In the mid 1990s, I began a more rigorous and purposeful search for wisdom. My search led me in two different directions. One direction was the research being done in the areas of human effectiveness, happiness and fulfillment. I will discuss this research in another post. The other was looking at the words and work of a handful of renowned experts who were still making contributions in their 70s, 80s and 90s. I wanted to learn from people with real experiential wisdom.
My criteria for the list was three fold:
1) exceptional professional contribution in an area of interest to me.
2) age 70 or older
3) availability of writing or interviews where the person discussed both their career and "living their life".
Some of the people on my short list are:
Shinichi Suzuki creator of the Suzuki method of talent education and the Suzuki School in Matsumoto, Japan
Margaret Mead, ground-breaking Anthropologist
W. Edwards Deming, Statistician and Quality Management expert
R. Buckminster Fuller, Architect and designer
Joseph Campbell, Teacher and Mythologist
Mother Theresa of Calcutta, Founder of the Sisters of Mercy
While I will not discuss my entire list nor even everyone I've just mentioned above in this blog, I will continue to incorporate these elders into both my sense of wisdom and the wisdom in this blog on a regular basis.
In exploring options for music lessons for my children, I went from superficial to deep knowledge of Dr. Shin-ichi Suzuki. While Dr. Suzuki (now deceased) is best known for his impact on music education, his work encompassed a new view of education, a new definition of talent and a deep compassion for children and their potential. He developed a parent-child-teacher model that is hard work for the parent, but defines supportive roles for everyone involved in a child's education, that is often lacking in our education system.
Dr. Suzuki's definition of talent was remarkable along two different planes of thought. First was his perspective that talent (the ability to produce a proper and beautiful result) was not something you were "born" with but rather it was something that could be nurtured and developed.
Whether the arts, athletics or academic performance we all too often confuse what is easy to master by a specific individual with talent and what is difficult to master by an individual with lack of talent. This was part of how Dr. Suzuki developed a system which created "world class" musicians at remarkably young ages.
The second plane of thought that was enlightening was the areas to which talent education could be applied and therefore expanded what was considered to be "talent". Dr. Suzuki specifically defined character as a talent which could be nurtured and developed.
His methods not only address learning the correct way to do something but also the way to unlearn incorrect methods or behaviors. When it comes to character development, unlearning improper behavior is often the thorny sticking point. In the United States there is a huge difference between knowing what is "right" or "wrong" and rigorously applying that understanding to our own behavior. It is easy to do the "right" thing when there are no adverse consequences to doing so.
A person, who handles things well in a supportive environment, may or may not possess fine character. That which is most needed by our society though is people who do the "right" thing when it is difficult to do so. Many business and political leaders in the past decade or so have squandered their opportunity to make a difference and their reputations due to failures in their character rather than in their intellect or abilities.
South Carolina Governor, Mark Sanford and New York Governor, Elliot Spitzer both damaged their reputations and families when they seemingly had incredible opportunities to impact the future of their respective states and the possibly the nation. Whether adultery, tax evasion or accepting bribes many of our leaders have failed to develop character in the ways that they have developed other skills and talents.
The Legacy Path, choosing and creating your personal legacy, does not require perfection, but it does require acknowledging ones mistakes and learning from them. One must not distance themselves from the negative feedback or the consequences of their failures. The roots of learning and developing character come from making small mistakes and correcting them no matter how embarrassing or painful. The talent of character comes from daily practice of values within a spiritual path guided by a set of beliefs.
There is a Jesuit motto that I often use; "repetitio est mater estudiorum" or "repetition is the mother of learning". I have added my own corollary to this; "Suffering is the Father of Learning". The real question for us becomes not, will we develop character, but rather how much pain must we endure before we practice the restraint that character demands.
The exercise of restraint to facilitate more powerful and more meaningful action, the acknowledgement of one’s mistakes and failures based on an internal compass that is more sensitive than societies accepted norms and the ability to accept failure with humility and forgiveness and try again without forgetting are key parts of developing the talent of character.
As Dr. Suzuki often said when the musical talents of his students received applause and recognition. The goal of education in my school is not to produce fine musicians but rather fine human beings. Imagine how much greater the impact upon our organizations, institutions and society when those who are highly skilled in performance ability are also highly skilled in personal character.
Showing posts with label Legacy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Legacy. Show all posts
Sunday, August 16, 2009
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
When Vision and Spiritual Path Cross: Ethics and Morality
For those people fortunate enough to find a profession or career that fulfills both their pragmatic need to earn a living and also an opportunity to fulfill their creative vision, going to work each day can become an enriching experience.
In the late eighties through mid-nineties, I was doing road warrior corporate consulting. We were primarily in the field of technological and cultural change in support of continuous improvement. On the technology end, we worked in the areas of Total Quality Management (TQM) and World Class Manufacturing (WCM) but to create the culture to support the changes in decision-making and behavior, we strongly worked on leadership development and team building. We purchased a library of corporate training videos to make points, provide insights and entertain. In this library were several Tom Peters video productions.
