Talking Story

Starting new conversations in the workplace!

Sunday Review 4: Teaching, Learning, and Sense of Place

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Over on www.managingwithaloha.com, I’ve decided that my theme for 2007 will be Sense of Place.

Keikihula
Flicker shot from Konaboy.

It’s wonderful when you feel it is culturally perfect for you, for that is how we in Hawai‘i think about it. Sense of place is deeply imbedded in our very identity; we call ourselves keiki o ka ‘āina, ‘children of the land.’

Yet the reality of it is that everyone everywhere has some sense of place.

Even these geckos…

Bananaflowergeckos

Konaboy Flicker-shared them too :-).

At work, sense of place is often within your own mindset. I recently had a coaching conversation with a young man who came to this break-through realization for himself, that the “place” you’re at is primarily of your own design. It can be one where you have finally decided to reckon with self-imposed boundaries which have held you back. You discard your blame-game mentality and your misguided entitlement notions once and for all in favor of worthwhile, disciplined work to enlarge your circle of influence. No longer a victim, no longer a martyr. He found all of this extremely liberating, and as I write this I am very excited for him, proud of the recent decisions he’s been making in our program.

It’s quite exhilarating for him, as it can be for you, when you realize that sense of place is very much about a sense of feeling you belong.

Lot’s of talk-stories to be had about this, thus a whole year’s theme!

Just started this in December;
My Sunday Reviews make up a relatively new category here I’ve called Writing Elsewhere for those of you content with your Talking Story subscription, but wanting alerts on where else I might write. So, starting with Sense of Place, one each from the other blogs I’ve written for this week;

  • On Managing with Aloha Online: Managing with Aloha and Sense of Place. At the end of this posting you will also find a list of what I consider to be the “Key Concepts” underlying the 19 values of MWA.
  • On the Joyful Jubilant Learning Network: Rapid Fire Learning | January 2007 I guess The Daily 5 Minutes has subliminally gotten me thinking about things in five-packs … I am very hopeful that Rapid Fire Learning will be a new monthly feature for JJL: read through the comments there for why, then add your fiver there too!
  • On Lifehack.org: Great Managers Teach (When They Should) I’m continuing with my What Great Managers Do series there, and this one is about being a trainer. “How to be a great teacher” starts with knowing when to be one.

Bonus Links! Great finds in the Ho‘ohana Community:

Enjoy your Sunday,

Rosa

Comments

  1. Great photos, Rosa. Kudos to the photog on two counts, one for taking them, two for sharing them!
    Place is important. This is a timely theme with a couple of recent events getting connected via this idea. One: viewed An Inconvenient Truth recently and the perilous state of our world as place was made clear. Two: saw Our Town at a Trinity Rep and the immediacy of life and taking time to smell the roses each day was reinforced.
    I have more thoughts coming together on this idea. Enough to “talk story” about for a while. And that is your intent isn’t it?

  2. You got it Steve! That is absolutely my intent :-) for I love talking story with our Ho’ohana Community.
    Mahalo for getting us started. Your two examples are perfect in illustrating how profound an effect Place can have on us – and we can have on OUR place in return.

  3. …the “place” you’re at is primarily of your own design.
    Much needed reminder, thank you!
    Thanks for enlarging the conversation.
    Keep creating,
    Mike

  4. Rosa, thanks for the link! I never quite thought of it that way, but yes, my glass is half full of 300 posts! You are so right on identifying a sense of place as “self-fulfilling”. If you want to go to a good place, you have to do it yourself. The good news is, it can be easier than you think, once the realization you refer to is made. Thanks again, and all the best!

  5. Aloha Mike and Terry,
    You are both at a place of your own design right now with the uplifting and positive blogging you both do; your sites are two of my favorite places to be. Mahalo for what you do lokomaika‘i, i.e. with the generosity of good heart in which you share your places with the rest of us, Rosa
    We become… we give… we become even more.

  6. Dear Rosa,
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    If I can be of assistance to any of your readers, please have them visit my website, http://www.MarshallGoldsmithLibrary.com, use whatever they wish and feel free to contact me. Thank you for your support.
    Life is good.
    Marshall Goldsmith
    http://www.MarshallGoldsmithLibrary.com