ANCIENT&
not so ancient
WISDOM
offering a weekly positive perspective
March
31, 2005
"I
have a point. It's just scattered all over the place right
now... which may be the point when discussing leadership and
transformation."
-
Jeffrey Hansler (1957- )
The following is a kaleidoscope of thoughts about the
process of leadership and transformation and represents the
process I’m experiencing.
While change can be instantaneous, transformation takes
time because it involves not only adapting new information,
it involves taking a new path.
“Do not follow where the path may lead. Go instead where
there is no path and leave a trail.” - Muriel Strode,
author of “At the Roots of Grasses”
My inbox emails disappeared and I thought that was a bad
thing. It freed up time to think though.
“When what you are doing isn't working, you tend to do
more of the same and with greater intensity.” - Dr. Bill
Maynard & Tom Champoux Heart, Soul and Spirit, and
co-founders of the Effectiveness Institute http://www.effectivenessinstitute.com/whoweare/whoweare.html
Losing those emails provided me some free time and forced
me to do things different, which has started this domino
effect on my thought process about how I am going about what
I am focused on. For example, the speaking industry is going
through a change. Five years ago, they wanted three points
and a poem, and I was a content speaker. Now they want
content – when many are overloaded on content and don’t
know what to do with it to create change.
“Drowning in data, yet starved of information.” - Ruth
Stanat in The Intelligent Organization
“Ah well! I am their leader, I really ought to follow
them!” - Alexandre Auguste Ledru-Rollin
Clients from even two years ago wouldn’t recognize my
programs now, because I have gone through a metamorphosis
– scratch that – a transformation.
met·a·mor·pho·sis:
-
A transformation, as by magic or sorcery.
-
A marked change in appearance, character, condition, or
function.
-
Biology. A change in the form and often habits of an animal
during normal development after the embryonic stage.
Metamorphosis includes, in insects, the transformation
of a maggot into an adult fly and a caterpillar into a
butterfly and, in amphibians, the changing of a tadpole
into a frog.
-
Pathology. A usually degenerative change in the structure
of a particular body tissue.
Don’t like that association… let’s try
trans·for·ma·tion
-
The act or an instance of transforming.
-
The state of being transformed.
-
A marked change, as in appearance or character, usually for
the better
Yes, transformation works. I’m transforming programs to
link content with a plan for creating change, which requires
a change in my delivery, and I’m not always comfortable
with the changes and with presenting them to an audience. I
catch myself editing out some of the unique thoughts because
I’m not sure how it will be received or if it will be
effective.
“Think of managing change as an adventure. It tests your
skills and abilities. It brings forth talent that may have
been dormant. Change is also a training ground for
leadership. When we think of leaders, we remember times of
change, innovation and conflict. Leadership is often about
shaping a new way of life. To do that, you must advance
change, take risks and accept responsibility for making
change happen.” - Charles E. Rice, CEO of Barnett Bank
“Uncertainty will always be part of the taking charge
process.” - Harold Geneen (1910 – 1997)
transformed stody ITT into a $22 billion multinational
power-house.
Because data overload is a common syndrome nowadays, the
central focus of the change I’ve been implementing, which
seems to have a life of its own, is changing from a
mentality of not enough time to get everything done to
having spare time everyday. I’m mulling this process over
as I take my much needed run on the beach (and for those of
you who enjoyed my surfing comment last week, yes it is more
painful to warm up these days). I could literally find
interesting things on the beach to occupy a lifetime with
and find ways to make money and a living in every square
foot of beach – it’ would be easy to become distracted
by all that’s there. All the shells (art, necklaces, food
filler, vitamins), trash (waste management, cleanup
equipment, consumer analysis), etc., are like the vast
amounts of data that are arriving in our space everyday.
“Never mistake knowledge for wisdom. One helps you make a
living; the other helps you make a life.” - Sandra Carey
“We must become the change we want to see.” - Mahatma
Gandhi
“Leaders understand the power of choice.” – Jeffrey
Hansler
I am working to lead myself to a new place and am faced
with the fact that I can be a difficult customer to lead –
I’ve had some issues with authority in the past (that’s
another story).
“All serious daring starts from within.” - Eudora Welty
(1909 – 2001) 1969 Pulitzer Prize recipient.
Along with this process of self-discovery, I am committed
to push the limits of sharing what is unique to me and
focusing on what is valuable to others. Dedication to this
has become a principle for me.
“The leader has to be practical and a realist, yet
must talk the language of the visionary and the idealist.”
- Eric Hoffer
“In matters of style, swim with the current; In
matters of principle, stand like a rock.” - Thomas
Jefferson
In doing, I am benefiting from the rich experiences from
others as they share in a like manner, and I am finding
great dialogue with colleagues and customers
alike.
“Leadership is not so much about technique and methods as
it is about opening the heart. Leadership is about
inspiration -- of oneself and of others. Great leadership is
about human experiences, not processes. Leadership is not a
formula or a program, it is a human activity that comes from
the heart and considers the hearts of others. It is an
attitude, not a routine.” - --Lance Secretan. author
“Inspire – What Great Leaders do.”
“Leadership is understanding people and involving them
to help you do a job. That takes all of the good
characteristics, like integrity, dedication of purpose,
selflessness, knowledge, skill, implacability, as well as
determination not to accept failure.” - Admiral Arleigh A.
Burke (1901 – 1996) , high school dropout Admiral.
Not everything works. This Ancient Wisdom may not work for
many. And I may get one of my favorite ‘remove’ emails
from a new list we incorporated into Ancient Wisdom. This
email address is for business use only. As if
‘business made the people’ and not ‘people made the
business’.
“Most of the ladies and gentlemen who mourn the passing
of the nation's leaders wouldn't know a leader if they saw
one. If they had the bad luck to come across a leader, they
would find out that he might demand something from them, and
this impertinence would put an abrupt and indignant end to
their wish for his return.” - Lewis H. Lapham, author,
editor, TV host.
This process is giving me a new perspective on leadership.
You cannot lead or create change by ‘doing a checklist’.
Change and leadership require personal commitment as an
individual to a place that is unknown.
“If you obey all the rules, you miss all the fun.” -
Katharine Hepburn
This ancient wisdom isn’t definitive or ‘tight’.
It’s not conclusive and it is a reflection of the process
I’m going through as I experience ‘transformation’. It
was fun for me and I hope for you.
“When the effective leader is finished with his work, the
people say it happened naturally.” - Lao Tse
“All of the great leaders have had one characteristic in
common: it was the willingness to confront unequivocally the
major anxiety of their people in their time. This, and not
much else, is the essence of leadership.” - John Kenneth
Galbraith, U.S. economist “The Age of Uncertainty”
I don’t even like Galbraith’s philosophy about economy
and economic theories. I do like his quote though.
Wishing
you - fun.
Sincerely,
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