The Root Values. Releasing The Power of Community

The Root Values:
Releasing the Power of

Community
Kevin A. Phillips
© 2010 by Kevin A. Phillips
All rights reserved.
THE ROOT VALUES:
RELEASING THE POWER OF COMMUNITY
PREFACE
PREFACE
Empowering Community
I have been working with empowering communities for the
whole of my professional life. I have sometimes been frustrated
in this effort by institutional inertia coupled with simple fear and
complacency common to us all.
What success I have seen has come by way of the adoption of

five Root Values that release the power of community.
By community I have something specific in mind.
First, a community consists of unique individuals. Each person

stands apart from every other. There is no pressure to conform.
Each receives every other as a unique and irreplaceable gift.
Second, a community involves people in relationship. They

know each other's names. They know each other's stories. They
are in touch with each other's personal struggle as well as their
dreams and aspirations.
THE ROOT VALUES:
Third, a community is supportive without being indulgent.

People experience regular validation and affirmation. They
neither crumble nor attack when they encounter conflict. This
inspires the generative capacity of the whole.
Finally, a community is fruitful. It solves problems leaving

improvement in its wake.
Therefore, a community consists of individuals in relationship

who experience continual growth and learning with the result
that the world is enriched.
I have spent a lifetime striving to encourage the formation of this

quality of community. Everywhere I go find people who long to
live their lives as a whole person, engaged in a whole greater
than themselves. People long to be indiduals, but not alone, to
share life with others, but to others honor their uniqueness.
No one person can build a community. But everyone can

encourage its formation. I have written this book in the hope
that it might help you release the power of community.
• You may run a business and be frustrated by the lack of

cooperation among your employees.
• You may be a manager and be frustrated by infighting on
your team.
• You may be a teacher who wants to encourage your stu
dents to work together.
• You may be a pastor who would like to see your church
come alive.
PREFACE
If you are willing to take responsibility for improving the quality

of the life you share with others, this book is for you.
A Word about Faith
The heart of this book comes from thoughtful reflection on the

Ten Commandments. In my effort to make my appropriate
contribution to community I discovered that the Ten
Commandments are not a religious rule book, but instead
disclovse a set of five values that releases the power of
community.
I call them "Root Values" because they work beneath the surface
of our experience and nourish life in community. They
safeguard the sanctity of personal freedom while at the same
time make possible human connection.
In the Hebrew conception of being and becoming, humanity is

created in the image of the Creator. “Male and female he
created them.” Later, when the divine is asked for a name, the
response is unequivicable, “I am who I am.”
“To be Holy” does not mean to be “pure” or “morally upright.”

Holiness is separation, otherness, uniqueness. The divine name,
“I Am” is holiness expressed. It is bequeathed to every child
born.
Each of us is holy in so far as the freedom to be “I AM,” is an

irrepressible longing imparted at the moment of our creation.
Our middle name may well be, “Not You.” Freedom flourishes
in space and separation.
THE ROOT VALUES:
But despite the irrepressible longing for freedom, the

heartbreaking moment in the story of the Garden, comes not in
an expression of freedom, but in the consequences following a
misuse of it. The great “I AM” is walking in the Garden in the
cool of the morning and experiences an unnatural silence.
“Adam, where are you?”
“I hid myself because I was naked.”
“Who told you, you were naked?”
Shame and fear always accompanies an irresponsible expression

of freedom. While personal freedom demands expression, and
will always and appropriately push back against the
encroachment of others, it nevertheless has an equally, if not
more powerful longing to be with others. A misuse of freedom
is manifested in broken relationship.
If we share the divine name -- I Am, and our middle name

reinforces the requirements of freedom – Not You, then we also
have a last name, a family name we are all share. “But With
You.”
The name we share, a name that was bequeathed to us in our

creation is, “I Am Not You But With You.”
The Root Values show us the way be individually who we are,

while pointing toward they way may unite authentically with
one another. This is the power of community.
Some may object that because the Root Values come to us from
the Hebrew Bible that they must be religious. They do, after all,
find expression in a thoroughly Hebrew conception of reality.
PREFACE
Because many associate the Hebrew experience exclusively with

religion, I am concerned that an anti-religious bias may prevent
some from giving the Root Values a chance.
For who are wary of religious imperialism, here is something to

consider.
The association of the Ten Commandments with religion is a

projection of our contemporary culture to an ancient text.
Religion did not exist in the 2nd Millennium B.C.E. as it exists
for us today.
The ancient world did not compartmentalize their experience.

