Re: Distinctions LO1120

Michael McMaster (Michael@kbddean.demon.co.uk)
Mon, 8 May 1995 15:41:35 +0000

Replying to LO1091 --

Alex asks about "soul" and "spirit". I don't use those words because
they've never been part of my vocabulary - but I'd say I'm working on
it and with it all the time. If they were part of my regular
vocabulary, I'd guess that I'd use them and they'd work. That seems
to be the case with others that I'm familiar with. I've also heard
almsot any word used without much strain when it was part of the
speaker's regular vocabulary - like Quakers talking about practices
and silence.

When I approach the area that probably is in the domain Alex is
referring to, I begin by distinguishing - in the experience of
participants - that the "source of what appears to interest them" is
non-material. The interests are things like trust, teamwork,
relationship, extraordinary performance, communication, etc.

The words I then tend to begin with are ones like "hearts and minds",
"profound values", "what life wants" and let them develop the ones
that are their own.

> What kind of distinctions need to be made in order to
> put the "S" word back into business, for example?

I think that the above points at some ways of using those
distinctions in business. The challenge is that its not the words
that matter but what can be said, heard, listened to, engaged with in
a corporate environment and the choice between sticking with words
that don't match or being satisfied with words that do.

As for "how do you practice it?" my response is that it is through
the distinction of practices and through ways of being that are
concerned for integrity between word and action. In the simple terms
of John Towers, current Chairman of Rover, "you need to constantly
have conversations for what you want. You'll get what you have
conversations about.

--
Michael McMaster
Michael@kbddean.demon.co.uk