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weLEAD Online Magazine leadingtoday.org weLEAD Leadership Series Exclusive interview with Thomas White & Sanford Danziger Interviewed by Greg Thomas
CPL evolved out of work a group of people did in an all-volunteer organization named Human Service Alliance (HSA). For fifteen years HSA, with no paid staff and receiving no government funding, provided around-the-clock care for the terminally ill, provided a respite for families with developmentally disabled children, mediated disputes, and assisted those with chronic health problems. All services were provided at no charge. It received quite a bit of publicity, not only for its service projects and unique organization, but also for its organizational effectiveness. It was recognized by former President Bush as a Point of Light, received numerous awards and was featured on the PBS series, Visionaries. Staff at the Greenleaf Center for Servant Leadership in Indianapolis named HSA as one of the few truly "servant leadership" organizations in the country. The experiences of a highly motivated core group and unpaid volunteers who came from all parts of the world resulted in many "learnings." They had to answer the question: How can we motivate a group, bound only by their desire to be here, to be positive, productive, and effective, all the time, no matter what the circumstances? The answer to this question taught us much about organizational effectiveness, how to work together in a group setting, and what it takes to make an organization work. Interestingly, none of the people involved had any significant organizational experience working in such ways. The learnings involved such notions as exercising personal responsibility for handling everything that happens to us, even when it is not our fault, leaving our personal agendas at the door, thinking like management at every level, acting entrepreneurial even in the most menial of jobs, the importance of right human relations and many others. We began to train volunteers and other inquiring volunteer-based organizations. Eventually, around 1998, it was realized that our work had always been about education, service and expanding our personal capacity. We decided, then, to start CPL. Full-time classes began in 2000. All accepted students receive full room, board and tuition at the 15 acre campus in Winston-Salem, N.C. Faculty and staff are all volunteers. It is an experimental school that helps students move toward their finest expression-that which we call their "inner goodness." We are honored to teach one of its year-long courses, Becoming the Totally Responsible Person™(TRP®). The noted philosopher and author Jacob Needleman, in another context, may have best described the educational process at CPL: An intentional process of using our will to move toward virtue. The program is often referred to as a "boot camp" for "practical spirituality." Boot camp, because it is not easy or a place just to come and hang out, and "practical spirituality," because it assumes that most of us already know the theory. The emphasis is putting it into practice. Students with the fortitude to make it through the program, leave with a more confident and purposeful approach to life than they had when they arrived. We've had successful students ranging in age from 18 to 68. 2) Another organization that you serve with enthusiasm is TRP Enterprises, Inc. (TRP®-Totally Responsible Person®) (www.trpnet.com). Tell us about TRP® and how is it associated with the Center for Purposeful Living? In 1995 we were asked to take the TRP® material (being used at HSA successfully) into the market place to see if it would work there, too. We established TRP Enterprises, Inc., a for-profit company. We pay royalties to CPL for use of the TRP® material, which continues to evolve. We provide training, trainer certification, coaching, ongoing courses in person or over the phone, and other services and products.
The complete definition can be found on our web site at www.trpnet.com. The essence of responsibility involves using life as a learning process and embracing everything that happens to us as something from which we can learn and grow. Being TRP® means that we eliminate complaining, blaming, negative criticism, defensiveness and other emotional reactions-that we stop taking things personally and letting things get to us. It means that we learn to stay positive, productive and effective, no matter what the circumstances and no matter what external cause may have existed. It means that we take responsibility for our feelings, words, and behaviors; that we learn that we can choose our attitude and approach to life; that character is something that can be developed through the use of our will and the conscious choices we make. And most of all it means that we can choose a life that is outwardly focused, selfless and service oriented, rather than focused on our own wants, desires and personal agendas. It means that we're willing to look at deficiencies in our own lives and relationships and consciously make corrections; that we're willing to seek help of wiser souls when needed; and that we'll avoid those behaviors which encourage others to be irresponsible. It means that we seek and find our life purpose and pursue it with vigor, commitment and dedication and that in pursuing our purpose we focus on what is important, knowing that the little things that happen to us really don't matter because something else matters more. Now, lest this seems daunting, we admit that we don't really know any "totally" responsible people, and that certainly includes ourselves. However, we know many who see this as a desirable goal to pursue and they are doing it. Personal responsibility, as we've defined it, is the first and primary ingredient required for any successful life-success being defined in terms of realizing one's potential and developing one's inherent talents and abilities and infusing our little egos with the very best we can muster. Business magazines that profile business leaders show that almost all have a large measure of these qualities. Recently, for example, Fortune featured Warren Buffet. His administrative assistant of sixteen years was quoted as saying: "I need roller skates to keep up with him but I've never seen him mad." People, like Warren Buffet don't have time to get mad, engage in blame and criticism-they've got too much to do. They are the problem solvers of the world. They're the ones who Kipling described in his poem "IF": "If you can keep your head when all about you are losing theirs and blaming it on you…you'll be a man, my son." TRPs use their mental faculties and capabilities to manage their lives, exercising enormous self-control.
