Monday, June 21, 2010

"We shall not cease from exploration" T.S. Eliot

"We shall not cease from exploration
And the end of all our exploring
Will be to arrive where we started
And know the place for the first time."

T.S. Eliot - 'Little Gidding' (1942)

I'm reading Stephen Green's book, Good Value at the moment and this quote from T.S. Eliot resonated. Whilst I have only read the first two chapters of the book so far, I feel there are a couple of quotes sharing...

"To lead a complete human life we must in another sense too accept that our end is on our beginning, tat we will find our purpose in our roots, and that our beginning is in our end, that we will find our roots in our purpose. A large part of our quest as humans is to explore what we can come to accept as our 'home' in the profoundest sense, for that is where we will discover our true spiritual purpose."
Green (2009, p.18)

Green also refers to Teilhard de Chardin and says "Connectedness and individualism...are increasing everywhere. This is not just a phenomenon of commerce and economics: it is something far more profound, which reaches deep into the roots of human self-definition."
Green (2009, p.44)

I was reminded of Ubuntu... and Desmond Tutu's quotation "...my humanity is caught up and inextricably bound in yours..."

We are individuals, yet we are connected and part of a greater whole...


Wednesday, June 16, 2010

It's been a while...

...and it has since I was last here. I am amazed by people who have the speed of thought a capacity to keep up with these things AND have a life off-line!

The thoughts continue to flow and since April I had the opportunity to spend a day with Marshall Goldsmith... now there's an interesting chap!

Pearls left with me more than a month later...
  1. the person who makes the decision is the one with the power to make the decision
  2. goal obsession leads us to do what at best can be described as really daft things... at worst totally destructive
  3. use small amounts of money to motivate large change
  4. ask, listen, think, thank... follow-up... the power of feedforward
  5. the value of a ritual of asking daily questions
...amongst others, however these are current headlines for me.

I've also been a little surprised by some of my contributions/achievements and small wins over the last couple of months and the danger of under-estimating my impact on and contribution to others work and development. This has probably been encapsulated in something Mark Holden from Matrix Global said at a forum yesterday... that there is something 'sacred' in the mentoring relationship... years later we can be surprised by someone who lets us know the impact we have had on them... and we may not remember the person or the interaction...

When people ask for support and/or advice, the trust they place in the person they ask is HUGE... never forget this.

It also brings to the forefront of my mind my personal view on leadership... to inspire others to achieve beyond their expectations... and in doing so, hold sacred the consequences of the relationship.