2009 is coming and this got me thinking about the past year, reflecting on what I have learnt, sometimes too late and to my detriment and thus need to master next year. Thinking about this I found the below quote which poses an interesting proposition.
Year's end is neither an end nor a beginning but a going on, with all the wisdom that experience can instill in us. - Hal Borland
Assuming that Hal is right I must take all of my learning from the last year into 2009, even that which I would like to leave behind, those situations I would have handled differently, those decisions I would have made differently. If I must take them with me how do I take them with me positively rather than as something I have sworn never to do again and have identified as a poor quality in the picture of a perfect leader I have in my head.
Perhaps I need to spend some time thinking about what made me make those choices in the first place. Were those actions a result of my personal traits? If I made those choices because it was my gut reaction, something that frequently gets me into trouble, should I try to lose that quality completely or find a new way to use it? Can I take that gut reaction, a feature that is so intrinsic to my personality, consider it and re-evaluate before acting on it to achieve more positive results?
I would challenge all of you to think about a situation in the last year when you were not at your best and think about how you can take that into the new year in a way that is productive and still gives you that sense of self.
Wednesday 10 December 2008
Thursday 27 November 2008
Intuition and Planning: How to lead change
We had an interesting conversation recently when discussing how to lead change through either intuition or planning, or both. The consensus seemed to be that when using intuition you are often basing that on evidence from your experiences, so that it is more calculated intuition rather than blind gut instinct.
An interesting point was raised however that if your frame of reference, for instance your job, changes then you don’t have any experience to guide your intuition. So what are you to do?
If when leading beyond authority you are crossing silos, sectors or worlds, how can you trust your instinct? What might hold true in your world might not in another, and so you need the planning and rational rigour to inform your decisions in order to be effective.
Or, as was pointed out you need to make sure that you surround yourself with people who are strong in areas where you are weak, be that they are more methodical planners, or instinctive leaders, or that they know the world you are operating in better than you.
This is a pertinent point, which has come up in a lot of discussions of late, and when I look around the workplace I see that it holds true here as well. Have you surrounded yourself with the right people? Is your network turbulent and diverse enough to allow you to transcend worlds effectively?
A
An interesting point was raised however that if your frame of reference, for instance your job, changes then you don’t have any experience to guide your intuition. So what are you to do?
If when leading beyond authority you are crossing silos, sectors or worlds, how can you trust your instinct? What might hold true in your world might not in another, and so you need the planning and rational rigour to inform your decisions in order to be effective.
Or, as was pointed out you need to make sure that you surround yourself with people who are strong in areas where you are weak, be that they are more methodical planners, or instinctive leaders, or that they know the world you are operating in better than you.
This is a pertinent point, which has come up in a lot of discussions of late, and when I look around the workplace I see that it holds true here as well. Have you surrounded yourself with the right people? Is your network turbulent and diverse enough to allow you to transcend worlds effectively?
A
Tuesday 26 August 2008
The fine art of being patient
Patience was the subject of our most recent practice along with the below quote from Edward G. Bulwar.
"Patience is not passive; on the contrary, it is active; it is concentrated strength"
This got me thinking about the speed at which I do things and I have to admit that my approach is very much to sprint until you can’t anymore which, I am now beginning to realise may mean that I am missing out on something. This is particularly pertinent considering that I have spent the quiet summer months reminding myself that I must be patient because in fact not everyone is beavering away at their desks trying to meet my deadlines but are in fact, probably sunning themselves in Spain.
Whilst travelling across London to various meetings recently, spending time in cafes, schools, businesses, boardrooms and even Dorothy Perkins, I have been forced to trust that despite the fact that other people have other demands on their time, if I am patient, at some point, on the whole, they will make the time. It is then that I need to be ready to sprint and not to be in a heap on the floor out of breath and out of ideas. I have to allow time for the opportunities to appear and to materialise as much as to hunt them down and force a conclusion.
