9 Questions, ... Question 8, Week 8, (day 2)

“Children learn more from what you are than what you teach.”

“There is in this world no such force as the?force?of a person determined to rise. The human soul cannot be permanently chained.”

“Today I see more clearly than yesterday that the back of the problem of race and color lies a greater problem which both obscures and implements it: and that is the fact that so many civilized persons are willing to live in comfort even if the price of this is poverty, ignorance, and disease of the majority of their fellow men.”

~ W. E. B. DuBois

Resources for Question 8: BEING A MAKER

Introduction

This volume provides resources to explore the either question of nine in our curatorial book, 9 Questions for Leadership in Life and Work.

In our daily lives, at work and play, with colleagues and loved ones, we all have the ability to make elegant and beautiful "things." The "things" we make might be physical objects or they might be intangibles: systems, software, products, services, communities, organizations, experiences, works of literature, works of art, performances. Whatever we "make," we have the opportunity to make useful, beautiful, elegant and meaningful. Each in our own ways, we have the opportunity to do our work so as to beautifully express our personal magic, our own personal "art."

How different is this conception of work from simply going through the motions, following the rules, "doing our jobs," doing what others expect or have commanded. We suggest that the one lovely dimension of personal and organizational leadership is the ability to see ourselves as "makers" and to encourage and invite others to see themselves that way, to live and work that way.

This volume offers some quotations that have inspired us to be "makers." More quotations and sources are available in the book.

Exercises for exploring Question 8

• (we offer 5 exercises, here's a response to one as an example)

To ship or not to ship

Real artists ship. ~ Seth Godin

What meaning do you make of this quotation from Seth Godin? What is the importance and impact of getting your work, your contributions, out into the world? What difference does this make?

Please be invited to record your observations and insights in your journal and to share and exchange insights with trusted friends and colleagues.

For me ... the practice of shipping has allowed me

1. to develop courage to release ideas and practices into the world
2. to welcome and invite feedback and critique
3. to focus on the evaluation of the "work" -- and to remember, it's not about me
4. to see the "shipping" as an iterative process from which you learn and grown
5. to recognize that the idea of seeking something "more perfect" has actually been a detriment to growth because it had given me a "reason not to release or ship"
6. to listen more and to receive what is shipped and offered by others
7. to create a schedule and a rhythm and some structure around the release
8. to celebrate the small "wins" of what's shipped

And separately, I've taken this idea of "shipping" to other aspects of my life including household chores, condo responsibilities, learning new skills, cleaning, planning, and .... etc

It's really given me and offered a kind of freedom that I had not anticipated.

Good luck with what you're "building and shipping."

Peace and blessings.

Gerald Doyle

Accompanying Resources for the 10 Week Course:

9 Questions for Leadership in Life and Work?(you are welcome to download a complimentary copy of this book)

Resources for Question 8: BEING A MAKER?(you are welcome to download a complimentary copy of this book)

Tri Cosain: Weaving inspiration, learning and career

Gerald and Scott are co-founders of?Tri Cosain, a practice which weaves inspiration, learning and career coaching for leadership in life and work; they are the?co-authors of?9 Questions for Leadership in Life and Work,?Conversations of Inquiry?(a workbook and an invitation to explore),?Reflections on Careers?(an interactive workbook). All of these publications are freely available for you to download.

Their work embraces equity, inclusion, diversity, accessibility and well-being as foundations for personal leadership.

Gerald Doyle serves on the faculty of?Wolcott College Preparatory High School, provides Ministry Placement Research/Consulting for Career Formation Services at the?Catholic Theological Union, advises several edtech companies including?Upkey?and?GetSet?and works as a Higher Education Consultant at?TSI - Transforming Solutions, Inc.

Scott Downs, an Agile and Design Thinking Coach, calls forward great Agile delivery teams, with leaders in every chair.