At the meeting I hosted this last week, we did a book discussion about the six sources of influence outlined in their book. Six small groups, each focusing on a specific source of influence and how they would use it in their work environment.

Interesting and practical.

Common interests... how to help their companies be better employers so they serve their member/ customers better.

What a great concept.

We talked about their challenges. The challenges were everything from "training and development" to "wellness plans," from "succession planning" to "successful implementations of HR-MS." Most of these managers are the sole HR person in the company. Their position is often an after thought, yet they press on.

I am curious as to how they perservere in an environments where they have little or no support and there is a constant barrage of miscellaneous tasks that interrupt their work at the whim of their management teams.

Fascinating.

In all my years, I've always enjoyed the "fall back" for the extra hour of sleep. Am I gaining time? Not really, just sleeping an extra hour without worrying about sleeping in.

Interestingly, my immediate reaction was relief.

How much of our life do we spend posturing as "experts?" What a burdensome perspective if it is the only one we choose.

Often, I've talked about the importance of exploring different perspectives of an issue. When confronted with a difficult situation, we often get caught up in one perspective. Everything that has happened in support of that perspective serves as proof that "it is right." Of course, those things that would not support the perspective are conveniently disregarded.  Taking time to explore several different and often opposing perspectives helps us learn the different dimensions of the truth of a situation.

Carrying the perspective that I am an "expert," really is interesting. When I think about it, it makes me feel like I am responsible for always being right. If I discover I am not, then I have to don a mask or hope that no one noticed the error. As I think about my beliefs on this perspective, they look pretty silly.

When I heard the concept of "get comfortable with the feeling of incompetence," it really opened some possibilities. If I am "incompetent," that means I can lower my personal expectations of myself.  Others probably aren't holding me to the same standard I thought they were. PLUS I get to be a learner again! Think of it. Someone who is incompetent and knows it, gets to learn, sharpen their skills, expand horizons, and play with new ideas fully expecting to make mistakes.

It is really cool not having to be "right," but just be curious.  

How does it strike you to think of yourself as incompetent, especially in an area where you believed you were an "expert?"

What other perspective might be considered as you look at what you believe you need to know or be known as?

rbc

There is a pleasure that comes with the contrast of bright sun on super cold days. While the days are short, and the sun travels low, the brightness that penetrates the house during the day alleviates some of the chills.

We are in the darkness of the year. It is a great time of year to think about how important light is to all mankind. Without light, life gets pretty dull and gloomy. I know I have a hard time keeping my motivation up when things are almost always dark. Going to work in the dark and getting home after dark is hard.

During this time, it is probably useful to reflect on sources of "light" in our lives. Also, it is a time to reflect on how we are being "light" for others.

Be a beacon!

rbc

There is magnificence in their dance.  The rhythm and flow can be seen for miles, yet probably goes unnoticed except by their creator and one or two people on this autumn morning.

As I race south for another appointment, I remember as a youngster in South Dakota watching ducks and geese fly over, settle in swamps and cornfields. Year after year, the excitement of the migration grew in September, peaked and then waned with the last of the birds flying south when the winds on the prairie got bitterly cold with spitting snow.

Last spring,  I watched a flock of snow geese gliding into a shallow, reed lined lake near Britton, South Dakota. That too, reminded me of growing up in the country. As these birds settled onto the water, I thought how much I missed seeing the seasons.

I have this sense of having missed so much nature and her seasons by sitting in an office building or just being too busy to notice. Yet, I now realize how much I treasure that which might have become mundane had I never left.

I catch myself six months later, noticing again that there is so much going on, day in and day out that shouts “LIFE!”

My work gives me distances to drive in country. I get to savor it with eyes of appreciation and new memories rediscovered. Now is the time to hear those shouts and take notice.

Take time to notice, to watch geese in the distance.

There is something about the light that changes in August. I’ve never been able to put words to it, but as a youngster, I always remember getting a sinking feeling with August light. Summer was almost over and cold would be settling in. Year after year, I recall the sudden arrival of August light.

Summers were busy.

My friend, Greg and I would float on the boat for hours on end, soaking our toes in the warm water of Lake Kampeska.

