The first time I went out on the ocean with the Alaka‘i Nalu, I was in seat five of their first and oldest canoe, the seat where the steersman in seat six could best keep an eye on me. The canoe was named Ka lā hiki ola, the dawning of a new day. The kaona […]
Archives for August 2012
Ha‘aha‘a means Humility Laughing
Actually it doesn’t. Not exactly. HA‘AHA‘A is indeed the Hawaiian value of humility, however the word does not literally mean ‘humility laughing,’ that’s my kaona about it in our Managing with Aloha Language of Intention (Key 5). The kaona of a word or phrase refers to the hidden meaning the speaker may have in choosing […]
Listening Alone Does Not Humility Make
… and a Weekend MWA Project for Alaka‘i Managers Humility, the value of HA‘AHA‘A, continues to be on my mind lately. It’s not one of those values that appear in my work when it’s dominant, but when it’s missing. My coaching business generally falls into two distinct areas; consultation, teaching and training in MWA and […]
On Ho‘ohiki: Keeping your promises
This is a short and sweet post folks, but it’s important: Follow up, and keep your promises. You should consider your credibility and your reputation with keeping your word to be one of the defining hallmarks of your character. Life will twist and turn in unexpected ways. There will be times when you’ve fallen short […]
Humility tames the Indispensable Beast. Here’s how.
“Pick me. Choose me. Love me.” — Meredith Grey to Derek Shepherd in Grey’s Anatomy We all share a basic human desire: Like Meredith Grey, we want to be needed, and we want to be loved for who we are. (For those who haven’t followed Grey’s Anatomy, Meredith would eventually become Derek’s wife.) We like […]
Find your Doubting Thomases
I happened to overhear this said in a workplace I taught at recently, as we tackled one of their challenges in a rigorous series of small group break-out sessions: “Easy for you to say.” It’s a disheartening attitude that can crop up in the best of workplaces. That, or its variant, “Easy for them to […]
7 Steps for Resolving Customer Complaints
Unhappy customers are bad news for any company, and it only takes one of them to shatter a perfectly good day at work for everyone. It only takes one of them to steer many more prospective customers away from you. Unhappy customers have their reasons. Some don’t feel well, some have unrealistic expectations, and others […]