanksgiving pleasantries.

My friend, whom I will name “Frank”, is working on a project of considerable cost and complexity that, after starting and being cancelled three times mid-project, is now gaining traction for a fourth go-around.

As a strategy guy, I was intrigued by this and asked him what was different about this version of the project versus the previous incarnations that had gone down in flames.

Are the measurable outcomes different than before? –gt; No

Are the tools and processes being used different than before? –gt; No

Is the technology that it is built upon different than before? –gt; No

Are the regulatory influences different than before? –gt; No

Are there different people designing the solution? –gt; No

Are there different people implementing the solution? –gt; No

Is the solution being developed for a different group of users? –gt; No

Is there ANYTHING substantially different between this incarnation and the previous ones.

“Not that I can see.”

So, Frank, how do you know this one will be successful when the others failed?

“Well, Harry, there are no guarantees in life.#160; You do the best you can with what you have and hope for the best”.

Well, Frank, you are about to be burned by the Bread Recipe Rule (first coined by Gerald Weinberg) which states:

If you take the same baker, ingredients and recipe, you will always bake the same bread.

Frank paused and then acknowledged that given everything he could see, the fourth incarnation will probably end up being the same as the rest.

If you know this, Frank, why are you participating in the project?

In the conversation that ensued, Frank described a process where past project experiences could not be discussed. To do so was considered a negative practice and thus a distraction from the bright future they were manifesting.

He described a process where it was decided that to rethink a different way of doing things was deemed unnecessary.#160; After all, the best solution, process and team had already been created and so why should anyone waste time revisiting everything from the beginning?

For those on the project who had a sense that they were about to bake another loaf of the same bread, their voice of reason was drowned out in a cacophony of accusations of “not being a team player”, “being a pessimist”, or some other insult, most of which was encouraged by the project leadership and dutifully shared by the project team members.

Some people who strongly expressed their opinion that they were repeating history were transferred out of the project.#160;

Two were fired for being a negative influence on the project, for daring to suggest that the fourth incarnation will probably follow in the footsteps of the prior attempts.

Ego Overrules Common Sense

The ego of the team, particularly within the leadership of the project, is shouting so loudly that it is preventing them from seeing that they are repeating history – a very expensive history.

The killer for me was when I asked Frank, if he knew that what they were doing was wrong, then why he didn’t just find somewhere else to work.

His answer summed it up:

Do you know how much I would give up in stock and perks if I walk away from my employer?

His personal values, common sense and life experience, which told him that what they were doing was wrong, had been compromised by the extrinsic motivator of money.

The life experiences of the team’s leaders and how they viewed the knowledge of the team members were being compromised by their ego.

Common sense, like Elvis, had left the building.

I realized as we spoke that many of our corporate leaders still don’t get it, despite assurances to the public, to shareholders, etc. that bailouts, regulatory changes, a few rah-rah team building exercises and other things have produced a different way of doing business.

Key Element of Leadership – Influence and Values

They miss a key element of leadership.

You can regulate a business all you want.

You can offer incentives and punishments to organizations and the people within them all you want.

You can write corporate rah-rah statements that make people jump up and down with excitement.

You can hang those nifty motivational posters all over the office and feel smug that you have changed an entire culture with a couple of cute expressions.

However, if you forget that the demonstrated values of the leadership at the top of the organization grow and amplify as they move down through the rank and file, then the leadership has missed the whole point of leadership.

The point is that the leaders influence their entire organization through their actions and behaviors and that as they demonstrate their personal values on a daily basis, so will the people within the organization embrace and emulate those same values.

This is the power of strong leadership, good and bad.

And so when I see poor actions taking place within the bowels of a large organization, I don’t think that the core of the problem, the “thing” that needs to be fixed, is at that specific level of the organization.

Instead, I look at the leadership of the organization, the behavior of the leaders and the values that they demonstrate.

And when I do that, I can tell exactly what type of “bread” their organization will bake throughout the different levels of the organization.

Avoiding the Negative Impact of Excessive Ego

Many leaders use their ego to brazen and bully their way through many situations, ignoring or covering up the issues that are all around them.

So will the people who follow them.

The problem is that, as with a car that is making a bad noise , “turning up the radio” can provide you with an opportunity to ignore the problem.

But sooner or later, you end up broken down in the middle of nowhere – just as we were in the spring and summer of 2008.

The only way to avoid breaking down is to turn down the radio and honestly assess the problem.

With a focus on collaborating.

With a focus on acknowledging the respective skills, knowledge, talents and life experiences of others that may shed light on a better way of doing things.

With a focus on mutual respect and trust, in an environment where every opinion matters.

Without excessive ego.

Otherwise, the organization may be about to experience a significant problem.

It’s like car brakes that make a very loud screech when you apply them.

You can always turn up the radio.

And that makes everything ok.

Doesn’t it?

In service and servanthood.

Harry

For my Musings-in-a-Minute version of “When Ego and Common Sense Collide”, please click here.

In order to touch the heart, you must KNOW#160; the individual you wish to influence.#160; You must know what turns them on and equally important, what turns them off.

And despite this, many people seek to influence others in a somewhat random way and are often disappointed with the results.

One of the things I learned in my many years on Wall St. is the importance of knowing who I am dealing with.

When I have a need to establish a relationship for the purpose of collaborating, I immediately research the other person to understand:

• what they like and what they don’t like
• what ignites their passion and what throws cold water on it
• where they believe their sense of purpose is
• how they prefer to execute
• who their organization serves
• what their organization does and how it does it
• what my organization does and how it does it
• what I bring to the table to enable the person whom I am establishing the relationship with
• how the intersection of all of these areas produces the sweet spot for success for everyone involved.

People talk about establishing win/win relationships and yet they don’t know the person they are dealing with.

If someone doesn’t know what motivates another, how can one expect to influence them?

One may get lucky, but then again, who wants to rely on luck?

So, before attempting to influence someone else ask yourself two questions:

1. What do I REALLY know about the person I wish to influence and collaborate with?

2. Having learned as much as I can about them, how can I serve the needs of that person, in a manner that resonates with their own beliefs, values and execution style?

This is the age of knowledge, knowledge equally accessible by all.

Use it to your benefit and to the benefit of those whom you serve and collaborate with.

Some people think this is a lot of work.#160; Yes it is.#160; However, if you really want to produce positive results consistently, you will discover that it is definitely worth it.

Also, as you do this you will discover that in spending so much time learning about the other person that you are in fact making an investment in a very long-term relationship; the kind that produces true win/wins for many years to come.

Then again, you could rely on luck.

Which would you prefer?

In service and servanthood.

Harry

We have many people to be grateful for for all that we have in Life. Think of where we would be without them.

There are many people out there right now who are in need of the same gifts that we have received. While we acknowledge this, we all struggle with the complexities of life, with so many things competing for our time, our talent and our treasure that perhaps prevent us from giving as much as we would like to others.

The truth is that, as in our own lives, oftentimes the most profound and impactful gifts we can give are the simplest and easiest to give. These are the gifts that show others that they are important, that they matter and that others care about them. Often this knowledge alone can have a profound impact on others, an impact that they in turn pass on to others. As it is written in 1 Peter 4:10 - quot;As each one has received a gift, use it to serve one another as good stewards of God's varied grace.quot;

Bob Pierce defined the term quot;The Great Compassionquot; as meaning quot;Let my heart be broken by that which breaks the heart of Godquot;.

What things in the world do you believe break the heart of God? These are the areas where He calls you to help. It is not the size of the act that matters. What matters is whether you take action or leave it as an intention.

We all perform acts of stewardship every day. However, there is always room for more.

Where would you be if someone had chosen to be too busy rather than to help?

Someone is waiting for you. How would you like to help?

quot;Finally, all of you, be of one mind, sympathetic, loving toward one another, compassionate, humble. quot; - 1 Peter 3:8

In service and servanthood.

Harry

My Musings-in-a-Minute entry for this blog entry is the same, but if you would like to see my Musings-in-a-Minute musings, please go here.

The concept of fatherhood evokes quite a myriad of memories in most of us.

Many have fond memories of their fathers.

Some of have poor memories.

There are some who have few memories.

Some miss their fathers, separated by distance or the fact that their father has passed from this world.

Some never knew their fathers.

Some wish they never knew their fathers.

Memories of my father when I was young are rich, warm and complex.#160; In my eyes, my father knew a bit about everything.#160; He could fix anything – cars, toaster ovens and everything in between.#160; He played sports and board games with us.#160; He could identify any bird by its call.#160; He was a crack shot with a 12-gauge when he used to hunt.#160; He could carve anything out of any kind of material.#160;

When we would go trouting, he could catch a trout with anything.#160; When everyone around him would not be raising a trout at all, he would happily be landing nice ones.#160; I once mused that he probably could have tied his watch on his line and caught something on it.

I remember many-a-time looking over to where he sat as he watched his line.#160; He sat quietly, at peace with his surroundings and his life.

My dad also demanded hard work from us.#160; Sometimes he was short on patience.#160; Aren’t we all?

He built his own house by hand.#160; Actually, he built more than one.

There were days as a young boy when he made me happy.#160; There were days when I was sad or angry because of something he did or said.

It wasn’t until I became a father that I finally had an appreciation for fatherhood and the life my father lived every day.#160; As I expressed to my father in a Father’s Day card about 10 years ago, I believe you have to become a father to really understand what it takes to be one (the same is true for mothers also).

It wasn’t until I became a father that I became truly aware of my strengths and my weaknesses.#160; It was at that point that I discovered a better sense of what gratitude meant.

It was when I became a father that I finally understood my limits of patience and discovered I had a long ways to go to reach perfection.#160; I still have a long way to go.

Fatherhood provided me with the challenge of wanting to make someone happy while at the same time, needing to do the right thing for the child in specific situations.

I have experienced the post-event guilt when I snapped at one of my kids and then realized afterward that that wasn’t the best way to have handled the situation.

I experienced the moment where you are biting your lip to keep yourself from laughing when you experience something funny with your children but you fear that laughter might embarrass them.#160; So you save it for later.

How about the heartbreak when you treat your child’s first skinned knee as they learn how to ride their first bicycle?

