In our last post about David Brooks' The Moral Bucket List, we featured a quote about eulogy versus success.
This quote, in particular, resonated with CEOs and executives alike,in our community. No matter what level in a company the person holds, everyone has their version of dealing with this issue.
We all have jobs, families, commitments, and typically don't want to let any one of our commitments go, and in doing so, we create the "What Matters?" dilemma.
This parallels some of the work we do In our Facilitative Leadership Program. Part of our study is the work of Peter Blocks, The Answer to How is Yes-Acting On What Matters.
Blocks talks about the issue of our culture being one that yields too easily to what is doable and popular, sacrificing the pursuit that is in our hearts. He argues that we spend our days engaged in activities that may achieve our objectives, but don't really make a difference in the world, and that organizations should exist for a higher purpose than to survive and be economically successful.
Block states, "Choosing to act on 'what matters' is the choice to live a passionate existence, which is anything but controlled and predictable."
What Does Matter?
- Vision, clear purpose and common goals are essential
- Effective tools and problem-solving skills
- Participation and empowerment are key
- Flexible structures and sophisticated information systems to support work processes that fit the task and mission
- Leadership
- Effective personal skills, good work habits, and self-motivating behavior that supports others
- Learning organizations where people are supported to fail, to question their models and experiment with new ways
- Organization that are places to live out our spiritual and human values
Are you living your life with passion and purpose? If not, why not?
If you want to learn more about our Facilitative Leadership Program-Building a Culture of Leadership and Accountability, visit FLP.
Do you want to learn more about creating an Individual Learning Plan, or how to build your organization into a Learning Community? Sign up for our FREE 1/2 hour consultation.
