Place called comfortable? May 24, 2012
Posted by thehutch in thoughts.Tags: thoughts
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It was the wonderful Pip Wilson (beautiful human) who said that “growth does not reside in a place called comfortable”. So often, we are looking for comfortable places but we need to be careful that we do not mean ‘dead’ as it is unlikely that we are happy their either.
Comfortable places involve stretching, testing and trying – these are not necessarily easy but they will be places we’re we feel comfortable, we will feel at home.
Serving? May 22, 2012
Posted by thehutch in thoughts.Tags: life, servanthood, serving
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How easy is it to serve with no agenda? Is it possible?
Service is regularly bound by preset agendas, it is unavoidable. The question is whether we are serving on behalf of others best interests or whether we are seeking to serve our own.
False advertising? May 21, 2012
Posted by thehutch in thoughts.Tags: meanings, words
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Looking at this Ad on a tube train, I had a sense that I was being cheated. If I love my neighbour, wouldn’t I lend my car rather than rent it?
be original – try something new on the 4th May May 3, 2012
Posted by thehutch in thoughts.Tags: boring, fun, humour, laughter, may 4th, may the force, new, original, star wars
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Tomorrow is an annoying day in the calendar and, until recently, it went unnoticed. That was when some bright spark related May the Fourth with Star Wars. The result are the never ending comments and smiles as people act as if the joke is new or that they are the first people to think of the connection.
The same issue happens in life – people spot something and the rest follow. The trick is to be original, be the first, to begin the trend.
Go on, give it a try, be original – try something new on the 4th May
transformation or production April 3, 2012
Posted by thehutch in ponderings, thoughts.Tags: charity, development, growth, production, transformation
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Having worked for a number of charities, it is interesting to observe the changes as a fledgling charity grows to maturity. Often, a new charity is focussed on people and the transformation/s that occur in peoples lives, it brings life, encourages others to participate and there is a real sense of ownership. However, in time, it is possible that significant shifts may occur, shifts that seem insignificant but in time will move the charity from a focus on transformation to one of production.
For example, a youth charity may begin by impacting the lives of young people and with success there may be dreams of meeting more young people, in order to help and support them. It makes sense to meet them in a place where they spend most time, school. This approach is good, makes sense and is fruitful. However, it does not take too long before the measure of success becomes, how many lessons have been taken, how many assemblies, how many lunch clubs. Whilst these things are not wrong, it does show a shift from transformation to production. A slight move from the centre will impact the place of destination – the measure has moved from how many lives are transformed to the place of how many activities we do, so that we may transform lives. This is a subtle but significant difference.
The same change can be seen in any labour of love as it grows and develops, as others join the cause and as funders seek to make ‘a bigger bang for their buck’ - the question we need to concentrate on is, which is most important, transformation or production?
to be ignored….. April 2, 2012
Posted by thehutch in ponderings, thoughts.Tags: honesty, ignorance, ignore, integrity, leadership, relationships
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It is amazing how often we hear it…..maybe, even said it ourselves (we know we have!) that someone is “ignoring me”. It is more common than we think. However, is it really true? Is it that we are being ignored or that people are not communicating with us in the way we would want/need or demand?
Let’s have an example. If I have reason to doubt that someone is honest, I tend to go quiet with them. I will say hello or respond if they happen to talk with me but will not go out of my way to begin a new conversation, after all, I am doubting if they are trustworthy. If they respond in a similar way, it is not fair of me to say that the individual is ‘ignoring me’ – they happen to be responding in kind.
A better response is to ask, why is my communication with this individual lacking? It may be that before you accuse them of ignoring you, you may have to remove the log from your own eye.
Milestones March 27, 2012
Posted by thehutch in ponderings, thoughts.Tags: markers, milestones
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Milestones are important.
We have regular markers set in our diaries – birthdays, christmas, and a host of anniversaries. Why are they so important? It gives us time to reflect, time to celebrate and time to dream.
Milestones are important.
imperfections in rewards based activity March 23, 2012
Posted by thehutch in thoughts.Tags: carrot, donkey, leadership, reward, vision
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If you offer a reward to someone for achieving a goal, you must be careful that you do not force people to concentrate more on the reward than the goal. If you put the carrot in front of a donkey, it may miss the boulder, the wheel may fall off the cart and the goal will not be reached.
Rewards will serve far more if they help prod people to action rather than being the reason for action.
who has the power? March 22, 2012
Posted by thehutch in thoughts.Tags: control, difference, leadership, power
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Who is in charge? Who has all the control? Who can make a difference?
If you are in a large meeting group, wait until something controversial is said, then look at peoples eyes. The person that most people glance at, in that moment, has all the power. This is not difficult to do, the next step is to watch where that individuals eyes look – that can tell you a little bit more.