Or the pride as suddenly they get the hang of it and as you release the bicycle, they ride off, squealing with delight “I’m doing it, Daddy”.#160; The seeds of independence have taken root.

What about the worry when your child is injured, ill or has gone missing?

Then there are the other moments as you provide your child with counsel on some issue that seems important at the moment.#160; Maybe it’s why it’s not right to hit someone else or about the importance of sharing.#160; Perhaps it’s a talk about drugs, school, careers or young romance.

I can’t say it’s “the talk about the birds and the bees”.#160; I’m still waiting for mine.#160; :-)

There are the moments when there is an opportunity for spontaneous laughter and happiness over something that wasn’t funny before and doesn’t seem funny since – one of those “once in a moment opportunities” that you have to grab when it’s before you.

There are also many fathers whose child is no longer with them, having passed on because of illness or accident.#160; They carry the greatest load of all and have my deepest and greatest respect.#160; I cannot profess to understand what their heart bears.

Regardless of the situation of a father (and there are many more than what I described), when the day is over, the children have gone to bed and silence spreads through the household, the father is left alone to think.

He sifts through his day with a mix of emotions.#160; He is grateful for what he experienced.#160; He thinks through how to balance budgets and provide for his children’s futures. He feels the emotions of his children – their worry, their happiness, their pain and their fear.#160; He feels proud of their accomplishments.#160; He wonders if he did the right thing at all times.#160; Most times he acknowledges that he did the best he could.#160; Sometimes he resolves to do better next time.#160; He laughs at a funny moment and resolves to remember it forever.

He hopes that his children learn from what he does well.

He also hopes that they learn a better way of doing things when he does things poorly.

Fatherhood is a busy vocation.

It is filled with rewards and opportunities to live, to love, to learn and to leave a legacy.#160; Sometimes it is lonely at the top as the father’s burdens can sometimes feel very heavy but the hope is that love and positive memories will outweigh all the challenges.

So today we express gratitude to fathers, whether they are still with us or have passed on.#160; When we express gratitude, let’s do it with real feeling, with a heartfelt thanks for everything they have done for us.#160; Even if they have done something we resent, they have created who we are ……..

A human being of unlimited potential.

Just as we shouldn’t rush through our prayers in a perfunctory way when we pray to our Father in heaven, we shouldn’t express gratitude to our earthly father in a perfunctory way either.

Being a human being of unlimited potential calls for living a life of unceasing gratitude to everyone in our lives – fathers, mothers, siblings, children, friends and strangers.

I am grateful to my father for all that he has done and for all that I am.#160; I am grateful to my children for teaching me the pieces of fatherhood that weren’t apparent to me when I was growing up.#160; It helps me to appreciate my father even more.#160; I am also grateful to my Father in heaven, for providing me with strength, wisdom and insight when I wonder if my earthly fatherhood skills are sufficient.

Fathers do the best they can with what they have.

Today we thank them for everything they have done for us.#160;

Let’s not limit our expression of gratitude to just today.

In service and servanthood.

Harry

A Cliché By Any Other Name

#160;

I have worked with a number of people recently who are extolling the virtues of “out of the box” thinking.

First, they amazed me with how many clichés they could string together in one sentence.#160; Think of something similar to the following sentences and you will know what I mean.#160;

“There’s no time like the present to seize the bull by the horns so we might as well kill two birds with one stone while we’re at it.#160; Everyone knows that it’s the early bird that gets the worm so let’s get started – after all, two heads are better than one and the right time to begin is now”.

After you have applied your cliché filter, you realize they didn’t say anything at all.

One of the clichés that doesn’t say much is “thinking out of the box”.#160;

Recently, I have observed a number of projects where people thought “out of the box” and ended up creating another box that looks the same as the old one except for a minor variation here and there.#160; Maybe the new box is a different color or is made of a new material.

However, because the desire was to create a different box but the focus was on the old box and how it was created (so that they could avoid recreating it, of course), they ended up creating something that looked slightly different but still had all the primary limitations of the box they were trying to correct in the first place.

I wonder if thinking outside the box provides some comfort to these people, some attachment to that which they know instead of venturing into previously unchartered territory (at least for them).

After all, if you think outside the box but get uncomfortable, you can always climb back inside the old box.#160; You will be safe there for a while, until the original reasons why the box is insufficient force you to climb out of it again.#160; For those people, they become trapped in a frustrating, never-ending cycle in their personal or professional life when this happens.#160;

If you decide, however, that you want to create something totally new, then you may not always have something to retreat to.

You are totally committed.

As I like to say, you are either all in it or not in it at all.

So the next time you are faced with a significant challenge, instead of saying “let’s use out of the box thinking” trying asking yourself this instead.

Forget about what you have.#160; If you wanted any semblance of it, you wouldn’t be having a conversation to replace it.

Think about what you want.#160; Don’t think about what current reality looks like because that will take you back to creating a variation of what you have.#160; This may be insufficient or cause you#160; to inherit the very thing you are trying to get rid of.

Then think about how you want to get where you want to get to.#160; Again, don’t focus on how you created that which you are replacing because you will again recreate the very processes that led you down the previous path.

Remember Gerald Weinberg’s wonderful bread recipe rule.

If you use the same ingredients, the same baker and the same recipe, you will always produce the same bread.

Think about this in terms of what you are replacing:

The baker – you or others that baked the previous “loaf”, with your strengths and weaknesses.

The ingredients – the ideas, thoughts and other components that formed the building blocks for the previous “loaf”.

The recipe – the processes by which the previous “loaf” was created.

So, if you want to make something that looks like what you are trying to replace, bring the same people, ideas and processes together and keep thinking about the old solution.#160;

However, if you really want to create something NEW,#160; bring in fresh players with different perspectives and different creative ways to create..

After all, you are trying to CREATE something new, aren’t you?

Whether in business, at home, in politics, in your community, in your church in your volunteer organization (or anywhere else), to create something new, you must be truly creative.

Otherwise, you are just hoping for a different result.#160;

In that case, when you are consumed by “out of the box” thinking, I can’t tell if you are trying to convince me or yourself that utilizing the same ingredients of the past will create something new.

Think about this.

You have just mixed bananas, eggs, chopped nuts and other ingredients and you are hoping it produces a pineapple upside down cake.#160; It didn’t the last time but because you don’t like banana nut bread (which this is the recipe for), you are hoping that if you do many things in the same way but hope for a different result, then it will hopefully manifest.

Do you want a different result?

Good, then CREATE in a different way.

Otherwise, enjoy your banana nut bread.#160; :-)

Yours in service and servanthood.

Harry

Incubating passion for excellence and authenticity in strategy and leadership.

That is not to say, however, that every project that I participated in was a success.#160; Some were total, dismal, embarrassing failures.#160; As with most of us who are human, I had my part to play in the successes and failures and as most of us will admit, the greatest lessons come from the latter.

Of course, there are libraries of books that discuss “the secret of a successful project”.#160; There are great books on leadership, strategy, team building, processes and methodologies.#160; There is so much stuff on the market these days, we could spend the rest of our lives devoted to learning how to create the perfect project but never find the time to actually be involved with a project because we are too busy learning.

Over the last couple of years, I have been invited to participate in or make observation on a large number of significant-scale projects, projects on a national or international scale that hope to achieve large scale impact in a number of areas.

These projects have an interesting life cycle that I found myself musing upon this morning.#160;

All of the projects start with phenomenal fanfare.#160;#160; The world has been waiting for us for years and we have arrived.#160; So we believe and shout to anyone who will listen.

The projects are staffed with enthusiastic people but not necessarily with the right blend of gifts, talents, strengths and knowledge to carry the project.#160; It’s kind of like the 100 meter sprinter who decides he or she will run up the side of Mount Everest.#160; Ahhhh – the power of enthusiasm.#160; Not every project can be accomplished just because WE BELIEVE.

Generous amounts of capital are infused into these projects by public and private organizations who share the enthusiasm that they too have an opportunity to change the world.#160; Often times they have no idea what they are investing in but they find the enthusiasm to be contagious and so common sense due diligence is circumvented.

Measures of success, critical success factors and measurable objectives are defined vaguely or intentionally left out.#160; After all, who needs this type of stuff when you know that the world needs what you offer and your enthusiasm and willpower can overcome any obstacle?

Execution and strategy details are not important.#160; The commonly offered explanation for this is that it will slow down our momentum.

For some, the details would reveal that the emperor is not wearing any clothing.#160; That wouldn’t be a good thing, would it?

And so the project begins.#160; The Big Bang has occurred, the universe that the project exists in has been created and the world waits with baited breath for a phenomenal result.#160; That is what our ego tells us.

Along the way, many, MANY meetings are scheduled and tons of reports and presentations are created.#160; The reason?#160; Nothing shows productivity like a lot of activity.#160; Who needs traction when we have tons of action?#160; Action implies results and results can be used to draw in additional capital if nothing else.

What about the ultimate objective?#160; It has kind of faded away in a haze of ego and obfuscation.#160; That’s ok claims our ego – we can reconstitute the objective and make corrections towards the goals at any time.

So everything is all set – the project to change the world is on its way.

It is at this point that, in my observation, project leaders and team members make a critical choice that determines how successful the project will really be, regardless of what the owners think (or hope) their impact will be.

At this point in a project, the project team has a choice to make regarding how they will maximize their result.

Do we choose to maximize our contribution and result using collaboration or do we choose to maximize our individual recognition using ego?.

Approximately 80% (Pareto rules again) of the projects I have observed come to the incorrect conclusion that every other attempt has failed or will fail because the people who are running those projects don’t have what it takes – knowledge, passion, skills, leadership abilities or some other ingredient that somehow we have a monopoly on.

Having made this decision, that 80% proceeds to reinvent the wheel, thereby condemning themselves to repeat many of the mistakes that their peers and predecessors have already made.#160; Oftentimes, they repeat the ultimate mistake – abject failure with no positive impact or results.

Remember the bread recipe rule that I quoted from the brilliant Gerald Weinberg in an earlier blog?

If we take the same ingredients, the same recipe and the same baker, we will always produce the same bread.#160;

Their ego believes that they will bake a better loaf even as they bake one identical to the disaster that others have baked.

