f|break: sunday word fun

it looks like this ... my final paper's word cloud (via wordle over here).

(you can visit it over here, also)

thank you, wordle ... you are one of my go-to sites (over here) when i am in the mood to copy-cut-paste-wait and then go on to my next how i pass my time for now moments.

side bar - greenleaf final paper ... my paper - the place and the setting will evolve - for my foundations of servant leadership course assignment with the greenleaf academy, as described over here and with the first paragraph teaser over here, makes me want to write more. but before i do that ...

i'm in the mood again ... how about i do a little wordle-scaping of the original ...

(you can visit it over here, also)

your turn,
so i can visit!

final touches for my @greenleafcenter final paper

the foundations of servant leadership ... our paper (described over here) is due today. here is the introduction to my paper ...

THE PLACE AND THE SETTING WILL EVOLVE

There are BRIDGES yet to be constructed by those who live and

breathe in their ENVIRONMENT —Air, Land, and Water. Egos stand firm

on the ground that they were born and choose not to acknowledge that

being one step closer means choosing to be one step FURTHER.

My VISION is to Create Those Bridges. – Shirley Rivera

My journey as part of the Greenleaf Academy’s Foundations of Servant Leadership has reinforced the importance of remaining mindful of my 1994 epiphany, reflecting on life observed and experienced, and engaging new knowledge. With new knowledge of querencia, spirit carriers, and primus inter pares, I have revitalized my mission, vision, and values – an unexpected and welcomed outcome through five months of increased self-awareness and reflection. I continue to believe that one person can and should make a difference, and I am reminded that connections – mentally, emotionally, spiritually, physically – naturally exist. Because of this, I have come to realize that my journey of servant leadership began many years ago and will continue for many more years to come – not only in reflection but in manifestation.

thank you for letting me share

when improv meets @greenleafcenter ...

lucky me ... turns out (in my opinion) improv can provide a nice venue to practice and learn the types of characteristics associated with servant leadership.

the past 5 months with the greenleaf academy class foundations of servant leadership has overlapped nicely with the beginning improv classes i have been taking with made up theatre (mut) for the past 8 months. during the most recent mut improv class C, we were introduced to truth in comedy.

LISTEN ... be honest . connections cannot be avoided . respect choices made by others . accept and build . avoid preconceived notions . stay in the moment . nothing is ignored . there is no such thing as a mistake . welcome the silences . there is action in thought . reflect each other's ideas .

key practices in improv ... those are among the several key practices emphasized as part of an improv class i have been taking for the past eight weeks. every monday night, i have the opportunity to practice, play, and learn. unexpectedly, i have found that much of our mindset during improv is quite similar to the characteristics associated with servant leadership. and about servant leadership ...

LISTENING ... empathy . healing . awareness . persuasion . conceptualization . foresight . stewardship . building community . commitment to the growth of people . self-awareness . changing the pyramid . developing your colleagues . coaching, not controlling . unleashing the energy and intelligence of others .

nice to have the overlap as a reminder

final class @greenleafcenter

our final class ... the certificate program of the foundations of servant leadership, which has lasted 5 months, has come to a close this morning. during class, i had a few references for participating in this morn's discussions, not to mention accessing the wiki, my blog posts, and my springpad.

30 seconds to describe servant leadership ... among other activities and readings in preparation for this morn's class, we were asked to prepare and share a 30-second description of servant leadership. toward the end of this blog post is my 30+ seconds of describing servant leadership. meanwhile, a quick overview of my journey through this class ...

the beginning ... we started in april (over here). our class has a variety of people, primarily u.s.a. based, with one gentleman in europe. we come from different walks of life. we share many different levels of interest about servant leadership as part of our life, our reality, and the reality of others. during the first two months of class, i shared several posts (over here) about my on-going greenleaf-inspired thoughts and feelings. i also was quite active on our class wiki.

and then ... cubeopolis happened, life happened, and something (or someone - me, perhaps) started to shift ...

prolific writing lull ... toward the end of may, i became very, VERY mindful of our class readings as i observed life around me and my own choices, behaviors, and actions. (also, my 8-week improv class was coming to an end with a first show on june 11.) while at cubeopolis, there were many times i observed the lack of (and the pleasant surprise of) those characteristics that have been used to describe servant leadership. and for whatever reason, i spent EACH DAY of june and july compelled to take note (on my springpad) of at least one quote, action, behavior, or observation that not only fed my interest in servant leadership but also fed my growing interest in improv. now it's august. and this morning's class has ignited a little flame.

