Thawing begins with a change in the climate.
All pathways leading to the canal are blanketed with a thick layer of white ice. The canal is a sheet of ice, from bank to bank. Long fractures can be seen threading through the icy sheet. Nothing is moving, not even the wind. Although this is a typical winter scene, something is different about today. The relentless gray cold has yielded to brilliant sunlight. There is a moist glisten on the surface of the sun-exposed ice.
Points to Ponder . . .
Personal:
- What has been your experience with freezing and thawing?
- How do you know when the grip of winter's "relentless gray cold" is beginning to yield to your next self-renewing spring?
- What can you do to attune yourself to the season of your own life? To the effects of those seasons on others?
- How might you create a climate in your personal life, where the effects of winter are recognized and treated as a learning opportunity?
Organizational:
- What has been your experience with organizations freezing and thawing throughout their winter season?
- In your opinion, what causes changes in an organization's climate? When is an organization likely to undergo a winter season?
- What could you do to help create an organization that is aware of its own climate and the effects of that climate on its employees?
Illustration by Cindy Mueller; © by Wanda McGee, all rights reserved.
