Full Participation

“Work joyfully and peacefully, knowing that right thoughts and right efforts inevitably bring about right results.” ~ James Allen, British philosophical writer (1864-1912)

I had spent the better part of a month working on the project. The power point and excel spreadsheet, which would accompany the presentation, had required a full week of work. Now the day had come for the presentation. I was as nervous a cat in a room full of rocking chairs. Except, around this table sat executives not rocking chairs. One could almost smell the stench of corporate politics in the air.

My boss, a senior vice president and a savvy corporate politician in his own right, gave me and the project a brief introduction. Now I was on my own. I was barely through the title slide when the onslought of questions began. Some were things I would cover later on in the presentation, some were unanticipated and some seemed to come from beyond left field.

All too quickly my well planned presentation degenerated into a verbal free-for-all of questions, objections and suggestions. The excel spreadsheet I had so painstakingly created was “toast” within 10 minutes. Different information, different formatting even a different font and font size were requested. It felt like I was digging a trench in a sand dune. The harder I worked the faster it back-filled.

50 minutes later, it was over. The Execs filed out telling jokes and making lunch plans. I stood there staring at my laptop as if it had betrayed me somehow. My boss came up beside me unnoticed. When I finally sensed his presence I turned to face him. “That went well,” I sighed sarcastically. “Actually, it did,” he replied with a grin. “I got totally leveled!” I exclaimed. “They completely changed everything.”

“Did you really expect this group would accept everything you presented carte blanche?” I looked at him blankly. “You couldn’t possibly have foreseen every objection, anticipated every question and guessed what they might be thinking; you don’t know their operations, their blind spots or what problems they may be facing.”

“But, I thought that was my job.” I sighed. “This was a test balloon” he continued. If we were going into production tomorrow it would be different.” “As it is, we are off to a great start, with lots of options, ideas and alternatives.” He smiled thoughtfully. “Rue the day when the only alternatives you have are you own.” “Come on, I’ll buy you lunch.”

In our modern culture we are conditioned to win, to be right all the time, to be in control and to make all the right moves. It is as if life was a game show and to win we have to have all the right answers. Real life doesn’t operate like that though the media would have us believe it does.

Being right all the time is overrated and having all the right answers is unrealistic. The right answer today may be the wrong answer tomorrow. We now know the “food pyramid” of the fifties, full of red meat and cholesterol laden foods, was a death sentence. Physicians, at one time, publicly endorsed various brands of cigarettes. Things change. So do the answers.

Does this mean most of us should step back and let a few gifted people make all the decisions? In point of fact, life has little to do with “product” and a lot to do with “process”. This does not mean results are not important, but their pursuit at the cost of everything else can leave us wallowing in self pity and doubt.

The day I walked into that conference room I thought I had to have everything figured out and all the right answers to all the questions…even those from left field. My boss knew my preparations were only a platform for discussion, a place to start, a peg in the sand. I had not labored in vain, but I eventually realized I had simply created the foundation, not built the building.

As good stewards of our time we are called to full and active participation in life and in so doing we improve the quality of life for others. Understanding what this participation means is the key. It is part of a much greater process. This form of humble participation can still provide beneficial results, but without the pressure of always having the right answer and the guilt when we do not.

Dear God: Remind me I am called to full and active participation.

“Results! Why, man, I have gotten a lot of results. I know several thousand things that won't work.” ~Thomas A. Edison, American inventor (1847-1931)

© 2011 James E. Carper. All rights reserved.

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