Tag Archives: ability

March 14, 2014 · 5:06 pm

My Grandma always said

My grandma had a saying for everything; I guess that comes with being a grandparent eh? Some of them were just funny (funny ha-ha and funny quirky). She was quite the performer too. She could tell a story, dress up, do a skit, and perform at a moments notice for those at the dinner table or a crowd of a hundred. She could pull up a prop and get into character at the drop of a…well a napkin, let’s go with that. When she was waiting for something she would say, “It won’t be long now, said the monkey when the train ran over it’s tail.” When you asked if she would like to more to eat her response was classic, “Oh, I have had an elegant sufficiency, anymore would be superfluity.” Yep superfluity is a word, (noun, superabundant, excessive amount). Now I don’t know if all of these sayings were original, or if she borrowed them from somewhere else. In my world, she is a God. Oh, she would not like that analogy at all, well at least a Minor God, or maybe just a Saint. Suffice it to say she was/is pretty important to me so if she said it, then she gets the byline on life’s references page.

One of the things she would say is, “I can do anything I want to do.” As kids we would challenge her, “Ok, fly!” Her response was simply, “I don’t want to.” With this great laugh that I can hear to this day, and a twinkle in her bright blue eyes. Ah, to be with my Gram again! As kids, my brothers and cousins, we would just laugh. She was grandma and said funny stuff all of the time. As I grew older and started to think more about this, she was really teaching us something very important. We CAN do anything we want to do. We do have the ability to set our attention and intention to make things happen. She certainly did this in her own work as a seamstress/decorator. Her customers would come to her and describe a room setting, or whatever they wanted created in their homes. She would draw a picture of the description, which is amazing as a story already. THEN, she would make the vision without a pattern. Her customers would say the picture was better than they had imagined, and the final product was more than perfect. She could do anything she wanted to do. She said it. She believed it. She did it.

Recently I heard a presentation by Dr. Vincent Harding, a friend and confidante of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. He was talking about a book that he wrote with Daisaku Ikeda, America will be! The title comes from a Langston Hughes poem. Dr. Harding said, “Our dreams are only a fraction of what we can do. Our lifetimes are only a fraction of what we can dream.” I tried to find if he was quoting Hughes again. I couldn’t find a poem that used these lines. But, this line reminded me of my gram’s “I can do anything” axiom. The truth is, our ability is largely untapped. If you could do anything you set your mind to, what would it be? What have you created and completed from just your thoughts? Truly, the answer to that is EVERYTHING, since all of our actions were thoughts first then carried out. We do have the ability to do anything we want. What do you want to do? When will you start?

I will leave you with two Langston Hughes poems I did find.

DREAMS

Hold fast to dreams

For if dreams die

Life is a broken-winged bird

That cannot fly.

Hold fast to dreams

For when dreams go

Life is a barren field

Frozen with snow.

And, this one reminds us to live NOW.

“Life is for the living.

Death is for the dead.

Let life be like music.

And death a note unsaid.”

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February 27, 2014 · 12:36 am

Liminal space -That position between HERE and WHERE?

What’s in the liminal space?

This threshold of hesitation in my face

Now is the time to seek and wait,

while things can happen according to fate.

In this time of transition,

we control these options within our position.

Hold tight, I will connect my poetry preface within….

Like most people, (I would assume) I’ve had the Olympic fever for the last couple of weeks. I cheer for sports and events that I don’t typically (make that – ever) watch, but my American-ness calls out to me. Throughout the games, the athletes are always asked if they will be making a run for the NEXT games. At times, this is to inquire if they will do this to maintain their medal and position as an Olympian. Other times it seems consoling (to the athlete and the fans) about not performing at their peak by medaling. In case you are wondering there are about 1444 days until the next Winter Olympics in 2018 (theolympicgamescountdown.com). This thought about the next 1444 days started me to think about where I would be at that time. How will I “train” during these days, and how what have I done over the last Olympic quad (that’s Olympics-speak)?

The concept of liminal space occurred to me. Until about a year ago I had no idea about this concept of liminal space.  A friend was telling me that, at the time, I was in this space. He continued to tell me that “they” (that ethereal committee that seems to make a ruling on everything) say this is the best place to me. Back to my introductory verse…this liminal word comes from the Latin for threshold.  It’s that space between the chapters, like that half to three-quarters of blank space at the end of chapter X before the start of chapter Y on the facing page.  It is the period of transition, waiting, and not knowing. That point that can make us feel uneasy about what’s going to happen, but we aren’t really sure.  Even when we KNOW what is going to happen this liminal space can be a little disconcerting.  I think it is safe to say that human behavior causes us to “expect the worse” and prepare for “the other shoe to drop” rather than just letting go and knowing that the right thing will happen for our future.  I will quote my grandma here, she said, “everything happens for a reason.”  My personal approach to life is there’s no such thing as coincidence, stuff happens for a reason. Not all reasons are mind numbing or earth shattering, but nevertheless they are reasons.