But, how do I ignore the overwhelming desire to get those ticks on my list and to instead allow things to develop, perhaps not on my timescale, in a way that could produce something that is beyond what I could have expected to get?
I think it is at this point that you have to trust yourself as a leader, trust the work that you have done and take part in the fine art which is being patient.
Patience was the subject of our most recent practice along with the below quote from Edward G. Bulwar.
"Patience is not passive; on the contrary, it is active; it is concentrated strength"
This got me thinking about the speed at which I do things and I have to admit that my approach is very much to sprint until you can’t anymore which, I am now beginning to realise may mean that I am missing out on something. This is particularly pertinent considering that I have spent the quiet summer months reminding myself that I must be patient because in fact not everyone is beavering away at their desks trying to meet my deadlines but are in fact, probably sunning themselves in Spain.
Whilst travelling across London to various meetings recently, spending time in cafes, schools, businesses, boardrooms and even Dorothy Perkins, I have been forced to trust that despite the fact that other people have other demands on their time, if I am patient, at some point, on the whole, they will make the time. It is then that I need to be ready to sprint and not to be in a heap on the floor out of breath and out of ideas. I have to allow time for the opportunities to appear and to materialise as much as to hunt them down and force a conclusion.
But, how do I ignore the overwhelming desire to get those ticks on my list and to instead allow things to develop, perhaps not on my timescale, in a way that could produce something that is beyond what I could have expected to get?
I think it is at this point that you have to trust yourself as a leader, trust the work that you have done and take part in the fine art which is being patient.
Friday 1 August 2008
The people you meet, the places you go, who you become
“I am who I am because of everyone.
I am my mate who never speaks and the one who won't shut up. I am my older sister and unfortunately my younger brother. I am all the girls I've kissed, and all the ones I will. It’s the people we meet and the experiences we share that make us who we are.”
Orange current global advertising campaign
http://www.i-am-everyone.co.uk/
I saw this advert recently while out and about in London meeting leaders to invite to join the next emerging leaders programme in November 2008. I was in the middle of the daily grind thinking about a million and one other things: targets to hit, objectives to meet, 1:2:1 meeting to hold, team meeting to organize. However, as I sat on tube it got me thinking. Not about all the boys I have ever kissed (although that was a lovely walk down memory lane), but all the people I have ever met and the experiences I have had to date that have in some way helped form me as a person, a professional and a leader.
In the last two weeks I have met two leaders who have reinforced Orange’s idea that we are sum of the experiences and the people we have encountered in our lives. I’d like to share their stories with you…
The first shared with me her story of how she set up her own business and now runs an organization with 140 staff in 2 countries. What was really interesting about the conversation with her was the story she told about the three places she had worked before deciding to strike out on her own. She painted a very vivid picture of 3 completely different organizational and leadership cultures and what she learnt from operating in all three. The first was a place of true inspiration and inclusion, the directors knew all their staff and talked to them daily – not just about work but about everything else as well. The second organization was extremely hierarchical, the senior management didn’t even talk to their people at the water cooler / in the kitchen – the attitude was “why would I, (s)he is only the (fill in the blank here for whichever job role). The final organization was a poor imposter of the first. The directors outwardly professed to run an inclusive culture, but didn’t walk the talk internally. What she took away from these 3 experiences was a really clear idea of how she was going to lead the people in her own organization – adopt the good and reject the bad from her role models.
The second leader talked more generally about the dark times in his career: when things were really tough, things went badly, he made mistakes and failed. His point was that you have to experience the dark in order to fully appreciate the light.
What it made me reflect on a number of interactions in my life. There are three people who I would like to acknowledge:
The dark times, when I have really struggled, have made me a much stronger person, a better professional and well-rounded leader. The stress, disappointment and despair at the time, and perhaps the fug of the immediate aftermath, have often masked the overall learning and overall benefits. A holistic health practitioner once told me “you are stronger than you realize”. I think of him every now and then, and his words of encouragement, especially when I am going through a dark patch. Thank you, T.