lull no more for final class paper ... with my final paper due in a couple of weeks on saturday, august 27, our paper is -

... expected to reflect learning, knowledge and insights that merit the certificate

... while also being mindful that -

Greenleaf says that the journey to servant leadership begins with self, and reflection is part of that journey. The paper should reflect our journey through the class.

thoughts about paper ... with that said, i have had several ideas throughout the class about my approach for content development of the final paper -

• self-reflection to self-awareness journey
• evolution of ah-ha moments
  
• observations of those work-day behaviors and actions that are and are not supportive of servant-leadership characteristics
• generations (as shared in this previous blog post over here)
• the potential nexus of servant-leadership integrated as part of cross-boundary collaboration
  
• how a weekly improv class learnings has brought to life many of the key characteristics of servant leadership
• my 1994 epiphany and how this servant leadership class and journey continues to shape my mission, vision, values
  

one other inspiration ... yesterday, i took the opportunity to talk with a woman i met a couple of weeks ago through a cubeopolis effort. our chat was filled with mutual admiration and thankfulness for crossing paths. and for me, my brief experience with her has certainly shaped my contribution to this morn's class. here is what i shared/spoke for my 30-seconds description ...

(starting with the context of my core vision)

my '94 epiphany ... as part of my class/public journal, i shared part of what i felt led up to what' i've called my '94 epiphany during a very early morning -

There are BRIDGES yet to be constructed by those who live and

breathe in their ENVIRONMENT— AIR, LAND, and WATER. Egos stand firm

on the ground that they were born and choose not to acknowledge that

to get one step closer they must go one step FURTHER.

MY VISION IS TO CREATE THOSE BRIDGES. – (shirlnuktin)

my mariel-inspired share ... as part of helping summer interns refresh their resumes, i felt a nexus to servant leadership and described it this morning to the class ...

one can experience servant leadership when engaging with people by ...

• acknowledging each person's voice and story,
  
• connecting each person with his/her personal gifts and talents,
  
• seeking to understand each person's values, goals, and objectives,
  
• creating opportunities and tools to empower each person, and
  
• providing a framework for mutual follow-up through direct involvement with others.

it has been a wonderful experience and pleasure to be part of the foundations of servant leadership certificate program. i am looking forward to the next class - applying the key practices of servant leadership.

thank you isabel,
greenleaf center for servant leadership,
classmates,
and
life observed & experienced!

generations and @greenleafcenter

the servant as leader ... in our last class on may 7, i was pleasantly surprised about the thoughts that came to mind. and as shared in the may 7 post, i believe my friend jengyee is a spirit carrier ... and with the context of generations - my being gen X and jengyee being gen Y.

greenleaf and generations ... although there is not an explicit and lengthy discussion about generations and servant-leader attributes, on this past friday morning, i thought about servant-leader within the context of the panel i was involved this past wednesday.

gen x ... i represented a "gen X" perspective of interacting with other generations. the gen Y representative presented a list of 5 lessons learned she experienced as a gen Y interacting with baby boomers and a list of 3 gen Y suggestions she wanted to communicate to baby boomers when interacting with gen Y. on the panel, i didn't quite story about gen X versus other generations, but i did find my thoughts evolved from my wednesday morning prep. on friday morning, here is what i shared via our class wiki as part of my thoughts about generations and servant-leader attributes ...

just a quick share and not necessarily directly related to our june class reading, but maybe, kind of.

