The CHALLENGES OF WRITING A MUSE

 

Gurus instructing those who are learning to enhance their

public speaking skills  have a

repetitive successful theme: talk to your audience.

Help the in the seats to listen – as compared to hear.

Develop a vibrational relationship with them –

A two way transmission of a type of verbal karma.

 

Written communications are  a mirror image.

Whether a James Devita writing for the educated reader:

Judy Cullins instructing those who are attempting to E publish

or Stephen King writing hair raising themes for the middle class.

All have  a targeted audience.

 

Those with an eclectic, diverse audience have a broader challenge.

Question – do they attempt to appeal to everyone by saying

Something – but not really anything, such as is the case with our prodigious politicians?

Everyone hears “something” but few listen and realize the words are as

seeds sown on rocks which bear little grain and thus no results.

Words for words sake – substance subordinated to emotional pep rallies.

 

In a writer’s sense – there are the writers of pulp mysteries, romance,

and researched historical fiction.  E books and soft cover books

sell well to the masses.. one can safely say these publications fulfill a customer need.

Writing is a business.. stocking the shelves with time proven plots and theories.

A capitalistic enterprise well worth the time and effort of authors and merchandisers.

 

 

Others entangle their writings in philosophical, historical, cultural topics.

Subjects with a basis in the oracles from Rome, Greece and Shakespeare.

Those who write in the shadows of Frost, Angelo, and Whitman.

 

Complex, elusive,  nerdy, the meanings are illusory, not easily discerned.

Making the simple complex and the complex simple ,exploring   the challenge

for universal truths and creating a voice for the yet undiscovered mystics.

 

Muses  attempt to create open space for the reader to  develop  their own interpretations.

To color the meanings with their own culture, ideas, imagination, and creativity.

 Should one size fits all – the muser has been underwhelmed the reader and is unsuccessful.

 

A well constructed muse  leaves the reader with a sense of wonderment: a type of

space travel anxiously/gleefully  hurtling to the next unknown planetary destination.

Wonderment generated by new found answers –and even more questions and queries.

 

Too much complexity leaves the reader with frustration and sometimes disgust.

Too little complexity leaves the reader with inadequacy, unfulfillment, perhaps boredom.

 

Reflective writing requires inner soul searching and honesty.  From a musing standpoint, writing

Is meaningful to the reader when the thoughts expressed are an accurate reflection of the

writer’s core being.

Acting On Our Beliefs and Values – A MessageFramed in History

The keeper of memories at Brandywine

Hidden away near the Brandywine Battlefield

A rugged stone mill stands sentry .

Two hundred years of water tracing

24/7 turning the paddles and buckets

Which give force to the tiny grinding mill again and again.

 

Steady, throughout the harsh Penns Woods winters.

Steady, when the stream turns to a trickle.

Steady, when its primary purpose is replaced  by gas powered machines.

 

There is an aura about this place. A mirror, a memory tape.

Like other places of history and locales of human events

The mill has heard the generational stories  of its neighbors

Its warriors, its heroes, its common folk who worked the land.

Its neighbors in the apartment blocks and IT parks nearby

Its yet unborn .

 

What is “it” about places throughout the world where people

Have sacrificed for their beliefs and values?

What is “it” about the international need to respect and revere

These places of honor ?

 

By the same token, what is it about Civil War battlefields which are

now home to parking lots and the Golden Arches?

Or  the Warsaw Ghetto where one searches for the markers of that WWII tragedy?

The killing forests of Eastern Europe – hidden from view, not disclosed.

Or the  catacombs in Paris.

 

What single iridescent   thread runs through these places remembered and those forgotten/destroyed?

Is there a common theme ?

 

From the common mill at Brandywine, to the catacombs, we remember that the treatment of each

Is a continuing reflection of our values.  What Is important? What is sacred? What is meaningful

to each and every culture, nation, and political demarcation line?  Herein lies the back story for what is

preserved or abandoned.

 

No matter our station in life, we have a commonality with the mill at Brandywine. 

Steady as life goes, we all have our memories, our life changing events.

We celebrate life’s victories like the Colonials at Brandywine. 

We keep on keeping on. 

 

The values we place on our beliefs  act are a platform  for our life changing decisions.  Do we value the

past such as the sacred ground at Brandywine? Or do we alternatively dismiss our personal

history as just another day to be endured on this earth?

 

Choices come to us sometimes quietly. In the small private moments of our inner soul.  A whisper.

A dream.  A premonition.  Our interpretation of a look from someone we know.

Forming  our values, our beliefs, our creed. 

 

Our interpretation of even fleeting moments  may be profound.  The permutations permanent.

