Busy vs. Effective

As most of you probably know I have been fortunate to live on different continents amongst different cultures.

It was not always that easy uprooting every few years but that little bit of discomfort growing up has indeed shaped my character into what it is today.

That little bit of suffering is indeed a privilege because it has shaped my world view in a significant way.

My exposure to different cultures and environments always leads me to reflect upon our current situation and never simply take things for granted. We currently reside in Johannesburg and this is the place where we have experienced the fastest pace of life so far. Part of it is good because there is a lot of energy here which motivates us to look for opportunities. The drawback is off course that at this break neck speed there is a danger of becoming busy at the expense of effectiveness.

One of the definitions of effective is producing a deep or vivid impression. Wow! Now there is a different standard to judge my work by. Do I produce a deep or vivid impression when I interact, communicate and produce or is everything I do a blur?

I strongly desire to produce a deep and vivid impression. I do not simply want to run around an do things. I rather want to be such a person that I leave a striking impression with whom ever I come into contact with. I believe this takes great discipline because I need to know when to say yes and when to say know. In my opinion this goes hand in hand with my purpose. Be true to your purpose! Be effective!

In my next post I will focus more on purpose and break it down as a construct (an image, idea, or theory, esp. a complex one formed from a number of simpler elements).

The Heart of a Leader

Through my studies and experience I have come to realise that the deep well of leadership is to be found in the heart of a leader.

It is the distinguishing factor inside the heart of a leader, not something external, that leads an individual to significance.

You can have all the great books, lectures and degrees but if your heart is not the place where the deep motivation comes from it is worth nothing. When I get up in the mornings I take time to ensure that my heart is in the right place. It is important for me to reflect and be quiet in order to hear what is going on inside me. Too often leaders jump in and make things happen every day without thinking of the consequences.

Let's take the industrial revolution for example. During this tremendous time of change many leaders came to the fore. None of us can deny that there have been much needed advances in production, medicine, technology etc. that have been critical to building our societies. The problem is now we need leaders who's hearts are in the right place that care for much more than the profit margin. Remember, Adolf Hitler was a phenomenal leader that could inspire and mobilise a nation into mass action. The question is what was in his heart? It is not enough that a leader has good ideas, the motives that drive the ideas are as important. Nuclear advances made by scientists were truly mind boggling (it still is to me) but the leaders who decided what to do with it had certain motives in their hearts and the rest, as they say, is history.

Back to the industrial revolution. At the moment we need another revolution because of the great needs in society such as mass hunger, severe droughts, shortage of water and war. We need to answer these needs in a sustainable manner becasue the answers we came up with during the industrial revolution have brought as many problems as they have solutions. We cannot come up with these kind of solutions again. In my opinion it was the greed (excessive or rapacious desire) and ambition of many that allowed the desires in their hearts to pollute the outcome. I am not saying that the steam engine should not have been invented - that would just be silly! The question is how has it been used and adapted? It is not only important that we do the right things, we have to do them in the right way.

Wake up to Eternity



My wife and I are entering a very special season. On 26 July, if everything goes as planned, we will have a new baby boy in our lives! We are very excited. We are also entering a time where we will be challenged to step out and truly look beyond our current horizons in terms of work and basically our whole existence.

Many paths are coming together. With the focus on each of our passions and purpose and the promising future of a new baby boy we are squarely positioned to wake up to eternity!

It is not the time to try and be safe with everything because we are expecting our first child but I believe the opposite is quite true. I believe that the greatest damage to the child is the unlived life of the parent. I'm not saying that you have to get all your partying done by tomorrow and have kids otherwise you will be damaging your children. It comes down to your definition of life. I want to teach my children that you need to fail forward and never stop taking risks. As we all know, monkey see, monkey do.

I live today as the parent I will be tomorrow. I will wake up to eternity.

Into the Dark Places

I recently read a stirring quote by novelist Erica Jong which said that "Everyone has talent; what is rare is the courage to follow the talent to the dark place where it leads." WOW! My little world got an unexpected, yet welcomed, jolt.

I had a peak outside the box today and realised that if is not worth the risk it is not worth it at all. The challenge is to find something that I am willing to lay my life down for; for it is only then that I will have something to live for! It definitely can't be money because it is simply just never enough. What is the price that I will have to pay to poses my passion?

