Entries Tagged 'Reflexion' ↓

I have been quiet for the last few days because of my incapacity to approach my desktop, for fear of putting masala on the keyboard and spoiling my valuable equipment! Even today, I had Marie Anne type out what I have to write.
This morning, while I was sitting on a stool waiting for the paste over my body to dry, my wife Marie Anne came back from her royal rejuvenation treatment. Why royal? It’s because the treatment consisted of whole body massage, followed by a bathtub dip of 15 mins in hot water where herbal decoctions , ground sandal wood and rose petals had been added. When she breezed in, the perfume she exuded filled the air, whilst I was like a garlic/mustard seed/turmeric smelling monster cowering in the bathroom! Fortunately, I’m on my last day of this particular treatment, for the moment. After a week’s of normal massage with special oils brought in from Onkola, I’ll be having a second body paste regimen. The beauty is being rejuvenated whilst the beast is having the pungent smell and starving stance. This is my story of the Beauty and the Beast. To obtain a little bit of mobility in my condition, what will I not do and suffer? I really feel jealous of Marie Anne who is having an exhilarating stay here. If my jealousy would add to my cure, so much the better!

J’ai relu le texte de l’évangile de ce dimanche en vivant cette scène comme si j’étais présent. J’ai l’impression qu’il avait un dialogue de sourds entre Jésus et Pilate : une incompréhension totale.

Ne sommes nous de temps en temps « Pilate » quand nous sommes incapables de comprendre le langage et signes que Dieu nous donne ? Ou, mieux encore, quand cela nous arrange d’être sourd à Jesus quand il nous parle à travers de notre prochain ?  En effet, nous sommes comme Pilate etait sourd aux paroles de jesus car il n’avait de coeur a l’entendre.

Etre Roi des Juifs dans la langue de Jésus veut dire Roi pour être au service des autres. Le Roi c’est le plus grand serviteur de tous. Dans le langage du monde, être Roi c’est pour être servi et régner sur ses sujets avec autorité. Jésus ajouta : « Je suis né, je suis venu dans le monde pour ceci : rendre témoignage à la vérité. Tout homme qui appartient à la vérité écoute ma voix »

Si nous sommes des hommes qui appartiennent à la vérité, alors nous devrons entendre qu’il est bien Roi dans son langage. Le Roi suprême est le serviteur suprême venu se sacrifier pour notre rédemption.

Vive notre Roi, notre Sauveur.

Ainsi tout en vivant dans ce monde, nous avons pour but comme Jésus de ne pas vivre pour ce monde. Notre destin et but de vivre ici et maintenant ont comme objectif final d’atteindre l’autre monde où notre Christ Roi nous attend. Nous avons donc une vie matérielle sur terre et aussi une vie spirituelle à mener.

J’ai eu que cette semaine l’hommage fait par l’ami Georges, pour mon cher professeur de mathématiques, de 1960! Que des souvenirs!Je suis tout à fait d’ accord avec l’hommage de Georges car ils sont pour la grande majorité bien éduqués, les étudiants qui ont passé sous sa férule. Mon appréciation de Paul Cheung est surtout « il était avant tout un homme déterminé dans ses actions tout en étant à l’écoute des autres. »

Je vous livre le texte :

HOMMAGE A PAUL CHEUNG

Pedagogue, ami, accompagnateur, catalyseur, voila comment nous qualifierons celui qui nous a quittes il y a seulement quelques jours. Son nom et sa silhouette, ainsi que son intonation et ses tics, resteront toujours graves dans le coeur de ceux qui l’ont connu. D’abord comme enseignant de mathematiques, ensuite recteur, puis mediateur enthousiaste aupres de plusieurs generations de ‘ Simmarians ‘.

Un temoin fidele

Paul Cheung fut le temoin privilegie d’une epoque pionniere qui vit le lancement d’un projet educatif temeraire dans un contexte difficile, les annees 1950-60. A ce titre il se devoua corps et ame a la realisation d’un ideal digne des grands educateurs de tous les temps : ‘ mens sana in corpore sano’ . Proposer un enseignement integral ( ‘an all-rounded education’ ) enrichi d’une formation chretienne avec pour objectif l’epanouissement de la jeunesse mauricienne dans le cadre verdoyant et spacieux de l’etablissement de la rue Ambrose a Rose-Hill. Jeune diplome de mathematiques tout juste rentre de Londres, il trouva la l’occasion de commencer une carriere d’enseignant avant de fonder une famille dont les membres aujourd’hui disparus sont toujours l’objet d’une affection partagee. Qui plus est, il demeura fidele durant cinq decennies a ce projet educatif beneficiant d’abord de l’apport des Freres-enseignants de la Congregation lassallienne, puis assurant au mieux de ses moyens la transition d’une epoque a l’autre, a chaque etape d’une reorientation decisive du projet initial concu surtout comme un service d’Eglise non-sectaire propose a la communaute mauricienne toute entiere.

Un enseignant-ne

Paul Cheung ‘jouait’ avec les elements d’algebre, de geometrie et de trigonometrie comme d’autres avec leurs instruments de musique preferes. Il savait motiver les moins doues, tant sa maitrise du sujet etait entrainante et convaincante. A la maniere des jesuites il faisait la part belle à la repetition, la revision et l’emulation, s’efforcant de faire repasser les notions acquises a travers la pratique soutenue des problemes. C’etait un enseignant-ne qui savait aussi stimuler et mettre en garde contre la complaisance avec une rare bonhomie. Genereux, il se preoccupait peu de ses honoraires, pourtant modestes. L’eleve importait plus que le ‘client potentiel’. Le repetiteur etait attentif a la condition socio-economique de l’eleve.

