NOTES FROM THE

REFLECTIVE PRACTITIONER by Paul Pribbenow, Ph.D.

Volume Six, Number 2 (December 2004)

"What we have loved, others will love, and we will teach them how."

–W. Wordsworth, from "The Prelude"

NOTES FROM READERS

What you think

Greetings of the season. As the new year quickly approaches, I wish all of you Godspeed and many good days of reflective practice in 2005. May the light shine in the darkness for you and yours.

Thanks to all of you who wrote with good wishes for Abigail and me on the occasion of our China adventure to find Maya. An update on her health – all appears to be well. She is off of the anti-convulsion drug and has had no problems since our return from China. We’ll continue to monitor things, of course, but are hopeful (as the doctors think) that the seizures were caused by a virus. We give thanks . . .

Faithful reader and conversation partner, Gene Scanlan, wrote after the last issue of Notes: “I was struck by one line in particular from your latest notes: " The wonderful challenge is to ask not how much shall I give, but how much shall I keep?"  The August 2, 2004, New Yorker magazine had an interesting, controversial, and thought-provoking article, "The Gift" by Ian Parker, on what is becoming known as the Kravinsky Case. Kravinsky is a (formerly) wealthy real estate investor who has given away most of his wealth. He has also given away a kidney to anyone who needed a replacement, not to a specific individual as is the usual process. As the article proceeds, it raises several philosophical issues about philanthropy, including citing Peter Singer's 1972 essay "Famine, Affluence, and Morality," which sets up the ethical puzzle called "the Shallow Pond and the Envelope." Singer contends that ignoring a child who has fallen into a pond and is drowning is morally equivalent to ignoring a request from the Bengal Relief Fund to send a donation to save the lives of children. Colin McGinn counters this in the article by speaking of Singer's principle as morally bad because "it encourages a way of life in which many important values are sacrificed to general altruism." No matter how you view Kravinsky (who is considering giving away his other kidney), the issues raised by the article are fascinating and complex. I know at least one group of foundation leaders who have already used this article as a basis for discussions of philanthropy and philosophy.” I urge all of you to read “The Gift” – I found it online at http://www.ahc.umn.edu/ahc_news/080304/The%20Gift.htm.

Friend and colleague Tim Seiler from the Center on Philanthropy wrote to say “Thanks for reintroducing me to Kahlil Gibran.  I read his work when I was an undergraduate and have moved away from it in the time since (and there’s been a lot of that time!).

My son is celebrating his twenty-first birthday today.  I have transcribed “Love is Separateness” and am giving it to [him].” Abigail read the Gibran piece (from The Prophet) at Maya’s baptism this past Sunday and many found it especially meaningful. Thanks, Tim.

Occasionally, I (or my colleagues) refer to items from previous issues of Notes. If you have not been a subscriber previously, and wish to review our conversations, past issues of Notes are available on-line at www.jgacounsel.com. The website version of Notes also includes helpful hyperlinks to sources for purchasing or subscribing to the various publications mentioned in Notes. I thank my friends at Johnson, Grossnickle & Associates for their many years of abiding support for our reflective practice.

REFLECT ON THIS

Tempered radicals

I imagine many of you would agree that it is easy to become complacent in our effort to build and sustain good and healthy organizations. Our change and action agendas sometimes fall into a rut, needing to be refreshed and reinvigorated, even as we search for that burst of inspiration or energy needed to give it one more push.

A recent article in The Stanford Social Innovation Review (SSIR, Fall 2004, www.ssireview.com) anticipates the weariness some of us feel in our efforts to make our organizations more socially conscious and active. The answer, SSIR suggests, is the “tempered radicals” in our midst, those individuals who care so deeply about how the work of an organization makes a difference in the world that they are willing to fight lots of battles – often small, occasionally not so – to keep the organization focused on its social agenda and its implications both for the organization itself and the wider community.

