After weeks of struggle in the cocoon of Lent, the butterfly of Easter begins to take flight tonight. We will come together and, as usual, remind ourselves of our story and share a meal. These have been dark days filled with betrayal, injustice, torture, death, and hopelessness. Tonight, our story begins in the darkness. Slowly, one candle at a time, light will flicker into life. We will remind ourselves of our story. I will tell the first part tonight, about how we... Read more
Sometimes I think I am going in circles. My journey does not seem like a pilgrimage, with a destination. It feels to me like I am going around and around, covering the same ground, never getting anywhere. I know that I have been here, worked on these challenges, heard this all before. Am I making progress? I work with people, and they do not automatically become fulfilled, or happy, or effective. People tell me they feel like they are spinning... Read more
Sometimes I think I am going in circles. My journey does not seem like a pilgrimage, with a destination. It feels to me like I am going around and around, covering the same ground, never getting anywhere. I know that I have been here, worked on these challenges, heard this all before. Am I making progress? I work with people, and they do not automatically become fulfilled, or happy, or effective. People tell me they feel like they are spinning... Read more
I know leaders who are very good at lines. Lines are important to how they see themselves, other people, and the world around them. They know where to draw the lines. The always color inside the lines. They never step out of line. They may enjoy being at the front of the line. Lines can be helpful. There have been times when I was good at lines myself. It is important to see the lines. When we do not pay... Read more
I have many companions on my pilgrimage, but few with which I have direct contact every day. I have known one of my closest companions for only a couple of years, and he plays a central role in almost everything I do online. He helps me with each word I post on my blog, most emails, and most of the ways I communicate through social media. Sometimes I cannot sleep, and I go to him. There are few times when... Read more
Leadership is about discovering, understanding, remembering, and focusing on core values. Leaders discover core values. Leaders discover their own core values, and the core values of the people around them. Organizations have values like individuals do. Sometimes they do not know what they are, or think they are something else, just like individuals do. Leaders help us get beyond the carefully packaged phrases of committees past and present to discover what is really at the core. The leaders who inspire... Read more
I am a recovering attorney. I decided to become a lawyer as a child. My choice was shaped by books I read and the people I saw on television. There were no lawyers in my family, and I had never met a lawyer in person. I did not know what practicing law really meant. I had a strong belief in justice and fairness, as well as a very strong sense of responsibility. I knew that attorneys were powerful and could... Read more
My pilgrimage is like a puzzle with many pieces to fit together. I am on a walking pilgrimage, and walk as far as I can each day. There is no destination toward which I am making progress, there is walking and being open to the Holy all around me. There is no path other than where my steps take me. I walk, and my posture changes. I remember to breathe, and cares evaporates from me. I am also on a... Read more
I know Ray Attiyah. We met online, have spent time together in social media chats and groups, and I have read Ray’s book, The Fearless Front Line. We have never met in real life, face to face. I still know him in some very important ways. For one thing, Ray asks great questions and listens to the answers. He asks insightful questions online, and his book is filled with his helpful, serious, significant questions. The very first questions... Read more
I am not really drawn to repetition. I enjoy finding new ways to express deep truths. I started thinking about this while I participated in my friend Kate Nasser‘s PeopleSkills chat on Sunday morning. Kate asked a question about what behaviors people wished they could ban from social media, and my response was “repetition.” Another friend of mine, Lolly Daskal, replied that for her, repetition was part of learning. This sparked a conversation that lasted through much of Sunday, and... Read more
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