Nick Wright

2011-03-04T09:22:00.000-08:00

Nick Wright's blog has moved to:

www.nick-wright.com/blog.html

Visit him there to read his latest blog musings and leave your comments.

Thank you. :)

Words of Life

2011-01-29T00:41:00.000-08:00

I was reading a book about Gestalt this week and found myself captivated by the author's opening words. "To write a book (about psychotherapy) is daunting. I painfully experience the chasm between the vividly alive encounter with another human being and the pale, static representation of the written word as it gropes towards some partial signification of our shared meanings in evolving dialogue."

She goes on. "I veer between the impossibility of doing justice to the fullness, the vibrancy, the immediacy of my client in his or her unique and idiosyncratic unfolding way of being and a desire to answer the questioning eyes of (those) wanting to read about it. I thrill to the passionate, rich, full-blooded intelligence of Gestalt practice and chafe at the shackles imposed by the covers of a book."

Wow. I was stimulated and inspired by the writer's paradoxical ability to convey the powerful contrast between life encounters/experiences and written accounts/ideas in such a rich and en-riching way. What an amazing gift.

She goes on. "Gestalt is, above all, about the whole - smells, tastes, intuitions, the surrounding environment, the historical context, the plenetary hologram. And all of those coexist like an excellent poem wherein the artistry is never fully discovered, yet all the symbols and words and cadences and shapes, interweave in a tapestry vibrating with life and tragedy and humour." (Petruska Clarkson, Gestalt Counselling in Action)

The language is vibrant, creative, poetic, descriptive, evocative and tantalising, drawing the reading into an encounter with an idea, an experiment and a real possibility of personal, relational and contextual transformation. I thank God for the gift of language, the God who is Word-made-flesh, the God who bridges vision, idea and reality within in his very being.

A Constructed Reality

2010-08-27T00:15:00.000-07:00

Do we have a core, coherent personality or are we really fractured selves? Personal construct psychology suggests our sense of coherent self may be something we superimpose onto ourselves to feel more coherent - a kind of rationalisation of our experience to feel more whole and unified as a person. It makes sense to me as a possibility.

It's a bit like life. I look back over my life and see a pattern emerge. Is the pattern really 'there' or do I subconsciously superimpose a pattern as a way of post-rationalising my experience so that it feels somehow less random and chaotic and more unified and meaningful? It's a philosophical and psychological hypothesis I find intriguing.

It's as if I choose certain experiences selectively from memory and then draw imaginary lines between them. If this is the case, it opens me to alternative constructions that could change how I understand myself, my life story, and thereby open up fresh possibilities for the future.

A Singaporean friend asked this morning, 'Why is this so interesting for you at this point in your life?' I found that question very thought-provoking. Perhaps I'm at a place of re-evaluating lots of things, viewing my life and the world through different lenses as a way of making new sense of them.

It's often a struggle to find meaningful language to express such difficult ideas that lie at the edge of language and experience. I would be very interested, therefore, to hear from any other people grappling with similar ideas, concepts and experiences. May God guide us with insight, wisdom and freedom.

Whose Thoughts am I Thinking?

2010-08-24T17:02:00.000-07:00

I was having a conversation recently with Rudi, a social worker mentor and friend in Germany, about personal construct psychology when he suddently commented, 'I really don't know how much of what I think and believe is genuinely my own, and how much is a product of the government, media, commercial organisations etc.' Rudi is one of the most profoundly insightful, constructively-critical and free-thinking people I have ever encountered and so, at this point, his comment took me a bit by surprise.

As the conversation progressed, we explored how we are each subject to lifelong conditioning by parents, educational systems, organisational cultures etc. combined with ongoing influences from what we read, what we experience, everyday conversations etc. And so even as I write this blog entry, how much of what I'm thinking and seeking to articulate genuinely originates in me and how much is simply a cumulative product of the influences of others? I'm speaking with my own voice, but whose thoughts are they?

Even the language I use, the language I'm using now, is something I have learned from others. It enables me to communicate but also creates and shapes the conceptual frameworks I think in, filters how I experience the world, limits my ability to think outside of the constructs and ideas inherent in it. It's one of the advantages of learning a different language, to immerse onself in the culture of others (as far as that is possible), to stretch one's own ability to think in new ways, to find an ability to and experience and express fresh ideas and perspectives.

Yet even then, how much of my thinking is unique, generated from within me, genuinely my own? Have I simply broadened the range of influences on my thinking? I don't know. Perhaps the awareness of others' influence on my thoughts provides me with some opportunity to choose - and although what and how I choose is similarly influenced by the formative thinking and values I've encountered in others, the sense of choosing is about making my thoughts my own. 'God, guide my thoughts towards your thinking.'

God is Silence

2010-08-01T14:54:00.000-07:00

"Speech tends to divide, people cling to words rather than to their meaning. Words give rise to religions, to churches which break up the great family of simple souls, for whom loving worship ought to be enough, into rival sovereign fragments.

Words split apart. Silence unites. Words scatter. Silence gathers together. Words stir up. Silence brings peace. Words engender denial. Silence invites even the denier to find fresh hope in the confident expectation of a mystery which can be accomplished within."

(Pierre Lacout, Dieu est Silence)

Religion as Social Construction

2010-08-01T01:02:00.000-07:00

I spent time in Cambodia and Thailand last week and was fascinated by observing and speaking with people engaged in Buddhist practices. The question kept rising with me - what to make of diverse religious beliefs and practices throughout the world?

As time goes by, I'm feeling more and more convinced that 'religion' as worldview and culture is essentially socially constructed, although I feel cautious about saying it because religion is such a complex personal, social, cultural and political phenomenon and social constructionism is complex too.

As far as I can see it, the notion of social construction does not of itself negate the possibility that a specific religious worldview and lifestyle is Divinely inspired, guided and sustained. In fact, I believe the God of the Bible is the principal voice in such construction, at the heart of all genuine spiritual discourse.

However, this perspective cautions me to be careful about attributing too much value to any particular religious dogma, interpretations, cultural manifestations etc. and to stay open and listening to the mysterious Spirit who, in the words of LLS4, 'speaks the (true) language behind language'.

Tales from Asia

2010-07-19T03:51:00.000-07:00

Arrived in Cambodia yesterday and spent a sunny, hot and humid day walking and travelling in tuk tuks around Phnom Penh. I was struck again by the uplifting psychological, emotional and even physical power of a simple smile. Even strangers in the street make eye contact and smile here, just as I found previously in Thailand. Yes, some people are hoping to engage in business transactions by foreigners' attention whereas others seem happy simply to show friendliness and kindness. I find this cultural phenomenon very attractive and compelling and wonder what underlying cultural worldview and values this represents that I and we could learn from.

Spaces between People

2010-07-15T02:10:00.000-07:00

I was amazed this week to be sent the following extract from Simon Walker's new book, 'The Undefended Life.' It resonated deeply with what I had been musing on in recent blog postings on leadership. Here's the extract (my own emphases in italics):

'Look at spaces between people...the life of God is constituted in the relationships that exist between Father, Son and Spirit. The divine is not an essence in each person but a quality of relationship between them. This observation transforms how and where we look for God's presence in the world. We tend to think of such things as the fruit of the Spirit as virtues or core attributes that exist within a person, like an internal ethical guide or a source of energy that leads to godly action. Our minds easily go to the notion of essence, the fruit of the Spirit as an essence in a person's character. But this notion...suggests that we should see the fruit not as within a person but between that person and other persons. The fruit of the Spirit is the character of the relational space that individuals foster around them.'

...and more Leadership Musings

2010-06-04T12:19:00.000-07:00

...I guess the risk is that we locate the cause of the change in the leader, not in the relational dynamic that emerges between leader and led, a dynamic that has as much to do with the responder as with the person who stimulated it.

There's also something significant for me about the wider social, cultural and political context within which we see 'leadership' manifest itself.

For instance, a church minister speaks from the platform in a church meeting and evokes a positive response from those present - and we attribute that response to the minister's leadership qualities. If the minister spoke the same words in the same way in a very different context (e.g. in an environment dismissive of or hostile towards Christian beliefs), it would likely evoke a very different response.