The "victim mentality" is the single most significant barrier to personal effectiveness and productivity on the planet. All of us possess it to some degree or another. Specifically, it… Jack Welch, former GE CEO described his first rule of management in the Wall Street Journal a few years ago as follows: "Tell people to never allow themselves to become victims. They should go somewhere else, if that's how they feel." He didn't want them around. Fortunately, many of us are somewhere in between the two poles of the victim and the TRP® and are consciously choosing to move toward the traits of the TRP®. 5) CPL has innovatively established a restaurant operated by volunteers who are trained to become Totally Responsible People. Tell us about the California Fresh Buffet? We know of no other place like it. When CPL was established, it was quickly recognized that we needed a practical and intensive learning environment for students to put into practice what they learned in the classroom. A restaurant staffed by faculty, students, and community volunteers seemed to provide the perfect environment, a laboratory in which the skills could be honed and developed. It also serves as a demonstration to the community and prospective students of what can happen when certain fundamental principles are applied in a market place setting. Previously, they had been demonstrated by this organization to families of the dying and others, but now they are shown to the general public-tens of thousand of people dining each year. And it has a 100% health department rating. Interestingly, none of the people involved had any prior restaurant experience and the local food critic has rated it as one of the top restaurants in the city. The fact that it has become a successful restaurant is a testament to the application of the underlying philosophy taught. 6) What do the students and volunteers learn by working at the California Fresh Buffet? With 150 customers seated and eating and another 50 waiting in line, a restaurant can be a stressful place to work. That is one reason why a restaurant was chosen as the learning lab. Students quickly begin the process of learning to handle demanding tasks, taking feedback, and providing service in a way that is different from any place we've ever seen. A primary goal is to help bring out in students that innate quality that wants to be of service. Students learn that we can actually "want" to be in such a place and thrive in any task, from mopping the floors to washing the pots. Why? Because we're contributing to something greater than ourselves. We have doctors washing pots, lawyers doing menial tasks, a CPA bussing tables, housewives cooking, and a former secretary managing the entire operation. When people want to be where they are, doing what they are doing with the sole purpose of serving, the customers know it. That type of selflessness has an enormous impact on the customers. Thus, in the end, the students learn the significance and power of inspiration. Students learn the importance and "how to" of working in a group. Students are put in the position of having to be responsible for a particular area or direct some aspect of the operation. It is quite a sight to see a 22-year-old head table busser directing the activities of two doctors, a housewife and a flight attendant-all old enough to be his parent. Learning by doing is the technique. As one highly educated student from Africa said: "Working here is like getting an MBA."
Success in any life endeavor can be connected to a few basic principles and behaviors. For us, responsibility is fundamental. Responsibility includes the willingness to sacrifice. Sacrifice results in inspiration. Both leaders and parents, to be effective, must demonstrate their willingness to sacrifice and be an example which their employees or children will want to emulate. On our web site is a table that helps identify what kind of example we want to set for our children. Many of the items are just as applicable to leaders. Click for more details. Both delegate tasks to be performed. Assignments that are seen as contributing to the whole take on a meaning greater than the task itself. People enjoy doing them because they are contributing to the success of the family or organization. Communicating this correctly is the task of the parent or employer. Structure and discipline paradoxically help establish the environment in which freedom and creativity can flourish. Freedom within the structure provides an unbridled opportunity for self-expression and experimentation. Consequences and accountability are essential. Holding one accountable or imposing consequences is for the purpose of helping the individual learn and grow. The expectation that consequences and accountability flow from errors should be part of the family or organizational culture. The intent of the parent or leader is to serve those for whom s/he is responsible. At California Fresh Buffet, if we break something, we pay for it. It's as simple as that. Click here for more on this topic. Thanks Thomas & Sanford for a stimulating interview and the positive change you are promoting in the lives of others! Comments to: editor@leadingtoday.org BACK TO weLEAD HOME PAGE |
Thomas
White, J.D., has presented the concept of the Totally
Responsible Person® in various
areas of the world including the U.S.A. He was a trial lawyer and
professional mediator for over twenty-five years. Thomas served
in the Peace Corps in Ethiopia and in the U.S. Army in Thailand.
Sanford
Danziger, M.D., is a psychotherapist and management
consultant. He has co-authored two books on these topics. He conducts
seminars throughout the U.S.A. and abroad. Since 1989 Dr. Danziger
has been a feedback coach at the Center for Creative Leadership
in Greensboro, N.C.
3)
Give us a definition of being a Totally Responsible Person? Why
is personal responsibility important, and what are it qualities?
4)
What do you believe the "Victim Mentality" has done to
individuals and our culture?
7)
You strongly believe in the value of good parenting! Tell us the
similarities between good leaders and good parents?Copyright © 2006 TRP Enterprises, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Web Designed by 123Triad.com