At the borders of American culture, the vast lands of opportunity appear bright and filled with promise for anyone who dares to challenge the gauntlet of obstacles to secure entry. From a distance, the theories of welcoming the poor huddled masses seeking some sort of refuge for their tortured souls project themselves through the facade of American ideological pro-Christian, pro-life propaganda with power. However, deep within the soul of America lies a tragedy not visible at the borders of our consciousness.
If our collective ideals and values are grounded in our Christianity, then our consciousness-raising should also find refuge within the walls of our society. However, if the core premises and promises of openness and acceptance were built loosely on a sandy bank of deception, then the overwhelming seas of hatred, bigotry, and hate easily tear down the fragile structures of our society. Once the perimeter of our idealized culture is laid bare by the effects of the waters of inherently evil men, then we are thrust into an ocean of public confusion. What then, is the fate of our consciousness?
What follows the collapse of our pretext then, is chaos at the borders of our consciousness. The majority of us might believe we have a moral duty to hold the torch higher and burning brighter as we guide the indigent to a safe harbor. However, the tragic irony is that we espouse idealistic Christian values of saving souls with a Bible in an outstretched hand. At the same time, we conceal a dagger of distress securely hidden behind our backs. America is a theater, and the tragedy playing on the center stage of our consciousness demands no curtain call.
Three students from Ole Miss University posed in the dead of night in front of the bullet-riddled Emmett Till Memorial. Their bodies holding the guns cast eerie shadows on the backdrop of the Emmett Till Memorial. The source of the lighting and identity of the photographer/s remain a mystery. As they posed on Centre Stage with their prized trophy, none of them seemed to be aware that America the Theatre where they performed was burning down.
Emmett Till, a black boy, did not sacrifice his life to advance the causes of Civil Rights. Emmett, barely fourteen years old, was falsely accused of whistling at a white woman, and he was brutally beaten beyond recognition, and his body dumped in a swamp. The death of Emmett Till is said to have been the catalyst for the Civil Rights Movement. The woman who accused Emmett and the three men who brutally murdered Emmett did not realize that tragedy playing on Center Stage of America the Theatre, was burning down.
In this particular scene, the three men holding guns with their shadows cascading across Emmett ’s Memorial represent the main characters in this tragedy on Center Stage. These three young men rehearsed and internalized their lines of hatred and racism so well that they become the characters they were supposed to be playing. These three young men were so well-rehearsed and trained; they became lost in their performances and did not realize America the Theatre was burning down. But they are only part of the script.
The camera crew, the director, and the stagehands memorialize this scene on film. The audience attending this performance cheer and applaud this tragedy as if they were watching a Disney movie. This group of participants in this tragedy gives legitimacy to and validation of the disaster on Center Stage. However, in their enthusiasm to reminisce of an era long past its usefulness and relevance, they inadvertently add fuel to the fire. They allow America the Theatre, to burn down. But they did not write the script.
Perhaps, the most significant contribution to this tragedy is the screenwriter. The screenwriter tells the story, knows the central thread from the beginning to the end of the story. The writer chooses the words for each act and scene. The writer decides the people s/he prefers to bring the script to life. In essence, the writer is the person who gives life to the idea and oversees the entire production. The writer sets the tone and mood of the whole show. However, in this tragedy, the writer is aware that America the Theatre, is burning down, a twist to the story often shared but easily dismissed as mythical.
Unfortunately, this tragedy in full production on Center Stage of America, the Theatre, is not a single production. This tragedy is a franchise of hate and intolerance currently playing in every corner and hamlet of America. The screenwriter has given free unlimited use to anyone willing to promote this tragedy. Though Center Stages are burning in every theatre across the country, there is still hope that the attendees might feel the warmth of love and tolerance and use them to douse the flames of racism and bigotry. There is yet an opportunity to salvage America the Theatre.
For the record, we raised our children in Lebanon, IL. Our home was a place of refuge and gathering for many of the neighborhood children from the local high school and village. We are Christians and believe in opening our hearts and home to those in need, whether physical, psychosocial or just a listening ear; in essence, giving back. One of the things we routinely did, was invited total strangers in our home. I once recalled coming home late one night and saw a hitchhiker on the highway. He was dirty, smelly, and hungry. I picked him up and brought him home without any advanced warning. Jeanne (my spouse ), never asked any questions, she just invited him in. While Jeanne prepared a hot meal for him, I showed him where to shower and clean up. After he was cleaned, he ate, then I took him back to the interstate so he could continue his journey. Bringing strangers home or feeding the needy was not unusual for our family.
