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February 27, 2011
Beauty Matters
by Bob Tschannen-Moran
Laser Provision
Many people think of leadership as hard work. "I wouldn't want to be in her
or his position!" is an oft-repeated refrain. That notion is reinforced whenever
leaders get in trouble. Just think of the leaders in the Arab nations of
northern Africa and western Asia. Who wants to be them! Closer to home, at least
closer to my home, who wants to preside over looming deficits and divided
constituencies? From political leaders to school leaders to church leaders, the
refrain sounds like something from a Rodney Dangerfield movie: "We just don't
get no respect around here." When times are tough, it's tempting to see
everything through the lens of enemies and struggles. But there is another side
to life: beauty. Great leaders look for that beauty and make it plain. Could you
do that? This Provision might help.
LifeTrek Provision
According to my Personal Interests, Attitudes, and Values (PIAV) Assessment,
beauty is an odd topic for me to be writing about. My top two motivators, out of
six, are relatedness (Social) and understanding (Theoretical). In the middle are
rules (Traditional) and autonomy (Individualistic). At the bottom, to the point
of indifference, are security (Utilitarian) and beauty (Aesthetic).
That's right: beauty lands at the very bottom of the list. Here, specifically,
is what the report had to say:
- Bob takes a practical approach to events.
- Unpleasant surroundings will not stifle his creativity.
- Bob's passions in life will be found in one or two of the other attitudes and
values discussed in this report.
- He is a very practical person who is not sensitive to being in harmony with his
surroundings.
- The utility of "something" is more important than its beauty, form and harmony.
- Bob is not necessarily worried about form and beauty in his environment.
-
Intellectually, Bob can see the need for beauty, but has difficulty buying
the finer things in life.
Now you know why I am writing this Provision! I don't just write about things I
am good at or know well; I also write about things I want to learn and
experience more fully. In my defense, none of my scores on the PIAV Assessment
were outside the national mean (where 68 percent of the population scores). That
means, they say, that I am well liked, a good team player, and have less
conflict with other people. That's great and rings true, but
in the spectrum of my preferences, aesthetics ranked lower than the other five
factors.
When it comes to getting these Provisions written every week, that's probably a
good thing. My needs for relatedness and understanding drive me to sort out my
thoughts on a topic of interest (understanding) and then to share them with you
(relatedness). When you reply, as many do on a weekly basis, it
encourages me to keep writing and publishing. According to the PIAV, I am a
naturally generous, curious, and thoughtful person. People tell me that comes
through in both the quality and quantity of my writing. I appreciate that
sentiment and recognize how those qualities play out in my life and work.
Take my ability to write these Provisions under just about any conditions.
Riding in a car, sitting in an airport, flying in a plane, or trekking in the
outback all come to mind as places and times when I have been typing or
scribbling away. And then there is all that running I do, between 25-50 miles a
week. That's a lot of time, and most of it is spent on the road without any
music in my ears. In addition to fitness, my running gives me time to think
and I am often thinking about my next writing project.
Lately, I have been thinking about beauty while running. How's that for combining my top and
bottom strengths! This certainly has something to do with the advent of spring.
As I wrote long ago, in the poem I titled
Awake, when the
world comes back to life it fills us with hope, faith, and love. It makes us
want to dance to the symphony of becoming, as all the bad news in the world
fades before the tiniest bud or the first, unfolding flower.
I wrote about this effect a few years ago, in my Provision titled
Savor Beauty.
I called it running with my "eyes wide open." Instead of putting my head down, to
just focus on the training effect, I look up, out, and around in ways that
reveal to me the wonders of the natural world. Unlike some people, who may score
higher on the aesthetic index, that represents a conscious decision for me. I
intentionally choose to look around and see something beautiful. It's always
there, if we choose to see it.
That's also the point I have made many times in my Provisions thanks to
professional photographer and motivational speaker,
Dewitt Jones. Where do we choose to
point the lens? Invariably, we hope to capture something uplifting and worth
remembering so we point the camera in the direction of beauty. To quote Jones,
"incredible things happen" when we focus our sights in that direction. We become
"more open to possibility" and better able to "find a perspective that
transforms the ordinary into the extraordinary."
Therein lies the tie between beauty and leadership.
Savoring
Beauty is not only a formula for promoting health and wellbeing, it is also
a formula for promoting social capital and collective efficacy. If leaders want
to get things done, then those are the dynamics to which we must attend.
