i am deaf
but for the beauty
that sometimes
passes before my eyes
and makes me glad
to at least be able to see
that form glide past
like a last flute note
trailing away in the end
crystal and clear
punctuating this glorious song
making it count,
making it last.

silence is the gift
of being a mute
in the presence
of the expectant
waiting for words
to jump on
like rocks across the stream;
to speak is to allow
conviction.

when we were young
we learned
not to encourage
for one nice word
a single compliment
or a thought expressed
like “thinking of you”
might keep them coming around
might give them that terrible word –

H O P E

we could not have that
not with the ones meant to be out
only with the ones meant to be in
what if they left the wall
in the school gymnasium
what if they came to us
and asked us to dance?
what then?
such a terrible place to be
frozen and incapable
of being nice
for fear of love
crowding ’round us
like a persistent poison
sinking into us,
changing us.

shhh…
keep quiet
and walk soft
for he is in his head
quiet as the dead
let him be
we are safe
outside of his world
here in the open
here in the loud
and in the light
shhh…
keep quiet
and walk soft
for he is in his head
and we are as the dead.

when does a man
stop being scared
of all the things
of all the people
when does a man
feel like a man
when he’s still five
and hiding in the dark
from shadows in the hall
what makes a man
courageous…

maybe it’s a willingness
to walk through it all
to let it pass over him
like an ice waterfall
and come out
exhilerated
and perhaps
a little bit
stronger.

this granite skinned house
was here before i was
this granite skinned house
will be here when i’m gone
but for now me and mine
we live within its stone walls
and nothing gets in
and nothing gets out
it’s good at hiding us away
keeping our love safe
keeping our hate hidden
keeping our sad cold and fresh
and you cannot gain entry
not if we don’t let you
it’s our maudlin mausoleum
when you scream we don’t hear you
when we scream you can’t hear us
when you look you cannot see us
this granite skinned house
it has consumed us
that we would be here
forever in its lonely company
can you see the difference
between us and this house
would you know
if it was us or it
when you passed by
we are one
without distinction
watching you
as you walk by.

You know of that which I speak of…

There comes a time (often many times) in a manager’s career where they encounter the ultimatum. A situation has arisen and an employee has come in to your office to “discuss” things with the manager or HR.

During the course of the discussion when the employee senses the direction management or the company are heading with their role is not where they want it to go and things like compromise just have not worked some employees pull out the ultimatum. It goes something like this:

“You should know if ______is going to happen then I am absolutely going to quit.”

There are variations on the theme but you get the idea. The ultimatum is a threat. It is an employee seeking to assert their value to the organization in order to change what appears to be an impending decision or to adjust the current work place dynamic to something different they would prefer.

I have known employees who have threatened to quit if certain other employees aren’t fired, for example. While certain other employees may deserve firing there is a defined process good anagement follows to make this happen. If employees do not like the circumstance they are in then they should quit. Threatening to quit however is not a great option.

The worst case scenario is that it works. Why is this bad? Because now the employee works for an organization that will ignore sound policy and procedure and allow itself to be held hostage by disgruntled people. This is not a successful management tactic.

There are many ways for employees to express frustration and seek change in an organization – the ultimatum is not one of them (which is ironic given how often it is used).

The soundest advice I ever received on how to deal with the ultimatum came from a seasoned manager. He said “take it“.

“What do you mean?” I asked.

He proceeded to explain. When you are presented with an ultimatum accept it as a resignation. Essentially respond by saying that if this is the way you feel then I accept your resignation.

This seems drastic but the point is that allowing the ultimatum to go unchecked severely changes the management-employee dynamic. Once a person realizes they can hold management hostage by simply threatening to quit it becomes a tool in their negotiation bag. The organization is now managed by threat and aggression.

Worse still, the ultimatum reinforces the idea that an organization cannot survive the loss of an employee.

The reality is that there are certain employees who, should they leave, will place the organization in a time of difficulty. However, an organization that cannot withstand the loss of an employee (even the CEO, a director or other manager), no matter how valuable the person is, may not be an organization worth continuing.

This is because people depart jobs for all kinds of reasons all of the time. They win lotteries, they die, they retire, they get sick and go on extended disability, etc. Your organization MUST be capable of withstanding this. You don’t seek it, but never deny it.

That’s why when someone comes to management and says if this doesn’t happen, I quit, it’s likely time to say goodbye. The alternative is far worse than dealing with the loss of experience for a while.

There are 18 cement pads where trees used to grow on Stephen Street in Morden (and one stump). My column in this weeks Winkler Morden and Altona Voice newspapers.

Death walks through Firenze

Disguised as a frail old man

A ready target

For the young

For the foolish

But impenetrable

As David’s skin

And as cold

Leaving weeping in his wake

As he enjoys the setting of the sun.

she was a full
and in-colour spirit
who faded into a ghost
slowly and over time
walking through walls
where one could not follow;
she was a bright but falling star
who became the grey static
of an old television set
after all the programs went to sleep
and only wide-eyed insomnia remained
staring in hope of finding life moving
through the black and white snowstorm

but truth will tell
that over time the melody can change
like the peal of a bell
whose tone will range
from once bright, crisp highs
to the deeper, more experienced shallows

still, there is beauty nonetheless
and love worth chasing
for all its elusive paths;
one does not yearn for the sun less
as it journeys beyond night’s horizon
rather we live in memory and hope
with the knowledge she is there still
ranging free and in a necessary peace
to rise once more in the dew dappled morn
blazing hotter than ever before.