The “separation of church and state” was not an issue for
citizens of the 2nd Millennia B.C. They made no distinction
between “the sacred” and “the secular.”
The divine was continually active. The sun coming up in the

morning and the return of spring was as miraculous as the story
of the parting of the Red Sea.
Faith did not mean “belief in the existence God.” The divine
was everywhere assumed. Rather, faith had more to do with the
courage to become fully human. Abaham is the father of faith
because he left the comfort of what he knew (“his country, his
kindred and his father’s house”) and risked the unfamiliar.
Abraham related his own longing for becoming and completion

in the language of his day. Talk about the gods or Yahweh1 was
how people made sense of their world. Today things are much
more complex.
1
In the Hebrew experience the name means “I AM.”
THE ROOT VALUES:
The Ten Commandments provide the basis for my exploration of

the Root Values, but they are not particularly religious. They
simply come to us out of an ancient conception of reality.
Moses, like Abraham, spoke naturally in the language of his age.
A brief review of each of the Root Values suggests their

relevance to the whole of the human experience.
Legacy: Every person lives in time. We make meaning as we

participate in the unfolding story of our lives.
People: Every person shares life with others. The truly isolated
perish.
Commitment: Survival involves action. At its base, Commitment

is the will to move.
Autonomy: A person is bounded both physiologically and

psychologically. When I bump into a wall, my hurting head
reminds me of my physical limits. When I bump into your
difference of opinion, my reluctance to listen reminds me that
my psychological limits are just as real.
Truth: An infant begins life utterly dependent. As it grows its

vitality depends on its ability to learn.
I consider myself a person of faith. Like Adam, I hide when I

feel ashamed. Like Abraham, I hope for the courage to leave
what I know that I might become more fully who I must be.
Like Moses, I need guidance to play my appropriate role in the
life of an empowered community.
The Root Values release the powe of community.

PREFACE
Contents
PART ONE
I Introduction 1
II Moses 7
III The Empowered Community 21
IV The Ten Commandments as Root Values 37
V Legacy 52
VI People 65
VII Commitment 78
VIII Autonomy 91
IX Truth 106
PART TWO
X ATypology of Community 121
XI Building the PACT-L Model 150
XII The Legacy Polarity 167
XIII Increasing Relational Capacity 185
XIV From Values to Beahvor 208

PREFACE
1
INTRODUCTION
A Question
My basic understanding of community comes from the Book of

Exodus, found in the Hebrew Bible. When I read I stand
backward in time, peering into the distant past. I hear the voice
of Yahweh speaking to an ancient people.
Does the Hebrew experience of so long ago really have anything

to teach us today?
There was a time when change required millennia. Youth

venerated elders because their long-lived experience held
wisdom of what makes life flourish.
Wisdom passed from one generation to the next. The Proverb

says, "Train up a child in the way he should go and when he is
old he will not depart from it." One generation taught the next
how to breath life into community.
Today grandparents grow up in one world. Their grandchildren

grow up in another.
My grandmother was born in a world without automobiles,
1
ROOT VALUES:
REALEASING THE POWER OF COMMUNITY
airplanes, telephones, or even radios. As a child I watched Neil

Armstrong walk on the moon. My sixteen year old daughter
sends text on a mobile phone. She posts video clips on
YouTube.
Technical innovation defines our lives. Older generations seem

out of touch, not sources of wisdom. What does the old have to
say to the new?
We strain forward to discover the next new thing. Why look

back to discover what has already passed away? What can the
Book of Exodus possibly bring to Twenty-first century living?
Craig Wildman graduated from the Massachusetts Institute of

Technology with a doctorate in engineering. He works in
research and development for a renewable energy company
based in Southern California.
“We are working on some very interesting problems associated

with generating power with solar energy”, Craig said. “We are
looking for greater efficiency. It raises interesting questions.”
Craig leans forward into innovation believing solar energy can

improve people’s lives. But despite a career in technology, he is
circumspect in its use.
“I try to use technology sparingly,” he said. “I do not have a

TV. I pay a premium in rent to avoid driving to work.
Technology seems over-rated in general to me. There are so
many hidden costs."
He earned his PhD studying fluid dynamics and heat transfer in

combustion systems. He has done a lot of thinking about the
impact of the automobile on the human experience.
“There are upsides to owning a car. It facilitates the distribution

goods people need. It allows people to live with less density. It
has even cleaned up the streets. You don't have to deal with the
2
INTRODUCTION
manure from so many horses.
“But there are downsides too. There is pollution. I drive to the

supermarket. I drive to work. I don't get exercise from walking.
“Of even greater consequence is how the automobile has

changed the whole dynamic of the culture. Nobody walks
anywhere. Nobody is on the street.
“No one feels safe walking. You no longer see people you
know.
“A car comes with lots of benefits. But there is a trade off. It

hurts the environment. It undermines your health. It limits
community.”
Craig Wildman has a thoughtful perspective on the value of

technology. While leaning forward into innovation, he
recognizes its limits.
Does it help to look back from time to time to see where life has
been before we step forward into where life is taking us?
What is happening to community-building practices that were

once common knowledge among our elders? Are we so caught
up in the next new thing that we are losing what we value most:
A warm smile, the affirmation of an old friend, a comforting
embrace?
Exploring the Hebrew experience holds great promise in an age

when community is fading. In the ancient story of Moses and a
band of Hebrew slaves struggling to find their way to freedom,
is the memory of how to release the power of community.
3
ROOT VALUES:
An Opportunity
We live in an age of such rapid change and find building

community a challenge. This includes social mobility. We
move away from those we love. Few know our story.
Technology both contributes to our experience of lonlieness

while also providing a way of escape from a life void of the one
thing we value most but do not know how to find, a life enriched
by others.
"No one sings anymore," Craig Wildman said. "Everyone

listens to music alone on an Ipod or a MP3 player. People don't
get together to make music."
To hear the voice of community, open the Book of Exodu.

