Ho‘omau: Reveal the Good, and Make it Last

IF you are a MWAC “regular,” our value for the month of November should prove to be a good complement to the past month’s study of Nānā i ke kumu. In short, we will move from “Source and Truth” to “best continuity.”

IF you are new to MWAC, you will find that this value is immediately applicable for you given the current state of affairs in the world. It is a value I think of as a kind of “anchor in the storm.”

I am looking forward to the month to come for both reasons. Ho‘omau is the value of persistence and perseverance. The objective of this value is getting all which is good in our lives to be more pervasive and long lasting. Doesn’t that sound great?

Our value for the month of November 2008, is presented in Chapter 4 of Managing with Aloha;

Ho‘omau Perseverance and Persistence. To continue, to perpetuate.  Never give up. ~ Ho‘omau. Anything worth having is worth working for. Persistence is often the defining quality between those who fail and those who succeed. ~ There is never much satisfaction in giving up, and Ho‘omau is the value that will cause you to continue, to persevere in your efforts, and to perpetuate those that have worked well. ~ Celebrate your strengths in the face of all adversity. The obstacles that test you can actually make you stronger. ~ Ho‘omau. Persevere. Never give up. Cause the good in your life to last.

I had written this within my Managing with Aloha manuscript back in 2003, and as I sit here today, the words again apply, feeling almost too real for comfort:

“In my own personal striving within the business environment the last few years, Ho‘omau would be the single word that caused me to focus on what was most important and move forward with resolution, determination and confidence, for Ho‘omau encompasses all of these qualities. Ho‘omau will always be the value reminding me I can be bigger than my perceived adversity, for anything worth having is worth working for.”

Those words feel starkly real again given our economic struggles universally, however because Ho‘omau is a personal value for me, there is only enough discomfort to be useful discontent — to push me toward positive actions which corral my energies wisely and keep me optimistic.

That is my goal in the writing I will present to you here this month: I want to share that feeling of optimism I have — yes! Even right now in this global recession we find ourselves in. I feel there are silver linings in these storm clouds, and we need to feel their comforting assurance. Ho‘omau will help us do so.

Also from that 2003 manuscript, and also true today:

“I wanted to get the job done; I did not want an excuse not to.”

From Values and Strengths to Anchors and Compass Points

A note about our continuity:

I have also chosen Ho‘omau for November because it connects so very well to Ho‘ohana (September) and Nānā i ke kumu (October). If you are a manager using our MWAC self-coaching in your workplace, you will find it easy to repeat and reinforce what you’ve brought to your team over the past few weeks.
[Find a refresher on spaced repetition here: Managers: Are You Teaching? Know Can Do!]

We have a value of the month program here to model the “MWA way” for you:

I strongly encourage you to have your own campaigns of monthly intention in your life design (‘Imi ola) and within your work (your Ho‘ohana), whether you choose the same values or similar ones of your own (Choose your values). The habit-forming nature of doing so creates a beating of positive rhythm for your spirit in much the same way your heartbeat does so for your body’s best health. This is the vibrant rhythm of the lifelong learner (‘Ike loa) who is building their growth capacity (Palena ‘ole) by constantly weaving their values (Value-alignment) and their strengths (Strengths-management) into their intentional daily work (Ho‘ohana). A value of the month program is an easy-to-adopt pattern of self-leadership (Alaka‘i).

Over the past two months we have talked quite a bit about your values and your strengths in the context of the values of Ho‘ohana (intentional work) and Nānā i ke kumu (source and truth). Values teach us to seek goodness by their very nature, and the assumption we make is that the best path will also be the right path, a good path.

During November, I want you to think about the ideas, concepts and goals you have that you think about as your anchors or your compass points along that path:

Anchors:
An anchor keeps a ship in place when its crew is not intentionally steering it (such as when they are at rest or play in a safe harbor), or when there needs to be added resistance in stormy seas.

It is a great metaphor for our work as well. We have certain things which anchor us when we need them to: An example is diversification as the ‘business anchor’ of multiple revenue streams, one everyone is finding they should have in today’s economy. Our study of Ho‘omau will help you identify your anchors, and remind you to maintain them.

