I am proud to report that I, in tandem with my Arabic teacher and friend, Dr. Yosef Bashara, have launched a non-political, socially-oriented encounter group between Israeli Arabs (Palestinians) and Jews in the Sharon area in Israel.
The launch and the first meeting went great and the group has virtually filled up with next to no marketing efforts....just shows you how much of a need is out there....so get this, one Jewish member told the group that he has lived about 4 kilometers from the Arab town in which we met for about 30 years and had never been before in an Arab home..."What?", an Arab female participant said...." I can't believe what you are saying! I have been to Jewish homes hundreds of times..."!
So this is what we see, the tale of two people, there are others and other stories but the bottom line is that these dividing lines between people are artificial, breed alienation, stereotypes, fear and much worse....let's change it!
The "Triangle" area in the Sharon is home to about 100,000 Israeli Arabs, who have been citizens of the State of Israel since 1948, most of whom speak Hebrew very fluently (along with their native Arabic tongue), most are well-integrated into the overall economy and yet...the level of interaction between the communities, if at all, is mostly related to blue collar work that the Arabs perform: car repair, housekeeping, restaurants, construction labor, gardening, and son.
How about deeper interaction with the professionals, medical personnel, intellectuals and entrepreneurs? There is some, not very dominant.
Friendship and joint socializing? Few and far between.
In essence the two communities live in parallel, the great majority of Jews do not have a clue how to hold a conversation in Arabic and as we have already seen, many of us have never set foot inside an Arab home...pretty amazing, no? Pretty pathetic, no?
You can imagine how many stereotypes abound when people really don't actually get to know one another...
So how do we change this? You will hear answers like " politicians need to want it", "the school system should encourage it", and that kind of thing, but what actually happens is very very little.
To me this is not only deeply unfortunate but much more than that- it is almost criminal to leave such a situation as is....humanity is losing so much by lack of meaningful contact, not to mention the illusive peace which will never come so long as people do not learn to live, appreciate and cooperate one with the other.
Yes, the group is a drop in the bucket, a bunch of wonderful people with good intentions and a positive attitude.
It was Mother Theresea I think who once said that "One person can't change the world but we can change the world of one person".
I would like to look at this drop in a bucket as more or less in this spirit. One drop, then another drop and another...a bucket to fill our souls, nurture or humanity and live our lives while meeting, growing and developing ourselves along with our neighbors.
Wednesday, March 19, 2014
Monday, March 10, 2014
Learning from Richard Branson on Why Leading Means Listening
I love to learn from entrepreneurs like Richard Branson- they are full of lessons to be learned and often cherish sharing them with others.
Branson as passed the age of 60 and his achievements are no less than remarkable and inspiring: from a 16 year old high-school drop-out, dyslexia, lots of drugs, sex, rock and roll, extreme sport and danger to becoming No. 261 on Forbes' "World Billionaires" list with his $2.5 billion in self-made fortune, which includes two private islands.
No less remarkable to me is the fact that Branson invests much time, resources, money and contacts into helping others get ahead in their lives, businesses and communities.
Which is why I particularly liked what Branson said in his blog:
"...It’s often easy to spot an inexperienced leader.
If you see someone raising his voice at employees, stuttering nervously in front of a group or avoiding admitting when he’s wrong, that’s a person who is just starting out...if you want to stand out as a leader, a good place to begin is by listening.
Any organization’s best assets are its people, and if you are ready to help the team to achieve its goals, you can start gathering information on how to move things along just by paying attention to what employees are saying .
This skill will help you throughout your career.
Leaders who are great listeners are often terrific at uncovering and putting in place strategies and plans that have a big impact..."
Sounds simple, right? Unfortunately not so simple- just see at your next team meeting, board meeting, and so on, stop and observe how often people are really listening and how often they are talking or just getting ready to reply- not really listening.
That is the "ego factor" that I work on all the time in our mastermind groups, even if it is not specifically stated, because in the DunetzMastermind setting listening is key.
Because better listening means better leadership, better leadership means better motivation, better execution, better success.
And life looks a lot more interesting when you are out there listening...go give it a try and let me know what you find!
Branson as passed the age of 60 and his achievements are no less than remarkable and inspiring: from a 16 year old high-school drop-out, dyslexia, lots of drugs, sex, rock and roll, extreme sport and danger to becoming No. 261 on Forbes' "World Billionaires" list with his $2.5 billion in self-made fortune, which includes two private islands.
No less remarkable to me is the fact that Branson invests much time, resources, money and contacts into helping others get ahead in their lives, businesses and communities.
Which is why I particularly liked what Branson said in his blog:
"...It’s often easy to spot an inexperienced leader.
