Tag Archives: personal reflections

Welcoming a world that’s different in the morning

All articles

As I write, the full and final results of the American presidential election have yet to be declared. And still, one thing is certain: the victory that, tonight, made Barack Obama President Elect of the United States of America was decisive. Nor could anyone doubt the significance – for African Americans, for the United States of America, for the world – of America’s election of her first African American president.

The road to this election victory has been long and uncertain. It’s not just that the contest between Obama and Hillary Clinton was hard won. It’s not just that Obama’s victory over John McCain could not be taken for granted. Speaking for the first time as President Elect, Obama tonight highlighted the life experience of one of America’s oldest voters, Anne Nixon Cooper. At 106 years of age, Nixon Cooper was born in an era in which, as a woman, and as a woman of colour, she did not have the right to vote. Reflecting on the extraordinary arc of change in her lifetime, it’s interesting to note that she had reached her mid 60s before, in 1968, America’s African American citizens were granted the right to vote. Many black people – perhaps many who turned out in record numbers to vote at this election – did not dare to believe they would get to see an African American president in their lifetime.

A word must go at this time to John McCain. Combative in his election campaign, there was nothing to draw me to him as future president of the US of A. Still, in his concession speech, his congratulations to Obama “on becoming the president of the country we both love” were clearly heartfelt. His wish to find ways to come together was sincere. Seeing for the first time the love McCain has for his country, hearing him recognise the historical significance for African American citizens of this result (“Let there be no reason now for any American to fail to cherish their citizenship of this country”), witnessing his determination to find ways to come together with his political colleagues of both parties, I felt a respect for McCain which his election campaign had failed to engender. I salute him.

Some acknowledgement must also go to the task ahead. As Obama said tonight, “Victory is not the change itself, it’s the chance to make that change”. It was clear from his words that he is fully aware of the scale of the task that lies ahead. Perhaps, too, he was asking the American people to recognise the scale of the task ahead. Even with the significant mandate granted Obama by the American people, there will be work to do.

For now though, I celebrate the election of America’s 44th – and first African American – president. I also celebrate the love shown tonight by both John McCain and Barack Obama, believing this to be a great force for good in the world. As certain as tonight’s election result had become by the time of this election, the deep wave of emotion I felt as Barack Obama walked onto the platform to speak reflects the great historical significance of this moment – for all the world. Because of this result, the world will be different in the morning.

Sending my hope and prayers to the USA

Developing as a leader,

At a time of great economic difficulty in the US I am increasingly noticing comments that the US of A’s time of global supremacy is coming to an end. With tomorrow’s US election already underway I find myself reflecting on the leader I yearn for as US President at this time. (And of course, I recognise how much I yearn for the same kind of leadership around the world).

I think of a leader whose approach springs from a deeply rooted yearning to contribute to the creation of a world in which everyone can thrive. It is not enough for any one nation to look after its own (even less to look after only some of its own). It is time for us all to commit to creating a thriving, sustainable world.

I think of a leader who is ready to engage deeply with colleagues around the world rather than to seek to dominate, because it’s my belief that the best outcomes for all come when we are able to hear and understand each other at a deep level. I celebrate those leaders (Martin Luther King, Mandela, Gandhi and others) who have shown us what it takes to exercise a different kind of power.

I think of a leader who does not confuse the outcomes he aspires to with the strategies that might lead to those outcomes. I believe that such a leader will ask: what outcomes do we want from a healthy economy? And, recognising those outcomes, will look for ways to deliver those outcomes which serve us all – no matter what state our economy is in.

The polls give Barack Obama a decisive lead over John McCain. What’s more, I hear those people who invest in the futures markets are giving Barack Obama a whopping 90% chance of succeeding at tomorrow’s polls. I hope and pray that Barack Obama is this kind of leader. I hope and pray that he wins. I hope and pray that he is able to provide this kind of leadership to America and to the world.

And when I think that Barack Obama may be America’s first black president, I feel deeply moved. I especially hope for the success in post of such a man.

Mad days

All articles

Next week, we shall all have plenty to think about as the US presidential elections take place, whatever the outcome.

