Monday, August 07, 2000

Teamwork.
What does it mean for us?
Who is the leader?
What is our goal?
What indicates a win for us?

These are all important questions.
Perhaps because I was invited into it as much as any of you and did not set out the format or decide on the goal, I did not draft up formal guidelines before. Enough miscommunication has taken place at this point that some clarification of the above is in order to keep each of us on the team and working as a team rather than each getting frustrated with each other and with the direction we are receiving.

Teamwork, for us, means working together as equals.
It means that we all ask for Guidance and agree to follow it.
It means that each of us has strengths that we bring to the tasks at hand, and weaknesses. To work well together, we will have to encourage each other where we are weak and accept encouragement where we are weak. If we don't first recognize and express our weaknesses we cannot hope for any help or assistance from others. Self-denial may keep us from Ego-bashing by an authoritarian master, but in this group we have no authoritarian master.

Three words require clarification here so that we each understand the same thing by what they mean and use them wisely. They are mentoring, supervision, coaching.

Mentoring happens when we go to an individual who has demonstrated success of action and quality of decision-making in the area that we wish to become involved but are unaware of or unsure of which options to choose. We hope to learn from their wisdom so that we don't make needless mistakes. We go to them with respect and humility. We ask.

If they like us and see potential in us, and, if they are willing to spend some of their busy time with us personally, they take an interest in us. They may ask us why we want to enter their field. They may ask what we already know of their field and what we hope to accomplish by entering their field. They may offer qualifying remarks as to what kind of person does well in their industry and ask us how our background ties into that. After they have heard from us, qualified our interest, assessed our skills as acceptable for eventual success, they then provide us with an outline.

One of several mentors I have had over the years was David Cowper.
He was one of the top insurance salespersons in Canada until his death. I always found him to be kind, interested in new developments, assertive, realistic, positive. Initially, I went to him with what I thought was a simple business problem. He inquired as to the details. He pointed out that there were more options than I knew of. He inquired further as to what my end goal was. I needed financing for a large construction project but I was new to the industry and my ideas and designs were very innovative.

He was interested.
He quickly determined that I had two problems, not one. He could help me with insuring the project, but I would have to first have initial financing. He made a personal referral to an associate. When the associate was overly critical of me and the plans, David stood up for me against his close associate to remind the latter that most innovations in every field of endeavour were the result of the efforts of people who had not been trained in that field. I continued on in my search with the parameters that he had outlined for me. We never met again until my involvement in that project finished.

Again I returned to David.
I quite respected what he did. He always communicated with me as if we were near equals, never making me feel inferior or stupid, nor flattering me or feigning interest. He was a professional by the strictest of descriptions. He was loved by his clients. He took their interests to heart and provided them with tailored solutions that would work best for them. He was honest, truthful and full of integrity. I wanted to be like him and told him so. I wanted to know what would be the best route for me to go. Who to work for. What steps to take.

First, he related that the industry was very difficult and that he did not encourage his own sons to enter it. It had been hard for him at first and he had thought of leaving the industry several times. But he had persisted and eventually succeeded. He made a judgement about my personality and suggested that I would have easier success and be happier if I went into real estate. But I insisted. I was ready for the challenge. So, he made a personal referral for me to an executive with a major insurance company.

After spending 20 minutes with that person, he categorically stated that for my personality and activity style I would need close supervision to keep my innovativeness in check long enough for me to learn the fundamental of the business. His company did not provide that support, so, he personally referred me to a senior executive of another insurance company. There, based on the strength of my referral, I was immediately offered a job with training to begin immediately.

My mentor was correct in his original assessment.
For factors beyond my control and as an extension of my Basic Personality, I did my best with 4 different companies. Each change resulted from an executive asking me to come to his company where they expected that my enthusiasm, integrity, communication and analytical skills, and social conscience would make me a success. Each one promised personalized training.

Each company, for different reasons failed.
My innovative nature had me going in all directions. I learned everything and innovated new products, but couldn't sell! My mentor never faulted me nor held against me my failure. He knew that I had tried my best. He had also cautioned me, so, he knew why I had failed.

This is what a mentor is.
You ask for guidance. He gives you guidance. You take it or leave it.
If you ignore it and go back to him, he may not want to spend more time with you. If you take his suggestions and give them an honest effort, he will always see you again when more questions arise. He won't be there to encourage you along. You are expected to know what you want. Otherwise you are wasting the time of the mentor. His time is valuable and you are getting it for free.

