Saturday, April 9, 2011
We Have GROWN! Go to...
Hello Everyone, That has come to this spot as a result of the small intro video http://chroniclesofabrokenspirit.webs.com/apps/videos/videos/show/10093223-chronicles-book-series. We have moved to http://www.chroniclesofabrokenspirt.webs.com/. That is our home website and the book series (both volumes I & II) are on sale through Amazon Kindle, Barnes & Noble, Smashwords and Scribd. Our NEW blog can be found at http://www.cwlexchange.org/. We look forward to seeing you at our new site. Because I believe in the message these volumes share, I offer a free audio version of Volume I at the website (http://www.chroniclesofabrokenspirit.webs.com/) for readers to check out the writing and give honest feedback. We are on Twitter @ChroniclesBkSer and on Facebook as Chronicles of A Broken Spirit. We look forward to connecting with you and hope you enjoy the messages of hope and perseverance. All the Best, Sherell Edwards, Author of "Chronicles of A Broken Spirit"-Volumes I-IV
Sunday, July 18, 2010
Creating a Learning Atmosphere
In a previous article I wrote about learning organizations and the five disciplines that, when fully integrated, will transform an organization into a learning organization. This article is devoted to the first of those five disciplines, personal mastery. Personal mastery is the foundation on which organizational learning is built.Personal mastery, as defined by Peter Senge, is "the discipline of personal growth and learning." (The Fifth Discipline, p. It is about creating a desired future and moving toward it. People with high levels of personal mastery are skilled at creating a personal vision and accurately assessing their current reality with respect to that vision. The gap between current reality and personal vision propels them forward. This gap is often referred to as "creative tension." Personal mastery is about generating and sustaining creative tension and living comfortably with that tension.So how does one recognize individuals with a high level of personal mastery? Below is a list of characteristics of those individuals:
They have a special sense of purpose - a calling.
They accurately assess their current reality; in particular, they quickly recognize inaccurate assumptions.
They see change as opportunity.
They are deeply inquisitive.
They place a high priority on personal connections without giving up their individuality.
They are systemic thinkers, that is, they see themselves as one part in a larger system.These people are continually expanding their capacity to create their desired future. In doing so, they create the potential for considerable organizational capacity building, a potential that can only be realized through integrating all five disciplines of organizational learning.How do individuals develop personal mastery?Developing personal mastery is a lifelong process, and it is never too late to start.
Thinking systemically: When you encounter an unexpected or undesirable outcome, try to think about what processes enabled that outcome to happen, rather than looking for someone to blame.
Assessing current reality: In order to be effective at assessing current reality, you need to be very aware of the assumptions you make about existing situations. Those assumptions shape, and sometimes cloud, our view of reality. Assessing current reality requires a great deal of reflection on your own thought processes and an ability to recognize your assumptions.By balancing advocacy with inquiry, we take as much time to understand the points of view of others as we do in explaining our own point of view. Those skilled at personal mastery will gently probe until they fully understand a different point of view while inviting others to question their own perspectives and thought processes.It involves finding the common ground within various perspectives and broadening the understanding of all involved. People with high levels of personal mastery understand that they only have a piece of the puzzle and only by inquiring into the points of view of others can those puzzle pieces begin to fit together and take shape into a clearer picture of current reality. Each of the above techniques can take a lifetime to master. In fact, one never really "arrives"; there is always something new to learn. How can organizations foster personal mastery?Organizations must have people at all levels capable of personal mastery in order to become successful learning organizations. It is important to remember, however, that this is a matter of choice. The most important thing an organization can do to help employees develop personal mastery is to create an environment conducive to individual pursuits. Here are some ideas for doing that:The problem with this is that an organization will often settle on the quick fix rather than take the time to truly understand the nature of the problem. Encourage employees to look deeper into the nature of problems, particularly recurring problems.
Encourage employees to challenge the status quo: New employees are particularly good at doing this because they don't have a history with the organization and are not yet assimilated into its culture. The results will be infectious.
Change your assumptions about what motivates your employees: Most organizations, whether they would admit it or not, use external incentives (money, recognition, fear) to motivate their employees. Personal mastery is all about internal motivation, and under the right conditions, it will blossom.
Be a model: It is important that organizational leaders practice their own personal mastery. By setting an example, you will send the message that this is important.
Make a commitment for the long haul: Personal mastery is not a single event or one-day workshop. It is also not a precise process. Make every effort to be flexible in helping employees develop personal mastery and realize that the gains will be incremental over time.
By creating a safe and supportive environment where employees can develop their personal mastery, you are helping them generate that creative tension that will propel them forward and ultimately move the organization along the path toward becoming a learning organization.
They have a special sense of purpose - a calling.
They accurately assess their current reality; in particular, they quickly recognize inaccurate assumptions.
They see change as opportunity.
They are deeply inquisitive.
They place a high priority on personal connections without giving up their individuality.