 Reflecting our values, a whispered  yes or no  becomes the hallmark  of who we are

 and the continued, repetitive  voice in our inner being.

 

 Our acknowledgement of the goodness of others..the Harold Johnsons and Mother Theresas

 of this word reflect what we value as important: what is life sustaining. Do we pick up the

challenge and continue their missions?

.

Our rejection of those who take advantage of the poor, the humble, those with lesser abilities:

a reflection of our values – do we act or walk on the other side of the road?

 

Can you identify your values, beliefs, and creed?  Enjoy….

Earth Sends Us Messages About the Meaning Of Life

What is it about soil?

Suburban and gentlemen farmers don’t dig for money.

There must be other reasons.

The fruits of their labor – yes, admiring the flowers and  tomatoes they grow

Always a feeling of accomplishment watching nature do her magic.

Hoeing, raking, winning the daily battles with weeds and bugs.

 

Digging in the garden this morning in the hot summer sun

Bent over, knowing  a cracking sound of musical ribs  accompanies

each attempt to stand up tall.

 

Dirt encroaches in each pore of our skin… Fills fingernails

Messes with our clothing

Yet we rub it between our palms, smooth it around plants with gentleness and care.

Daily we walk the rows… eyes searching for bugs and beetles: erasing the lonely stalks

of weeds who hope to intervene.

 This  postage stamp sized plot has been in the backyard for 4 generations. Each spring

The hoes, rakes, and now gas spewing  tiller says hello to mother earth.

Imagine 80 years of a successful satisfying  partnership.

 

 There is an unexplainable partnership between gardeners and the earth.

No spoken words, yet a mystical kind of communication.

 

Earth is the silent partner  who requires care, feeding,

Careful cultivation, and a respect for its greenness. 

Slack off, ignore her, and she will let you know this is a joint partnership.  The absence of care is noted With wilted herbs, brown leafed tomato plants, cucumbers who shrivel on the vine.

There is no misunderstanding or double entendre here….  3 generations have shown their love, respect and care.. there is no free ride here .., honor and respect must be paid to Earth.

 

Greeks, Romans, and now western cultures have developed philosophical tenants to explore and understand who we are and where we as a genre are going.

Nature whispers and cajoles  us to pause, listen, touch, and continuously care for the most basic aspects of life.

Absent fancy  thesis, complex theories, pharma miracle pills, the essence of our beings is before us to be explored.

Interesting … being on our knees: scraping with simple tools: feeling the rivulets of sweat racing down

our spines..  wondering how this compares with self-help books, new age psychology, and feel good educational  practices.

 Question – Are you humble enough to get on your knees and explore the genesis of our being??

(( Comments welcome!!))

 

 

HELPFUL HINTS IN SELECTING LEADERS

HELPFUL HINTS IN SELECTING LEADERS
Selecting employees for supervisory, management, and leadership positions is a fascinating journey.
The same holds true if you are considering forming a business partnership.
What characteristics do you look for?
• Personality Compatibility
• Technical Expertise
• Sharing the same vision.
• Ethics
• Morality
• Mutual friends
• Capability to get along with others
• Financial Stability.
Absolutely – each one of these characteristics is worthy of exploration. Some would say these are
essential..
But gee, an individual can also be a solid performing follower with the above characteristics.
What is left out of the above listing of essentials? A question which is overlooked primarily because of the 1st two items on the list (personality – we really get along well together) and (technical expertise – they bring a essential tool kit of knowledge)? In the evaluative minds of many interviewers this combo translates, sometimes erroneously, into – leadership. The person across the table has all the attributes of a “ natural leader”. It’s so obvious, I can tell in my gut that this person is a leader – I just know it.
Ok – how do you know it? Intuition? As the well worn bromide goes – “the proof is in the pudding”.
A pertinent question for the candidate ? What is a leader ?—no, here you might received an academic or “ down to earth” descriptor . Good information but not what is needed.
The onion which needs to be peeled – is this person a Leader??
• What type, size, organization have they led?
• What quantifiable successes can they cite?
• Their demonstrated philosophy of leadership.
• When did they 1st know they were a leader? How?
• Specific examples of team building.
• Types of employees with whom they work the best/least?
• Failures as a leader.
• What leadership skills do they bring to the table?
• What characteristics are they looking for in a leader?

