Today is the last Tuesday Coaching essay I will write for the month of November on Ho‘omau, the Hawaiian value of persistence and perseverance.
Here are quick links to what we have done so far:
- Ho‘omau: Reveal the Good, and Make it Last
- Understanding Kaona in our Ho‘omau Language of Intention
- Decision-Making and Decision-Management seen through Ho‘omau
Today
There is one word that sometimes can be associated with persistence, a word that Ho‘omau is definitely NOT about. The word is stubborn.
Most will agree that good managers and leaders are not stubborn. Neither is Ho‘omau. On the contrary, great managers and leaders call upon the value of Ho‘omau to help them resist any tendency with immovable, inflexible or obstinate behaviors; Ho‘omau will keep them exploring and reaching higher.
Do you believe the possibility for better always exists?
Ho‘omau is anything but stubborn, for Ho‘omau extends beyond the dogged persistence of repetition to valuing the processes of continuous and incremental improvement.
The Hawaiian value of Ho‘omau is quite similar to the Japanese concept of Kaizen,
where even something which seems to be working well will eventually be
taken apart and examined anyway, within the assumption that every
aspect of our life deserves to be constantly improved — and can be. The
possibility for better always exists.
Continued on MWA Coaching this morning at Not just ‘again.’ Ho‘omau better.
Subtitles there in preview:
- Why is improvement so important to us?
- Be the Boss, and have a Ho‘omau plan
“As a manager, Ho‘omau
challenges you to have a carefully crafted plan that makes good
business sense. You cannot have a strategy that will both motivate and
support your staff without sound business objectives to ground you.
Working hard is not good enough, you have to work smart. You need a
great plan with evolving dynamics of its own, responsive to the
ever-changing needs of your business. It’s part of your responsibility
as a leader.”
—from Managing with Aloha, page 61