Question to All: We Need to Coin New terms that Express our Vision of Equality in Dignity
Dear HumanDHS Friends!
May I come to you with a question!
As you know, we wish to “walk the talk” and express equality in dignity also in our organizational procedures and structure.
We are particularly careful with titles that emphasize hierarchy. We wish to highlight functional hierarchy (the pilot of a plane needs to be the boss!), but avoid unecessarily essentializing hierarchy.
For a long time, I used the term “Founding Manager” to describe myself. However, I felt that this did not really was a functional title. Linda proposed that I experiment with “Founding Director and President.” I accepted, not least because our beloved late Don Klein always wanted me to use this title.
However, I feel that this is an unsuitable title as well. Somehow, it seems, we need to coin new terms, terms that express our vision of equality in dignity and functional hierarchy.
Please see dear Michael Britton’s ideas further down!
Most thankfully!
Evelin
On 12/11/2007, Michael Britton kindly wrote:
Hi Evelin,
Trapped between the hierarchy-trance-induction terminology of CEO and being unrecognized as of any status without the label. What a choice.
I am thinking of something that includes the word “Chief” and the word network, with another word as to what you do re. the network.
Maybe Chief of Network Organization (CNO). Chief Network Organizer. Chief Network Entrepreneur (CNE)
It cannot end up being CON, which connotes con-artist, fakir, cheat and the like!!!
Chief of Network Operations. Chief Network Officer (like chief finanical officer and chief manufacturing officer, CFO and CMO).
Chief of Network Growth.
Chief of Network Globalization (CNG) Not bad.
Chief of Intergalactic Time-Warp Communications Via Interstellar Worm Hole Technology. A little on the long side.
Some of them have the advantage of being easily grasped by people who don’t readily think twice about anything. Chief of Network Globalization. Chief Network Officer. Chief of Network Organization.
Does this help?
With love,
Michael B.
On 19/11/2007, Brian Ward kindly wrote:
Dear Evelin
One idea for your title:
Founding Nurturer of Human DHS (An organization where all participants have equal status and walk the talk of equal dignity for all)
Maybe somewhere handy on the website there needs to be an explanation of the philosophical difference between HDHS and traditional organizational structures.
Kind regards
Brian
On 19/11/2007, Francisco Gomes de Matos kindly wrote:
Hi, Evelin
Here are my suggestions, inspired by the bright sun outside:
- LIND - Leader of International Network for Dignity (a pronounceable acronym, right?)
More consicely, and therefore more easily memorable, retrievable:
- LDN - Leader of Dignity Network
In the perspective of Creativity, an alternate term could bed the variant for LIND, that is
- LUDN - Leader of Universal Network for Dignity
Somehow, I don’t like the word Chief, possibly due to some associations it generates in my mind. On the other hand, LEADER is a positive word, being used of persons in all walks of life: spiritual, educational, political, etc.
You ARE a leader, Evelin. A HUMANIZING leader. The quality/attribute LEADER is most appropriate.
In my perspective (of HUMANIZER) I would also suggest:
- HDN - Humanizer of Dignity Network
Even though I don’t like Chief, I would still see it in combination with another word, so:
combining Humanizing+ Chef we could have something like this:
- HCDN Humanizing Chief for Dignity Network
or still, to keep this fascinating wordplaying and seek sense and sensitivity:
- CHDN - Chief for Humanizing Dignity Network
Hope this wordplay will be useful
Sunniest rays
Francisco
On 19/11/2007, Francisco Gomes de Matos kindly wrote:
Dear Evelin,
The name/acronym which to me most appropriately describes what you do is
LIND = Leader of International Network for Dignity.
As you can see, it is embedded in your surname/last name. How do you like it?
Chief sounds businesslike, militarylike,etc
You are a leader ….
Sunniest regards,
Francisco
On 20/11/2007, Brian Ward kindly wrote:
Hello Evelin and Francisco
This discussion on leadership and titles has got me thinking more! To me there are two types of leadership, I believe people get confused between the two:
Leadership in an administrative or authorative sense (manager) – This form of ‘leadership’ is for the select few and we have come to attach hierarchical status to it. (I call it false leadership). True leaders can not be appointed.
Leadership in a creative sense (groundbreaker) – this is true leadership and everyone is a true leader (or have, or need to have the knowledge they are). Francisco is a true leader in the creativity and inspiration he brings to linguistics, to me he leads me in an infectious way to think of peace words in many different ways.