They are systemic thinkers, that is, they see themselves as one part in a larger system.These people are continually expanding their capacity to create their desired future. In doing so, they create the potential for considerable organizational capacity building, a potential that can only be realized through integrating all five disciplines of organizational learning.How do individuals develop personal mastery?Developing personal mastery is a lifelong process, and it is never too late to start.
Thinking systemically: When you encounter an unexpected or undesirable outcome, try to think about what processes enabled that outcome to happen, rather than looking for someone to blame.
Assessing current reality: In order to be effective at assessing current reality, you need to be very aware of the assumptions you make about existing situations. Those assumptions shape, and sometimes cloud, our view of reality. Assessing current reality requires a great deal of reflection on your own thought processes and an ability to recognize your assumptions.By balancing advocacy with inquiry, we take as much time to understand the points of view of others as we do in explaining our own point of view. Those skilled at personal mastery will gently probe until they fully understand a different point of view while inviting others to question their own perspectives and thought processes.It involves finding the common ground within various perspectives and broadening the understanding of all involved. People with high levels of personal mastery understand that they only have a piece of the puzzle and only by inquiring into the points of view of others can those puzzle pieces begin to fit together and take shape into a clearer picture of current reality. Each of the above techniques can take a lifetime to master. In fact, one never really "arrives"; there is always something new to learn. How can organizations foster personal mastery?Organizations must have people at all levels capable of personal mastery in order to become successful learning organizations. It is important to remember, however, that this is a matter of choice. The most important thing an organization can do to help employees develop personal mastery is to create an environment conducive to individual pursuits. Here are some ideas for doing that:The problem with this is that an organization will often settle on the quick fix rather than take the time to truly understand the nature of the problem. Encourage employees to look deeper into the nature of problems, particularly recurring problems.
Encourage employees to challenge the status quo: New employees are particularly good at doing this because they don't have a history with the organization and are not yet assimilated into its culture. The results will be infectious.
Change your assumptions about what motivates your employees: Most organizations, whether they would admit it or not, use external incentives (money, recognition, fear) to motivate their employees. Personal mastery is all about internal motivation, and under the right conditions, it will blossom.
Be a model: It is important that organizational leaders practice their own personal mastery. By setting an example, you will send the message that this is important.
Make a commitment for the long haul: Personal mastery is not a single event or one-day workshop. It is also not a precise process. Make every effort to be flexible in helping employees develop personal mastery and realize that the gains will be incremental over time.
By creating a safe and supportive environment where employees can develop their personal mastery, you are helping them generate that creative tension that will propel them forward and ultimately move the organization along the path toward becoming a learning organization.
Sunday, May 30, 2010
I've GOT something for YOU...
Hello Folks!
I'll bet you are expecting me to start in on you about journaling, connecting with yourself, spirituality and all that heavy stuff....and eventually I WILL again!
Just not today....What I do want to express is that this is a wonderful opportunity to go hang with family, friends or just relax for a minute and observe the Memorial Day weekend. There are various events and venues occurring so check your local listings, free printed papers and take advantage of some great inexpensive or even better, FREE entertainment. Remember, our Armed Forces and be thankful for their sacrifice on this weekend. Oh, that's right, I did say I had something for you...Make new memories and ENJOY your WEEKEND! That's pretty much it...yep, I think that was IT. Until next time....
Friday, May 21, 2010
FREE Guide-Your Spirituality Journal
A few years ago, I read Stephanie Stokes Oliver's Seven Soulful Secrets for Finding Your Purpose and Minding your Mission, which basically gives seven simple, but influential factors that actually spell the word, Purpose (purpose, ultimacy, relaxation, positivity, optimum health, spirituality and esteem). At the end of each of the seven chapter themes, she offers a journal page. We encourage you to take advantage of the "Spirituality" Journal (questions) below...
Use these questions to provoke real thought into your spirituality, which by the way, is NOT the same as religion.
How do you feel about your level of spirituality?
How is your life influenced by faith?
What things give you hope?
How are you giving love and compassion?
How do all of the above push you toward your purpose?
Monday, May 17, 2010
Crush It
http://www.amazon.com/gp/mpd/permalink/m2X9S8LNEBP84R
Once common denominator that most writers share is the love of reading. Reading good material entices good writing creativity in many cases. So for most avid readers and writers, it is not uncommon to have Amazon.com saved to their "favorites" on their computer and as a regular purchaser to have recommended purchases sent to your email address(es) suggesting purchase of similar materials. Needless to say, I got one of those regular emails and sometimes, they "grab" my attention and other times, they are bypassed for more pressing issues. Well, this particular time was a "grab" my attention moment and in the process stumbled across the popular book, "Crush It: Why NOW Is the time to Cash In on Your Passion by Gary Vaynerchuk. Check out his promo video above. I was motivated and inspired just listening to his enthusiasm and passion for living the life as CEO of his own destiny. He heavily discusses marketing and living a life that allows you to live out your passion on a daily basis...for many, they relate this to being "a job, work, volunteer position or whatever one does to make money", but what Gary discusses all connects to something totally different than carrying out a company's goals and earning another structure tons of money annually. Gary, in my mere, opinion is talking about that thing that sends you to bed late, awakens you early and you do not mind any of it because it is as effortless as breathing air and that my FRIEND, is passion. Passion is indescribable and it propels you to operate, speak, move and think in limitless ways. Gary seems to believe that kind of passion and the right exposure (marketing) will put you where ever it is you desire to be. Like he mentioned in the video about encouraging a friend to continuously seek "beautiful women" and eventually one of them would say, "YES"!
