Well, the day started off rough ... I didn't get up until 7 a.m. and needed to be in class by 8 a.m. So, I was about five minutes late getting to class ... When I walked into the class there was one seat left at the tables and I watched someone "conveniently" move their stuff to make it look like it was taken. For a moment, I thought someone may have stepped out for a moment. But I have been sitting here for nearly an hour and no one has come through the door. Good start ...
This morning's session is Leadership and Drama. It has been a pretty interesting morning. The very person who excluded me from the table ended up being in my first group. She is interesting along with the other people who we also in the group. We participated in activities that caused reflection about how drama plays a role in our everyday leadership lives.
At one point, Tony said, "The floor is dirty ... The floor is dirty ... This floor is dirty ..." Then he stood for a while at the front of the room, and within about 30 seconds someone got up and took a stick and started to "sweep" the floor. A few others followed after her and "vacuumed", "mopped", and got the leftovers.
While we were conversing about the experience I brought up hint dropping. This simple remark incited about 45 minutes worth of conversation and debate. Was it better to be a hint dropper? Or was it better to be a direct communicator? What are your thoughts?
In the end, I came to the conclusion of how important it is to know your team. Each person communicates differently and we have mostly been raised with different communication patterns. In certain groups stronger communication works better than other groups where softer communication is needed to create buy-in and ownership.
The afternoon session was Leadership and Film. We watched Crimes and Misdemeanors (1989), a Woody Allen film. It was really interesting to watch it 3-4 scenes at a time and to dig deep into the film in the sense of relationships, religion, and ethics. In the theme of "Seeing and seeing again" it was interesting to think about stopping to see again. What happens if you stop for a moment? What will you gain by sleing down to see?
We were also looking at the idea of pentamento. It is the idea of repentance. This film visits this idea in an interesting manner. Woody Allen does a nice job of weaving a interesting tapestry of lives, morals, and virtues. I would be interested in viewing the film again all the way through without interruptions and seeing that I observe the second time through.
At the end of the session people were planning on dinner. I was thinking I would spend another night by myself. But I had some people invite me to go with them to the Irish pub downtown. I explained to Mary that I didn't drink, but I would love to go for the social. She said she was going for the food and it was no worries. It was a good time. We ended up hanging out for a while, chatting, and eating some good food :)
So, for a day that started off pretty crappy, it ended pretty well. You never know what a day will offer. But if you allow one small thing at the beginning to ruin the rest of it for you, you never know what you will have had the opportunity to enjoy. So, keep going on even when you feel it is a crappy day. You just might be surprised ;)
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