Does that mean the minister exercised leadership in the former environment but not in the latter, or is what we experience as 'leadership' actually the product of a specific social interaction within a specific social, cultural and political context?

More Leadership Musings

2010-06-02T09:46:00.000-07:00

A friend, Alex, responded to my last posting: 'When you say leadership sometimes emerges unexpectedly, it also makes me wonder if it isn't always recognised at the time but is construed as leadership after the event, particularly by the follower more than the leader.

In other words, as a follower I am the only one who can legitimately apply the label leadership to what I experienced in my own psychological processes as a result of what you the leader did, how you were, what happened between us. Otherwise, if you the leader use the term leadership, all you can apply to it is a set of behaviours or competencies which may not have landed with me as leadership.'

That strikes me as incredibly profound and provoked fresh thoughts in my own mind too. I've noticed how sometimes an idea or question that emerges through conversation can begin to exercise its own leadership-like qualities, drawing the conversation forward in a way that feels almost independent of the people involved. Weird, strange - and deep.

Leadership as Transformational Dynamic

2010-05-21T02:34:00.000-07:00

I'm still struggling with my sense of unease about the notion of leadership as competence - something like management that can be identified, distilled, analysed, abstracted, codified and replicated.

Perhaps leadership isn't primarily something that lies within the individual - that's potential. It's an expression of an inspirational dynamic that sometimes takes place between people, rather than first and foremost a description of the intrinsic attributes or behaviours of a particular person or people per se.

It emerges, sometimes unexpectedly, when people interact with one another in a specific relational and cultural environment. It's a mysterious dynamic that sparks and sustains desire, movement and transformation. In this sense, leadership is essentially a social and contextual phenomenon, not an individual abstract one.

I wonder if this dynamic between people, emerging in the creative space generated through relating and relationship, implying connection and synergy at some deep interpersonal level, is also a dynamic inhabited and energised by the leading and liberating presence of the Spirit. It's about leading between and leading within.

Yes, some people do display observable behavioural characteristics commonly associated with 'good leadership' - characteristics that can be described in a practical competency framework - but I still have the sense there's a profound dimension to leadership that is so much more than that.

Talent Talk

2010-05-21T02:26:00.000-07:00

I'm interested in how different people use the word 'talent'. Some appear to mean special individuals with excpetional capabilities, capabilities that would prove successful in virtually any environment. Some seem to mean the distinctive gifts or capabilities that each person has developed or is endowed with.

I'm curious about the former definition because it begs interesting questions about what constitutes 'successful' and what the relationship is between talent and environment.

For instance, it's possible to imagine a very capable person with exceptional expertise who nevertheless has an unhelpful attitude, dubious ethical character or feels no engagement with or commitment to the team or organisation and its goals. It's equally possible to imagine a person who is very capable and successful in one environment but fails to succeed in a different environment.

So, when we consider questions of talent, I believe it's also useful to consider wider questions of attitude, character, engagement and fit.

Reflections on Easter

2010-04-01T12:15:00.000-07:00

The cross of Jesus Christ demonstrates in the starkest possible terms that no matter who we are or what we have done, we really matter to God. It offers astounding hope, well beyond human thought, word, feeling or imagination. Good Friday, symbol of God's powerful, painful, paradoxical, passionate and perfect embrace. Easter Sunday, God's most personal, dramatic revelation of presence, power, peace and possibility beyond our wildest dreams.

True Biblical Theology

2010-03-19T03:20:00.000-07:00

Biblical theology isn't primarily academic, abstract, theoretical. It's about lifestyle, a journey of discovery, living in the open question with a humble and inquiring spirit. It's about a personal encounter with the eternal God, an extraordinary personal relationship that results in radical transformation of everything that was, is and ever could be. It's amazing.

Pastoral Apologetics

2010-03-06T12:41:00.000-08:00

I've been engaged in on-line conversations most evenings for the past month with some pretty vitriolic atheists. It has been an interesting, challenging and moving experience. I don't think I've ever seen so much hate expressed in print and the degree of anger has been astounding. Jim Packer comments in Test of Faith (2009) that, 'when in the name of science people attack Christianity in savage and sarcastic terms, it is not because they have overwhelming arguments to deploy but because they have in some way been hurt by persons who professed a Christian identity and, in consequence, they are now gripped deep down, perhaps deeper down than they themselves discern, by the passion that the world knows as revenge." This certainly coincides with my own hypothesis and experience and I believe it calls for those of us involved in Christian apologetics to act with clarity and kindness, humility and understanding.

It's all too easy to get locked into arguments, debates and conflict with an unhealthy competitive spirit and a determination to win at all costs. We convince ourselves that God is at stake when it's sometimes our own sense of security and pride that's at stake. One thing I've noticed when engaging with atheists at the anti-theist end of the believer-agnostic-atheist spectrum is their surprise and amazement if a Christian is prepared to say, 'I'm sorry' or 'I don't know'. That can feel difficult in the heat of the moment or when under proverbial fire but I've learned that sometimes the best way to disarm the perceived enemy and diffuse a hostile conflict is to put your own weapon down first. I've learned to pray before going online, to ask God to enable me to love, hear and respond with kindness and an open heart.

I've been humbled and amazed by some of the changes in tone and conversation I've experienced as a result. May God give us courage to make ourselves vulnerable and to reach out with an open hand when our natural instinct is to attack, protect and defend.

Theodicy

2010-01-20T11:16:00.000-08:00

It's tempting to propose erudite political, economic and spiritual explanations for what's happened in Haiti over the past week. It's understandable in the face of bewildering complexity and pain. The earthquake has been devastating at so many different levels and news reports are filled with harrowing accounts of loss, pain and deep insecurity. In spite of this, I find John Semantu's simple words more humble, refreshing and hope inspiring: 'I have nothing to say that makes sense of this horror - all I know is that the message of the death and resurrection of Jesus is that he is with us.' Sometimes the most meaningful and prophetic thing we can say is, 'I don't know and yet, somehow, God enables me to believe.'

(I posted an 80-second video on YouTube in response to the Haiti disaster: '3 Words - Help Haiti Now'. All feedback gratefully received.)

Word beyond Words

2009-12-23T11:32:00.000-08:00

It's Christmas time. The notion of God as a human child should shock, confuse and amaze us. Its profound significance is utterly beyond words. Yet God's paradoxical incarnation was expressed hauntingly and captivatingly in this meditation from the Late Late Service community in Glasgow, drawing on the mysterious opening words of John's gospel.

Image of the invisible, image of the invisible God...

In the beginning was the word, this early word, the first word, mysterious voice talking behind the back of the universe, back before its beginning. The I am who I am word, the with God word, the was God word. A voice that called us into being across the reaches of infinity, the without whom nothing word, an unheard of word behind words, world making word, speaking the language behind language.

Body of the untouchable, body of the untouchable God...

When babies try to tell us what they want by pointing, babbling, playing, copying, making us feel good by learning our names, playing out endless games of things appearing and disappearing. They hide behind their hands then take their hands away and - there they are. And bit by bit they show themselves. But were these also God's desires, to recognise and name and know - to communicate? To play some cosmic language game with us, God's word play, to show and tell and communicate?

Weakness of the all powerful, weakness of the all powerful God...

And the word became flesh, and the word became word-less flesh, a baby with no words. And the voice of the maker became a hungry voice, a cry for food, a cry for milk. The voice that made gravity cried out for fear of falling. The voice that made woman cries out for a woman's breast and screams with disappointment when it is denied.

Crying of the invulnerable, crying of the invulnerable God...

There are no words yet, only the cry of flesh. No way of telling, only the depth of need. If only this is God, this word made flesh that looks and feels and acts like flesh, then now God is this small thing, is a baby that can be dropped or hurt or left unfed, left unchanged, left wet and smelly or be child-abused. If this is God with no words and if this word-less God is God, then God has flesh like our flesh, bones like our bones, needs to be taught to speak...