To me, that just sounds like good ole perseverance and consistently going after what you want. While not everyone is meant to be an entrepreneur, business owner, millionaire, librarian, structured or whatever, there is a life of joy, peace and happiness meant for each of us inside. There is that passion that Gary speaks of for each and every one of us, I believe if we only identify it, connect with it and seek the limitless ways to live in it, we will have created for ourselves a life of abundance!
Find your passion and STAY there....
Once common denominator that most writers share is the love of reading. Reading good material entices good writing creativity in many cases. So for most avid readers and writers, it is not uncommon to have Amazon.com saved to their "favorites" on their computer and as a regular purchaser to have recommended purchases sent to your email address(es) suggesting purchase of similar materials. Needless to say, I got one of those regular emails and sometimes, they "grab" my attention and other times, they are bypassed for more pressing issues. Well, this particular time was a "grab" my attention moment and in the process stumbled across the popular book, "Crush It: Why NOW Is the time to Cash In on Your Passion by Gary Vaynerchuk. Check out his promo video above. I was motivated and inspired just listening to his enthusiasm and passion for living the life as CEO of his own destiny. He heavily discusses marketing and living a life that allows you to live out your passion on a daily basis...for many, they relate this to being "a job, work, volunteer position or whatever one does to make money", but what Gary discusses all connects to something totally different than carrying out a company's goals and earning another structure tons of money annually. Gary, in my mere, opinion is talking about that thing that sends you to bed late, awakens you early and you do not mind any of it because it is as effortless as breathing air and that my FRIEND, is passion. Passion is indescribable and it propels you to operate, speak, move and think in limitless ways. Gary seems to believe that kind of passion and the right exposure (marketing) will put you where ever it is you desire to be. Like he mentioned in the video about encouraging a friend to continuously seek "beautiful women" and eventually one of them would say, "YES"!
To me, that just sounds like good ole perseverance and consistently going after what you want. While not everyone is meant to be an entrepreneur, business owner, millionaire, librarian, structured or whatever, there is a life of joy, peace and happiness meant for each of us inside. There is that passion that Gary speaks of for each and every one of us, I believe if we only identify it, connect with it and seek the limitless ways to live in it, we will have created for ourselves a life of abundance!
Find your passion and STAY there....
Sunday, May 9, 2010
The EYES that watched ME!
If don't know about you, but many times when I wanted to give up, I remembered who was watching me; Many times when I wanted to respond the wrong way, but instead took the higher road, I remembered who was watching me; When I don't feel like working, know things have to be managed and I am the only person who can manage them, I remembered who was watching me. To all the wonderful Mothers, I know and don't, always remember that the eyes of our children are watching us! Being a parent has raised the bar for me, made me much better than I was suppose to be and kept me in line, when I wanted to do otherwise. So today, I celebrate those eyes that were watching ME, that molded me into being a MOTHER!
Happy Mother's Day....
Friday, May 7, 2010
Recent conversation with a Blogger...
Recently in a discussion about life struggles and how to handle them, one person wrote:
"In life there are highs and lows but when the lows start to out weigh the highs, that’s when life starts to become a strain and very hard to enjoy. For example more arguing in a marriage than anything else, the heartache a mother gets when her child decides on a path that she know will destroy him or her and list goes on. These are things that can cause you to be very bitter, stressed and have no peace. Sometimes, you can not find a solution; Can you attest to what I’m talking about? and what would you do to bring some peace of mind in your life?"
Life brings us all types of challenges, some good and some not so good. While reading the response above from the Blogger for the first time, I thought to myself, this person is seeking answers. Answers many times, lie within us. We must quiet down, find your calm place (possibly in meditation, yoga, wandering, classical music, etc.), even for just a short period of time and allow our minds to rest and listen, for the answers will come. For some, its seeing it written down which brings us back to journal writing. The journal is unbiased and objective because it will only show what we have put into it. If we have put in a little, we will only come back to a little and the same for when we purge our thoughts onto paper, we come back to a time and period that reflects whatever it is we are experiencing. For each, the approach will be different but do whatever it is that consciously gets you to a place of calmness and peace so that that the answers can come. Answers truly do LIE WITHIN us!
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