10 characteristics and the generations ... the short version is that i have been thinking of the 10 characteristics within the context of multi-generational/cross-generational communications - within the context of diversity. i am not yet sure where my thoughts will lead me, but i do know i am intrigued by pursuing an opportunity to communicate the simplicity of these characteristics as not being more prevalent in one generation over another. the 10 characteristics can (and do) exist among the diverse population. needless to say, this is obvious, but i feel there can be a way to integrate or infuse this as part of existing and familiar formats and context.

how this thought came up? ... on wednesday, i was part of a small panel of cubeopolis folks encouraged to share 1-2 stories about their interactions with another generation. the hosting group was the "older workforce initiative". my thoughts in process the morning of over here as i was trying to organize my 10 minute presentation.

although i intend to post what i finally presented, the gist of it was as follows - interacting with different generations gives an opportunity to further enhance one's life experience. the question i posed (also on the blog post) was as follows:

"GENERATIONS ... We are surrounded by the wisdom of generations, but sometimes we lose sight of generations' gifts. What moment during the past 6 months might you have lost sight and had a bias and expectation of someone in a different generation? Consider within the next 6 months initiating an experience of acceptance and discovery of a generation's gift.

my main message of my presentation went something like this - - - we can live in a comfortable place of bias and expectation when communicating with people, or we can choose to have a transforming experience when we engage in listening. as such, we can challenge ourselves to live in a place of acceptance and discovery.

generation bent ... what i found interesting was that other panelists expressly described their generation in certain terms, as if they "owned" the characteristics more so than other generations. and i remember having an "ah ha" moment during the panel when one of the generations used characteristics that were part of the 10 characteristics.

and not that i'm saying one generation may have more 'servant-leader' potential than another. but given the context (and to some extent bias) that some may have regarding generation differences, i certainly heard this (via the characteristics and traits described) intimated through other panelists and through audience discussion and questions.

i think it would be great to articulate the timeless aspect of being a servant-leader ... i know it's likely obvious to our class and others, however, expressly stating so would be great. perhaps that will be something i write out on my blog or part of the final paper?!

saturday morning mini ah-ha ... as i was reading our next assignment, i remembered there was somewhat of a generation reference, which i was certain i had book dart'd, in the servant as leader, so i revisited the book and found the following -

an older person who grew up in a period when values were more settled and the future seemed more secure will be disturbed by much he finds today. ... firm note of hope .. we are at a turn of history in which people are growing faster and some extraordinarily able, mature, servant-disposed men and women are emerging in their early and middle twenties. (p. 47)

book dart me quotes i ponder ... i made good use of my book darts. i figure i'd share a few quotes (which i shared with class) that resonated with me and/or continues to make me ponder, and perhaps, you will consider picking up the book the servant as leader, as well. i share a few of them here (while i shared a longer list on the class wiki) -

• "faith is the choice of the nobler hypothesis" quoting dean inge ... not the noblest, one never knows what that is. but the nobler, the best one can see when the choice is made.
  

• the servant-leader is servant first ... the leader-first and servant-first are two extreme types ... the difference manifests itself in the care taken by the servant first to make sure that other people's highest priority needs are being served.
  

• every achievement starts with a goal. but not just any goal and not just anybody stating it. the one who states the goal must elicit trust, especially if it is a high risk or visionary goal, because those who follow are asked to accept the risk along with the leader.

• the best test of whether we are communicating at this depth is to ask ourselves, first, are we really listening? are we listening to the one we want to communicate to? is our basic attitude, as we approach confrontation, one of wanting to understand?
  

• the leader needs two intellectual abilities that are usually not formally assessed in an academic way: he needs to have a sense for the unknowable and be able to foresee the unforeseeable.
  

• there is usually an information gap ... the art of leadership rests, in part, on the ability to bridge that gap by intuition, that is, a judgment from the unconscious process.

• awareness is not a giver of solace - it is just the opposite. it is a disturber and an awakener. able leaders are usually sharply awake and reasonably disturbed. they are not seekers after solace. they have their own inner serenity.
  

• (on the privileged elite) it may be that the best that some of today's privileged can do is to stand aside and serve by helping when asked and as instructed.
  

• evil, stupidity, apathy, the "system" are not the enemy even though society building forces will be contending with them all the time. the healthy society, like the healthy body, is not the one that has taken the most medicine. it is the one in which the internal health building forces are in the best shape.
  