I grew up in Chimborazo, and neither my mother nor my father ever turned anyone away who came to our home in need. I can still hear my father’s voice as he called out to mom. “Ena!” “Yes, Douglas,” she would reply. “What you so loud about?” He would answer, “put a plate hey fuh dis boy,” in his gruff voice. “Alright, Douglas,” she said and fixed a plate of whatever we were eating that day. Let me say that our family with eight children was not wealthy, and some days we ate stretched out breadfruit, and one can of corned beef also stretched out, probably for flavor more than nutrition. But the message and the lessons were real. If you do it unto the least of these, my brothers, you do it unto me. I sincerely hope those lessons of compassion and generosity resonated with my children. Serena, our daughter, is gone; but we know that during her short life, she championed the needy and unloved.
Over the years, however, we had had to modify our behavior when it came to helping strangers. One night, while returning from church in East St. Louis, we (my entire family in the car) stopped to help a woman who had driven her car into a deep ditch. As my wife and I were helping the woman, a young man jumped over her car and punched me in the face, knocking me out. My sons jumped out of the car, coming to my rescue. In that instant, someone reached into our now unoccupied car and robbed us. Why do I tell this story?
Because here in America, we have been, and we are being, programmed to distrust and hate each other. We can barely worship without guards standing on the walls of the Temples. What have we become? Are we no longer our brother’s keepers? The woman in the ditched car was black; the hitchhiker in the other story was a white male. It didn’t matter to me. They were souls in need.
My question is, who is accountable then, if a father spewed hate and dislike for his neighbors, and one of his sons takes it upon himself to kill the neighbors? Is the boy accountable? Is the father liable? What if the mother remained silent, knowing what was about to happen and did nothing to stop the killing? Is she somehow accountable? Who is accountable?
My friends, I can only caution you to think about the safety of your family; however, don’t miss an opportunity to do good when a need arises. On my last trip home to Washington, some of the young neighborhood children came to the house to see Jeanne ’s library. I could see the joy in her eyes and on her face as she shared stories and books with the children. The event certainly brought back memories of those days when we felt a bit more secure inviting strangers into our home and lives.
We are accountable for what and how we teach our children. What will your legacy be?
Early one morning, I awakened from a dream that left me with more questions than answers. Dreams, I am told, reveal some aspects of our lives that may be in need of attention. As students of spiritual text, we learned about Joseph’s dream of a multicolored coat and the later interpretation and subsequent actions. In my experience, I am not sure that I could assign meaning to every dream I had, nor would I want to. However, this dream seems different:
I was invited to join a very large used car dealership, as an inexperienced salesman. The main building was poorly lit, dirty, and disorganized. The staff reflected the physical look and feel of the place; in essence, there was little difference between the ambiance of the establishment and the general demeanor and attitude of the employees.
In this setting, at this business, I felt entirely out of character. I am structured, organized, and very conscientious about my work. Not only was I different from the culture of this organization, but I was also the only non-Latino worker. I did not speak their language, nor did I understand their culture; however, I believe that I was led to this place by providence.
Some weeks after working at this establishment, I finally met Tony, the owner of the dealership. He was a tall man, around six feet, three inches, about 225 pounds, and nice features. Tony was soft-spoken, somewhat messy, and appeared to lack general interest in the business. He briefly spoke to the manager in the office and then disappeared as silently as he had entered the scene. I had no contact and made no connection with Tony on this one visit he made to the building.
Over the next few weeks, Tony visited the shop more frequently. He kept everyone in his business at “arm’s length.” However, over time, he slowly started paying attention to me and engaged in light conversation. I remained patient, always careful to let Tony initiate the topics and duration spent during each encounter. During my dialogues with Tony, I learned little about the man Tony. I knew nothing about his background, why he started the business, nor anything about the people in his life. He carefully shielded that information from me; however, knowing I needed to be patient, I was also determined to learn more about Tony.
One day, to my surprise, Tony said to me, ”come with me, I want to show you something”. The complex that housed the business was sprawling, but I hadn’t explored because I felt it wasn’t my business. Today, Tony asked me to accompany him on a walk down a path from the main building. We strolled for about five minutes without talking. On either side of the way were marshy lands with plenty of wildlife and beautiful sounds of nature. I slowed as I was distracted by the beauty, not realizing that Tony had continued walking around a bend and out of my sight.