I've posted a 40-second meditation on this theme on YouTube ('christmas paradox'). May you know God's presence, hope and peace this Christmas time.

Qualities of Leadership

2009-12-02T01:59:00.000-08:00

Philosophically and practically, I find myself quite conflicted over the leadership competencies agenda.

On the one hand, we use a capability framework at an INGO where I work for assessment and development purposes and, on the whole, it provides a useful touchstone for these purposes. It was derived from observations globally of what seems to make people successful within the organisation's cultural environment (although I’m not sure what criteria were used to denote ‘success’). It provides a basis for awareness raising, focused conversation, critical reflection, practical action (e.g. developing new insights or ways of doing things). So, pragmatically-speaking, it does prove a useful tool.

On the other hand, there’s something about analysing leadership competencies that can feel reductionist. I think that’s where my underlying discomfort lies. I’m reminded of a philosophy lecturer during my theological studies who introduced the idea of a beautiful rose. "A poet tries to capture and express the rose’s beauty in colourful, creative language. It’s about its intangible qualities – beauty, essence, spirit, impact." Perhaps, by analogy, we might experience this phenomenon in leaders as personality, character, charisma, X factor.

What’s interesting for me is that ‘beauty’ isn’t just about the rose – it’s about how I perceive, experience and respond to it. It’s not just what I see, it’s what I attribute to it, what I feel and do as a result. By analogy, I wonder if what I regard as ‘good leadership’ in a particular time and context is really the result of a complex combination of personal qualities emerging and interacting in a specific social/political/cultural environment. It’s influenced by what I notice (and don’t), what I attribute success to (and don’t), what happens when the leader interacts with people’s history, culture, values, expectations etc.

This may explain why different leadership qualities prove successful in different contexts. I’ve had personal experience of this. For example, I once led a highly successful youth group in the North of England. I tried applying the same leadership style and approach with a youth group in the South and it was a terrible failure. I’ve also noticed how in the same situation, different people respond to the same leader’s leadership differently. One person is inspired where another feels disengaged. As with the rose, there’s some kind of dynamic interplay between stimulus and responder.

This makes me wonder which, if any, leadership qualities are universal and which, if any, are contingent on context.

Staying with the rose analogy, the scientist dissects the rose in order to understand and explain it. This form of inquiry can explain the rose at a basic structural level but it won’t explain why people buy roses for their partners. I guess, for me, defining competencies can feel more scientific than poetic. There’s something about the dissecting that risks missing or even diminishing the quality of the whole.

I’m reminded of Nevin’s seminal work on Gestalt consulting: "The whole is more than the sum of the parts, as the arrangement of configuration of the parts is what gives an object its unique quality. In the case of singling out a tree in a park, the object is perceived almost immediately as a tree even if our attention is drawn to some parts more than to others. Studying only isolated, single parts of the tree (trunk, roots, branches, leaves etc) does not allow one to experience that which we call ‘tree’."

I've been prompted to consider two other issues which are related to the above. Firstly, whether it’s more meaningful to speak of leadership qualities and management competencies than leadership competencies. I'm not sure, but 'quality' somehow holds for me that sense of mystery that lies beyond transferable capability.

Secondly, whether we should inquire into what factors are making the difference in a specific real time and context rather than focusing on distilling and codifying generic leadership qualities or capabilities ‘out of context’. In other words, should we pay more (or equal) attention to evaluating leadership on the basis of what is achieved, what its effects are, which values are safeguarded etc. rather than the simple (in theory, if not in practice) qualities or capabilities the leader displays? It’s a difficult one. What results do we attribute to the leader and what do we attribute to other causal or contributing factors?

I’m reminded, by analogy, of the difference between Investors in People and Best Companies. Investors in People evaluates inputs (e.g. specific processes and practices) with the assumption that prescribed inputs (‘good practice’) will lead to desired outputs. By contrast, Best Companies evaluates whether desired outputs (staff engagement) have been achieved in a specific organisation and inquires into what has contributed to those results (e.g. confidence in leadership during tough economic times).

This poses interesting questions and challenges for leadership (as distinct from management skills) development: whether it’s possible and, if so, what we are trying to develop and how best to go about developing it.

The approach we’ve used in the INGO has focused mainly on developing cultural aspiration, holding ‘leadership conversations’ (getting leaders together to chat about what’s real and important for them and seeing what emerges), inviting stakeholder feedback, participating in executive coaching and action learning. I would love to hear how others are approaching leadership development and to draw on their ideas and learning too.

One final thing occurs to me. I've noticed how many leadership characteristics could be regarded and framed as essentially self-balancing. For example, visionary yet realistic; flexible yet robust; inspiring yet listening; humble yet assertive; courageous yet empathetic; strategic yet grounded. I can draw these ‘polarities’ as spokes on a wheel with 'person' at the hub and 'context' at the rim. There's something about what mode or quality influences change in a specific environment. I'm going to give more thought to that.

Paradoxical Insight

2009-10-23T11:14:00.001-07:00

I had a brief conversation with my 9 year old daughter as I was leaving the house this morning. ‘How come you’ve got sausages in your packed lunch?’ I asked. ‘I have them on special occasions’, she replied. ‘So what’s so special about today?’ I asked, now intrigued. ‘I’m having sausages!’ she replied, without flinching. I did laugh. I love the way that children don’t feel bound and constrained by the logic and patterns of thinking that we as adults allow ourselves to become tied up by. There’s a freedom and playfulness that allows new perspectives, insights and ideas to emerge.

I became conscious of how quickly I move from a free flow of ideas to judging and evaluating them, discarding any that don’t fit with my preconceived notions and expectations of how things are or should be. I limit myself by the boundaries of my own imagination, stifling creativity and paradoxical insight without even knowing it. I’m reminded profoundly of the biblical challenge, ‘unless you become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven’. It’s about seeing the invisible, hearing the unspoken word, discovering a way where there is no way.

Three Dimensional Change

2009-10-23T08:28:00.000-07:00

The only constant is change (Heraclitus).

How we conceive, initiate and respond to change depends as much on personality, culture and preference as rational consideration. As one writer expressed it, ‘what passes for rationality is often irrationality in disguise.’ In a western leadership and management culture still dominated by rationalism, sound decisions reached by intuition are often post-rationalised in a quite literal sense to sound credible and gain buy-in. Against this backdrop, I’ve become interested in the notion of 'change management', something of a paradox in complex, fluid organisations and environments.

It strikes me there are three interrelated dimensions that each impact on whether change is successful and sustainable. The first is Change Leadership, perhaps summarised succinctly by vision, courage and engagement. The second is Change Management, focusing on design, implementation and process. The third is Change Resilience, the ability to thrive in the midst of uncertainty by maintaining faith, flexibility and hope. It’s a combination of these factors, not change management on its own, that makes all the difference.

Beyond Awareness

2009-10-22T15:04:00.000-07:00

‘There’s value in raising awareness, but the real question is what a person or team chooses to do with that awareness.’ I made this comment to a colleague today who works in team development using various psychometric tools.

I’ve noticed implicit assumptions among some practitioners using such tools (e.g. MBTI or MVPI), as if enabling team members to understand more about themselves and each other will of itself lead to improved relationships and effective working. I don’t doubt the value of psychometrics when used well but I do want to add other dimensions to the awareness-raising equation. My sense is that fundamental and sustainable development in an individual or team only really occurs when the A of Awareness is matched by the corresponding A of Attitude and A of Action.

It’s quite feasible, for instance, that in some team environments and cultures, greater awareness will simply lead to greater competitive advantage at an interpersonal level (‘now that I know this about you, I can use it against you to my advantage’). The issue of Attitude is, therefore, really points to deeper issues of underlying beliefs, values and intention. How can we encourage and build humanistic values in individuals and teams so that they will use what they learn ethically and to mutual rather than selfish advantage?

It’s also quite feasible that team members will learn new things about themselves and others but fail to act differently on the basis of that awareness in their day-to-day interactions. It’s like the biblical notion of a person looking in a mirror then walking away only to forget what he or she looks like. The issue of Action, therefore, is really about securing commitment to new behaviour and making it stick. How can we ensure that what will feel alien for people at first will become second nature over time?