• in short, the enemy is strong natural servants who have the potential to lead but do not lead, or who choose to follow a non-servant.
  

and once again ...

all of this rests on the assumption that
the only way to change a society (or just make it go)
is to produce people, enough people,
who will change it (or make it go).

class with @greenleafcenter

the servant as leader ... just a quick post after finishing this morn's class. (yes, those are my book darts!) at the end of each class, we are asked to share one word - i (and another classmate) both shared -

pensive

- and honestly, for me, this word just barely scratches the surface to express the amount of deep thought and reflection that is part of this class. i love it! as mentioned about the ten characteristics in previous blog post, it is wonderful to be among people also experiencing and/or learning about servant leadership.

and today, i realize i have been part of the life of a spirit carrier ...

stepping out into the world today ... now then - time for keeping the rest of the day going - more cubeopolis-work, builders booksource for shiny penny andy errand, breakfast bud meet-up at rudy's, more cubeopolis at whatever wi-fi equipped coffee house, meet-up with the fluevog sisterhood (though gladys not in pic) at fluevog, coco-luxes yip-yap ... and

... reconnecting with the liangs and others ... over thai food at sala thai. the liangs came up from southern california to celebrate awarding the first jengyee scholarship at the u.c. berkeley ieor annual award ceremony this past thursday.
spirit carrier ... jengyee, simply put, was (and continues to be) an inspiration. she died at the age of 25 years with lupus in november 2008 (in memory of jengyee ...). click on the pic to learn a little more about my friendship with jengyee and about jengyee's charity. she even wrote a book for college students preparing for the transition to the "real world" of employment (hello real world! a student's approach to great internships, co-ops, and entry level positions), which i had the opportunity to write the foreword.

(picture from february 2009)

In my view of the world, there are people
whom I would call spirit carriers…
those servants (who) find the resources
and make the intensive efforts to be an effective influence.
This spirit is power, but only when the spirit carrier,
the servant as nurturer of the human spirit,
is a powerful and not a casual force.

-Robert K. Greenleaf

querencia @greenleafcenter

querencia
– a place where one feels at home

this is a spanish word that was shared with our class last month - shared by isabel, our instructor. when isabel mentioned querencia, she also had referenced author georgia heard (on web) who wrote writing toward home (over here). a couple of meanings just found through the net -

• a place where one feels secure.
• “…a place where one feels safe, a place from which one’s strength of character is drawn, a place where one feels at home. it comes from the verb quere, which means to desire, to want.”
• in spain, it is the place in the ring where the wounded bull goes to renew his strength and center himself, ready for a fresh charge.
• when the bull stops for a moment and finds querencia – his place of safety – he becomes truly powerful and dangerous. this is the moment he gives up fear.

greenleaf thoughts ... as part of my on-going thoughts about the ten characteristics of servant leadership, i have shared through the class wiki that -

"i am coming to realize the question of whether i "fit" [in a physical place] is not as relevant as whether and how i am going to serve - the desire to serve those who want a better environment and to so do through improving the relationships, communications, respect, and trust - that is what is important for me. the place and setting will evolve."

- to which the lovely isabel shared -

"Dear Shirley, One thing I really like about Greenleaf's work is that it is so thought provoking. I do think one can serve right where they are and of course you, with your other experience, will ponder your place of "querencia". Thanks for your writings, Shirley. Much for us to digest."

i puffy heart isabel!

ten characteristics ...

servant-leader ... @greenleafcenter our second class (of five classes) is next saturday. the servant as leader is one of several readings among others provided as part of class work -
which includes -

• a suggested frame for thinking about the servant as leader
• a wonderful compilation and perspective of the core message of robert greenleaf
• questions as the beginning of an autobiographical prompt for us to think about our experience of being served and serving
  
• greenleaf's credo and its evolution through three decades
• kent m. keith (current greenleaf center CEO) on the characteristics of servant leadership (with other keith's articles over here)
• ten characteristics of servant-leadership (which also is described by the former greenleaf center CEO, larry spears, in this article)
  

sharing from my class work ... the following is an excerpt from a class wiki page i created yesterday morning. to the extent i may post on this girlnutkin blog some of what i share in class, for the most part, the class wiki will likely be the primary place for exploring the ten characteristics. i am hoping that others in class also will share experiences and thoughts about the characteristics -

PURPOSE OF THIS PAGE - will have links to past blog posts ... specific for my learning and understanding the ten characteristics of servant-leadership. and i came across larry spears 2004 article ... from Leader to Leader, a publication of the Leader to Leader Institute and Jossey-Bass; Spears, Larry C. "Practicing Servant-Leadership" Leader to Leader. 34 (Fall 2004)7-11.

learning the ten characteristics of servant-leadership ... in preparing for the 2nd class on may 7, i am sifting through my blog posts of the past (and as i write them, of the present) to see what expresses the learnings of the characteristics of a servant-leader - and perhaps more importantly, where i may have missed the mark - maybe i didn't listen or seek to understand, i may have been stuck in a day-to-day mentality, etc. also, i read - voraciously. i listen - vicariously. i talk - vivaciously.