I hurried to catch up with Tony, but I could not find him. I kept on the path until I came to a three-way fork in the road. I was perplexed and frustrated with myself. I felt that I might have squandered this one opportunity to learn something meaningful about Tony, but I had allowed my interests to interfere with the most important thing on which I should have have been focused. Now I was at a crossroads with no idea which path to choose to reconnect physically and emotionally with Tony.
As I stood at this new site, with wonder on my face and disappointment in my shoulders, one of the workers approached me and asked if I were supposed to meet Tony. I nodded, but in a somewhat disappointing tone, he informed me that Tony left. The worker continued to share how disappointed Tony was that I did not show up. He said I don’t ever recall seeing him this sad. I knew I had to find Tony and try to make it right, but I realized I most likely missed that one opportunity to minister to Tony. After all, he only asked me to walk with him, and I couldn’t even do that one little thing for him.
Several days went by before I encountered Tony again. I tried several times to apologize, but he simply kept quiet each time and walked away. Months went by until I stopped trying. Rather, I diverted my energy into transforming this rundown poorly performing garage to mirror the other garage by the water. Tony noticed the changes and slowly began to engage with me again. I was careful this time to pay attention and not let my personal interests distract from my purpose.
As time marched on, Tony became less apprehensive to engage me, but he still remained guarded. I also observed he had a familiar spot in the yard where he sat alone and just stared at the water. For my entire employment, I never saw anyone approach him at that spot. I wanted to know the secret behind the stare, so I silently slipped onto the bench next to Tony and stared at the water, and sat silently. Tony barely acknowledge and continued to stare as though transfixed by some mystical power. I sat silently just looking straight ahead.
It seemed like an eternity had passed before Tony reached into his pocket, removed an old, wrinkled two by three-inch photo, and without making eye contact, he handed me the photo. Tony kept staring straight ahead, but I noticed tears streaming down his cheeks. I dared not utter a single word. I chose to let the moment decide what happened next.
After some time had elapsed, without altering his gaze, he said: ” I truly miss them.” I remained silent to allow the conversation to flow from Tony. I studied the photo more carefully now and it was an image of two boys in tattered shorts and open shirts, barefoot carrying baskets on their heads in what looked like some kind of mining operations. ”It’s been 20 years since I last saw them.” Tony said. I couldn’t bring myself to interrupt the moment, so I just waited and listened.
Twenty years ago back in my country, I made some terrible mistakes that cost me, my family, he said. I was involved and indebted to some very bad people and to repay my debt they took my two sons to work the mines. Tony went on and shared how he finally escaped from his country with the rest of his family and settled in the United States. He shared how he regretted every day not having the courage to fight for his boys. This story, he told me, he has never shared with anyone else, other than his wife, until this moment.
I don’t know how this dream ends, because like most dreams they remain unfinished. But I do believe, in this dream, I was used as an instrument to help Tony. My regret is, I did not understand the importance of being available when I am placed on someone else’s path. The good news, however, is that I was able to see the two contrasting sides of Tony. Finally, by being patient and genuinely engaged, I was able to share in Tony’s story and developed a deep empathy for his pain and suffering.
Dreams I am told have a way of waking us up before the full purposes are revealed. Joseph did not sleep through the end of his dream and had no idea of the interpretation. Likewise, I did not sleep through the end of my dream and have no idea how it would have turned out. But I have learned from the dream that when I am placed on someone else’s path, I am there for a reason.
So, you received that awkward email. Here are some possible scenarios and followup actions:
An email you received might be an honest mistake with no significant information, harmless. a. Delete
2. Sensitive but not intended for you. a. Delete b. Contact the sender to alert him/her know that you were inadvertently copied on an email
3. Highly sensitive not intended for you and from someone senior to you. a. Delete b. If the person is in your building, pay a personal visit to inform of the mistake c. If the person is not in close proximity, pick up the phone and inform the sender d. In either scenario, do not discuss the contents
4. Highly sensitive and you were either Cc: or Bcc: a. If Cc: it is informational only. Do not respond to the email b. If Bcc: it is most likely not your business; however, the recipient probably thinks you should be informed in secret. Note the information, delete, but under no circumstance respond to ALL in the email c. Contact the sender privately to either ask that you are Cc: in future communications if you believe you have a need to know.
5. You received an email that was intended for your boss to fire you! a. I am going to let you work through this one on your own. Good luck with this one.