Un homme-pont

L’homme s’est toujours souvenu de ses anciens eleves, et grande etait sa joie de les retrouver avec leurs epouses de longues annees apres. Sa memoire etait vivace, son dynamisme inepuisable, sa gentillesse contagieuse. Il a toujours souhaite la perennite de l’experience scolaire, non pas a travers la nature figee dse souvenirs personnels mais l’action soutenue des rencontres et autres manifestations conviviales qui reunissent les eleves de differentes promotions. Il est dommage qu’il fut dans l’impossibilite de se joindre a nous lors de la commemoration du 50^e anniversaire du college St Mary’s en decembre dernier, car il n’etait pas au pays.

Un temps bien utilise

Empruntons à Seneque ces lignes adressees a son disciple :

« Rien, Lucilius, ne nous appartient ; seul le temps est a nous. Ce bien fugitif et glissant est l’unique possession que nous ait departie la Nature ; et peut nous en chasser qui veut. Telle est la folie des humains qu’ils se sentent redevables du moindre cadeau peu couteux qu’on leur fait, cadeau remplacable en tout cas, mais que personne ne s’estime redevable du temps qu’il a recu en partage, alors que le plus reconnaissant des hommes ne pourrait le rendre. » ‘ Sur la brievete de la vie’, Lettres a Lucilius

En tout cas, cher Paul, vous n’avez pas perdu votre temps.

George L. Easton

Pour l’Amicale des Anciens

I invite you to read the above named article which is featured on the Wharton School Publishing dated 10 November.

I found that the different views given by the writers to be very pertinent and informative.

The point of view I adhere most to is:

“While Kendall Whitehouse, Wharton’s senior director of student and instructional technology, agrees that, in general, “there’s more noise than signal” in much of the blogosphere, he also stresses that this doesn’t mean that there is no value in blogs. In addition to following a number of individual bloggers whose opinions he respects, Whitehouse finds worth in the aggregate voice of the blogosphere. “Sites like Digg.com let you track what’s happening in the blogging world in near real-time,” states Whitehouse, and can “give you an instant snapshot of what topics people are talking about.” Viewed in this way, the blogosphere may exhibit the same “wisdom of the crowd” phenomenon of community-developed content sites like Wikipedia.”

We are more so today, in a maze where the reliable and the unreliable information are mixed and confounded. The questions are: How to select them? Who are the issuers of the blogs and how reliable are they? Is n’t it a practice of our discerning skills?

Enjoy accessing to the Wharton School Publishing!

Many in our country view Globalisation as a threat. The industries and companies who have been enjoying positive results up to now feel unsecured. Why? They established their businesses in an environment and found the appropriate niche within the given set. Now and in the foreseeable near future, the environment and conditions are changing the « Fit for purpose » is changing. The thrust brought by Globalisation movement with its battery of changes is pressuring us externally with the new world rules imposed by WTO. If you have not thought of your « fit for purpose » in the fast coming environment, you will definitely feel unsecured and panicky.

Can you alter or intervene on the external factors changing the scene of globalisation? I would bet that there is not much (to be euphemistic) or there is nothing we can about it. The rollercoaster is rolling! The set of conditions which very prevailing when we found our niche of business and giving us our live hood is no more there. We may attempt to delay the effect on us. End of the day, it will be only a provisional and temporary measure. We need to « Fit back to our purpose » fast.

Those who are agile see in Globalisation new opportunities. I am still in the euphoria of the lectures of Timothy Radcliffe to whom I listened last night and last saturday. He said that against the back drop of Mass Media pumping us fear and negativity all day,we have to be the angels of hope and better tomorrows. He is giving a lecture @ the University of Mauritius today.Agility and flexibility of mind and spirit are the qualities we should nuture to drive us. So,I choose to hear Globalisation equals changes, synonymus to opportunities and challenges. In an editorial of the newsletter of a consultancy firm, I read:

« Although the word is widely used, globalization is much misunderstood.

A common mistake is to see its impact in over-simplistic terms: Asia wins,

While Europe and the United States lose. A sense of the passing of America’s

hegemony is palpable, while the rise of China and India is seen as irresistible.

These are developments of epoch-making proportions. It is probably not an

exaggeration to point to the post-World War II boom, or even the Industrial

Revolution, as shifts on a comparable scale. It is a work in progress that may

take 50 years – and, what’s more, the outcomes are neither predictable nor

inevitable.

Globalisation is for many companies both a threat and an opportunity. It gives

access to fast-growing new markets, but it can also bring new and unknown

competitors who have matured rapidly in distant parts. For a large number of

products and services the notion of a purely national market no longer exists. »

If we see Globalisation as an opportunity then we stand to being able to find our « fit for purpose » and be successful.

I would suggest that we review our business under three sets of filters:

Market Strategy and business model (What to, Choice to find the fit?)

Organisation structure and Processes (How to?)

People (Who?)

In short, new environment bring changes which we have to proceed with fast. Do you want to be in the “has been” companies or part of the enterprises of the present & future? Changes bring its lot of challenges with opportunies yet to be discovered. Entrepreneurs your role is to find you’re “fit for purpose” and you bring in creative solutions yet to be rolled out.

I am indebted to my friend Donald Lam, a Mauritian friend working in the UK who provided me the inspiration to write this blog after reading the editorial of his company Siddal & company.