LISTENING
[insert link + description]

EMPATHY
[insert link + description]

HEALING
[insert link + description]

AWARENESS
[insert link + description]

PERSUASION
[insert link + description]

CONCEPTUALIZATION
[insert link + description]

FORESIGHT
[insert link + description]

STEWARDSHIP
[insert link + description]

BUILDING COMMUNITY
[insert link + description]

COMMITMENT TO THE GROWTH OF PEOPLE
[insert link + description]

BACKGROUND THOUGHTS FOR STARTING [wiki] PAGE ... i have come to find that many of my previous blog posts/writings at the various blogs i have kept -

• girlnutkin in the BA (since 2010),
• the predecessor blog (nov 2007-oct 2009) relo'd to BA from SD (marking when i moved from san diego to the SF bay area),
  
• its predecessor blog (jan 2006-oct 2007) relo-ing from SD to BA (marking when i first started blogging thinking i'd do so only to document my planned move from san diego to northern california), and
  
• and a separate blog specific to an internship program i had at my business (jan 2006-oct 2007) REALITY: Intern (aka r|intern) ...
  

- - these blogs have sprinkles of what we are learning in class. i can see how my thoughts dovetail or are somehow related to the reading assignments and reflections resulting during from our class reading. and for my current blog (and with the past blogs), each post is a thought i came across - perhaps that morning, the night before, during a conversation with friends, whatever the source - therefore, i don't quite plan my posts. sometimes i may have a little 'backlog', sometimes i'm not in the mood to post, or sometimes i post filler (like about my car woes). therefore, as much as what i post appears random to others, the randomness is simply what i've decided to post for a given day.

teach to learn ... although through the years i have read books related to servant-leadership, quite a bit related to business and self-improvement, and many magazine/newspaper articles infused with servant-leader learning, there is much to be said about teaching to learn. i remember this teach to learn as part of when i was going to college and being tutored, when i chose to tutor folks, as part of 7 habits, and when i hear myself sharing learnings. and needless to say, the most powerful (for me, at least) is the experiential aspect ... when i also may be in teacher mode and realize that i am, in fact, the one learning. i found from a covey tweet -

• 5 reasons to teach: to learn better, to motivate you to live it, to increase your ability to listen, to legitimatize change, and to bond.

posts as related to greenleaf class ... i still maintain the blog label/tag greenleaf for class related posts. and while i thought i might have a post (maybe once every 2 weeks or so) that is specifically and only dedicated to class-related activities, i am seeing that i constantly think and feel (if that makes sense) much of what we are reading and writing as i go through my day (and as i have gone through in my past years). this wiki is a place to organize my thoughts as inspired by the 2nd class reading assignments.

time to do more reflection and reading -
read voraciously
listen vicariously
talk vivaciously

f|break: sunday morning

be happy ... @srikumarsrao (on twitter, web) shares thoughts on being happy. as a recent add to my bookshelf, rao's book happiness at work is a great companion to my class work with the greenleaf academy and to my continued interest in one's passion.

coming across this video of rao speaking at a conference is a nice respite amidst this weekend cubeopolis crunch time. i especially enjoyed the following as he nears the closing of his talk -

"passion exists inside you ... but if you do find a way to ignite it [passion] where you are, then you will find that the external world rearranges itself to accommodate the new person that you are becoming. and as you do that, you will find that miracles happen on a regular basis. persons come up whom you're delighted to meet ... new people enter your life. it's just a breeze. because all you do in your life is you take journeys. ..."

this very much reminds me of 1994. my friend christina (@ChristinaSolstd) taught me to accept and celebrate the passion that i had back then. she bore witness to the crazy fun of my life in transition. and once again, i am able to share with christina the (re)emerging passion with which i have which i have been reconnecting as i shared in one word. for whatever reason i came across rao's book, i am glad to have done so and will enjoy the process and the journey as it evolves.

