WOW weeks

THANKS @bjfogg @greenleafcenter @madeuptheatre @fluevog ... for a wonderful 2 weeks of WOW!

catching thoughts & breaths ... a bit of a whirlwind for me, i am calling these past several days and the balance of this upcoming week as my WOW weeks - and i am all the better of a person for keeping my heart, soul, and mind nourished. a quick tidbit about each of the four (i.e., servant leadership, behavior design, improvisation, artsy shoes) and more in future blog posts ...

greenleaf center for servant leadership ... next year i'll be back for the 23rd annual conference. and since the conference, i have been in creative-mode about speaking as part of a session, yet to be created. meanwhile, this past june was the 22nd annual conference of the greenleaf center (in indianapolis). while i have completed two of their academy classes (foundations and key practices), several firsts for me - attending the center's conference, staying in a place via airbnb, and visiting indianapolis (specifically mass ave district). 

with kent keith, former CEO of the greenleaf center
and author of the paradoxical commandments

my greenleaf WOW ... i've been on a servant leader journey at least since 1994, when i had an epiphany. having met (and listened to) many at this conference, i see there are many with whom i share this path, with whom are reflecting on their lives, and with whom i look forward to others joining along.

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. - (shirlnutkin, 1994)

lovely setting along the river  in Sonoma County

bj fogg's persuasion boot camp ... the opportunity to be part of bj's persuasion boot camp became reality this past friday and saturday. it started with tiny habits, which i learned about through health month at the beginning of the year, and since then, i've been quite obsessed fascinated with tiny habits, the back-story, and the continued evolution of bj's behavior design model and his thoughts.

lovin' my little boot camp dog tag!

it has not even been 24-hours since the end of boot camp, and already i am very much seeing and hearing the world around me so differently. that's what i get for going to the campbell city farmers market - hearing people talk about how they want to eat healthier foods, watching people trying to make their dogs "more obedient", trying fruit samples, and looking at point-of-purchase displays in the little shops and boutiques.

lunch on day 1 of boot camp - 3 FABULOUS salad offerings.
thanks, denny, for wonderful meals made with love!

my boot camp WOW ... several outcomes as i pondered on my drive home from healdsburg to the east bay and from this morning's stroll around the farmers market. i am totally taking my broader abstract ideas and getting them clearer, MUCH clearer (and this means clearing the clutter physically, mentally, emotionally, and socially) - (a) revamping my 2012 mash-up goals, (b) baby steppin' my creation of anthrocubeology, and (c) identifying tiny habits and triggers for several july health month rules. i am practicing what i learned on me and sharing with others!

short form improv with Level E MUTers!
my pee-in-your-pants moment
of introducing "plaque"
as part of an instruction manual for a ball.
(yes - a ball. that round thing that bounces.)

made up theatre improvisation classes ... my, oh my, how i have missed playing with fellow improvisers at the sunday classes for advanced long form improv and short form improv. many games already learned in short form improv as of week 3. i'll be including week 4 and week 5 (today) in a combined blog post for fellow improvisers.

most of the short form peeps from made up theatre ...
still two more peeps to round us out!

today is week 5 of 8, which means our shows (long form and short form) are around the corner. and this evening, i will spend 4 hours with fellow improvisers after more than 2 weeks away from making bold choices and committing to fabulous fun on stage! what WOW will result from this evening's ruckus?! 

fluevog fluegasm ... what can i say that has not been said about my obsession love of fluevogs?! admittedly, i have been at 26 pairs of fluevogs that make me smile and make my feet happy. and as of thus past monday, i've got a wonderfully cute vintage pair - fellowship | cecily.

fellowship | cecily
thanks much, wendy bliss!

on thursday, i'll be at the haight street store - 3 of the 4 fluevog iv will hang out with others for a summer sale sneak preview. the "rest of the world" can shop the sale in-store and on-line starting friday. just a little perk of lovin' fluevogs.

shirl, dorothy, jim, gladys, joanne, denny
(we'll miss you on thursday, gladys, 
and will be thinking of you lovingly!)
love you fluevog iv!

an exciting way 

to start july for shirlnutkin!

inspiring #gcsl

THANKS @greenleafcenter for #servantleadership day 1 of your annual international conference by the greenleaf center for servant leadership (in cooperation with ALP). oddly one of the bestest vacation choices i have made - being inspired, meeting wonderful people, learning more about servant leadership, and as one does ... intense self-reflection and self-awareness.

