Thomas Friedman, the author and New York Times columnist, wrote an article (with the same title) on leadership in the August 21, Sunday edition of the Times. He refers to Nelson Mandela’s leadership as portrayed by Morgan Freeman in the recent movie Invictus. When the black-led South African sports committee moved to change the famous (previously all white Springboks) rugby team’s name and colors, Mandela intervened. He called this selfish thinking and is quoted as saying: “We have to surprise them (the white community) with restraint and generosity.” While Freidman’s article refers to a larger political context, there is a lesson that applies to every day life for us….the surprise of generosity and abundant thinking.
When one thinks about the mental distance one has to travel from the greatness of Mandela to our everyday lives, it should be quite easy for us to surprise people with our daily generosity…right? So I challenge us to go to work this week and genuinely surprise someone with our generosity. Don’t expect anything in return. Why don’t you and I thoughtfully give, and let’s see what happens.
with Character,
Lorne
A Guide for the Everyday Climb
Living in the Triangle is a continuous climb. Theoretically there is no summit; the pinnacle always just a little further ahead. However the real victory is in the journey and attaining levels along the way. There are a number of applicable metaphors for this process of living The Character Triangle and Scott Dinsmore of Reading for Your Success provides a good one. Upon completing a grueling several day climb up the 14,179 foot Mt. Shasta, Scott summarized the following key lessons for scaling life’s daily mountains:
- Pack Light. Positive thoughts, relationships and experiences are more important in helping us up than material things. Most of us die with little interest in our “stuff.” What can we shed?
- Take One Step at a Time. Break progress into small steps; 15 steps up; 15 breaths for rest. When have you and I done this recently?
- Don’t Go it Alone. We all need a support team. Name your support team.
- Listen to the Experts. Choose models and mentors and really learn from them. Who are yours?
- Slow Down. Be present …don’t try and skip steps …experience the way forward. Are we doing this now?
- Look Back to Take in the View. Wherever you are, there is value in appreciating the view and journey to the present. What have you and I learned to date?
- Save energy for the trip down. It’s not a sprint; save some “juice” for the unexpected obstacles along the way. Are we replenishing ourselves sufficiently?
- Getting to the Top is Optional; getting down mandatory. Know when to step back to go forward; it is usually not a straightforward upward climb. What is the best example of how we’ve done this?
- Failure is part of the process.
- Falling short is inevitable; dust ourselves off and keep going. Where have we felt like quitting?
At one level of thought these statements could be regarded as goofy platitudes, but at another level they could be a framework for taking personal action. And that’s what being self-accountable is – taking constructive, positive action while facing the summit.
Just climb!
with Character,
Lorne
On August 17, 2010 Wired Magazine declared: “The Web is Dead.”
Huh? What the heck does that mean?
For most of us catching up with the web has been a scramble and now a bunch of techno-snobs are declaring it dead?? Essentially the article goes on to describe the explosion and variety of digital media forms and shifting patterns of media consumption. In other words the web and everything surrounding it is rapidly evolving. Just months ago some elements of digital media were not in the mainstream of our lives; now terms like social media, location-based commerce and virtual currency are influencing millions of people daily.
So what does this have to do with the Character Triangle (CT)? At one level the answer is very little. Our application of the CT values is agnostic to media and medium. On another level, though, it is very relevant.
In the spirit of self accountability, the web is a reflection of collective mankind. We need to evolve and adapt. Not all of us need to tweet, blog, play Farmville, become foursquare citizens or any of the like. But we do need to ask ourselves how and what, if anything we need to do to participate in the web and its evolved state. Digital media is for us. We can embrace it and make it work for us. So in another way digital media can be used to promote all the elements of the CT. And all the benefits it provides.
The web may be dead but we are fully alive. Digital media and the CT belong to each of us in our own unique and personally wonderful ways!
with Character,
Lorne
I won’t get into the details because the situation is personal. However, I had purchased someone a substantial gift some time ago and they had stored it at our home. Our relationship with that person has become distant and disappointing. For some reason I became petty regarding that gift; I felt like restricting this person’s ability to retrieve it. When I openly expressed my feelings, our adult daughter, who has heard much about the Character Triangle (CT) over the years, directly but respectfully suggested that I “live in the Triangle” regarding this matter.
That simple statement and reminder quickly brought me to my senses. Of course… I gave that gift without strings attached. Why would I want to govern my previous generosity based on what the person is doing now? That is being scarcity versus abundant focused. Be generous. Do so without expecting reciprocity. There is no question what the right thing to do is. Graciously help the person to easily retrieve the gift.
This situation reminds me how easy it is to personally slip out of the CT and how helpful it is to get support from others. This happens when there is a shared understanding on a common set of values to guide us.
This applies every day in our work situation. When a company has a common set of values in approaching issues, we can lean on each other as we take action and make choices. If we are fortunate, someone will be there to remind us if we’re tempted to stray. As in most cases, teamwork wins over an individual going it alone. Spreading understanding of the CT amongst all members of an organization can be powerful.
with Character,
Lorne
Apply the Character Triangle and Thrive at Work and in Life