The SSIR article, authored by Debra E. Meyerson, professor of education at Stanford, draws on Meyerson’s 2003 book, Tempered Radicals: How Everyday Leaders Inspire Change at Work (Harvard Business School Press) and outlines the variety of backgrounds and objectives these “under the radar rebels” represent. The bottom line, though, is these tempered radicals are critical players on the fault lines of an organization – organizational insiders who are successful at their jobs, but also change agents willing to risk their status to shake up the status quo.

There are similarities between the strategies these tempered radicals employ. They are effective at forging alliances with people inside and outside the organization to pursue their agendas. They have developed the discipline to manage heated emotions and channel the energy toward a clear agenda. They have found ways to separate public “front-stage” performances from “backstage” acts that force change. They have developed a vocabulary that has legitimacy among those in power, even as it challenges that power. They know how to create ripple effects with their actions—these are not always immediate effects, but they set in motion an agenda and institutionalize it so that change might occur over time.

There is too much in the story of tempered radicals to include here. The article is available on-line, and I’ve ordered a copy of the book. I wonder, though, if you might begin to notice the tempered radicals in your midst and see them as important allies in your efforts to build a more responsible organization. In our college, I think about the advocates for domestic partner benefits, for recycling programs, for wellness and nutrition programs, for a clear statement of organizational values – and I begin to recognize the reinforcements that are at hand in my own community who will be my partners in making Rockford College an even stronger organization of integrity and value.

And I don’t feel nearly so tired . . . .

A commonplace on generosity

Wise men and women throughout the ages have recognized the distinctive role that generosity plays in our personal and public lives. The season for generosity is upon us; if only we could sustain the virtue. Here are wise words about generosity to keep with you and practice in all the seasons of your life.

"And what is the treasure of generosity? There is the case of a disciple of the noble ones, his awareness cleansed of the stain of stinginess, living at home, freely generous, openhanded, delighting in being magnanimous, responsive to requests, delighting in the distribution of alms. This is called the treasure of generosity.” (Anguttara Nikaya VII.6, Dhana Sutta, Theravada Buddhism)

“Think of giving not as a duty but as a privilege.” (John D. Rockefeller Jr.)

“We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.” (Winston Churchill)

“(Generosity) seems to be the mean in the sphere of material goods . . . There also exists in matters involving material goods extravagance and stinginess as excesses and deficiencies…It is with good reason that stinginess is said to be the opposite of generosity. For not only is it a greater evil than extravagance, but people are more prone to go wrong in following it . . . . ” (Aristotle)

“Generosity during life is a very different thing from generosity in the hour of death; one proceeds from genuine liberality and benevolence, the other from pride or fear.” (Horace Mann)

“And [Jesus] looked up and saw the rich putting their gifts into the treasury. And He saw a certain poor widow putting in two small copper coins. And He said, "Truly I say to you, this poor widow put in more than all of them; for they all out of their surplus put into the offering; but she out of her poverty put in all that she had to live on." (NAS, Luke 21:1-4)

“Those who are not looking for happiness are the most likely to find it, because those who are searching forget that the surest way to be happy is to seek happiness for others.” (Martin Luther King, Jr.)

“Do something for somebody every day for which you do not get paid.” (Albert Schweitzer)

“ Generosity, in the proper sense of the word, is the virtue which elevates us to do actions worthy of our kind, nature, descent, or origin, which is heavenly; for as St. Paul says, following a Greek poet whom he himself cites, we are of the kind or race of God, who is the source of all minds. Thus, it is in this sense that it is fitting for all human beings to be generous and to act according to the nobility of human nature, so as not to degenerate or to lower ourselves to the level of beasts . . . . ” (G.W. Leibniz)

“It requires time to practice generosity. We may want to help those who are hungry, but we are caught in the problems of our own daily lives. Sometimes, one pill or a little rice could save the life of a child, but we do not take the time to help, because we think we do not have the time.” (Thich Nhat Hanh)

“Give, expecting nothing thereof.” (Thomas Aquinas)

“Give generously, for your gifts will return to you later.” ( Ecclesiastes 11:1)

“We do not quite forgive a giver. The hand that feeds us is in some danger of being bitten.” (Ralph Waldo Emerson)

“Generosity is giving more than you can, and pride is taking less than you need.”
(Kahlil Gibran)

