December 8th, 2008
Join me in a short daydream…
It is a peaceful Sunday afternoon and you and I are in my back yard polishing our archery skills. It is my turn. I have an arrow lined up in my bow and I am aiming for the very center of the target hung up across the yard. I release my arrow…and it hits…you in the arm.
As we both respond to this newest crisis in my back yard, it is important for you to know what my intentions were. It is important for you to know that I did not intentionally shoot you with the arrow, and that does to some extent define the nature of what has taken place. While my intentions and your knowledge of them are important, they are by no means more important than the fact that you have an arrow lodged in your arm. Our intentions (as wonderful as they always are) are only a part of the equation. Our intentions are valid, but they do not override or justify the outcome.
In addition to our tendency to give too much significance to our own wonderful intentions, we also seem to pay a lot of attention to what we assume are the heinous intentions of others…you can pick up on this occasionally when listening to liberals and conservatives talk about each other, especially in the heat of a campaign season.
None of this happens because we are horrible, evil people mind you, but simply because we are human. The downside to giving too much attention to intentions (ours or theirs) is that it means we are paying less attention to the outcome…less attention to the arrow in your arm, to gender pay inequity in corporate America, to racial and ethnic disparities in workforce demographics, graduation rates, incarceration rates, health, etc. We can ill afford to overlook the reality that sits between us and fight over intentions.
By focusing on our own heroic intentions or the flawed intentions of others, without taking any real action, we are trying to convince ourselves or the world around us that we are not a part of the problem or injustice in front of us. Intentions without real action are killing us. Buckminster Fuller was an author, an architect and a bunch of other stuff, and he said “We are called to be architects of the future, not its victims.” I am not the sharpest tool in the shed, but to me, this means that if I want something specific from the future, if I want tomorrow to be in some way different from today I must own that. I. Must. Take. Action. Today. It all starts with me. And if I do not take action, then I should probably not be confused, shocked or disgruntled when what I want from the future does not come to be.
Taking that action is not easy…it is not even always clear what action we should take. Especially within the context of work, where there are chains of command, office politics, etc. The discomfort over what to do and how to do it is a good sign. It is a sign that we are awake and alive and have an opportunity to own our gifts. Know that we can start small. We can take baby steps. So take one. Take one today. It is not the size of the step that matters, it is the direction.
“How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world.”
-Anne Frank
If we truly believe that talent, ability, and competency are not dictated by things like race, gender and orientation then we should all be outraged by the numerous disparities we see. We should be outraged to the point that we have no choice but to act. Part of the fog that gets in our way is the confusion between intentions and outcomes. We need to focus on intentions less and outcomes more…outcomes and action. Arrows land where they land. Words, practices and policies land where they land…intentions do not change that.
“Lying is done with words and also with silence.”
-Adrienne rich
Great thoughts. I’m reminded of how our focus on others’ intentions comes up frequently in our interpersonal relationships as well as in politics. All the time we spend worrying about what others "really think of us." My takeaway: focus a bit more on what’s actually happening in the world.
I agree; Action taken to remedy the arrow in the arm is paramount. Subsequently, what of accountability for how the arrow arrived in such an unfortunate destination? Should the reaction be the same if the outcome was intentional or unintentional? And, what if the person who released the arrow claims their action was unintentional while all evidence (verifiable facts) proves to me, the one with the arrow in my arm, that the outcome was intentional. How, then, should I, and those who care about my honor, "react" to such a betrayal of "friendship"? After all… I was practicing my skills together together with the shooter in the shooter’s back yard (following your story above).
It’s a tough one… but for me, at least as I see it at this juncture of my life, the relationship between intention and outcome acts as a guide to the action and reaction which, as I am in agreement with, must be taken. I must then be equally accountable for the reaction and action I intentionally taken. And, if the outcome of my reaction and action is incongruent of my intentions… I should not be surprised by the reaction and action of those hurt, and or demoralized by my actions.
As Winston Churchill once said; "The price of greatness is responsibility."
Thanks for the thought provoking post Joe. I hope my thought are equally stimulating.
This makes me think that Hitler’s mission was accomplished because so many people were silent and apathetic.
I find the way you communicate very intriquing. Your ideas are always thought provoking, even if it is a bit of needling in Twitter.
"Take. Action. Today. It all starts with me. And if I do not take action, then I should probably not be confused, shocked or disgruntled when what I want from the future does not come to be."
Indeed Take Action NOW! Some people get lost in th small details of palnning the journey, instead of taking that first baby step.
This is my first visit to your blog. I will be back!
Merry Christmas to you and those you love.
Just found the link to this entry buried way back in my twitter favorites. Brilliant, Joe. Great stuff. I could not agree more.