by tashmcgill | Jun 2, 2009 | Uncategorized
Leadership Is Mastering Atmosphere
For anyone to open their heart, they need the right atmosphere, and something to prompt them.
Jung Chang
For me, a landscape does not exist in it’s own right, since its appearance changes at every moment; but the surrounding atmosphere brings it to life – the light and air which vary continually. For me, it is only the surrounding atmosphere with gives subjects their true value.
Claude Monet
Leadership is mastering atmosphere – which is a continually changing and mystifying invisible force. It’s the way we perceive emotion and what’s going on in a room, how we play out social awkwardity.. it’s how we relax or fnd ourselves tense.
Being a leader is about understanding what atmosphere is, how to create it, manage it and shape for the best possible outcome. This is not manipulation – simply recognising that all human beings have a ‘frequency’ that we sound best at.
Just like music being a balance of all it’s components – both sound, tone, rhythm, language and silence, harmony and dissonance.. so to is BALANCE the key to atmosphere.
Like a exceptional meal, atmosphere is not about creating and maintaining one stable, calm environment – as we so often tend to think of balance. That kind of balance leads to blandness, boredom and beige… in fact, mastering atmosphere is about procuring balance by bringing all the edges and fringe experiences to play. That is – to create a masterpiece of flavours… just like a truly enjoyable meal, the sweet, spicy, salt, creamy, crunchy, smooth, rich, light, acidic flavours must all be combined and played off one another to create something exceptional that opens the palate and senses.. the full range of taste, aroma, texture and enjoyment..
in the places we lead … this translates to understanding the necessity of peaks and troughs.. we desperately need to pull the flavours that reside at the edges to the centre, in order to create balance from the extremes. What are these extremes? Joy, quietness, excitement, grief, tragedy, seriousness, delight, conflict, romance, passion, fear, adventure, noise, colour, structure, flexibility.
You don’t create atmosphere, or manage it by simply pursuing what feels like a comfortable fit. Understand that your job as a leader is to engage in this changing environment and make a masterpiece of it – that opens the souls and hearts of those you are leading – to greater and greater experience and understanding.
by tashmcgill | May 27, 2009 | Uncategorized
Leadership is Hope.
A leader is a dealer in hope.” Napoleon Bonaparte
Some of the simplest quotes on leadership reveal the biggest truths.
We look to a leader to give us hope; hope that they will lead us through our difficulties and into a better future.
The best leaders do not hide reality from their followers but they are able to show them that despite the difficulties there is a way through.
Moses at the Red Sea, when the Israelites had nowhere to go – what did he give them but hope?
Why is hope so crucial? Because hope inspires us to the horizon, but hope isn’t something far off. To be a dealer in hope is to be a dealer in the here and now.
Hope is in the footsteps, whether you’re taking the stairs one, two or three at a time.
Hope is the thing that carries you on the journey and great leaders will incapacitate fear in their people by willing to walk through and on to the horizon.
Being a leader in hope isn’t about relentless enthusiasm or boundless optimism. A leader who applies hope to every situation brings perspective:
1. the reality of what is
2. the surety of a different possible future and what can be
3. the willingness to find the pathway there
4. the lessons and wisdom from the past.
by tashmcgill | May 25, 2009 | Uncategorized
hey, in celebration of Marko’s birthday… this meme from his blog.
I expect all you lurkers and fellow bloggers to tag in, no excuses, ‘kay?
Here’s the rules.
1. Open your library (iTunes, Winamp, Media Player, iPod, etc)
2. Put it on shuffle
3. Press play
4. For every question, type the song that’s playing
5. When you go to a new question, press the next button
6. Don’t lie and try to pretend you’re cool!
Opening Credits: Brighter Days – Leeland
Waking Up: Different Names For The Same Thing – Death Cab For Cutie
First Day At School: Ruby – Brigitte De Meyer
Falling In Love: Would You Lay With Me (In A Field Of Stone) – Johnny Cash (no kidding!!!)
Fight Song: Babygirl – Anthony Green
Breaking Up: Four Years – Ivy Rossiter (NZ)
Prom: I’m Leaving It All Up To You – Sonny & Cher
Life: No Sleep – The Cardigans
Mental Breakdown: Supermassive Black Hole – Muse
Driving: No Accident – Bruce Conlon (NZ) (hahahaha, this is hilarious!)
Flashback: Cars Can’t Escape (Rhythm) – Wilco
Getting Back Together: As The Rain – Chris Cope (NZ)
Wedding: I Am Warm And Powerful – Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin
Birth of Child: All You Need Is Love – The Beatles
Final Battle: Little Thing – Dave Matthews ft. Tim Reynolds
Death Scene: Extraordinary Girl – Green Day
Funeral Song: Warning Sign – Coldplay
Remembrance Song: Oh Well – Fiona Apple
End Credits: Distant Sun – Crowded House (NZ)
by tashmcgill | May 13, 2009 | Culture & Ideas
I’m going to be moving house soon. Granted, every year, I’ve wondered, for all six years I’ve been in my little cottage.. will this be the year it’s finally time to move? It’s been a glorious little home.
So I’m ruthlessly going through my worldly possessions (it feels like there are a lot of them, but I’m putting a huge amount down just to the 37sq metres of living space.
This little article here is full of interesting thoughts around possessions and the sentimental significance we attach to stuff.
Of course, the real power of those objects is found in the internal monologues, memories and pictures inside our hearts, those objects are like hyperlinks to those stored images, scents and sounds.
But why do I hold on? I hold on to photographs, instruments and books. Pieces of art and gifts and silly little things. As I try and undo and put aside, I find myself looking at the “memories” I’ve been keeping, slowly wondering why, and unraveling a girl I was a long time ago.
It’s the journey and reflection I see of myself that lashes me to Objects. Still, it’s time to let many of them go, begin afresh and new.
“Attachment leads to jealousy. The shadow of greed, that is.” Yoda.
by tashmcgill | May 11, 2009 | Church, Uncategorized
