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"A human being who has not a single hour for his own every day is no human being."
Rabbi Moshe Leib of Sasov

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Leadership Notes -- Thoughts on Leading People and Making a Difference in Organizations

Word count this issue: 375

Estimated reading time:   2.0 minutes 

 

I had the pleasure of hearing Bishop Melissa Skelton http://vancouver.anglican.ca/bishop speak this afternoon. Her point, broadly speaking, was that while we have important markers in our lives, like graduation, wedding, or in her example, ordination, the marker is recognizing something that has already happened. A wedding marks a public recognition of an existing love between two people. Ordination is the public recognition of role and responsibilities that the person has been growing into through discernment, exploration, education and challenge. Then there’s graduation.

 

I had a conversation with a friend the other day, who had discovered a picture of her graduation from college some 20 years ago. She is positively beaming in the photograph. Knowing a little of her history, she has every right to be. She did the two year program in three years as a single Mum, and while working full time. It was an important moment in her life, but what was really important was, in Melissa Skelton’s words, ‘the process.’ My friend was a different person in that picture than she had been 3 years before. Now, 20 years on; executive positions, entrepreneurial success and 3 books under her belt, the processes of life have created a brilliant, articulate leader, teacher and writer. Although the academic world would not necessarily recognize her books, teaching and adventures as the equivalent of a Masters, if not a PhD, I would put her up against any PhDs I know in her subject area. 

 

In the midst of our fear driven society we need to see the ‘check marks on the form.’ Those check marks however are simply recognizing that which has already happened. Clearly, if you have not done the work, if you have not done the process, you shouldn’t have the check marks. At the same time, the important thing is the process, not the check marks.

 

 

There is no other honest way of getting the check marks than going through process; learning, making mistakes, making amends and learning some more. Perhaps we need to spend a little more time considering process and not getting hung up on the markers.