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Tag: leaders

Long-Lasting Consequences

Sun, February 17, 2019 Published by

Have you noticed how many more people seem to be drinking from reusable water bottles? This is a great step forward in reducing our plastic waste, and in moving us away from being a ‘throwaway society’, although there is clearly much more yet to be accomplished as we seek to become better stewards of God’s creation. To use another example, did you know that according to Eco Age, (an organization which helps companies to focus on sustainable production methods) in the West, new clothes are worn on average for just 5 weeks before being thrown away?! That is the scary truth of the ‘fast fashion’ world in which we live…. read full article here https://wp.me/p7o8lu-gME

Points of Pride

Mon, June 12, 2017 Published by

Empowered power.

Dosia Carlson & Mim Hoover

Some of the most powerful people I know are living right here at Beatitudes Campus.  I stand back in awe of how, when asked to take responsibility for some aspect of our community’s growth, a vision that once seemed grand soon pales in comparison to what the resident(s) actually create.  A few weeks back, at the Arizona LeadingAge Conference (an organization that unites non-profit communities like ours), there was a powerful exhibition of purpose, power and empowerment – and it was by our very own Beatitudes Center for Lifelong Learners.

Dosia Carlson and Mim Hoover, with the help of Nell Bennett, who was not able to be present, put together a presentation, aptly titled, Success Story.  It wowed the administrators from the other communities who sat in on their workshop.  In the workshop, the participants learned how, when residents in a community like ours, are given a task to create, that the sky becomes the only limit, far surpassing what any one staff person could ever create or do.  The resident-run, Lifelong Learners Team, have created, not only a success story of a program in terms of number of participants and diversity of class options, but have impacted the lives of almost all those who participate and  have been given a sense of purpose in creating excellence.

As I said at the beginning, we have not a resident on Campus who is not gifted with immense power and talent.  The true sign of a successful community is how capable is it in empowering its members to be free to use their gifts toward the betterment of the entire community.  The ultimate job of administration in a community like ours is to facilitate the freedom to excel, and clear the path for creativity and ingenuity for any resident ready to take our community even further toward our goal.

I can testify for our administration that few things are    more gratifying than seeing our residents work together with us to accomplish great  things, making our community innovative and on the cutting edge of our field.  More and more of you are taking leadership roles and bringing great transformation to us with visions and ideas that we as staff would never come up with.  To just name a few –  the Environment Committee, the Garden Club, the Recycling Program, our English Language Assistance program, the resident’s Life Enrichment Team who plan our outings and activities and that is just the beginning.

You are leaders and models for senior communities, and I thank you for being a point of pride (and also for letting us boast a bit to our competitors) when it comes to residents with power and purpose lived out.

Play the Ball Where the Monkey Drops It

Mon, July 18, 2016 Published by

Each Monday afternoon when the campus leadership team gathers for our weekly meeting, we start our time together with a reflection. This past Monday, it was Chaplain Peggy Roberts who shared a story on resilience.

She started by telling the story of a golf course in India. Apparently, once the English had colonized the country and established their businesses, they longed for recreation and decided to build a golf course. Golf in Calcutta presented a unique obstacle. Monkeys would drop out of the trees, scurry across the course and take the golf balls. They would play with the balls tossing them here and there. At first the golfers tried to control the monkeys. Their first strategy was to build high fences around the fairways and greens. Although this approach seemed to be a good idea, it was no problem for the monkeys. The golfers found that the fence is no challenge to an ambitious monkey. Next the golfers tried luring the monkeys away from the course, but the monkeys found nothing as amusing as watching humans go wild whenever their little white balls were disturbed. In desperation, the British began trapping the monkeys, but for every monkey they carted off, another would appear. Finally, the golfers gave in to reality and developed a new ground rule: Play the ball where the monkey drops it.

We found ourselves discussing this concept in the context of the sad events and turmoil that have happened recently in our nation. How do we learn to be resilient and play the ball where the monkey drops it? How do we refuse to lose heart and hold onto hope when terrible things are happening in society or…even in our own personal lives?

The good news is that we are wired with the ability to be resilient. Life entails so many stresses and changes, from loss and aging, to job changes and health challenges. Positive events can even place stresses on us. If we weren’t able to manage the stresses of life, we wouldn’t be able to make it through a day without giving up and losing all hope. We all have some resilience but we can learn to cultivate resilience so that when that monkey drops the ball again, we can hold on, survive and even thrive.

Cultivating resilience in communities is just as important as it is in individuals. Look at the cities of Orlando, Baton Rouge, Falcon Heights, and Dallas. These cities are pulling together to support the families of the lost. Resiliency isn’t about toughing it out on your own. Togetherness brings resiliency.

As Chaplain Peggy’s reflection closed, she reminded us that resiliency at its core is about love. It is about cultivating what God has given us—that spirit of love, power and a sound mind. It is about how we can help each other grow and survive even the deepest wounds, the darkest griefs, and to love, even if our hearts have been broken. ★

Ever Considered What it Takes to Create Something New?

Fri, March 18, 2016 Published by

In 221 B.C., a Chinese emperor of Qin decided to link all the small separate walls across China to help protect them from raiders in the north.  Over 450 years later and over 13,170 miles covering 9 provinces and municipalities, the Great Wall of China was completed.  There were approximately 400,000 workers who died in the midst of constructing that wall.  Although many of the workers were forced to assist, you will agree that it took many committed people along the way to complete this work.  Still today, there are as many as 70,000 people visiting the wall each day.

When a leader has a dream for an organization (or a country), it takes many hands, hearts and minds to complete the work.  During the work, it can get frustrating or even boring without the right encouragement.  It must have been grueling and exhausting when the workers of the Great Wall lived and died without seeing the final result of their labor.  Sometimes I feel that way – I’m sure you do too.   I think commitment to the vision is another part of the creation process.

And what difference does it make anyway?  Was this my idea or someone else’s?  Why am I doing this when I could be doing something I want to do?  We make choices every day about what we will do and how we will make an impact on the world.  Many of our campus co-workers are here because of our combined work to help older adults reach their own potentials.

For every day that we decide to work at the campus, we also are being changed.  We are becoming more like the people we admire in our lives.  The potential for personal change is incredible!

It reminds me of a great quote by John H. Schaar, “The future is not some place we are going, but one we are creating.   The paths are not to be found, but made.  And the activity of making them changes both the maker and the destination.”

Creating something new will create someone new.