so many thoughts ... are swirling in my head. it's the morning after day 1, and last night i spent amped up, energized, and pensive - deeply reflecting on many learnings, mini "wow" and "ah ha" moments, and more importantly (for me) continued clarity about anthrocubeology. i thought i would post something last night, however, i spent time reading and reflecting (and actually - mostly reflecting and meditating).

tidbits of day 1 ...  there were many chunky things during the first day of the conference, so just a few highlights that i hope to later follow-up with in some fashion and write about later -

• world cafe in the morning ... we had one with hundreds of people and it was nifty. two questions posed with the framework of quotes from robert greenleaf. and arla (who i sat next to) shared when we judge others, we don't judeg who they are, we judge who we are.
• storytelling ... personal servant leadership journey stories from a panel of three speakers - barbara hollace, steve thiry (fond du lac police dept), and tre sanders (@tre_sanders). a few take aways for me included ladder of inference, kiwani's key club (and caring, empathy, sense of humor, realness), and "3 e's" as i'll term them - example, empathy, empowerment. 
• intercultural competency and recruiting diversification ... while other workshops were offered on personal development, organizational implementation, and faith, i chose a workshop that was part of ALP's offerings, i met erin and tessa of catalystlead with (thanks to tessa and eric for a kick in the arse about anthrocubeology - YES! getting info out there - writing, sharing, writing, etc. - so people can respond. it will help shape and clarify what is brewing. and yes, my friend, tracy s., ALSO has lovingly nudged me.) interesting exercise on feeling and behaving. 
• afternoon speaker (with storytelling intensity) ... kevin trapani (@kevintrapani) from redwoods group spoke well as he shared about his perspective of servant leadership and on being a servant leader, as well as about his organization. 
• affinity group meeting ... with 8 to choose from, i attended the greenleaf center academy group meeting. (other group meeting included topics related to health care, business, servant leadership and race, government and public sector, NPOs, virtual servant leadership learning community, and ALP folks.) my instructors - isabel  (for foundations coures) and jeff (for key practices course) - were there, along with other center's faculty members  and other academy students. in this group, i met a member of the USAF and learned something i was not aware of - the intense leadership and professional development opportunities afforded by the air force to their people.
• reception and book signing ... while i did not attending the book signing (though i will leave with more books), chowed a little cheese, crackers, bread and washed down with a cabernet sauv that i nursed through dinner
• dinner ... i had the honor and pleasure of sitting with two women (quite impressive) in the usaf and learning about them, their perspectives, their experiences, and their challenges. let me say that i am humbled that i had this opportunity and am glad the gentleman from the affinity group invited me to sit with them. (a very big "thank you!" - what i learned over dinner will shape (is shaping) my pursuing anthrocubeology.)
• evening speaker ... judy o'bannon - was the first lady of indiana from 1997-2003. very much inspired by her stories and thankful that i had the opportunity to be present to hear her share.

OOPSIE ... i'm running late to get to today's conference!!! gotta cab over from my airbnb mass ave district home away from home. (LOVE IT!) to keep with yesterday's "theme" of pictures - here's my beer offering from lunch - upland IPA (and mini corndogs ... i know. what was i thinking? was tasty, still.) - from loughmiller's pub.

upland IPA, mini corndogs - from loughmiller's pub

for the servant leader's mind: 

if not me, who?

pre-conf in indy

@greenleafcenter thanks ... for a fabulous pre-conference (workshops) day at this year's annual conference - getting results through servant leadership. and as i have said before, thank you for the wonderful greenleaf academy experience.


about the pre-conference ... quickie about the topics relating (and relaying) servant leadership included implementing in healthcare industry (cases), non-profit capacity building (introduction, in the boardroom, philanthropy, cases), and personal development (both half-day and full day offerings).

my amber pint at ram restaurant 

my pre-conference day ... i attended the morning non-profit capacity building with presenters phil anderson and dr. kent keith. i lunched at the ram restaurant with dr. jeff miller in the afternoon where i sampled (o.k. - i pint-ed) the amber ale. in the afternoon, i attended dr. keith's intro to servant leadership. yes, i realize after my taking the foundations and key practices courses, maybe it may make sense not to attend the intro class, however, i was curious about others who are in the learning and discovery mode, so makes sense to be part of that workshop.

a few notes ... i will follow-up on several references by the presenters and by those attending. some tidbits -