So there is the challenge. To approach psychometrics in teambuilding with a wider perspective in view and to broaden our practice to (a) inquire into values and (b) ensure implementation.

The Bleeding Edge

2009-10-22T14:07:00.000-07:00

Operating at the leading edge, forging forward into the exciting unknown can be a thrilling experience, a real opportunity for learning, development and discovery. At the same time it is the place of greatest risk, the place of greatest potential cost if we get it wrong. That’s the mark of courageous leadership – taking the risk, seizing the opportunity, stepping outside of our comfort zones to discover what’s possible, ready to bleed if our best efforts fail.

I was amused by a colleague yesterday who spoke of this phenomenon as ‘living at the bleeding edge’. We’re involved in a team leading an international NGO through a potentially radical strategy and change process. I can feel my own excitement and anxiety, the opportunity to contribute something that could really add value and yet, at the same time, nagging fears about whether I’ll prove good enough, whether the outcomes will achieve what we’re hoping for.

It’s at this point where I’m reminded most of my profound need for God’s grace, to give me courage to step into the unknown, to inspire with wisdom, to become more than I thought possible, to brace myself against my worst fears and to trust him if all else fails. I’m learning by this experience that the courageous leader is not the one who lacks fear but the one who overcomes fear by doing what’s right in spite of that fear. May God help me to be that leader.

An Unexpected Kindness

2009-10-04T14:45:00.000-07:00

I had the unexpected pleasure last night of being taken to see and hear a rock band in the back room of a local pub. The sound was phenomenal and, as I stood by the huge stage speakers, I could literally feel the beat and bass rhythm pulsating throughout the whole of my body. What struck me as much as the songs, band and exuberant atmosphere in the crowd was something about the singer’s personal presence.

In the midst of all the dramatic strutting and air guitar playing, he would periodically move to the edge of the stage, lean forward toward the crowd, fix his eyes momentarily on an excited individual and smile with a glint of real warmth and affection. He looked at me in this way on one occasion and I was surprised how uplifted I felt. It was like the power and impact of an unexpected kindness from a stranger.

There is an African greeting which quite literally means, ‘I see you.’ How often do I pause and see the person in the crowd, smile at the stranger, show unprompted kindness, lift the other by simply acknowledging the gift of their being?

A Human Conflict

2009-07-07T06:51:00.000-07:00

I was experimenting with an internet chat room the other evening and found myself in conversation with an 18 year old Israeli who now lives in Germany. The conversation was casual and lighthearted until I asked him how he was now living in Germany. 'Because my parents were both killed in Israel by a terrorist bomb on a bus when I was six years old. I moved here to live with my grandparents.' My fingers were still on the keyboard but it was some moments before I could think how to respond. I felt stunned. I had worked in a Palestinan hospital some years ago and seen life through the lens of Palestinian experience. This conversation reminded me how important it is to see conflict as multi-dimensional and human. News reports sanitise us to the true nature of conflict with clinical expressions like 'surgical strike' and 'collateral damage'. I'm reminded that its real people who are the perpetrators and victims of conflict and that to take sides in a closed-minded way is to do violence to our common humanity.

Travelling at the Speed of Life

2009-06-23T04:58:00.000-07:00

Have you noticed how people from different cultures have different norms for personal space, rules of conversation, volume of speech etc? I returned from my first visit to Africa last week and was struck by a different cultural speed of movement. At first I wondered if it was because of the heat and humidity but I’ve experienced the same conditions in Asia without the same slowing down impact on speed. Perhaps it’s correlates with a deep cultural outlook – ‘Why rush? What’s the urgency?’

I became conscious of how, by contrast, I instinctively rush around, even when there was no apparent need to do so. I felt challenged. Why am I so driven? What impact does constant high-speed activity have on my health, perspective and relationships? Have I lost sense of pace, harmony, perspective, priority, ability to notice the important things, to live in the eternal Presence? This is the real gift I bring back from Africa – an opportunity to see things in a new light, to approach life afresh, to reconsider God’s perspective and to live anew in that liberating truth.

Leadership and Engagement

2009-05-19T03:21:00.000-07:00

Best Companies research in 2008/9 points to 'trust in senior leadership' as the biggest single factor affecting staff engagement (and, thereby talent retention, performance and impact) in the current climate. This is probably because turbulence in the economic environment is creating real anxiety. Employees need to believe that leaders know what they are doing and have the ability to steer the organisation through and ensure its survival.

In the third sector, I’ve noticed over the past year that leaders and employees are expressing a concern that their ministry should not suffer adversely in this climate. In other words, people in this sector are motivated by and concerned for their organisations’ mission and are keen to ensure it is safeguarded.

Bearing in mind these points, the questions and anxieties some staff may be carrying at the moment could be framed as 'Are they (beneficiaries) safe..?'; that is, will leaders keep their interests at the forefront of their minds and not get distracted. 'Are we (organisation) safe..?'; that is, are leaders focusing on and prioritising the right things bearing in mind external and internal opportunites and challenges. 'Am I (me) safe..?'; that is, do the leaders value and care about me?

In the Christian organizations I work with, there’s an additional implicit question at the heart of this matter. ‘Is He (God) safe..?’; that is, will leaders stay faithful to the organisation’s Christian identity, values and sense of calling or compromise these things for expediency’s sake as they navigate through tough times.

Although different people experience change dynamics differently and it's hard for leaders to make concrete reassurances in these unpredictable times, this frame could form a useful backdrop for leadership communications over the coming months. The challenge is how to manage tensions between these potentially competing agendas and demands whilst maintaining a genuine sense of focus, integrity and hope.

The Partnership Business

2009-05-02T03:22:00.000-07:00

Business partnership is a new way of working for many in OD and HR and it can feel both exciting and challenging. I’ve found through experience that the nature of this relationship and what it looks like, who does what, what makes it work well in practice etc. is influenced by a range of factors beyond formal job descriptions. These include implicit expectations of one-another (‘this is the part I believe I/you should play); historical experience (‘this is how we’ve always done it in the past’); interests, preferences and skills of each person (‘this is what I can/would like to contribute’); capacities of each person to deliver (‘this is what I have time/expertise to do’); quality of relationship (‘you understand me/I can trust you’).

Confusion, frustration or misunderstanding can arise if different parties carry different implicit assumptions or expectations about one-anothers’ roles, responsibilities etc. The models or paradigms sketched out below are intended therefore as tools to help surface similarities and differences by asking, ‘is this how you see my/your role?’, ‘which aspects of this work best for us?’, ‘what should we each do more of, less of or differently?’, ‘what would make the biggest improvements in the future?’ etc. The models are not mutually exclusive and the OD/HR professional may need to flow between models depending on circumstances - and contract accordingly.

Model 1: Internal consultant (performance coach)

OD/HR role: consultant, coach, mentor to leader. Focus: develop leader’s capacity to achieve his or her goals. Relational modality: ‘transformational’. Features: listens, questions, challenges, advises.

"You [leader] are responsible for good people leadership, management and development in your part of the organisation. Partnership means bringing my [OD/HR] knowledge and expertise to bear alongside yours to help you make wise decisions and to succeed. I will help you identify key issues that you would do well to bear in mind and, as appropriate, offer you challenge, guidance and advice. Unless there are legal, ethical or policy issues that are compelling or prohibitive, the final decision will ordinarily be yours as line-leader/manager. I bring three key contributions to the table: my consulting, coaching and mentoring capabilities; my expertise in the OD/HR field (e.g. change leadership and performance development); my knowledge and relationships within and outside of the organisation. I have three interrelated goals in mind: to help you understand and address the issues, challenges and opportunities you face; to ensure a wise and successful outcome for the organisation; to build your capacity to understand and deal with similar issues in the future."

Model 2: Co-leader (joint stakeholder)

OD/HR role: joint leader/stakeholder with leader. Focus: ensure OD/HR and leader achieve shared or complementary goals. Relational modality: ‘transfunctional’. Features: listens, proposes, negotiates, decides.