With mentoring and coaching leadership skills can be honed and developed. It is true that abilities can
be developed wherein and individual with no previous leadership skills can transition into a position
requiring those talents. Many of these individuals have some prior formal or informal leadership
experience.
A caveat. In many ways, leadership is a type of natural selection. Followers gravitate to those who
lead. Whether on the playground, classroom, social club, identifiable leaders and followers emerge.
The risk of hiring someone into a leadership position without a proven record, is significant. The
nuances of successful leadership are complex. They are learned overtime. This is not like learning a
software program where the variables are identified and solutions finite. Empathy, communications,
trust , delegation involve skillful interpersonal skills.
Leadership experience is a valuable teacher which can be measured in the breadth , depth, complexity
and success of involvement . Years in the “job of life” is differentiated from chronological age. Quality
of leadership is a necessary ingredient as is quantity.

BELIEVABLE LEADERSHIP – WHAT CAN MONEY BUY?

“ Diamonds are a girl’s best friend”. Sound familiar? What do the diamonds buy? – a sense of – he cares for me? Admiration from others.? Eye candy? Perhaps they are a renewal of the loving mutual admiration society. Or a visible reminder of one person caring for another. This rock from the center of the earth has always signified wealth, affection, and loyalty. There may be a difference between signifying something and it actually being true.
A question – do diamonds, jewelry, and other “ valued things” act as unbreakable adhesives when the affection and loyalty attributes are violated or dissipate over a period of time? The glitz and glamour of diamonds, by themselves, rarely is the glue that holds a broken relationship intact.
Employers are sometimes confused by the currents of “ we want more money’? ( show me the diamonds). When asked to perform expanded duties, the refrain “ how much more are you going to pay me?” is heard from dissatisfied , skeptical, restless employees..
Assuming these employees are paid comparable to others ( same occupation, region, etc) why the hue and cry about money?
• Loyalty?
• Honesty?
• Leadership?
• Followership?
• Integrity?
• Trust?
• Innovation?
• Motivation?
• Empowerment
Will money buy these? Perhaps money buys retention and the ability to hold on to highly skilled employees before they bolt to the competition. A bidding war ensues. With money being equal – who will the employee choose? And why?
Well heeled employers who fairly pay employees, have a high rate of “ money driven malcontents” when there significant dysfunctional characteristics are present in the workplace.
Havighurst discussed the absence of… as a factor in human behavior. The absence of employee loyalty, honesty, commitment to quality, employee empowerment, esprit de corps. Money cannot buy these factors which are essential to employee satisfaction. Dysfunction is a generalized company climate. Created, promoted and sustained by inept management and leadership.
Employees generally want to enjoy their work: take pride in where they work and the functions they perform. The erosion of these positive characteristics can be avoided by “ believable leadership”. Leaders who command trust: care about their employees, and who act in concert with the belief systems they talk about. Transparency, honesty, and value driven are the 3 key words by which they live. These characteristics are priceless.
Personal relationships and businesses have transparency, honesty and values are their cores. While “money” may be a center of heated discussions , a question to be asked – How did we get here? What are we as a marital team willing to do to change the atmospherics?

What can diamonds buy?

HUBRIS,KNOWLEDGE AND TRANSPARENCY – DO YOU HAVE WHAT IT TAKES TO BE A LEADER?

Broadly smiling, engagingly confident, you motivate audiences.
Stories of family triumphs, business victories, successful negotiations.
The ability to mesmerize audiences is legendary.
Week after week you shared more and more of your life story.
Growing up in the leafy suburbs of north shore Chicago
Privilege, wealth, highly educated in private schools.

Behind the closed doors there was the specter of alcoholism, An enabling father who provided cover for your mother to drink. Jameson on the rocks in crystal tumblers began at noon each day.

All the while the legendary mercantile business prospers on Michigan Avenue.
High end jewelry: a travel service to Europe: leased airplanes at O’Hare.

All business and personal hurdles were brushed aside as you became the
revered CEO at Hartsfield, Inc. A major player in the design and sales of u
upscale women’s fashion. Your loyal employees shared in the profits, the fame, and the riches.

Presiding over meetings in the cavernous auditorium, you shared a bit of history.
And motivated employees with tips recommendations, and self help suggestions as to how to become bigger than life, how to see the goodness in their soul.

Slowly and deliberately over months and years you tell of your mother’s failing health. Her struggle with dementia.Not a word about the dreaded illness known as “ the drink”
This family history was in the past, a harsh memory, but one consigned to the closet.

So dear reader, want to be a charismatic leader? A role model for your employees?
Someone to whom the public gravitates towards and looks to for strength and inspiration?

