DISQUS

Thank you so much Rick. I greatly appreciate the care with which you have presented our conversation, and I am so flattered by the full five days you gave to me here at Another Step Forward, wow.

I enjoyed our conversation too: Speaking with you on Skype was a treat for me, and I am aware of how much more work it was for you to transcribe our talk story, and then package for your chosen format here. It is testament to you, your values, and your curiosity in learning more about this terrific human effort you call dream chasing. I feel so privileged and honored to be included in this learning journey with you.

Dear readers,
Thank you to all of you who have clicked in to read the interview as well!
You may be interested to know that I became so fascinated with Rick's process that I asked him to write about it for us on Joyful Jubilant Learning as well. You can read his posting there today if you like: Building Customer Relationships with Authentic Conversations

Chris, the concept of “fit” is so wonderfully USEFUL in this regard; I applaud you for calling this attention to it.

I think of that wisdom inherent in Maslow’s pyramid too, where we all have to meet the basic need he called our “sense of belonging.” Belonging is not about tenure and the process of becoming an insider as it is about fit, and being the square peg who glories in the precision of his or her precisely turned corners, for they have never been forced into a round hole. They were proud of who they were, and of the strengths they possess, and then, armed with the confidence you speak of, they chose wisely, now doing their best work in square-peg puzzles.

Both square and round pegs help our world go round in the most pleasing way (with a bunch of other geometric shapes thrown into the mix too!)

Mahalo Chris, and absolutely, everyone here in your WorkPlay community is warmly welcomed to join us, for the more dialog on this subject the better.

Ho‘ohana is one of our easier Hawaiian words to say, and one thing it does is reinvent the workplace conversation with some fresh new dialog, giving us a language of intention to use. "Intention with our attention" is becoming a mantra for us in the Ho‘ohana Community!

What a beautiful posting this is Chris! Fantastic analogy, and yes, we all have a beautiful speech inside us: It is something I fervently believe.

I love and totally agree with what you say about a speaker's (and blogger's) obligation to equip the audience and reader, having them feel they walk away with tools and not just fairy dust in their eyes.

When we speak, and write, we may think we are teaching, but we are actually helping people understand they are capable of learning, ---and of taking more action. We do best when they have both a sense of urgency about taking those actions, and a feeling of self-confidence so they will not easily be derailed.

I have never felt comfortable about having people call me a motivational speaker, for I try to inspire, but motivation is an inside job. Placing a practical toolbox in someone's hand will always be way more effective.

Mahalo for the pointer to JJL Mike! I remember your Dialing 8 series very well, and I agree - bring it back! You had a goldmine of gr8ness within those postings... perhaps you can revive with a best-of-the archives as a kick-off? We are doing something similar at JJL today to celebrate 08-08-08 on the calendar. 8 is a fun number, and one that I myself may have been taking for granted... Rick did say it well for us.

Mahalo nui for these good words about Teaching (and self-managing our values) with Aloha Angela. Teaching with the values of Aloha is not difficult, but it does take deliberate intention and personal passion, and after having the honor of spending a day at your Institute with you, I must say that those are two things you brought with you, that and the heart of aloha. We can learn so much from each other!

Aloha Angela,
Just heard about this: Do take what time you need to be completely well again!
Malama,
Rosa

Ah Chris. When I saw your tweet I resisted the urge to respond right away confident that you would write more for us here! In fact, if you check I am pretty sure I saved it w/a star there... And that is but the first reason I don't think micro-blogging (fun and carefree as it can be) could ever replace our blogs in our hearts.

I do believe that we who blog all go through this roller-coaster; if we say differently, we only lie to ourselves. Sometimes I even suspect that the very successful who have gone the ad-$ route, wonder if they did it the most satisfying way or just plain lucked out. Could they do it the truly soulful writer's way, attracting their legions of raving fans strictly on the potency and magnetism of their muse, one freely and authentically published?

I think the best advice I have heard is to blog for yourself so the like-minded you may be meant to commune with will surely discover you, ---as will the new friends who were meant to challenge you. My Natasha can be a pain in the okole too (she is laughing in the background at this very moment as I write and glare at her with my own evil eye...) but it seems to be sage advice. If not, well, our kids will at least be able to Google clues on why we did some of the things we did, as we had the audacity to grow up a little bit more in their generation too!