“ The three signs of great men are -- generosity in the design, humanity in the execution, moderation in success.” (Otto von Bismarck)

“Generosity is a two-edged virtue for an artist -- it nourishes his imagination but has a fatal effect on his routine.” (Alexander Solzhenitsyn)

“Ungenerous fiction is first and foremost fiction in which the writer is unwilling to take the reader as an equal partner.” (John Gardner)

“The rule for all of us is perfectly simple. Do not waste time bothering whether you ‘love’ your neighbour; act as if you did. As soon as we do this we find one of the great secrets. When you are behaving as if you love someone, you will presently come to love him.” (C.S. Lewis)

PRACTICE THIS

The American Dream

I spoke to the annual meeting of our local (very successful) Hispanic resource center a few weeks ago. Here is an excerpt from my remarks:

“I’ve been out of the country for the past few weeks and I return with a renewed sense of passion and commitment for all that our country stands for and believes in – but also with a sense of how much we have to lose if we don’t pay attention, if we don’t redouble our efforts to make our country stronger, to reclaim the dream we call American.

The poet Langston Hughes wrote these remarkable words decades ago:

This dream is ours as well, and surely all of us here in this room, in this community, in this country, know deep in our hearts that the gift and promise of the dream must never be taken for granted. We must live up to our dreams, celebrate them and shout them out for all to hear!

I want to talk with you about the American dream – what it is, why it is so valuable, what we must do as citizens to be able to continue to dream . . . .

It is especially meaningful to be here with those of us who care about La Voz Latina and its remarkable work in our community advocating for new citizens, for those who are seeking to live the dream here in our community. There are those who are better able to offer the statistics about the growth of the Hispanic population in our community – suffice it for me to know that those in our community and country for whom Spanish is a first language are at the forefront of the growth of a vital and rich cultural and commercial life in our society. Your businesses – your associations – your children – your dreams of a better life – are sources of inspiration to all of us who live in the United States. And it is to you that the American dream is now present and real and provocative…we look to you for guidance and hope!

And what are you dreaming for? The American dream is now, as it has been for more than three centuries, a dream of a better life, of freedom, of self-government, of a future for our children that is full of promise and hope. It is the dream that immigrants of every generation in our country have dreamed. Western Europeans first, then Scandinavians, Italians, Greeks, Poles, Jews, Africans, Latin and South Americans, and Asians – the list goes on and on because there is a draw here, a dream here that is a world of promise and freedom, of a social order “in which each man and each woman shall be able to attain to the fullest stature of which they are innately capable and be recognized by others for what they are, regardless of the….circumstances of birth or position.” (James Truslow Adams, Epic of America, 1931). It is a dream that the writer, Richard Rodriguez – himself an immigrant from Mexico – suggests requires “the affirmation of the impossible,” a wonderful way of talking about how the dream is an aspiration, a stretch of our imaginations – a lesson about dreaming that too many of us have forgotten!

The immigrant stories I know best are linked to the work of a woman I also know well – and that is Jane Addams. Miss Addams graduated from Rockford College in 1882 and in 1889 founded the Hull-House, a settlement on Chicago’s west side, where she lived for 45 years, working with her immigrant neighbors to carve out a good life in their adopted country. Her house was surrounded by a neighborhood comprising several different ethnic and immigrant groups – Italians, Greeks, Germans, and Jews – and together they forged a life that focused on helping each other to be good citizens of the American democracy.

The programs at Hull-House were as varied as the neighborhood – there was a public library, an art gallery, a gymnasium, English language instruction, a kindergarten, a museum that celebrated ethnic crafts and labor practices – there was a neighborhood association that banded together to improve sanitary conditions and safety – there were lawyers and academics who worked to improve working conditions for adults and children who worked in nearby factories. The point was that Hull-House was committed to helping its neighbors to become good citizens, to be able to dream the American dream, to enjoy the freedom and responsibilities that U.S. citizens have.

It was all about the dream, the American dream, and Miss Addams was a wonderful fellow dreamer for her neighbors, helping them to help each other and themselves on the road to the dream of a strong democracy, a sense of common purpose, a more just and humane and meaningful life for all.

