What If You Tried This?

March 4, 2024

Benjamin Zander is an English conductor, who is currently the musical director of the Boston Philharmonic Orchestra and the Boston Philharmonic Youth Orchestra. He is also a marvelous teacher. Search YouTube for some videos where he is teaching teenaged students.

These students probably rehearsed a piece a couple hundred hours. They perform flawlessly for Zander, who always compliments profusely showing empathy and understanding of their work. He then takes the student back over the piece—what if you tried this rhythm here, what if you varied the dynamics at this point. He leads the student to an entirely different feel for the piece. The best examples of teaching I’ve ever seen. Wish I had had a teacher like that.

What if as a spiritual teacher or pastor or leader, we practiced that sort of leadership? Not criticizing someone for their practices or thinking but showing empathy and understanding of their work. And then gently asking what if you tried this or what if you reconsidered your opinion of this writer and tried out this idea or took yourself in your imagination to that small cluster of Jesus-followers in a large room of a house—just suggesting, mind you, trying a slightly different approach. Perhaps leading to a newer and deeper understanding of John, Paul, George, Ringo, er…James and Peter and Luke.

Try it; you’ll like it.

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Aspiring To a Better Society

March 1, 2024

The part of the sermon that Baptist preacher from North Carolina that has gone viral concerning if he were on a jury of a trial of a man accused of raping a woman who was wearing shorts he would vote for acquittal disturbs me every time I think of it. When someone who professes to follow Jesus reveals such a lack of understanding and empathy, I hesitate to ever identify myself with their religion.

A sentence from my current reading, The Identity Trap by Yascha Mount, metaphorically slapped me in the face. In a different context but jarring my thinking here, he said, “In practice, universal values and neutral rules do often exclude people in unjust ways. But an aspiration for societies to live up to the standards they profess can allow them to make genuine progress in treating their members fairly.” (My bolding.)

Not everyone (in fact no one?) can live up to the standards that Jesus set. Reading his words in the gospels you get the feeling he knew he was setting the standard so high that no one could ever congratulate themselves for achieving them. But if many of us aspire to live up to those standards, then the Jesus movement should continue to progress toward the type of society Jesus envisioned.

Indeed, so many people responded to that pastor’s comments that the church posted an apology on its message board. I can hope and pray that the incident spurs some growth in all of us.

Where is your heart? My heart? Are we trying to live up to Jesus command of how to live—by loving God and our neighbor? Don’t give up. Every step in that direction helps.

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Cynicism or Opportunity

February 29, 2024

It’s all about data.

I’ve written that on my technology blog. Maybe half of my topics have involved data—finding, gathering, storing, analyzing, visualizing, using to make decisions.

We may see data in our favorite news source. The trouble with that lies in the choices of which data to show and which interpretation to emphasize. Often that flows from the point of view of the writer/broadcaster. The same data will have different emphases on Fox or on MSNBC. (I assume; I watch neither.)

For example, many years ago there was much data about how emissions in the US going into the atmosphere returned to earth in the form of acid rain. Dire predictions ensued. Those events never happened.

Why?

First came the cynics. The world is ending.

Then came the people who saw opportunity. I was involved in more than one project to scrub carbon from refinery emissions. That happened all over the country. Many technologies were developed to clean emissions.

We have much current data on changing weather patterns dubbed Climate Change. It’s real, but it does not have to be the end.

All over the globe engineers and entrepreneurs are working to find solutions to the causes. 

We can choose how to react. We can choose to be cynical, dystopian, and fearful. We can choose to find solutions. 

This works for climate problems. It works for problems in your organization or family. Which attitude sounds better to you?

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People Problems

February 28, 2024

My parents taught me no social skills. Sometimes I reflect on my youth and cringe. Now I am an old man and getting better.

Unfortunately, or fortunately in terms of my growth as a human, I’ve placed myself into a variety of leadership and professional roles where some amount of social skills are required.

I’m wrestling with a problem right now that involves several people with widely different views. I need to bring people together to end misunderstandings and focus on our purpose. This problem has consumed far too many emotional and intellectual cycles.

This is hard for an introverted nerd to do. How do I bring out empathy within my thinking and feeling such that I can feel for all sides? 

That question leads to the understanding of just how important a skill that is for us living today. We are as polarized as ever not only in the US but also worldwide. Resistance weight training is a proven tool for improving health and prolonging a better life. 

We need resistance training for our empathy muscle. Of course we are right in everything we think and do…right? Well, maybe others could be right? Maybe when we all come together the melding of ideas leads to better ideas. Maybe when I facilitate bringing people together goals are achieved.

Fifty years ago as a new manager in the department my boss told me, “Your biggest problems will not be technical problems. They will be people problems.” He was so right. If I am going to proclaim my core values as peace and justice, then it must begin with flexing the empathy muscle and bringing people together.

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Simplify Your Thinking

February 27, 2024

Occam’s razor is the problem-solving principle that recommends searching for explanations constructed with the smallest possible set of elements. Another interpretation holds that the simplest answer is often the best.

The story goes that a second-year university chemistry student asked the professor at the beginning of class “why doesn’t water burn?” The professor, now blissfully diverted from the day’s topic, proceeded spend the hour filling the blackboard with equations as he sought to explain the problem.

The students, meanwhile, were left puzzled. So, a couple students went to their high school chemistry teacher with the question. “Well, water doesn’t burn because it’s already oxidized.”

We tend to overthink many things.

Didn’t Jesus often take complex questions thrown at him by adversaries, turn them around on themselves, and then offer a simpler, but difficult, answer?

