Please say what you want! LO24814

From: Hill, Jon LTJG (JonHill@msohoustonrec.uscg.mil)
Date: 06/09/00


Replying to LO24758 --

Dear Rick,
Thank you for your heart.
Fellow subscribers, thank you for your patience.

   I am often surprised to read a contribution and then to see at the end
of it, a snail mail or e-mail address which "in title" speaks a different
language from that which I had, (shame on me) - "prejudged". Please
forgive my lack of eloquence as I offer a suggestion.
   I believe that some of our most brilliant moments of inspiration come
when we are alone and by ourselves, (for some this occurs at 3am in the
wilderness; in a downtown office suite; or standing in between two 7000
Horse Power turbo diesel engines, while wearing hearing protection of
course).

   The point being that "Point Of View", is common to each of us. Gaining
a momentary glimpse of a shared vision and common goal is a miraculous and
wonderful experience. American Football players would know this experience
as being "on the goal line". Through littoral blood, sweat, and some time
even tears, a unit of people known as Offensive Linemen each weighing
upwards of 275 lbs , and coming from all walks of life, put aside their
past skeletons and brush aside their demons, and as one melded organism
"push". At that one instant in their lives, many are not even aware of
who they are, or where they are in the grand scheme of things - nor do
they care. Focused, they have become dead to the world, and no longer
hear the cheers or jeers of friend or foe. What drives them to become a
single organism at that moment in time? Not the promise of "winning" a
game, but the deepest fear of being denied, after having made peace with
their highest being(s). This kind of motivation pushes, pulls and claws,
after there is nothing left to give but labored breath and a skipping
heart. The opportunity to be on the goal line to me, for men, may be the
closest thing to child bearing. It is both beautiful and sad. The
combination of beauty and sadness to me is love.
   How does this relate to your request for input?

   I believe that each of us are employed or hope to be employed for or
with an some kind of an organization. Therefore metaphorically, we often
find ourselves "in the trenches", (after all, what fun is it being in the
stands as an observer? At least on the side lines, injured or not, there
the chance that one may be called upon to participate).
   I do not mean to patronize anyone when I state that union begins with a
vision and creation with death. That vision becomes a shared one.
Unfortunately the vision can last only for a brief moment and rightfully
so, as the trenches become rank with the stench of corpses caught
skylarking by stray bullets, but beneath that corpse, a flower may grow
one day ,(how touchy, feely... )
   Maybe I'm looking too shallow when I state that the list contributions
seem to act as one Organizational learning "trench line" of "up for grabs"
information, causing some of us crawl over one another to hear what is
going on down on the other end of the trench that we may determine if what
is being said has anything to do with how we can better serve the ones we
love, before it comes back to it's originator - void. (pause, deep breath
- sorry)
   Our individual organizational battles ("battle" which probably needs to
be defined by somebody more astute than myself in the organizational
learning "art of war" ) might be more easily advanced if the trenches were
dug more strategically.

In English: FOCUS NEEDS, whereby we can find a portion of ourselves, as
subscribers to this list, to contribute what we learn to our usual
vocations...

   I know that I do/will need to learn how to help find answers to
nation's declining national maritime organizational strength, (but I think
that I will need to start out with baby bites first, not because of
intimidation, but because I know that it is not my battle alone, and that
at least one of the other 1,500+ subscribers out there has the same/shared
vision). It would be "nice" to say" "let's go off into a corner, and find
an answer to this or that puzzle". But, once again, I would be
patronizing some of the subscribers by stating that only certain types of
people have answers to certain types of questions. One of the attractions
for me to the list is the variety of subscribers, and one of the beauties
of intelligence is that she is no respecter of persons. How many promising
genius's and potential leaders of good will, have and will die everyday as
helpless children from plague or famine? How many new subscribers will be
turned off and unsubscribe after a few months of wandering and wondering
if any of it is going to help them to make a difference?
   Superstars often make magnificent strides for the whole and often serve
as excellent motivational leaders by being able to change the tide of
battle in an instant. However, quite boring to watch, and mostly without
the glory and fame, games are most often won in the trenches. The leaders
worthy of my followership know it, and they provide the necessary support
to make it happen.

But if learning is ever-evolving, then there can never be a single
winner.(?)

Perhaps there is a spiritual concept that I am missing here. If
competition fuels the want or need to learn, and Learning Organizations
want or need to survive, then they must also want or need to win otherwise
there should be no want or need for organization.

Team Sports: To win or to play?

My question(s) to the list:

1.) What is competition?
2.) How does a LO,(ie. business type) compete?
3.) Why?

Please, the "deeper" the answer/question, (ie. poetry, math, art, science,
music, etc..) the better for me.

Thank all of you very much,
Very Respectfully,
Oh, to be a child again...

Jon Hill
LTJG, U.S. Coast Guard

-- 

"Hill, Jon LTJG" <JonHill@msohoustonrec.uscg.mil>

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