"We [leader and OD/HR] hold shared responsibility for good people leadership, management and development in your part of the organisation. Partnership means pooling our knowledge and expertise to achieve a better outcome than either of us could achieve on our own. We will each bring our own agenda and contribution to the table: e.g. personal style, vision and values; roles and responsibilities; group/team goals; knowledge of key issues; professional experience and expertise; proposals for the way forward. We will draw on these to learn from each other and agree the way forward. We will take shared ownership of issues and actions as joint stakeholders. I have three interrelated goals in mind: to work with you to understand and address the issues, challenges and opportunities we both face; to find mutual solutions that satisfy our respective goals and responsibilities; to ensure a wise and successful outcome for the organisation."

Model 3: Service provider (task supporter)

OD/HR role: service provider for leader. Focus: resource leader to achieve his or her goals. Relational modality: ‘transactional’. Features: listens, offers, informs, provides.

"You [leader] are responsible for good people leadership, management and development in your part of the organisation. Partnership means providing you with practical support by doing tasks that you don’t have the time or technical expertise to do (e.g. recruitment processes, drawing up contracts). My [OD/HR] role is to supplement your work and thereby release you to focus on other tasks. The focus of our relationship is on achieving people-related tasks that you identify as priority in a timely and efficient manner. I will provide you with technical information and advice where it is appropriate (e.g. in areas of policy or procedure) and be willing to intervene directly in situations where you believe my expertise could be most usefully deployed (e.g. personal development, mediating conflict). I have two goals in mind: to ensure that people-related tasks are accomplished according to policy and good practice; that you are released to work on higher priorities."

Through the Eyes of a Child

2009-03-14T12:30:00.000-07:00

I love the way children are able to challenge our preconceived ideas and assumptions in such refreshing and disarming ways. I was having a conversation with my two young daughters this week, for instance, about 'the fall' in the garden of Eden. As I spoke, Ruth looked increasingly concerned: "Do we still have snakes like that today..?" Hannah added, our cousin has a snake. I don't like them at all." I responded by explaining that this was a special 1-off case and that Satan disguised himself as a snake in order to trick Eve and get her and Adam to trust and and make friends with him rather than God. "Well, if that was the plan," replied Hannah immediately, "why didn't he disguise himself as a fluffy rabbit?" Good point. God calls us to approach him with childlike simplicity and trust. Children remind us to avoid placing too much confidence in our sophisticated ideas and beliefs and to walk in simple faith instead.

A Heart for Facilitation

2008-11-18T04:22:00.001-08:00

I'm sometimes asked what the key is to successful group facilitation. In the past, I've pointed to group process consultancy skills or creative techniques aimed at engaging with, building relationships within and drawing the best out of a group. In more recent times, I've come to believe the most fundamental thing is a finding deep intuitive empathy with the group - being tuned in as well as I can be to how people are feeling, how the world looks from their point of view, what seems to matter most to them etc. Working from a place of real empathy can build trust, open my eyes to issues and possibilities I would have missed at a more surface level and create opportunities for real and profound transformation. I'm learning too, however, how this kind of intutive empathy is challenging both in my own practise and to develop in others. There are so many distracting elements - desire to impress the group, need to get the group to a certain place within a certain time, to find techniques that are simple, effective and not so mentally, emotionally or spiritually demanding. The incarnational principle of working from a place of intuitive empathy can feel like hard work but I'm learning the richness of the benefits that can emerge is well worth the effort.

A Life Worthwhile

2008-08-16T07:23:00.000-07:00

I spent the last two weeks providing facilitation and coaching at an international Christian NGO event for people from over 50 countries around the world. I met a gentle, humble man from Ethiopia who told me quietly over a meal how conditions are so bad where he is living and working that people often only have one shirt to wear. He has decided to only own two shirts for himself and, if he meets someone without one, he gives one of his away. I also met a bright young woman from Bosnia whose father was killed in the last war and whose best friend was shot dead in front of her by a sniper when she was just 14. She's committed herself to this type of work to help rebuild the lives of others who have also suffered and continue to suffer. Stories like this abounded: of brokenness, struggle, desperation, aspiration, love, care, faith and hope. I came away feeling deeply moved, challenged and humbled. My own life seems so shallow and self-centric by comparison. May God help me to learn from and follow their example and live a life worthwhile in the world.

Christian Talent

2008-06-26T10:24:00.000-07:00

Many organisations today are concerned with how to attract, engage and retain talented people. This is because most recent research shows that people who are both talented and engaged typically contribute most to an organisation’s success. People who are talented in this sense are those with high potential who are not only knowledgeable and skilful but have the ability to learn quickly and apply what they bring to fresh, challenging and changing circumstances. People who are engaged in this sense tend to be prepared to go the extra mile, can’t imagine wanting to leave and instinctively encourage others to join in.

Similarly, the church has historically sought to nurture and sustain high levels of engagement – with God and the church in the context of wider community. These things are at the heart of what we might describe as Christian commitment. The church’s view of talent has been, however, similar in some ways and different in others. On the one hand, Christians believe that everyone has particular God-given gifts and talents that should be invested for kingdom purposes (e.g. Mt 25) and on the other, that everyone is valuable – i.e. not just those with ‘high potential’ in a utilitarian sense – and should be honoured as such (e.g. 1 Cor 12).

Churches and Christian organisations alike have struggled with some of the practical challenges this latter tension creates, especially when operating with strong mission mandates, trying to apply professional standards and having to compete with others for scarce resources. The tension is particularly acute when we depend on volunteers with a variety of motivations and a relative ease to leave. The question becomes how to get the job done well through people whilst, at the same time, valuing everyone’s contribution, keeping the right people involved in the right ways and helping release God-given potential.

A Curious Interest

2008-01-18T09:41:00.000-08:00

I met with a friend and ex-colleague this week, someone whom I hadn't seen or heard from for almost 20 years. One thing that struck me in our conversation was her distinction between 'curiosity' and 'interest'. Curiosity is about intrigue, fascination, inquisitiveness. Interest is about relationship, empathy, a desire to understand. We joked about whether we had decided to meet after all this time out of curiosity (e.g. would we still look the same, what has happened in our lives etc.) or genuine interest (a desire to re-connect, to re-establish relationship). Maybe curiosity is something about fulfilling a need within oneself whereas interest is in some way concerned with mutuality or the needs of the other. As someone who feels naturally interested in people, I was challenged to think about the quality of interest I take in those around me - family, workplace, neighbourhood etc. - and how often my interest stays at the level of curiosity. That's quite a challenge.

Rich Encounters

2007-12-22T08:14:00.000-08:00

This has been quite a year - a year to remember. I've had the privilege of working alongside some amazing people from Albania, Armenia, Australia, Bosnia, Brazil, Cambodia, Canada, China, Georgia, Germany, Holland, India, Indonesia, Japan, Kenya, Kosova, Laos, Lithuania, Malawi, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Philippines, Romania, Serbia, Singapore, South Africa, Swaziland, Thailand, United States, Vietnam, Zimbabwe...and other places. What has struck me most about this rich experience has been how much we share in common in spite of our obvious racial, cultural and geographical differences. The people I've worked with are all Christians and I've been interested to see how our shared faith creates a sense of common values and outlook on the world. We share a common humanity, a common identity, a common purpose. As we move into the new year, I feel humbled and inspired by these encounters and thank God for the people he has brought into my life as signs of his richness, presence and grace.

Leading Factors in Leadership

2007-10-28T10:21:00.000-07:00

I woke up in bed last night thinking about some leadership challenges I've been facing in work recently and wondering which key factors are most significant. A number of words came to mind that I made mental note of, noticing how they seem to have a kind of balancing effect on each other. The first couple were vision and humility, the second were courage and wisdom, the third were passion and integrity. I pictured these words forming a circle with the word love in the centre - the relational imperative and bond that holds all things together. I've decided to test how well my own leadership reflects these key qualities by seeking God's perspective in quiet prayer and asking colleagues and other stakeholders for honest feedback. I may do this by creating a conversational checklist: 'In my day to day leadership practice, how well do I reflect and demonstrate...?' The journey of learning continues.