Aloha hugs my soulful lion, your mane is looking particularly handsome these days :) Rosa

Lately I have been "wearing" these and adjusting the fit Chris:

My time for freedom is now.

It's an empty-nester/ newly solo entrepreneur kind of thing for me.

“I see you” Chris, Happy Easter! This was just what I needed to read this afternoon; mahalo for the virtual hug you always seem to give.

Aloha Sara, I clicked over from your trackback at Liz's place, and must tell you - you did a wonderful job telling your story about Father Reichmann (and the post is terrific too :) - great writing.

Hana hou and hooray!

BaileyWorkPlay is cool Chris, but you know I LOVED and ADORED the all of the Alchemy of Soulful Work. I feel like I just got one of my classic toys under the Christmas tree again :)

yeah Chris! Yours is a voice to be heard, so this is fantastic; ho'omaika'i 'ana (congratulations!) and hana hou (do it again!)

Thank you Chris! I truly appreciate this, however I do have an update for you and your readers - I have Talking Story on hiatus (though I'm keeping the archives actively accessible for folks) and have moved over to MWACoaching (linked with my name for you) primarily writing there and on www.JoyfulJubilantLearning.com. I have a last-post up at Talking Story with the new feed choices.

And yes - we do have the best of both worlds in Hawaii, so come join me for a taste of island living in America!

Mahalo nui loa Chris, Aloha hugs :-)

I so appreciate these postings you do Chris, essentially telling the rest of us to wake up to a time like no other, and live with a charged up spirit, bravely deciding to be part of it. Your coaching here is good for all who are in business, for like it or not, "new media" has made the A team that continues to challenge us.

You pulled me into this article with your first sub-header to be a production company and not a show, for the work metaphor it evokes is a compelling one, and in the workplace coaching I do it will be very helpful - thanks!

Aloha Chris, I appreciate your sharing our conversation here, for it's always good to get more thoughts ... and I've been known to change my mind!

This is the (current :-) thinking I'm at; dedicated quality versus web-candy quantity. I own a full-time business that is blessing me with tons of activity both offline and on, and there are only so many programs I can concentrate on and sound half-way intelligent with.

And Chris, we'll always be connected; even if the web sent away tomorrow in some magical puff of smoke.

Keep up the brilliant conversation you energize us with, Rosa

Putting a new link in the url box of my comment for you Chris, with more on this from Inc. on "Where New Ideas Flourish."

Sadly, based on their criteria, I can understand why Hawaii ranked at 41 out of 50 (Alaska is at 25, and your new home state is at 14) Creativity for them was idea/innovation generation, and not the more artistic side of the equation.

I'm kinda bummed that Hawaii didn't even make it into the picture ...

Maybe we were too hot to handle?!?

Aloha Chris,
Thank you for the good words about the D5M; it’s become the staple of all the coaching I do with the executives in my program because it achieves exactly what you suggest here – it gets them talking one-on-one, person-to-person, with everyone in the organization that they should be accepting total responsibility for. You can’t lead if your people don’t know you, and admire you enough to follow you. As you point out here, they also expect you to empathize with what they go through in the trenches … no one’s gonna follow a leader they think has blinders on.
Good coaching!

Aloha e, mahalo 'imi ola.
You give us all good advice Chris, and to be sure, we shall take it and think of you and your 'ohana.
Malama pono,
Rosa

Aloha Rick,
Such a joy to see you light up in my blog reader again!
Welcome back,
Rosa

Mahalo Chris for blogging this so well for me! I have wanted to share this story since the book first came back in my hands this past Sunday night and I haven’t been able to do so without a whole lot of emotion washing out logical, well-written sentences.

[On the “came back” part above: I don’t know if some of you noticed that I had signed the book myself first, a now-rare first printing copy, and sent it to Dave believing it was a gift for someone else. Across from my signature, Dave started the book on its journey writing, “The Traveling MWA - as is crisscrosses the land, it captures spirit, love, and thanks to eventually arrive … at its home.”]

