"Curse of Professionalism"

Last week, I was thrown off and read this week’s chapter in Goldsmith’s The Power of Social Innovation.  So this week, I caught up and read “Animating and Trusting the Citizen”.  In the chapter, he writes about a local pastor who fought against “curse of professionalism”.  This pastor believed that results mattered more than the degrees or expert opinions.  As I read those few lines, I thought about the many social services that occur in our country.  The goal is to help people who at the moment are not able to help themselves.  Those helping often have little to no experience being in the shoes of those they are helping.  They are only armed with education and theory or data about what should or could help.  As I thought more about this curse, I wondered if the social service system would be better off if those being served were asked what they actually need.

 In the 1990’s President Bill Clinton worked to reform Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) better known as welfare.  His plan was to address complaints that recipients were making little to no progress in finding employment or were out-right abusing the system.  His solution was to turn over the system to the experts of each state.  However, I wonder what would of happened if he had taken the time to asked recipients what they thought of the program or how would they redesign the program.  Not just a wish-list of wants that keep them “stuck” in the system but a program that would return welfare back to its original purpose of being a temporary assistance for those with little to no income. 

This reminds me of my reading on wikinomics, for my other leadership class.  In the article, Wikinomics: The art and science of peer production, the authors write about a gold mining company, Wikipedia, and others that have benefited from having an open system that allows individuals to collaborate and share their ideas in order to bring about innovation and growth.  I wonder if this approach would be beneficial for our government.  It would be interesting to hear the solutions from those currently using welfare.  What would happen if the people that are experiencing homelessness provided solutions to address their growing population?  Or even if students and parents played an active role in addressing the achievement gap, high school graduation rates or behavioral problems in school?

I know not everyone would welcome hearing from those who have traditionally been excluded from the decision making process.  I mean I am talking about giving a voice to welfare recipients, people who are homeless and even worse - the actually students who are struggling, and behaving poorly.  These people lack “education”, they aren’t armed with all the data and theories but they armed with common sense and basic knowledge of their problems.  What if we ditched “professionalism” and aimed for getting results.  How would our country look differently??

The Problem with Stereotyping!

Sometimes life amazes me – you know the kind of amazement, when you sit back and wonder what year is it?  Is it really 2012 - almost 50 years since the height of the Civil Rights Movement?  I am having one of those weeks, as many in the US are – after learning of the “death” of Trayvon Martin.  He was a young man, only 17, who happened to be walking home after picking up a bag of skittles and an ice tea.

To be honest, I don’t normally follow “hot topics” in the media but this one touched a special place within me.  Why?  Because I have two young brothers, a nephew, cousins, tons of male friends and this could be any of them.  Each day they live their lives as young, Black males – staying out of trouble, minding their own business in a country where they live stereotyped.  They are immediately seen as “dangerous” – strangers cross the street “afraid” they might be attacked; store clerks monitor them to make sure they aren’t stealing; cab drivers avoid them on late nights; and police officers follow them.  I am still amazed that this stereotype is based on what … skin color. 

I thought Martin, Rosa, Freedom Riders and countless others – marched, refused to give up their seats, rode buses, endure police and dog attacks so that people could be judged by the content of their character and not the color of their skin.  But perhaps, I was mistaken.  Or perhaps, we stepped back in time, on a time machine, one that reminds us – not just “US” as in “US” Black Americans but “US” as in “US” Americans – need to stand up for injustice. 

The other week, I blogged about entropy and how we were again heading towards disorganization.  Trayvon Martin is a reminder that we are in fact heading in that direction … but perhaps, his life; his murder; his death will be a linchpin that once again punctuates the equilibrium and forces us as a nation to take a closer look and begin to once again address racism.

Goldsmith writes in the chapter this week the need to see opportunities where others see liabilities. He talks of people that took a chance on people when others would not. He spoke of blockers, who protect in order for risky change to occur. Michael Skolnik, Editor-in-Chief of GlobalGrind.com, reminds me of a blocker.  He understands the cards he’s been dealt – a white male, who has come to understand the need to use his privilege to speak out against injustice.  In his blog he wrote, “I’ve made the choice today to tell my white friends that the rights I take for granted are only valid if I fight to give those same rights to others”. 

As I read those words, I hear the voice of Mr. Martin as he reminds us that his son – “he wasn’t a statistic he was a person”.  My challenge now is what will I do to replace the stereotype before another young, black male dies?  How can I become a Social Change Agent for my own people??

