STOP, BREATHE and BE

Posted on January 3, 2021

Have been reflecting on memorable golf course “brand” experiences over the years; and impression and guest service rise to the top of the heap of sensual brand attributes that create a residual, ego-mind thirst to return.

Impression: clean, well-maintained and fun place to be because it inspires a “feel good” sensation.

  • Grounds and facilities: plush green turf and well-manicured landscape; parking lot is clean, well-striped and has a good surface: note number of cars.
  • Signage and identification: useful—what and/or where, in good taste and well-placed: parking, bag drop, club house, rest rooms; warm-up, practice and instruction area; practice golf balls; 1st and 10th
  • Warm-up, practice and instruction area: unobstructed, inviting and spacious. Range has accurate distance markers; putting green accommodates several golfers; and short game area has targets and a bunker that allows sand shots either to the range or to a putting green.
  • Pro shop: customer friendly with open and spacious feel. Has good selection, tasteful merchandising and new merchandise from recognized manufacturers; offers club fitting, club storage and club repair services; present are flyers offering golf lessons, clinics, demonstrations and seminars.
  • Postings and feedback requests: today’s pin locations are visibly posted; local rules, pace-of-play and etiquette reminders are posted and available as handouts for golfers. Guest service evaluation surveys are available at check-in counter.
  • Food and beverage area: organized, attractive, clean and not cluttered. Menu is visible and inviting.
  • Course: flat, well-groomed teeing grounds with attractive hole number markers, ball washers and tee markers; good greens, fairways and roughs; manicured and recently maintained bunkers with good rakes; and course is free of mixed grasses and weeds.
  • Drinking fountains and rest rooms: clean, well-maintained and well-serviced.
  • Maintenance facility: not cluttered and organization is noteworthy; equipment is clean, not worn-out, appears serviceable and expresses pride of mechanics and groundskeepers.

Guest service: guests are well taken care of by professional, experienced, courteous staff who pay attention to details that make sparkling, positive and lasting guest experiences.

  • Initial contact and attitude: friendly, upbeat, happy and enthusiastic. Individuals make eye contact, smile, greet, enquire, offer products and services, respond to requests, follow-up and do not make excuses and blame others. Reminds of Tolstoy’s diary comment, “I cannot describe a person to you; however, I call tell you what effect he (she) has on me.”
  • Leadership and management: impression and felt energy that is witnessed.

A round of golf is a simple “slice of life” and a field of friendly strife where seeds are planted to bear fruits at future times and places. George Heard, a great golf partner and friend, always said on the first tee, “Golf is just a slice of heaven.” Simply embrace the challenge and opportunity for perfect response to life, or heaven on earth. Stop what you are doing, breathe deep, be, become and feel the experience!

CHANGE and TRANSITION

Posted on December 29, 2020

Stop what you are doing, breathe deep, and be!  Now notice the experience of endings, new beginnings, changes, and transitions, the psychological adjustments to changes.

It was October 21, 2020. A shock! Yes, like a meteor hitting earth outside a bedroom window! It was 6:00 PM, Cindy, wife and soulmate of 48 plus years, and I had finished our daily exercise and evening meal and were sitting in lounge chairs in the living room watching CNN Cuomo Prime Time. Cindy glanced at me and commented she had a painful bubble in her abdomen. She tried to belch, took tums, took Gas-X, and lay on a pillow on her stomach on the living room floor. In a few minutes, she hurried to the bathroom and threw up: having had a similar issue before, neither of us was alarmed. After several more trips to vomit, she was waving her arms and in much pain. She tried to lie down flat on the bed in the bedroom and commented that she needed help. Something was wrong! The decision: call an ambulance or make the 20-minute car trip to Banner Baywood Medical Center Emergency Room (ER). We decided to make the trip via car; and arrived ER about 9 PM.

ER did not appear to be busy: now in a wheelchair, Cindy was promptly admitted, and care began. X-rays, CT Scan, pain killers, nose-stomach decompression tube, and IV’s with diagnosis of an intestinal block. On October 22, about 3 AM, Cindy was moved to Room 410; and had emergency surgery about 8 AM. Several years earlier a right breast mastectomy required a tram flap ablation, with mesh reinforcement of incision closure, generating scar tissue that had caused an internal hernia, catalyzing a closed loop obstruction of the small intestine.