What's social capital? It's the connections between people in groups that stem
from a sense of mutual trust and reciprocity. Such connections represent capital
because of the benefits they generate. The larger the network of such positive
connections the more the benefits that accrue.
Social capital is not created when leaders are focused on the negative,
criticizing people, looking for shortcuts, self-absorbed, or unable to see the
perfection the opportunity in every situation. Until and unless leaders become
appraisers of beauty rather than analyzers of angst, our leadership will fall short of
enabling and empowering people to get things done.
One of the most important benefits of social capital is collective efficacy.
What's that? It's the collective belief of people in groups that they have the
capability to accomplish their objectives. It's the power of "We can do it!"
that is currently sweeping through northern Africa, western Asia, Madison,
Wisconsin, and other places around the globe.
Such confidence does not always win the day, but it is always a factor when the
day is won. Affirming people, seeing their potential, celebrating what's right,
and noticing beauty are all leadership strategies for encouraging people and
galvanizing them into a collective force.
This can be difficult, especially when the challenges are great, but it is never
impossible. It is, in fact, the mark of transformational leadership to make this
happen.
In his essay, "To
Win, Create What's Scarce," thought leader Seth Godin frames the connection
between beauty and leadership in these terms: when things are difficult they
become scarce, valuable, sought-after, and in-demand.
Whats difficult?" Godin writes in his essay, "Creating beauty is difficult,
whether its the tangible beauty of a brilliant innovation or the intangible
essence of exceptional leadership. Beauty exists in an elegant and novel
approach to a problem. Maybe its captured in a simple device that works
intuitively, reliably, and efficiently or in an effective solution a 'beautiful'
solution to an organizational dysfunction. And it exists in the act of connecting
with and leading people.
That's the kind of leadership people and organizations are calling for in
today's world. We don't want slave drivers, we certainly don't want worriers,
and we don't even want managers who find ways to make things cheaper, faster,
and easier. We want leaders who can do the difficult work of seeing and calling
forth beauty in people.
Coaching Inquiries: What helps you to see beauty in every situation? How can you
better point that out and share what you see with others? What effect do you
think that might have? Who do you know who is that kind of leader? How could you
interview them to find out their secret?
To reply to this Provision, use our Feedback
Form. To talk with us about coaching or consulting services for yourself
or your organization, use our
Contact for Coaching Form to arrange for a complimentary
conversation.LifeTrek Readers'
Forum
(selected feedback
from the past week)
Editor's Note: The LifeTrek Readers'
Forum contains selections from the comments and materials sent in each week by
the readers of LifeTrek Provisions. They do not necessarily reflect the
perspective of LifeTrek Coaching International. To submit your comment, use our
Feedback Form.
Your latest Provision,
Jesus Matters, is incredible. Surely, you are a master!
To approach the sensitive subject of Jesus and do it so masterfully is very,
very impressive! I am so thankful for your gift!
I have been following your latest Provision series on leadership with interest.
In my humble opinion, you knock it out of the park with this Provision about
Jesus!
I loved this Provision. I wonder what would happen in the church if preachers
shared this "Good News." Thanks for expressing your thoughts (and mine) so
clearly.
Congratulations on your daughter's upcoming wedding. I was in an esoteric
society and I respect and admire all the great spiritual leaders. Jesus is my
Master. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks for putting me back on the distribution list for Provisions. How
serendipitous that your Provision for this week focused on Jesus! He is
important to me. Your insights about Jesus being a leader bring him alive in a
new way for me. Thanks.
This Provision hits home with so many questions I've had for a long time now.
It's educational, entertaining, and engaging and really "hits the spot" with me.
Through your eyes, wisdom, and leadership I'm able to connect with "Jesus" with
no strings attached (as has been my experience with so many religions). I
especially like the line..."If leadership is anything it is the art of
possibility." As always, thank you for sharing! Top
May you be filled with goodness, peace, and joy.
Bob Tschannen-Moran
President, LifeTrek Coaching International,
www.LifeTrekCoaching.com
CEO & Co-Founder, Center for School Transformation,
www.SchoolTransformation.com
Immediate Past President, International Association of Coaching,
www.CertifiedCoach.org
Author, Evocative Coaching: Transforming Schools One Conversation at a Time,
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Skype: LifeTrek
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