• expand the "why" (not just how and what)
• you are theirs as a leader
• persuasion (not coercion)
• compassionate emptiness
• personal development plan (which reminds me of 31 day reset)
• appreciative inquiry

and as a misheard set of words

(giggle, giggle)

survey monkey

not

serving monkeys

(and serving monkeys is funnier 

within the context of a conversation 

about anyone's cubeopolis - had to be there, i guess.)

thanks @greenleafcenter

and dr. kent keith, @jeffmiller79, isabel lopez, and dolores jones. i cannot say enough about how much i value the greenleaf center's role (and timing) in my servant leadership journey. and as part of the reminiscing that regularly occurs during the december-january months, i am glad to share tidbits of my 2011 journey, along with the first two pages of my key practices paper.

and once again, 

with much gratitude,

thank you all.

the greenleaf center for servant leadership certificate programs (over here) - the foundations of servant leadership and applying the key practices of servant leadership - were intensely thought-provoking for me and very energizing (internally and externally). more than a month after the last key practices class, i am already going through withdrawals not regularly being part of a servant leadership community - those learning, studying, and practicing. yet, meanwhile, i am excited to engage what i have learned as part of the self-discovery that is inherent in the greenleaf servant leadership programs. 

a little background of my greenleaf journey ... on this blog, i've occasionally posted about my class experience and related thoughts for the foundations class (over here) and the key practices class (over here). (also under my blog's greenleaf label)

for the foundations course

for the key practices course

in short, we read, we wrote (on the class wiki), and we talked as part of monthly class calls. and there are many opportunities to go beyond the required reading and discussions. most notably, however, are the many AH-HA moments! i shared about my first class with the foundations course over here, where i included the text of my 3:38 minute intro - why i was taking the coures. and i shared about my key practices paper in the making over here.

wordle from my key practices final paper

key practices ah-ha moments ... in addition to refining and defining my credo (as part of feedback from the foundations course), i am engaging in further exploring servant leadership through language.

key practices paper, p. 1

key practices paper, p. 2

For Now, I Choose the Petri Dish:

Unwritten Rules and Alphabet Soup

 

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 a member of the Greenleaf Academy’s class, Applying Key Practices of Servant Leadership (Key Practices), has been not only an extension of my introduction to the Academy through the Foundations of Servant Leadership class (Foundations) but also a a series of unplanned, experiential learning moments in the workplace.  I have affectionately referred to my workplace as my “petri dish of improv comic gold and servant leadership lessons-in-the-making”. Whether by coincidence or by being present – through awareness, reflection, embodiment, contribution – more than often my workplace seemed to manifest our Key Practices readings and discussions.

A petri dish, by definition from the American Heritage® Medical Dictionary, is a –

“shallow circular dish with a loose-fitting cover, used to culture bacteria or other microorganisms”

I suggest that the workplace analogy, using the format of this definition, may be reworded as –

“cubicles used to culture staff and management personnel”

 Meanwhile, another definition (from Merriam Webster) that is not as tongue-in-cheek may be considered more comparable for describing the workplace setting –

“something (as a place or situation) that fosters development or innovation”

While I have frustrations about the workplace, I have come to appreciate better and do acknowledge what my petri dish offers as I continue my curious discoveries through my servant leadership journey. Whether it is through observing and participating in day-to-day peer interactions and in communications across hierarchies, with the added knowledge from of Key Practices, I believe that I have much to offer to foster development of better workplace experiences, as well as much to be reminded of about circumstances not demonstrative of servant leadership characteristics.

As an extension of my reconnecting with my epiphany during the Academy’s Foundations course, Key Practices has provided the added context for understanding how to weave together servant leadership attributes and engage with others the ten characteristics of servant leadership, particularly as part of organizations and institutions. By observing and reflecting on my workplace, I intend to explore the use of language – written, verbal, artistic expression – to affect workplace satisfaction. Three topic areas that I am pursuing include: 

• systems - while being mindful of the value of foresight, the goals of rethinking complexity, and similar ideas, increasing my understanding of and making more accessible systems theory;
• storytelling – through my creation of anthrocubeology (i.e., a web-based format for story-telling workplace possibilities and alternatives), express ideas about approaches for catalyzing organizational cultural shifts through reflection and self-awareness; and
• philosophy – by bringing together servant leadership and my other interest in the epistemology of knowledge and ignorance, develop my voice about my belief of a person’s ability to make a difference through our connectedness.

If you try to find meaning in everything you do,
you will imbue everything you do with meaning.