“These are the times that try men’s souls!” Wife and soulmate of 48 plus years has emergency surgery and the surgeon offers Cindy has a 50/50 chance of surviving. This gets one’s attention, is a strong message and stirs conscious mind suffering and a litany about what could have been done better, said differently and what will be missed. Wilber et al offer,

Time spent struggling with oneself, especially in the vicious recycling of negative thoughts, attitudes, and feelings, binds energy and attention and impedes growth…When you see that you’ve been blindly self-possessed, and that you’ve wasted valuable time and created suffering in others and yourself, and you feel disgusted and ashamed-that’s great! You do not have to defend, remedy, or explain it. Appreciate and welcome this precious awareness. It brings the opportunity to make a new and different choice in the next moment.

Toughest issue of my life: being with a loved one who is suffering; and there is not a thing one can do but touch the forehead, touch the boxing gloved hands, keep her from pulling the ventilator tube up, feel the neck, kiss the forehead, kiss the lips. She acknowledged with tears, waved hands, and wanted to speak. She responded to telephone text videos, would wake up momentarily, and return to sleep; she continued to have heart issues and frequently vomited. Yes, toughest issue of my life: being with a loved one who is suffering; and not able to help them not suffer. All one can do is touch, breathe deep, acknowledge, feel, be there and notice the experience. As Naropa University divinity-hospice care classmates were told, “Just hold their hand.”

Amid COVID-19 visiting restrictions, over a period of 43 days, there were three surgeries, septic shock, peritonitis, IV’s, nose decompression tubes, ventilators, three different hospital floors, several hospital rooms, operating room, ICU, numerous doctors, nurses and hospital staff, blood samples, x-rays, CT scans, MRI’s, medications, cardioversion and shock treatments, approval of transfusions and two weeks at a rehabilitation facility. And step two of the transitions was just underway: Cindy came home December 2 to a new beginning as a small bowel syndrome patient (loss of 15 cm ascending colon and cecum; loss of 170 cm ileum and loss of the ileocecal valve) with home healthcare and a husband “caretaker in-training.”

Our work-in-process “game plan” includes Cindy’s mantra—I am a perfectly healthy, wellbeing and am committed to integral health and wellness, simply program the subconscious mind, positively, with hope and optimism, in six dimensions: mind and emotions; physical body; relationships; socially; institutionally; and by helping others. The “game plan” includes objectives: to enjoy the Small Bowel Syndrome diet; to target for optimum food and fluid absorption; to sleep well; to face post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms that may manifest; to have human systems functioning properly for the new reality; and to be independent and have quality of life. Some of the dimensions that have surfaced for possible change and psychological adjustment include diet, food, grocery shopping, and eating out; medications and nutrients; exercise program; COVID-19 avoidance; intimate relationship and sexuality; family; piano and music; Starbucks; golf; finances, money, and insurance; and medical team coordination. There are measurable outcomes, too: reduced stool frequency for optimal enteral absorption; improved stool consistency and fluid balance [improved urine output; prevent effects of dehydration and renal compromise]; sense of improved control, well-being, and quality of life; and nutritional autonomy.

Cindy is experiencing and learning what a small bowel syndrome patient is; and the author is experiencing and learning what a small bowel syndrome caretaker is. We both need to take one step at a time, ask for help, as necessary, and face everything and avoid nothing: life holds the dance cards, just dance to the dance card played, targeting to be one with the dance card and music. Simply, be open to and accept the evolution of a multitude of endings, transitions-adjustments, and new beginnings. Am experiencing that there is no better self-awareness coach and opportunity than serving a loved one: sit in the flames, the joy, hopes, the tears and fears and cherish each moment and experience. Stop what you are doing, breathe deep and be! Notice the experience!