Someone special, but sadly all too briefly in my life, told me a story of when he was in the regular British Forces and through a circuitous route found himself signed up for the weekend training course for the Parachute Regiment. On the assault course section of the programme, he was really struggling. Other trainees were dropping out left right and center and he knew he was lagging behind and wasn’t going to make the qualifying time. And yet, he decided to stay, to finish the race, knowing that he was going to be the last one to cross the line. When I’m going through it, I think of him and whisper to myself – “finish the race, no matter what”. Thank you, J.
A couple of years ago I went on a Laughter workshop, the programme was run by a wonderful woman who really refreshed and reinvigorated my lust for life and laughter. Her own story was one of overcoming mental health problems, including a period of hospitalization, out of which experience eventually emerged a successful business, teaching people the art and benefits of laughter. Thank you, K, for relighting the dying embers, and for being a delightful human example of trusting your inner voice and self, and that the right path will emerge over time.
I suppose the at the route of it all is one word choice: the choice of experiences you let into your life, the choices of the people with whom you chose to interact, the choice of what you take with you from each interaction, the choice of how respond to every interaction, the choice of who you want to be.
Another extract for you from the Orange campaign…
“I am an encouraging family, four dragons who said no and The Prince’s Trust who said yes. I am manufacturers who laughed and 400 retailers who didn't. I am the kids who say 'I want one', and the parents who say 'okay'. I am happier families at airports. I am Rob Law inventor of Trunki, the ride-on suitcase for kids.
I am who I am because of everyone.”
http://www.i-am-everyone.co.uk/
I am my mate who never speaks and the one who won't shut up. I am my older sister and unfortunately my younger brother. I am all the girls I've kissed, and all the ones I will. It’s the people we meet and the experiences we share that make us who we are.”
Orange current global advertising campaign
http://www.i-am-everyone.co.uk/
I saw this advert recently while out and about in London meeting leaders to invite to join the next emerging leaders programme in November 2008. I was in the middle of the daily grind thinking about a million and one other things: targets to hit, objectives to meet, 1:2:1 meeting to hold, team meeting to organize. However, as I sat on tube it got me thinking. Not about all the boys I have ever kissed (although that was a lovely walk down memory lane), but all the people I have ever met and the experiences I have had to date that have in some way helped form me as a person, a professional and a leader.
In the last two weeks I have met two leaders who have reinforced Orange’s idea that we are sum of the experiences and the people we have encountered in our lives. I’d like to share their stories with you…
The first shared with me her story of how she set up her own business and now runs an organization with 140 staff in 2 countries. What was really interesting about the conversation with her was the story she told about the three places she had worked before deciding to strike out on her own. She painted a very vivid picture of 3 completely different organizational and leadership cultures and what she learnt from operating in all three. The first was a place of true inspiration and inclusion, the directors knew all their staff and talked to them daily – not just about work but about everything else as well. The second organization was extremely hierarchical, the senior management didn’t even talk to their people at the water cooler / in the kitchen – the attitude was “why would I, (s)he is only the (fill in the blank here for whichever job role). The final organization was a poor imposter of the first. The directors outwardly professed to run an inclusive culture, but didn’t walk the talk internally. What she took away from these 3 experiences was a really clear idea of how she was going to lead the people in her own organization – adopt the good and reject the bad from her role models.
The second leader talked more generally about the dark times in his career: when things were really tough, things went badly, he made mistakes and failed. His point was that you have to experience the dark in order to fully appreciate the light.
What it made me reflect on a number of interactions in my life. There are three people who I would like to acknowledge:
The dark times, when I have really struggled, have made me a much stronger person, a better professional and well-rounded leader. The stress, disappointment and despair at the time, and perhaps the fug of the immediate aftermath, have often masked the overall learning and overall benefits. A holistic health practitioner once told me “you are stronger than you realize”. I think of him every now and then, and his words of encouragement, especially when I am going through a dark patch. Thank you, T.