As this happens, their ego, not willing to accept responsibility for failure, then begins to find a rational explanation for the failure.#160; Reasons like “so and so didn’t do their job right, the economic situation we are in today caused our capital or markets to dry up, my best person left when I needed them the most, the government passed legislation that derailed us, etc”.

Infighting begins as egos attempt to find out who is responsible for this failure.#160; Morale falls as the seeds of disrespect, mistrust and intentional misleading take root.

The organization or the project is dying but ego refuses to believe it and so the fighting continues until the meltdown is complete.

Meanwhile, the other 20% are asking themselves a different question:

In order to maximize my result, a result that matters more than maximizing my recognition, what organizations, people, technology, processes or anything else exist that I can leverage such that we produce the greatest result that is possible?

When one asks this question, one acknowledges a simple fact:

Not only am I not the only game in town or the smartest person on the planet, if I go it alone and a bet is made on me versus the planet, the odds-on favorite will not be me.”

We also acknowledge something else.

Not only can someone help me maximize my dream but I can help someone maximize theirs as well.

How powerful is that?

Leveraging a collaborative collection of knowledge, skills, talents and networks, a collection of people can become a phenomenal unstoppable force when the sum of those gifts is used.

When ego steps in, we use the least common denominator of all of those gifts, a very small percentage of the overall potential.

Refusing to accept a collaborative approach produces a lot of wasted resources (effort, time and money), a lot of frustration and a lot of cynicism.#160; We also waste a phenomenal amount of time addressing needs on this planet that are here right now and need a solution very quickly.

A touch of ego provides us with self confidence and drive.#160; I am not saying that we subsume our ego such that we are living doormats.

However, we need to temper the ego such that when we observe what the other person is doing and accomplishing, perhaps we need to do it with an eye towards collaboration and not using the cynical eye of competition or envy.

Maybe if we asked the question “What does this person do that I can benefit from and what can I offer to that person to help their cause?”, perhaps we can move some solutions along a little faster and with a greater impact.

Perhaps the initial question should not be an ask but an offer.#160;

How can I help you?

The road to success, surrounded by friends and people passionate around a common purpose, is an emotionally powerful one that not only lives with the participants forever but creates a legacy that others can duplicate and build upon.

To follow the other path, attempting to brute force one’s way without actively seeking and accepting the help of those who can make a difference simply because our ego has convinced ourselves that no one is as capable as we are, often produces lonely, frustrating, sometimes explosive, depressing failure.

While I am an optimist who looks for the best in everyone and every situation, I will say that there are some egos out there that need a failure or two to recognize the importance of collaboration.#160; When the lessons have been learned, those people will be the greatest champions of collaboration.

We often hear the great clichés about leaders, teams, all for one and one for all, etc.

They are great ideas.

Many a corporate rah-rah session is filled with such drivel.

However, let’s make it such that our actions speak so loudly that we can’t hear what we are saying when it comes to collaborating for success.

If we don’t, we are wasting everybody’s time – and that is one commodity that we have a limited amount of and which no known science can ever help us recover.

As Berlioz wrote - quot;Time is the great teacher, but unfortunately it kills all of its students.”

We have a choice of maximized, impactful legacy or a hope of maximized recognition.#160; What happens if the recognition is one of greed, distrust or some other attribute we would rather not be known for?

I know which choice you would make.#160; Let’s make it happen instead of espousing one thing while practicing another.

A lot of people are waiting for the phenomenal results you are capable of producing.

Yours in service and servanthood.

Harry

I blogged about about the subject of doing the right thing for others back in February of 2008.#160; You can find it here if you haven’t read it before - http://harrytucker.blogspot.com/2009/02/what-matters.html.

As we talked, Christopher happened to mention how he thanks his customers.#160; He expressed an idea that seemed so brilliant to me that I simply had to share it.

Many of us have received the classic corporate gifts – the pretty crystal paperweight, the nice pen set, the corporate t-shirt, etc.

My better half recently pointed to a box that contains an estimated 150 corporate t-shirts that I don’t wear anymore and that I keep promising to “take care of”.

How many of us have received those nice little trinkets that ended up in a box, are given to our kids or are passed off to family and friends because we simply have too much of this stuff already.

Think of the impact on the environment to produce all of this stuff that we don’t really need or have too much of.#160; In the end, is it a gift that touches the heart or something that clutters an already cluttered life?

Do we really need more clutter?

Christopher has a different approach.#160;

He buys goats for his customers.

Now you are probably thinking “If I don’t have space for a t-shirt, what am I going to do with a goat?”

In fact, what he does is he buys goats via organizations like Plan Canada (formerly known as Foster Parent’s Plan).#160; These goats are delivered to needy people in developing countries and are one of many ways to give a sustainable gift to someone who needs it.

Rather than buy more “stuff” that not only doesn’t add to our life but in fact, adds more junk to an already overloaded ecosphere, he buys something that provides long-term sustainable assistance to someone in need.

One day, a client asked him “how do you know the people in need actually receive the goats you buy”.#160; Christopher was struck by this question and decided to find out for himself what happens when one buys a goat.

He went on a quest to ascertain if buying a goat actually results in someone receiving a goat.#160; He documented the journey in a movie titled “Where’s My Goat?”.

I invite you to explore Christopher’s journey here.#160; Click on the link for ‘Where’s My Goat?” and then select the “Watch Trailer” link.#160; As you watch it, think of your own way of expressing gratitude in a way that produces a positive, life-changing result for someone instead of creating more trash on the planet.

Maybe instead of buying a trinket that will get tossed into the garbage, thereby producing no positive impact on others, you might consider buying a goat for someone as Christopher does.

Perhaps your favorite way will be to help someone in need through great organizations like Samaritan’s Purse.

For some, the preferred method might be to sponsor a child through the work of World Vision.

Maybe clean water is important to you and you prefer to work with groups such as Water Missions International, a group of passionate people who specialize in providing sustainable water systems in developing countries.

Perhaps there is some other organization that you prefer to work with as you give a gift to someone else.

However you choose to express gratitude, think about ways to do it such that you feel great about it, the recipient feels appreciated and you make a REAL impact on someone who could use a helping hand.#160;

Not only that, when you express gratitude in this way, the Earth will thank you as well.#160; :-)

Doesn’t that make more sense and sound like a lot more fun than giving away another paperweight?

Let your creativity soar – whatever you come up with will be gratefully received and you will have made a REAL difference.

Now if you will excuse me, I need to figure out what to do with 150 corporate t-shirts.

Yours in service and servanthood.

Harry

The musing is here for those who are interested.

Recently I was thinking about the people I encounter who have a wide spectrum of interest and understanding regarding stewardship, ranging from a light curiosity to a maniacal, passionate desire to maximize their stewardship results.#160; As I thought about their definition and manifestation of stewardship, I found myself doodling on an index card about a better way to express stewardship in a way that was brief, easy to remember and hopefully impactful.

As I doodled, I thought others might be interested in my musing as well and so I share the picture that resulted.#160;

I would like to thank everyone who reviewed this picture.#160; In particular, I would like to thank Leonard Szymczak (http://www.leonardszymczak.com) who reviewed it and pointed out two key components that I missed, namely the development of love and community through stewardship.#160; Thank you, Leonard!!

Feel free to share this picture as long as you do not use it for professional or revenue generating purposes and as long as you give full credit to me as outlined on the diagram.

Click on this image to magnify it.

In a world that sometimes seems insane (at least according to the media), it is important to realize that the practice of stewardship benefits the giver, the recipient and anyone who observes an act of stewardship taking place.

Given that everyone benefits from acts of stewardship, wouldn’t it stand to reason that in this case, we can’t get enough of a good thing?

As I noted in my earlier stewardship article, many of us are phenomenally blessed with gifts made up of time, talent and treasure in a blend that is unique to each of us.

Maybe we can make a point of being a better steward of those gifts.#160; Wherever we can, we should take a quot;no prisonersquot; approach to our stewardship efforts, motivating ourselves to share the incredible wealth of gifts that I know each of us has and manifest this sharing with a sense of urgency.

As far as time is concerned:

1. We start out with a fixed amount of time allotted to us
2. Once time is used, it cannot be recovered
3. We don't know how much we have left.

We always hear the phrase quot;live every day as if it is your lastquot;.#160; Today may actually be your last or mine.

Let that notion put a sense of urgency into your stewardship plans.#160; That is our obligation as participants in the universe.

In service and servanthood.

Harry

Many of the solicitation emails are from complete strangers and most of those get deleted pretty quickly.#160; We can’t help everyone.

Some time ago, I received a message from a complete stranger and as I read the message, I did not experience the desire to automatically hit delete.#160; In fact, as I read it, something in the back of my mind told me to sit up and pay attention to this.

It wasn’t the way it was written.#160; It had nothing to do with the subject.#160; However, something in the message resonated with me and I decided to dig deeper.

The author of this email tells an incredible story.#160; It is a story of a woman living in Germany in the 1960’s who was in a situation of relationship battery.#160; She was rescued by a knight in shining armor whom she fell in love with.#160; Her knight, who was stationed in Germany with the US military, was transferred out of Germany and went to serve in Vietnam.#160; She never heard from him again.

However, she discovered that she was pregnant and gave birth to a son.#160;

It was her son who reached out to me.#160; He is now a strong family man himself who runs his own company in the US.#160;

He is hoping to find his father, to say thank you for being there for his mother during her time of need.#160; He seeks nothing other than to express gratitude for giving him life, a life that he expresses gratitude for on a regular basis.

Why did he reach out to me?

The man he seeks is Harry Tucker.#160; He has been reaching out to all the Harry Tuckers he can find with the hopes that he can find “the one” to whom he can express his gratitude to.

Something told me not to delete this email.#160; I did my own check of this person and found that his story appeared to be legitimate.

I felt a strong calling to help this man and a friendship ensued.

I think he was just as surprised to find a complete stranger who wanted to help him as I was that I felt so strongly to help him.#160; :-)

In the course of using my network to find the other Harry Tucker, I have become reconnected with people I haven’t spoken to in over 30 years.#160; I have also been connected with other incredibly passionate people who are adding to my life in so many ways as we all become gripped with the desire to find the other Harry Tucker.#160;

As we make progress towards finding this guy, I am witnessing something else.

I am watching love and kindness develop between a bunch of complete strangers over a story and a group of people who could just as easily mean nothing to us.