Compass Points:
Compass points are directional. No ship remains in safe harbor very long. Once a crew is refreshed they become restless, anxious to use their innately held talents (Strengths-management) on the next voyage. They head out to sea, however always with some direction in mind, and an unwavering commitment to the compass point they have chosen.

This, November 2008, is a time where you have a choice between waiting it out (whether in safe harbor or raging sea) or following a compass point to your future, now and on your own terms instead of simply waiting for everyone else. Ho‘omau will encourage you to choose your direction and set sail.

Seafaring voyagers will also set sail when conditions are less than balmy. They are not foolish and they know when it is best to wait out a truly raging storm, but ocean swells are natural occurrences; high seas might represent adversity, but they are not obstacles. Seafarers with a passion for their Ho‘ohana know that “anything worth having is worth working for.”

They choose to set sail.

Our November Tuesdays

These are the topics I plan to write on within our every-Tuesday publishing schedule here on Managing with Aloha Coaching:

Tuesday, November 11 — Understanding the Kaona in your Language of Intention

“As a manager, I found that the beauty of speaking the Hawaiian values was their promise of more meaning with far less words. Values are textured with hidden meanings for different people, yet these varied and unique interpretations will always circle back to the good intent at the very heart of the value in mind.”
—from Managing with Aloha, page 59

Tuesday, November 18 — Decision-Making and Decision-Management

“People are more apt to invest in and be committed to their own decisions than they are to following the marching orders of a leader—even a leader they respect and trust to make decisions for them.”
—from Managing with Aloha, page 58

Tuesday, November 25 — Not just ‘again.’ Ho‘omau better.

“As a manager, Ho‘omau challenges you to have a carefully crafted plan that makes good business sense. You cannot have a strategy that will both motivate and support your staff without sound business objectives to ground you. Working hard is not good enough, you have to work smart. You need a great plan with evolving dynamics of its own, responsive to the ever-changing needs of your business. It’s part of your responsibility as a leader.”
—from Managing with Aloha, page 61

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We will Ho‘ohana together, Kākou.

~Rosa

Comments

[Lou Sartori]

Rosa:

You have hit a home run with this month's value of Ho'omau. Your point is well taken that if there ever was a time to have patience and perseverance it is truly now. I also like your analogies of anchors and compass points. I'm really looking forward to more for the month of November. Keep up the good work.

Lou Sartori
Louisville, KY

[Rosa Say]

Mahalo nui loa Lou, thanks so much! Getting feedback like this from you helps me to Ho'omau, and continue with the writing I do here. I am so happy the analogy resonates with you.

[Lynne Gilliland Garber]

Rosa

One of my favorite stories about perseverance is one I heard about George Washington. An author of a book about Washington said that he was not a great military strategist but that one of the main reasons he won the war was that he persevered. He never gave up. Knowing that bit of knowledge has served me well when I am feeling like things are going nowhere fast.

I enjoy your addition about patience. They go together like hand and glove but I did not think about that before.

Thanks

Lynne

[Rosa Say]

Aloha Lynne, thank you for the story you've shared, doubly inspiring during this time when we have just elected our 44th president of the United States!

Patience can be quite a discipline, can't it. There is a big difference between "waiting it out" (until risk is lessened) and "waiting patiently for the best opportunity" (where risk is leveraged). I think of Ho'omau as this certainty that perseverance goes with the more positive expectancy; persistence then, is not stubborn, but confident.

[Maria Palma]

Hi Rosa,

Thank you so much for your inspiration! This post is very timely and it has touched me on a very personal level as I am facing some adversity in my own life. It's interesting how things show up (like this article) when you need it most.

All the best to you!

[Rosa Say]

Wonderful Maria, knowing this may have helped to any degree puts me on cloud nine! Mahalo nui loa - thank you so much for the comment to let me know.

And Maria, knowing you as I do, I am quite sure you will triumph, with your adversity only serving to make you stronger: I know you will emerge from it with certainty and clarity.