Last Saturday, I had the great pleasure and the highest privilege, I felt, to listen to a talk by Bro. Timothy Radcliffe on leadership. During his talk, to describe the present environment of today s world where fear, an acceleration of change and unprecedented uncertainty prevails, Bro. Timothy hinted us to read the works of Zygmunt Bauman to understand the phenomenon.

When I came back home, and as soon as I could afford the time, I went to my desktop to look for Prof. Bauman’s great insights. I struck my gold pot of luck. I found a lecture given to by Prof. Zygmunt Bauman to an EU organization: Lecture on the ANSE-conference 2004 “Value dilemmas as a challenge in the practice and concepts of supervision and coaching”.

Do you want to understand to which destination our society is moving to? What is From Solid Modernity to liquid Modernity? Do you want to understand what has become of loyalty of employees in a work environment? What are the new meanings of responsibility, working in project teams and emancipation in the liquid Modernity? Should you be interested in human behavior, I highly recommend you to read the lecture notes. I found it most enlightening.

Indeed, man management in today’s context is a subject I am very interested in and I think, is the greatest challenge & most vital to entrepreneurs. By the way,on the past Friday, I had a full day lecture on the subject “Comment Manager votre equipe, Confiance, delegation et sens du client” by Sylvain Lecoq.

Funnily enough I had the impression after studying the few articles from Prof. Bauman today as if on the Friday I had lessons on the practical aspect of management and now the understanding of the changing trends of managing in the near future.

Should you be interested in the philosophical aspect of Bauman works I would recommend you to read Dolan Cummings comment “the trouble with being human these days: Identity”.

Bauman has written a series of books on his “Liquid” vision.

“People are brand” says William Arruda, also called the Personal Branding Guru. Last week, with a group of Company Directors, we derived great pleasure and more importantly gained much insight for our work when we attended a seminar conducted by Helene LACROIX-SABLAYROLLES the dean of marketing of the prestigious French Business school: HEC.

Author of several business books of which the latest “Etes vous vraiment orienté client?” Helene enthused the participants of the seminar. She was given an evaluation score of almost 5/5 by the participants. She replaced the perspective of clients back in haze of Marketing buzz words, techniques and models particularly in today’s fast changing, finicky, volatile environment of zapping. She gave a new meaning to “Segmentation” of products as well as of customers. I found that the practical tools she proposed to extract from, express to and exude our customers in its entity to be most useful.

Bearing in mind that all enterprises should possess a distinctive Brand, she insisted that the enterprises has the duty to deliver on the promises of the Brand values.

We may take the question at a personal level. What Brand are you? Just like in your enterprises you would ask: who are we? What are our values, beliefs goals? How to our customers view us? Are we delivering our brand promises? I invite you to visit a web site which will name the brand you are, once you give your values and goals. Try it out.

This latter part seems very much akin to the exercises of knowing who we want to be and making it happen; I used to conduct in the 7 habits seminars.Looking back to those days. I still feel great joy and thankful to the yonder days and to participants who taught me so much on humans and their interactions.A special note of appreciation to a lady, now living in Australia Perth who assisted & accompanied me through a vast number of such corporate seminars.

Les juifs de l’époque de Jésus avaient 613 préceptes à retenir. Cela est une tache ardue et impossible et pourtant ce qui était impose par les pharisiens.

Ne sommes nous pas aujourd’hui désemparer par le nombre de choses a faire ? Trop de chose à faire, trop de préoccupations dans notre vie ! Trop information à traiter ! Information overflow !

L’Evangile de ce dimanche, me donne une leçon : Quel est le premier de tous les commandements ? Oui, posons nous la question de l’essentiel ?

L’Essentiel est donné. Jésus l’a donné en deux temps :

Voici le premier : Écoute, Israël : le Seigneur notre Dieu est l’unique Seigneur Tu aimeras le Seigneur ton Dieu de tout ton coeur, de toute ton âme, de tout ton esprit et de toute ta force ;

Voici le second : Tu aimeras ton prochain comme toi-même. Il n’y a pas de commandement plus grand que ceux-là.

En bref, les deux se résument en un mot aimer. L’amour de Dieu et l’amour de soi et les autres !

Dieu est lui-même amour.

Notre essentiel serait il de partager l’amour, de fructifier cet amour, de répandre l’amour ? Aimer Dieu, aimer soi même et aimer les autres !

Last night, for some reasons or other the word “Mastery” kept popping up in my mind. Was it the vibrations from the book Modeling on Jesus our Master of Fr. Luis Gonzalez which I keep on my bedside from which I read a couple of pages daily to let his thoughts seep in me or was it, the reminisences of the last article titled “The mystery of Mastery unveiled” I read from Geoorge Torok or was it,  from the older lessons learnt from the Kevin Cashman ‘s writing on “Mastery from the inside out.”

All told, this has become the subject of my blog today.Some of you may know the wonderful story which I have often use to illustrate how our mind and thoughtful purpose bring “mastery” to our action.Someone came near a stone quarry and found three craftsmen working with their chisels and hammer cutting the hard breaking basalt stones under the harsh and hot sun.The person asked the same questions to each hard working craftsman in turn.

What are you doing now and why?

In turn each one replied. The first one said: “Don’t you see what I am doing? With the chisel I am cutting the stone and chipping off the unwanted part”.

The second fellow replied: “In this hot sun, I am sweating, working hard to earn a living to raise my family thus providing for the needs of my children”.

