One in 6,926,524,650*

I heard something on the radio yesterday that irked me. I must be getting older because this is happening more often. Anyway, there was an accident in Hamilton, New Zealand. A woman in a car was t-boned by a motorcyclist. The impact was enough the trap the driver in her car and send the cyclist to the hospital with critical head injuries. The radio reported that during the rescue and crash investigation, a police officer in a florescent vest was almost mowed down by a woman rubbernecking and talking on her cell phone; a man got aggravated with police because they wouldn't let him walk through the accident scene to get coffee; and twenty-seven other people were asked to leave the scene. I'm not making this up. You can read more here.

So upon hearing this I was left asking myself – who do we think we are? I am one person in a world of almost 7 billion people. I need to share this planet with 7 billion other people who have an equal right to the resources that I use, to the air that I breathe, the job that I have, and the respect and dignity as a person that I demand from others. How on earth do I balance what I want right here and now with what the other 6,926,526,602** people who now live on the planet need and want? Can I really get upset with a police officer that asks me to find another way to get my coffee fix? Can I really be so self absorbed that I almost run over a public servant who is trying to help a seriously injured motorcyclist?

We are a part of a global community, one that is shrinking every day thanks to globalisation. We need to figure out pretty soon that we are not here alone. That our rights and opinions on what we deserve may be justified, but no more than they are for the other 7 billion people just like us. If we've learned anything from the global financial crisis it should surely be that the decisions and choices I make for myself and my family actually do have an impact on others. If I make bad choices and decisions, they are just as likely to become someone else's problem, in addition to my own. We would be wise to get our heads around what it means to live in a globally connected community. As I express myself I need to do so in ways that respect others. If only because I'm pretty certain that I'll expect others to respect my self expression. If we are unable to develop this sense of self restraint, then the world is in more trouble then we realise. Mostly because if I'm so self absorbed that I don't consider the impact I have on others, then I'm most likely to live life thinking that the problems facing the world are for someone else to sort out. Just let me get my cup of coffee.

*As of 17 July 2009 @ 12:41 PM (NZT)

** As of 17 July 2009 @ 12:48 PM (NZT)

Risking Trust

I was reminded this week that trust can't be established without risk. On the surface, trust and risk seem diametrically opposed. Surely our understanding of trust is rooted in the safety and security. If we were brutally honest with ourselves, however, we would acknowledge that real trust can't be established without taking risks. I've been doing a lot of thinking about building community and culture where trust is a core component. Working in an environment where your colleagues are comfortable sharing their vulnerabilities, weaknesses, strengths, and passions, in a non-threatening way would be a nice change of pace. I'm not talking here about a bunch of whining, moaning, sad sacks. I'm talking about the recognition of the fact that none of us has it all together. With the amount of posturing and positioning that goes on in some work places, it's no wonder that we hang out for the weekend.

We learn early on not to trust others. As children we take trust for granted. We say we will do something but don't. We play practical jokes that turn out not to be so funny. In a hundred big and small ways we eventually become leery of each other. We start doubting that we can take others at their word. We enter into incomprehensible contracts because we don't trust that that the other person will do what they say. Pretty soon trust means safety and security, protection from all the difficulties of life. We don't trust people who can't give this to us. We go to work, spend time with family and friends, all with a buried suspicion of those around us. We learn to cope with varying degrees of trust, and we become unsure of what trust really looks like.

I have found myself in many situations like this recently. I think that because of my circumstances the notion of trust has been at the forefront of my mind. How do we bring ourselves to take the risk and trust when there is a pile of evidence telling you that you shouldn't? How do you decide to trust when there's no guarantee that the person you are putting your trust in will be there for you? What compels us to put our trust in something knowing full well that it's very likely that we're going to be disappointed by the outcome? What I've come to realise this week is that I can't know every outcome. I can take every step to mitigate every risk, but if I'm wanting to experience true trust, and by extension, true relationship and community, then I need to know that I'm going to be disappointed. I'm going to be let down by those I love. I'm going to be overlooked by those for which I work. But not always! There are moments in life when our trust in others is well placed. When our attempts to be open and honest with others is respected and honoured. The glimpse of community and relationship in these moments surpasses all the disappointments. It provides hope that we can live and work together in ways that honour the individual and celebrates what we represent as a community.

