Whatever you call it…
- A Spoonful of Sugar
- Tact
- Wisdom
- Emotional Intelligence
- Speaking Grace with Truth
Do you have it?
Got Sugar? Learning to Speak Truth with Grace
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Tag Archives: Wisdom
Healing the Racial Gap between The Dream & The Reality
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Have you ever tried hard to change a situation?
Have you ever gotten frustrated when change doesn’t seem to be happening?
And in the midst of that frustration… Have you ever had anyone slap a victim label on your forehead?
Years ago I was dealing with a situation like that at work. When I shared that frustration with an executive… He told me that I needed to stop being a victim.
I was shocked.
I thought I had spent the past three years doing everything in my power to take ownership of a reporting process that was a potential risk to the company – a risk that was growing as the organization grew.
I had involved several key-stakeholders, I had shared concerns, I had collaborated on how to handle the present situation.
…And I consistently believed that one of them would take the necessary steps to create change before this process had to be repeated again.
How was it possible that my efforts to be an owner were perceived as being a victim?
Volcanic Anger… Lookout world! There she blows!
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Have you ever been consumed by volcanic anger? …Or worse yet been an unsuspecting victim?
During our recent vacation we toured the ruins of Pompeii, and looked across the bay at the seemingly peaceful Vesuvius, the volcano that was responsible for the destruction that entire city. As peaceful as Vesuvius appeared, we were reminded that it is still a living volcano that could erupt again at anytime.
People can be just like that volcano….
Integrity Matters Because…
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Today I visited with a neighbor that was emphasizing how much the company her husband works for values integrity.
As she shared her thoughts I imagined the difference between the list of core values that hang on walls and collect dust, and those that are used to guide decisions.
She went on to share a story about a compound that the company had decided they would not continue to use for their expat’s housing because of extraordinary cost.
The first thing the company did was to decide that anyone that was already living there could stay.
- (A choice that will cost the company a few extra dollars but prevents unnecessary stress on families. And keeps their workers more focused on their jobs.)
The second decision came when a new executive moved to the area and insisted on living in that compound.
DEEP Understanding Drives Change
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Several years ago I sat in a room full of volunteers that were being trained to go into schools and work with children that were at risk of dropping out. One of our exercises was a simulation that was designed to help us better understand the day-to-day realities for their families.
- We were divided up into small groups.
- Each one of us was given a role to play.
- Then we were given a real life problem that needed to be solved.
- And a name of a place we needed to go to for help.
In the simulation I was the small child of a single mother that had no car.
- “My mother” needed food and a job and childcare.
The simulation was timed to help us understand everything that she needed to accomplish in one day – just to bring home food. (Let alone finding a job or daycare.)
Each time we got off the simulated bus, we walked into a facility and stood in a long line. To eventually be re-directed to another place for services that was across town with different operating hours and another long line.
My job was to simulate how a child begins to act as a few hours becomes a day without food, without a nap, without play.