Tom (whom I only met once on a flight from O'Hare to Hartford, CT) was a former McKinsey consultant turned author/columnist. His independent career took off when he co-authored the business best seller, "In Search of Excellence" in the early 1980s with Bob Waterman. Mr. Peters gave high energy presentations featuring interviews with business leaders who were doing astounding things. Two leaders that Mr. Peters featured, who profoundly struck my attention were Ralph Stayer, then owner of Johnsonville Sausage and Harry Quadracci, the founder and owner of Quad Graphics.
Both of these business owners had gotten far better results by giving up much of their personal control of the day-to-day operations of their companies to teams of employees. They both focused upon education, personal growth and accountability for obtaining those results. This combination of nurturing human development and holding clear accountability for results is still profound.
Mr. Stayer was fairly philosophical, he said something like this; "never work for someone who has stopped learning and from whom you can not learn something."
Mr. Quadracci was a high energy character and he said it like it was. He said in the video something to this effect. "Have fun and work hard. Whatever you do, be professional about it and never do business with someone you do not like. If you do not like someone, it is because you do not trust them. Sooner or later untrustworthy people will screw you over."
I was lucky enough in the early 1990s to have attended an intimate business dinner with Ralph Stayer, but I never met Harry Quadracci. Their shared belief in people and their potential for both growth and accountability were in stark contrast to a few organizations that I had worked with and for.
One of the toughest situations you will face in your work life is to work for a boss or have a customer that is dishonest or asks you to be dishonest. Even a job that is otherwise fulfilling can become a spirit crushing experience when you must chose between being ethical or moral and doing what is requested by someone who can punish you directly or indirectly.
Ethics and morality when applied require one to take right action and accept the consequences of right action. Most professions have a more codified set of ethics to illuminate specific issues and consequences commonly encountered in that profession. Ethics requires one to honor the spirit of an agreement/requirement and not just the letter of an agreement/requirement. Morality, while more a function one's specific religious upbringing than what one may learn in a civics class, requires one to take personal responsibility for the harm that one does to themselves as well as other people and property.
True legacy requires both ethical and moral action. It raises the bar but ensures the quality and longevity of your creative expression. Many leaders who accomplish results that are transient and quickly disappear have failed in their need to be ethical or moral. In getting to the desired result, they have sown the seeds of the very failure of the result they have sought.
A true historic survey shows that "the ends" never truly justify "the means" unless you give value only to momentary victory and temporal victors. While ethical and moral behavior may not be needed to destroy or defeat, they are needed to build and to govern and during times of change and transition, applied ethics and morality act as a glue to keep an organization or society cohesive and functioning.
When purposefully creating your envisioned product, that chosen and desired result, it is key to remember that the truth will either support you or it will wear at you. Your progress along your unique spiritual path will either empower your ability to create or it will undermine and diminish it.
In the late eighties through mid-nineties, I was doing road warrior corporate consulting. We were primarily in the field of technological and cultural change in support of continuous improvement. On the technology end, we worked in the areas of Total Quality Management (TQM) and World Class Manufacturing (WCM) but to create the culture to support the changes in decision-making and behavior, we strongly worked on leadership development and team building. We purchased a library of corporate training videos to make points, provide insights and entertain. In this library were several Tom Peters video productions.
Tom (whom I only met once on a flight from O'Hare to Hartford, CT) was a former McKinsey consultant turned author/columnist. His independent career took off when he co-authored the business best seller, "In Search of Excellence" in the early 1980s with Bob Waterman. Mr. Peters gave high energy presentations featuring interviews with business leaders who were doing astounding things. Two leaders that Mr. Peters featured, who profoundly struck my attention were Ralph Stayer, then owner of Johnsonville Sausage and Harry Quadracci, the founder and owner of Quad Graphics.
Both of these business owners had gotten far better results by giving up much of their personal control of the day-to-day operations of their companies to teams of employees. They both focused upon education, personal growth and accountability for obtaining those results. This combination of nurturing human development and holding clear accountability for results is still profound.
Mr. Stayer was fairly philosophical, he said something like this; "never work for someone who has stopped learning and from whom you can not learn something."
Mr. Quadracci was a high energy character and he said it like it was. He said in the video something to this effect. "Have fun and work hard. Whatever you do, be professional about it and never do business with someone you do not like. If you do not like someone, it is because you do not trust them. Sooner or later untrustworthy people will screw you over."
I was lucky enough in the early 1990s to have attended an intimate business dinner with Ralph Stayer, but I never met Harry Quadracci. Their shared belief in people and their potential for both growth and accountability were in stark contrast to a few organizations that I had worked with and for.