Evelin – you make the point that the pilot has to be the boss of the aeroplane. In reality is not the pilot the boss because passengers have appointed him so, that is they are prepared to get on the plane and trust him/her with their lives. This is knowledge and experienced based trust. In the concept of Ubunutu the pilot is only a pilot because the people have made him/her so. Knowledge and experience based trust is sustainable only if there is ongoing continual improvement.
I see leadership in everyone!
Kind regards
Brian
On 21/11/2007, Francisco Gomes de Matos kindly wrote:
Hi, Evelin
…
To keep on searching for an appropriate label, here´s a couple of additional suggestions:
A traditional suggestion (in which Manager is used)
Manager of International Network for Dignity. This would translated through the acronym MIND, a visual reminder of the mental marvel shared by all of us
A creative suggestion ( in which the verb activate is nominalized with an extended meaning)
Activator of Network for Human Dignity. The resulting acronym could be ANHD. ANHD would be a visual variant of AND. The noun Activator could be enhanced and become Creactivator …. A dual meaning would be embedded therein: Evelin as a creative (all of us are…) and Evelin as an activator (that would be her additional managing, directing, responsibility).
One more possibility: let’s call her CreActivator of the Human Dignity Network (leaving “international” implicit). The corresponding acronym would be CAHDN!
For simplicity sake, ANHD would best impact visually and phonetically.
Evelin would become
Activator of Network for Human Dignity.
By doing that, we would avoid the traditional terms manager, chief, leader, and the like. The noun Activator would be humanized…
Hope these reflections will be fruitful
Sunniest rays to all,
Francisco
On 22/11/2007, Francisco Gomes de Matos kindly sent us this poem, please see also http://humiliationstudies.org/intervention/peacelinguistics.php#creactivators:
CreACTIVATORS
A poem plea by Francisco Gomes de Matos
As chiefs, many may be known
As leaders, many may be named
as bosses, many may be grown
As HUMANIZERS, few may be famed
Needed today: creACTIVATORS
who can both create and direct
by interacting as motivators
who build confidence and affect
Alan Black kindly wrote to Francisco (30 Nov 2007):
I have been teaching workshops and college courses on leading and leadership for over 20 years.
Among the many leadership books I have in my library I chose 100 of them about 5 years ago and reviewed them for the traits that the various authors felt leaders should possess.
The results included over 400.
What I teach my students, mostly high ranking police, public safety, fire officers, is that we need to be continuously training our leaders: present and future.
We also need to study our organizations, workplaces and teams for what traits of leading or leadership are truly needed at the time.
One of the books that I recommend people read is
FROM BARBARIAN TO BUREAUCRAT
By Lawrence M. Miller
As with the Life Cycle of a product businesses also experience life cycles and I believe families to countries also experience life cycles or continually changing situations.
As situations change leaders/organization/families/classrooms need different types of leading and leadership.
Also I believe that most people do not need leaders most of the time.
Here are some traits I share with my students/participants after I have them review about 150 from 5 books on leadership.
12 Cornerstones of Productive Leading - these come from surveys I did with hundreds of my Community Leadership Group Retreats over about 12 years:
1. Communication
2. Consistent
3. Centered
4. Compromise
5. Confidence
6. Caring
7. Creditability
8. Control
9. Commitment
10. Creative
11. Challenges
12. Competence
52 creative thinking traits:
Abstract, can easily move from reality to
Adaptable
Breakthrough from Current Limits, can
Change of Context (cross-interpretation)
Combination of Ideas/Facts (Synthesis)
Curious
Divergent thinker
Elaborative - in drawing, speaking
Energetic
Fantasy life when young
Fantasize, able to
Feelings & Emotions, expresses
Feelings & Emotions, senses
Flexible in problem situations
Flexible thinker - creates different types of ideas
Fluent - produces many ideas
Future oriented
Humor, unique sense of
Humor, varied sense of
Humorous Perspective
Idealistic
Imaginative
Independent
Ingenious
Learning, always
Movement & Sound (Sense change)
Multiple Idea Combinations
Non-conforming
Not motivated by money
Observant, highly
Open-ended
Openness-resisting early closure or completion
Original - uniqueness
Passionate about their work
Perceives world differently
Perspective, Internal easily sees in to problems & things
Perspective, Macro Scale [seeing from larger view]
Provocative Viewpoint, takes
Question asker
Richness & Colorful Detail in thinking and communicating
See possibilities
Self- knowledgeable
Self-actualizing
Self-disciplined
Sense of destiny
Sensitive
Severely critical of self, their work, potential of area of focus and the potential of other people
Specific interests
Synthesize correctly often intuitively
Tolerant of ambiguity
Unusual Viewpoint, sees from, easily
Visualize sensory or imaginary/intuitive