Am I willing to sacrifice security? How about recognition? What do I say when my comfort gets challenged? These are big challenges and I better have some form of transcending faith that will allow me to sacrifice everything that I have known for everything I need. I mean you can never be sure of many things like buying into a world of insured security that is based on a very fragile debt ridden capitalist system. It is a huge kingdom with glistening castles, towers, and temples dedicated to every imaginable god that you could ever desire to worship all built upon a matchstick foundation. There are millions of people running around underneath the veneer of wealth propping the matchstick kingdom up with very flimsy support.

What happens when the kingdoms' foundations shake and all the temples of all the gods start rattling and creaking? Our security is starting to fall and all around us and the illusion of safety and security is melting like a ice sculpture in the Sahara. The zeros in our bank account vanish until there is only one remaining standing alone, naked in the coming storm. No longer can we wander around the golden streets to ease the angst we have, no longer can we inject ourselves with sweet satisfaction that blinds us and keeps us addicted to the mediocrity of a fallen world.

Yes! What is my passion? Why do I want it? I want to look beyond the mere insincerity of the fast-paced world and work with people that desire a better perspective. I have a passion to coach individuals who desire to go into the dark places where there talent leads.

Breathe

Because when we fly our wings are our lungs and every breath takes us higher. We dream of this when we wake in the morning and work at it during the day. Every thought becomes translucent as it is washed in the heart of our desire and desire fills our heart.

It is unimaginable to even think of another reality beyond that which our imagination can grasp. We are one body filled with light, shining on the mountains of adversity. We are and no-one can rob us of the purposeful destiny that we linger on and cultivate unto eternity.

This is a fleeting moment where truth is a fragrance that fills my nostrils and to which I return when I close my eyes. A mystery I weave with words; a delight in the nothingness of me. Again and again I ask where does the light come from? Where does the torment and frustration find its root and how does this enable the light to shine. In the depths of darkness there is an elusive light that leads my footsteps into the heart of darkness where who I was is unmasked and the lungs inside me find there wings.

The Struggle, The Victory



I do believe that most of you have noticed that growth is not the result of glorious days in the sun on a holiday island somewhere in the Caribbean. Up till now I have gone through certain times in my life when I can clearly see the growth occurring and feel my roots grow deeper and stronger. What I have also realised is that these times are normally marked by a fair amount of struggle and frustration. It strongly reminds me of Revans axiom: “for any organization to survive, its rate of learning must be equal to, or greater than, the rate of change in the environment”. So... when the challenges come I need to learn.

The key for me so far has been to be pro-active. There is a gap between stimulus and response and in my opinion it is how we step into this gap that defines us. I guess it comes down to what your heart is set on because that is what will guide you through the tough times. This question always comes to me during my tough times: Why do I persist on this path; what is the reward? What kind of fruit do I want to have in my life because of the effort that I have put in? I believe that this is yet another question that is not asked enough in our society and when the answers come they are self-centred and short-sighted. I ask myself who are the real role-models? Who stands out in history? The ones that come easily to mind for me are the ones that knew the value of self-sacrifice: Mandela, Mother Theresa, Jesus, etc.

I aspire to be like these people but the challenge is truly a phenomenal task. Yet again I sit in front of my computer today pondering a growth challenge and whether this is the right route. I do believe it is quite possible to choose a path of sacrifice that leads nowhere. When and how the sacrifice is made is of key importance!

Who am I?

Well...I thought that this question can go to bed for a while. I was wrong. I hope you ask this question from time to time. I think sometimes I ask this too much; I ask allot of questions and sometimes too much. In some circles this is called analysis paralysis. Keep questioning and you come to a point where the questions bog you down. Stuck in the quicksand and the more you struggle the more you sink in.

Yet, at the other end of the spectrum I believe there are more people that don't make a concentrated effort to "know thyself" according to the ancient Greek aphorism. The challenge is to ask questions about yourself; allow yourself to be challenged about your paradigm and the underlying assumptions - "an unexamined life is not worth living" - Socrates (picture of dead guy above).

Why are we so obsessed with creating BIGGER, better, and more advanced everything. What does it mean to develop, grow, live?! I believe we do not truly live within and the result is an obsessive drive to master everything that we touch as if to redeem ourselves. What we truly hunger is to know ourselves and no amount of worldly success can ever make up for that!