Knight's Journey

Becoming What You Hate
There was a time in my life, about 30 years ago, that I took great pride in writing letters to the editor. I felt a great sense of satisfaction each time that one of my letters would appear in the local paper. I was, what my mother would call, full of myself. This was a time when I got extremely invested in injustices and believed that I stood for all of the “right” causes.

One day I decided to drive to a nearby town to visit an old friend. Upon arriving, I asked him if he had read my most recent letter to the editor. He hesitantly responded that he had read it, but did not comment in any detail. Later during the visit, he related a story of his minister’s most recent sermon on the topic of becoming overly zealous and becoming what you hate. The sermon included the story of someone who had killed some innocent people because he hated those who were unjust and who had committed murder.

The specifics of the story are not really important, but the lesson did reach me while driving home. I realized that I was becoming exactly what I hated. I had closed my mind to other points of view – to other realities. There is seldom a day that passes that I do not reflect on this lesson. The nightly world news contains stories of people and countries that are walking that fine line of becoming what they hate.

Although I continue to donate money and speak out about causes that I believe in, I keep a check on my thoughts, actions, and feelings. I do not wish to exhibit the behaviors that I dislike in others. Through many years of work, I no longer hate – but that is a lesson to share at another time. I tell this story as my gift to you - as my friend's comments were truly a gift to me.

Organizational Transformation

It is not an accident that the information offered on this site actually applies to the transformation of organizations.  Organizations transform as its people transform.  The breaking down of barriers, clarifying our intentions and making contributions toward progress are all intrinsically connected to our personal growth. 

Sometimes private for profit organizations can suffer from some of the same problems as government agencies suffer.  They become much too large and diverse with too many levels of management.  Creativity diminishes as employees become complacent. Smaller, leaner, and more creative companies come along and take a large share of the market. 

Whether a company is in need of transformation due to loss in market share or whether a local, state, or federal agency must transform due to increased expectations and with less revenue, the transformation journey is necessary.  Unfortunately, the efforts of many organizations to adjust and survive fall short of facilitating change within individuals to allow for the change needed to develop and grow.  

The old lexicon of business is full of terms such as downsize, reorganize, and restructure. Although these processes have value, they do not transform organizations. Transformation requires risks that allow people to experience joy, to release fear and to grow based on knowing and pursuing one’s potential and the intention of all that is bigger than the individual.  The finding, not the development of, spirit is the key to transforming an organization. 

We are all surrounded by all that it takes to transform ourselves and our organizations.  It is up to those of us who can facilitate the identification and utilization of these transformational components of life to assist in making individuals and organizations successful.  This is one of my personal goals and obligations.