- James Autry

deep thoughts in class paper

@jeffmiller79, THANKS MUCH 

for your inspiration and support!

"for now, i choose the petri dish:

unwritten rules and alphabet soup"

such is my affectionately titled class paper for my greenleaf academy course (more here), applying the key practices of servant leadership (related posts over here). and while writing my paper, i revisited quotes that i've kept around to ponder. one of them -

"The greater part of our knowledge and beliefs
has been communicated to us by other people 

through the medium of a language

which others have created."

- Albert Einstein

i have batted around lots of ideas since my '94 epiphany, and in this class, i connected a bunch of dots in my head and unearthed from my grey matter the following -

... I intend to explore the use of language – written, verbal, artistic expression – to affect workplace satisfaction. Three topic areas that I am pursuing include:

• systems - while being mindful of the value of foresight, the goals of rethinking complexity, and similar ideas, increasing my understanding of and making more accessible systems theory; 
• storytelling – through my creation of anthrocubeology (i.e., a web-based format for story-telling workplace possibilities and alternatives), express ideas about approaches for catalyzing cultural shifts through reflection and self-awareness; and
• philosophy – by bringing together servant leadership and my other interest in the epistemology of knowledge and ignorance, develop my voice about my belief of a person’s ability to make a difference through our connectedness.

deep, thoughtful "stuff" came out (and continues to come out) of my writing as inspired by my greenleaf experiences.

 

"If you try to find meaning in everything you do, 

you will imbue everything you do with meaning."

- James Autry

 

thanks again, jeff!

(near finish line!)

DISC me and then dog me ...

wordle me ... i may (or may not) be addicted to wordle, or perhaps i have a crush on it - mentor application, final greenleaf1 paper. for the potential mentor process, here's my wordle of my basic characteristics disc profile (about DISC on wiki) that i recently took this week.

(or view over here)

adaptive and natural style ... on each page of the report, there are two little graphs, side by side, and my little graphs are these. the natural style is suppose to represent how i see myself and who i am. the adapted style is suppose to represent how i respond to my environment. so mine are relatively close. what this means? i dunno (yet).

who am i? ... disc is considered one of those tools to discover answers to this question. but there are other tools (in addition to the voices in your head, the writing in one's journal, the truth serum speak after too many drinks, the catholic guilt that may be instilled in one, 31 days of reverb10, and/or the ba-boom-boom-boom of your heart). as mentioned in a flashback fiber break (over here), there are lots o' other tools.

dog me ... my FAVE EVER in the world of - who am i? who are you? who cares? Gone to the Dogs has a faux "personality" test (see the "Game" link to the left of the website) ...

and woo-hoo!!!
once czesky terrier ...
interim mini schnauzer interim ...
and now ...

got me back that czesky terrier!

"weird hairy undercarriage"
(heehee - now go dog yourself!)

humility - get accountable

key practices ... with @greenleafcenter and @jeffmiller79, the first class was on september 9, and our second class (of five) was september 30.

got started ... the week before our first class, i shared a bit over here, including a description of course requirements, what we've been asked to do as part of preparing for first class, a list of our required reading, and a tools for consideration. and as part of my staycation on sept. 2, i squatted at paddy's finishing up part of the first class reading assignment.

humilty is ... as shared in the preface of hayes/comer book - start with humility (over here) -

"Humility is of course a highly personal thing. It is about one's values and attitudes about oneself, others , and the world in which we live. Humility is affected by spiritual issues, the ego, and practical, daily pressures."

the humility dynamic ... with an emphasis in taking action, start with humility proposes what is called "the humility dynamic" - humanness/authenticity + humble behaviors results in trust/response and can lead to inspired followers.

and then i was reminded of a recent movie,

due date (over here) with a quote (over here).
have a little break for ~ 6 seconds with zack galifianakis

"you better check yourself before you wreck yourself"

check yourself ... i enjoyed the book, particularly given shared stories/profiles of people and the 'workbook' format that encourages self-reflection and action for developing and sustaining humble behaviors. by building upon the definitions, behaviors, actions, and what are characterized as humble responses from the authentic core, part of evolving toward humble behaviors references daniel goleman's primal leadership for the following pattern -

• self-assessment
• motivation
• practice
• feedback

- with these four steps later described as train the brain. essentially, self-improvement doesn't just come from simply saying you understand and agree with something you read. there is a learning do-loop, coupled with behavioral change.