Back to the concept of our ability to handle this waiting-transition-not-knowing gap that will likely occur over the next 1,445 to 14,450 days of our lives. As Mary Morrissey says, “if we breathe for another 365 days we will create another year in our life.” And the truth is we really want that to happen. The liminal spaces in our lives are GOOD…we WANT them…we NEED them to occur. William Bridges (Managing Transitions, 1991) has a 3-step model for these changes – (1.) Ending, letting go, (2.) Neutral Zone, (3.) New beginnings. If we don’t stop or let go of some things can we really make a change?  That neutral zone is LIMINAL SPACE.  Finally, our next chapter and forward movement is in number three. Seth Godin says in Linchpin, “Every single person, has been a genius at least once…if you can do it one time you can do it again” (p. 99).

Look at it this way – our liminal space is LIMITLESS. Each of us has the ability to handle the transition. Everything is a thought before it becomes an action. Tune your intention on building more of, and a better you. Welcome the change and make it work for you. What was your last threshold? What will you do with your next neutral zone?

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February 6, 2014 · 4:49 pm

Power and Influence literacy

Power seems to always go the route of power differential, or someone having power over someone.  We could see it as a loss of personal power and surrendering to the influence of others. Perhaps just improving our Power/Influence literacy would help understand, exert, and respond to power.

We know there are types of power (based on 2 scholars French & Raven) –

Expert – a certain expertise based on information and knowledge.  “Knowledge is power” is more than a cliché…or perhaps it is a cliché…but never-the-less true.

Referent – role models, master/apprentice relationship, or someone we like and respect is afforded power.

Legitimate –power that comes with a role, position, responsibility regardless of the actual person.

Reward – is the privileges one can grant or the “if you’re good you get stuff” approach.

Coercive – is punishment or negative reinforcement.

There is a little more behind the word power than trying to deal with the types and continuum of influence – regardless of delivery or recipient.

I was curious about the Power equation in order to understand the topic, an interesting exercise. Power looks like this  Pavg = DW/Dt. Cool stuff, eh?

This might help.

The average power is equal to the change in Work (or Energy) over a certain amount of time. Change in work (let’s just call this energy) is the experience itself. And all of this is going to happen over time, a change from start to finish. This results in average power. Think about this for a minute. The type of power that one exerts (or experiences) could be a combination of the five types, or some variation that averages out the power experience (energy) during some time frame. To the naked eye, it’s just power. Power takes time and depends on the energy (good or bad) we give it.

Power. The dictionary calls it the “ability to do or act.” Synonyms for power are capacity or energy. Capacity is that word ability again. And energy we already defined as work, or actions we exert in some fashion. If everything is a thought before it is an action the same has to be true with power.  We have the ability to use our powers for good (and I did try to figure out where this quote came from, but couldn’t find the absolute source). Booker T. Washington said, “Character is power.”

So, we have the influence of power OR the power of influence. Each of us has the ability to determine the amount of influence we exert. The energy, force, or momentum (all parts of power) of our influence is directly related to our average power over time. When we see x2,even if we hated math/algebra, we know it is x-squared. That number (2 here) is power. Here x is the number times the number. That means it is way more than just double. It is like a whole extra person exerting the same energy toward someone or group. That has the potential to be overwhelming or excruciating.

Another quote, this one is from Abraham Lincoln, “Nearly all men [women] can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man’s [woman’s] character, give him [her] power.” So we have a lot of power when it comes to power….did that make sense?  And we haven’t even started to talk about the power we have over ourselves through self-talk – oh wow! that’s another post all together.

There is so much more to power than just an ability to get people to do what you want.  How do you use your POWERS for good to create influence and build capacity?

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January 21, 2014 · 4:42 pm

For All Intents and Purposes -Intentionality

Intention – there is something about this word.  Just saying the word, intention, and sort of sounds like “in tension.”  There could be something to this tension thing.  Think about the times we are intent.  Something has our attention.  There’s a focus in an effort to accomplish something.  Interesting the Latin origin, intentio, and means stretching purpose.  We are stretching out and leaning toward something that has our attention.  Recently I have been reading about Sheryl Sandberg’s concept of “leaning in” (thanks to my doc student for studying ideas and situations close to this meaning).  Some of what she is talking about her is really a stretching purpose.  Leaning into our purpose and stretching to create our purpose and get the job done.  Using the word as an adjective to modify other words we find similar meanings to being very attentive, eager, waiting, strained.  All of these seem to work for this word, and derivatives, intention (i.e., intentionality, intentional, intend).