 

 

GOLF as GURU

Posted on December 27, 2020

For every shot the golfer needs to evolve a Ritual for creating a personal teepee where the mind becomes clear and quiet [Shoemaker, F. (1996). Extraordinary Golf. NY, NY: Pedigree] and the programmed subconscious is given absolute trust to deliver a shot. In 1929 legendary Bobby Jones remarked,

 The golf swing is a most complicated combination of muscular actions, too complex to be controlled by objective conscious mental effort. Consequently, we must rely a good deal upon the instinctive reactions acquired by long practice. It has been my experience that the more completely we can depend upon this instinct—the more thoroughly we can divest the subjective mind of conscious control, the more exclusion of all thoughts as to method—is the secret of a good shot…After taking the stance, it is too late to worry. The only thing to do is to hit the ball. [Gallwey, W. (1998). The Inner Game of Golf. NY, NY: Random, 19-20]

It could be argued that pulling the trigger to make the shot is the most critical of all elements of the shot cycle; and it may be the simplest, and yet, possibly the most difficult because it must be done without thinking and with absolute trust of the subconscious to perform to expectations. As we settle to create the space bubble—the state of quiet presence—we are deliberately breathing. The Ritual is automatic and is the one distinct stimulus that will trigger and coordinate all the elements that facilitate potential emergence of the peak performance state. We are empty and the trigger is absently pulled.

This evolving master skill is individually unique and is the state of being present, tension-free, with that which is intended, for as long as intended. [Shoemaker, F. (2007). Extraordinary Putting, NY, NY: Penguin, 8-10] Summon the inner artist for a remarkable and often indescribable zone experience of spiritual oneness; and be witness to freedom and an intuitive unleashing of a unique, creative, synchronous flow of human physical activity. Simply relax and put your awareness where your deepest natural breathing originates—sensed image approximately 1½ inches below your navel. Let breathing be deep and full, shake loose any tension in the muscles, and trust that as center is experienced—seamless unity of body, mind and spirit setting the stage for “sweet impact” and zone performance—well-practiced actions will result naturally without effort. A “quick and dirty,” Ritual checklist might include:

  • Take a couple of deep, elevating breaths and visualize energy circulating between your feet and the earth below you. Feel static and dynamic balance and sense a balanced and solid foundation; and connect with the environment surrounding you.
  • Take three-five short, explosive breaths into the upper chest to activate the sympathetic nervous system, increase oxygen and intensify subtle energy currents. Charge the whole body, physically and emotionally, preparing for the exertion to come: make a final visual touch of the target.
  • On an out-breath, one-pointed concentration on the point of impact of club with ball—mindfulness—channeling all body energies into a laser beam of relaxed, focused concentration, letting go of everything—self-restraint—and sensing the synchronous, flowing swing to impact with a ball creatively floating to the target—awareness.

Squeeze Trigger: With passion burning, the captain of the ship squeezes the auto-pilot button and trusts the programmed subconscious to creatively deliver a ball to an intended target.

A good athlete can enter a state of body-awareness in which the right stroke or the right movement happens by itself, effortlessly, without any interference of the conscious will. This is the paradigm for non-action: the purest and most effective form of action. The game plays the game; the poem writes the poem; we can’t tell the dancer from the dance. [Mitchell, S. (2006). tao te ching. NY, NY: Harper, viii.]

Don’t forget to check-in with Woody and Birdy Ball, Golf as Guru, www.johnedwindevore.com.

 

 

 

 

MIND”FULL”NESS

Posted on December 17, 2020

Why write Golf as Guru: Mindfullness, Awareness and Self-Restraint? WOW! What a learning journey golf has opened for a student of life and the game of golf, all the way from growing up in Northwestern Ohio playing golf with Mom and Dad, circling the globe and arriving here in Arizona continuing to play golf, year-round with my wonderful wife of almost 50 years. As the title and subtitle offer, the sport of golf has been a great coach and teacher; has evolved a concept of mind”full”ness; has breathed a peek at how awareness really differentiates professional golfers from average golfers; and has been a mighty fine instructor when it comes to the learned skill of self-restraint. It really is fantastic to remain sane after two shots in the lake to the right of the fairway! Everything is OK the way it is!

A significant experience has been that if a golfer is open to new learning and is psychologically ready, golf offers infinite messages: at practice on the range; on the golf course; while perking reflections about the sport and relishing golf literature; and just sitting in silence and solitude to experience personal behavior in life and on the golf course. Sir Pelham Grenville Wodehouse, a widely read English author and scriptwriter, nails it: “To find a man’s character (and personality), play golf with him.” Woody and Birdy Ball, Golf as Guru’s entertaining characters, chuckle on every page as they think about playing partners and continue to dream about a 45-degree hip turn and 90-degree shoulder turn on every tee shot; and contemplate smoothness, timing, tempo and rhythm on every putt.