In the meantime, we are by no means short of things to discuss. As I pondered the news yesterday at the end of the day, it seemed to me that we live in crazy times:

  • On the morning news, I heard that hedge fund investors had lost the bets they had placed in VW when Porsche announced it now owned 75% of VW. Hedge fund investors had taken a short term position, assuming VW shares would fall in value. However, two days after Porsche’s announcement, VW shares rose to a value of $1,276 making it – briefly – the most valuable company in the world.
  • Throughout the day, newscasts were buzzing with news of an investigation into a broadcast by Russell Brand and Jonathan Ross on BBC Radio 2. The Telegraph’s website reported that the broadcast was pre-recorded and cleared for broadcast by producers. However, 18,000 complaints from listeners were enough to suggest that the broadcast had crossed a line in the eyes of the BBC’s listening audience. Russell Brand handed in his notice and Jonathan Ross is currently suspended. Still I find myself wondering, what is the responsibility of the producers who approved the broadcast?
  • When I left my house in the morning I noticed a car parked outside which had snow on its roof. London’s Evening Standard reported that this was Britain’s first October snow in 70 years.

Mad days.

Teaching Awards: an opportunity to celebrate ourselves as well as others

About Dorothy, ,

Today I return from the Teaching Awards’ tenth national celebration of excellence in the teaching profession across the UK. 142 teachers, teaching assistants, governors, headteachers and whole schools came together to celebrate the awards they received across Wales, Northern Ireland, England and Scotland.

There were many times when there was not a dry eye in the house. At the national awards ceremony on Sunday afternoon, people dabbed their eyes as their loved ones – be they beloved spouses or cherished colleagues – learned they had won a national award. And total strangers were quick to recognise in the winners an example of the profound contribution an adult can make to the current and future life of a child.

At the gala dinner there were more tears as Lord David Puttnam made his farewell speech, more than ten years after the idea of celebrating the best in teaching was first conceived. For some these were tears of loss, for David’s contribution to the Teaching Awards has been immense and he is dearly cherished. At the same time, there were tears of celebration and gratitude for everything that it has taken to turn the idea of an “Oscars” for teachers into a thriving reality.

In recent years it has been my privilege to be a member of the nationwide judging team that supports the work of the Teaching Awards. The judges are volunteers who want to give something back. Often we take something away – from the full heart that is blessed to witness what it can mean to be an outstanding teacher, to the idea that can be converted into something useful for one’s own classroom. It seems that we all benefit from being in the presence of excellence. What’s more, we all recognise the gift to our children of excellence in the classroom.

This weekend, as I often have before, I wonder why some winners find it so hard to celebrate themselves in the way they willingly celebrate others and I reflect on a culture in which we are apt to see a recognition of self as vanity or arrogance. I am grateful to David Miller, winner of the Guardian Award for Teacher of the Year in a Secondary School, whose speech on receiving his award shows how much it is possible both to be grateful to others for all they have done and to recognise oneself: more than once he mentions how much the contribution of others has helped him to become “as good as I am”.

Returning to my office I celebrate David and I recognise that he brings something that I would want for every winner of a teaching award, past present and future: the ability fully and easily to recognise what he brings as well as to celebrate the contribution of others. For by loving ourselves and each other in this way, by connecting with the best of that we bring, we open up new possibilities, both to meet our own needs and to contribute to the needs of others. In this way, more than in any other, we make the world a place worth living in.

I wonder, what better example can a teacher offer to the children in his care?

Belshazzar’s Feast: a moment of truth

About Dorothy,

It’s Sunday, October 28th, and the day of our concert has come. More than 100 members of the London Symphony Chorus join the London Symphony Orchestra and baritone soloist Peter Coleman-Wright. We are getting ready to perform Sir William Walton’s Belshazzar’s Feast under the baton of Sir Colin Davis at London’s Barbican Centre.

Belshazzar’s Feast is a staple of the chorus’ repertoire. We have also performed at this venue, with the LSO and with Sir Colin many times before. Even so, the atmosphere is one of anxiety as well as excited anticipation. Our first joint rehearsal, just two days earlier, was far from concert standard. And, because the piece includes entries for the chorus which – even with experience – remain challenging, we anxiously wonder if Sir Colin will clearly signal these moments. It doesn’t help that, during the first half of the concert, chorus members have been blown away by Mitsuko Uchida’s dazzling performance of Beethoven’s fourth Piano Concerto. How can we possibly live up to such a high standard?