How do you model intention or act with intentionality?  There are probably different ways to look at how to be intentional.  Some might call it prayer, meditating, chanting, focus, concentration.  Our ability to create and be innovative always starts with a thought.  We start to think about our goal or purpose.  We start to ruminate or “play with the idea” to build something we want to accomplish.  Our intentions can be seen as a goal, a purpose, aims, and vision.

Saying, “for all intents and purposes” starts to put this into action.  We are constructing how to get moving and stretching our purpose into action.  Getting to the point of moving toward our thoughts and ideas takes some initiative.  Moving toward our goals and purpose can be tough.  There might be some fear about stretching and leaning toward our intents and purposes.  In his book, Tribes, Seth Godin says that initiative = happiness.  I like it.  It is simple and poignant.  Doing something makes us happy.  He also says later in the book, “If your organization requires success before commitment, it will never have either” (p. 132).  Perhaps the directive, “just do it” is more than a slogan.

Two final quotes to help bring this home for now, I know I know what is the intent of this post…right?  Thoreau said, “The price of anything is the amount of life that is exchanged for it.”  What’s your intention?  What purpose have you been thinking about?  How can we create cause and effect and move from intents to purpose?  The last quote was one I saw on the sign in front of the Edinburgh Jewish Center – “If I am not for myself, who is for me, but if I am for my own self [only], what am I?  And if not now, when?”  Thanks Rabbi Hillel for reminding us about our ability, the fact that ego is important, and don’t forget that we aren’t in this alone.  Actions have reactions, and those matter too.

So, what does your intentional mind saying to you today? Where is your intentional mind guiding you?  If not now then when?

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September 3, 2013 · 4:00 pm

Why raw ability?

When I decided to start blogging I had to think of a name that would allow me a little flexibility to think, write, publish, and put myself out into the universe. I also wanted a space that was true to how I thought about my ability and what I think WE all bring to the table.  Yes that proverbial table that doesn’t really exist, but at the same time is a metaphor for so many aspects of our lives – the board table, the conference table, sharing ideas over a meal-table, in a meeting, the classroom table, our kitchen table…in short the metaphorical table of sharing ideas The meta table.

My raw ability

I have some thoughts and things to share.  I think about theory and practice.  I think about the interplay between perfect practice and the theoretical.  One of my strengths is connecting the seemingly unconnected in ways that I think they make sense.  Often times they do make sense, sometimes in the immediate as they leave my mouth or fingers, and sometimes after a bit, more thinking.  One overall name for my blog posts was – I was just sittin here frettin’.  Which maybe a cool post at some point, but it is a little constricting for a whole theme.  It seems rather angstie (is that a word? probably not) as well.  Angst isn’t raw.  Angst is drama. Drama is probably what interrupts action, power, talent, or strengths.

I think.  I am analytical.  I am conceptual.  I am social.  I collect.  I connect.  So, my raw ability connects to my strengths – Strategic, Learner, Input, Context, Intellection, and Ideation.  I like to see where they came from and how they evolve.  The order, pattern, or connections within the chaos of life, sometimes it takes some time to notice.

Others raw abilities

We all have strengths, leadership, thoughts, ideas, and contributions to share at this table.  At times how the group (however that group is constituted) thinks and works together may seem to be at odds with each other.  I think, in general, when people come together they are really trying to propose ideas and suggestions that contribute to making the group better.  That is transformational leadership.  The challenge of working as a team or as a unit for a common purpose for the sake of collaboration can sometimes seem messy.  Periodically different thinking seems to be at odds and may contribute to the storming part of group dynamics.  However, it doesn’t dismiss the ability of any, or all, of the people working together.

So this means

Ability connects directly to our personal power and the capacity to do what we intend.   Raw ability is the culmination of the gifts we all have and bring to the table.  Raw ability is about the mix of talents in an organization, leader group, business setting, or team.  The feedback we get from others in these groups contributes to a better understanding of our own raw talents.  This will be refined and presented later in life, at the next table; it is the cumulative effect of which we are… a personal evolution, maybe a personal revolution (depending on the feedback of course).

What are your raw abilities?  What do you bring to the table?

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