The third guy replied: “I am carving in the stone with the greatest care to erect a Cathedral”.

According to you, which one of the three has a “Mastery” mind set?

Kevin Cashman attempts to answer the question:”What does mastery means to you?” In an under quoted article I would like to share with you  Kevin Cashman’s 7 pathways to Mastery which  applications have been most helpful to me

Mastery from the Inside Out

 

Our ideas about mastery tend to be externalized. Our educational heritage is focused on learning about things. We learn what to think, not how to think. We learn what to do, not how to be. We learn what to achieve, not how to achieve. We tend to fill the container of knowledge but rarely expand it.

In organizations, the external pattern continues. As leaders, we are recognized for our external mastery. Our success tends to be measured by the degree to which we have mastered our external environment. Revenue, profit, new product breakthroughs, cost savings, and market share are just some measures of our external competencies. Few question the value of achieving and measuring external results. That isn’t the issue. The core questions are: Where do the external results come from? Is focusing on external achievement the source of greater accomplishment? Could it be our single-minded focus on external results is missing the underlying dynamics supporting peak performance?

I’ve often met with a CEO, business owner, or corporate executive who has lost touch with the inner dynamics supporting his or her achievements.

Many leaders today are like naturally gifted “athletes” who have mastered their external performance capabilities, but the inner dynamics supporting their success and fulfillment are a mystery to them. What happens to natural athletes who become coaches? They usually have a very difficult time because they have not comprehended from the inside out how they became great. And so it’s difficult to mentor others to greatness.

When our lives are defined only in terms of the fruits of action, the circumstances of our lives define us. In this externally-driven state of identity, life is fragile, vulnerable, and at-risk. Our core identity and passionate purpose are overshadowed by the events of our lives. Success may even be present, but mastery has escaped us. Unintentionally we have chosen to “major” in the minor things in life.

Many of us are in a slumber. We go about our business and relationships much the same way day after day. Most of us rarely question where we are going and why. Unfortunately, it often takes a traumatic external event–a death, a termination, a divorce, a disease or a crisis–to bring us out of our slumber. But why wait to get shocked awake? Why not choose to wake up now?

Effective leadership begins with self-leadership, mastery of oneself.

Seven Pathways

Over the years we have identified seven pathways to awaken mastery from the inside out.

• Personal Mastery. If knowledge is power, then self-knowledge must be the source of real power. To do more, we first need to be more; to be more, we need to comprehend our being, our personhood. Understanding who we are and what we have to offer is the prerequisite for leveraging our capabilities. Sadly, many people are barreling down the freeway of life without comprehending the owner’s manual. Can we really achieve optimal performance if we’re not sure of our performance potential and performance limitations? Take time to study your owner’s manual: Where’s your horsepower? What areas need some fine-tuning? What areas need an overhaul? Solicit the input of others to more objectively evaluate yourself. It may not be easy at first, but beginning the process of reconciling and integrating your strengths, weaknesses and development needs is a great start toward personal mastery.

• Purpose Mastery. If we lack purpose, our immediate circumstances dominate our awareness and overshadow our reason for being. And, our life tends to lose connection to its true nature. As Teilhard de Chardin wrote, “We are not human beings having a spiritual experience. We are spiritual beings having a human experience.” Purpose is spirit seeking expression; it transforms everything it touches. It converts average organizations into exceptional ones; it transforms employees into co-partners; it creates leaders out of managers. Purpose is our inner home within where our spirit and principles reside. It’s always there waiting for us, but we are often too busy “living outside” to notice. To get in touch with purpose, identify the three most fulfilling experiences of your life. Then ask: What unique, meaningful contributions was I making during these experiences?

• Change Mastery. Our personal evolution can be directly measured by our ability to adapt and to change. As Lao Tzu wrote, “Whatever is flexible and flowing will tend to grow; whatever is rigid and blocked will wither and die.” While it’s not possible to master change, we can master ourselves through change. Since all significant change begins with self-change, we may need to shift some personal paradigms. Our focus may need to move to opportunity; our perspectives may need to shift to the longer term; our tendency to be absorbed in immediate circumstances may need to move to a more purpose-filled context; our need to be in control may need to become more flexible and adaptable; our doubt may need to be transformed to a more trusting, more open attitude.

Begin your mastery of change by thinking about the times when you faced major crises or challenges. What qualities arose during those times? What qualities would you like to develop during those times? What did you learn during these times? Change Mastery begins by embracing the purposeful learning in the creative flow of life.

• Career Mastery. As Studs Terkel put it, “Most of us have jobs too small for our spirits.” Are our current jobs big enough for our spirits? If they are, each task, responsibility, and challenge can be a new opportunity to engage our purpose. If not, we may be successfully earning a living but losing a life. Unfortunately many people sacrifice their career fulfillment on the altar of security and practicality. To get on the path to Career Mastery, explore the most enjoyable, fulfilling “peaks” in your career. What were you doing? What skills were you using? Who were you working with? Why were these experiences so fulfilling? How can you connect with these career experiences consistently? Career Mastery is not merely about achieving things, it is about how to be fulfilled in everything we do.

• Balance Mastery. Regardless of our external success, our life is precarious in the absence of balance. Without balance, every new opportunity or change could upset our gyroscope. When high-performance people are combined with high-performance organizations, the chance for imbalance is particularly great. Exceptional people want to achieve more; exceptional organizations have an insatiable desire to accomplish more. But what are the human limits to ensure consistent, long-term achievement? There’s no pre-set, mechanistic formula. It’s always an individual inside-out equation. Each of us must find our own way to the dynamic balance supporting enhanced effectiveness and fulfillment.