Golf as Guru is simply a thank you to golf as coach and therapist. It is indeed integral and reminds of General Douglas MacArthur, in the context of football at West Point, when he remarked, “Upon the fields of friendly strife are sown the seeds that at other times and places reap the fruits of victory.”

SUBCONSCIOUS MIND

Posted on December 12, 2020

As a student of golf, trusting the subconscious mind to swing the golf club has evolved a growing passion to be more positive, to learn and to improve because the game is the “funest” and “bestest” ever. Placing swing thoughts on a bus to Tucson, giving clear “desired results” to the subconscious and passionately connecting the conscious mind with the subconscious mind is a completely new, exciting experience.

An innate desire to have the complicated golf swing “perfect” and growing awareness of the powers of the subconscious has energized interest in learning more about how the subconscious mind can be programmed—mentally, emotionally, physically and spiritually—to facilitate improved performance. Christian D. Larson offers,

 When we proceed to train the subconscious along any line, or for special results, we must always comply with the following law: The subconscious responds to the impressions, the suggestions, the desires, the expectations and the directions of the conscious mind, provided that the conscious touches the subconscious at the time. The secret therefore is found in the two phases of the mind touching each other as directions are being made; and to cause the conscious to touch the subconscious, it is necessary to feel conscious action penetrating your entire interior system; that is, you should feel at the time that you are living not simply on the surface, but through and through. At such times, the mind should be calm and in perfect poise, and should be conscious of that finer, greater something within you that has greater depth than mere surface existence. (Christian D. Larson, Your Forces and How to Use Them, page 41)

Some recent reflections concerning facilitation of subconscious programming are as follows:

[NOTE: This golfer stakes no claim on being a subconscious mind programming expert!!]

  • Positive and improvement language is a must. This is the law of attraction at work: as Golf as Guru partners Woody and Birdy Ball coach, one gets back what one puts out through personality, character and mind.
  • Relaxed concentration—all forces of mind, character and personality are focused on the desired result—and a clear and quiet conscious mind are a must.
  • Visualization: picture in the conscious mind a clear idea of the desired result.
  • Energize deep, “must have,” “must do,” serene, strong and passionate connection of the conscious mind with the inner human systems: see it, feel it, taste it, smell it, think it, touch it in the eleven human systems: circulatory, respiratory, digestive, excretory, nervous, endocrine, immune, lymphatic, integumentary/exocrine, skeletal, muscle, reproductive, renal and urinary. Simply feel the meaning of the desired result with consciousness; and see and feel in every atom of the human system the ball at the target. Eliminate doubt; and be calm, “…well balanced, persistent, deeply poised and harmonious in all thoughts and actions.” (Christian D. Larson, Your Forces and How to Use Them, page 46)
  • Think of all the facilities being used in golf when giving full expression to a desired result: body mechanics, club mechanics, ball position and target. This golfer likes mantras: I am…
  • Begin days with positive, desired result ways and means. Bring everything alive in the conscious and subconscious minds several times per day.
  • Go to sleep relaxed: review the day’s pleasantries; and chat with the subconscious about desired results and ways and means.
  • If there are skills that need work and development, direct the subconscious with necessary improvements every day as frequently as possible and before going to sleep.
  • Practice makes perfect: mentally, physically, emotionally and spiritually. The more one trains the subconscious to work with the conscious direction, the easier it becomes to get the subconscious to respond to directions.
  • “Whenever the subconscious mind is aroused, mental power and working capacity are invariably increased, sometimes to such an extent that the individual seems to be possessed with a superhuman power.” (Christian D. Larson, Your Forces and How to Use Them, page 43)

As mentioned, working with the subconscious mind is a new experience for this golfer; and I make absolutely no claim to be a subconscious mind expert. A commitment is to keep you informed about progress experiences. “Know what you want, and then want it with all the life and power that is in you.” (Christian D. Larson, Your Forces and How to Use Them, page 81)

 

 

TELL the TRUTH

Posted on December 5, 2020

Truth and trust matter; and truth and trust are an inseparable duo!

Truth connotes in accordance with fact or reality, or belief that is accepted as true; and trust is about reliance on the integrity, strength, ability, and surety of a person, place, or thing. Moreover, it is about confidence in a person, place, or thing. A personal contention is that trust is a result and is earned; and it seems to be intimately related to honesty, respect, and one’s capacity to influence others to willingly move toward common purposes. In a discussion of leadership for the twenty-first century, Rost (Leadership for the 21st Century, 1993, Praeger, 102) suggests that leadership is a trust-based, influence relationship between the respective leader and the self, and among leaders and followers who intend ethical changes that mirror their common purpose.

