Possibility Thinking

If there was one things that I could say about him was that there was not a negative bone is his body...in fact his demeanor was such that when he was present there was NEVER a negative comment...

I heard a legend about him...(and I believe most people heard it too!). Someone once made a negative comment in his presence and he turned on him like a rabid jackal! The guy...as the story goes...was so "ripped to shreds" and humiliated that he resigned from a well paying position within days of the encounter!

That is just a story and if you hadn't heard it...you would not even consider that type of behavior was possible!

I often thought about testing that legend...but I hate pain and suffering...I knew that it was a possibility...I had seen cracks in his demeanor in other situations...so I took the legend for what it was...and hoped that I NEVER made a negative comment in his presence.

He didn't call it optimism...in fact he never called his behavior anything...it was simply the way a person with a responsibility should act. I called it "possibility thinking."

He was a person of possibilities and I learned to be that way too! It didn't take much effort in that we were much alike in this accord. For me it was invigorating to take a thought and build it into a masterpiece!

I so enjoyed watching him draw out creative ideas and build upon them!

"How do you do that?" I asked as we sat one evening at that beach, with the sun setting behind us...and his favorite rum in glasses, wet with condensations...

"Good ideas are at a premium these days," he replied, "We must be ever watchful for them so that they are not lost in the frivolous ramblings that are constantly clouding them from plain sight!"

"But you never seem to be without an excess of them!" I observed.

"Even 20 years ago, the world was much different," he reflected, "That was a time when the world was our oyster and opportunities abounded...back then..."nay-sayers" were lauded and actually played an important role in an organization. They kept the organizations focused and on track. They gleaned out only the best fruits and left the chaff for the others."

His voice lowered, "Things have changed! The amount of chatter has grown and the number of possibilities have increased. Those nay-sayers have been promoted and now run organizations. They believe that their role is to continue to shoot good ideas down...they think that it was the magic formula for success...and continues to be! They have built their "style" on a misconception."

"I can not (and do not attempt) to change them...it is a senseless mission. They are blinded by their success. They refuse to do the most important thing in leadership...learn and adapt."

"I however am committed to being and an oasis to great ideas. Anyone can bring an idea to me and park it! They know that when it leaves my garage, it will be better for having sat here! They know that it is safe...and they know that more often than not...it will grow and flourish...going from a few simple words...into something of substance...they see it become real!"

"They also know that credit will be given where credit is due!"

"Great thoughts are often stolen...or at minimum the source is never identified!"

"It is like going to a nursery and buying seedlings and claiming that you grew them from seeds that you have been keeping for years!"

"Great thoughts are seldom fully developed at birth...they are fragile babies. Nurturing them is essential to bring them to functional adulthood..."

"In a peculiar sense...I am a foster parent of ideas! The strange thing is that people's ideas are not taken from them because they were bad parents...they bring them to me!"

"I quit trying to change the leaders of the organizations that I work with...into possibility thinking...until they ask! Because they not only need to be committed to thinking about possibilities...they have to make them happen. That is a huge responsibility for leadership...it is much easier to hide in the past world of "this can't possibly happen."

"WOW," I exclaimed! "I never realized that you were so passionate about this subject!"

"I am" he nonchalantly replied, "Organizations can no longer afford to pass up good thoughts...they can not afford to give them the consideration that each is due! They are precious and a reflection of an individual's caring and concern not only for the organization...they are offerings and gifts...almost equal to the sacrifices made at the altars of old!" "They should not be taken lightly!

"So how do you do it?" I repeated.

"It is simple..." he replied, "I listen...I reflect and to it I add some very special components...the first of which is the most special...I say THANK YOU! The rest is part of a strict discipline..."

"Let me tell you about it..."

...and the sun set behind us as I listened...

...I thanked him...and our evening together ended!