As members of the orchestra tune their instruments, I take in my surroundings. The deep chestnut of violins, violas, cellos and double basses show warm and vibrant against the dark black of our concert dress. The latter transforms both chorus and orchestra – the men are suddenly more handsome and slim, the women more elegant. The colourful dress and jovial informality of rehearsal have given way to a disciplined and adrenaline-charged readiness to perform.

The audience applauds as the orchestra’s leader steps onto the concert platform. This is the sign that our performance is about to begin. She is quickly followed by Sir Colin, who takes in the orchestra and chorus with a sweep of the eyes before raising his baton. Audience members stop talking and a hush descends.

A brief statement by the trombones precedes the chorus’ first entry. This is a dramatic and unaccompanied declaration by the tenors and basses, who sing of the prediction by Isaiah: that the sons of Israel will be taken away from their homeland to become eunuchs in the palace of the kings of Babylon. It is a bold entry which sets up the story as well as introducing the chorus.

The men make their entry with both drama and precision. As I hear their confident beginning I notice a release of tension. My inner anxieties give way to a deep engagement with the music. I am ready to sing.

Ramadan kareem

Coaching, Developing as a leader, , ,

I am quiet this evening, thoughtful. There have been pennies dropping for me throughout the day.

The time of meeting a potential coaching client, whether an individual or an organisation, is a blessed time for me, knowing as I do how much difference coaching can make both to individuals and to the organisations they work in.

As the day proceeds I get to meet some of the people I may – or may not – work with in coaching partnership. It is a time of exploration. A time of getting to know each other. A time of decision. For my part, it’s important to have some sense, ahead of time, that the investment my client proposes to make in my contribution will indeed add value. I am ready to walk away if my sense is that it will not. It is also an important time for my clients – for the people I meet and for the organisation for which they work. I want to support the organisation and its most senior leaders in moving forward. Still, I do not want for any member of the team that he (or she) feel any sense of obligation to “sign up”.

Sitting waiting for my first appointment, something I knew ahead of time lands with a more visceral force: that if I agree to work with this organisation, I may be signing up to regular visits to the UAE and for some time. The pennies continue to drop throughout the day as I make meaning of my experiences: that I am already supportive of the organisation’s aspirations for change, that I am already committed to the individual members of the senior leadership team, that to engage with this diverse group of leaders is to reach out beyond questions of culture and ethnicity and to engage with each and every member of the team, that to contribute in this way has meaning for me which includes but also goes way beyond the success of the organisation.

Walking at dusk I hear the call to prayer. Every fibre in my body sings in response. Everything is right with the world. As I sit at dinner the excitement of my day gives way to a deep, deep sense of peace. Ramadan kareem.

Bonjour Dubai

About Dorothy

Even at 7am in the morning when my plane lands the heat is fierce in late August in Dubai, providing confirmation – in case I need it – that I will not be seeking out the midday sun.

It is my first visit to Dubai. I have been reading my guidebook on the way and am ready to find out which of Dubai’s myths are grounded in truth. One bare fact is that 20% or fewer of Dubai’s residents are originally from Dubai, whose phenomenal growth in recent years has been fuelled by immigrant workers, from the armies of builders working in the fierce heat for fewer than 175 US dollars per month to a diverse population of foreign national executives who are here to help Dubai execute an ambitious commercial strategy.

I decide to test the reality of this and, wherever I can do so whilst seeming polite, I ask the people I meet where they come from. My taxi driver from the airport is from Pakistan, soon to reach the end of his three year visa. The young man who serves me lunch with impeccable manners and a winning smile is from Nepal. In the textile souk which I visit on my first day, Indians abound.

Evidence of the executive diversity in Dubai greets me in the form of a large weekend lunch party on the table next to mine. An American shares his store of favourite local phrases. “You know when you ask a Brit how they are and they answer ‘I’m fine'” (there is laughter, perhaps at the dour tone he adopts to say “I’m fine”) “the locals say ‘I’m on top of the palm trees'” (The voice is upbeat. More laughter). “I really love that phrase”. An Indian talks about the latest outsourcing venture in India and I have to listen to his unfolding narrative to believe my ears: did he really say “rent a womb“?