We are creating what I like to call an “Oprah moment”, the type of thing we often see on shows like Oprah where a bunch of people find their heart seized by a purpose-filled calling and they go for it for reasons they can’t explain.

Sometimes the story is the classic reunion of long-separated people that causes the viewers to cry and laugh as they watch and listen to the story of seemingly impossible odds that were overcome in order to create the Oprah moment.

Are we heading for an Oprah moment with this story?#160; I sure hope so.#160; Nothing would make me happier than to see these two men embrace and to tell their story.#160; All I can say for now is that the sequence of events that have transpired since this gentleman and I have connected are beyond simple coincidence.

I believe we are being guided by a Higher Authority who seems to be guiding us in an interesting direction.

The way this manifested makes me realize that there are many Oprah moments developing all around us.#160; In some, we are being invited to answer someone else’s call.#160; In others, we are hoping someone will answer ours.

In either case, there is an unlimited pool of connected, intelligent, kind, loving people waiting to help manifest these Oprah moments.

In a world where the media wants us to believe that everything is falling apart, including human values and virtues, I believe that the reverse is true.#160; I believe that human values and virtues are alive and well.

What stands out is what we choose to focus on.

If we believe the world is filled with hate, violence, disrespect, distrust, lack of faith and people focused on destroying everything of value, then we are right.

However, if we think that the world is filled with love, kindness, faith, respect, trust and people committed to offering a helping hand to those in need, then we are right also.

We attract and create that which we believe in and embrace.

The Universe is constantly sending us signals of potential Oprah moments.#160; Whether they manifest or not depends in large part to how receptive we are to these signals and whether we take action once we have received the signal.

Remember how those Oprah moments always make us feel good when we see them or read about them?

Imagine how they’ll make us feel when we are participating in one.

C’mon …. make the rest of us cry and laugh and feel good about humanity by embracing or creating one.#160; Let’s open ourselves to feeling the love that envelops us when our heart is seized by an Oprah moment.

Right now.

Our beautiful world has an infinite supply of potential Oprah moments.

There is at least one within each of our spheres of influence right now …..… waiting.

We need to be alert and receptive to them.

Once we are there, we just need to step up and participate in them.

Yours in service and servanthood.

Harry

One of the things that was interesting with the responses were the number of people who resonated with the blog and up to the point of reading the blog, were afraid to turn their passion loose.

With that in mind, I thought it would be interesting to produce a user’s guide to help people understand passionate people – whether they are the passionate person or they work with a passionate person (in either case, doubting their sanity or the sanity of someone else).

Some immediately apparent things about passionate people.

Passionate people ……..

1. Will drive you crazy with their insatiable energy and tenacity (that’s ok – they think they are insane sometimes also).

2. Are maniacal in purpose and may disturb you by being more focused on the objective than we are – and the objective is ours, not necessarily theirs.

3. Aren’t very good at accepting “I don’t want to do it”, “I can’t do it”, or “We shouldn’t do it”.#160; In fact, forcing that on them will convert the passionate person into a testy, passionate person.

4.#160; Are difficult to debate because they have every angle covered (much to our chagrin and frustration).#160; They can actually debate us into a corner using our own data and logic and so we eventually respond with anger – we have nothing else left to defend our position.

5. Are impatient, having already figured out (at least in their own mind) what the solution is and wonder why no one else can see what they believe to be obvious.

6. Can be frustrating to work with because of their singular focus on solutions.

7. Do everything to extremes, to the admiration and chagrin of others.

8. Are direct or blunt in a world that suggests that directness hurts too many feelings.

9. Are easily frustrated with a world that doesn’t engage at an energy level acceptable to them.

10. Flash to anger quickly but calm down quickly also.#160; Time is too short for grudges although their anger, when visible, is intense and sometimes frightening.

11. Put their foot in their mouth with fair frequency.#160; They aren’t afraid to try something new with little data, which can make them seem reckless.

12. Are quick to point out discongruence and inconsistency – they are the child who yells out that the emperor is not wearing any clothing (not always a welcome action when we want something to quietly disappear).

Sounds rough, doesn’t it?#160; Let’s explore passionate people a little deeper.

Passionate people ……..

1. Love to collaborate, inviting others to participate in their projects.

2. Love to learn and ask a lot of questions (even if that makes us feel that they are questioning why we did something, when in fact they are learning, not judging).

3. Love to share – projects, life experiences, stories – anything.

4. Laugh easily and frequently.

5. Weep for others – more than we know (even the perceived tough guys).

6. Have hearts that are afflicted by everything they see, gripped by the need to do things for others and seized by a sense of urgency that seems to disrupt our “slow and steady” world.

7. Are more delicate and easily wounded than people realize, although they shake this off quickly because they know that someone else hurts more.

8. Seek solutions to everything, even when it is none of their business or outside of their sphere of influence.

9. Look up at the sky when no one is looking and ask “Why me?”

10. Pray to a Higher Power for strength …. sometimes they ask for help … sometimes they plead …. sometimes they yell.

11. Know that to try to fix something is better than to look the other way.

12. Expose their heart and inner spirit to many people at their own risk.#160; To do so creates an opportunity for trust – not as common a trait in the modern world as it used to be.

13. Are often unusually perceptive, which is not always welcome or often makes people feel uneasy (since none of us wants to feel stupid).

14. Are disarmingly transparent.

15. Are perpetually restless, always alert and thinking, which is not always welcome in a world where fresh ideas often expose apathy, indifference or incompetence.

16. Seem to reach out to you just when we need someone – how do they do that anyway?

17. Are more humble than we realize – we are too busy criticizing them to notice their humility.

18. Often offer help unconditionally with no strings attached.

19. Either have a passion that burns very deep and silently, with occasional manifestations (public or private) or are in a constant state of visibly manifesting their passion.

20. Don’t exercise their passion for obvious rewards.

How about the world that the passionate person lives in?

Passionate people ……..

1. Believe that every problem has a solution and that they shouldn’t give up until it is found, exhausting people who prefer to go find something easier to solve.

2. Believe that the world is filled with the magical, not the mundane.

3. Often feel alone because they absorb a lot of negativity or abuse by leading the way with their passion, often venturing into unknown or dangerous territory.

4. Have a lot of people who want to ride their coattails, as these people are afraid to turn their own passion loose and prefer to let someone else take the risk.

5. Experience a personal journey that is not an easy one.#160; There are no shortcuts.

6. Sometimes wonder, after they have helped the world, why it is that when they cry out for help when they are overwhelmed, nobody answers the call.

7. Live in a world that often misunderstands the motives of the passionate person.#160; After all, why would someone put so much energy into something or someone seemingly not important to them?

8. Have experienced many things, which is why they have a passion to help others.#160; They may not always share their history, their painful moments or their victories but they have them.#160; Don’t tell them they don’t understand unless you know they don’t – they may have experienced more then you ever will.

9. Have led or are leading very busy or complex lives that blow our minds.#160; How do they find the time to do so much for others.

By why do they do what they do?

They do it because they are wired to the core with love – an unending, abundant supply of love that they absorb from everything around them and which they channel to those who need it – even when the person receiving it resists it or doesn’t understand why someone would do such a thing.

Passionate people are a conduit for love.#160; They don’t hold it in – they allow it to flow through them.

They have too much love to contain within.#160; This love needs to find a home or the passionate person will explode with unfulfilled purpose.

They are intent on other people experiencing this love in different forms.#160; They want to help others feel it, incubate it and share it with others.

Sure, passionate people can drive us crazy.#160; But whose fault is that; the passionate person or the person who fails to recognize how this limitless energy can be used - the phenomenal potential created by the passionate person?

Remember – splitting an atom correctly can produce electricity for a lifetime – doing it poorly produces a nuclear explosion.

The atom is just sitting there, filled with potential.#160; It’s what we do with it that produces a positive or negative result.

I wonder if we need a 12-step program for passionate people.#160; It’s not to help them quash the energy that runs deep within them.

It’s so that they can share that which fuels them with others who have a passion inside that has yet to be released.#160;

It’s so that they can help others ignite and free the passion that yearns to find fulfillment in each of us.#160;

Once that passion has been released and allowed to flow, each of us would be invited to step into world that we would perceive in a different way.#160; A world filled with possibilities.#160; A world filled with opportunities to live passionately, to love unconditionally, to learn, share and to leave a legacy to others.

Maybe passionate people aren’t so bad after all.

What do you think of such a 12 step program?

I’d like to open the meeting.

Hello.#160; My name is Harry and I am a passionate person.

It is very nice to meet you.

Yours in service and servanthood – passionately.

Harry

Dedicated to some very passionate people, some of whom haven’t completely unleashed their passion on us.#160; God help us all when they do.#160; :-)

• Jonathan S.
• Leslie G.
• Roberto L.
• Casey W.
• Jim G.
• Richard G – rest in peace, my friend.
• Barry G.
• Mac P.
• Shauna S.

He tenido la fortuna y bendición de recibir muchas respuestas a mi post anterior “Check your passion at the door” (Deje su pasión a la entrada). Y quiero agradecer a todos por responder con tanta pasión.

Uno de los aspectos que resultó interesante sobre las respuestas fue el número de personas que se identificaron con el post y hasta llegar a leerlo completo, pero tuvieron miedo de liberar su pasión.

Teniendo esto en cuenta, pensé que seria interesante elaborar una guía del usuario para ayudar a la gente entender a las personas apasionada – tanto en que sean una persona apasionada o que trabajen con una persona apasionada (en cualquier caso, con dudas sobre su estado mental o la salud mental de otros).

Algunas cosas inmediatamente aparentes de las personas con pasión

Las personas apasionadas.....

