Life story telling to inspire the next generation

Dr Charles Lam is conducting (in December 2009) a four-session course held at Christian Times (時代論壇) as follows:

Course title: Life story telling to inspire the next generation

Are you concerned about your children, relatives, students or your‘sheep’ who are currently lost in the rapidly changing environments? Seeing that they are weak, short-sighted, insensitive to threats and unable to manage themselves, what more could you do than being compassionate and praying anxiously for them? In order to get away from a difficult situation, apart from giving whatever encouragement that is needed, we should give each one of them a ‘map’and a ‘compass’, so that he/she can walk his/her life path with a clear direction and faith.

Telling the life story of oneself (or of another person) is an effective and lively way to communicate and inspire in the process of life planning and management. Typically, a life story consists of four stages : (1) records of development and achievements so far (2) analysis of reasons for what have happened and reflection on feelings, which call for change (3) paradigm shifts in a person’s value system, which lead to inside-out changes (4) action planning --setting concrete objectives and targets and preparing for steering.

The speaker will apply modern management concepts and models and real-life situations during the teaching. He is currently leading a life story-driven group called REST.

課程名稱 : 用講生命故事來啓發下一代

發覺你所關心的子女、親人、學生或「羊」正在變幻環境中迷失嗎? 見到他們的軟弱、短視、缺乏危機感和自我管理能力, 你除了傷心、着急和為他們禱告外, 還有什麼方法呢? 走出困境, 除了在個別處境激勵外, 還要有「地圖」、「指南針」, 給他們方向、策略和信心去走人生路。講述自己(或他人)的生命故事是一個有效而生動的溝通方法, 因而啓發生涯策劃。故事的四個階段是 : (1)「起」--故事的發展 (開始、轉捩點) 和 成績 (回顧成、敗、得、失) (2)「乘」--分析在發展中的感受和環境關係, 是「轉」的呼聲 (3) 「轉」--心意更新, 準備變革 : 什麽是成功、事業、投資與回報、豐盛等 (4) 「合」-- 面對挑戰, 續步向標桿跑, 做個好司機。

講者會用管理思維、模式、真實個案講解。他現今帶領由生命故事主導的小組。

俠義江湖 : 突破人生困局的智慧

Course that I recently taught at a theology college at Calgary, Canada

*課程日期：2009年10月1日—10月29日

*時間：晚上7:30—9:30共五堂

*內容：
-從舊約實例學習應用登山寶訓啟示的人生智慧
-包括有效批判思考 (critical thinking),解難能力(problem solving) 及 生命故事(life story)
-討論真實個案, 突破工作, 學業、事奉或家庭的困局

*講師：區保其博士--多年港加職場, 大學講師及教會事奉經驗; Ambrose 神學院畢業; 主恩學院義務講師

*嘉賓講員: 林錦華博士-- 多年任職政府及港加機構, 並任教於多間英、美及香港的大學及機構; 香港資深職場培訓導師及生命教練

*對象 : 雖然本課程為基督徒設計, 但也歡迎所有人仕旁聽及參予討論

*主辦 : 主恩學院學院 (www.chrestoscollege.org)

「由目標、價值推動的時間管理」工作坊

工作坊內容：

*檢討和改變弱點 : 短視、沒有方向、生活不平衡、…「身不由己」
*目標導向計劃 : 連結短、中、長目標, 先「石」 後「沙」
*行動學習 : 知而不行的、好比一個無知的人、把房子蓋在沙土上 ! (聖經)
*選擇 : 生活姿彩、突發性事情、休息反思…. 計算價值. 什麽時候要說「不」!
*集中 : 認定「自己」的「基本」活動, 不被「澡音」影響, 向著標桿直跑 (聖經)
*紀律 : 監管和控制方法. 處理壓力的來源
*平衡 : 在人生路上管理好知識、角色、…健康
*評估 : 「標桿」的實踐, 活出有果效的人生

工作坊除了講解理論 , 也引導怎樣實踐。重視原則和長線價值、整全管理, 不只談心理和技巧。在批判思維、討論真實情況及個案中學習。

講授語言／方法 : 粵語。深入淺出。強調實踐理論在現實生活的重要，重視從分享講者及參加者經歷中學習。

講者：林錦華博士 (Dr Charles Lam ) email: charles155@gmail.com

「重整事業, 寫好生命故事」工作坊

工作坊內容：

*在地震、海嘯經歷挫抑、壓力、疲乏、迷失…? 不知怎樣面對將來?
*先要得息得力、回復信心、心意更新、轉危為機
*回答問題 “What is your business?”; 知道作業、職業 、 專業、行業 、事業的關係
*範式轉換 --要定位, 建立品牌、網絡; 自由人或打工仔, 做好知識管理者
*管理變革, 參考POST 模式--熱衷、強項、策略、機會--事半功倍
*向着目標直跑--投資、增值生命資產, 需要選擇 、 集中 、紀律
*平衡生活--PL (私人) , WL (事業) 和 SL (社會)
*生命故事階段 : 起、乘、轉、合, 「現在就是轉機！」; 連結故事上、下半場
*將來怎樣評估你的 (人生或組織)故事; 了解影響、投資、 回報的關係

工作坊除了講解理論 , 也引導怎樣實踐。重視原則和長線價值、整全管理, 不只談技巧。

講授語言／方法 : 粵語。深入淺出。在批判思維、討論真實情況及個案中學習。用多種圖畫解釋。

講者：林錦華博士 (Dr Charles Lam ) email: charles155@gmail.com

Vision

Many people have written on the topic of vision. I hope I am writing here to generate some new thoughts and contribution.

