Shared values and priorities are critically important for successful relationships in both business and personal life. When values and priorities clash, the people involved pull in opposing directions and progress toward any goals becomes very hard--like walking through deep mud or molasses.
When values and priorities are shared, especially when perspectives can also be shared, it is much easier for the people involved to work together to achieve the desired goals, often encouraging each other when anyone encounters resistance or difficulties.
In a business setting, when I hear someone speak highly about a value I do not hold, I am immediately alerted to pay attention to how much (energy, money, etc.) I want to invest with the business or people adhering to that value.
In a personal setting, if I find someone speaking highly (or acting on) values I do not hold, I am immediately alerted to pay attention to how much (energy, money, etc.) I want to invest in that relationship or with that person.
While at first glance, this may seem a little harsh, over time I have discovered that these are lessons I need to keep in mind. Ultimately I will act on these priorities, so I may as well act on them immediately.
My family commitments are currently more important to me than business opportunities. I frequently hear of business opportunities that would split me away from my family priorities. Regardless of how good they sound, these business opportunities are not for me--at least in the near term. If I see a contradiction in values within the opportunities, they are not for me in the long term either. The good news about that is that I can free up my energy and time to consider or create business opportunities that are aligned with my family commitments, business priorities, and values.
Showing posts with label personal. Show all posts
Showing posts with label personal. Show all posts
Saturday, November 14, 2009
Sunday, October 18, 2009
Transformative Learning Experiences--Personal Integrity--Core Values
Transformative learning experiences literally produce transformation and change in a person. Normally this learning requires a conscious process of reflection and time to integrate the change with the core values of the individual.
Personal integrity forms a bridge between core values and transformative learning experiences. We may or may not be aware of a life purpose, though our core values may have been guiding us to make certain choices throughout our lives.
To illustrate this idea three friends were having a conversation today about Joan Baez and a new documentary on her life available from Amazon.com. A recent news article went into what the documentary is about. The conversation focused on the integrity and core values that Joan Baez has demonstrated in her life. In the beginning of the documentary, Joan Baez says that she would prefer not to be labeled. If someone needs to label her, she would prefer the first label to be human being, the second label to be pacifist, "and if you have to have a third, it can be folksinger.
I graduated from high school in 1964 and from college in 1968. Joan Baez and the other folk singers were "the voices of our times." I hope that my life with reflect the integrity and core values I see in the life of Joan Baez.
When I went back to graduate school for my doctorate degree, I decided to focus on how to help adults and organizations learn to change. When it came time to conduct research and to publish a dissertation to advance knowledge, I chose to explore how to help people learn to deepen their ability to reflect on their experience. I finished my course work in three years, then took 3.5 more years to conduct the research, analyze it, and get it ready for publication.
As I reflect today on the choices I have made in my life, I believe that the major choices have been aligned with my core values, personal integrity, and sense of purpose. All of us--at least most of us--experience life in a series of ups and downs rather than in straight lines.
Some people measure the value of life with a bankbook. For me, the value of my life has little to do with a bankbook--that, too, has had a series of ups and downs. I measure the value of my life by what I have learned and by how I have been able to make a positive difference in my own life and in the lives of others.
Bill Murray and Andie MacDowell, in the movie, Groundhog Day, demonstrate a series of transformative learning experiences--with true transformation coming late in the movie. It is very helpful when an enjoyable movie can demonstrate a concept and Groundhog Day (filmed in Woodstock, IL) does it well.
Personal integrity forms a bridge between core values and transformative learning experiences. We may or may not be aware of a life purpose, though our core values may have been guiding us to make certain choices throughout our lives.
To illustrate this idea three friends were having a conversation today about Joan Baez and a new documentary on her life available from Amazon.com. A recent news article went into what the documentary is about. The conversation focused on the integrity and core values that Joan Baez has demonstrated in her life. In the beginning of the documentary, Joan Baez says that she would prefer not to be labeled. If someone needs to label her, she would prefer the first label to be human being, the second label to be pacifist, "and if you have to have a third, it can be folksinger.
I graduated from high school in 1964 and from college in 1968. Joan Baez and the other folk singers were "the voices of our times." I hope that my life with reflect the integrity and core values I see in the life of Joan Baez.
When I went back to graduate school for my doctorate degree, I decided to focus on how to help adults and organizations learn to change. When it came time to conduct research and to publish a dissertation to advance knowledge, I chose to explore how to help people learn to deepen their ability to reflect on their experience. I finished my course work in three years, then took 3.5 more years to conduct the research, analyze it, and get it ready for publication.
As I reflect today on the choices I have made in my life, I believe that the major choices have been aligned with my core values, personal integrity, and sense of purpose. All of us--at least most of us--experience life in a series of ups and downs rather than in straight lines.
Some people measure the value of life with a bankbook. For me, the value of my life has little to do with a bankbook--that, too, has had a series of ups and downs. I measure the value of my life by what I have learned and by how I have been able to make a positive difference in my own life and in the lives of others.