1. A veces nos vuelven locos con su energía y tenacidad sin limites (eso está bien – ellos a veces también piensan que están locos).
2. Son maníacos respecto a su finalidad y pueden molestarnos al estar más enfocados en el objetivo que nosotros – siendo el objetivo nuestro y no necesariamente suyo.
3. No aceptan de buen grado “No quiero hacerlo”, “No puedo hacerlo” o “No podemos hacerlo”. De hecho, forzarles a ello solo convierte a una persona con pasión en una persona con pasión nerviosa.
4. Son difíciles de rebatir porque tienen todos los aspectos cubiertos (muy a nuestro pesar y frustración). En realidad, pueden vencernos debatiendo utilizando nuestros propios datos y lógica de forma que responderemos con enfado – no nos dejan otra opción con que defender nuestra posición.
5. Son impacientes, ya que al menos en su mente, ya han llegado a la solución y se preguntan sorprendidos porqué nadie más puede ver lo que es obvio para ellos.
6. Pueden resultar frustrantes en el trabajo debido a su enfoque singular a dar soluciones.
7. Hacen todo hasta el extremo, para admiración de algunos y envidia de otros.
8. Son directos o contundentes en un mundo que dicta que el ser directo daña demasiadas sensibilidades.
9. Se sienten frustrados con facilidad en un entorno que no se compromete con un nivel de energía o compromiso aceptable para ellos.
10. Estallan con enfado rápidamente pro también se clama de igual manera. El tiempo es demasiado corto para rencores aunque su enfado, cuando es visible, es intenso y a veces da miedo.
11. Meten la pata con bastante frecuencia. No tienen miedo a probar algo nuevo aún contando con pocos datos, y esto puede hacerles parecer ser temerarios.
12. Son rápidos en destacar incoherencias e inconsistencias – son el crío que grita que el emperador no lleva ropa (algo que no siempre es bienvenido cuando queremos que algo desaparezca de forma discreta).
13. Tiene una imaginación que puede asustar, en su alcance y profundidad, a la vez que son extremadamente creativos (a veces en demasía).
14. Son naturalmente curiosos y les gusta explorar las cosas y asuntos desde todas las perspectivas. Una vez que lo han hecho, pueden realizar multitud de sugerencias sobre casi todo. Estas personas piensan en posibilidades ilimitadas, que puede asustar a muchas personas.

Suena difícil ¿a que sí? Vamos explorar a estas personas con un poco de profundidad

Las personas apasionadas.....

1. les encanta colaborar, invitando a otros a participar en sus proyectos.
2. Les encanta aprender y hacer muchas preguntas (aunque esto nos haga sentir que cuestionan por qué hicimos algo, cuando en realidad están aprendiendo, no juzgando).
3. Les encanta compartir – proyectos, experiencias vitales, historias – cualquier cosa.
4. Se ríen con facilidad y frecuentemente.
5. Lloran por otros – más de lo que creemos (incluso los supuestos tipos duros).
6. Tienen corazones que se afligen por todo lo que ven, sintiendo el impulso de hacer cosas para otros y atrapados por un sentido de la urgencia que parece romper nuestro mundo “lento y estable”.
7. Son más delicados y son heridos con más facilidad de lo que muchos piensan, aunque se desprenden de este sentimiento rápidamente porque saben que otro está aún más herido.
8. Buscan soluciones para todo, incluso si no es asunto suyo o está fuera de sus competencias.
9. Miran al cielo, cuando nadie les ve, y se preguntan “¿porqué yo?”
10. buscan en un Poder Superior fuerza....a veces piden ayuda....a veces suplican.... a veces gritan.
11. Saben que arreglar algo es mejo que mirar hacia otro lado.
12. Exponen su corazón y espíritu interior arriesgándose. Hacen esto para crear una oportunidad para la confianza – algo que no es tan común en el mundo moderno como solía serlo.
13. A veces son perceptivos de forma inusual, algo que no es siempre bienvenido o que hace sentir a la gente incomoda (ya que a ninguno nos gusta sentirnos estúpidos)
14. Son completamente transparentes.
15. Son perpetuamente inquietos, siempre alerta y pensando, algo que no es fácilmente aceptado en un mundo donde las ideas nuevas y frescas ponen de relieve la apatía, la indiferencia o la incompetencia.
16. Parece que están allí cuando les necesitamos y ¿como lo hacen?
17. Son más humildes de lo que queremos darnos cuenta – estamos muy ocupados criticándoles para darnos cuenta de su humildad.
18. Frecuentemente ofrecen su ayuda sin condiciones.
19. O tienen una pasión que arde de forma muy profunda y silenciosa, con muestras ocasionales (en público o privado) o están en un estado constante de manifestar visiblemente su pasión.
20. No utilizan su pasión para obtener recompensas.

¿Como es el mundo en el cual vive una persona con pasión?

Las personas apasionadas....

1. Creen que cada problema tiene solución y que no deben dejarlo hasta encontrar esta solución, provocando que la gente a su alrededor que prefiere solucionar cosas más sencillas, quede exhausta.
2. Creen que el mundo está lleno de lo mágico, no lo mundano.
3. A veces se sienten solas porque absorben mucha negatividad o abuso a liderar dese el frente con su pasión, a veces entrando en lo desconocido o en territorios peligrosos.
4. Tienen muchos seguidores a cuestas, ya que los seguidores tienen miedo liberar su pasión y prefiere que otros se arriesguen.
5. Tienen una experiencia personal que no es fácil. No existen atajos.
6. A veces se preguntan, después de ayudar a todos, por qué nadie les ayuda en los momentos difíciles.
7. Viven en un mundo que a menudo no entiende los motivos de una persona apasionada- Después de todo, ¿porqué alguien dedicaría tanta energía a algo o alguien que aparentemente tiene poca importancia para ellos?
8. Han vivido y tienen la experiencia de muchas cosas, y por este motivo sienten la pasión de ayudar a otros. No siempre puedan compartir su historia, sus momentos de dolor o sus victorias, pero los tienen. No les digas que no lo entienden salvo que realmente sepas que no – puede que tengan mucha más experiencia de la que tú tendrás jamás.
9. Han vivido o viven unas vidas tan ocupadas o complejas que nos desbordan. ¿De donde sacan el tiempo para hacer tanto para otros?

Por cierto, ¿por qué hacen lo que hacen?

Hacen lo que hacen porque el amor es una parte integral de ellos mismos – un suministro sin fin y abundante de amor que absorben de todo lo que les rodea y que canalizan hacia a aquellos que lo necesitan, aunque la persona que lo recibe se resista o no comprenda por qué alguien haría algo así.

Las personas con pasión son un conducto para el amor. Ellos no lo retienen, sino que dejan que fluya a través de ellos.

Tienen demasiado amor para contenerlo dentro. Este amor necesita encontrar un hogar o la persona con pasión explotará por tener un propósito incumplido.

Tienen el objetivo de que otras personas sientan este amor en diferentes formas. Quieren ayudar a otros sentirlo, incubarlo y compartirlo con otros.

Claro está, las personas con pasión nos vuelven locos. Pero ¿de quien es la culpa: de la persona con pasión o de la persona que es incapaz de reconocer como se puede utilizar esta energía ilimitada, con un potencial fenomenal creado por la persona con pasión?

Hay que recordar que dividir un átomo puede generar electricidad durante toda la vida, pero si se hace mal puede dar lugar a una explosión nuclear.

El átomo está ahí, lleno de potencial. Es lo que hacemos con él lo que produce un resultado positivo o negativo.

Me pregunto si necesitamos un programa de 12 pasos para las personas con pasión. No es para ayudarles a reprimir esta energía que llevan tan adentro, sino, para que puedan compartir con otros una pasión que tienen dentro y que espera ser liberada.

Es para que puedan ayudar a otros encender y liberar la pasión que ansía tener un propósito en cada uno de nosotros.

Una vez que esa pasión ha sido liberada y se la deja fluir, cada uno de nosotros seríamos invitados a entrar en un mundo que percibiríamos de forma diferente. Un mundo lleno de posibilidades. Un mundo lleno de oportunidades de vivir apasionadamente, de amar sin condiciones, de aprender, compartir y dejar un legado para otros.

Quizás, las personas con pasión no sean tan malas después de todo.

¿Que piensas de ese programa de 12 pasos?

Quiero empezar la reunión.

Hola, me llamo Harry y soy una persona con pasión.

Encantado de conocerte.

Tuyo para el servicio y a tu servicio, con pasión.

Harry

Traducción al español realizada por Robert Moore Bernardos.

To read this blog in English, please click here.

Beach Rules

No ball playing

No Frisbee playing

No swimming

No picnics or food consumption

No bicycles on boardwalk

No animals permitted

Enjoy the beach – it is here for your enjoyment

I remember reading this and laughing at the irony.#160; However, after I laughed, I noticed that the beach was also pretty much empty.#160; The intention by the owner had stifled any opportunity for most people to find fulfillment and therefore they stayed away regardless of what the owners thought the beach could provide for people.#160; People went elsewhere where their passions around beach usage could be explored and enjoyed.

The other day I was re-reading Donald R. Keough’s “The 10 Commandments for Business Failure” and I wasn’t laughing.#160;#160; As I was reading this, I was thinking about a number of groups, business units and volunteer groups, that were unable to gain traction and momentum and they were on my mind as I read the book.

For those who haven’t read this great book, the 11 commandments (yes, there are 11) that Keough believes are embraced by people intent on snatching failure from the jaws of victory are as follows:

1. Quit taking risks

2. Be inflexible

3. Isolate yourself

4. Assume infallibility

5. Play the game close to the foul line – blur moral/ethical lines

6. Don’t take time to think

7. Put all your faith in experts and outside consultants

8. Love your bureaucracy

9. Send mixed messages

10. Be afraid of the future

11. Lose your passion for work, for life

For the sake of my thoughts today, I’m going to rename number 11 to read:

11. Lose your passion - or allow someone to take it from you

After re-reading this book and digesting its wisdom yet again, I stumbled upon a short half-page article on the web by Dr. Tom Cocklereece where he focused on the 11th commandment and discussed ways that churches are choking the passion out of people to make a difference to their church.#160; His brief article really resonated with me.

Dr. Cocklereece posits that if you really want to fail, then lose your passion – lose your optimism that the impossible is not only possible but is probable if your passion is strong enough.

He goes on to discuss the great idea killers of our society today, including the perennial favorites “that’s good enough.”, “that’s not my job.”, “I don’t care.”, “I’m retiring soon anyway.” or the classic “we have never done it that way before.”.

Here is my favorite lately.

“Don’t rock the boat”.

It comes in many flavors but it translates into the same thing:

You represent change and change is something I fear, so I will do whatever it takes to prevent you from changing my world even if my world needs change.

OR

I would rather not change and continue to demonstrate minimal results than change and produce results.

