An early February article in the Wall Street Journal described the practice for daily meeting attendance at Atomic Object, a Grand Rapids Michigan software development firm. The early-morning daily meetings are subject to a few strict rules: mandatory attendance; minimum chit chat; and everyone has to stand. Sitting is equated with sloth. There is no room for long-windedness. Tables even have been removed to prevent “leaning.” The meetings generally last about 5 minutes, followed by a quick stretch, then everyone is “off to work.” While standup meetings are nothing new (military leaders did it during World War I and various companies have adopted standup meetings over the years), the current inspiration is being attributed to the growing use of “Agile,” an approach to software development, which according to the Journal was “crystallized in a manifesto published by 17 software professionals in 2001.” It calls for compressing the development projects into short pieces and involves daily standup meetings where participants quickly update their peers on three things: what they have done since yesterday; what they will do today; and any obstacles that stand in their way. Keep Reading »
Posts Tagged ‘Silence’
Serving at the End of Another’s Life, Part 2
At the outset of my work as a hospice volunteer, there were things that put me off. I don’t necessarily recall what my emotional responses were those many years ago, because I have learned to live with them. One category of offense that I have learned to live with stems from olfactory responses to conditions such as feces, stale urine, vomit and necrotic tissue. Smell triggers ancient fear responses. I have learned no way to overcome them, except to carry a small supply of Vick’s VapoRub or other ointment, which I apply to my nasal passages. This allows me time to deal with the immediate situation, which usually is cleaned up in relatively short order. I imagine that this is enough to turn many of you off. But let me put it in context. Keep Reading »
Sounds of Silence
I thought that I would take a little break from our conversations about parenting. But, as I sit here thinking about what I’m about to write, I discover that it is not much of a break at all. The next installment in the parenting series concerns relational or social intelligence. What we are about to review here is an obscure, but very interesting little book, Listening Below the Noise: The Transformative Power of Silence, written by writer and novelist Anne D. LeClaire (2009). And, the connection is this — those qualities which arise in the socially intelligent, such as empathy, compassion, generosity, and kindness, often manifest to others through their powers of listening. And at its heart, listening rests upon a foundation of ego-less silence and focused attention on, and connection with, another.
Almost 20 years ago, Anne LeClaire found that she was mistaking a busy life for a rich one. Then beginning in January 1992, she decided to set aside the 1st and 3rd Monday of each month for silence. And, for those 24 hours she did not speak. In her words, Keep Reading »
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