What are laws and the prophets? “Love the Lord your God and your neighbor as yourself.”

What should we do? “Follow me.”

At the end of his physical life on Earth, “Love one another as I have loved you.”

I didn’t say simple was easy. But the simplest answer is easiest to remember. And therefore the clearest to follow.

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Privilege

February 26, 2024

Few arenas of life reveal as much as youth sports does about—parents. I remember my own good times and, with much chagrin, my bad ones. Thirty-five years working as a referee in youth and high school soccer revealed the growing trend of “helicopter” parents who hovered over their kids to protect them and “snow plow” parents who tried to pave the way for them.

I have written a blog on technology, leadership, and industrial applications for just over 20 years. Many, many PR agencies have me on their radar. Sometimes I get strange releases. Here is one I just received where a data company did an analysis of TikTok and Google search data.

Job Shift Shock is the most popular work trend with a total 1.7B TikTok views and nearly 121K monthly searches on Google. The trend leads the list as it describes the transition from initial excitement of beginning a new job to the disappointment of unexpected responsibilities.

I can think of few clearer signals about what happens to young people when they have always had someone there to smooth the way for them. I remember hiring a young man recently graduated from university. He wondered how long (a year or two?) before he would be in line to be president of the company.

The book of Proverbs contains some excellent advice for raising kids—as long as you are not a literalist reader. You must provide guidelines, guardrails, and discipline. And also appropriate and increasing measures of freedom to go play and learn to get along with other humans. 

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Trust

February 24, 2024

Nassim Taleb wrote in his book of aphorisms, “I trust everyone except those who tell me they are trustworthy.”

I have observed in my business career “I trust everyone except those who tell me they are evangelical Christians.”

I have done business with many Christians (and non-Christians) in my life. Those who wear evangelical Christianity on their sleeve have cost me much money and grief.

Suggestion for us all—If we are going to be outspoken about that faith, perhaps we should pause every evening before bed reflecting upon our day. We ask at what points would Jesus have been pleased and at what points would he have given a reprimand. Weigh the balance.

As for me, I am challenged and humbled every day by things I have done or left undone that belie my belief of really being a follower of Jesus. 

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Sometimes You Just Have to Say I Don’t Know

February 23, 2024

Sometimes You Just Have to Say I Don’t Know

Thomas Jefferson (and most of the other founders of the USA) were children of the Enlightenment, also known as the Age of Reason. They were suspicious of things that couldn’t be figured out by reason. Jefferson famously went through his Bible and cut out all the stories of miracles.

I knew a guy who (I am positive he was mostly joking but I love the metaphor) when he got to a difficult passage in a letter that Paul wrote would say that it was time to get the big black magic marker and just blot out that paragraph.

Aren’t we all very much like that? If there is something we read that is either uncomfortable or we cannot understand, we prefer to blot it out of mind.

I suggest another strategy.

Try saying, “I don’t know.”

Then cultivate curiosity and imagination.

There was so much contained in the letters of the Apostle Paul that I had trouble understanding. I thought about those issues often. Then I happened to come across an 1,800-page scholarly work that taught me more than I could have wished. 

But I was ready to learn.

Had I decided to just ignore uncomfortable passages and roll with my prejudices, I would have missed a tremendous education.

If the first step of personal growth is awareness of where we are, then the first step of learning is saying “I don’t know” and “I wonder why…”

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Metanoia

February 22, 2024

Sorry for the Greek word as the title of this meditation. I have been thinking on this word since I heard it on a podcast recently.

I shun as much as possible to use traditional Christian words due to the historical and emotional baggage that often accompanies those words.

What is the first picture or thought that comes to mind when I say

Repentance!

I immediately think of the preacher who comes to No Name City in the play and movie Paint Your Wagon. He hopes to convert all the heathen to Christianity by shouting at them.

In your Bible, you may see the word Repent or Repentance. Translators often render metanoia that way for principally historical reasons.

Perhaps a better rendering of the meaning involves the concept of changing the direction of one’s heart. Or changing the direction of one’s life. 

Another concept would be transforming. This might mean becoming aware that our heart will not accept new things, new people, new ideas. It is “hardened.” Then it somehow becomes transformed into a generous, loving, peaceful heart. 

Metanoia. I was once that way; now I am this way. And I, as well as all those around me, am better for it.

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Servant Leadership

February 21, 2024

Right off I will admit that I have no clue just what servant leadership means in practice.

Christian business leaders sometimes like to talk about servant leadership. I recently listened to an interview with a woman who was CEO of a turnaround business effort. She mentioned servant leadership but never really explained it. But I also heard how she built teams within the company focused on the essential factors that would lead to business success.

I also knew a man who was CEO of a small technology company. He gave people statues for their bookcases of Jesus kneeling before Peter while washing his feet. That, of course, is the hallmark of servant leadership. Jesus then taught a lesson that his followers had to learn the hard way about “if you want to be a leader, you must first be a servant.”

That man in the end showed no courage and disappeared when the investors forced a sale. That is an image that will always stay with me. And color my impressions when I hear someone say they are a servant leader. It’s not in the words. It’s in the actions.

Drawing on the stories of Jesus and reflecting on these two brief examples, I offer some thoughts:

  • Have a vision of the end—changing people’s lives, what a successful business/organization looks like
  • Inculcate a measure of humility in your life—recognize you don’t know everything and you just may not be king
  • Build teams that work with a focus on what’s important
  • Support and guide people
  • Don’t be the person who “Lords it over people”, but be a fellow traveler on the journey
  • Have the courage to tell people the bad along with the good

There is probably more. I will give it some more thought.

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