OR

The suggestion of change represents a threat to my authority since people will discover that I am not the only source of ideas and therefore I will block your initiatives to enhance our results in order to protect my authority.

People resisting such change will discover reserves of energy that they (and you) never thought they had.#160; If only they had that much passion for creating more measurable, impactful results in the first place.

I think there are many times when one shouldn’t rock the boat.#160; For example, if a group is producing great results or results that are already meeting the expectations of the upstream or downstream people of that group, then the group should be left alone.

If the group doesn’t actually want to achieve anything, the fact that you see potential is irrelevant – they are happy and should be left alone.

If the group is outside your forte, area of influence or responsibility, then you should probably leave them alone.

If you couldn’t do any better yourself, then you should leave them alone.

However, if the group is not meeting the expectations of the mandate established for them or are violating ethical, moral or legal guidelines then they deserve to be rocked.

If you are a member of the group or a group upstream or downstream from that group and are impacted as a result of their apathy, indifference or incompetence, then the group deserves to be rocked.

If they are promoting a message or mission of “x” and are intentionally misrepresenting traction towards that mission, then they deserve to be rocked.

If they are in a mode of constantly blaming everyone and everything else for their inability to execute and some of the previous criteria apply, then they deserve to be rocked.

That’s not to say that we should be on a personal mission to be looking for people and groups who need to be shaken up.#160; Not only would that be be exhausting, in many situations we don’t have the right to interfere.

However, I am witnessing more and more people who are directly involved with groups plagued with apathy, indifference or incompetence, have an awareness of unethical, immoral or illegal activities within those groups or have a knowledge of significantly better ways of delivering results and yet are choosing to look the other way, even if they know that people upstream or downstream from that group are being adversely impacted.

Looking the other way would be bad enough if they looked away and forgot about it.

However, they are consumed by what they are witnessing and tell people privately about how such actions violate their psyche based on some personal standard.#160; Publically, they claim to have no issues or concerns.#160;

However, their passion for correcting things is just talk.#160; For some reason, their passion will not carry them towards taking action.

They do this to protect personal or business interests, appearances, reputation (fearing the “why did you allow this to go on so long” question), friendships, etc.

“I don’t want to rock the boat”, they say, all the while suggesting it is clearly important to them because they can’t stop talking about it or better – they are constantly imploring you to carry their fight for them.

My thought to them in return:

“Isn’t it better to rock the boat then watch it sink?”

Maybe rocking the boat will slosh the stagnant water out of the boat, enabling it to ride higher in the water.#160; Maybe some excess cargo that is weighing the boat down will get sloshed out as well.

It was expressed to me recently that I should tone down my passion for excellence and results so that I don’t offend others in a particular group.

What’s wrong with asking those people to pick up their passion for excellence and results so that I am not offended or so that the people directly affected by their actions are not disappointed or offended?

If they are offended that their track record for producing no result is being challenged, perhaps they deserve to be offended.

Don’t the users of their product or service deserve the best result possible?

Why do we accept a lackluster result as acceptable under the guise of not offending someone?

In a world of political correctness, we are often cautioned not to offend the person not producing or contributing because “everyone is doing the best they can”.#160;

However, sometimes we need to gently point those people in a different direction, where they can produce a better result than where they are.#160; They will probably be happier anyway once they are in a place where their contribution is more in line with their abilities.

As Donald Trump once said, we need to be careful that we don’t get caught up in a world where “we reward people just for showing up”.

In a world where our ethical, moral and legal guidelines are constantly being evaluated and many times being relaxed, we need to start demanding a higher standard, not accepting a lower one.

What’s wrong with asking the frequently avoided questions, to use a term I first heard my friend Steve Bannister use?

Let’s start asking more questions.

Questions about passion.

Questions about purpose.

Questions about measurable outcomes.

Questions about ethics, morals and legalities.

Questions about achieving results.

Questions about consistency between our stated intentions and our actual execution.

Let’s not ask the questions as in “you have the wrong answers and I have the right ones”.

Let’s ask them from the standpoint of “if we ask the questions together and challenge each other towards a higher standard then we will produce a better result and we will all learn from the process”.

Let’s not be afraid to ask questions.#160; When asked from the standpoint of maximizing results in a respectful, collaborative and knowledge-sharing way, there is nothing wrong with asking them and in fact, we should ask them.

We are not trying to figure out who is right or wrong or who is smarter.

We are trying to figure out how to produce the best result possible.

Let’s not lower our expectations to the lowest common denominator.

Let’s raise them to the highest common denominator.

Let’s raise them to the best result possible based on our collective talents and not limit them based on the talents of the weakest link.

The consumers of our products and services deserve and demand it.

The members of these groups and organizations deserve it.

The people who invest their time, talent and treasure deserve it.

We deserve it.

The Earth deserves it.

Our children deserve it.

This is not a license to bully others as some people who resist change or protect apathy like to do.#160; It’s a license to collaborate and seek the best result possible.

It’s a license to live to your greatest potential, love yourself and others, learn (and share knowledge) and to leave a legacy.

If you are not making progress, move on – there is someone else out there desperate for your passion.#160; The folks you leave behind perhaps need to learn additional lessons before your respective passions can be in congruence.

Remember the law of the 4 SWs:

• some will
• some won’t
• so what
• someone’s waiting.

As Dr. Cocklereece closed his article:

If we truly value something we will do it—not just teach or talk about it.

Be passionate!

Your passion is simmering – what do you want to do with it and how badly do you want to achieve it?

Do you know the answer?

Good – what are you waiting for – get on with it.

The emperor is not wearing any clothes.#160; Someone is waiting for you to cry out.#160; Don’t worry – once you step up and call it, you will be surrounded by many people happy to step up and support you.

If your passion already has a home and is producing results, I thank you.#160; You are a role model from which we can all learn.

Whether your passion flows unrestrained or is still evolving, I thank you for it - we all benefit from it when the time is right for it to manifest.

In service and servanthood.

Harry

• increasing issues regarding global warming
• terrorism
• the Iraq war
• the war in Afghanistan
• coming soon according to some – the war against Pakistan or some other nation that displeases us
• an energy crisis
• a health crisis
• a financial crisis
• a public wave of murder / suicides related to the financial crisis
• swine flu (just when you thought you had reached your saturation point of bad news)
• a level of political correctness so powerful that we can’s say anything that might offend anybody (which means we can say very little)
• a level of political bullying, such that if you voice specific opinions on certain subjects, you are immediately publically vilified (meanwhile we say – it’s a good thing we aren’t as ignorant to the opinions of others as they were in the 15th century).
• an increased sense of paranoia that something or someone is ready to kill us at any moment unless we relinquish our freedom in exchange for security.#160; Interestingly enough, the people we are relinquishing our freedom to are the people who tell us we are in trouble.
• a litany of misinformation, including the soldiers of Abu Ghraib#160; prison who were punished as rogues that violated the human rights of Iraqis when we now discover they were acting under orders from the top of the US administration.

Is it any wonder that our minds don’t melt from an overload of such negative information?

I think they have melted somewhat – we just haven’t figured it out yet.#160; Some people suggest that our minds have melted so badly that we have lost the ability to self diagnose or that we have correctly diagnosed the issues but we are too tired or afraid to do anything.

I don’t believe this to be true – I believe that our passion burns hot and deep.#160; Many of us just need a little help bringing this burning desire to the surface.

When I write blogs or articles that reference the need to assert our passion more, to love others more, to follow our faith more (however we define it) and to make a greater difference in the world, hundreds of people privately applaud me but most are afraid to do so in public.#160;

They fear repercussions from family, friends and co-workers.#160; Some are politicians more focused on being re-elected than doing what they know is the right thing.#160; As one friend noted – '”Do you realize that your thoughts are needed but not welcome in the circles of authority?”.

How unfortunate.

In a part of the world founded on encouraging an exchange of thoughts (without necessarily having to agree with them), incubating a belief in the “American Dream” (or the Canadian equivalent), being passionate about the things important to us, holding civil and corporate leaders to specific standards of morals and values, and championing rights and freedoms important to our ancestors, it seems to me that we are losing the strength or interest to assert our beliefs, our passions and most importantly, our voice.#160;

Some of us have become intimidated to the point where many of us (not all, thankfully) fear for our reputation if we publically follow our heart.#160; Meanwhile, our spirits may feel crushed by the constant bombardment of bad news and we are caught in an internal tug of war, knowing what needs to be done but being afraid to do it.

Sometimes it is difficult to see that in this onslaught of bad news there are passionate people out there making a difference in the areas where we need it most – empowering us to effect positive change for our environment, promoting the health and wellness of people around the planet, building peace within humanity and strengthening the ecological / economical future of our planet.

We should be grateful for these people.

We should find a group that aligns with what we hold to be important for ourselves and our families and join that group.

Groups like Canada’s World, World Vision, Samaritan’s Purse, Oxfam, the Clinton Foundation and others are leading the way to making a difference.

If you don’t know who to speak to, reach out to someone like me – people like me love to connect passionate people with other passionate people.

If you don’t like these organizations, don’t complain about them.#160; Use your energy to help them improve their offering and execution.#160; If you feel that you caught in a trap of excessive complaining without action, reach out to this group, A Complaint Free World.#160; They’ll help you get back on track.

If existing groups still don’t work for you, create a new group that makes a difference.

Whatever you do, find a way to help contribute to the needs of the world.#160; Don’t wait – many of the challenges on this planet are accelerating and need to be addressed sooner rather than later.

Let’s create a different kind of noise – one built around making a difference instead of focusing on how things are allegedly falling apart.#160; It would be great if our actions spoke so loudly, that we would not be able to hear each other speak.

Many famous writers and philosophers over the years, going back to biblical times, note that we create what we focus on.

So let’s stop focusing on the end of times and instead, focus on a world filled with people aspiring to make a difference for others.

As the great Louis B. Armstrong sang in “What a Wonderful World”:

The colors of a rainbow.....so pretty ..in the sky
Are also on the faces.....of people ..going by
I see friends shaking hands.....sayin’.. how do you do
They’re really sayin’......i love you.

I hear babies cry...... I watch them grow
They’ll learn much more.....than Ill never know
And I think to myself .....what a wonderful world

It is indeed a wonderful world.