Someone special, but sadly all too briefly in my life, told me a story of when he was in the regular British Forces and through a circuitous route found himself signed up for the weekend training course for the Parachute Regiment. On the assault course section of the programme, he was really struggling. Other trainees were dropping out left right and center and he knew he was lagging behind and wasn’t going to make the qualifying time. And yet, he decided to stay, to finish the race, knowing that he was going to be the last one to cross the line. When I’m going through it, I think of him and whisper to myself – “finish the race, no matter what”. Thank you, J.
A couple of years ago I went on a Laughter workshop, the programme was run by a wonderful woman who really refreshed and reinvigorated my lust for life and laughter. Her own story was one of overcoming mental health problems, including a period of hospitalization, out of which experience eventually emerged a successful business, teaching people the art and benefits of laughter. Thank you, K, for relighting the dying embers, and for being a delightful human example of trusting your inner voice and self, and that the right path will emerge over time.
I suppose the at the route of it all is one word choice: the choice of experiences you let into your life, the choices of the people with whom you chose to interact, the choice of what you take with you from each interaction, the choice of how respond to every interaction, the choice of who you want to be.
Another extract for you from the Orange campaign…
“I am an encouraging family, four dragons who said no and The Prince’s Trust who said yes. I am manufacturers who laughed and 400 retailers who didn't. I am the kids who say 'I want one', and the parents who say 'okay'. I am happier families at airports. I am Rob Law inventor of Trunki, the ride-on suitcase for kids.
I am who I am because of everyone.”
http://www.i-am-everyone.co.uk/
Thursday 17 July 2008
The power of the RealEdge network
Now that we have nearly finished half of the course I have been reflecting a wee bit on what has passed, and how interesting it is watching everyone discovering that someone has a similar passion/project or interest and the buzz that it creates.
This was really reinforced by a conversation I had with Natalie as we discussed the power of the networks within the group. She mentioned how pleased she was to have access to such a diverse group of people, organisations and passions, which she would not normally be able to access. Through her website, Changeboard, she has been contacted by international Corporate CSR Companies who are looking for causes to support, and as a result some of your group are hopefully linking up the corporate companies.
It really is great to see how she has been able to put people together to help all parties, and if this sounds appealing to anyone please look at the marketplace and discussion boards so you don’t miss this great opportunity. Likewise if you have any great opportunities that might interest the group please do put them on the marketplace.
So as we move on I challenge you all to make sure you meet and greet everyone in your group, find out what people are up to, and let the magic happen! Ok so that was a bit cheesy but the message still stands, so I hope to hear a lot more conversations on Tuesday at the Forum and for the rest of the programme, which ring with the sound of pleasant surprise and excitement about your common ground, and common purpose…… ok so now I am getting very cheesy, apologies!
Andy
This was really reinforced by a conversation I had with Natalie as we discussed the power of the networks within the group. She mentioned how pleased she was to have access to such a diverse group of people, organisations and passions, which she would not normally be able to access. Through her website, Changeboard, she has been contacted by international Corporate CSR Companies who are looking for causes to support, and as a result some of your group are hopefully linking up the corporate companies.
It really is great to see how she has been able to put people together to help all parties, and if this sounds appealing to anyone please look at the marketplace and discussion boards so you don’t miss this great opportunity. Likewise if you have any great opportunities that might interest the group please do put them on the marketplace.
So as we move on I challenge you all to make sure you meet and greet everyone in your group, find out what people are up to, and let the magic happen! Ok so that was a bit cheesy but the message still stands, so I hope to hear a lot more conversations on Tuesday at the Forum and for the rest of the programme, which ring with the sound of pleasant surprise and excitement about your common ground, and common purpose…… ok so now I am getting very cheesy, apologies!
Andy
Wednesday 2 July 2008
Starting again tomorrow
A former colleague of mine gave me a quote when was in the midst of a project and needed some faith that we would ever get to where we wanted to be. Since then I have stuck this quote to my computer and coloured it in pink so that my eye is drawn to it when my concentration is lacking, usually I hasten to add when things are not quite working out quite as I had intended. The quote is as below;
“Courage doesn’t always roar. Sometimes courage is the little voice at the end of the day that says I’ll try again tomorrow.”
