Patch Aure

Taking courage begins with paying attention

Taking courage begins with paying attention

The sooner we take a sober acknowledgement of our own or organization’s internal (strengths and weaknesses) and external context (opportunities and threats), the stronger our courage could be. The VUCA-ness of our surroundings (volatile, uncertain, complex, ambiguous) can distract our attentions; instead of leaning into the best path towards our desired outcomes, we are paralyzed by the storms of our lives.

Paying attention and focusing also requires faith, because to focus means to also have blind spots. We need to rely on others and a Higher Power to cover our blind spots.

In a way, extraordinary things happen when we pay attention, courageously act, and keep the faith. Because we allow ourselves to be ourselves, help others help us, and let God be a saving God.

—
Matthew 14:22-36. Take courage, It is I; do not be afraid. O you of little faith, why did you doubt?

[DAILY GOSPEL INSIGHTS AND REFLECTION FOR MANAGEMENT AND ORGANIZATION 214: AUGUST 2, 2022]

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One feast

One feast

Some YouTubers and die-hard fans have theorized that the story of One Piece and the real dream of Luffy is to have the biggest banquet for the whole world – “One Feast”. They pointed out that the major arcs of the long-running shonen manga usually ends with big celebrations between allies who succeeded vanquishing evil pirates. Such an interesting fan theory!

It is fascinating how communal moments of eating and drinking are important elements of epic stories. And if I think about it, I can associate certain food and drinks with wonderful and meaningful memories. The homemade adobo, sinigang, nilaga, and tinola remind me of the comfort of eating with family. Siomai rice, porkchopsilog, and fishballs remind me of my student days. Beer and coffee remind me of friends and peers. Milk and cookies remind me of my wife. I can even recall eating shawarma rice and siomai at the old SPS canteen in DLSU as the food I ate when I began realizing that I was looking at my girl bestfriend into a potential girlfriend-to-be (and now wife! Haha! Baka nilagyan niya ng gayuma yung garlic sauce at chili!)

Maybe Jesus is indeed onto something when He used the Last Supper as an instrument for us to remember Him: “do this in memory of me.” And perhaps the invitation for us is to make use of feasts – no matter how little or how small – as a means to create more meaning for and with one another.

—
Matthew 14:13-21. The feeding of five thousand men

[DAILY GOSPEL INSIGHTS AND REFLECTION FOR MANAGEMENT AND ORGANIZATION 213: AUGUST 1, 2022]

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Stewards, not owners

Stewards, not owners

Our greed and vanity may drive us to attach our identity onto some things in such a way that we fool ourselves that the things, positions, and recognitions are what define us.

Of things, we are stewards, not owners.

Of positions, we are responsible, not privileged.

Of recognitions, we are advocates, not gods.

We help things happen because alone, our power is insufficient. And the more we give and lose our egos, the more we flourish and achieve who we are meant to be.

Luke 12:13-21. The Parable of the Rich Fool

[DAILY GOSPEL INSIGHTS AND REFLECTION FOR MANAGEMENT AND ORGANIZATION 212: JULY 31, 2022]

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When should we enter into a promise?

When should we enter into a promise?

There are times when we enter into promises out of convenience, an emotional high, or to appease another at present without necessarily intending to fulfill the promise.

If we want to honor our word, I am thinking of three conditions that must be met if we want to make a promise (or enter into a binding agreement with one another):

First, the need to be mindful, heartful, authentic, and self-aware. Promising things during an extreme emotional high or low may impede us from actually understanding whether we can commit to doing something or not. We may overestimate our abilities and commit to something we cannot or not willing to do. We may inadvertently underestimate the risks and tradeoffs. In Filipino, pwede tayong mapasubo.

Second is the need to appreciate the power dynamics between those entering the promise. Did the powerful manipulate the powerless? Were there any false pretenses?

Third is orienting ourselves towards what is collaboratively discerned as “good” or a win-win situation. This disincentivizes the other from breaking the promise, because why would any break their end of the stick if both stand to flourish?

If we cannot fulfill any of these three conditions assuming that we want to honor our word, then it is better not to promise anything.

In a world where fake news, BS, and half-truths are more common, those who stand for the truth and honor their word are indeed rare; scarce, even. This makes those who honor their word valuable, almost a priceless gem that no one would ever want to let go.

Matthew 14:1-12. Because of his “oaths”… (the beheading of John the Baptist)

[DAILY GOSPEL INSIGHTS AND REFLECTION FOR MANAGEMENT AND ORGANIZATION 211: JULY 30, 2022]

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Nourishing conversations

Nourishing conversations

There are particular people or groups that we respectively converse with based on what we need or want to talk about.

We have our parents and family for life conversations.

We have our mentors for professional dialogues.

We have our friends and barkadas for both deep and nonsensical conversations that delight the child in us.

We have our life partners for love and growing together.

It is during these conversations where we come to believe and have more faith in each other. Our dialogues somehow turn into mechanisms by which we share a piece of ourselves with each other.

And taking in these different and beautiful conversations, they become food that nourishes soul.

John 11:19-27. I have come to believe…

[DAILY GOSPEL INSIGHTS AND REFLECTION FOR MANAGEMENT AND ORGANIZATION 210: JULY 29, 2022]

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The foolishness of forced ranking

The foolishness of forced ranking

Let’s suppose that heaven and the Divine Judgement are indeed true. Do the Scriptures say that we will undergo a “forced ranking” and that there is a limited quota of people to be accepted into heaven?

What is most important is how well we tried to bloom despite the context we are planted in. Did we become the best persons we could be given the constraints we are placed in?