A vision is a dream/picture in a person's mind which he or she wants it to come true. A vision is not a goal, objective, nor strategy. A film director’s having a vision of his receiving an Oscar ; a parent having a vision of signing his son’s marriage certificate; a person having a vision of flying an airplane in the sky; etc. In the business world, an example of a vision is the CEO of a soft drinks company sees that his company’s products are being sold in every country on earth. As a new Christian in 1945, God gave Bill Bright a vision to produce a film for evangelism on the life of Jesus, to be shown throughout the world.

Some visions need more resources, time and will-power than other ones to make them happen. But overall, vision-driven planning has a strategic direction, and is more sustainable and self-motivated (by sweet dreams?!). The vision-driven planning process can be a tool to check whether some goals and objectives need to be modified, or deleted. Vision-driven planning and purpose-driven time management therefore support each other.

Very often, a vision does not tell the exact day or even the year when it would come true. However, it could become clearer and clearer to the person concerned and people around him/her, as things are happening to support the realisation of the dream. When realisation is approaching, they could get confirming signals arriving from different sources. If the vision is a calling from God, things would move much more smoothly.

There can be a hierarchy of visions, leading to an 'ultimate' vision? Wouldn’t it be nice if each one of us knows how the hierarchy looks. I have drawn a diagram covering various aspects of life management and another diagram to plan my own life paths, and I hope you will do the same.

遠像 (宏願 ,Vision)
- 是夢想 、理想的境界 (合理的，可達到的)
- 可啟發（甜美的）靈感
- 通常沒有日期
- 逐漸會更明顯
- 可能隨著個人成長，日漸改變
- 遠像產生的計劃，較能持久，和自我推動
- 一系列分先後次序不同的遠像，達致終極遠像
- 例如：「家庭人人都笑口常開」、「我飛上雲霄」？

The importance of resting and reflecting

People in Hong Kong are so busy that there is saying : "I may have time to die, but no time to get sick" To most people, keeping busy is the key to success. But I believe that this is only partly correct, although I know that this view may be against the norm.

My thinking is that in order to function effectively, a person has to maintain healthy holistically—body, mind and spirit. Getting adequate rest is not only a basic need for our physical body, but for our mind as well, so that it could undergo renewal and to generate new thoughts. Our spirit is for regular communicating with the creator of the universe, so that we could be reminded of our life purpose, comforted after experiencing difficulties, guided to move in the right direction, empowered to be a more mature and stronger person. We can use both our mind and spirit to reflect. Reflection can keep them healthy.

Jesus says, "Come to me, all you who are troubled and weighted down with care, and I will give you rest." When there is too little time to rest, there would be inadequate renewal and reflection, little wisdom- and value-added, and therefore no transformation or ‘born again’ of a person. One can reflect upon experiences of himself or herself or of other persons and situations; reflection is also an important stage of learning.

"For what profit has a man, if he gets all the world with the loss of his life? or what will a man give in exchange for his life?" Good life management means that a person can manage it well holistically i.e. life at work, at home, and in the society. Making a living with too little rest and reflection will end up making a life poorly.

For receiving a diagram on ‘action learning’ please email to Dr Lam charles155@gmail.com

得息得力

* 人若賺得全世界、賠上自己的生命、有甚麼益處呢．人還能拿甚麼換生命呢
* 由拼搏到得息的重要
* 但休息難於實行; 是反趨向
* 休息 --> 反思, 休憩生息(Renewal); 加增能力(Empowerment)
* 覺醒 , 心意更新 (Transformation) -> 啟發思想 , 計劃
* 凡勞苦擔重擔的人，可以到我這裡來，我就使你們得安息
* 要反思自己的經歷 , 反思別人的經歷
* 從經驗學習：回顧過去，展望未來而更生
* 從過去中汲取教訓，可以令你更有智慧

Reasons for planning failures

Some say that plans more often fail than succeed. If we recall major and minor plans we and our friends have made in the last few months, we’d realise how true this statement is. I try to identify some key reasons for planning failures below.

1. nature of the plan. For example, the plan itself is not well defined; wanting too big a dream to come true; too aggressive target dates are set; too heavy costs would be incurred. Planning should include planning how to control the execution of the plan; the absence of controls will lead to failure.

2. no flexibility is allowed in the plan. For example, activities must be conducted in sequence in stead of running in parallel; there are constraints (e.g. time, physical space) that cannot be changed.

3. decisions relevant to the plan are made under poor conditions. For example, when the planners are stressful, emotional, under time pressure; when the atmosphere is poor.

4. planners’ personal weaknesses; fear of consequences, self-blinkering, stubbornness, procrastination, short-sightedness, are some of them.

5. resistance by people affected by the plan. The closer are the persons to you, the heavier would be the blow. Many societal plans made by governments and social organisations fail because of resistance by the general public.

6. good plan but bad timing. Imagine a group of people have spent months to work out a plan, but then suddenly there is an environmental change. When SARS (2003, Hong Kong) started to emerge, many business decisions were executed, as if there was no SARS, leading to big economic losses.

一般個人 計劃失敗的原因

計劃性質：夢想太大、達成目標的日期太近、花費太多等

計劃無彈性：不能改變限期、不能同時進行、 範圍狹窄

在惡劣情況下作決定：例如壓力大、鬧情緒、太急迫

計劃人本身的缺點：害怕後果、盲目、固執、坐失良機、眼光短等

遭他人反對：尤其是親人，受計劃影嚮的人

計劃好，但時機不適當