And what you might ask, kind of St. Patrick’s Day is that?
Well, you tell me. When you think of St. Patrick’s Day, what associations do you make, and what values does the day give you an opportunity to newly, or differently, align with?
A value opportunity is one where you can use a common world view (March 17th is quite universally regarded as St. Patrick’s Day) to reinforce the value messages you want to herald and make sticky in your company (i.e. come to increased alignment with organizational culture).
For example, remember what we did on Valentine’s Day, and how it turned out?
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Let’s say you want to promote a value of diversity, or one of community sensitivity and integration: St. Patrick’s Day is a wonderful opportunity for a Sense of Place discussion during one of your workplace huddles, or as an ice-breaker if this happens to be a day you are conducting a seminar or workplace orientation. Most of us think of leprechauns, shamrocks, the Slainte toast, and other things associated with the luck of the Irish – great time to have fun with a discussion on how much of your company success has been carefully crafted, or honestly attributed to strokes of luck.
So let’s raise the ante a bit more personally, and bring this back to Ho‘ohanohano.
By now you know that while Ho‘ohanohano is pretty multi-layered as the value of dignity and respect, I have this predilection toward the one phrase I associate with Ho‘ohanohano most of all: To conduct oneself with distinction.
Figuring out our own ‘distinction’ or ‘signature of being’ is a character-building, promises made and kept to myself kind of journey; a self-mastery of becoming unique and special for your self-attuned awareness.
To others, your distinction lies in the credibility of your character and reputation.
With all due respect to the man and what he did achieve (not easy being canonized as a Saint) most of us don't know all that much about St. Patrick: he mostly lives in urban legend...
"Today we raise a glass of warm green beer to a fine fellow, the Irishman who didn't rid the land of snakes, didn't compare the Trinity to the shamrock, and wasn't even Irish. St. Patrick, who died 1,507, 1,539, or 1,540 years ago today—depending on which unreliable source you want to believe—has been adorned with centuries of Irish blarney. Innumerable folk tales recount how he faced down kings, negotiated with God, tricked and slaughtered Ireland's reptiles."
~ From St. Patrick: No snakes. No shamrocks. Just the facts. by David Plotz
Besides being recognized as a patron Saint of Ireland, and one who spent the "last 30 years there, baptizing pagans, ordaining priests, and founding churches and monasteries" what do we know of St. Patrick? What was his distinction?
Writing the article above for About.com, David Plotz says, "His persuasive powers must have been astounding: Ireland fully converted to Christianity within 200 years and was the only country in Europe to Christianize peacefully. Patrick's Christian conversion ended slavery, human sacrifice, and most intertribal warfare in Ireland."
Wow. I'd say you'd have to possess some pretty powerful, persuasive personal values to achieve that, wouldn't you?
So again, when you think of St. Patrick's Day, what personal distinction would you like to be known for throughout the days to come?
Have some fun with your self-reflection on Ho‘ohanohano today: How cool if you were the star of some urban legend one day! What fanciful story would you hope is told about you, hmmm?
~~~Rosa
From the Talking Story archives: St. Patrick and The Menehune (March 2005)
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