Quality People

2007-10-12T09:42:00.000-07:00

I did some training on performance management and development recently and was asked what kind of qualities we as leaders should be looking for in people we want to attract, recruit, develop and retain. Four qualities come to mind immediately. The first is character. By character I mean ethical values that manifest themselves in behaviour. The second is talent. By talent I mean attitude and capability. The third is engagement. By engagement I mean passion and commitment. The fourth is fit. By fit I mean fit with desired role and culture. In my experience, it's a combination of these critical qualities that makes all the difference. Modelling them as leaders is critical too. If we practice what we preach, or at least try to do so with genuine openness and humility, we will inspire those same qualities in those whom we lead.

Courage and Humility

2007-09-30T00:58:00.000-07:00

I have been reflecting on my own leadership recently and taking feedback from colleagues, including those who depend on me to be effective in order to be effective in their own work too. I've noticed certain patterns emerging. In terms of what I'm doing well, I hear that I am able to bring insight into situations, helping others to see and behave in new ways. In terms of what I need to improve, I hear that I need to be more courageous, stepping outside of my reflector-consultant comfort zone and being prepared to challenge more. In my own team, similarly, I hear that I often bring valuable insight but, conversely, that I somtimes appear so convinced by my own intuition that I don't hear, or at least show that I hear, others' contributions. This is valuable learning for me. I need to develop my leadership style based on a balanced combination of courage and humility. Courage to speak up, advocate, push forward where necessary. Humility to hear - that is, genuinely hear - and value the contributions of others. I see parallels here with biblical models of leadership where Christ is the all-divine Son of God and, at the same time, the all-human Son of Man.

Myth of Certainty

2007-03-25T00:49:00.000-07:00

Making sense of organisational dynamics and experience in order to strategise effectively has been the holy grail of management and organisational theory. In spite of growing evidence that organisations and their environments are increasingly unpredictable, the dominant rational-scientific paradigm still appears to hold sway over many organisational decision-makers today.

A sense of feeling confused, bewildered and out of control in unpredictable environments can drive leaders to try to find a place of psychological and emotional security.

The rational-scientific paradigm may engender feeling of certainty that, in turn, create sufficient confidence and impetus for positive decision-making. Nevertheless, it is typically reductionist and ignores some of the most important variables that actually influence organisational success: e.g. anxiety, self-interest, politics, culture, relationships.

I believe the human dimensions of management and organisations – our beliefs, values, spirituality and relationships – must take centre stage because that’s where real strength will lie. Genuine vision combined with integrity, diversity and participation will transcend the waves of change.

Pause Reflect Act

2007-03-25T00:42:00.000-07:00

Jackie looked up at Sue, the trainer, and spoke up in the group. ‘I struggle to meet deadlines even though I know how important it is to prioritise tasks. What do you think could help me?’ Sue, having prepared well for this type of question, responded with a list of practical tips and techniques that the whole group wrote down with enthusiasm.

One year later, Jackie returned as participant on the time management course. ‘In spite of knowing just about every time management technique in the book, I still find myself struggling to meet deadlines. What can I do?’ Mike, the trainer, responded after a moment with a searching question. ‘What would help you, Jackie, to meet your deadlines?’ ‘Well, if my boss would give me information on time, that would certainly help’, came Jackie’s immediate reply.

The difference between Sue’s and Mike’s approach here parallels distinctions between conventional teacher and developmental educator roles. The teacher’s role is to impart knowledge and information, the educator’s to develop reflective practice (RP). Moon (2000) describes RP as ‘reflection in the context of practice’. I like to think of it as ‘insight in action’.

Both Sue and Mike were faced with a question and a choice. Sue’s reaction was to provide a solution to the problem and, in some circumstances (e.g. briefing/crisis), this may well be appropriate. Mike, in contrast, suspended his mental and emotional ‘auto-pilot’ and paused first to consider what kind of intervention might help Jackie address the particular nuances of her own specific situation.

Mike’s response is characteristic of the RP approach: pause → reflect → act. RP doesn’t prescribe the right response in a situation but considers the process by which a response is selected. I believe that RP is, therefore, critical in the trainer-developer role where working with people and groups always involves dealing with at least some degree of complexity and change.

Mike’s approach had the effect of stimulating development of Jackie’s RP capabilities too: ‘Jackie, it sounds as if what you are able to do is dependent on what others do.’ This simple reflective comment helped shift Jackie’s focus from tips and techniques to a wider systemic view of her work. ‘Yes, I guess I really should concentrate more on creating my work schedules with my line-manager, rather than on my own.’

Jackie developed both greater insight into the dynamics of her workplace relationships and a valuable understanding of the interdependent linkages between her own work and that of others. When the next time management course ran one year later, Jackie was meeting most of her deadlines and her name was absent from the participant list.

Summary tips on reflective practice:

Suspend judgement: decide consciously to start from a place of ‘not knowing’ – there may well be important angles to a situation that you’re not aware of.

Explore: ask yourself, ‘I wonder what this might be about.’ Use tentative, exploratory questions to help un-earth any wider/deeper dimensions to the situation.

Reflect: ask yourself why you feel compelled to intervene in a certain way. ‘Am I stepping in like this to demonstrate my own capabilities or because this really is what this person needs?’

Sense of Destiny

2007-03-25T00:30:00.000-07:00

The evidence of personal and professional development for learning and development professionals isn’t primarily written down on forms, it’s there in the sketchbook of our lives. Continuous Professional Development (CPD) can feel detached, mechanical. If that’s how it feels for you, I hope this blog will inspire a deeper sense of vision.

I want to share a model and approach I’m thinking through. I also want so share some experiences from my own life and work and to draw out principles that I hope will prove helpful. I’ve spent 20 years working in the voluntary sector and some of my experiences may feel quite alien to readers from other contexts. What I would encourage you to do, therefore, is to consider how the underlying spirit might resonate with in your own life and work and what they could evoke or inspire in your own environment.

The model I want to present has 5 areas which, in my experience, overlap and interrelate in practice: identity, purpose, vision, ethics and relationships.

It starts with an existential question: Who am I and, by implication, who are you? If you were asked by a stranger in an elevator, ‘tell me who you are’ with just 1 minute to answer and without explaining your name or what you do for a job, what would you say? What essentially defines you? What best expresses who you are?

It’s a question that philosophers, theologians and others have been grappling with for centuries, trying to work out exactly who we are, what it means to be human, what it means to be part of this thing we call humanity. The pop group Supertramp expressed this really well – ‘when all the world’s asleep, the questions run so deep…I know it sounds absurd but please tell me who I am…’

We can define ourselves by lots of different things in the world today, e.g. where we live, what work we do, which brands we identify with. But there is still an existential question at heart of all this – who am I? Am I just a product of my circumstances or environment or am I something unique in my own right?

We have different ways of answering this question. If I can answer it with some degree of clarity, I may begin to answer the question ‘who are you’ and ‘who are others’ too, thereby developing a theory of personhood, a theory of humanity – what I believe I am and we are and, maybe, what we are and could be together.

You may have heard people say, ‘I’m not sure I’m being myself’, ‘I don’t feel myself’ or ‘I want to be more true to myself’. These statements point to an intuitive sense that we are, deep down, something more than our circumstances or environment. It’s as if we can lose ourselves, feel pressured or driven or enticed by other things that leave us feeling confused or inauthentic, acting differently to who we believe we are.

Answering the question ‘who am I’, being grounded in a sense of who we are, gives us a basis for being authentic, knowing ourselves, developing ourselves and relating to others that is so critical to the profession we’re engaged in.

The second part of this model is purpose, another existential question. It’s more than what career should I pursue or what training should I do. It’s something deeper. Where do I fit in the world? What is this grand scheme of things that I seem to be caught up in? Is there a bigger picture? Is there a bigger plan and what’s my part in it? Is my life more significant than the simple decisions I take on a day-to-day basis?