If you don't have and don't show respect for him, why did you approach him in the first place? A mentor doesn't show you how, doesn't provide training. A mentor sends you where you need the training. A mentor doesn't tell you what you are going to accomplish. A mentor simply tells you that, according to his experience, if you follow his guidance, you will succeed spectacularly.

The mentor for each of us is our Spiritual Source.
We may have personal preferences to call It our Spirit Guide, Holy Spirit, Higher Self, or some other term which has gained meaning for us, but we each know what we are talking about. There is no reason for us not to respect this semantic difference between us. Ultimately, our Spiritual Source is our collective Mentor, or, this team is sunk.

In a previous team situation, one individual had extreme difficulty with this concept. There also, he had recently released his energy blocks. He had strong intuitive feedback from his SuperEgo which he could not distinguish from his Higher Self. Just the opposite of what you are likely experiencing. Instead of a confused message, or no message, he always received a strong message that was always wrong!

Following the guidance he appeared to receive always put him at odds with the team and the team focus and frequently led to failure type experiences for him or encouraged him to undertake actions which blatantly suggested that their success would increase his prestige in the community. He agreed to follow the Group Guidance I received until he could differentiate between what was SuperEgo and what was Higher Self.

Every step of the way he rebelled.
He became a frustrating and time-consuming negative force within the team. Yet the Guidance was to retain him. He found fault with every decision and questioned the Guidance at every turn. If not following Guidance, I would not have hired him. I would not have kept him on. I found it difficult, as did the other team members to work with his constantly Ego-centered attitudes of I don't want to do ....

When I relayed Guidance to him that he disliked, he tried to negotiate it with me, as if I was the Source. I took offence to this. It was as if he were constantly asking me to subvert God, like the devil, and take the honor. No matter how many times I told him that I had no choice in the Guidance and that I personally was not making decisions to annoy him, or please him, he couldn't control his SuperEgo and Ego.

One evening I was getting ready to leave the office, and I was Guided to stay longer. Why? Just stay longer. I waited and continued to ask for Guidance every few minutes as I puttered about. I was not to start something, just wait. After 20 minutes, I was Guided to go and tell the fellow he was fired, effective immediately. I was to tell him that his actions and attitude consistently indicated that he wanted out of the team and was unprepared to accept Guidance and so now, he was getting his wish.

The next day, I was Guided to write a lengthy overview of the circumstances that had transpired and circulate to all the members to clear the air. Everyone remaining needed a catharsis at that point and my Higher Self obviously obliged.

The moral of this experience:
I am NOT the mentor for anyone on spiritual matters.
I receive Guidance for myself. I receive Guidance for others who are experiencing difficulty and will benefit from the Reptilian mind reinforced pattern of continually following such Guidance. Also, their choice to consistently follow this Guidance will provide them with positive experiences which will encourage their Ego and SuperEgo to get on the team. The whole process will increase the power of Their Personal Spirit. In the end, they will develop a strong capability to receive Guidance directly, and, I will be happily out of the picture. What does this make me?

Supervisor. What does that mean?
A supervisor knows how to do all of the work that those supervised are to do.
Those supervised may be at some stage of training and require oversight of their tasks to make sure that they complete their job correctly. If they have problems in some areas, the supervisor may send them for additional training. A supervisor may go through the operation with them and personally do their task a number of times so that they better remember the procedure or look of it. A supervisor can instruct them through the detail and take them through drawings and references so that they better understand it intellectually. Supervisors do whatever they can to ensure that the work they are responsible for is of high quality all the time.

A supervisor reports on the activities of those supervised.
Supervisors are around their workers frequently, checking the quality of their work. If the worker has a problem, they can immediately go to the supervisor. If they fail to follow the directions of the supervisor or deny their authority, the supervisor may note this in their file. If the quality of the worker's output falls or never attains good quality, the supervisor may ask what the problem is. If the worker responds with something the supervisor tries to assist and offers options.

If the situation continues and the worker refuses to follow any of the options recommended, the supervisor may demand that the worker find a solution. If no solution is found, the work remains substandard, and there is no constructive effort made, the supervisor can recommend that the person be transferred to another position which requires different skills, or, that they be fired.

A supervisor would contribute to decisions, but, the decisions would seldom be theirs. Their good reports mean longevity, opportunity and advancement for the employee.
Their negative reports may lead to the firing, passing over, or demotion of the employee.
If the employee is well liked by the manager and the supervisor submits negative reports, the supervisor may be fired, demoted, or passed over for future advancement. If the supervisor make their reports according to personal likes and dislikes rather than according to performance, and, if they are found out on this factor, they could be disciplined, fired, demoted, or wish they were.