Forced ranking is foolish because it arbitrarily rejects people who are good or have potential just for the sake of meeting a metric or a quota.

What is more practical is to have a collaboratively agreed-upon standard of excellence, where the question is not “did I beat the other?” but “did we meet the standard?” I think this is the beauty of accreditations or stamps of approval – it does not force needless competition but recognizes what is high quality.

If the Divine Judgement parallels the fisherfolk catching fish and separating the good and the bad, the question is not whether the net is large enough (because the net is large enough!). It’s a matter of being good enough to stand together with other good people.

The foolishness of forced ranking is that we are fooled to think we are better than others; but the essential “ranking” we only have to heed is whether we outrank our previous selves. To be virtuous and a virtuoso; to be better today than yesterday.

—
Matthew 13:47-53. When the net is full

[DAILY GOSPEL INSIGHTS AND REFLECTION FOR MANAGEMENT AND ORGANIZATION 209: JULY 28, 2022]

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Devotion and flow

Devotion and flow

“… Sells all that he has and buys it.” I find more meaning in interpreting this from a figurative sense, when a person devotes oneself totally to anything. I also find inspiration in the concept of flow or being “in the zone” and sports.

What really amazes me about Steph Curry’s sustained excellence is how devoted he is to his craft. This devotion has allowed him to seemingly blur fantasy and reality especially in terms of the kinds of shots he takes (logo threes, half-court shots). No player, especially during high school, will ever be encouraged to take the kinds of shots Steph takes.

As all superstar athletes would say, these kinds of groundbreaking performances rely on reps, a devotion to the craft. The reward is in the act itself, and it becomes a positive reinforcing cycle – a “virtuous cycle”.

In a sense, there is a glimpse of heaven during those times where we are in a state of flow doing an activity that is pro-flourishing. But to enter that state requires a dissolution of ego and attachments, to “sell” everything we have, for that moment of flow.

Maybe the invitation for us is to find those persons or activities where we could be inspired and devoted – spaces where we are truly interdependent in making each other flourish more than we could alone and before.

—
Matthew 13:44-46. He goes on and sells all that he has and buys it.

[DAILY GOSPEL INSIGHTS AND REFLECTION FOR MANAGEMENT AND ORGANIZATION 208: JULY 27, 2022]

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Sensemaking

Sensemaking

Maybe, to flourish means to make more meaning. To leave a legacy means to leave more meaning than there was before.

Maybe the primary purpose of our senses is not to speak nor move first; it is to absorb what we are seeing and hearing and feeling and “make sense”, or “make meaning”.

—
Matthew 13:16-17. Blessed are your eyes and ears

[DAILY GOSPEL INSIGHTS AND REFLECTION FOR MANAGEMENT AND ORGANIZATION 207: JULY 26, 2022]

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Hierarchies are for roles, not for persons

Hierarchies are for roles, not for persons

Sometimes, we let hierarchical positions, especially those that bestow powers, get into our heads. We have learned in organizations that certain hierarchical configurations are important for proper leadership and engagement of other members. However, we should not let the roles we play or the positions we are in to define who we are as humans and persons.

One of the most powerful and enduring concepts of leadership from the Christian faith is that of servant leadership – that the leader is not to be served, but the one who actually serves.

And I kinda see this as a central theme or tension in the Spider-Man No Way Home movie (at last it is available via Netflix!). Heroes have superpowers and they may feel that those superpowers entitle them to certain perks.

But the moment the heroes use powers for selfish gains is the moment that they also become villains.

In any multiverse, with great power comes great responsibility. And this is the burden of a hero who wants to stay authentic to one’s principles.

A person does not become a leader because he is powerful. A person becomes a leader when he treats his power as a gift that uplifts everyone around him.

—
Matthew 20:20-28. The Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve

[DAILY GOSPEL INSIGHTS AND REFLECTION FOR MANAGEMENT AND ORGANIZATION 206: JULY 25, 2022]

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Do we really go beyond our prayers and intentions?

Do we really go beyond our prayers and intentions?

I have coached research groups who have been studying not only intentions, but how (or if) specific intentions can indeed translate to actual behavior. The scholarly literature calls this the “intention-behavior gap”. So far, the trend is that intentions of purchasing low-priced items are statistically reliable predictors of actual purchase behavior within a 1-2 month gap. The data on sustainability-oriented intentions (sustainable entrepreneurship, recycling) translating to actual behavior within 1 to 12 months seem noisier.

One insight that stands out to me is how “easy” it is to “intend”. Many research on values, attitudes, norms, and control stop short at researching intention and usually, the explanatory power of these antecedents is quite high. For example, it feels good (attitude) to think about sustainability. It is easy to say that one intends to perform sustainable actions. But do these intentions really translate to actual behaviors? I’m beginning to rethink the practical relevance of “intention” in certain contexts like sustainable consumption behaviors and sustainable entrepreneurial behaviors because of what my research groups’ findings have initially revealed.

And if we think about it, prayers can be similar to intentions. It feels good to pray, but do we actually act on our prayers? What I like about today’s gospel about the Lord’s Prayer is the emphasis of Jesus on personal agency (action) as part of the conditions that could manifest the prayer’s intentions. My favorite line: “… He will give him whatever he needs (not out of friendship) because of his persistence.”

In a way, I am also reminding myself through this reflection that reflection without action is not complete. This is why the Lasallian Reflection Framework and Lonergan’s general empirical method is so beautiful; experience, insight, judge, and act.

—
Luke 11:1-13. The Lord’s Prayer

[DAILY GOSPEL INSIGHTS AND REFLECTION FOR MANAGEMENT AND ORGANIZATION 205: JULY 24, 2022]

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