Ho‘omaha 2006

Aloha, and thank you for clicking in to Talking Story.

As I write this I am beginning the first day of my Ho‘omaha, an annual sabbatical that I, and those in my ‘Ohana in Business take to reflect on the past year, and prepare in the best possible way (‘Imi ola) for the next one. We “nalu it,” that is, we succumb to the flow of the season, blending our business lives with our personal lives, and taking the time to savor the wonder and the joy of the holidays with family and friends.

We will return in mid-January to celebrate Kalā hiki ola with you. Kalā hiki ola translates to ‘the dawning of a new day’ and it is the Hawaiian value we associate with Makahiki, the New Year.

Since the web never sleeps, we keep the light on here at the Talking Story lanai for you. Therefore, since 2004 it has become my fortune-kissed habit to end my blogging year on Talking Story with two postings, each intended to have visitors both returning and newly arrived feel embraced by the mission of Managing with Aloha and the abundant warmth of the Ho‘ohana Community.

So pull up a chair and get comfortable; I am glad you are here.

Hō‘ike‘ike 2006

The post before this one is our annual Hō‘ike‘ike, the Hawaiian word I have chosen for a blog carnival of postings which feature many of the bloggers of Talking Story’s Ho‘ohana Community. They are asked to contribute a post they feel is one of the best they had written over the past year on managing or leading, for the mission of Managing with Aloha is to bring Aloha to workplaces everywhere through the working arts of management and leadership.

When you click to Hō‘ike‘ike twenty-seven links await you (double that with our authors’ home pages); it is a treasure. It is the tenth forum I have done on Talking Story because I so strongly believe in its value; one of the final articles I had written for 2006 was for Joyful Jubilant Learning which shares more about my belief: Learning Through Blog Forums.

Ho‘omaha 2006

This posting features The Best of Talking Story over the past year. In 2006 I had deliberately decided to ‘have less be more’ and post less often, aiming to give you higher quality per article, and tightening our focus on the month’s Ho‘ohana theme. Still, the momentum-building receptivity of this wonderful community ended up in exactly 200 more articles for our archives.

I arrive at this compilation by community choice, not mine, and two Talking Story features always grab the top spots as runaway winners; our monthly Ho‘ohana essays and our forums. So this year, I decided to separate them out, and they both are listed in their own index at the end of the year’s bests. Mahalo nui to Dwayne Melancon for the Talking Story gift card he created for my photo image!

Enjoy your reading. It is my genuine wish that what you experience here will be counted among your blessings this holiday season, and until we arrive here together again in January, I send you my warmest aloha.
Rosa Say

These are listed in chronological order, as they appeared on these pages from January through December of 2006;

1. Ho‘omau and Your Language of Intention
2. Ho‘omau; Reveal Strengths and Talents
3. Aloha and Your Thought’s Fingerprints
4. Catch a Rising Star—yours
5. Follow up! It’s Not What You Say… It’s What You Do
6. Read Short and Deep
7. On the Kūlia i ka nu‘u warpath: The Compensation Enemy
8. From Wordsmithing to Walking the Talk of Great Leadership
9. Adding Value to Performance Reviews
10. Variables of the Monday or Friday Decision
11. To Show You Care, Show Your Respect
12. Coffee, Ho‘ohana, and Syncopated Rhythm
13. The Effect of a Leader, Starbucks Style
14. Got a job to fill? Tell it like it is
15. The Reinvention of Human Resources
16. A Great List Every Child Should Have
17. Joy at Work; There’s something in it for all of us
18. Red, White and Blue Virtues
19. The Trend of Leader Led Learning
20. The Generosity of Listening
21. Ask “Why?” Five Times
22. Disciplined Goals versus BHAGs
23. Thriving in a Structured Life
24. Learning Needs A Cool Factor
25. The “Good Fat” in MWA Businesses
26. Read with the Intent to Learn: Milk It
27. Comfy with My-Tech GTD
28. Correcting Behavior, Preserving Self Esteem
29. They are “Visitor Demons” NOT “Inner Demons”
30. An Author’s Perfect Gift

These were our Forums for Talking Story in 2006, and to my great delight, they culminated with a brand new blog home for the Ho‘ohana Community called Joyful Jubilant Learning.com.

February: Our Second Annual Love Affair with Books
May: Reinventions at Work and in Business
September: Joyful Jubilant Learning 2006: 120 Ways and Counting

For your convenience, an index to our Ho‘ohana Essays of 2006:

• January: Ho‘omau; Cause the Good to Last
• February: Aloha; The Intent of Great Managers
• March: Kūlia i ka nu‘u! The Best We Can Be
• April: Mālama; What is Caring in business and at work?
• May: Lōkahi; How Managers Affect Teams
• June: Le‘ale‘a — Let’s Play!
• July: Lokomaika‘i, Giving and Generosity
• August: ‘Imi ola, Form and Function
• September: LEARNING, A Place of Knowing and of Practiced Believing
• October: Nalu it! Go With the Flow.
• November: When Parenting Works
• December: Nānā i ke kumu, Look to Your Source

Comments

[Lucas McDonnell]

What an incredible idea and a great site. There's definitely more here that I want to read, so I'll be back to check it out again soon. Keep up the great work.

[Rosa]

Aloha Lucas, thank you. Welcome to the Ho‘ohana Community; I shall look forward to your visits!

[Jodee Bock]

Rosa, you are truly a kind and gentle soul - and I'm blessed and grateful for you in the world! Happiest of holidays to you and I'll look forward to more connections in 2007! Love and light from North Dakota!

[Rosa]

Aloha Jodee, mahalo nui for your kindness and generosity of heart, lokomaika‘i. That of knowing each other is a blessing we share! Much joy and aloha to you now and throughout the coming year.

[Leah Maclean]

Wishing you a very merry Christmas Rosa. Thank you for your enthusiasm, authenticity and insights this year. I know that you have inspired many people this year, and you can count me in that number. Here's to a 2007 chock full of good health, good friends, and great opportunities.

Best wishes - Leah

[Rosa]

Thank you so much Leah! A very merry Christmas to you and your family as well, and I am quite confident that together we will make 2007 even better.

[sham]

Hi Rosa,
Its a wonderful idea. You blog is really great.It has some useful links and some insightful posts.
Thank you. You can count on me to keeping returning to your blog :-)

Sham

[Rosa]

Aloha Sham, what a warm comment for me to return from my vacation to! Welcome to the Ho‘ohana Community; I shall look forward to your return!
Much aloha,
Rosa