Post 8

This blog tends to be a little more on the "philosophical" side. Here's a more "practical" question though. As we were talking in class tonight, someone brought up the issue of habitual deference, which could lead to people who typically don't make decisions but then complain about it anyway. How do you deal with that? Do you try to force people to make their own decisions?

I feel like we have this problem in my department. Nobody wants to make decisions, but the director wants the professional staff to make decisions. But I get the sense that they want to be told what to do, and when she asks for them to participate in the decision making process, they tell her what they think she wants to hear. It's frustrating. It makes me feel dis-empowered and disenfranchised. I'm okay with making decisions. If someone tells me to make a decision, I feel like they are trusting me, and that I can make a decision based on what I feel is best. I don't get that sense from the professional staff in my office. There's a lack of trust. And trust is really one of the foundations of leadership.

There was another thing that caught my attention in class. I take pretty shoddy notes, and what I have written down is "crisis vs. urgency --> OP IVY quote- keep sense of urgency and hope - how do they relate?". For the life of me, I can't remember the context of the conversation. But I know that was something I wanted to think more about. So, I'm gonna give it a shot.

So, here's the quote I was thinking about:
" Music is an indirect force for change, because it provides an anchor against human tragedy. In this sense, it works towards a reconciled world. It can also be the direct experience of change. At certain points during some shows, the reconciled world is already here, at least in that second, at that place. Operation Ivy was very lucky to have experienced this. Those seconds reveal that the momentum that drives a subculture is more important than any particular band. The momentum is made of all the people who stay interested, and keep their sense of urgency and hope." -Jesse Michaels, Operation Ivy

Operation Ivy was a punk band in the late 80s, and they're basically one of the best punk bands ever. Something about this message, which was in the liner notes of their only album (which was released 2 days before they broke up) has always struck a chord with me. What I love about it is the focus on community. The idea that even though many people looked to Op Ivy as the "leaders", they were really just a small fragment of a bigger piece of energy. I think I also like the concept of time and change. It reminds me of some of the things Heifetz was saying about the evolutionary process. Change is constanly happening, even though we can't see it. Even when things are seemingly stagnant, the time is still changing around us, so nothing ever stays the same.

So now, this idea of urgency and hope. Op Ivy was a pretty political band, and many of the kids that were part of the subculture were in fact kids who had a lot of heart. There was a sense of urgency, as these punks wanted to see changes in the world. But it's hard to make change happen, when as an individual you feel insignificant. Is that where hope comes in? Not letting yourself feel disenfranchised? I guess in keeping that sense of urgency, and remaining hopeful that change is possible, you stand a better chance of getting things accomplished.