Relationships
Magic Circle: A Design for Meetings
Consider the circle. That shape has been a universal symbol for God. It suggests the infinite, never-ending inclusion of all. Many years ago, I learned to deliver a curriculum, “Magic Circle”, to schools. It was designed by Dr. Valo Palomares and his ex-wife, Geraldine. The structured circle sessions helped children feel at home in the affective domain–the world of feelings. From that training in Magic Circle and my own doctoral dissertation (an experiment about emotions and our language of origin), I came to value the use of a circle as a place for groups to participate. My Women’s Wisdom group always sits in a circle. Each gets a fair share of the time, there are no “put-downs” and we listen to each other respectfully. So, I recommend that you hold meetings in the circle, much like the legend of King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table. There is a chance we can create Camelot again. It works in families, in churches, and in business meetings.
LMNOP
LMNOP (I love the alphabet)
I had a really big experience this week. Interface Flor brought me in to New York for some workshops on “How Full Is Your Bucket?” The Interface showroom is a beautiful facility with great design and all the stunning new products displayed. That, in itself, was a treat. The new carpet tiles are so beautiful and still are meeting the Zero Footprint goal of environmental Sustainability. Congratulations to David Oakey and his design team. I especially admired the pattern called “Vermont”. Beautiful!!
THE BEST LEADERS
In all these years of working with people, the last fifteen in the life of corporate relationships, I can say that the best leadership has a quality of development of employees, rather than domination or control. Working with families, I can say that the best parents are developers, not controllers. Working with marriage and other relationships, I truly believe that the best possible husband, wife, or lover is interested in the development of the partner, not control or domination of that partner.
RESPECT
I learned another method for good communication today. Chuck Shamel, a friend of the long road, wrote about RESPECTful Communication Guidelines in his report of a recent Vestry Retreat for All Saints Episcopal Church in Corpus Christi, TX. The retreat was led by another friend, Rev. Faith Baldwin. Faith introduced them to a new meaning for RESPECT as a way of listening and responding to one another.