enjoy a fiber break with srikumar rao (over here)
for a total of ~ 18:30 + minutes
parts 1 and 2 below


the outcome is completely outside your control ...
invest in the process
is this the journey i want to take?

your passion ...

and a macaroon ... i think about @greenleafcenter and our classwork ALL the time - and when i'm not thinking about class, i feel as if i'm experiencing something related to servant leadership.

creating time ... somewhere in between cubeopolis crunches, various class commitments, keeping up with health month activities, eeking out a meager social life, and the basic eat & sleep stuff, i realize continuing to create time is PRIORITY ONE so that i'm not uncharacteristically blog-quiet and am stayin' on track with recommitting to yhd and reverb10 in 2011 - PRIORITY ONE, i say.

back to your passion ... recently, i had lunch with a friend who is exploring her next step in life, so to speak. (i believe this is a reminder to me, as well, to keep on steppin', by the way.) she mentioned recently hearing and reading quite a bit about perspectives of success and failure. with that said, the rest of this post is an abridged and somewhat edited version of what i shared with my greenleaf class and my continuing on the ideas and thoughts i have about the topic of one's passion, success, and failure. i'm intrigued ... INTRIGUED, i say! i LOVE the transition phase that people experience. i LOVE being around people on that cusp of transition. most of my life, i feel i have had the opportunity to share in those moments with others - friends and loose ties - the AH-HA moments and the NOT-QUITE-READY-RIGHT-NOW moments. whether i seek it out or it finds me, i get to serve as a kind of connector. people react differently to that cusp - some with a kind of trepidation, and others - it's a full frontal attack and balls to the wall.

time to deal with that cusp ... there are many ways to approach one's passion. for my passion, i shared reconnecting with my passion in one word. now i'm exploring amping it up in 2011. through that past months or so, here are just a very few blog posts i've come across with quite varying perspectives and approaches and all if which i have enjoyed reading ...

• joyologist tricia's i don't always know what i'm doing - i just do it
• advanced riskologist tyler's you today vs. you tomorrow and how to write your biography 40 years earlier and are you dreaming or anticipating?
• zen habits's leo's achieving without goals and guest post from study hacks's cal newport on the minimalist's guide to cultivating passion
• study hacks's cal's passion must be actively pursued, not passively waited on
• the middle finger project's ashley's live alive, not just a life: guidelines for rebelling against reality
• castle in the air's nina on the 3 fears - fear of failure, fear of success and fear of abandonment
• the art of non-conformity's chris on what would you do if you knew you would not fail
• the daily love's mastin on want to change? live outside your comfort zone

back to YOUR passion (aka mission, perhaps) ... my friend mentioned that over the past week or so she has felt flooded with stories of what is success and what is failure - AND when she mentioned talk show host, Tavis Smiley, who has written a book Fail Up, i recall seeing his interview with Larry King (part 1, part 2) several thoughts popped into my head while she and i were talking about this over this past Friday's lunch -

• Bolles's what color is your parachute? exercises (so i gave her the workbook) - although for job hunters, I do believe it helps to clarify one's interests, inherent skill sets, and self-awareness.
• 7 Habits and the mission statement builder via Covey - i thought of this because i took it back in the early '90s and revisited it in 2010; i realize that many elements of 7 Habits have been part of my fabric.
  
• Sher's refuse to choose book, which uses the term scanner - a person with many interests, who wants to pursue all of them.
• dream zapper (or energy vampires) - I thought of this because of the idea of NOT zapping other people's dreams and NOT zapping one's OWN dreams; I came across this while reading TMF's blog posts about dream zappers (over here) and shared related thoughts on my blog over here with the magic 8-ball technique and over here as related to a post about tyler's advanced riskology post
• TED and TED talks - I am going to see what is on TED that would speak to my friend
• Kent Keith's book anyway, the paradoxical commandments, which i came across because my brother sent me ken miller's retake the paradoxical commandments of government over here
  
• Po Bronson's book what should i do with my life?, a collection of essays about people seeking and being
• ann lamott's book bird by bird, which is not just for writing but for discovering one's self (in my opinion)
• legacy, a book that is for writing one's personal history
• the movie UP (on web, imdb), because I had just watched it and balled my eyes out (sweet movie)
  

(YES! this is what happens when i get several thoughts!)