Welcome to Dubai.

Beginnings, middles and endings

Coaching, ,

Today I field an enquiry about coaching from a reader of my postings on a forum for fellow professionals. I remember her vividly even though we have never met – I was touched to receive a card from her a few months back telling me how much she enjoyed my writing. It didn’t escape me that she’d gone to the trouble of going to my website to get hold of my address in order to send me a card. Her card also prompted me to reflect on my love of writing and to begin to explore it more consciously. This blog is one fruit of that conscious exploration.

I take time to respond to her e-mail and it occurs to me to include a testimonial from a client with whom I have recently finished working. I have a sense of a handing over of some metaphorical baton – from a client with whom my work is complete (at least for now) to someone who may or may not become a client in the future.

Working as a coach, my life is populated with such beginnings, middles and endings. It always gives me joy when I hear from someone who is considering investing in coaching – whether or not I end up working with them as a result, their reaching out marks a moment of decision, a first step towards some outcome that they yearn for and in which they want to invest. Such reaching out also marks a step into the unknown – an unknown which, in my experience, often goes way beyond anything people imagine in advance.

What can I say about my coaching “middles”? Many of my clients are senior leaders working in corporations. Some are fellow coaches. A few are fellow entrepreneurs. All are human beings. The dryest of business goals quickly give way to something more personal – the highs, the lows, the times of feeling stuck, the times of moving forward, the times of breakthrough and momentum. Oftentimes, such close teamwork brings me an enormous sense of privilege.

And what about the endings? These are a time to review progress and to formulate a forward path. To do this is often to sit up and take notice of – to celebrate – the progress that has been made. They are a time to mark the completion of a phase of coaching. This is not always welcome: some clients somehow never quite make time to book a final meeting, as if to do so is to recognise that yes, our coaching is over. Sometimes an ending gives way, in time, to some new beginning as former clients return to resume our work together.

Beginnings, middles, endings… I celebrate them all.

Blood test “before and after” – the results speak for themselves

Alternative approaches, Your personal and professional well-being, , ,

Today I received my photos following my visit to see Kate A’Vard. Kate is helping me to make a transition towards an alkalarian diet. My aim over time is to eat about 75% vegetables. It’s an “up and down” journey for me, so it was encouraging to get her feedback when I met with her recently.
I feel excited when I look at the difference between the photos from my first visit (above) and the photos from my second visit (below). Something I’m doing is obviously working.
I especially feel excited as I think about becoming healthier and healthier as my life progresses.
I am celebrating as I write.

Following your bliss

Emotional Intelligence

There are times in our lives when we are called to step forward to embrace something new. Perhaps “new” is the promotion we didn’t think we were capable of taking on and which still seems to be calling us. Perhaps “new” is the approach or behaviour that we know is needed if we are to be successful yet which stimulates fear or “just doesn’t feel like me”. Perhaps “new” is to recognise the relationship that isn’t working or the time to move on.

Amongst the most challenging callings is the call to recognise the need not just for a minor tweak in our lives but for a major re-examination. Such times have included the moment of recognising that all the actions you have taken have done nothing to make your unhappy marriage a place of mutual understanding or the moment of recognising that no amount of success in your current career has stilled the voice that is calling you to something different and, as yet, unknown. Sometimes the calling is to recognise that it’s time to stop thinking that it is a change in your outer circumstances (new job, new partner, new body parts…) that will make the difference that you yearn for and to start addressing what you bring that creates a repeated pattern of unhappiness.

The moment of recognition can bring fear and excitement in equal measure: fear to that part of us which yearns for stability, safety, security; excitement to that part of us which yearns to embrace and express our full potential, that part of us which knows what it means to be alive. Of course, it’s easy to dismiss one part or the other, to be guided by the fear or by the excitement alone. In truth, both parts have a role – a part – to play.

I think of this this today as I reflect on the day’s coaching appointments and the challenges my clients are currently facing. And I smile as I recall the phrase that Joseph Campbell uses in his powerful book The Power of Myth. In this book he describes the process of responding to your inner calling and the quality of living that can follow when you are guided by your inner voice, calling on a wide range of mythological stories to illustrate his point of view.

For Campbell, to respond to your inner calling is to follow your bliss, a phrase which needs no further explanation.