As you have said here, I don’t think an author could hope for a better gift, than to see which of their written words are underlined, highlighted and commented on by people you know and care about deeply, people whose opinions and thoughts are very important to you. It is a profound gift when people tell you subsequent stories about your work, feeling you have made a difference to them.

However the greater gift has been the bravery you all were willing to be vulnerable with, in making connections with each other while wearing your caring for me. The greater gift has been that you have all opened yourselves to not lurking, and not being silent readers, to leap from the comfort of privacy to the willingness of open, honest engagement when the miles between us mean there are no face-to-face assurances, no precalculation of risk.

The relationships created in a virtual community with someone who says “give aloha your trust” is for me the miracle of my book. It is filled with signatures, with stories, with bookmarkers and pictures, with mana‘o and aloha shared between so many people who have never personally met but still trust enough to love each other, because they have met each other soul-to-soul.

I am still awestruck to silence when I realize what the coordination of my gift entailed as this precious, precious book traveled across the globe. I am having some trouble keeping up with my emails right now as the still untold chapters of Traveling MWA’s story are related to me, and this is trouble I hope never ever ends.

For the complete story of Traveling MWA’s journey is a story of humanity and completely unselfish giving from one human being to another on the journey itself, not just in preparation for the final destination. The book has fallen apart in its traveling, and I hear there was a discussion about repairing it for me first. Dwayne had shared this in an email with me today, “…we had some debates about whether or not to have the separated binding repaired. A lot of us dug in saying that it added character to the book, showing its own signs of the journey (love-worn, I think someone said).”

Love worn indeed! I am so glad you all decided not to “fix it” for it is perfection to me as it is. The best gifts are born in aloha, or they are transformed by love (which is after all what aloha is). Those gifts wear the signs of it proudly, and they mean the most.

I love my gift more than I can express. However I am also beaming with pride for the expression of our community’s shared love, and bravery in saying so. I hope people will read your post, and my response, and get inspired knowing THEY can give gifts like this to others. They can share their own humanity and get the acknowledgment back that nothing can ever be better.

Ua ola loko i ke aloha: Love provides life from within.
Rosa

Good thoughts Chris, very good. My own business has spiked dramatically over this past year, and I have no doubt it is because I have learned this philosophy, and give so much so freely, truly enjoying doing so. My own enjoyment does translate to my customers as sincerity and genuine interest in them. Now self-employed I don’t have the “don’t give it all away” constraints that construct the ‘checks and balances’ in so many business structures for the sake of ‘organization’ ‘SOPs’ and so-called ‘empowerment-enabling guidelines.’

As you’ve pointed out here, the benefits to my own spirit and sense of wellness have been absolutely huge. Experiencing how by giving you end up getting far more, completely unexpectedly at times, is just more icing on the cake.

People do ask me why I invest in Talking Story so much with no financial return but my Amazon Associate links, e.g. posting new article series instead of selling e-books as one example, and honestly, part of the answer is that I haven’t taken the time to figure it out and integrate it better into my business plan. However the larger answer is that I simply and sincerely WANT to share what I know with other people in the hope it will help them manage with aloha more, so for them to do that, I have to fulfill their needs.

Making work meaningful is where the abundance of it is to be found.
Aloha e, Rosa

"Would the gamble be worth it?" Absolutely, emphatically not.

The clincher in your question was when you said "might disrupt the team culture." No one person can be above the vision and mission of a company wherein every person associated with it (employees and customers alike) can THRIVE.

From what you have described here (I don't follow the antics of Mr. Owens) Terrell Owens would not have a place in a work culture managed with aloha.

Forgive me for being late to the party here! I've been too much of the road warrior lately ... however you know I always read and catch up with you when I get back Chris, and you always delight me.
For the last month or so we have had such great news of blog anniversaries among us: I feel much like we're a new generation kindergarten class, given all the fresh new colors that Crayola had been keeping for a truly special occasion - and we're it! We're coloring our world with broad brush strokes of beauty and goodness, and Chris, you never choose the pale colors. Keep writing, and you can be sure we will keep reading.
Witth love and aloha, Rosa