What are some ways to sort out our own unique balancing act? Ask yourself: Are your personal and professional lives congruent with your principles and values? There’s no greater imbalance than to be disconnected from what is really important to you. Be purposeful but be careful; purpose and passion are great balancers, but too much of them and you’ll fall off the high wire. Take a real vacation; go to a health spa or a retreat to recharge. Listen to the wisdom of the mind-body connection; your body will give you immediate feedback to “Do more of this” or “Do less of that.” Find physical activities you enjoy; if your current form of exercise requires discipline, you are probably mastering rigidity versus balance. Since all of nature achieves balance through cycles of rest and activity, consider adding more rest and reflection to your lifestyle.

• Interpersonal Mastery. Our relationships always begin with our self-relationship. It’s an inside-out process. We can only give what we have. If we have a lot, we can give a lot. Interpersonal Mastery begins by building our internal balance sheet. Once we have increased our inner value through self-mastery, we can further build our emotional equity with others by focusing on the needs of others, becoming more adept at questioning and listening to sort out people’s real needs and motivations. We can then ask: What can I draw from within myself to meet these needs? Help people to uncover purpose: Instead of giving people advice focused on your needs or opinions, assist people to discover what is meaningful and important to them. Instead of judging others, appreciate the unique differences in people. Could it be that your discomfort in accepting something unusual about someone is really an expression of your own lack of self-mastery? Solicit feedback from others. Understanding the gap between your intentions and the perceptions of others is at the core of Interpersonal Mastery. Other people may hold some keys to your self-knowledge. Build trust in relationships by genuinely revealing your hopes, dreams, fears and limitations — you may be surprised to discover how much Interpersonal Mastery is really about personal authenticity.

• Being Mastery. Descartes wrote, “I think, therefore, I am.” Being Mastery has a different view: I am, therefore, I think. To be more effective, to be more successful, to be more fulfilled, to be more alive, all require first a state of Being. Sadly,our fast-moving, never-catch-your-breath, externally-focused culture is “perfectly” designed to avoid the silence of Inner Being. The background and foreground “noise” of our lives is so dominant, we rarely get a chance to connect with the silence deep within us. We have become human doers who have lost connection to our heritage as human beings. Connection with Inner Being provides us with the inner restfulness and peace to more effectively live in the eye of the hurricane of life. As Blaise Pascal wrote, “All man’s miseries derive from not being able to sit quietly in a room alone.” How well have you mastered the art of turning within to connect with the silence of Being? Culturing our ability to do so is the foundation for more effective performance and living. Consider learning how to meditate; connecting with the vastness of nature; relaxing to beautiful music–there are as many ways to reconnect with Being as there are human beings.

By beginning the masterful journey, we can advance from a single-dimensional focus on external achievement to the multi-dimensional effectiveness and fulfillment of Mastery from the Inside Out.

Kevin Cashman is president and CEO of Market Share Inc. and the Executive to Leader Institute, a leadership coaching consultancy based in Minneapolis, MN (612) 375-9277.

On the other hand, if you can afford the time I would encourage you to go to George Torok website to capture some of his insights on the subject.

An extract from one of his numerous articles:

What is mastery?

“The first thing that comes to mind is technical skill in the job. And taking that skill to the next level where it becomes intuitive and natural as opposed to preconceived.”
Jeff Mowatt, CSP

“Mastery is reaching the top of one’s craft. Masters really know how to do what they are doing, having truly integrated all the components. Others look to the master for counsel, help or guidance.”
Linda Tarrant, CSP, HoF

“We get to a stage of mastery when all of the basics and most of the refinements are second nature, at the level of unconscious competence. Only the minute refinements require conscious effort.”
Warren Evans, CSP, HoF

“Mastery in life and business is reasonably simple to understand but difficult to apply. People resist following the simple principles of mastery because they look too simple.”
Peter Legge, CSP, HoF, CPAE

How does one become a master?

“No one becomes a master, although we might strive toward that. In a Zen way, we never arrive at the goal. The feeling that we have arrived leads to complacency. If we are consistently working toward the goals that line up with our values despite any frustrations, then we are definitely working toward mastery. But we don’t become masters. Rather, we are trying to improve in mastery, striving for the next level.”
Jeff Mowatt

“Build on your passion or strength; understand your own innate strengths. That is a good start. Study books or watch others in the field. Practise. Include good feedback loops in the forms of mentors, coaches, self-observation, audiences and/or customers.”
Jim Clemmer

“Be in the presence of masters. Watch others. Practise, practise, practise.”
Linda Tarrant

“You have to recognize what mastery is for you. Next, research those that you believe have reached mastery and then use them as your mentors. Have a real passion for continuous improvement. Attitude is the fuel and the motor. If there is light in your eyes and a bit of coal in the furnace, there is nothing you cannot accomplish.”
Larry Pearson

“Every time we speak, we need to believe, mentally and emotionally, that we will change the world with that speech. Maybe we won’t, but if we believe we can, imagine the energy we will bring to the platform.”
Peter Legge

“Work hard, take risks and be open to people. Masters want to learn more. The game is to really connect with people. Search your soul. Be congruent with what you were born to do. When your true purpose lines up with what you are doing, the universe will acknowledge that you are doing what you were destined for and reward you. However, I worry that some might think there is a formula. There are pieces, but you can’t scheme to do it. It has to be part of who you are.”
Ian Percy

What was common among these masters?