Just still trying to figure out how:

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= dangerous??

Dads as .... SAHD!!!

What?

To be honest, I thought I was a pretty open-minded person.  I spent six years working as the Director of College Diversity at King’s College and I thought I heard everything (You might be  surprised what’s going on in the lives of college students, lol)! But, in class on Friday, our focus was on gender diversity.  One specific topic was one that I wasn’t sure how I felt and I couldn’t shake the topic after walking out of class – Stay-at-Home Dads (SAHD) and Husbands (SAHH). 

The topic was so engaging that I engaged in a 3-day Facebook discussion with my friends and 44 comments later, I think I heard several different sides of the topic.  For the most part, my friends felt it was up to the couple to decide but there were a few that were concerned about SAHH and wondered what he actually did with his time.  For me, I grew up in a household with a Stay-at-Home Mom (SAHM) until I was in the fifth grade.

So What?

My childhood was special because of how engaged my mom was – she was our personal homework tutor, nurse, cook, homemaker; and was active in the community serving as PTA President, member of Right to Life–you name it she did it.  However, I am still left wondering if a SAHD can provide the same experience. 

Libby Gill, author of Stay-at-Home Dads: The Essential Guide to Creating the New Family, writes “two and a half million men in the U.S. are full-time stay-at-home dads” and this number continues to grow.  Wait – that’s only approximately 0.7% of the overall population. (based on –the U.S. pop. on U.S. Census pop clock).  Researchers David John Petroski and Paige P. Edley in their study Stay-at-Home Fathers: Masculinity, Family, Work and Gender Stereotypes provides a slightly more conservative estimate at 2 million.  They also point out SAHD are not attempting to replace the mother nor are they providing babysitting services.  Instead they argue that SAHD are “parenting” and they must design their own style while maintaining their own masculine identity.   

The assertion of not being the babysitter was echoed throughout The National At-Home Dad’s Network.  They are raising their voices and speaking out against SAHD discrimination in advertisement and The Census Bureau. 

On the other side is Robert B. Smith, who wrote Saving the 'Lost Boys' of Higher Education.  He claims the phenomenon of SAHD is something that raises questions about the future of males.  Citing data from the U.S. Census Department, he shows how women are now surpassing men in both bachelor and graduate degrees.  He worries women are finally giving into the Peter Pan syndrome that prohibits males from facing reality that they have to grow up and take responsibility. 

Now What?

So as a society is having SAHD a good or bad thing??  To be honest, this has to be a decision each individual family makes.  As well, a societal discussion needs to take place to address the underlying stereotypes and begin to see men as capable parents able to raise their children.  Perhaps the Model of an Interaction Focused on Fathering can be a great way to begin that discussion.

Invisible Children and Kony 2012

So if you are into social media like me then you have noticed the recent increase of postings about Kony 2012.  At first glance, I thought… okay Invisible Children is getting their name out there more but after seeing friend after friend post, I thought something more is occurring.  And then… I starting hearing the documentary was going viral. 

Invisible Children hopes to make Joseph Kony’s name so well-known that it will lead to his arrest and end “Africa’s longest running war”.   The group uses grass-roots methods to bring awareness about the atrocities occurring in northern Uganda to young people. They spend most of their time talking to other young people asking them to use their voice to influence politicians. 

What amazes me when examining Kony 2012 campaign is that the group originally was started by three young film makers after traveling to Uganda. They went in search of a story and found young people, who were being attacked, kidnapped, raped and forced into the Lord Resistance Army. They then returned to the US and formed Invisible Children and created films in order to bring international attention to this issue.

So I wonder is this really social change?  Can twenty-somethings traveling around the U.S. - screening films, speaking out really making a difference in Uganda?  I mean these are young people that have never traveled to Uganda, they don’t have political positions, aren’t celebrities … but they are fighting for the rights of youth across the world.  They use modern social media  and hope “friends”, “twits” and “viral videos” will spark a fire that eventually leads to the arrest of Joseph Kony! 