During a tour of duty with corporate America, a beautiful person by the name of Hyler Bracey, president of the Atlanta Consulting Group, became part of my life. When Hyler was twenty-eight years old, he drove stock cars. One evening during a race, he was in a serious wreck, and his car exploded into flames. He suffered burns over 40 percent of his body. Today, Hyler is severely scarred, his face is all scar tissue, and his deformed hands with stiff bent fingers remind one of brittle burned twigs in a campfire. The amazing thing about Hyler is that in a very few moments after meeting him, one sees through all his scars and trauma and is connected to his heart.

All this is by way of sharing that Hyler helped me appreciate that building trust is hard work and a result of action and that single violations of trust by the self and others are difficult to repair. His teaching was that trust is the fruit of a three-step process. First, over time, the parties in relationships make agreements and commitments and keep these agreements and commitments. Second, the mandatory critical first step in relationship maturation leads to the development of credibility and respect; and third, steps one and two create an environment of openness, honesty, and space for willing transformation and change. The fruit of these three interdependent steps is trust, a vital ingredient for quality relationships, honest dialogue, and transformation.

Yes, truth and trust matter; and truth and trust are an inseparable duo! Hyler and three of his consulting associates and friends—Jack Rosenblum, Aubrey Sanford, and Roy Trueblood—have written and published a wonderful book, Managing from the Heart (1990, Atlanta, GA: Heart). The power of positive, heartfelt choice is infinite and can clarify intention, unlock facing everything and avoiding nothing and beckon accepting 100% responsibility for evolving environments on all levels. Listening to the conscience and telling the truth are wonderful gifts; and trust is the earned result.

 

 

 

 

 

100% RESPONSIBILITY

Posted on November 28, 2020

During Corporate America years at Coors a lasting experience was the opportunity to work with Hyler Bracey, President, the Atlanta Consulting Group. The Coors family had hired Hyler and his associates to facilitate transition of Adolph Coors Company from several dependent, vertically organized companies into two independent companies, Coors Brewing Company and Graphic Packaging Company.

At the age of 28, Hyler was in a stock car racing accident and burned over 60% of his body. His face was severely disfigured, and his fingers were like burned twigs in a bonfire. However, his character, personality and mentality, manifested through his blue eyes and subconscious mind, were magnetizing and drew you to his heart. Hyler modeled that scars offer a story of the past and do not dictate where one intends to go. He walked the talk of one of the key concepts he and his associates shared with the Coors leadership team: life happens because of me and not to me, or the concept of 100% responsibility.

Daily we are witnesses to scurrying about to avoid being identified as the culprit—pandemic deaths, deepened racism and absolute, chaotic, government disaster. In our culture there is intense desire to be off the hook; and clever and devious actions taken to get off the hook are known as cover your posterior. Quite simply, desired results do not equal excuses coupled with no desired results; and blaming, justifying, spinning, lying and choosing not to accept responsibility when something goes wrong is a negative life and leadership strategy. Being right is a booby prize! The real prize is the desired result which has not been realized. Blaming and justifying put us at the mercy of other people and events and do not make things happen. A better strategy is not to give away power and influence by blaming and justifying. Take charge: 100% responsibility, I am 100% responsible and others are 0% responsible.

Imagine the power in this country where everyone is assuming 100% responsibility for its success. Imagine how refreshing it would be for the President, Senators and Representatives to be examining what they did and what they could do rather than expending energy and plotting how to get off the hook. Perhaps the greatest value of the 100%-0% concept is that it focuses energy on creating desired results rather than finding ways of avoiding responsibility. Because it encourages folks to develop new options to produce desired results, it is a deeply empowering concept.

Thank you Hyler for pointing the way to 100% responsibility, a leader’s tool to make things happen and generate positive differences in every area of American lives. The negative option is wasting time and money blaming, defending, justifying, spinning, meeting, lying, cheating, making excuses and not getting the job done for Americans.