Now don’t get me wrong I am not morbidly focussed upon the inevitable collapse of everything and the impending doom that is coming. But I find that it is often in those difficult situations, conversations and circumstances during your day that you have to remind yourself to have courage. This may not be the courage to force yourself or others to act but in fact to have the courage to keep trying or the courage to re-evaluate.
The last two Practices pick up on the theme of having the courage to have those difficult conversations, to make mistakes and accept them, as well as forcing yourself into uncomfortable places and looking at things from all angles even those unfamiliar to you.
http://realedge.commonpurpose.org.uk/home/staffpractices.aspx
It occurs to me that it is not just about having the courage to challenge yourself when things are going wrong and look at them differently but actually to give those around you the same courage to stop and review, to go into the unfamiliar or in fact to push on regardless.
p.s. there will be another practice out next week!
A former colleague of mine gave me a quote when was in the midst of a project and needed some faith that we would ever get to where we wanted to be. Since then I have stuck this quote to my computer and coloured it in pink so that my eye is drawn to it when my concentration is lacking, usually I hasten to add when things are not quite working out quite as I had intended. The quote is as below;
“Courage doesn’t always roar. Sometimes courage is the little voice at the end of the day that says I’ll try again tomorrow.”
Now don’t get me wrong I am not morbidly focussed upon the inevitable collapse of everything and the impending doom that is coming. But I find that it is often in those difficult situations, conversations and circumstances during your day that you have to remind yourself to have courage. This may not be the courage to force yourself or others to act but in fact to have the courage to keep trying or the courage to re-evaluate.
The last two Practices pick up on the theme of having the courage to have those difficult conversations, to make mistakes and accept them, as well as forcing yourself into uncomfortable places and looking at things from all angles even those unfamiliar to you.
http://realedge.commonpurpose.org.uk/home/staffpractices.aspx
It occurs to me that it is not just about having the courage to challenge yourself when things are going wrong and look at them differently but actually to give those around you the same courage to stop and review, to go into the unfamiliar or in fact to push on regardless.
p.s. there will be another practice out next week!
Thursday 19 June 2008
Bacon Butties and Birdsong
Every now and then I take a little time out on the way to work. I buy myself a bacon butty and a cup of black coffee and go and sit in the park local to the office. it's a good way to start the day, a bacon butty and some birdsong in the middle of hectic London: some rocket fuel for the body and a break for the mind and soul.
This morning my mind (and eyes) wandered over some gravestones nearby where someone had left a bunch of flowers and a potted fern. (To explain the local park is Bunhill Fields, an old cemetery and park, located near Old Street Tube.) On closer inspection I realised that this was no ordinary grave, but that of William Blake, Poet and Painter, 1757 - 1827. Next to him (and his wife Catherine Sofia) was a rather grand obelisk monument dedicated to Daniel Defoe, author of Robinson Crusoe, 1661 - 1731.
According to the inscriptions on the side of the monument to Daniel, it was paid for from a collection from 1700 boys and girls through a campaign organised by the Christian World Newspaper in 1870. Another note informs the visitor that Lilian Eveleigh Nash restored the monument in 1948.
The discovery of greatness resting in peace so close to where I work everyday was quite a revelation and got me thinking.......
Who had left the flowers for William, 181 years after his death? What was it about William, or his works, that had so moved someone to leave him a tribute? What was it about Daniel, or his creation of Robinson Crusoe, that had provoked 1700 children to donate money to a memorial fund? Was it the same thing that motivated Lilian in 1948 to restore the obelisk?
It made me think about legacy: what we leave behind when we are gone.
I'm not talking about that which we leave our loved ones in monies and material goods, more what we leave as our leadership legacy to the wider world.
As a 30 year old, it's not often I am jolted to reflect on my own mortality and what I will leave behind. It is (hopefully) a far distant event in the future. However, the decisions and actions I take now will carry me forward on a journey towards that certain destination.