If we really love our children and our children’s children, we’ll keep it that way.

For those who follow sports, it’s like being up three games to nothing in a best of seven series.

It’s ours to win or lose.

What side do you prefer to be on?

Yours in service and servanthood.

Harry

The gentleman sitting at the head of the table silently watched his counterparts, waiting patiently for them to finish. He is dressed impeccably, right down to the eye-catching gold cufflinks in the cuffs of his heavily starched white shirt.

As each one finishes reading the report and looks at him, he nods silently, as if to answer every question he knows each one of them is pondering.

Finally, as the last of the group finishes reading the report, he clears his throat and asks softly “Are there any questions?”.

A woman at the far end of the table acknowledged his question. “The Fed wants to know how credible the IMF’s source of information is.”

Mr. Impeccable nodded imperceptibly before speaking. “The IMF’s source is unquestionable.”.

“And you believe that our grip on the economies of the world is in jeopardy if we don’t act?”, she responded.

Mr. Impeccable paused for a moment before answering. “You have the report in front of you with the numbers that back our assertions. If we do not act quickly, the gap between our elite membership and the rest of the world will decrease significantly in the upcoming years. Our source assures us of this.”

A balding, sweating gentlemen to the left of Mr. Impeccable leaned forward and with a gravelly voice interrupted Mr. Impeccable, “And the way we can continue to grow our personal wealth is to close a couple of financial institutions in the US. That’s all there is to it?”

“It’s pretty simple”, agreed Mr. Impeccable, “Our source assures us that this simple act will be enough of an action to create additional opportunities for us to increase our lead over the rest of the world.”

The sweating gentlemen, pointed to Mr. Impeccable and demanded, “This sounds too simple. I also want to know who this source is before I agree.”

Mr. Impeccable stood up and looked each member around the table in the eye. “We have never questioned our source in the past and he has always served us well. His advice has been extremely beneficial to us since 1947. Why would we question him now?”

There was silence in the room as the meetings attendees stared at Mr. Impeccable and then the IMF report before them.

Mr. Impeccable continued. “All we need to do is fold a couple of organizations and that will be sufficient. We have been assured that no large scale ripple effect will occur as a result of this and will provide a large return for us personally. It has been suggested that Lehman Brothers and Merrill Lynch are the two organizations we will fold.”

Suddenly there was an eruption of protest from the room, which Mr. Impeccable silenced quickly by raising his hand and commanding silence.

“What is more important?”, he asked, “Our personal growth or protecting a couple of miscellaneous organizations on Wall Street?”

Again there was silence.

“Are there any dissenters?”, he asked at last.

His question was also met with silence.

“Good”, he said with a nod of satisfaction. “Let us proceed. Let the minutes show that we have come to a unanimous agreement on the matter.”

The sweating gentlemen pulled out his Blackberry and quickly scanned it to see what meetings he had coming up for the remainder of the day.

It was Friday, September 12, 2008.

------------------

In a meeting room buried within the bowels of the United Nations, a group of well dressed men and women quietly listened to the speaker at the end of the room. His voice was soft and they strained to pick up every word.

“As you know”, he continued, “The world is in much need of help. Global warming continues unabated. Pollution has destroyed much of the earth’s water resources. War rages across the planet. The United Nations has demonstrated its inability to get on top of these challenges. My group is offering its support to solve all of these issues.”

“Why would you want to help us?”, asked one of the meeting participants, “and why don’t you just step in and help us without these clandestine get-togethers?”.

The presenter nodded as if to acknowledge an excellent question. “We believe that everyone is worth saving. Think of it as nothing more than universal benevolence. As for just stepping in and saving you, as you all know, if we show up on each country’s doorstep tomorrow, we will be met with considerable military and social resistance that will benefit no one.”

“So what are you suggesting?”, queried another one of the participants.

The presenter paused for a moment and pursed his lips. “We would prefer to be introduced as global saviors rather than for us to inject ourselves into global solutions”, he indicated. “Global saviors have a better chance of being welcomed with open arms, avoiding unnecessary conflict.”

“Global saviors?”, responded one of the participants. “How does one do such a thing? And what are you global saviors of? What could possibly happen in the world where the people of earth would feel that we needed to be saved on a global scale?”

“That is a good point’, answered the presenter. “However, until we can figure out what type of event could create global chaos, why don’t we work out the rest of the plan so that we are ready to execute? Are we in agreement on this point?”

With some hesitation, the entire group nodded.

“Good”, said the presenter with a smile, “let us begin”.

His large, dark eyes glittered in the boardroom light as he smiled at everyone in the room. People avoided his gaze as he looked around the room.

------------------

In a sparsely furnished, bright room with no visible source of lighting, two figures sit in silence.

One of them breaks the silence. “How goes the plan to secure the water resources of the third planet?”

“Plans are progressing well”, came the response.

“How have you overcome the planet’s defense systems? This culture is crude and cannot hurt us but has weapons that will contaminate that which we seek. “

“Don’t worry”, the other replied, “We have our best ambassador working on the matter”.

Silence returned to the room.

------------------

Copyright 2009 – Harry Tucker – All Rights Reserved

They would go something like this (with Kasey reading the letter).

“So and so writes.#160; Dear Kasey, blah blah blah.#160; So Kasey, could you please play xyz for so and so?#160; So and so – here’s your long distance dedication”.

Here is how the letter would go if sent on behalf of some of the people on my mind this morning.

“Dear Kasey.

I would like to tell you about my friend, John.#160; John and I have known each other for a while.#160; In a hectic, pressure-filled world where the media would have us doubt our own sanity and shake our beliefs that anything good remains on this planet, John stands out.

John is not a typical person.#160; He speaks his mind openly but always does so with respect.#160; He invites the opinions of others.

John doesn’t swim with the current because he knows the river is pretty cluttered with junk downstream.#160; He swims upstream where the waters are crystal clear, inviting and where he can be himself.

John doesn’t wait for friends to ask for help.#160; John looks for proactive ways to be there for them.#160; He anticipates your need and just when you think you are falling , you realize he is holding your hand.

John is not consumed with himself.#160; John puts family and friends first.

John is not perfect.#160; No one is.#160; However, John exemplifies a great human being – one built upon and around values, faith, standing up for his beliefs and most importantly, sharing love for everyone and everything.

John sometimes struggles with embracing his values in a world that sometimes suggests that embracing values is a sign of weakness.

So Kasey, could you please play “Thank You For Being A Friend” by Andrew Gold.#160; I’d like John to know that his unselfishness is greatly appreciated in a world that needs more people committed to the betterment of those around them.

Ok, Harry, here is your long distance dedication”.

When I say John, I am writing to:

Jim G – a long time friend committed to family, friends, personal excellence and recognition of the contributions of everyone (and one of the quickest senses of humor I have ever seen)

Jonathan S – a driven family guy and businessman (and I mean DRIVEN) with one of the largest,most humble hearts I have ever seen (and maybe the only guy who could match Jim G.’s humor)

Roberto L – a friend closer than a brother to me, who constantly seeks ways to maximize his contribution to others before himself and was always there for me

Ray J – a phenomenally talented musician who’s heart embraces his family, his heritage and his culture and whose music kept me company when I was down

Leonard S – a#160; phenomenal, insightful man, passionate about encouraging those around him to participate in and share a powerful journey towards self realization and growth

I love you guys.#160; You arrived in my life just when I needed you and I continue to learn from you every day.

I am honored and privileged to know you as my friends.#160; I grow every day because of you, you bring light to my life and you bring sanity in a world that would love to convince us that sanity is a passing fad.

To the readers of my blog, thank you for your incredible support regarding my musings.

If you were to send out a long distance dedication, who would it be to?

Maybe somebody would really appreciate receiving one.

Maybe that somebody is you.

In service, servanthood, deepest appreciation and love.

Harry

#160;

If you’ve never heard the Andrew Gold song before, here are the lyrics.

Thank You For Being A Friend – Andrew Gold

Thank you for being a friend
Traveled down the road and back again
your heart is true you're a pal and a confidant

I'm not ashamed to say
I hope it always will stay this way
My hat is off, won't you stand up and take a bow

And if you threw a party
Invited everyone you knew
You would see, the biggest gift would be for me
and the card attached would say,
Thank you for being a friend

Thank you for being a friend
Thank you for being a friend
Thank you for being a friend

If it's a car you lack
I'd surely buy you a Cadillac
Whatever you need, anytime of the day or night

I'm not ashamed to say
I hope it always will stay this way
My hat is off, won't you stand up and take a bow

And when we both get older
With walking canes and hair of gray
Have no fear, even though it's hardly here
I will stand real close and say,
Thank you for being a friend

(I want to thank you)
Thank you for being a friend
(I want to thank you)
Thank you for being a friend
(I want to thank you)
Thank you for being a friend
(I want to thank you)
Let me tell you bout a friend
(I want to thank you)
Thank you for being a friend
(I want to thank you)
Thank you for being a friend
(I want to thank you)
Thank you for being a friend

And when we die, and float away
I'll see you there, and once again
Thank you for being a friend
Thank you for being a friend

(I want to thank you)
Thank you for being a friend
(I want to thank you)
Thank you for being a friend
(I want to thank you)
Thank you for being a friend
Whoa, tell you about a friend
(Thank you right now, for being a friend)
Thank you for being a friend
(I wanna tell you right now, and tell you again)
Thank you for being a friend
(I wanna thank you, thank you, for being a friend)
Thank you for being a friend

The tests went like this:

The pilot was strapped into a seat that was mounted on what was essentially a rocket on rails.#160; When the rockets were ignited, the whole contraption flew down the rails at breakneck speed (it had no brakes) with no guidance necessary as it simply followed the rails it was mounted upon.#160; At some point, the passenger passed out and was simply along for the ride.

After the motors burned out, the device then coasted for some distance before it came to a halt, the device and its passenger both completely spent.

The rocket motors were reloaded, the passenger rested and the process was repeated the next day.

I wonder if many people today feel like that person sitting upon this rocket on rails – flying pell mell down the rails at the start of the day, with no means to change the speed or direction and being exhausted by the end of the day.

