The last week or so I cited someone's comment to me that the passing of time was obviously important to me. I have considered that reality and wondered how long that has been going on. Is this a midlife matter or something that rests at a more cellular level. As I've thought about the matter, I found clues further and further in my past when I was touched or concerned about the passing of time. A poem that I wrote at age 17 about honoring an old man and wondering whether he had hard feelings of lost abilities and memories was clearly influenced by Neil Young's "Old Man." The song was influential, and I was naturally receptive.
But today, as I struggle for words with this week's Listen to Life newsletter, I select tunes that take me back to a different time and place. "Puff the Magic Dragon" plays and the answer comes clear. The reason that I still cry when I read Sly Silverstein's "The Giving Tree" is the same reason that after a few listens to "Puff" as a young kid, I could not listen to it for decades. They both to speak to the changes, the losses, and the mortality of aging, and how that changes relationships. They also speak to the permanence of love throughout.
The passing of time has always concerned and intrigued me; I've done my best to honor that through my creative outlets as an adult. I realize that this concern is nothing new that I need to re-align to forge into the future. My concern for changes manifested over time and for the lasting of love and relationships was written into my DNA. The question remains, what do I do with this? and now how can I get rid of this?
Showing posts with label conversation. Show all posts
Showing posts with label conversation. Show all posts
Sunday, July 29, 2007
Friday, April 20, 2007
Leadership's Mandate
My oldest son and I were talking about the role of leaders and leadership in organizations. Our viewpoints differed, but the end result was the same.
I believe that ineffective, visionless, cowardly leaders who won't make decisions and fritter away the talent of the those in his or her charge through action or inaction, are behaving in a way that borders on sinful. The amazing potential of human beings with God-given abilities provides a resource that is entrusted to leaders, and cannot be neglected. The lack of accountability to fulfilling that potential for the good of the organization is inexcusable, I say.
My son believes that leaders/managers can be total jerks if they want to if the organization meets its goals. He believes it is a shame to waste human talent, but it is the perogative of the boss to do so. The caveat, for him, is that the boss needs to be honest about it up front: "I am going to work your butts off and all that should matter to you should be this company," or such. "But," he continued, "the boss has to be clear about that on the front end, even during the interview." Bingo.
The deception played by leaders/managers who talk about excellence, employee value, employee development, community-ness, partnership, collaboration and achievement is devastating when the truth of actions and inactions cut talent and inspiration off at the knees.
Honesty in leadership. On all levels. No smoke, no mirrors, no BS, no gamesmanship: put the cards on the table and go. Where is it?
I believe that ineffective, visionless, cowardly leaders who won't make decisions and fritter away the talent of the those in his or her charge through action or inaction, are behaving in a way that borders on sinful. The amazing potential of human beings with God-given abilities provides a resource that is entrusted to leaders, and cannot be neglected. The lack of accountability to fulfilling that potential for the good of the organization is inexcusable, I say.
My son believes that leaders/managers can be total jerks if they want to if the organization meets its goals. He believes it is a shame to waste human talent, but it is the perogative of the boss to do so. The caveat, for him, is that the boss needs to be honest about it up front: "I am going to work your butts off and all that should matter to you should be this company," or such. "But," he continued, "the boss has to be clear about that on the front end, even during the interview." Bingo.
The deception played by leaders/managers who talk about excellence, employee value, employee development, community-ness, partnership, collaboration and achievement is devastating when the truth of actions and inactions cut talent and inspiration off at the knees.
Honesty in leadership. On all levels. No smoke, no mirrors, no BS, no gamesmanship: put the cards on the table and go. Where is it?
Monday, February 26, 2007
The Journey: Part Three
(c) Dion McInnis 2007. All rights reserved.
CONVERSATIONS
A couple of weeks ago, my youngest son and I were heading to the house. It was one of our weekends together, which always results in stories, fishing, laughter and a bit of craziness. On that day's drive, we added a conversation about God. I don't recall exactly how we got to the topic, but it is not where we started...just as it is for many in their questions about God. Those questions arise from other questions, like "why did I suffer the loss of my parent/child/spouse?" or "how was all this neat stuff really created in the first place?" It was something like the latter question that got us going.
We talked about God, creation and such, and then his questions became a bit more directed, like "what do you believe God is then, dad?"
We had a long, wonderful dialog lasting about 45 minutes and then he said, "We don't have conversations about God at home. This was interesting."
God is interesting. So are conversations about him, as long as the conversing parties can maintain mutual respect for each other's questions, answers and beliefs. We become better teachers of our faith when we actually teach it and encourage others to learn (there is a difference, you know); just like we become better believers when we share beliefs and converse with those with little or no belief.
