I welcome you to this space and greet you with three assertions and an assumption:
Assertion: Life is fulfilling.
Assertion: You are stuck or blocked from fully appreciating (or even agreeing with) the first assumption.
Assertion: You don't have to be stuck or blocked.
Assumption: You love life, have an intrinsic belief that my assertions are right, and desire to get unstuck or unblocked.
If I'm wrong on the assumption this blog may not be for you. Of course, all are welcome. However, I will address each post to Viphilus ("lover of life") in an effort to be transparent about my assumption and who will find encouragement and help in this space.
I am a coach, trainer, mentor, equipper ... all in the context of being a fellow journeyman. Like millions of others on this same journey, my successes are as much a product of failed attempts and "good luck" as they are intentionally executed strategies and tactical maneuvering. Yet what I am noticing is that with each passing year, the successes are increasing, the failed attempts are decreasing, and intentional living is becoming more automated.
In short, I'm no longer blocked. My desire, Viphilus, is to help you also become unblocked ... but in much less time than it took me.
What's an Omega Block?
I shamelessly borrowed this term from my days as a meteorologist. My 32-year career with Environment Canada afforded me experiences ranging from forecasting for our Armed Forces to being a lead outreach officer to the marine community in Atlantic Canada to managing the operational forecast program for the Canadian Hurricane Centre. But I didn't need all that to understand this term.
Omega Block used to be terminology exclusive to meteorological textbooks and professional discourses. Today's instant-access world and a tech-savvy public has brought current computer forecast models and science-forum discussions to handheld devices and supper table conversation. Terms like Omega Block have become so common that Grade 5 children are being introduced to it in their geography lesssons.
An Omega Block is an atmospheric pattern where the upper-level wind flow (the jet stream) follows a river-like path that carves out the shape of a giant Greek letter omega. Here are a couple of images to make the point clearer than any number of words.
What's the big deal about Omega Blocks?
Before we get to the application, let see what they do in the atmosphere. When these patterns become established, they have the nature to become stubbornly entrenched and lock the weather patterns in for anywhere from 5 days to 2 weeks. Places that are fair weather remain fair weather while places that are unsettled and stormy remain unsettled and stormy. Experienced forecasters know that once an Omega Block becomes established, it takes quite a bit to shift or break that pattern, so the best short-medium range forecast is to maintain the status quo.
Why "Omega" anyway?
Thanks for your patience ... now please hang in with me for one more explanation. I would like to share where this came from and why I'm now working in this different arena full time.
Following a series of life-changing events in the early 2000s (which I will share in future blogs), I created an advanced training program for my local church in 2007. I called it, The Omega Program, which was intended to cooperate with God's process in helping Christians "complete the work that He began in them." (Philippians 1:6). The training includes dozens of core principles and hundreds of practices or practical applications for everyday life. The program has four independent training objectives, one being to help the Christian break the back of their self-sabotage ... their stubborn self-limiting, self-defeating and self-destructive habits. Whereas the famous "Alpha Program," was to introduce people to Jesus Christ, the "Omega Program," was to complete the work that He began in them. The program name was chosen as a provocative play-on-words, openly acknowledging that there is no formal link between the alpha and omega courses. Part of the rationale was that "omega," being the last letter in the Greek alphabet, indicates my desire to help people finish strong ("omega" to me represents endings). The rest of the rationale is based on the (arguably shallow) assumption that many people are primally driven to fancy things named after Greek letters. (hey - I never claimed it was noble or profound).
What I never dreamed, however, was how that church program would change my secular career; the biggest impacts of my church-efforts were really occurring at work. There was a spillover effect and somehow (mysteriously) I had become everyone's favourite GO-TO-GUY on things related to life-balance or effective-living. And despite being only a program manager, divisional managers and directors were seeking me out for advice on how to supervise, manage or lead people more effectively. It reached a point where I decided to become proactive and offer weekly lunch 'n learn sessions (for 3 months) which I called, "The Art & Science of Balancing Life." I was granted permission by both the HR director and the Regional Director General (it helped that both had known me for a couple decades and trusted that I wouldn't take it in inappropriate directions). Lunch 'n learns in my workplace typically attracted 5-10 people; really exciting ones would draw 15-20. My first session attracted over 60 people. I was overwhelmed. Things then started changing rapidly.
Over the next two years I was asked (formally) to teach, mentor, or coach individuals/teams on principles and practices of effective living. Finally, my organization marked a formal shift in my role as I was redeployed from being the "hurricane guy" to being the "life-balance guy." Between 2009-2012 I coordinated or oversaw my division's "life-balance initiatives," my branch's change-management initiatives, and my department's curriculum development and training in the area of people-management.