Today, of course, the world is a much different place and Miss Addams’ efforts sometimes strike people as irrelevant to our times. I would like to argue, though, that the dream is still the same and that Jane Addams is still very much relevant to our work as neighbors and citizens right here in Rockford, Illinois, where all of us would do well to dream a bit more as we navigate our lives together in this community. In fact, we need to look to all of our sources of inspiration to dream again because it is too easy to take the dream for granted, to think that it means only material gain, to drift away from our core values and beliefs as citizens of this democracy.

The source of my faith in the legacy of Jane Addams is linked to the fact that she was, above all, an educator, and her true gift to all of us is a vision of how education is at the core of a strong democracy. Everything Jane Addams did at Hull-House was about sharing “the best of human civilization” with her fellow citizens so that they might have the knowledge, the skills, the experience and the values that are both the source and the substance of the dream.

You see where this all leads – the reason we can dream is because we have the opportunity to be educated, to grow and learn, to see the promise and hope of the society and the community in which we live. Learning is the key and education is the tool . . . . ”

Dream on.

Creativity myths

Harvard professor Teresa Amabile, interviewed for Fast Company (December 2004), discusses six myths that many people believe are related to the sort of work environment in which creativity flourishes. In debunking the myths, she offers a straightforward approach to “smart” management, claiming that “when people are doing work that they love and they’re allowed to deeply engage in it—and when the work itself is valued and recognized—then creativity will flourish. Even in tough times.”

Professor Amabile’s six myths are:

• Creativity comes from creative types – just not true, she says. As a leader, you do not want to ghettoize creativity – everyone in your organization is capable of, and should be encouraged to, imagine novel and useful ideas and practices.
• Money is a creativity factor – certainly people should be compensated fairly for their efforts, but most people value more than money an environment that encourages and supports creative activity.
• Time pressure fuels creativity – research shows that people are less creative when under stress. The key issue is the ability to focus on the work, free from distractions, many of which arise when deadlines loom.
• Fear forces breakthroughs – to the contrary, Amabile’s research shows that creativity is positively associated with joy and love and negatively associated with anger, fear, and anxiety.
• Competition beats collaboration – instead, Amabile shows, the most creative teams are those that have the confidence to share and debate ideas.
• A streamlined organization is a creative organization – this is PR spin, according to Amabile. Downsizing creates distrust and that is not an environment that nurtures creativity.

For leaders and managers, Amabile suggests four simple strategies for building a creative work environment: (1) When time pressure is high, clear out the distractions; (2) React to problems with understanding and help; (3) Celebrate a good performance in public; (4) When times are tough, redouble your communications efforts.

Here’s to a new year full of creativity.

PAY ATTENTION TO THIS

Resources for your reflective practice

I’ve recently learned about the fascinating and good work of an organization called PeaceJam, which is a year-round international education program built around twelve Nobel Peace Prize laureates, who work personally with youth to pass on the spirit, skills, and wisdom they embody. Among the Nobel laureates connected to PeaceJam are the Dalai Lama and Jody Williams. We’re starting a PeaceJam project here at the college. Learn more at www.peacejam.org.

I need to put in a good word for The Utne Reader, which is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year. Utne, which means “far out” in Norwegian, reprints articles from small independent publications, most of which have a slant that is quite obvious. It is a slant – including an abiding concern for public discourse – that I find inspiring. More information at www.utne.com.

Winter mood

As those of us who live in chilly climes get used to short days and crunchy snow under our feet, it sometimes is difficult to keep our spirits high. Leave it to Robert Frost, a fine winter poet if ever there were one, to remind us of the little ways in which moods can improve. Happy new year all!

“Dust of Snow”
by Robert Frost

“The way of a crow
Shook down on me
The dust of snow
From a hemlock tree

Has given my heart
A change of mood
And saved some part
Of a day I had rued.”

Subscription information

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Topics for the next issue (February 2005):

• Extraordinary conversations – why and how . . .
• Good intentions

(c) Paul Pribbenow, 2004