SUBCONSCIOUS MIND

Posted on November 21, 2020

Trusting the well-programmed subconscious mind to swing a golf club to hit a golf ball to a target is a master skill; and experience offers that developing this skill requires practice, practice, and more practice. Was struck that perhaps Dr. Joseph Murphy’s visualization genius, offered in Power of Your Subconscious Mind, can help during the Pre-Shot Routine on the golf course. Dr. Murphy offers,

The Chinese say, “A picture is worth a thousand words.” William James, the father of American psychology, stressed the fact that the subconscious mind will bring to pass any picture held in the mind and backed by faith. Act as though I am, and you will be…The builder visualizes the type of building he wants; he sees it as he desires it to be completed. His imagery and thought-processes become a plastic mold from which the building will emerge—a beautiful or an ugly one, a skyscraper or an exceptionally low one. His mental imagery is projected as it is drawn on paper. Eventually, the contractor and his workers gather the essential materials, and the building progresses until it stands finished, conforming perfectly to the mental patterns of the architect…I use the visualization technique prior to speaking from the platform. I quiet the wheels of my mind in order that I may present to the subconscious mind my images of thought. Then, I picture the entire auditorium and the seats filled with men and women, and each one of them illumined and inspired by the infinite healing presence within each one. I see them as radiant, happy, and free…My awareness grows to the point where in my mind I can hear the voices…then I release the whole picture and go onto the platform.

As mentioned in a previous, subconscious mind BLOG, Christian D. Larson offers,

 When we proceed to train the subconscious along any line, or for special results, we must always comply with the following law: The subconscious responds to the impressions, the suggestions, the desires, the expectations and the directions of the conscious mind, provided that the conscious touches the subconscious at the time. The secret therefore is found in the two phases of the mind touching each other as directions are being made; and to cause the conscious to touch the subconscious, it is necessary to feel conscious action penetrating your entire interior system; that is, you should feel at the time that you are living not simply on the surface, but through and through. At such times, the mind should be calm and in perfect poise, and should be conscious of that finer, greater something within you that has greater depth than mere surface existence. (Christian D. Larson, Your Forces and How to Use Them, page 41)

Some recent reflections concerning facilitation of subconscious programming are as follows:

  • Positive and improvement language is a must. This is the law of attraction at work: as Golf as Guru partners Woody and Birdy Ball coach, one gets back what one puts out through personality, character, and mind.
  • Relaxed concentration—all forces of mind, character and personality are focused on the desired result—and a clear and quiet conscious mind are a must.
  • Visualization: picture in the conscious mind a clear idea of the desired result.
  • Energize deep, “must have,” “must do,” serene, strong and passionate connection of the conscious mind with the inner human systems: see it, feel it, taste it, smell it, think it, touch it in the eleven human systems: circulatory, respiratory, digestive, excretory, nervous, endocrine, immune, lymphatic, integumentary/exocrine, skeletal, muscle, reproductive, renal and urinary. Simply feel the meaning of the desired result with consciousness; and see and feel in every atom of the human system the ball at the target. Eliminate doubt; and be calm, “…well balanced, persistent, deeply poised and harmonious in all thoughts and actions.” (Christian D. Larson, Your Forces and How to Use Them, page 46)
  • Think of all the facilities being used in golf when giving full expression to a desired result: body mechanics, club mechanics, ball position and target. This golfer likes mantras: I am a perfectly healthy, well-trained athlete who can hit a golf ball to a desired target.
  • Begin days with positive, desired result ways and means. Bring everything alive in the conscious and subconscious minds several times per day.
  • Go to sleep relaxed: review the day’s pleasantries; and chat with the subconscious about desired results and ways and means.
  • If there are skills that need work and development, direct the subconscious with necessary improvements every day as frequently as possible and before going to sleep.
  • Practice makes perfect: mentally, physically, emotionally, and spiritually. The more one trains the subconscious to work with the conscious direction, the easier it becomes to get the subconscious to respond to directions.
  • “Whenever the subconscious mind is aroused, mental power and working capacity are invariably increased, sometimes to such an extent that the individual seems to be possessed with a superhuman power.” (Christian D. Larson, Your Forces and How to Use Them, page 43)

Working with the subconscious mind is a “new learning process” for this golfer; and I make absolutely no claim to be a subconscious mind expert. A commitment is to keep you informed about progress experiences. “Know what you want, and then want it with all the life and power that is in you.” (Christian D. Larson, Your Forces and How to Use Them, page 81)

 

CONSCIOUS CHOICE

Posted on November 16, 2020

Truth and trust matter; and truth and trust are an inseparable duo!

