[Ailist] Positive Core of America: responsibility

[Roger Davies]

Hi Mary-Alice / All,

I picked up on your turning a mindset of fear into one of love. It's been my
good fortune as a manager to be in charge of a facility with a non-fearful,
compassionate culture. It had the lowest absentee rate, excellent
productivity and outstanding quality and safety records. That doesn't mean
to say people were not occasionally disciplined and that it was all
sweetness and light but such things were dealt with in a positive,
respectful manner. That culture extended into how the facility and its
people supported the local community. Much of that culture was built by
those who planted the seeds before me and I was more than happy to dedicate
myself to nurturing it further.

Unfortunately that culture became increasingly undermined by the fear and
control based culture of the wider organization. There is a strong link
between control and fear and a misunderstanding of the difference between
organization and control. The fear is largely of the unknown. For instance
it was unknown by those outside as to why there was such a good attendance
record when people were not required to clock in. It was therefore commonly
held by them that something must be wrong and everyone came and went as they
pleased (absolutely this was not the case). You can guess at the outcome. 

In a poor environment it is very difficult to sustain the life of some of
these flowers. To allow Ai to flourish we need not only plant seeds but
nurture the environment (I realize that as with most things these are at
times one and the same). That will ultimately require a reframing of some
stubbornly held beliefs.

I would like to hear stories of times when people have managed to change
someone or an organization from a control based to an appreciative culture.

I should add the company I refer to is not the one I currently work for. I
do however have some very good friends there and my experience with them was
invaluable and I am thankful for it, even though the current state of
affairs does disappoint me somewhat. 

Roger

-----Original Message-----
From: ailist-bounces at lists.business.utah.edu
[mailto:ailist-bounces at lists.business.utah.edu] On Behalf Of Mary-Alice
Arthur
Sent: Thursday, March 12, 2009 5:02 PM
To: Robyn Stratton-Berkessel; Leif Josefsson
Cc: AI Listserve; Madelyn Blair
Subject: Re: [Ailist] Positive Core of America: responsibility

Robyn

Thanks for the conversation you are continuing to create and respond to.  I,
like you, am a transplant to the land I call home.  That gives me the
outside perspective and a curiosity about why things are the way they are
(here, but also everywhere!).  I think something very interesting happens
when you uproot yourself from your home culture and take yourself 'on the
road' in whatever way you do that.

What I am grateful for is your curiosity to pursue the question about what
would make the place you live in, perhaps love, shine.  I have been holding
a similar question about New Zealand.

What would it take to help people recognise that what *is*, is a result of
all our thoughts about it?  We could focus on what we most love and
appreciate and choose to have more of it.  We could turn away from a focus
on what's broken and choose to cherish who we are at our best.  We could
stand in gratitude at what each different component of the collective brings
to our strength and beauty. Such a small-- and radical -- thing!

If that's true, then each contribution to the conversation is the most
valuable one.  And really, it doesn't matter where you choose to focus, when
you bring the light into the corner where you are, it cannot be contained
there, it spills out into the rest of the room.

Long ago I worked with someone who was a very good trainer.  She said to me,
of herself:  "I am a seed planter.  I look for any arable ground.  And when
the flower opens in front of me in my training room, I know it wasn't my
doing, I honour the one who planted the seed and allowed me to see it come
to fruition."  In the work I do as a facilitator, it has been valuable to
remind myself of this, especially when the gardening work seems tough and
unseen.

> I¹ll conclude by restating that I think  the greatest opportunity for 
> America is a mindset shift from fear to love and a shift from "I" to 
> "we".
> 
> And the invitation still stands, "Imagine the World"!  Who's in?
> 

I'm imagining the world in every conversation I have.  And, oh, is it an
interesting place!

Mary Alice



Mary-Alice Arthur
SOAR
PO Box 10-868
Wellington
New Zealand
mobile:  +64-21-687-627
email:  mary-alice at getsoaring.com
web:  http://www.getsoaring.com




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