In all of these scenarios mentioned above, how you handle such situations will depend on your relationships with senders, recipients, the organizational culture, and your ability to manage or mitigate risks. Tone and empathy are very important because you might be the sender in some future case.
Have you ever felt overwhelmed on your first day on the job? Did your manager log you into the computer and told you to go through all the unprocessed emails of your predecessor, then asked you to provide a summary of the most important correspondence in a couple of hours? Unfortunately, this scenario happens more frequently than we imagine. Here is a useful tip I learned while serving in the military. It is called the in-tray/in-basket exercise.
First, create a spreadsheet with the following column headings: disposition(do, delay, discard), priority(high, medium , low), generated_ date, from, to, subject, due_by_date, actions_required, notes
Next, use the three Ds approach to sort the correspondence: Discard, Delay, or Do.
Discard: Quickly go through the correspondence to identify non-significant emails. This might include FYI, sales pitches, advertisements, internal notes on company events, outdated invitations, etc. Flag them for delete as you scan and once you reach the end, delete this group. Do a second scan for the Delay.
Delay: This category of emails might include future actions, Cc: items, low priority items in the past. These items might need action but they might not be your immediate concern. Flag them and move them into a Folder (Delay). This should leave you with a stack of emails that might require your immediate attention.
Help! I’ve just landed a really cool project and I don’t know where to start!
Perhaps, one of the most frustrating and stressful things a new Project Manager faces is to arrive at an organization and be expected to jump right in, take over from the previous manager and keep the project on track. To compound matters, documentation might be lacking, processes not well defined, and the tacit knowledge left with the previous manager.
Here is a formula I have used occasionally and would love to share. I have used this method to get myself up and running quickly, and it has also worked well as a framework when I trained new Project Managers. I used the three Ps (Product, Process, and People) of understanding.
Product. My first task was to fully immerse myself in every aspect of the available documentation of the product or service being offered. I asked for all Business documents used for initiating the project, the Project Charters, Project Plans, and Business Analysts documentation, etc. If there was a corporate repository for the project and related projects, I requested access and I read, read, read. I made sure to make notes along the way and did my best to interpret in my own words what the project/s was/were about and then I found someone knowledgeable to verify my understanding. Once I had a good understanding of the scope of the project, I then turned to the Processes.
Process. Most of the large organizations where I worked had Project Management Offices (PMO) and Corporate Project Repositories. Both of these were usually great starting points to begin learning how projects were initiated, managed, deployed, and closed. Additionally, The PMO provided the corporate structure for change control and the processes for escalation when needed. Each organization had its own processes, so I had to be sure to probe to find additional processes. For example, how teams were notified to engage and how work passed from one team to the other. Once I had a fair understanding of the processes, I moved on to the stakeholders.
People. Work gets done through people. It was vitally important to know the Business or Customer. I learned the business relationships and how involved they were with the projects. I found the Subject Matter Experts (SMEs). These were the key individuals who provided expert knowledge and ensured the work got done correctly. I learned all I could about the supporting teams and how they interfaced and supported the projects. It was also important to know the support organizations like IT, Desktop Support, and similar agencies. Once I collected enough information about the key stakeholders, I made every effort to introduce myself to gain knowledge and build relationships.
Many scholars of tribalism suggested that when tribes(teams) sounded the battle cries, these factions were simply at war with each other and the impacts to the country(organization) were secondary to the trauma experienced between the tribes. However, I would posit, that tribes locked in a tug of war of wills were not pulling against each other, but rather, when tribes engaged in combat, they were, in essence, pulling against the organization.
As tribes became more entrenched in their stated or implied causes, they often lost sight of the bigger picture. For example, we have seen how sectarian violence in some Middle Eastern countries weakened the country so significantly that it invited entities outside of their countries to attack, disrupt, and take over their countries. Similarly, when teams in an organization became self-serving and created impermeable boundaries, that sort of tribalism caused significant damage to inter-organizational effectiveness.
Inter-organizational effectiveness can improve in times of tribalism if Intergroup leaders are trained, prepared, and willing to work across boundaries to ensure inter-organizational effectiveness. Competition in organizations is healthy when it has a specific purpose, is measured, and has definite outcomes. However, competition borne out of tribalism (us vs them) is counterproductive and will become a source of inter-organizational demise. Effective Intergroup Leadership, then, is key to ensuring understanding across boundaries, which ultimately improves inter-organizational effectiveness.