One of the toughest situations you will face in your work life is to work for a boss or have a customer that is dishonest or asks you to be dishonest. Even a job that is otherwise fulfilling can become a spirit crushing experience when you must chose between being ethical or moral and doing what is requested by someone who can punish you directly or indirectly.
Ethics and morality when applied require one to take right action and accept the consequences of right action. Most professions have a more codified set of ethics to illuminate specific issues and consequences commonly encountered in that profession. Ethics requires one to honor the spirit of an agreement/requirement and not just the letter of an agreement/requirement. Morality, while more a function one's specific religious upbringing than what one may learn in a civics class, requires one to take personal responsibility for the harm that one does to themselves as well as other people and property.
True legacy requires both ethical and moral action. It raises the bar but ensures the quality and longevity of your creative expression. Many leaders who accomplish results that are transient and quickly disappear have failed in their need to be ethical or moral. In getting to the desired result, they have sown the seeds of the very failure of the result they have sought.
A true historic survey shows that "the ends" never truly justify "the means" unless you give value only to momentary victory and temporal victors. While ethical and moral behavior may not be needed to destroy or defeat, they are needed to build and to govern and during times of change and transition, applied ethics and morality act as a glue to keep an organization or society cohesive and functioning.
When purposefully creating your envisioned product, that chosen and desired result, it is key to remember that the truth will either support you or it will wear at you. Your progress along your unique spiritual path will either empower your ability to create or it will undermine and diminish it.
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
The Search for Meaning and Legacy
The rapid pace of change and dissolution of traditional institutions has once again brought the question of meaning to the forefront of many individuals who want to live a life of significance. For some that significance has a spiritual texture for others it has a more commercial texture and for many the primary texture is creative. That is, to bring into being something that would not exist without my unique and individual creative efforts.
Regardless of the specifics, significant disruptive events often beget a reflective pause. Sometimes a cold slap to the face is needed to wake one from the living dream of going through the motions. I too, live a typical life. I need to pay the bills and work regularly to meet those obligations. My life flies by a week at a time.
For two decades now, I have pursued wisdom and legacy. I have done this in the face of illness, divorce, job loss as well the successes. I have drawn heavily from reading and research which I will discuss in more detail later.
Twenty years ago, I had the privilege of working as a consultant for three top executives at the sunset of their careers. As their pending retirements approached these three leaders sought to leave a legacy and reassure themselves that the fifty years of working had had meaning.
About six years later I had developed a framework for creating legacy. A brief discussion of this framework follows:
1) Vision: Actively work to clarify and then choose a creative focal point for your life.
2) Spiritual Path: Reaffirm your values in daily life.
3) Financial Independence: Develop the financial resources to fund your own life over time.
4) Appropriate use of Technology: Use technology to solve problems and connect you to others who can assist you in creating your vision.
5) Learning Skills: Develop your own learning skills so you may teach yourself things that no one can show you.
The framework above is much simpler than the work you choose take upon yourself when you choose to create a purposeful legacy.
Joseph Campbell used to point out the hero path in both its universal and unique aspects and in many ways, the legacy choice is a similar path. As Campbell pointed out; when the Holy Grail appeared to the knights of the round table, the knights collectively made a decision to take upon the Grail quest. Yet when the knights left the round table and entered the woods, they each entered at a different place as they each had to follow their own unique path to the Grail.
Regardless of the specifics, significant disruptive events often beget a reflective pause. Sometimes a cold slap to the face is needed to wake one from the living dream of going through the motions. I too, live a typical life. I need to pay the bills and work regularly to meet those obligations. My life flies by a week at a time.
For two decades now, I have pursued wisdom and legacy. I have done this in the face of illness, divorce, job loss as well the successes. I have drawn heavily from reading and research which I will discuss in more detail later.
Twenty years ago, I had the privilege of working as a consultant for three top executives at the sunset of their careers. As their pending retirements approached these three leaders sought to leave a legacy and reassure themselves that the fifty years of working had had meaning.
About six years later I had developed a framework for creating legacy. A brief discussion of this framework follows:
1) Vision: Actively work to clarify and then choose a creative focal point for your life.
2) Spiritual Path: Reaffirm your values in daily life.
3) Financial Independence: Develop the financial resources to fund your own life over time.
4) Appropriate use of Technology: Use technology to solve problems and connect you to others who can assist you in creating your vision.
5) Learning Skills: Develop your own learning skills so you may teach yourself things that no one can show you.
The framework above is much simpler than the work you choose take upon yourself when you choose to create a purposeful legacy.
Joseph Campbell used to point out the hero path in both its universal and unique aspects and in many ways, the legacy choice is a similar path. As Campbell pointed out; when the Holy Grail appeared to the knights of the round table, the knights collectively made a decision to take upon the Grail quest. Yet when the knights left the round table and entered the woods, they each entered at a different place as they each had to follow their own unique path to the Grail.
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