Truth connotes in accordance with fact or reality, or belief that is accepted as true; and trust is about reliance on the integrity, strength, ability, and surety of a person, place, or thing. Moreover, it is about confidence in a person, place, or thing. A personal contention is that trust is a result and is earned; and   it seems to be intimately related to honesty, respect, and one’s capacity to influence others to willingly move toward common purposes. In a discussion of leadership for the twenty-first century, Rost (Leadership for the 21st Century, 1993, Praeger, 102) suggests that leadership is a trust-based, influence relationship between the respective leader and the self, and among leaders and followers who intend ethical changes that mirror their common purpose.

During a tour of duty with corporate America, a beautiful person by the name of Hyler Bracey, president of the Atlanta Consulting Group, became part of my life. When Hyler was twenty-eight years old, he drove stock cars. One evening during a race, he was in a serious wreck, and his car exploded into flames. He suffered burns over 40 percent of his body. Today, Hyler is severely scarred, his face is all scar tissue, and his deformed hands with stiff bent fingers remind one of brittle burned twigs in a campfire. The amazing thing about Hyler is that in a very few moments after meeting him, one sees through all his scars and trauma and is connected to his heart.

All this is by way of sharing that Hyler helped me appreciate that building trust is hard work and a result of action and that single violations of trust by the self and others are difficult to repair. His teaching was that trust is the fruit of a three-step process. First, over time, the parties in relationships make agreements and commitments and keep these agreements and commitments. Second, the mandatory critical first step in relationship maturation leads to the development of credibility and respect; and third, steps one and two create an environment of openness, honesty, and space for willing transformation and change. The fruit of these three interdependent steps is trust, a vital ingredient for quality relationships, honest dialogue, and transformation.

Yes, truth and trust matter; and truth and trust are an inseparable duo! Hyler and three of his consulting associates and friends—Jack Rosenblum, Aubrey Sanford, and Roy Trueblood—have written and published a wonderful book, Managing from the Heart (1990, Atlanta, GA: Heart). The power of positive, heartfelt choice is infinite and can clarify intention, unlock facing everything and avoiding nothing and beckon accepting 100% responsibility for evolving environments on all levels. Listening to the conscience and telling the truth are wonderful gifts; and trust is the earned result.

 

 

TRUTH TRUST DUO

Posted on November 14, 2020

Truth and trust matter; and truth and trust are an inseparable duo!

Truth connotes in accordance with fact or reality, or belief that is accepted as true; and trust is about reliance on the integrity, strength, ability, and surety of a person, place, or thing. Moreover, it is about confidence in a person, place, or thing. A personal contention is that trust is a result and is earned; and   it seems to be intimately related to honesty, respect, and one’s capacity to influence others to willingly move toward common purposes. In a discussion of leadership for the twenty-first century, Rost (Leadership for the 21st Century, 1993, Praeger, 102) suggests that leadership is a trust-based, influence relationship between the respective leader and the self, and among leaders and followers who intend ethical changes that mirror their common purpose.

During a tour of duty with corporate America, a beautiful person by the name of Hyler Bracey, president of the Atlanta Consulting Group, became part of my life. When Hyler was twenty-eight years old, he drove stock cars. One evening during a race, he was in a serious wreck, and his car exploded into flames. He suffered burns over 40 percent of his body. Today, Hyler is severely scarred, his face is all scar tissue, and his deformed hands with stiff bent fingers remind one of brittle burned twigs in a campfire. The amazing thing about Hyler is that in a very few moments after meeting him, one sees through all his scars and trauma and is connected to his heart.

All this is by way of sharing that Hyler helped me appreciate that building trust is hard work and a result of action and that single violations of trust by the self and others are difficult to repair. His teaching was that trust is the fruit of a three-step process. First, over time, the parties in relationships make agreements and commitments and keep these agreements and commitments. Second, the mandatory critical first step in relationship maturation leads to the development of credibility and respect; and third, steps one and two create an environment of openness, honesty, and space for willing transformation and change. The fruit of these three interdependent steps is trust, a vital ingredient for quality relationships, honest dialogue, and transformation.

Yes, truth and trust matter; and truth and trust are an inseparable duo! Hyler and three of his consulting associates and friends—Jack Rosenblum, Aubrey Sanford, and Roy Trueblood—have written and published a book Managing from the Heart.