self-awareness ... the key - making adjustments through self-awareness. 5 profiles are shared, linking each person's humble behavior story to a particular key word - accountability, kindness, open-mindedness, appreciation, modesty. following each profile is a workbook format for completing a leadership self-assessment and leadership actions, e.g., actions one would take regarding humility to enhance one's leadership.

coaching tip take-aways ... after the 5 profiles, behaviors associated with 6 humble competency areas are listed. several coaching tips for building behaviors in a particular competency area are provided. the 6 humble behavior competency areas addressed -

• accountability
• kindness
• open-mindedness
• advocacy
• appreciation
• modesty

check myself ... the last chapter of the book - sustainability - putting into action what you have learned - emphasizes the benefits of making and sustaining behavioral changes. a distinction is made between targeting the brain's neo-cortex rather than the limbic brain -

"The neo-cortex is where we learn facts and figures, remember basic concepts, and process analytical and technical concepts. The limbic part of the brain is the part that governs feelings, impulses, and drives (in other words, those behaviors that often get us in trouble at work). ... The limbic brain learns through motivation, extended practice, and feedback."

believe ... the train the brain steps are coupled with the foundation of belief. an overview of The Belief System™ (from authors thad green and merywn hayes, who authored a book over here ) is summarized as -

"basically says that when it comes to motivation, what a person believes is often more important that what really is. ... believe the can make the change ... believed there will be an outcome or consequence if they make the change ... be something they want ... Belief 1 - Confidence, Belief 2 - Trust, and Belief 3 - Satisfaction ... much more to the The Belief System™ ... basics will be enough to show how the concept applies to behavioral change."

train my brain in three areas ... as part of the book's message, when applying the behavioral change concept, three specific changes should be identified. after choosing the three areas to change, the train the brain four steps of self-assessment, motivation, practice and feedback are engaged.

the assessment of "what's what" ... there are certainly several behavioral changes i can make. at this time, the humble behaviors (associated with the humble comptency) i have chosen - with references to a few coaching tips (provided in the book) and lessons learned that were shared as part of the 5 profiles - are a follows -

• being an effective listener (kindness) - understand the ideas and feelings expressed by others. listen entirely to the other person, concentrating on what the other person is saying and recognizing that the person's ideas are important to them.
  
  • practice using silence. you can't listen while you're talking. pause three seconds before answering questions.
  • lessons learned as shared in the profile of alex gregory, ykk corporation
    
    • find your voice ...
      
    • show people you really care ...
      
    • drive change by building trust ...
      
  
  
• managing emotions (open-mindedness) - aware of one's impact on others but also utilize one's own self assessment to tap into the emotions of others to get positive results.
  
  • pay attention to the time between stimulus and response. in order to neutralize the response from your hot buttons, don't respond in the moment. instead leave some breathing room between whey you want to emotionally respond and when you actually respond.
  • lessons learned as shared in the profile of general frederick m. franks, jr., u.s. army (ret.)
    
    • all you have to do is ask ...
    • let go of your ego and you will fuel winners ...
    • have courage to be who you are ...
      

• developing others (appreciation) - ways to ensure others are growing and developing personally and professionally. "other oriented" - interested in the growth of others and not constantly grabbing opportunities for themselves.
  
  • ensure you know others' strengths. check on your perceptions of their strengths by talking with them about their strengths and development areas.
  • lessons learned as shared in the profile of linda combs, former controller OMB
    
    • celebrate the accomplishments of others ...
      
    • be tough on problems - but gentle with people ...
      
    • encourage others to grow and develop their talents ...
      
    • make time to remind people they are important - they really are! ...
      

motivation, practice, feedback ... in a follow-up post (or posts), i'll include more about the three humble behavior improvements i have chosen and the following steps i have already been taking -

• motivation - how to make the behavior stick as in "i believe i can make this change and that its result will be beneficial for me because ..."

• practice - use of coaching tips on a daily basis, specific, measurable, and on-going as in "specifically this is what i plan to do differently on my job, at home, etc.) starting tomorrow ..."
  

• feedback - reinforce the practice (or changed behavior); ensure behavior is constantly happening as in "i will ensure i am getting appropriate feedback on this change by: (example: asking for peer feedback, meeting with my manager, etc.) ..."
  

thank you ... meanwhile, thanks to l.a.g. and shiny penny andy for being part of my feedback process. others are welcome!