Sometimes we’d take an occasional bike ride to Stony Point to trade in beer and pop bottles we found along the way. There were always enough to fund a game of pool and a candy bar or a bottle of Coke.

It was a relaxed busy. Summers always made it seem like everything was right.

August light told me that I’d better enjoy it while it lasted. It would soon be over. It was a sinking feeling whenever I noticed it, so it was hard to enjoy anything.

The thing that was looming was school; the bus ride to town, sitting in a desk, homework, dark winter evenings, cold and blowing snow. There wasn’t much that I enjoyed after school started in the fall. It was a time to get busy about the work of preparing for life.

Somewhere over the years of high school, college and work, I lost touch with August light.

But it’s back. Today is an August light day. I have to admit, I’ve been seeing August light since May this year. Something has changing. I’m noticing the end of Summer and the beginning of Autumn. It’s time to get about the work of life. It's time to get ready for what’s next.

© 2009 - Robert B. Cummins – Stillwater Consulting, Inc.

It was murky too.

Wading out to deep water could be tough on the feet.

I couldn’t see the bottom so,  I learned to shuffle along so as to feel the bottom with my feet. Sometimes, it was smooth and sandy and I felt really confident and moved faster, even though I couldn’t see where I was stepping. However, within inches I might step into mud or slip on a moss covered stone, stub my toe, or step on a sharp rock.

Murky water of the soul

There are times when the “water of my soul” is murky. I shuffle along; quite confident, thinking things are going well. Even though I should realize I can’t see clearly, my over confidence causes me to stumble or slip on unforeseen obstacles.

These are the times when I am so focused on work, or some silly distraction, that I don’t pay attention to how I am living my life or where I may be stepping.

“Give me a pure heart”

In a prayer written by Dag Hammarskjold, the former General Secretary of the United Nations, is the plea, “Give me a pure heart that I may see thee.”

 Purity is not the first thing I think of when I pray. Reflecting on the concept of what is visible in purity versus when things are cloudy makes me wonder why I don’t beg for purity as well.  

What is purity? Why desire purity?  

If water is pure, you can see the bottom. The water is clear, it is transparent and one fully knows what’s in the water as well as on the bottom of the lake. If the water is not pure, it is murky; all you see is the darkness of silt. To move along, you walk blindly. With prudence you would move slowly and carefully. The foolhardy, which we all can be, move too fast, stumble and get scraped up.

There are times when my heart is anything but pure. It is interesting how I stir up the mud all on my own.

I think I know what I want.

I think I know best

But I get confused and get off course.

Things that seem logical are phony rationalizations that trap. When I hope to step on smooth sand, I grind the sole of my foot on a sharp rock.

Asking for a pure heart may seem old fashioned. These are the days of “anything goes,” disposable relationships and self satisfaction. To seek a pure heart certainly seems like an leftover from days gone by.  

Why ask for a pure heart?

Why seek purity?

It sounds too much like self denial. It sounds like sacrifice, especially in a society that encourages narcissism. How many times have we heard, “if it feels good, it must be good,” or “if it doesn’t hurt someone else, why should it matter?”

Deep inside, we know what is good and pure and we know what is not. We have been infused with this knowledge.

·         Where is there filth in our lives?

·         Why is it easier to live with the dirt than to clean it up and stay clean?

·         How does the lack of purity show up in our lives?

·         Why make a choice for something good and pure rather than self indulgence?  What is the price? What is the reward?

It is time to look for patterns that have developed over time, patterns that lead us away from the purity and clarity we desire.

© Stillwater Consulting, Inc. 2009

Virtues are called "positive moral habits." These eleven qualities are virtues. They include:

A Pure Heart

A Humble Heart

A Heart of Love

A Heart of Faith

A Heart of Courage

A Heart of Joy

A Heart of Praise

A Heart of Gratitude

A Heart of Kindness

A Heart of Hospitality

A Heart of Hope

What moves your heart? What are you doing to to develop these qualities. Being a person of faith or not, there are certain natural qualities that serve each of us well. If we practice these qualities, we build them as positive moral habits. These positive habits have a positive impact on those around us.

Now, a bit about Robert Morneau. He is a Auxiliary Bishop of the Dioscese of Green Bay, Wisconsin. He has published many books and articles.