Important Body Parts

Been in an all day meeting about implementing a new Human Resources ERP system today. For those of you who have either never done it or don't know what it is, don't despair: just imagine an 8-hour root canal with 20 different dentists all arguing about how to do it, and you'll get the picture.

These type of meetings are always fun, as various corporate types vie with each other to prove to themselves how smart they are (wow, I like that phrase; I'm using that one again.) Everyone talks, everyone is myopic and solely interested in how the change affects them, and everyone is waiting for their chance to jump up and add their view, regardless of whether or not it's related to the topic at hand. (As an aside, in the Army we called these people "spring butts" because they just couldn't stay in their chairs with their mouths quiet.)

THE LESSON

We have two ears and one heart, and they may well be the most powerful tools we have in our physical/spiritual toolkits. Sadly, when the pressure is on we often underutilize them.

WHAT I THINK IT MEANS FOR UNSCHOOLING

I think it makes a great deal of sense to be in touch with your own heart and the hearts of those you love, which can only be done by listening. If you can do that, you create an environment where people around you feel valued, which is a great feeling for you and for them. But to do this, you need faith: faith that when you follow your heart and enable others to follow theirs, good things will happen. Ginger calls this "trusting that the universe will make it okay", which really resonates with me. You also need to understand the constant battle that your heart wages with your head. Here's a Dad example: you come home after a long day to a house that is in utter disarray - toys all over the floor, cheese in the linoleum, dishes all over the kitchen, etc. Your head may hate that; it defies your sense of order and organization (not to mention control.) But what does your heart say? I bet it says "I need to get on the floor and play with someone because I really want to be a part of the fun that happened in this house today!" Listen . . . just listen. Your heart won't let you down, and you'll set an awesome example for your children.

WHAT I THINK IT MEANS FOR WORK

Listen . . . just listen. People really appreciate good listeners, and I've never met a successful executive who was a bad listener (or a successful anything, for that matter.) While following your heart in business is not always a good thing for the company (and therefore for your own career), it is always a good idea to understand the head vs. heart struggle so you can set up your own set of personal checks and balances for your behaviors and actions.

A demain . . .