A New York Yankee fan, our CEO subject, remembers her mother talking about Lou Gehrig.
The slugger who stood on the grounds that Ruth built and said goodbye on July 4, 1939.
Knowing that he was succumbing to the death of what is now known as Lou Gehrig’s disease.
An iconic hero, he is remembered for generations. Known as the Iron Horse for his durability, physically weak but staunchly resolute his courageous farewell speech before more than 61,000 follows.
“Fans, for the past two weeks you have been reading about the bad break I got. Yet today I consider myself the luckiest man on the face of the earth. I have been in ballparks for seventeen years and have never received anything but kindness and encouragement from you fans.
Look at these grand men. Which of you wouldn’t consider it the highlight of his career just to associate with them for even one day? Sure, I’m lucky. Who wouldn’t consider it an honor to have known Jacob Ruppert? Also, the builder of baseball’s greatest empire, Ed Barrow? To have spent six years with that wonderful little fellow, Miller Huggins? Then to have spent the next nine years with that outstanding leader, that smart student of psychology, the best manager in baseball today, Joe McCarthy? Sure, I’m lucky.
When the New York Giants, a team you would give your right arm to beat, and vice versa, sends you a gift — that’s something. When everybody down to the groundskeepers and those boys in white coats remember you with trophies — that’s something. When you have a wonderful mother-in-law who takes sides with you in squabbles with her own daughter — that’s something. When you have a father and a mother who work all their lives so that you can have an education and build your body — it’s a blessing. When you have a wife who has been a tower of strength and shown more courage than you dreamed existed — that’s the finest I know.
So I close in saying that I might have been given a bad break, but I’ve got an awful lot to live for. Thank you.”
— Lou Gehrig at Yankee Stadium, July 4, 1939[49]

Imagine the strength it took to deliver this farewell address!
Like Lou Gehrig, others follow you – almost a cult. They come to you with their secrets, their stories of success and personal distress. After all, you are perceived to have an endless capacity for empathy, and heartfelt understanding: two characteristics of successful leaders.
They look to you as the perfect leader: One whose speeches and writings are internalized, discussed, chatted about in high society and by the Red Hat ladies.

Through it all, you have been able to keep a bit aloof while protecting yourself. Maintaining that necessary tiny bit of space between you and the public, you and employees,.

Vulnerability has been part of what you shared. That openness which others see as trust. That incalculable chemical molecule with which most identify.
Your son, yes you have discussed the travails of your son from time to time. His autism. His struggles with other children. How you strive to keep him comfortable and happy. But his decline – only a hint here and there.

There is a rumor that his health is rapidly deteriorating to the point of no return. That his continuing illness is causing a rift in your “perfect” marriage. But you have been stalwart, and strong, and just led the board of directors through the sterling financials for the last quarter. Profits are up 18%.
The Wall Street Journal sings your praises. Stockholders are in awe. To the world life is perfect.
So you want to be a charismatic leader? Leadership requires “ speaking to the truth as Neale Walsch writes in “ Conversations with God”.

Here they sit. Three Hundred Fifty expectant men and women. Eager for your quarterly message
of hope, inspiration, and life-sustaining theories. Knowing you have brought the firm through the recession. Knowing you will provide for them in many ways, large and small.
Be strong , you say to yourself. You got where you are through hubris, knowledge, and superior self
control. Strong on the outside: stronger on the inside.
You’ve spoken with Elizabeth Edwards. Hilary Clinton, Geraldine Ferraro. All who overcame the impossible – and retained their public integrity. Here you are – with an expectant audience.
Lou Gehrig walked away.. so weak he could not hold the goodbye gift presented by fans and teammates..
Where is my inner strength whispers the voice inside of your head.
The introductions are over: the crowd comes to their feet as one large wave. Cheering as you reach the
podium. Waiting for good news. Waiting for that magic they have seen in you for 15 years.
Deep breath: knees knocking: shoulders back: eyes focused on your loyal assistant in the front row- only she has seen the struggle behind the curtain and knows something is rotten in Denmark.

You thank the team for their loyalty: how they have made the Company great and then share Power
Point graphs illustrating the successful 1st quarter. You have stalled, procrastinated, bobbed and weaved. It is time to tell them. Alex, your son died last night, Timothy your husband left town on a
business trip – and was seen in West Palm Beach with another woman, and yes you have cervical cancer.

The imperfect tri fact a. A leave of absence- yes you are leaving for an indefinite period of time.
There is an audible gasp: Silence: Tears: employees reluctant to look at each other – so uncomfortable.
You have gone where many have failed. You stayed faithful to your implicit promise to employees which is to tell the truth .. always. To trust them .. and for them to trust you.
Leadership is about raising expectations. This includes the honesty of transparency and the risk of being vulnerable.
Hubris and knowledge catapulted you to the corner office. Do you have that something extra of transparency and vulnerability which sets you apart.? Leadership has its rewards and risks.

My question to all of you leaders – are you willing to walk the walk ? To share who you are, what you value, and embrace employees when they care about you and your life?