Jesus' work was largely built on stories shared in conversations, with groups large and small. I don't imagine him having a library of self-help tapes and DVDs, actually. It was the give and take of conversation that spoke to the value of the downtrodden, the clarity of the Kingdom, and the role of discipleship.
...which leads me to another conversation, with a colleague. Once we finished our business chat, we found ourselves talking about faith, religion, and such, and I told him about this blog on "the journey." He asked a question: "Who do you believe God is?" It was an easy question to answer based on my beliefs and experiences, though the answer was not something memorized in an old catechism book (though influenced by it), nor from ministry classes (though influenced by them), nor from a multitude of religious and philosophical readings (though influenced by them).
...which leads me to another conversation, with my middle son. We were discussing jobs, roles, callings, making changes along the way while keep an eye on the ball. And what is "the ball' anyway? For me, it has to do with using the abilities that God gave me as fully as possible. Anything that impedes that is not tolerable over the long term, in my mind, and I feel that I will be called upon on Judgement Day to respond to the age-old question? "What did you do with what I gave you?" I figure that means the talents I was born with, the people who have influenced me throughout my life (either positively or negatively), the country and society that I live in with its temptations and its opportunities, my health, and so on. What HAVE I done with those things in order to fulfill a call to serve, to make the world a better place and to help others in MY way?
The point of this part of the journey is simple: Talk. Converse. Ask questions, answer questions. We as people connect in conversation, learn in conversation, are healed in conversation.
Years ago I delivered a homily on the theme that we are all Christophers, no matter what our name actually is, i.e., we are all Christ bearers, taking Christ from one place to another, from one side to the other, from one people to another. And it isn't easy. And that's okay. Conversing with others is one great way to carry the message....for yourself and for others.
CONVERSATIONS
A couple of weeks ago, my youngest son and I were heading to the house. It was one of our weekends together, which always results in stories, fishing, laughter and a bit of craziness. On that day's drive, we added a conversation about God. I don't recall exactly how we got to the topic, but it is not where we started...just as it is for many in their questions about God. Those questions arise from other questions, like "why did I suffer the loss of my parent/child/spouse?" or "how was all this neat stuff really created in the first place?" It was something like the latter question that got us going.
We talked about God, creation and such, and then his questions became a bit more directed, like "what do you believe God is then, dad?"
We had a long, wonderful dialog lasting about 45 minutes and then he said, "We don't have conversations about God at home. This was interesting."
God is interesting. So are conversations about him, as long as the conversing parties can maintain mutual respect for each other's questions, answers and beliefs. We become better teachers of our faith when we actually teach it and encourage others to learn (there is a difference, you know); just like we become better believers when we share beliefs and converse with those with little or no belief.
Jesus' work was largely built on stories shared in conversations, with groups large and small. I don't imagine him having a library of self-help tapes and DVDs, actually. It was the give and take of conversation that spoke to the value of the downtrodden, the clarity of the Kingdom, and the role of discipleship.
...which leads me to another conversation, with a colleague. Once we finished our business chat, we found ourselves talking about faith, religion, and such, and I told him about this blog on "the journey." He asked a question: "Who do you believe God is?" It was an easy question to answer based on my beliefs and experiences, though the answer was not something memorized in an old catechism book (though influenced by it), nor from ministry classes (though influenced by them), nor from a multitude of religious and philosophical readings (though influenced by them).
...which leads me to another conversation, with my middle son. We were discussing jobs, roles, callings, making changes along the way while keep an eye on the ball. And what is "the ball' anyway? For me, it has to do with using the abilities that God gave me as fully as possible. Anything that impedes that is not tolerable over the long term, in my mind, and I feel that I will be called upon on Judgement Day to respond to the age-old question? "What did you do with what I gave you?" I figure that means the talents I was born with, the people who have influenced me throughout my life (either positively or negatively), the country and society that I live in with its temptations and its opportunities, my health, and so on. What HAVE I done with those things in order to fulfill a call to serve, to make the world a better place and to help others in MY way?
The point of this part of the journey is simple: Talk. Converse. Ask questions, answer questions. We as people connect in conversation, learn in conversation, are healed in conversation.
Years ago I delivered a homily on the theme that we are all Christophers, no matter what our name actually is, i.e., we are all Christ bearers, taking Christ from one place to another, from one side to the other, from one people to another. And it isn't easy. And that's okay. Conversing with others is one great way to carry the message....for yourself and for others.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