Pause and reflect for a minute. Why are you here? What’s your purpose in life? What are you about? What do you see as your place in the world? Different people will answer this question differently – we’re coming from different places with different ideas, experiences and beliefs and that’s OK.

When I was a teenager I went into industry, not because I had any aspiration for the job but because I wanted to earn money to buy a motorbike and that was the only way I could get it. When I arrived, it was one of the most dehumanising environments I had ever encountered. People were viewed as objects to be used and I couldn’t believe what I had stepped into. While I was there though I did encounter some people who seemed to have a much greater sense of what was important in life and a real passion to make a difference for good.

One of those people gave me a book – Jonathan Livingstone Seagull – which some of you may have read. I can hardly begin to describe the impact this book had on me. It’s a short story about a seagull who decides there’s more to life than going out fishing for food each day. He decides he wants to excel at something and works hard to learn different techniques that enable him to fly with speed, grace and agility.

The other seagulls mock him for this because they think it’s irrelevant. They think the day-to-day matters of life are much more important and so he becomes ostracised within his own family and community. This doesn’t deter him. Instead, he perseveres and determines to make his life extraordinary. Over time, he also helps other seagulls move forward in their own journey of discovery. This simple allegorical story had a profound impact on my psyche.

At the age of 21, I became a Christian and this was an even more dramatic experience. It was as if my mind and heart exploded with light. I cannot begin to describe it but I became absolutely convinced through that experience and in subsequent years that the answer to the questions ‘who am I’ and ‘why am I here’ are ultimately tied up with who God is and what his purposes are for the world.

At that point, I left industry and moved into community development work as a volunteer, earning just £12 per week but never having felt so fulfilled in my life. Other people have stories of similar impacts or events, moments when suddenly everything seems so clear, when even familiar things appear in a whole new light. Everything seems to make sense – even if just for a moment, and it spurs us into action.

It can be really hard to hold that perspective. There’s so much to confuse or distract us. It’s a bit like a flash of imagination or insight that illumines things for a moment but then it’s gone. Nevertheless, it’s something that can stir, move or compel us to do something different in our lives, set out on new adventures, head off in new directions. I think that’s an important backdrop to the conversation about CPD. There’s so much more to our lives and work than everyday mediocrity.

I’m using the word vision very loosely to include passion, aspiration, imagination. Try pausing for a moment before reading further and jot something down on paper; perhaps a simple picture, symbol or word which encapsulates something of your own vision or passion in life. ‘This is the thing I really aspire to’. ‘This is the thing that gives me energy’. ‘This is what makes me feel alive.’

In the industrial environment I spoke of earlier, I developed a profound sense of conviction I could make a difference for good and so I joined the trade union and tried very hard to reform some of the things that were happening in the union and in the work environment itself. I spoke up at a trade union event, got shot down for my views and this spurred me on to organise a petition for change.

For the first time, I had the sense of doing something that felt real, meaningful and more-than-myself. The campaign I led pretty much failed, partly because even those that agreed with my vision for change were too fearful to put their name to a petition or take other action in case it affected their job security or career prospects.

And so I was confronted by this choice between doing what seemed to be the right and good thing or doing the more pragmatic and expedient thing. It was easy for me – I was a young man with few responsibilities but for those around me with families and mortgages etc., it was really hard to take that step. I learned that following through on vision sometimes carries genuine cost.

During my time in community development that followed, I worked with lots of different community groups in London ranging from elderly people to street gangs at night. It was an exciting time and a steep learning curve. I saw some good things happen but also some setbacks. When we’re working with communities, it’s like organisations. There are many competing agendas, often good agendas as well as those that may be reactionary or defensive.

I became aware of a situation happening in central America – a terrible human rights situation – and I felt more and more drawn to do something, or try to do something, to help change what was happening there. So my vision was broadened from UK to international.

My approach was naïve, driven more by instinct than strategy, a simple conviction that something had to be done. As Greenpeace says, ‘the optimism of the action is better than the pessimism of the thought’. So I joined a human rights organisation and also a political campaigning organisation for El Salvador. This was a really hard time. Some of the people I was working with had been tortured and some of the people we were working with in El Salvador were murdered.

I felt my vision pressed to the limits and I began to wonder whether what we were trying to achieve was really possible. I’ve learned through this experience that if we’re to make progress with vision in really difficult circumstances, we have to find ways to maintain, nurture and sustain that vision. Otherwise we will become disillusioned or cynical or give up.

How has your own vision developed over the years? What are the things that make it most difficult for you to retain it? What strategies have you found that help you? St. Ignatius offers wise words of caution and inspiration: ‘Imagine yourself at the end of your life. What are the key things you will wish you had said and done? Once you have decided, then do it.’

I have found that numerous things can help such as prayer, time out for reflection, supervision, rest, physical exercise, fun, laughter, trusted friends and colleagues that will understand, challenge and encourage when things get tough.

The examples I’ve mentioned so far are very much tied up with questions or what we believe is right or wrong or what to commit to in real situations. This is the realm of ethics – values with moral dimensions or implications. We need to get to grips with our own ethical principles and practice, even if it just helps us sleep at night.

We have to decide for ourselves where the lines are that we won’t cross and when we’ll take a strong stance on the things we believe are most important. Some call this moral intelligence. Often organisations and professional institutes provide guiding policies or standards which avoid the need to always rely on our own judgement. Most ethical challenges are encountered in the ordinary decisions we face in our day-to-day work.

You are working with a training group. You need to decide what to disclose and what to keep confidential. You want to provide talented individuals with special input yet to maintain equal opportunities. You struggle to balance push and pull strategies, respecting individual autonomy whilst trying to achieve the learning outcomes you’ve been contracted to deliver. You may wonder what fee rates to charge, enabling you to run your business but without being exploitative.

When faced with such dilemmas, trying to decide when we’re not sure what’s right or taking a stand when the cost to us or others could be high, I’ve found that working things through with others can bring valuable perspective, learning and accountability and considerably reduce feelings of stress and isolation.

I worked for one well-meaning organisation where the leaders decided to open hostels to support young single homeless people living on the streets. The organisation had an ethical commitment to help vulnerable people but lacked resources to do it well. As a result, it employed inexperienced volunteers to run the hostels which placed both staff and residents at considerable risk. This was one of those situations where vision, ethics and pragmatics collided.

Was it wrong to open the hostels without adequate resources? I’m not sure. The residents were helped but it felt very difficult at the time. My way through was to provide staff with support, training and supervision to improve the quality of care. In retrospect, I could have taken other stances such as challenging the leadership more forcefully. The best way forward isn’t always obvious and things can look much clearer after the event.

Pause and reflect for a moment. What kind of ethical dilemmas do you face in your work? Which give you the biggest headaches or heartaches? Where are you most tempted to compromise? What principles or strategies have you developed to protect your own integrity?

I’ve written my own code of practice that acts as a starting point. I meet with others for peer learning and accountability and I’ve found some books helpful. These include Moral Intelligence (Lennick & Kiel), Working Ethics (Rowson) and Ethical Leadership (Connock & Johns; Mendonca & Kanungo). I try to forgive myself and learn from my mistakes when I get it wrong.

The final dimension of the model is about relationships and by relationships I mean being and doing with others. It’s difficult to imagine vision or ethics without some kind of reference to people; the people we work with, live with, struggle with – we’re surrounded by people and people are at the heart of the profession we’re engaged in. ‘In the end, what everybody discovers is that what (really) matters is other people’ (Ortberg).

The problem with people is that not everyone is the same as us(!). We have different experiences, personality types, cultures, languages and values and all of these things influence how we experience the world and how we operate in practice. So when we bring a group of people together whether in a team or training workshop or other environment, all kinds of interesting dynamics can arise.

This takes us back to the question of identity above because what we believe about ourselves and others has a significant impact on how we choose to relate to other people and what we believe about relationships, including which values and principles we ought to uphold. As a Christian, I believe relationships are an important end in themselves. You can imagine some of the issues this raises when working with people suffering the consequences of serious injustice and conflict.