Interestingly, a book that my friend thought about during our lunch and has since lent me to read is patti smith's book just kids, which happened to be on the "to read" list on my springpad!

society on success, failure, accomplishments, lessons learned ... my conversation with my friend has made me think about the accepted (or perhaps imposed) societal burden that defines success and that defines failure - and how does one's mission and message transcend those labels? i believe one's mission can exist EVEN IF others believe that it will likely fail (in the conventional sense) - and it seems like this is part of the emotional and psychological barrier where the messenger and the listener can choose to overcome - where a shared understanding can be reached.

my task for the day ...
share this with lunch buddy

greenleaf on camus

it's almost may 7 ... @greenleafcenter the second class of the foundations of servant leadership feels like it is around the corner. i am certainly looking forward to the next class. (i shared some initial thoughts the day after our first class on april 9 over here.)

current reading ...
part of our next class reading is
the servant as leader.

reflect and express ... amidst the assigned readings are the moments of reflection - and there are many, thankfully. and as part of our class, we are asked and encouraged to share our thoughts. given the virtual and telephony environment of the class, i must say that as i read through our assignments (and i do something every day, if even just to reflect on passages or revisit answers to questions posed for classwork), i do miss the impromptu banter over coffee/tea that i recall from my days long ago as a college student.

nevertheless, the personal reflection and opportunity to share is refreshing. with that said - our moment of reflection, as shared by greenleaf in our current reading, an albert camus quote -

"Great ideas, it has been said, come into the world as gently as doves. Perhaps, then, if we listen attentively, we shall hear, amid the uproar of empires and nations, a faint flutter of wings, the gentle stirring of life and hope. Some will say that this hope lies in a nation, others, in a man. I believe rather that it is awakened, revived, nourished by millions of solitary individuals whose deeds and works every day negate frontiers and the crudest implications of history. As a result, there shines forth fleetingly the ever-threatened truth that each and every person, on the foundations of his or her own sufferings and joys, builds for them all."

- Camus, 1961

on the first class reading ... as i am very nearly finished with the first book, don frick's robert k. greenleaf: a life of servant leadership, i have enjoyed responding to the 17 questions posed - particularly as this class is serving as a wonderful muse for journaling.

as mentioned in a previous blog post of a kind of transcript-lite of my introduction to the class, i shared a couple of things including -

...i'm taking this class as a result of some stream of consciousness writing that i did in december. each day i was participating in an on-line blogging exercise ... reconnecting with something that i had done back in 1994.

... and i feel very compelled to create a way to help people better interact in the workplace.

my '94 epiphany ... as part of my class/public journal, i shared part of what i felt led up to what' i've called my '94 epiphany during a very early morning -

There are BRIDGES yet to be constructed by those who live and

breathe in their ENVIRONMENT— AIR, LAND, and WATER. Egos stand firm

on the ground that they were born and choose not to acknowledge that

to get one step closer they must go one step FURTHER.

MY VISION IS TO CREATE THOSE BRIDGES. – (shirlnuktin)

values ... through the weeks that followed in '94, more thoughts and writings came about in the form of a kind of values and mission statements - shared a bit in this post back in december. fast forward to present day, the values, albeit formatted and expressed a little differently since '94, still hold true for me -

The CATALYST’s VALUES are based on the following RELATIONAL ELEMENTS:

• Catalysts RESPECT that an individual is a member of multiple COMMUNITIES – FAMILY, SCHOOL, FAITH, EMPLOYER, TOWN, NATION, and WORLD.
• Catalysts ENCOURAGE each individual to be RESPONSIBLE for his or her community.
• Catalysts CHALLENGE each community to be ACCOUNTABLE to each individual.
• Catalysts APPRECIATE each individual in a community is UNIQUE yet shares common goals.
• Catalysts ACKNOWLEDGE that each community has a FINITE mix of individuals.

values - revisiting & refreshing ... as i am reading the servant as leader, i am once again compelled to revisit the values set forth from '94 - to refresh them a bit and to revive the essence and spirit of resource catalysts.

ponder. ponder. ponder.