If you see someone raising his voice at employees, stuttering nervously in front of a group or avoiding admitting when he’s wrong, that’s a person who is just starting out...if you want to stand out as a leader, a good place to begin is by listening.
Any organization’s best assets are its people, and if you are ready to help the team to achieve its goals, you can start gathering information on how to move things along just by paying attention to what employees are saying .
This skill will help you throughout your career.
Leaders who are great listeners are often terrific at uncovering and putting in place strategies and plans that have a big impact..."
Sounds simple, right? Unfortunately not so simple- just see at your next team meeting, board meeting, and so on, stop and observe how often people are really listening and how often they are talking or just getting ready to reply- not really listening.
That is the "ego factor" that I work on all the time in our mastermind groups, even if it is not specifically stated, because in the DunetzMastermind setting listening is key.
Because better listening means better leadership, better leadership means better motivation, better execution, better success.
And life looks a lot more interesting when you are out there listening...go give it a try and let me know what you find!
Sunday, March 9, 2014
People are Different- Let's Understand and Accept
In our global age of information anytime, always and non-stop we tend to forget....people are different---we need to not forget to respect, understand and appreciate the diversity of cultures, view points and mindsets! It's what we call part of WISDOM..
Saturday, March 1, 2014
Why is Empathy important to cultivate in Management?
The term “empathy” is used to describe a wide range of experiences.
Emotion researchers generally define empathy as the ability to sense other people’s emotions, coupled with the ability to imagine what someone else might be thinking or feeling.
Contemporary researchers often differentiate between two types of empathy: “Affective empathy” refers to the sensations and feelings we get in response to others’ emotions; this can include mirroring what that person is feeling, or just feeling stressed when we detect another’s fear or anxiety.
“Cognitive empathy,” sometimes called “perspective taking,” refers to our ability to identify and understand other peoples’ emotions.
So what does all this have to do with business?
Lots! Because more and more in modern organizations we are finding that positive psychology works much better than the old "I am the boss and do what I say", today organizations require employees and managers to demonstrate and perform better and more.
That means more creativity, more initiative, better communication and more effective presentation.
Today's progressive managers look to make the work place a "happy place to be", both from a change in society's values as well as the demands from the younger generation.
This is where coaching and masterminding have very much to offer the modern, progressive organization as they each in their own way help people develop empathy.
Where there is empathy, there is listening and where there is listening there is better support and more "we" and less "I".
True, this kind of stuff is pontificated by all sorts of HR personnel in organizations, but managers and employees are not dumbwits, they can sense when it is coming from value-based organizations and when these words are used to manipulate others.
I say the time is ripe to get up and show that organizations that have empathy also bring in bottom line ROI! It is out there, it is there to be had and there are many, many out there who are hearing this music…
Empathy is a quality of character that can change the world. --Barack Obama
Emotion researchers generally define empathy as the ability to sense other people’s emotions, coupled with the ability to imagine what someone else might be thinking or feeling.
Contemporary researchers often differentiate between two types of empathy: “Affective empathy” refers to the sensations and feelings we get in response to others’ emotions; this can include mirroring what that person is feeling, or just feeling stressed when we detect another’s fear or anxiety.
“Cognitive empathy,” sometimes called “perspective taking,” refers to our ability to identify and understand other peoples’ emotions.
So what does all this have to do with business?
Lots! Because more and more in modern organizations we are finding that positive psychology works much better than the old "I am the boss and do what I say", today organizations require employees and managers to demonstrate and perform better and more.
That means more creativity, more initiative, better communication and more effective presentation.
Today's progressive managers look to make the work place a "happy place to be", both from a change in society's values as well as the demands from the younger generation.
This is where coaching and masterminding have very much to offer the modern, progressive organization as they each in their own way help people develop empathy.
Where there is empathy, there is listening and where there is listening there is better support and more "we" and less "I".
True, this kind of stuff is pontificated by all sorts of HR personnel in organizations, but managers and employees are not dumbwits, they can sense when it is coming from value-based organizations and when these words are used to manipulate others.
I say the time is ripe to get up and show that organizations that have empathy also bring in bottom line ROI! It is out there, it is there to be had and there are many, many out there who are hearing this music…
Empathy is a quality of character that can change the world. --Barack Obama
Doing Good by Doing Good Business- it can be done!
Doing Good by Doing Good Business! I love the idea in its different variations- here is Richard Bramson, one of the world's greatest entrepreneurs singing this song--- and doing it as well---have a look below…it takes a mind shift but social business entrepreneurship is gaining ground and inspires---me for sure, but many more…
http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/231150?newsletter=true
http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/231150?newsletter=true
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