They wanted their answers to benefit others. They were all committed to continuous self-improvement. They were working toward their next challenge to elevate their level of mastery. They fully understood the relationship between mastery of the craft and that of the business, although they approached that in different ways. Each conveyed the simple conviction that they are doing what they were meant to do.

Enjoy reading the blog and Have a nice weekend….

You may be wondering who was Shen Kuo (1031-1095)? Shen Kua as some of the western authors also called him, was a mathematical, scientist, diplomat,astronomer, engineer, inventor a meteorologist, of the like and attributes given to past western geniuses as Nicolaus Copernicus (1473-1543) Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519) Filippo Brunelleschi (1377-1446). Most importantly, the world attributed the discovery of the difference between true north and the magnetic north to the genius Shen Kuo. He had in his time, a thousand years ago, worked out the mathematical difference with such precision that made navigation then,much more reliable.

Today I would like to share with you an extract of a paper presented, by a very dear friend of mine Dr, Leo and his son, both of them, university academics, at an international HR forum some years ago.

I remembered that I had this document for a while and was reminded of it when, to my great joy I received last week, from the author, the latest publication of Dr.Leo Ann Mean entitled “On Creat!vity Awakening the creative Mind”. I encourage you to get hold of his book to read and I am most grateful to him Dr. Leo.”Brain power is the engine that drives today’s economies” he states in his book.

I quote below the said extract on Shen Kuo for your enjoyment:

A number of common themes may be gleaned from the life and career of Shen Kuo. Researchers such as Sivin and Forage have dealt with factors such as the social, political, intellectual, and even spiritual climate as a means to assist in explaining the phenomenal life he has lead. This paper proposes to deal with the personal attributes of the man himself as a basis for his creativity and achievement. Shen Kuo was a creative individual not primarily due to the circumstances in which he existed but rather due to particular attributes that we too can learn to emulate in the present age.

The eight lessons on improving creativity are not listed in order of importance, as all of them operate concurrently and work together synergistically. From Shen Kuo we may learn lessons on Curiosity, Experience, Perception, Openness, Balance, Cultivation, Fortune and Unity. These lessons are as relevant today as they were during the time of Shen Kuo.

1. Lesson On Curiosity

The first and foremost lesson, a key component to developing creativity, is the trait of curiosity. Shen Kuo had an unquenchable thirst for knowledge. Not only did he traverse his quest for knowledge with a keen desire for more, he also armed himself with the habit of taking notes. It was noted by one researcher that wherever Shen Kuo went, he noted down everything of scientific or technical interest (Ronan, 1978). This habit never left him, as he published various works throughout his lifetime, and his greatest, The Brush Talks From The Dream Creek, was written in his twilight years based on the personal notes and jottings he compiled.

In his curiosity, Shen Kuo was unfettered with intellectual or social tradition. He did not place restrictions on his thinking and reasoning. This was very beneficial, as he found himself able to combine all sorts of insights and understanding, coming up with new ideas and perspectives. Often these innovations were not only beneficial to himself, they were also beneficial to society as he had made it a habit to share his knowledge, especially by way of publishing.

In his wisdom, Shen Kuo realised that alone he could not possibly hope to satisfactorily plumb the depths of knowledge so he always tried to learn from others. Mote (1999) noted that throughout his active life, Shen Kuo was always surrounded by individuals from all walks of life, elite and commoner, with whom he explored all avenues of knowledge.

2. Lesson On Experience

Shen Kuo’s works were markedly different from other literature published during the Song Dynasty. His was remarkably fresh and contemporary. According to Sivin (1995), Shen Kuo’s most characteristic contribution was his emphasis on his own experience. Though he did give credit where it was due and made references to other great works, Shen Kuo’s writings were predominantly based on his own observations, intuition and reasoning. He placed a great premium on discovering facts for himself, witnessing things with his own eyes and reasoning out explanations in his own mind. Only after careful investigation and consideration against his own high standards did he take steps in sharing the knowledge in his publications.

Combined with the necessity of personal experience, is the ability to demonstrate his reasoning and findings. He had a reputation for delivering comprehensive explanations. Whether showcasing his medical methodologies as a boy in 1048, conducting presentations of barrage technology in 1061, or demonstrating the superiority of his newly designed astronomical instruments to the emperor and his host of ministers in 1074, the man was always prepared and thoroughly convincing.

His many breakthroughs in understanding were largely due to his brilliance and curiosity but like a large proportion of historical innovations, they frequently came from juxtaposing insights that did not conventionally fit together. Shen Kuo was able to visualise concepts and often toyed with a multitude of ideas at once. An example of this was his use of physical laws, geographical, chemical and geological knowledge to innovatively dredge the Pien Canal in 1072. Sivin (1995) thought that Shen Kuo was able to do combine multiple concepts from various fields of knowledge due to his remarkable breadth of experience.

3. Lesson On Perception

Shen Kuo was highly appreciative of his senses. Combined with his experience in various matters, he not only trusted his own reasoning and deduction, he was also in tune with the various senses he utilised in his perceptions of the world around him. He thought that his sight, smell, hearing, tasting and touch could be constantly improved and refined to enliven his everyday experiences. Many moments of contemplation would be spent thinking, processing all the sensations his perceptions accorded him.

