Lead with All the Senses

Lead with All the Senses from The Soderquist Center on Vimeo.

Hope in Forgiveness

I came across this quote from Miroslav Volf recently, and its challenged me to think and act! Read it slowly or perhaps a few times as I did.

"Forgiveness is the boundary between exclusion and embrace. It heals the wounds that the power-acts of exclusion have inflicted and breaks down the dividing wall of hostility. Yet it leaves a distance between people, an empty space of neutrality, that allows them either to go their separate ways in what is sometimes called 'peace' or to fall into each other's arms and restore broken communion.

Much more than just the absence of hostility sustained by the absence of contact, peace is communion between former enemies. Beyond offering forgiveness, Christ's passion aims at restoring such communion--even with the enemies who persistently refuse to be reconciled."

The truth is, this forgiveness thing has been on my mind for some time. If I'm honest, I have to admit that I've got a lot of work to do in this department! So I've built a daily habit of "forgive - release - bless". Simply put, I reflect and pray about people, situations, conflicts, etc., and then ask for insight on who I need to fully forgive, then release them and ask God to bless them.

Note that in all these cases, the presenting issues or conflict are over. Where needed, I've asked for forgiveness and in some cases, I've been asked to extend it. What I'm working on now is finishing the job ... doing the remedial work in my own soul so that I can truly "release and bless".

As I've practiced this simple ritual since December 2010, I've been surprised by:

1. The number of people I've needed to "release and bless"
2. The cumulation of negative stuff that needs active attention to dismiss
3. The freedom and "more positive" outlook in my own soul

Recently I was prompted to add one more feature to this soul work. That is, in the case of a very old wound, I needed to call a trusted friend and tell him that I had forgiven, released and blessed someone we both knew. It felt good to bless and be blessed by my friend ... by healing the old wound, not reopening it! 

I wish I could say, "follow these three simple steps and you'll be fixed for life", but I can't. Somehow God cherishes us in our journey away from brokenness, so I imagine that people like you and me still have a lot of work to do in this soul area.

However, I can say that in each situation (or person) that I've released and blessed ... I feel much less blame or self-justification and ton more compassion. I've begun to feel that 'neutral space between', that is peace. This is a huge reward in my own soul.

So join me in changing the world, by finding hope in forgiveness. Try the ritual of "forgive - release - bless" for a week and see what happens in your own soul.

Life in the slow lane

If you know me, then you know I'm an Eagles fan. While I love the guitar work in the song, "Life in the Fast Lane", I'd never want to live the lyrics.  As it turns out, I may not be the only one who doesn't connect with them ...

Life in the Fast Lane drains my will to live. I abhor this one. I loathe this song with every fiber of my being. (Music critic from the Louisville Examiner)

And hey, as an adult with ADHD, Dyslexia with a little OCD thrown in ... I have my share of "brain in the fast lane"!

But this post is about a leadership discipline that could be called, moving to life in the slow lane. It something I recognize but really struggle to put into practice. To be honest, I'm working on it these days and getting some traction, so its easier to write about it now.

The truth is, there is a huge set of encouragements, even rewards for being a "manic leader". You know, on the go, productive, involved and busy! And if you are like me and you love what you do ... and you love the people you do it with ... why not just keep up the manic pace?

Any sane person can recognize a bunch of reasons to slow down the pace, but let me suggest that you'll never be the leader you were called to be unless you take time to reflect.

Whether you lead a small group, a department or an entire organization, there are insights and directions that can only be discovered "away from the action." And, if you lead other leaders, they will observe your style and emulate your best (and worst) characteristics.

The more significant decisions require the most reflection. That means, looking through the lens of past performance, present reality and future possibility. Of course, no matter what the circumstance, this must be done with a sense of hope.

When we embrace reality and look honestly at what could be, we meet our God who continues to create and transform. As leaders, we regain the sense of hope that what is, can be changed and it can be change for good.

For me, this sense of hope comes when I move into the slow lane and take precious time to reflect. So I take time every day to reflect on major decisions, then each week I take some extended time and every quarter, I take time away from the action ... mostly to be reflective.

Lots more I could say, but this is a good start ... so, join me in the slow lane!

Catalysts, Champions and the Decentralized Organization

For the past two weeks, we at International Teams Canada hosted a gathering of leaders from around the world for a series of planning, visioning and structure development outcomes.

To "cut to the chase" as they say, we had some profound outcomes ... what I would call a real breakthrough.

In our organization, we have a mix of ages, backgrounds and cultures and that can bring added colour and added challenges. However, we are bonded by our shared passion to see lives and communities transformed by the power of God.

The gathering of leaders from or Refugee Teams set a powerful example of shared learning along with shared passion. Later, CEOs and one of our Europe leaders "sat in" and listened to the visioning process. That process addressed how we could continue to grow our global work with refugees both in depth and breadth. As well, we want to be even more intentional in building effective partnerships with local refugee organizations/initiatives where our teams are located.

Our vision of a more decentralized organization found clarity and definition through the book "The Starfish and the Spider". I found a useful summary and added some questions that help our leaders envision roles like Catalysts and Regional Champions.

Our Leadership Team were impacted by the deep "buy in" and unity in the Refugee Leader's community-driven approach. Well done people! And, while I'm giving some recognition, let me mention that our team here in Canada (with an extended team of volunteers) did an amazing job of hosting all who participated. That hospitality helped create our greater sense of community!