And here's the kicker - all (as in 100%) of the principles and practices that I share / teach / train / coach / mentor, are the same biblical principles that came out of the Omega Program at church. How did I get away with that in a federal government setting where religion cannot be openly promoted ... certainly within a sanctioned training program? Three reasons: 1) I provided the data to show that these principles are universal and work everywhere where human beings can be found ... and have worked since the beginning of human beings; 2) I taught them with a lot of discipline and passion and knew my subject matter well; 3) I taught them with gentleness and respect, always allowing for open debate, competing ideas and contradictory opinions.
What I never dreamed, however, was how that church program would change my secular career; the biggest impacts of my church-efforts were really occurring at work. There was a spillover effect and somehow (mysteriously) I had become everyone's favourite GO-TO-GUY on things related to life-balance or effective-living. And despite being only a program manager, divisional managers and directors were seeking me out for advice on how to supervise, manage or lead people more effectively. It reached a point where I decided to become proactive and offer weekly lunch 'n learn sessions (for 3 months) which I called, "The Art & Science of Balancing Life." I was granted permission by both the HR director and the Regional Director General (it helped that both had known me for a couple decades and trusted that I wouldn't take it in inappropriate directions). Lunch 'n learns in my workplace typically attracted 5-10 people; really exciting ones would draw 15-20. My first session attracted over 60 people. I was overwhelmed. Things then started changing rapidly.
Over the next two years I was asked (formally) to teach, mentor, or coach individuals/teams on principles and practices of effective living. Finally, my organization marked a formal shift in my role as I was redeployed from being the "hurricane guy" to being the "life-balance guy." Between 2009-2012 I coordinated or oversaw my division's "life-balance initiatives," my branch's change-management initiatives, and my department's curriculum development and training in the area of people-management.
And here's the kicker - all (as in 100%) of the principles and practices that I share / teach / train / coach / mentor, are the same biblical principles that came out of the Omega Program at church. How did I get away with that in a federal government setting where religion cannot be openly promoted ... certainly within a sanctioned training program? Three reasons: 1) I provided the data to show that these principles are universal and work everywhere where human beings can be found ... and have worked since the beginning of human beings; 2) I taught them with a lot of discipline and passion and knew my subject matter well; 3) I taught them with gentleness and respect, always allowing for open debate, competing ideas and contradictory opinions.
Some Real-life Application Please?
All that to say ...Omega Block is my metaphor for the stubborn pattern of self-sabotaging thoughts and behaviours that block us from reaching completion ... that block us from becoming the best of what we could be. The purpose of this BLOG is to post my findings, ideas and musings about the principles and practices that greatly increase our chances of breaking and removing the block ... and achieving the freedom to become fully developed.
IMPORTANT: This is not just about life in general ... it is also about the things that block us from being the best manager and leader that we can be.
I was successful in bridging the marketplace gap between the secular and the spiritual by promoting principles and practices of effectiveness that actually work. I don't teach these things because I am a Christian and because they are spiritually based; I teach them because they work. Whether you are Christian or not, religious or not, spiritual or not, I believe that there will be something here for you. If nothing else, these posts should at least make you go "hmmmm," and make you think. Many of the top management and leadership gurus and trainers of the last 25 years have promoted and trained people with these biblical principles (in many cases, without overtly stating as such). These authors include great names such as: Covey, Maxwell, Loehr, Goleman, Buckingham, Cloud, and Lencioni, to name a few.
That's my intro to the BLOG. If you are intrigued I welcome you back each week. Before you depart today let me show you a bit of the structure in our fractalated journey. Each month will be a different theme and we will take a look at each theme through 4 different lenses:
Week1 - Perspectives and/or Prime Directives - perspectives on life and our collective struggles and/or a call to action
Week2 - Principles and/or Prime Directives - principles behind our collective struggles and/or a call to action
Week3 - Personal - what do I need to know/see/change about me?
Week3 - Personal - what do I need to know/see/change about me?
Week4 - Practices - how do I execute the principles in my life (being tactical)?
Week5 - whenever they happen, we'll enjoy a respite ... no posts.
Beginning in March (yes, this March ... 2015), I invite you to join me each Monday as I post about what it means to be effective. If nothing else, I promise to make this journey fun. The first post will be on Monday March 9, 2015 where we will begin to slow down.
Each month, at the top of the sidebar at right, I'll post a 4-week outlook of our journey. At any time you can subscribe to these posts and have them automatically appear in your email (again, in the right sidebar).
Beginning in March (yes, this March ... 2015), I invite you to join me each Monday as I post about what it means to be effective. If nothing else, I promise to make this journey fun. The first post will be on Monday March 9, 2015 where we will begin to slow down.
Blessings Viphilus,