Shen Kuo was always on the lookout for ways to improve himself, honing not only his mental capabilities but his sensing faculties as well. His involvement in music was an example of this. As Pian (1967) noted, Shen Kuo immersed himself in music such that he wrote much about it, from the origins of many popular pieces of music, playing various musical instruments, singing and writing music, to the technical aspects of instrumental design, audio mechanics and pitch regulation. Further evidence of his desire to improve his senses would be his practise of the Taoist discipline of breath control. He found it highly satisfying in terms of improving his appreciation of the everyday processes of life.

Needham was mentioned by Ronan (1978) that Shen Kuo’s descriptions showed he was a very fine observer. Mote (1999) found that Shen Kuo was very perceptive of natural phenomena. The refinement of his senses to hone his perception had much to do with the way he conducted his daily life. He was never inactive all throughout his lifetime, whether in body or mind.

4. Lesson On Openness

Openness refers to Shen Kuo’s willingness to be open to the discoveries unleashed by his tremendous curiosity, as well as the acceptance of ambiguity and the unknown which his curiosity inevitably led to. Despite the unknowable nature of some of his ponderings, such as the supernatural, Shen Kuo thrived in the face of it all. Given the scientific mind of the man, just looking broadly at Shen Kuo’s life it would seem strange that he was so open to that which logic and science would deny. However, this was a hallmark of his genius, as his openness was an integral support to his great curiosity.

There would be times that Shen Kuo made a discovery or noted something of interest, that seemed a paradox or a mystery. He noted his thoughts and observations of the matter, and pondered upon them, yet did not deny or cast them aside as foolishness. He did not view the ambiguities and paradoxes of his understanding as problematic. As Sivin (1995) noted he did not view his enthusiasms with fate and divination as in conflict with his scientific knowledge. Looking through the two lenses of openness and curiosity however, it comes as no surprise. Shen Kuo believed that being able to thrive in the midst of ambiguity and uncertainty was very important, especially with regard to mental undertakings.

5. Lesson On Balance

Nobel prize-winning researcher Roger Sperry popularised the terms left-brained and right-brained with his discovery that the left hemisphere of the cerebral cortex processes logical, analytical thinking while the right hemisphere processes imaginative, creative thinking. Shen Kuo excelled in both, being a whole-brained thinker not only famous for his left-brained achievements in the sciences but also his right-brained achievements in the arts. In actuality he combined both, as exemplified by his astronomical treatises that combined intricate mathematics and exceptionally imaginative visualisation. Shen Kuo balanced science and art, logic and imagination.

In the sciences and the arts, Shen Kuo excelled in his mastery of both, not only gaining recognition for his treatises on scientific topics such as mathematics, physics and biology, but also for his treatises on the arts such as calligraphy, music and poetry. His Brush Talks illustrates this, as it features an abundance of both scientific as well as artistic information.,

Logic and imagination were equally important to Shen Kuo, as most of his work featured both intertwined. They can also be seen separately with his logically oriented writings in the sciences and his imaginatively oriented writings in the arts. While his writings showed an keen sense of logic, they also portrayed an extraordinary imagination.

6. Lesson On Cultivation

Cultivation in this lesson refers to the idea of continuous improvement, the nurturing of all positive aspects of life. Shen Kuo was a cultivated man, not just in taste and manners, but in his habits of constantly improving himself. Ever since childhood, Shen Kuo lived the belief that cultivation, the constant improvement of the positive aspects of his life, was not only possible but a necessity for living life to the full.

A number of examples from his life illustrate Shen Kuo’s adherence to his habit of cultivation. In terms of his mental faculties the man never ended his education. He believed that the intellect was infinite and therefore infinitely able to be improved. Shen Kuo cultivated his physical attributes in various ways all his life, from military training and techniques to breath control and meditation. He cultivated his senses by practising calligraphy, painting, music, poetry and taking time out in the quiet serenity of China’s beautiful and varied environment. Shen Kuo cultivated the social aspects of his life by mixing with as many people as possible. Even in religious beliefs, Shen Kuo cultivated the various aspects of religion available to him at the time, be it Confucianism, Taoism, or Buddhism.

Shen Kuo’s cultivation was a very important part of his life and career, as in his undertakings Forage (1991) noted that Shen Kuo attended to his work tirelessly. No doubt the reason he was able to do such a thing was the result of the constant improvements he had made throughout his lifetime in helping sustain his thoughtful yet busy lifestyle.

7. Lesson On Fortune

Fortune in this lesson relates to the quality of maximising available opportunities. Shen Kuo knew how to recognise the available opportunities and make full use of the situations at hand. As Sivin (1995) noted, Shen Kuo had to rely on his striving and the full use of his talents, unlike his colleagues who came from the ancient great clans and could afford a life of leisure and luxury. Shen Kuo’s family was representative of a new class of small land-owning families from southeast China with several members of his family occupying important positions in government.

Shen Kuo travelled with his father to successive official posts in various parts of China. Thus as Sivin (1995) noted, from an early age he was exposed to the geographical diversity of China in addition to the broad range of technical and managerial problems in public works, finance, agriculture and waterway maintenance. Forage (1991) added that Shen Kuo may have also been influenced by the variety of new and cosmopolitan ideas in the international harbours such as Quanzhou. Shen Kuo also took the opportunity to study the military writings of his maternal uncle Xu Dong (976-1015), the author of the Huqian Jing. Thus even as a young lad, he made full use of the opportunities available to him. The rest of his life featured similarly wise choices of making his own fortune by grasping the threads of available opportunities.