In my position on this team, I may never see you for a week or weeks or ever.
You can tell me anything, and, except by way of my Higher Self, I have no way of knowing if you are doing anything. Your progress or lack of, is directly a factor of what you reveal to me. If you tell me nothing, I must assume that all is OK and that you understand everything. If a question arises and I answer it, I can only hope that my answer was sufficient, if, again I hear nothing. At the same time, if everything you are asked to do meets with questions and complaints, I must wonder if you are making a sincere effort.

I know what I am doing and have all I can handle.
Your communication relays as to whether I can trust you or not.
If I cannot, any decisions that will be made will be by way of my Higher Self, not personal. As you will find, no one can deceive or manipulate someone who follows Spiritual Guidance. In a world where increasingly every decision seems based on how much you can negotiate, manipulate, deceive, and outright lie ... a Spiritually Guided approach is often not appreciated. Where you may have always got your way before as a good talker, now, suddenly, you don't. If you prove that you can't be trusted, you are only hurting yourself. God knows all. I don't have to be there. The question is between you and God not you and me.

I will eventually see the results or get the message.
My Basic Personality is geared to always believe the best about anyone until they prove otherwise. That is probably why I have been given the positions and challenges I have. So, I am not a supervisor nor a spiritual mentor.

The Supervisor for each of us is our Personal Spirit.

Coaching, what is that?
When a person who knows a skill well and has been rewarded for knowing that skill offers to assist others in learning that skill, they become a coach. They know what works because they have already accomplished it. They know the pitfalls and the hardships because they have had to surpass them. They will often not have the negative experiences to the fore and it is only when someone says they have a problem that they will share their own experience and how they overcame it.

If the trainee has elected to learn to run one hundred meters, the coach will understand that some form of routine will be required for the person to develop an efficient running style and good reflexes plus stamina. The coach may suggest other activities that may strengthen specific muscles and other activities which improve the person's winning attitude.

What the coach does not do is to decide who is on the team and who is off. The owner of the team buys, persuades, invites, options the would be player onto the team. It is the responsibility of the coach to help the player be the best he or she can be --- to the extent that the player is motivated and cooperative.

Sometimes, the coach will have to chastise and criticize the trainee because the trainee wants to win but is lazy and undisciplined. If the coach doesn't lay it on the line and the player fails, the player will not accept the excuse from the coach that he was only trying to be considerate or nice. Neither will the owner of the team, nor the other team members. If the coach doesn't do his best, HE is off the team.

What every good coach hopes will be all of his job, is that he will have motivated players to work with who are always enthusiastic and who always seek ways to work with him so that he can be always positive and offering of encouragement. When his players are exhausted and don't feel they can go further, he relates to them how he beat the odds in a former experience. He or she is passionate about winning because he has been on a winning team and knows the sacrifice and effort it takes. He knows also that for the team to work, they must be humble enough and honest enough to share good times and bad. They must be willing to help each other up and push together to do what others give up on.

Spiritually Guided Teams are non-competitive.
We have few examples of such in our North American society.
Here there is no leader who is dictating to the troops what they must do.
Here, each member has to continually affirm that they want to win.
To win, they know they have to open their ears and listen intently.
They have to ask continually how they can improve and what next to do.
They have to know that what they are doing is important and that it will be revealed to them through their involvement exactly what it is that they are producing and what influence it will bring to bear on others.

They are inherently the team in last place with all the betting odds against them. But inside, they know they can win because they have the best Mentor. That mentor will Guide them to the best outcome with the resources they have and bring other resources to them that they require. And in the end there awe will not be about what they have achieved but will be reserved for the Power and Wisdom that Guided them to the finish line.

Each of us has been invited onto the team by God.
Our Spiritual Guide is our Mentor who directs us.
I am the team coach to encourage you.
Each of you have the continual choice of being on the team and the continual responsibility that if you make that choice you do so sincerely and give it your best effort so the team can win and the opportunity is not wasted.

You have expressed a desire to learn quickly.
You will only learn as quickly as you devote to practice and put into action. That is what you are doing. Slower ways are always available. As I have experienced many times, see through the challenge your Higher Self involves you in and you will effect and be part of miracles you never expected anyone could do. You can make the difference. Winning is when your guidance carries you on to the next project for your mission.