Think of some of the challenges we are experiencing that create pressure in our lives today:

• We have a booming economy one minute (supposedly) and then it collapses the next minute (with some exaggeration, of course).#160;#160; The people who either architected it or didn’t see it coming now tell us to trust their ability to fix it.#160;
• Ben Bernanke, top man at the Federal Reserve, tells us a couple of weeks ago that all the numbers look great and he sees the end of the recession in sight.#160; Two hours later, statistics regarding consumer spending, unemployment and such are released and suggest the complete opposite and that the end is nowhere in sight.
• Governments such as Canada have changed their strategy from economy stimulation to making sure that the employment insurance system can hold up under the strain.#160; This suggests that they have given up trying to fix it and perhaps want to hold on and hope everything works out.#160;
• Billions are spent on airline safety annually while some insiders suggest that this is a facade to make you feel comfortable about travel since weapons still routinely get onto commercial aircraft.#160; How about the armed hijacker who stormed onto a Canjet aircraft with 170+ people on it yesterday and held them all hostage before local authorities took the plane back?
• Billions are spent on the drug problem in the US while the flow of guns south and drugs north continues largely unabated.
• Unemployment and foreclosures are running neck and neck to establish new records of despair.
• War, pestilence and disease continues in the world.#160; We have it within our power to fix a lot of this but we don’t make as much progress as we could or should.
• Global warming is coming with a vengeance despite our meetings and conferences.#160; Here’s a thought – maybe just talking about something doesn’t fix it.#160; Action must begin with dialog. Dialog must result in action or it is just that - dialog.

Tough stuff.#160; Positive thinking experts say that we shouldn’t think about it because it will bring us down.#160; I think we’re already pretty low.

I wonder if sometimes we need to be brought down, to be grabbed by the throat, so that we can look some of this stuff in the eye, know it and understand it and then take responsibility for wrestling it to the ground.

Not thinking about it doesn’t necessarily make it go away.

Maybe we need to absorb all of this stuff and let it touch our holy discontent as Bill Hybels notes in his powerful book by the same name.#160; After it has percolated internally for a bit and really gotten us stirred up, maybe we can shake off the apathy we feel as we expect someone else to fix it.#160; Bodie Thoene noted “Apathy is the glove into which evil slips its hand”.

Maybe we can all work together to fix things instead of waiting for someone else or believing that we have the solution that no one else has, thus preferring to be a one-man-band rather than a collaborator.

I wonder if many of us would take more responsibility if we could only catch our breath from the wild ride that we call Life.

I think we would.#160; I believe that the average person would love to make a greater contribution to the greater good.

With that in mind ……

We need to recharge to take charge

Many of us say we can’t take any time off because we are needed for this, that and the other thing.#160; People who believe this who are forced for one reason or another to take some time off discover when they return that the Earth is still here and it is still running as well as it was before.

Perhaps our belief that the world won’t carry on without us is more ego-based – the hope or belief that being essential for the great machine of Life helps us to feel better about ourselves.

The truth is that each of us has an important role to play – none of us have the ONE role that keeps everything moving.

Maybe we need to take more breaks during the turmoil of the day to stop and ask, “How am I doing”?

How about asking this question.

What legacy am I contributing towards for the children of tomorrow and for their children?

I like to take a break several times a day and record observations in my journal about how I am doing in the following areas:

Faith – how am I doing in regards to my faith in God and my faith in the goodness and intelligence of people to create positive, long-lasting, sustainable impact on Earth?

Virtue – how well am I doing today in regards to adhering towards moral excellence (however I define it)?

Knowledge – have I learned something new today that I can apply towards improving my life and the life of others?

Self Control – how much self control am I exercising towards not being distracted by things that don’t bring myself and others closer to our purpose and passion?

Perseverance – am I still driving towards that which is important for my purpose and passion or am I just coasting along, wasting time that can never be recovered?

Godliness – do my thoughts reflect what I think God would think about?#160; In other words, if one thinks of the Great Compassion as those things that would make God cry or be angry, what am I doing to address them?

Kindness – what am I doing to grow my understanding of others and their actions and do my actions exemplify my belief in compassion and sharing?

Love – what have I done to share love today?#160; What have I done to welcome love today?#160; What have I done to encourage this in others today?

In other words, if I don’t stop a few times a day and perform this checkpoint, how do I know if I am on track or if I need to make a few corrections or improvements?

It is easy to allow the day to slip away in activity instead of productivity.

When I make a conscious step to assess how I am tracking and make corrections along the way, I feel like I have made a better difference to myself and others.

This brings a greater sense of fulfillment towards my purpose and with this, a reduction in stress – I feel like I am controlling my Life instead of my Life controlling me.

It helps me feel like I am making a difference for the children.

People criticized President Bush towards the end of his second term, claiming that his actions were digging a hole that President Obama couldn’t get out of.#160; Whether this is true or not is not the point.

Let’s make sure we don’t do this to our children.

In service and servanthood.

Harry

My name is yyy – what’s yours?

My name is zzz – let’s play.

It was as simple as that – authenticity in its purest form.#160; Once they had some context by which they could name each other, that was all that was important to having an authentic relationship.

As I have been consumed by authenticity lately, I have started a detailed review of my social network, the hundreds of emails I receive daily from this network, the hundreds of invites I receive to participate in events, etc.#160; While I am grateful for all of this, my recent focus on authenticity has caused me to examine much of this traffic in a closer manner.

Here are some exaggerated snippets:

I am an 18-year old student and life coach.#160; I believe my 18 years of life have been invaluable and I would like to share this supreme knowledge with you at a discounted monthly rate of $xxxx.#160; lt;lt;yes – some 18-year olds have lived a full live – however ……gt;gt;

I am an enlightened life guru with no job or life experience but I would like to show you how the Law of Attraction can earn tons of money for you.#160; lt;lt;meanwhile a background check on the person shows they are bankrupt and the only thing the Law of Attraction is helping them with is making money promoting the Law of Attractiongt;gt;

I am an expert on collaboration and believe that we all need to work together to make this world a better place for all.#160; By the way,#160; let me tell#160; you that so and so has a chance to steal some of our market so if we can find any way to discredit or sue him, there’s more money in it for us.#160; lt;lt;I’m sorry, tell me again how this is collaborationgt;gt;

I need your help promoting product xyz.#160; It’s not MLM of any type but you’re at the bottom, I’m at the top and if you put in 80 hours a week, I will get rich.#160; lt;lt;now there’s an incentivegt;gt;

How about gems like these?

I serve on the board for corporation xyz and I know the CEO is stealing money, but if I rat on her, people will not hire me for other boards because I will not be perceived as a team player.#160; lt;lt;meanwhile, that person gets paid to make public presentations about the need for transparency, honesty and accountabilitygt;gt;

“We provide a high quality product to the consumer”, quotes a senior executive of a major frozen food manufacturer to me on a plane one afternoon two years ago.#160; “That being said, I don’t let my kids eat it”. “Why not?”, I ask.#160; “Because I know what is in that stuff”, is the reply, the speaker oblivious to the disconnect of that statement from his assertion of the high quality of their product.

Authenticity.

I wonder:

• if the fear of being perceived as not being as in control as the next person causes some people to be less than authentic, since we don’t want to be perceived as weak amongst our peers.
• if the fear of expressing our real selves causes us to repackage our knowledge, beliefs and passions into something the masses will agree with (even if this is not in congruence with what is important to us).
• if the fear of appearing to be too normal causes people to elevate their status so as to be far beyond normal (ah, so you’re just an accountant; well, I am Master of the Galaxy – Well, I’m not just an accountant, I am really the Accountant Guru of the Universe – Oh yeah?#160; Well I am ……).
• if the fear of appearing to not be able to stay caught up (whether it be in knowledge, money, gadgets or other toys) causes us to overspend our resources while lack of authenticity with ourselves prevents us from putting the brakes on this self-destructive behavior.#160; Don’t forget – whoever dies with the most toys …… is dead.
• if the notion of exposing our heart, mind and spirit to others may also allow others to see our pain and our weaknesses, allowing them to see that we are in fact human.#160; Since this demonstrates that we are less than perfect, we present a false persona where we never fret, get angry or cry.
• if the fear of exposing others to our personal belief structure, including our belief in God (or other deity important to us), is so strong that we are ashamed to live by the values of our belief structure, fearing ridicule or fearing being ostracized from our peers, clients and others.
• if the fear of failure paralyzes us and prevents us from trying anything, forcing us to rely on someone else to solve our problems (which then creates frustration because they are not doing it fast enough for us).
• our desire to climb to the top of whatever mountain we are climbing is so strong (probably to beat someone else climbing the same mountain), that we are willing to portray ourselves as something we are not just so that we can accomplish the journey as fast as we can.

I do notice one thing with these fears.#160; The more inauthentic someone is with themselves and others, the more they resist even discussing stuff like this.#160; They will even get quite angry!

I wonder why.

All of these fears seem to be creating a lot of baggage in our lives and puts us on an ever-increasingly slippery slope that leaves us exhausted financially, spiritually, physically and emotionally.#160; Analyze the events that have led up to any significant negative event in world history and somewhere along the way, you will find one or more events that perhaps have been tied to lack of authenticity.

I’m not suggesting that life is so simple that we can easily strip a lot of these layers away and expect to be as authentic as children.#160; If it were only that simple.

However, I am suggesting that the number of layers of obfuscation and complexity that we have added are not commensurate with the beauty and simplicity of life.

I wonder if we have made life too complicated and then, being inauthentic with ourselves and others, refuse to take any credit for this complexity.

How about a return to some base levels of authenticity?

Hi – my name is Harry.#160; I don’t want you to know me as a Wall Streeter, a business strategy guy, a networker, a writer, a speaker (or however else you know me).

I am a human being who believes in God, who is awash in gratitude for his family, friends and life experiences, who marvels at the things we do right in the world, weeps at the things we do poorly, marvels at the complexity and simplicity of nature, is amazed by the power of love, aspires to be more patient and wonders when we will finally realize our true gifts and purpose.

That’s all that is important.#160; That is the real me – the rest are man-made constructs that are not important.

That being said, perhaps that is not important either.#160; What is important is that I am a human being with unlimited capacity for loving and sharing.

So are you.

My name is Harry.#160;

What’s your name?#160;

Let’s play.

Yours in service and servanthood.

Harry