What will I do on the journey? What state will I leave the path in for those that follow after me? What's going to be my leadership legacy? The honest answer is that I don't know.
And that's ok: I have a better idea than I did 2 years ago, and in another 2 years I know I will be 2 years farther down the path. It's a journey, not a destination.
Something I'm slowly getting my head around - I don't have to have the final answer to the legacy question right now. Having a compass heading is enough. That, and the odd bacon butty and birdsong time-out to reflect on the journey so far, and the next ports of call.
Someone close to me has 2 pieces of ribbon stuck on his office wall, a short and a long one. The long one represents the amount of life he has lived so far, the short one he has left. It's not morbid. It's a visual reminder to make every decision, every action, and everyday count. He oft quotes to me Stephen Covey's 2nd Habit of Highly Effective People - begin with end in mind. Good advice.
In addition, I would to offer up - take regular time out to reflect. A bacon butty and birdsong break works for me. What do you use?
Further reading to ponder: from "Presence: exploring profound change in people, organsations and society", Peter Senge, C.Otto Scharmer, Joseph Jaworksi, and Betty Sue Flowers. 2004. Nicholas Brealey Publishing. pages 25 -6
Several years ago in one of our leadership workshops, a Jamaican man from the World Bank named Fred told a story that moved people very deeply. A few years earlier he had been diagnosed with a terminal disease. After consulting a number of doctors, who all confirmed the diagnosis, he went through what everyone does in that situation. For weeks he denied it. But gradually, with the help of friends, he came to grips with the fact that he was only going to live a few more months. 'Then something amazing happened,' he said. 'I simply stopped doing everything that wasn't essential, that didn't matter. I started working on projects with kids that I'd always wanted to do. I stopped arguing with my mother. When someone cut me off in traffic or something happened that would have upset me in the past, I didn't get upset. I just didn't have the time to waste on any of that.'
Near the end of this period, Fred began a wonderful new relationship with a woman who thought he should get more opinions about his condition. He consulted some doctors in the States and soon after got a phone call saying, 'We have a different diagnosis.' The doctor told hime that he had a rare form of a very curbale disease. And then came the part of the story I'll never forget. Fred said, 'When I heard this over the telephone, I cried like a baby - because I was afraid my life would go back to the way it used to be.'
It took a scenario that he was going to die for Fred to wake up. It took that kind of shock for his life to be transformed. Maybe that's what needs to hapen for all of us, for everyone who lives on Earth. That could be what a reuim scenario offers us.
There was silence for a moment.
'You know,' said Joseph quietly, 'When all is said and done, the only change that will make a difference is the transformation of the human heart.'
This morning my mind (and eyes) wandered over some gravestones nearby where someone had left a bunch of flowers and a potted fern. (To explain the local park is Bunhill Fields, an old cemetery and park, located near Old Street Tube.) On closer inspection I realised that this was no ordinary grave, but that of William Blake, Poet and Painter, 1757 - 1827. Next to him (and his wife Catherine Sofia) was a rather grand obelisk monument dedicated to Daniel Defoe, author of Robinson Crusoe, 1661 - 1731.
According to the inscriptions on the side of the monument to Daniel, it was paid for from a collection from 1700 boys and girls through a campaign organised by the Christian World Newspaper in 1870. Another note informs the visitor that Lilian Eveleigh Nash restored the monument in 1948.
The discovery of greatness resting in peace so close to where I work everyday was quite a revelation and got me thinking.......
Who had left the flowers for William, 181 years after his death? What was it about William, or his works, that had so moved someone to leave him a tribute? What was it about Daniel, or his creation of Robinson Crusoe, that had provoked 1700 children to donate money to a memorial fund? Was it the same thing that motivated Lilian in 1948 to restore the obelisk?
It made me think about legacy: what we leave behind when we are gone.
I'm not talking about that which we leave our loved ones in monies and material goods, more what we leave as our leadership legacy to the wider world.