Bill Murray and Andie MacDowell, in the movie, Groundhog Day, demonstrate a series of transformative learning experiences--with true transformation coming late in the movie. It is very helpful when an enjoyable movie can demonstrate a concept and Groundhog Day (filmed in Woodstock, IL) does it well.
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
Awareness-Acceptance-Action and Evidence for Action
In an earlier post I described the aspects of learning and change. There are three components that must be in place for change to take place at an individual or organizational level. These are: Awareness, Acceptance, and Action (view slides 8 and 9). In the last 24 hours I have had conversations in multiple contexts that show how these steps have to be personalized before action can be even considered.
Yesterday I wrote about the need for flu vaccinations early this year--the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) have already approved the release and distribution of "regular, seasonal" flu vaccines that we usually see in October. Because we need three shots this year, the CDC is encouraging everyone to take the seasonal shot early. Several people I spoke with had not personalized that information. They had "lumped" the seasonal flu shot and the H1N1 (Swine flu) shot--not projected to be available until October or November--together and were avoiding thinking about any flu shots until later in the year.
Today I was having a conversation about the challenge that some association managers have in trusting in and personalizing information they may receive from research reports, news letters, and well known speakers regarding the needs of the members of their associations. At the same time few of these association managers actually ask questions of their members to take authentic input regarding unmet needs.
This reminds me, again, of some classic action learning concepts. Reg Revans, one of the founders of action learning, was a researcher in the United Kingdom and was involved in the follow-up to the sinking of the Titanic.
As I recall the history, he went to leaders of the different engineering groups who built the Titanic and received the same kind of message from several of the most distinguished engineers working on the project. (This is a paraphrase, of course.) "I thought that the "xyz" (pick an engineering problem) was a problem and then I realized that "Dr. ABC" (another leading expert in the field) was in charge of that department and I knew that what I was wondering about must have been handled by the experts. Enough of the "xyz" problems existed when the Titanic went to sea that it sank after colliding with an iceberg.
Association managers and everyone else make decisions every day--some of which are based on evidence and others on emotions or other factors. A major question remains, what evidence is required to be accepted and trusted on a personal level to allow a decision-maker to move through the phases of awareness (there is a need to change); acceptance (I must take--or approve--action to make a change); and action (actually moving through the learning and change and investment required to accomplish the change)?
The earlier post mentioned the concept of denial. What evidence of decay (lack of positive growth) or dis-ease is needed before a decision-maker recognizes that there is a new need to change. What used to work is no longer working. What do I (we) need to do now?
Sometimes membership groups need to ask questions of their members. At other times the information resources of newsletters, magazines, reviews, media, and informed speakers can provide the necessary information to allow the decision-maker to take action--even if the initial action is to ask questions of the membership. In fact, sometimes the act of asking questions actually informs the people being asked.
What evidence for change are you looking for? How will you recognize it when you see it? What will it take for you to move through the three phases--awareness-acceptance-action--and do something about it?
Yesterday I wrote about the need for flu vaccinations early this year--the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) have already approved the release and distribution of "regular, seasonal" flu vaccines that we usually see in October. Because we need three shots this year, the CDC is encouraging everyone to take the seasonal shot early. Several people I spoke with had not personalized that information. They had "lumped" the seasonal flu shot and the H1N1 (Swine flu) shot--not projected to be available until October or November--together and were avoiding thinking about any flu shots until later in the year.
Today I was having a conversation about the challenge that some association managers have in trusting in and personalizing information they may receive from research reports, news letters, and well known speakers regarding the needs of the members of their associations. At the same time few of these association managers actually ask questions of their members to take authentic input regarding unmet needs.
This reminds me, again, of some classic action learning concepts. Reg Revans, one of the founders of action learning, was a researcher in the United Kingdom and was involved in the follow-up to the sinking of the Titanic.
As I recall the history, he went to leaders of the different engineering groups who built the Titanic and received the same kind of message from several of the most distinguished engineers working on the project. (This is a paraphrase, of course.) "I thought that the "xyz" (pick an engineering problem) was a problem and then I realized that "Dr. ABC" (another leading expert in the field) was in charge of that department and I knew that what I was wondering about must have been handled by the experts. Enough of the "xyz" problems existed when the Titanic went to sea that it sank after colliding with an iceberg.
Association managers and everyone else make decisions every day--some of which are based on evidence and others on emotions or other factors. A major question remains, what evidence is required to be accepted and trusted on a personal level to allow a decision-maker to move through the phases of awareness (there is a need to change); acceptance (I must take--or approve--action to make a change); and action (actually moving through the learning and change and investment required to accomplish the change)?
The earlier post mentioned the concept of denial. What evidence of decay (lack of positive growth) or dis-ease is needed before a decision-maker recognizes that there is a new need to change. What used to work is no longer working. What do I (we) need to do now?
Sometimes membership groups need to ask questions of their members. At other times the information resources of newsletters, magazines, reviews, media, and informed speakers can provide the necessary information to allow the decision-maker to take action--even if the initial action is to ask questions of the membership. In fact, sometimes the act of asking questions actually informs the people being asked.
What evidence for change are you looking for? How will you recognize it when you see it? What will it take for you to move through the three phases--awareness-acceptance-action--and do something about it?
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