Well done all!

David Livermore: My 1 hour interrogation at U.S. Customs

David Livermore

My friend and Cultural Intelligence Guru, Dave Livermore, joined my leadership team and mission leaders for a day-long training session in Hamilton, ON, Canada. His experience the following day highlights the challenges but injustice of "screening" at border crossings!

He writes:

Yesterday I was traveling by car from Toronto to New York to visit my family. Driving across one of the bridges between the U.S. and Canada is something I’ve been doing my entire life. My parents moved to the U.S. shortly before I was born and several times a year, we traveled back to visit family in Canada. The most I’ve ever been asked to do at these inspection points is open the trunk or one time, they even asked to see under the hood of my car. But the longest delays are usually just waiting for other cars to get through the line. As a kid, I always wondered what happened over in those stark, cement customs buildings where a few lone travelers were sent while the rest of us went on our way across the bridge.

This week I found out. The questioning at my car went on for several minutes. Then the officer put my passport in a red leather bag and directed me to drive my car over to the inspection area where I would be further questioned. I was taken into the customs hall and I looked with dread upon how full the room was of other detained travelers.

Of about 40 other travelers in the room, I was the only fair skinned one there. I knew this wasn’t going to go fast. And I noticed how this situation immediately put me on the defensive. I don’t have time for this. I’m no threat here. In fact, I just spent time with the Department of Justice and Homeland Security teaching some of them about cultural intelligence. Can’t I just go on my way?

My name was called and I was interrogated about all kinds of things: Where do you live? Who owns the car you’re driving? Why do you travel so much? How much money do you have with you? What exactly do you do when you travel to these places? Where’s your family? Can they ask me all these things? I wondered. Meanwhile, I see an officer take my car keys and head toward my vehicle. I wasn’t invited!

I was trying to use my cultural intelligence in how I responded to the questions. I looked them in the eye. I tried to disguise my defensive feelings. I answered as directly and to the point as possible. And as much as I wanted to lighten up the conversation with some humor and personal conversation, I didn’t think that would bode well for me.

About an hour later, I was on my way. Before leaving, I asked my primary interrogator, “Might I ask—Was this just a random stop?” He said, “Yes. Totally random. Most of these are.”

I’m not even sure mine really was but it was really hard to imagine that most of the people in the room were just randomly stopped. Being an effective customs official is harder than ever. They need to keep our nations secure and look for suspicious activity. I’m sure many people are detained for suspicious activity or for outright violations. But how do the assumptions of a customs officials—especially if they aren’t aware of them—impact which people they randomly check? Biases based upon people’s appearances are inevitable for all of us. But acting upon those biases is something we can control. Food for thought…

But the real lesson learned: While impatiently waiting in the line of cars waiting to go through, I noticed a new inspection lane opened up. So I darted out of my line into that one. Assuming my delay was “truly” random, it looks like my “no delay” line cost me an hour. But my family will be the first to tell you, I’ll probably never stop waging bets on which line is moving fast and inevitably make us wait longer because of my efficient way of keeping us moving!

DAN PINK ON THE SURPRISING SCIENCE OF MOTIVATION

If you lead people, take 19 minutes and learn what science knows but business ignores!

Career analyst Dan Pink examines the puzzle of motivation, starting with a fact that social scientists know but most managers don't: Traditional rewards aren't always as effective as we think. Listen for illuminating stories -- and maybe, a way forward.

Your smile didn't matter [seth godin repost]

Your smile didn't matter:

If you worked on the line, we cared about your productivity, not your smile or approach to the work. You could walk in downcast, walk out defeated and get a raise if your productivity was good.

No longer.

Your attitude is now what's on offer, it's what you sell. When you pass by those big office buildings and watch the young junior executives sneaking into work with a grimace on their face, it's tempting to tell them to save everyone time and just go home.

The emotional labor of engaging with the work and increasing the energy in the room is precisely what you sell. So sell it.

Jim Collins: Six Attributes Every Employee Needs

 Watch the Video on bigthink.com

Great Leadership: Opportunities and People

Always put your best people on your greatest opportunities rather than your biggest problems. This simple but profound leadership lesson comes from Jim Collins and his research team as they distilled this principle from the mountains of data on organizations that took the leap from "Good to Great".

Yes, this principle is simple and profound, yet difficult to apply in real life. I've been working at this for a number of years and here a few of my learnings along the way.

1. Getting people into the right role, with the required resources is largely a matter of discipline. 
2. Therefore, I review regularly, I look for who has "flow" and who is "stuck." It always takes time and this particular job is ongoing.
3. People and problems go together, as do growth and problems. We all do better at tackling the problems when we accept this reality. 
4. One person's problem is another's opportunity. Many times a "problem" in one are is an "opportunity" to improve in another. I try to diagnose if a problem can be addressed somewhere else or by someone else. 
5. I must tackle some of, even many of problems and protect my leader's time, energy and efforts.

I spend a large portion of my time thinking/reflecting on this principle and my people. I'm learning to be a student of the people I work with and particularly those I lead. Each one is a precious resource and worth the effort. Also, I love the opportunity to find that "flow" when personality, passion and skills are deployed on a meaningful opportunity for impact.

Try this principle on for size. See what happens in a week, a month or a quarter.

The results can be amazing and the journey can be fun!