Unclogging the River of Goodness so that others can grow
Chaudière River, Quebec
Shakespeare made a living off the back of it.
Humans have two drivers; to love and be loved.
In organisations this converts to:
1. “I want to be part of a group/team/tribe/organisation.”
2.”I want to be recognised and valued by that group.”
You need to bring something relevant to the party, if you want to be welcomed into a (problem-solving) group.
Members of the group are asking, “how will your presence enhance the well-being of everyone involved (including me)?”
Some of us are motivated to develop others so they can be valued members of a problem-solving team.
If you’re reading this, you share that trait.
I’ve noticed there is a River of Goodness that flows within those who wish to improve the lives of others.
You deliver betterment to beneficiaries in a variety of vessels (workshops, writings, mentoring, interviews).
However, some try dam or obstruct the flow. They should be rapidly removed, rebuffed or retrained with the appropriate disciplined vigour.
Why the stridency? Well consider the flow below.
We transfer our capabilities with a view to improving the lives of some particular group (patients, clients, customers, businesses.) Our recipients learn and practice under our tutelage and , at some point in the future, we all observe a measurable improvement in the conditions of the recipients.
It is how we add value.
In the return, our success and remuneration (and survived failures) provides feedback to stimulate re-investment in capability development and delivery—which then leads to more value delivery to beneficiaries and so on and so on.
Anyone sucks out energy, or blocks the flow in this cycle, will destroy improvement in self which, in turn, destroys our capability to improve the lives of others.
Dredge out or flow past disruptive team members; acerbic colleagues; professionally-miserable patients; and self-important, self-absorbed clients. Closer to home of course, the list could include spouses, children and neighbours.
I am not saying that everything or everyone has to be addressed, but the cumulative effective of these small streams is drain the river to a dribble. There is insufficient draft or power to deliver value to the targeted group; reduced value means reduced re-investment in self.
Nobody benefits from a dry river bed.
Clear the obstructions and remove the dams.
If you're not investing in yourself now—improving what you do and the way that you do it—you will be unable to improve the lives of others in the future.
“The activist is not the man who says "this river is dirty." The activist is the man who cleans up the river. “
Ross Perot
A copy to the River of Goodness template can be downloaded here.