In a later stage of his career, when Shen Kuo was appointed to the imperial library, he helped himself to the vast resources of knowledge in one of the largest libraries of all time (Forage,1991). A lifetime of records and evaluations, juxtaposed with ideas across the fields of knowledge and experience resulted in Shen Kuo’s many innovations and documented discoveries.

8. Lesson On Unity

In this eighth lesson of creativity, unity refers to the interconnectedness of all things and phenomena. It is thinking in terms of the systems within systems encompassing every facet of existence. Shen Kuo thought this way and indeed thrived on not only the quest for understanding, but also knowing how everything was connected. He knew that mankind was not the only thing that mattered in the universe and that there was much more to the existential equation. Forage (1991) noted that Shen Kuo, being a realist believed that man is an active agent who can bring about positive change through investigation or intuition.

Shen Kuo believed in a universal system of knowledge which united intellection, imagination and intuition (Sivin, 1995). Forage (1991) adds that to Shen Kuo, the unity of experience did not require the discrete categorisation of intellectual activity. He did not confuse introspection and observation, drew no lines between them and did not even need to compare the importance of those two ways of knowing.

Thinking in terms of unity helped unleash his creative potential by providing a viable mental map for concepts across the fields of Shen Kuo’s understanding about various areas of knowledge. Acknowledging the interconnectedness of every phenomenon meant the validation of that observation as an intellectual construct able to be mentally manipulated and pondered upon in relation to other constructs. This juxtaposition was a precursor for historical innovations, of which Shen Kuo has been accredited many.

THE 8 LESSONS IN TODAY’S WORLD

How can the lessons be applied in the world of business today? The rest of this paper attempts to sum up the findings obtained from studying the life and career of Shen Kuo by summarizing and indicating the relevance of each of the eight creative lessons for Chinese entrepreneurship towards global growth and prosperity.

1. Curiosity

The key point of the Curiosity lesson is to never stop wondering and asking “why?”. To assist in the journey of questioning, it is worth developing the habit of taking notes as a practical means of tracking thoughts and fleshing out details. In taking mental flights of fancy, past mental chains of tradition or taboo may be broken especially if they prevent progress. Today’s managers and leaders need to share the journey of curiosity to increase the potential for growth and discovery. Curiosity opens more doors to better management skills and practices.

2. Experience

The lesson on Experience encompasses the measures of testing knowledge through experience, being able to demonstrate understandings, combining insights across disciplines under the unity of experience, and finally utilising the experience of others in providing unique insights. Present day managers and leaders have an advantage here as they have a wealth of experience accumulated over the years by their predecessors as well as a rich pool of human capital to depend on. The desire to gather more experience in various fields must be pursued.

3. Perception

Perception involves the use the senses of sight, smell, hearing, tasting and touch. These senses assist in enlivening everyday experiences and inspiring creativity thus the lessons here would be to refine the senses, look deeper – not being satisfied with an object’s face value, and finally to gain multiple perspectives in perception. Through a continued process of self development, managers and leaders will be able to heighten their senses and become even better in managing and growing their business enterprises, public institutions or professional practices.

4. Openness

Openness refers to a willingness to be exposed to the unknown and being able to operate amidst change and uncertainty. The lesson involves the embracing of ambiguity, being open to possibilities and developing confusion endurance to increase the level of creativity. This lesson is crucial in the context of a fast changing world. Managers and leaders of today, more than at any other time, have to have an open mind, to take risk and to grab opportunities when they arise. This is especially true in an age that is undergoing rapid political, economic, social and technological changes.

5. Balance

Balance is about the idea of pursuing a harmonious arrangement of life elements. It entails obtaining a broad holistic education and learning and not succumbing to self-imposed restrictions; pursuing whole-brained thinking while combining logic and imagination, and finally to practice moderation and maintaining psychophysical equilibrium. Balance is essential for a manager or leader to survive or thrive in a world that is full of uncertainties and changing constantly. Managers and leaders cannot be efficient and effective unless they have balance in their professional and personal lives.

6. Cultivation

Cultivation speaks of continuous improvement and the nurturing of life’s positive aspects. The lesson involves taking time and effort for personal development, making ample preparations for the rigours of everyday living and lastly to banish the mental limitations of performance and enhancement. Captains of industry and managers need to constantly prepare themselves to compete in the era of the K-economy by consciously cultivating themselves to be better entrepreneurs and leaders.

7. Fortune

Fortune pertains to the quality of maximising opportunities. This lesson entails the looking out for opportunities, maximising time, giving credit where it is due (integrity counts) and respecting achievement. In the context of business in the third millennium this lesson is vital for there are ample oportunities that will come the way of Chinese entrepreneurs in the global economy. Creative managers and leaders will grab the opportunities arising from the globalization and liberalization of world trade.

8. Unity

The final lesson, on Unity, refers to the interconnectedness of all things and phenomena. It involves the measures of thinking big-picture in observing systems within systems, understanding that everything has its place, and finally realising that something must first be recognised for it to be utilised. Ultimately it is unity that brings everything together for a prosperous and successful worldwide human enterprise combining the commercial with the political, social and cultural aspects of mankind. Today’s managers and leaders need to be fully aware of the total environment in which they operate.

CONCLUSION

The eight lessons are not in order of priority or importance. They work together and simultaneously, as in the life of Shen Kuo. These lessons are workable by anyone desiring to emulate the creativity, energy and zest for life that the man possessed and displayed. Shen Kuo was a universal genius, an able statesman and an accomplished human being. Managers and leaders all over the world today can learn a great deal to enhance their performance by learning the lessons from China’s eminent all-rounder who lived a millennium ago.