I get the sense that Invisible Children is hoping the international attention on Kony will finally provide enough to outweigh the cost of changing the situation in northern Uganda. However, I worry like many others if Invisible Children is providing a too simplistic approach to how to solve the Kony issue in Uganda.  I mean, will the arrest of one man, really bring about the necessary changes.  What steps will the country take to address the number of young people that have spent years in essence brainwashed into becoming killers, how will they prevent someone else from just stepping into Kony’s shoes, and how do they see their country moving forward. 

Burke in his chapter, Conceptual Models for Understanding Organization Change, provides David Gleicher’s formula for readiness to accept and implement change. 

C = (ABD) ˃ X.

The change formula does not work if there is not a clear desired goal or even steps in place to begin the change.   These are questions; I am not sure the international community, especially the U.S., can answer for Uganda.

I am not sure if this will be the year that brings the arrest of Kony!  My hope is not just his arrest but sustainable change in Uganda! However, I am inspired that young people are taking notice of international issues and realizing the voice they have.  

I am not sure why but somehow bible study tends to be where blog ideas hit me!  I know such an unusal place but I guess because there are such interesting professors who come to share about their faith, I take away a nugget that causes me to think and ends up leading to this blog.  So let me get to the point.  Our speaker this week mentioned how she receives most of her news from CNN online.  She mentioned seeing a story about the CNN heroes and specifically about a lady who started a preschool for kids with life-threatening diseases. The idea came to her after raising a daughter with leukemia and how she was unable to attend preschool because her immune system was so low.  I thought wow, what an awesome story. 

So I went online and … was unable to find it but I found a list of amazing Heroes!  My goodness, these people have done amazing things.  For instance, Robin Lim serves as a midwife in Indonesia She created Yayasan Bumi Sehat Clinic (Healthy Women Earth Foundation) and delivers babies for women that cannot afford to use a traditional hospital.  Diane Latiker, a grandmother, started invited gang members into her home to provide a safe place.  Serving over 1500 teens, she created Kids Off the Block.  Richard St. Dennis created World Access Project after a speaking engagement in Mexico, where he gave away one wheel chair.  He continues to provide recycled wheelchairs, training and support to rural Mexicans who otherwise would not be mobile.   And… there are others who support military widows, football teens who suffered spinal cord injuries, provide soap to youth in need, and many others.  CNN has taken the time to honor them as Heroes. 

I found it interesting that CNN labeled each of their heroes as Community Crusaders. Each of these heroes saw a need within their community or the global community and found a way to meet the need.  Each of them became social change agents perhaps without even thinking of the impact they would have on those around them. 

CNN is looking for their 2012 Heroes.  How amazing that there are others in our country attempting to not be heroes but make a difference for their fellow neighbor! I am excited to see who will be honored!!

Meishi and Cultural Intelligence

What?     

This past week my reading reflection was on Cultural Intelligence from chapter 7 in Leading Across Differences.  Cultural intelligence is the ability to interact, connect, and enage with others from other cultures. There are four components which include: motivation factor, cognitive factor, metacognitive factor and behavioral factor. The authors suggested that “westerners” should take the time to carefully study business cards from the Asian culture.  I posed the question to the class about what could be learned from their business cards and how the cards were different.  So I took some time to google “Asian Business Cards” and I learned so much about the importance of the business card exchange.

So What?
 
In many Asian cultures, the business card is used as one of the few ways that an individual can set them self apart in such a collective culture. There are many traditions to the business card exchange.  Honoring the traditions is a way to show respect to the person and their culture. In essence the business card is an extension of the person (as said by Syndi Seid, etiquette coach).   Business cards are typically two sided, one in the home language and the other in English.  In Japanese it is called meishi.

Some of the tips that I found include:

• Ensure that your card is stored in a container that enables them to stay neat, clean and crisp

• Pass out your business card one at a time with the both hands or the right but never the left (which is seen as unclean)

• When receiving a card, hold it at the level you received it, examine both sides and ask a question

• Do not write on someone else’s business card - as this can be seen as writing on them

• Keep the business card on the table and refer to it often – treat the card with respect as you would the actual person.

Now What?

Although I did not notice any additional or special information on Asian business cards, I believe the practice of exchanging is crucial to the business relationships.  The card allows the person to express themselves and provides the receiver the opportunity to acknowledge the person.  Connecting this to the reading on cultural intelligence, it seems essential for the success of business people to be aware of cultural practices when doing business in other cultures.  It takes a lot for a “westerner” to acknowledge the simple act of exchanging business cards exhibits all four components of cultural intelligence.