"crucible moments are transformational experiences
that often define a person's worldview or philosophy"

staycation f|break: fri morn

day two of my inspired break ... still kinda sorta off-the-grid as i was on day one (over here). answering questions that have been swirling around in my head. and this morn, i am continuing to prep for greenleaf center class work - applying key practices of servant leadership - as shared (over here).

connecting the dots ... this morn's thoughts swirling around servant leadership and compassion. (yeah ... it's a self-reflection staycation.)

curious, also, about servant leadership? ... a friend was curious about servant leadership, given she also has been involved in several leadership training activities. while i shared with her my becoming aware of servant leadership, i also shared with her several links and resources from the greenleaf center's site, with what is servant leadership? being one of them. and as shared by the greenleaf center -

The phrase “Servant Leadership” was coined by Robert K. Greenleaf in The Servant as Leader, an essay that he first published in 1970. In that essay, he said:

"The servant-leader is servant first… It begins with the natural feeling that one wants to serve, to serve first. Then conscious choice brings one to aspire to lead. That person is sharply different from one who is leader first, perhaps because of the need to assuage an unusual power drive or to acquire material possessions…The leader-first and the servant-first are two extreme types. Between them there are shadings and blends that are part of the infinite variety of human nature."

"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. The best test, and difficult to administer, is: Do those served grow as persons? Do they, while being served, become healthier, wiser, freer, more autonomous, more likely themselves to become servants? And, what is the effect on the least privileged in society? Will they benefit or at least not be further deprived?"

what authors have shared ... also on the what is page are comments from other authors, many whose books and perspectives have served as the core of various leadership, personal, professional, and organizational development training. head over to the what is page (over here) for the full complement. meanwhile, here are tidbits from each -

ken blanchard - "... servant seadership is about getting people to a higher level by leading people at a higher level."

stephen covey - " ... through the empowerment of people ... high-trust cultures ... leaders are learning that this kind of empowerment, which is what servant leadership represents, is one of the key principles that ..."

ann mcgee-cooper and duane trammell - "... the focus of servant leadership is on sharing information, building a common vision, self-management, high levels of interdependence, learning from mistakes, encouraging creative input from every team member, and questioning present assumptions and mental models."

m. scott peck - "servant leadership is more than a concept ... an ethical leader of any group, will see herself or himself primarily as a servant of that group and will act accordingly."

peter m. senge - "i believe that the book Servant Leadership, and in particular the essay, “The Servant as Leader,” which starts the book off, is the most singular and useful statement on leadership that i have read in the last 20 years. ... this one essay penetrates to such a depth ... i found myself stopped, repeatedly, by a single sentence or phrase."

margaret wheatley - "... i believe that if the real work is to stay together, then we are not only the best resource to move into this future—we are the only resource…. we need to learn how to be together: that is the essential work of the servant-leader."

compassion ... while reading the wheatley quote, i was reminded of compassion.

here's an extended fiber break with robert thurman (over here)
for ~ 18 min as part of charter for compassion

" ... quoting einstein ...
a human being is part of the whole,
called by us, universe, a part limited in time and space.
... buddhist psychology, wherein compassion, karuna,
it is called, is defined as,
"the sensitivity to another's suffering
and the corresponding will
to free the other from that suffering."

got servant leadership?

applying key practices ... with @greenleafcenter, sept 9 will be the first of five classes in the applying the key practices of servant leadership in the coming months with the greenleaf center for servant leadership.

foundations ... last week, i just completed the foundations of servant leadership, as i had described in a previous post - the day after ... i took the first class. here is my final paper's intro paragraph.

getting started ... just as with foundations, we have a class wiki. our instructor is jeff miller (@jeffmiller79) and dolores jones (over here) is our program coordinator. our course requirements include -

• keep up with the reading
  
• be on as many of our conference calls as possible and be open to learning, sharing, and asking good questions
• keep a journal of your thoughts, questions, reflections
• contribute your thoughts and questions to our wiki
• submit a final "reflection paper" at the end of the class
  

- and in preparation for our first class, we are asked the following -

• have the first two sets of readings done
• log into the wiki and introduce yourself
• start my journal on thoughts/reflections
  

- and what a collection of readings(!) -

• start with humility
• seven pillars of servant leadership
• foresight as the central ethic of leadership
• it's your ship
• authentic conversations
• (via dvd) james autry keynote on love & profit
  

- and then there are a couple of suggested considerations for tools -

• mindmapping
• sensemaking

i'm excited
(while reading!)

refreshing & regrouping ... time to start a new springpad note