There is a rather popular saying in Hawai‘i right now, and it goes like this:
“No vote, no grumble.”
What mostly happens however, sad to say, is that people don’t vote, yet keep grumbling. Hawai‘i has a terrible track record with voter registration and voter turn-out, however we’re very good at talking story when it comes to having naysaying opinions heard (the p.c. phrase for whining).
It’s too late for anyone who hasn’t registered, but to be registered and still not vote? Simply not excusable, whether you’re here in Hawai‘i too, or somewhere else with elections happening tomorrow.
Vote, and Make it Count
Those of us who do vote, have to help the grumblers emerge from their negativity by making our own votes count: We have to vote, and we have to make the best possible choices we can make.
When you vote, you are selecting someone to be an Alaka‘i Manager of society: They will be a manager of civic action, a manager of community livelihood, and a manager of positive communication — communication which must turn negativity into the forward-thinking productivity of Ho‘ohana, and the meaningful, substantive progress of Mālama and ‘Imi ola. Communication which must rally society, and bring us together in the way of Lōkahi, Kākou, and the cooperative synergies of those values.
All of this brings 2 things to mind for me, as the voter and Managing with Aloha coach that I am. Intention and Ho‘ohiki – the ability to keep any campaign promises made, specifically those promises which do align with values that speak to the greater good of our community.
Good Intention
Intention is a word we use a lot in Managing with Aloha cultures, and for very good reason. Intention must be clear, for clarity responds to unanswered questions in a way that will spur next action.
It’s often difficult, and sometimes impossible, to get the complete consensus of everyone concerned by that answer, but action taken will spur the baby steps necessary to get an initiative started — to get the proverbial ball rolling. Change is always possible, and if you erred, you can change course as you proceed, but there’s now more action-based experience to substantiate and better inform the decision-making that follows.
Language of Intention (MWA Key Concept 5 ) makes sure all of these things are well communicated. This is where I find that most candidates do a poor job in election season. Despite all the money spent, they don’t do that well in communicating their ideas and their plans to us. Voting becomes our best guess.
In many voting municipalities these days, money talks the loudest, as a way we determine “true intention” — who is paying for the ad, and for the other campaigning done, and what are their motives? Do those motives align with our values, or not? In other words, can you ignore the static noise (what is actually said) and accurately tune in to the signal (what is actually wanted as a result of power gained).
Expect that better always exists, and can always happen.
As we say in Managing with Aloha, lead with your positive expectancy!
Your “best guess” is something you must make, making it by exercising your right to vote. Voting is a privilege of democracy. The system may be flawed, but we still need it to work for us when elections are over and operations are switched back on.
What voters do, is create probable cause. Voters put the “reasonable grounds” in place so progress can happen.
Ho‘ohiki: Managers make promises they can keep.
In the context of voting for the right candidate, I described Ho‘ohiki as, “the ability to keep any campaign promises made, specifically those promises which do align with values that speak to the greater good of our community.”
And values? They drive behavior: Let’s Define Values
The kaona of Ho‘ohiki:
Hiki means ‘Can do.’ Ability is present, and it awaits intention and/or opportunity.
To Ho‘o is to ‘Make happen.’
Thus Ho‘ohiki is to deliver, and to deliver fully.
— On Ho‘ohiki: Keeping your promises
Do your best to tune into a candidate’s signals as their true promises.
Do your best to tune into a ballot initiative’s signals as it’s value-based promise. (I have Tumblr’d the ballot initiative resource links for those who live in Hawai‘i.)
Please, don’t walk into the ballot box unprepared, and planning to vote on impulse, or on static noise.
Do your best to shut out the noisy static of wayward intentions, and make your best guess about who your most promising candidate will be — promising as an Alaka‘i Manager driven by the values best for our community, values we constantly learn of in Managing with Aloha as the behavior drivers they are.
If Language of Intention has faltered, and it is still a best guess for you, you’ll be the one to turn best guess into most probable outcome. Creating probable cause via value-drivers is something I know a Managing with Aloha values-learner can do: It’s something I trust in you completely for, because I know who we are as the Ho‘ohana Community.
See you at the polls tomorrow. We Ho‘ohana Kākou, and always will.
Rosa
From the Aloha Archives: The Manager’s Oath
Promises are made in context, and the person making his or her promise is wise to frame it well, opting for best timing, while being sensitive to caveats which seem to negate their good intentions.
The case can be well made for promises which are wonderful to make, and magnificent in their keeping, for they mark significant beginnings where, “The best is yet to come.”
Management is one of those cases, as managing meant.
A promise helps make management a partnership rather than a directive.Here is a sampling of promises every Alaka‘i Manager can challenge themselves to make. Collectively, I think of them as a manager’s oath, and a manager’s growth.
- I promise to be clear, and to tell the truth, even when it is difficult to do so.
- I promise to listen to you with positive expectancy, even when you’re feeling negative.
- I promise to be your coach, and to be your partner. I promise to be a good boss.
- I promise to provide you with the resources you need from me, and help you find others.
- I promise to make work safe for you, both physically and emotionally.
- I promise to learn with you, and innovate with you, keeping our work interesting, joyful and worthwhile.
- I promise to converse with you regularly, and help you find growth in our partnership.
- I promise to answer your concerns, and to follow up when I say I will. I promise to keep my word.
- I promise to believe in you, and be your mentor and champion even when you don’t believe in yourself.
- I promise I will question you when I should be smart enough, and brave enough to do so.
- I promise I will challenge you to be better, and to fill your capacities, helping you banish boredom and complacency, replacing those ills with curiosity and wonder.
- I promise I will constantly encourage you, talking you through your mistakes, and helping you ‘fail forward’ whenever setbacks happen.
- I promise I will never, ever, take you for granted.
- I promise to be trustworthy, so you always feel you can confide in me.
- I promise to behave well, aspiring to consistently be the person you can admire and look up to.
