Friday, June 13, 2008
June 13, 2008 - Courage to all managers
Courage to all managers. Think about this ... "For you to understand it I have to understand it myself" - Kate Mulgrew speaking about her dificulty with making sense of her lines in her role as Captain Kathryn Janeway on the science fiction television series Star Trek: Voyager (1995 to 2001).
Friday, May 30, 2008
This came to me this morning ;-)
Why is it so important for managers and consultants in development assistance to be "awakened"?
Programs of development assistance are a place where two different cultures , belief systems, languages, governments, institutions try to communicate their shared interest. This communication has as its essential purpose something rather differentfrom "business as usual". Importantly, the money that is the potential for action, comes from the generosity of ordinary men, women and even children who make a donation or pay taxes. It is this generosity which is very holy in its nature and of a higher order than the systems - whether government or non-government - that only exist to serve it.
Within that context , managers and consultants have the duty , responsibility and huge opportunity to make it work well . This is because they are entrusted in their professional capacity, with the job to find out what works to allow that generosity to travel from someone's pocket, penetrate the administrative and working systems through which it passes, and enter the life of another human being . An appreciation of this context has been very supportive to me in remembering the amazing opportunity and potential power that lies in this job I do . The job is not personal. Anybody could have been recruited for this job . And , it is me who is here right now in this place . And so it is up to me to discover who "me" really is . A spiritual practice supports the examination and transformation of "me" (the mundane collection of experience, educational qualifications , skill set and personality that has allowed this person to be in this job ) to something less personal . I'm not saying that this is always the case , but that the direction of the practice is to be able to recall and remember. This I have found provides a steadying energy through which patience, creativity and the required humility can more easily manifest themselves . From there it is a short step to using the experience, educational qualifications, skill set and personality to determine the particulars that need to be done .
There must be a lot of people who are "awakened". Why doesn't development assistance work better?
Considering "awakened" in its grammatical form can also lead to a certain kind of laziness if one believes one is there . "awakening" is actually the continuing process which is much more linked to the immediate moment . However, "awakened" can be understood to mean aware - that this is a discontinuous process and that we need to continually remember to wake up . A spiritual practice provides moments in the day to check in to awareness and to use that to see what needs to be done . I remember to look inside to the stillness and then to what "I" can do.
Programs of development assistance are a place where two different cultures , belief systems, languages, governments, institutions try to communicate their shared interest. This communication has as its essential purpose something rather differentfrom "business as usual". Importantly, the money that is the potential for action, comes from the generosity of ordinary men, women and even children who make a donation or pay taxes. It is this generosity which is very holy in its nature and of a higher order than the systems - whether government or non-government - that only exist to serve it.
Within that context , managers and consultants have the duty , responsibility and huge opportunity to make it work well . This is because they are entrusted in their professional capacity, with the job to find out what works to allow that generosity to travel from someone's pocket, penetrate the administrative and working systems through which it passes, and enter the life of another human being . An appreciation of this context has been very supportive to me in remembering the amazing opportunity and potential power that lies in this job I do . The job is not personal. Anybody could have been recruited for this job . And , it is me who is here right now in this place . And so it is up to me to discover who "me" really is . A spiritual practice supports the examination and transformation of "me" (the mundane collection of experience, educational qualifications , skill set and personality that has allowed this person to be in this job ) to something less personal . I'm not saying that this is always the case , but that the direction of the practice is to be able to recall and remember. This I have found provides a steadying energy through which patience, creativity and the required humility can more easily manifest themselves . From there it is a short step to using the experience, educational qualifications, skill set and personality to determine the particulars that need to be done .
There must be a lot of people who are "awakened". Why doesn't development assistance work better?
Considering "awakened" in its grammatical form can also lead to a certain kind of laziness if one believes one is there . "awakening" is actually the continuing process which is much more linked to the immediate moment . However, "awakened" can be understood to mean aware - that this is a discontinuous process and that we need to continually remember to wake up . A spiritual practice provides moments in the day to check in to awareness and to use that to see what needs to be done . I remember to look inside to the stillness and then to what "I" can do.
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
Would you call this a hobby?
A close friend wrote May 28, 2008: "I saw your new and interesting blog. Will this be a hobby of yours from now on?"
My reply: "It's more than a hobby. At a personal level I really have found that the "spiritual teachings" (can't find a better phrase just now) I have been exposed to over the past 25 years have great (and even increasing) relevance to developing patience, renewing motivation and developing/ remembering that wider view of who I am and what I am doing. With more experience I am seeing the problems that projects and people deal with are all about the need to remember the context (could we call it) - of what development assistance is (poorly managed and often very inefficient and ineffective) and what it might be (a more mindful evidence of the deep desire we have to share and to find self-actualization and then, the increased success that might result from that).
Beyond the personal level lies the level of "you" or "the others". As a manager, finding inclusive tools to involve others, developing leadership and followership skills, cultivating opportunities to be a role model etc all fit well into the same model (which is developing insight and supportive management capabilities.)
It can't be a hobby anymore, although it must be something to have fun with as well!! Thanks."
My reply: "It's more than a hobby. At a personal level I really have found that the "spiritual teachings" (can't find a better phrase just now) I have been exposed to over the past 25 years have great (and even increasing) relevance to developing patience, renewing motivation and developing/ remembering that wider view of who I am and what I am doing. With more experience I am seeing the problems that projects and people deal with are all about the need to remember the context (could we call it) - of what development assistance is (poorly managed and often very inefficient and ineffective) and what it might be (a more mindful evidence of the deep desire we have to share and to find self-actualization and then, the increased success that might result from that).
Beyond the personal level lies the level of "you" or "the others". As a manager, finding inclusive tools to involve others, developing leadership and followership skills, cultivating opportunities to be a role model etc all fit well into the same model (which is developing insight and supportive management capabilities.)
It can't be a hobby anymore, although it must be something to have fun with as well!! Thanks."
Saturday, May 17, 2008
Welcome
This blog is designed to encourage movement in the planning, management, monitoring and evaluation of development projects towards "awakened management". This starts with the development of awakening in ourselves and leads to solution oriented thought, speech and action. We have spent so much time reacting to rigidities in the systems that employ us that we have ourselves become rigid and disillusioned. We have spent so much time with rules, regulations, criteria and regulations that we have forgotten the underlying reasons why we do this work.
The way forward is first to wake up to ourselves as a continuous consciousness in the present moment. From this awareness we then expand and hone right thought, speech and action as managers, to both demonstrate our compassion for people and honour our responsibility to use taxpayer and contributed resources in ways that venerate and respect that generosity.
Please share your experience and resources for this dual task of being awake and effective as a manager. I am especially keen to get resources from different cultural contexts on how awakened management can speak to the diversity of our need in this area.
Be well. Be happy!!
The way forward is first to wake up to ourselves as a continuous consciousness in the present moment. From this awareness we then expand and hone right thought, speech and action as managers, to both demonstrate our compassion for people and honour our responsibility to use taxpayer and contributed resources in ways that venerate and respect that generosity.
Please share your experience and resources for this dual task of being awake and effective as a manager. I am especially keen to get resources from different cultural contexts on how awakened management can speak to the diversity of our need in this area.
Be well. Be happy!!
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