Over the past couple of months, I had the privilege to be a part of something magical. It all started when a great fella named Dave Rothacker had a hair-brained idea: wouldn’t it be neat if a group of people took a book which had a lot of shared meaning – each signing it with something nice – and sent it back to the author? Dave, being the hardboiled optimist that he is, dismissed the difficulties of coordinating such a feat. He didn’t care that the book would need to touch over thirty people dispersed throughout North America and Europe. He also stuck out his tongue at the very thought of trying to do this during the busiest time of year for mailing services – the Christmas/end of December holidays. And yet, it all worked better than anyone could have dreamed.

Those of us who make up Rosa Say’s Ho’ohana Community got a chance to let Rosa know how much she means to each of us. All of us have read her book, Managing with Aloha, and have been inspired to bring more of ourselves to our work. What started with Dave’s humble, yet powerful, idea snowballed into a project of love that involved each person giving something of themselves. Folks in the community coordinated personal handoffs with each other, they took pictures of themselves and the book, they wrote notes in the margins detailing how a particular part of the book made an impact on them.

It brings a smile to my face just imagining (and reading a recent email to the Community) how Rosa feels. All of us who write want to know on some level just how much of an impact their words have on others. In the end, what turned out to be just a book was transformed into a living testament of how one person has made a difference in the world.

All of this is a gracious and beautiful reminder that the best gifts are those given with simple intentions. Creating the gift may not always be easy, but when offered with true love from the brightest light of the soul, the gift assumes a power that is truly magical. And it encourages greater acts of light and love in other ways and in other places. Those of us in the Ho’ohana Community now ask, "What else can we do now?"

Cheers, Rosa. Your magic begets even more magic by those who are blessed to know you.

The blogging has been sparse lately and for that I apologize. It’s the result of having a few extra irons in the fire.

The day work for my association has required a new intensity in the past couple of weeks. As we enter a new year, my CEO and Board are placing greater emphasis on my team’s work in membership development. With so much of my association’s financial well being resting on its ability to generate membership income, it’s the kind of experience that will test all of our talents and skills.

And I’m also working on getting back to completing my Masters degree in Organizational Management (that is, if they haven’t already kicked me out of the program for taking an unauthorized absence).

At home, my oldest just celebrated her 7th birthday, which is always an occasion that lovingly requires a lot of time and effort. The party didn’t go so well this year, but it’s probably the first "just okay" one we’ve had out of six efforts. Not bad and we learned a few things to always do differently for Leah and her younger sister.

I also realized that I was placing a bit too much emphasis on my career and professional ambitions and ignoring the needs of my wife. Unfortunately, she was getting the remainder of me so I’ve been spending more time with her and being more attentive. My challenge is working back toward the integration of both family and my ever-evolving professional work.

Speaking of ever-evolving professional work…I am excited to say that on February 1, 2006, I will be launching a side project that has been in the works ever since my last attempt at a solo gig. Armed with new knowledge and entrepreneurial experience, I think this will be a great (and longer-lived) initiative. I’ll have more details shortly.

So, please excuse the relative infrequence of posts over the next couple of weeks. I promise…I’ll make it up to you.

The Harvard Business Review’s issue for January 2006 is devoted wholly to decision-making. I’m about one-quarter of the way through the magazine where there is an article called Decisions and Desire by Gardiner Morse. It focuses on the neuroscience behind our decision-making capacity and the growing proof that "we have dog brains, basically, with a human cortex stuck on top, a veneer of civilization."

Now, before you get excited about the fact that scientists compare your brains to those of your faithful pooch, consider this: without that mammalian part of the brain, we couldn’t laugh, cry, or find contentment. We also wouldn’t be able to make a decision since this is an ability that takes some combination of emotion along with logic.

Later in the article, Morse addresses some of the why behind our attitudes toward money in our careers. Whereas an economist might argue that people work because they place value on the things that money can buy, a neuroscientist could argue that "chasing money is its own reward." Apparently, we have a region of the brain called the nucleus accumbens which is where our desires originate. In an experiment, scientists observed the reactions of test subjects who were presented with the prospect of receiving money. The higher the potential monetary reward, the more active the accumbens became. However, once the money was received, activity in this area of the brain ceased which led researchers to conclude that it was the anticipation rather than the actual monetary reward which aroused the subjects.

All of this seems to explain why we might decide to chase another job for better pay, but often find the same old problems in the new environment. And that’s not to say that better pay isn’t a reason to leave one organization for another. What it does mean is that it’s absolutely essential to be honest with ourselves and develop a good decision-making model. After the chase for a new organization is over, what then? Will it fulfill those other needs that might not be as sexy as money (like fulfillment and learning)?

In other words…can we live with the results after the thrill is gone?

My CEO just hit me with this particular bit of wisdom. And he’s right…we tend to put more effort into the things that we own. From my own experience, I’ve never washed a rental car and I’m more invested in the home that I own now than my previous home, which I rented. So, what are the implications of this?

As managers and executives…our employees will commit more fully to a project or task in which they feel they have some kind of ownership. Makes sense, right? Though, how many times do we plan and create projects and then start immediately delegating tasks? To seem benevolent, we might label the exercise as visionary leadership, but it’s just another form of power/control. That’s not to say that it isn’t okay to have a vision; we just have to remember that the best visions are those that incorporate the ideas and passions of our employees.

As employees…okay, say you’re working for the benevolent visionary leader, what then? Some choices include whining about the fact that you have little control over your work; or taking the more challenging (and I won’t lie, dangerous) path of making the task or project your own. Have an idea that deviates from the vision but believe will work? Do some homework and research why your idea will work and how you plan to implement it. Be thorough and dogged in your approach. And, if after making a few efforted pitches and your boss or project manager still doesn’t give them fair consideration, then perhaps it’s time to go someplace where your ideas will be taken fairly and seriously.

And as professionals…when we take ownership of something, there’s always a price to caring for it. If you’re serious about your career, then now is the time to own it. If you’re treating your career and your life like a rented 1984 Ford Escort, maybe it’s time to step up and become the owner of a shiny new Porsche (or if you’re more ecologically-minded, a Toyota Prius). Just make whatever it is fully your own.