As America celebrates another birthday, I watch from afar and celebrate it in my own way. Over the past eight years America has let the world down. It has not given the world any reason to trust it. It has bullied friends and bashed enemies. The financial instruments set up by banks and investment firms have swindled away the future of others, leaving them wondering where they will turn. We are in danger of finding ourselves, individually and collectively, standing on the fringes wondering who we might be able to trust in the future. Surrounded by uncertainty we may be figuring that it's all too hard. America needs to acknowledge it's own vulnerabilities and weaknesses. But as we celebrate Independence Day, we should also value our strengths and passions. But these both must be balanced so that we can begin taking the steps to rebuilding trust in the global community. "Why should we take the first step?" we might ask ourselves. Well, because somebody has too. The world is hesitant to take us at our word. We must regain trust. We must risk being vulnerable. We will never experience true community if we are not willing to experience hurt and disappointment. What we do with that hurt and disappointment will make the difference. You never know, sometimes someone will surprise you when you take that risk. You may just find yourself for a moment in a relationship or community that you always hoped to be a part of but thought couldn't exist because there was not trust.

Where there is no vision

"Where there is no vision, the people perish" (Proverbs 29:18, KJV)

What if there is vision, but no leadership? Will 'the people' still perish? This thought woke me up in the middle of the night. There are currently many struggles taking place at my work. I've been there for four years, and for the majority of that time we've been facing major change. There are more changes coming.

The change we've seen has been driven by a mix of economic, financial and industry challenges, but mostly, by vision. Visions are grand and lofty. They are meant to inspire and motivate. They should be just beyond our reach so that we continue to press on towards something 'better'. I've heard it said that there are good visions and bad. If this is the case then surely there are good ways to implement bad vision and bad ways to implement the good.

A vast amount of my work experience has been focused on helping visionary leaders implement their grand schemes. Many visionaries cast their visions and then quickly move on to the next. This 'if you dream it, it's done' mentality can be the greatest source of frustration for the visionary implementers. At some point every vision must be thrashed out, worked over, dissected and put back together again to ensure that it is in fact, implementable, sustainable and worthwhile for the organisation. For those who birthed the vision, I imagine that it would very frustrating to see your idea worked over by others. I haven't yet been blessed with the opportunity to have children, but I imagine having your vision challenged and pulled apart would be a lot like someone picking on your kid. I wouldn't be surprised if it elicited a similar emotional response.

There exist a different set of frustrations for those who work with visionaries as implementers. The implementer's frustrations come in the urgent and often unrealistic expectations that big visions can be implemented immediately. Vision is usually cast from the top of an organisation, therefore, there can be a bit of isolation between the vision caster and those who are most impacted by that same vision. So the implementers, in translating the vision, have to find ways of taking account of all the implications that need sorting out when working out the vision. The implementer needs time to do this. They usually have to rework existing systems, or invent new ones. This is an important part of any change project. But more importantly, they need to be active in shifting the 'people' who are affected. This is where the Proverb is most helpful. Without vision, systems don't perish – people do. So it is vitally important for the vision implementers to work with all individuals and groups affected by the change that vision can bring.

You may be wondering by now (if you're still reading) when I'm going to get to leadership. Hold on for a few more moments. Bill Hybels is the pastor of Willow Creek Church in Chicago. I remember hearing him speak on the topic of vision. His exposition on vision highlighted the importance of vision to an organisation. After getting the audience fired up and excited, he shifted to leadership. He said something to this effect – you should never put vision above people. This line has stuck in my mind for one reason. People need vision to survive. They need to be able to see beyond themselves and their own little worlds. They need to see a world filled with others just like them. Others who struggle, work hard, and who find joy in family and friends. So vision and people are intertwined. Vision is not something that can be cast and left on its own. It must be nurtured, fostered, rewarded and chastised. In order to do this we inevitably must focus on the people who will ultimately experience the benefit of the vision. But we must be careful not to cast a vision that can only be implemented at the expense of those who carry out the implementation.

So this brings me back to my opening question. What if there is vision and no leadership? What if there is a vision that people embrace, but ultimately ignores those it impacts the most? Leadership is required to translate the vision for the people who implement and receive the benefits of the vision. The rest of the proverb says this, "but he that keepeth the law, happy is he." When I read this verse I had to ask myself, "what law?" In the Christian tradition, the two greatest laws are these: "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbour as yourself'" (Matthew 22:37-29, NIV). Whether or not you are a person of faith, there is something here for all of us. Vision that focuses on systems and procedures and things other than human, will be impersonal. The vision caster and implementers may be able to ultimately fulfil the vision, but it will result in a heartless, soulless organisation because it will not contain people who wrestled with and owned the vision. Vision is about ownership. People must believe. Leadership must work to instil ownership in people in order to make this happen. In a 'Brand Me' culture, where everyone is looking out for themselves, the second law above is broken. When we love ourselves more than we love those around us, we cannot expect to be 'truly happy'. Note that the second law does not require us to love others more than ourselves, just 'as yourself.' Some of us love ourselves pretty much (me included). For those of us involved in change management and implementation, there is something in coming to grips with learning to 'love' others as much as we do ourselves. After all, it's the people we lead and manage who ultimately help us fulfil the vision that we (and our leaders) cast.