As a 30 year old, it's not often I am jolted to reflect on my own mortality and what I will leave behind. It is (hopefully) a far distant event in the future. However, the decisions and actions I take now will carry me forward on a journey towards that certain destination.
What will I do on the journey? What state will I leave the path in for those that follow after me? What's going to be my leadership legacy? The honest answer is that I don't know.
And that's ok: I have a better idea than I did 2 years ago, and in another 2 years I know I will be 2 years farther down the path. It's a journey, not a destination.
Something I'm slowly getting my head around - I don't have to have the final answer to the legacy question right now. Having a compass heading is enough. That, and the odd bacon butty and birdsong time-out to reflect on the journey so far, and the next ports of call.
Someone close to me has 2 pieces of ribbon stuck on his office wall, a short and a long one. The long one represents the amount of life he has lived so far, the short one he has left. It's not morbid. It's a visual reminder to make every decision, every action, and everyday count. He oft quotes to me Stephen Covey's 2nd Habit of Highly Effective People - begin with end in mind. Good advice.
In addition, I would to offer up - take regular time out to reflect. A bacon butty and birdsong break works for me. What do you use?
Further reading to ponder: from "Presence: exploring profound change in people, organsations and society", Peter Senge, C.Otto Scharmer, Joseph Jaworksi, and Betty Sue Flowers. 2004. Nicholas Brealey Publishing. pages 25 -6
Several years ago in one of our leadership workshops, a Jamaican man from the World Bank named Fred told a story that moved people very deeply. A few years earlier he had been diagnosed with a terminal disease. After consulting a number of doctors, who all confirmed the diagnosis, he went through what everyone does in that situation. For weeks he denied it. But gradually, with the help of friends, he came to grips with the fact that he was only going to live a few more months. 'Then something amazing happened,' he said. 'I simply stopped doing everything that wasn't essential, that didn't matter. I started working on projects with kids that I'd always wanted to do. I stopped arguing with my mother. When someone cut me off in traffic or something happened that would have upset me in the past, I didn't get upset. I just didn't have the time to waste on any of that.'
Near the end of this period, Fred began a wonderful new relationship with a woman who thought he should get more opinions about his condition. He consulted some doctors in the States and soon after got a phone call saying, 'We have a different diagnosis.' The doctor told hime that he had a rare form of a very curbale disease. And then came the part of the story I'll never forget. Fred said, 'When I heard this over the telephone, I cried like a baby - because I was afraid my life would go back to the way it used to be.'
It took a scenario that he was going to die for Fred to wake up. It took that kind of shock for his life to be transformed. Maybe that's what needs to hapen for all of us, for everyone who lives on Earth. That could be what a reuim scenario offers us.
There was silence for a moment.
'You know,' said Joseph quietly, 'When all is said and done, the only change that will make a difference is the transformation of the human heart.'
Wednesday 21 May 2008
Website done!
Hi all,
I think I have finally finished the website so by the time you read this it will be up and running smoothly and you will all be booking your modules and hopefully blogging and discussing away.
I am the programme co-ordinator for RealEdge and my responsibilities are the general running of the programme in the office and the actual days, I have been working on recruitment as well for this programme but Harriet will be taking that over once this programme starts leaving me to concentrate on the events, the curriculum for the events, and as the main point of contact for participants. If you have any questions, or if I can help in any way please do get in touch, I look forward to meeting you all on the 3rd.
Andy Coxall
I think I have finally finished the website so by the time you read this it will be up and running smoothly and you will all be booking your modules and hopefully blogging and discussing away.
I am the programme co-ordinator for RealEdge and my responsibilities are the general running of the programme in the office and the actual days, I have been working on recruitment as well for this programme but Harriet will be taking that over once this programme starts leaving me to concentrate on the events, the curriculum for the events, and as the main point of contact for participants. If you have any questions, or if I can help in any way please do get in touch, I look forward to meeting you all on the 3rd.
Andy Coxall
Monday 12 May 2008
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