An experience comes to mind when I was working in Germany just after the unification between east and west. I was working in a small town in a social work project with young people. The unification had resulted in high unemployment in certain areas and the far right party was recruiting lots of young people into its ranks. Our vision was to reach out to these teenagers in order to build relationships, challenge their ideology and influence their beliefs and behaviour. The problem was that the local migrant workers thought that by welcoming the neo-nazis, we were colluding with them. Actions are easily misunderstood.

I have learned that as a general principle we can achieve more and better results if we work with others. Relationships can bring about a better and more fulfilling end, even if managing the complexities of relationship sometimes demands more time and energy than we would like. This principle is clear in synergetic learning environments too. By engaging with others with open mind and heart we can share ideas, broaden perspectives, learn more, tackle things in creative and innovative ways, enhance the quality of the experience and our overall effectiveness.

We are forced to make decisions. We only have limited amount of time. We need to decide who we will commit to work with, to be clear about the nature of the relationships we will build with other people and also the quality of those relationships. This isn’t just a question of being strategic. It involves growing and helping others to grow by facing and working through relationships including with those whom we would normally avoid or clash with.

Take a moment to jot down which are the most important relationships in your life and work. What do you aspire to in those relationships? Do you give them sufficient priority in practice? Which are the people you avoid or find it most difficult to get along with? Do you need to build or rebuild relationships where they feel painful or strained?

And so we see these different facets at work: identity, purpose, vision, ethics and relationships. Our CPD focus and direction should be influenced, at least in part, by what we believe in each of these areas and are prepared to commit to. My own feeling and experience is that as we work through these things in practice we grow in character, effectiveness, fulfilment and sense of destiny.

Are there any things I’ve mentioned in this blog that have a particular resonance for you? Are there areas where you feel encouraged or inspired or challenged? I would encourage you to write them down, discuss with another person and see where they might lead you in your own journey of discovery. A seagull called Jonathan still calls out to all who will listen, ‘Do you want to fly..?’

Managing our Not-Knowing

2007-03-25T00:22:00.000-07:00

‘Isn’t it odd how easy this all sounds when I’ve found it so difficult to do in practice?’ This was the closing remark of one participant at a Knowledge Management (KM) conference I attended recently. The day was filled with impressive and inspiring accounts of outstanding success resulting from the KM interventions of those presenting. At times, the event had all the hallmarks of an evangelistic crusade, with passionate testimonies to the miraculous abounding. I noticed how most case studies depicted an entirely rational and benevolent organisational context with little, if any, emotional, psychological or relational turbulence.

The analogy with the miraculous is, therefore, significant in at least one key respect: such events are, by definition, exceptional. What most conference presenters didn’t acknowledge was that the examples cited were largely unrepresentative of day-to-day organisational experience. Reference to the mundane process of manoeuvring through political minefields and sifting through reams of reflection for nuggets of wisdom was conspicuous by its absence. This paradox intrigued me. If knowledge is linked integrally with learning, what is the underlying cost of censoring public knowledge so that only that regarded as acceptable and profit-able is revealed? What are the shadow sides of KM that are concealed and what do they, in turn, conceal organisationally?

I’ve been struck by Orbach’s insights into social-psychodynamics, particularly her observations on The Need Not to Know (see Towards Emotional Literacy, 1999). I’ve also taken part in a number of KM learning reviews where questions have been tightly prescribed beforehand, thereby maintaining controlled focus but subconsciously excluding threads of exploration that might have proved embarrassing or threatening. If such defences are encountered but not acknowledged explicitly, KM will fail to provide a vehicle for genuine double-loop learning. It will be acceptable to review a project within its own terms of reference but more fundamental questions such as ‘was it the right project?’ or ‘what have been its wider impacts on the environment or community?’ will feel taboo and remain unaddressed.

One conference presenter did comment openly that experimental communities of practice in her organisation had turned into lobbying groups and had, therefore, ‘failed’. An wider organisational learning question might have been, ‘what does the fact of turning into lobbying groups reveal about the wider culture and climate in the organisation at that time?’ This deeper form of review may confront power structures, decision-makers, cultural assumptions and foundational policy and is one reason, therefore, why many KM practitioners will simply advise, ‘don’t go there’. What does ‘not going there’, however, achieve for the learning organisation? It does, admittedly, enable it to maintain a sense of safety and continuity in an otherwise unpredictable and often uncontrollable environment. Ironically, the cost of maintaining the defence may be that the organisation’s learning potential is curtailed and its vulnerability increased.

Managing our not-knowing is essentially about managing our anxiety. What I learned from the conference is that on the one hand, KM is a risky enterprise because it can touch on sensitive organisational issues but on the other hand, precisely when it surfaces such issues, its greatest potential for added value comes to the fore. KM at its best can provide important opportunities to ‘speak the unspeakable’, to extend knowledge boundaries by enabling participants to explore, articulate and make sense of organisational reality in all its uncensored fullness. The challenge for leaders and consultants is, therefore, how to maximise the benefits of such learning without retreating to our traditional safety zones when anxiety is encountered.

New Spirituality

2007-03-25T00:19:00.000-07:00

We’ve had New Labour. Now it’s new spirituality. The spirituality debate, regarded until fairly recently as superstitious or of concern only to those of naive religious disposition, has re-entered the UK organisational arena with early indications that it could, in the not too distant future, find itself occupying centre stage. Indeed, spiritual intelligence may yet surpass emotional intelligence as a key determinant in personal and organisational development.

This resurgence in interest in the spiritual dimensions of human experience appears to be part of a wider cultural phenomenon that may reflect, in particular, growing disillusionment with rationalism, materialism, consumerism and technology as adequate vehicles for human fulfilment at its deepest levels. The nature of this paradigm shift is likely to have profound implications for career and consumer choices and, thereby, organisational practice of the future.

New spirituality could be regarded as a product of post-modern philosophy and new age mysticism. It has at its centre notions of tolerance and harmony founded on a relativistic ideology of social constructivism. According to this ideology, all truth is subjective and, therefore, all ‘truth’ claims are to be treated with scepticism. This partly explains new spirituality’s rejection of tenets of conventional religion. The fear is that differences in belief may undermine harmony and, thereby, the implicit goal of new spirituality itself.

An important organisational implication is that structures and cultures based on self-evident belief systems are unlikely to be accepted on face value. Leaders and managers will need to find ways to justify their authority and decision-making without resort to structural arguments, policy, historical precedents or apparently logical rationale. Logic itself is considered suspect, culturally-conditioned and far too narrow to encompass non-empirical aspects of human experience.

Organisations will need, too, to re-examine and re-communicate their missions, visions, values and strategies purged of all certainties, absolutes and competitive tones. Ethical investment will take precedence over financial profit. Collaboration and the creation of shared meaning in organisational life will be core goals of organisation development. Space and place for spiritual reflection and meditation at work will become common occupational demands. Leaders, mentors and coaches may develop attributes of spiritual gurus.

The pros of these developments are to be welcomed positively. The humanising aspects of new spirituality, emphasising personhood over utility, build well on progress of social and employment reforms of the past 150 years. Christian activists like the 19th century Shaftesbury would have delighted to see working conditions based on concern for human advancement over crude capital.

New spirituality’s aspiration for collective harmony is, too, a noble goal in a geo-political climate characterised increasingly by conflict, polarisation and relationship-breakdown. In a nuclear age, for instance, finding ways to resolve difference without recourse to violence is a survival imperative. In a world dominated by new technologies, organisational commitment to sustainable development is of critical concern.

Ironically, however, new spirituality inadvertently imposes a new form of social dogmatism that undermines the very diversity and respect for humanity that it seeks to promote. As the tongue-in-cheek proverb goes, tolerance is, ‘a virtue of the man (or woman) who lacks convictions.’ Genuine passion arises from belief that goals are really worthwhile. The very real differences between people and perspectives can provide invaluable generative material for creative, dialectical progress.

In light of this, a new spirituality that denies truth and suppresses debate for the sake of relational unity could prove to be a prize devoid of value. As a self-confessed Christian, therefore, I will close this piece with a heartfelt question for further reflection: can human spirituality really be divorced from God and truth? Discuss.