Miriam leads a group of woman in a dance. Without the aid of
technolgy they make music the only way they know how.
I will sing unto the LORD,

for he has triumphed gloriously;
the horse and rider thrown into the sea
The Book of Exodus portrays the dramatic story of the liberation

of Hebrew slaves from bondage in Egypt. But there is more to
this story. After liberation comes the formation of a band of
slaves into an empowered community.
In Exodus 19 Yahweh expresses the purpose for the liberation of

the slaves from Egypt.
You yourselves have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I
bore you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself. Now
therefore, if you will indeed hearken to my voice and keep my
covenant, you shall be my treasured possession among all
peoples, for all the earth is mine; and you shall be to me a
kingdom of priests and a holy nation.
4
INTRODUCTION
The Hebrew people escape Egypt for a reason. At Mt. Sinai

they enter into covenant together and are constituted a people.
The challenge from this dramatic beginning is to become a
certain quality of community.
To succeed they must “hearken” to the voice of Yahweh. The

dated English word "hearken," used by translators in the 16th
century, means to listen and carefully to consider someone’s
words. I “hearken" when I remain open to your intention and
attend to the meaning behind your language. It means to truly
embrace the spirit of your words.
Some translations use the word, “obey,” suggesting submission.

I shut down my own thoughts, longing and dreams. I must
surrender my sense of personal identity. When I obey I lose
myself in the demands of another.
“To hearken” elevates the dignity of the one who listens.

Obedience demeans the one who submits. The frst projects
honor, partnership and grace. The second projects servitude and
humiliation. It is the difference between strong-hearted
concurrence and slavish compliance.
It will take time before the Hebrew people learn “to hearken” to
voice of Yahweh – and the voices of one another. It is not easy
to tame a Legacy of violene and abuse that prevents a person
from experiencing genuine freedom in relationship with others.
Following the exodus they were no longer slaves; but they were
not yet free. They remained bound by habits born of
oppression. Habits of the heart oppressed them with more
debilitating effect than Pharaoh removing straw from their
bricks. They carried their bondage with them, ill prepared to
take on the responsibility of freedom.
The Book or Exodus relates the beginning of the transformation

of this band of slaves into an empowered community. Insofar as
5
ROOT VALUES:
they embraced the challenge expressed in their covenant they

would overcome the burden of their past.
Yahweh promised blessing. Yahweh's voice would show the

way. Ten Words would convey the covenant that would
transform their lives. If they would only hearken to the voice of
Yahweh, they would release the power of community.
6
2
Moses
FAILED LEADERSHIP?
By any estimation Moses was a leader of world-transforming

significance. But evaluated by popular notions of take charge
heroic leadership styles, he is uninspiring.
At what should have been his greatest moment he stood

powerless before his people -- former slaves afraid to take
responsibility for their future.
They stood at the threshold of a fruitful land. Blessing,

abundance and prosperity awaited them across the River Jordan.
Scouts brought back reports of fruitful opportunity. They
carried clusters of grapes, pomegranates, and figs.
Every new endeavor comes laden with risk. The future remains
unknown. But every new endeavor also comes laden with hope.
Multiplying blessing never fails for lack of promise, only for
lack of courage.
Cowardice and courage are habits formed over a lifetime. Habit

determines whether you walk into tomorrow anticipating
opportunity or shrinking back in fear. Such habits limit the
7
ROOT VALUES:
formation of community.
The habits of the rabble that followed Moses through the

wilderness had been formed through years of slavery. Habits of
perception blinded them to the gifts they possessed as a
community. They looked at one another and saw only slaves.
Emtional habits filled them with doubt. Anxiety undermined

their confidence.
Their attitudes also were bound in the chains of slavery. They

did not believe they could overcome whatever challenge awaited
them. They did not believe their neighbor would support them.
They did not believe that risk leads to reward, or that failure is
never an end but always a new beginning, or that success takes
action.
Habits of thought determined how they would experience the

land across the Jordan. Was it the "Promise Land" or "Land of
Dread?"
They imagined giants . They feared fortified cities and other

unknown dangers. They looked beyond the clusters of grapes
and pomegranates and dates and saw only disaster.
Moses failed to inspire them to embrace the promise of life

together. But was it Moses’ failure or their own?
They failed to embrace their potential as a community. They

turned their backs on the promise and condemned themselves to
wander aimlessly through an empty wilderness for the next forty
years.
Moses stood powerless before their refusal to embrace a hopeful

future.
It is an old, old story renewed in every generation.

Organizations or teams fail not because of lack of talent. Fear
8
MOSES
keeps people from reaching out to one another. Habits of

neglect, avoidance, domination and indulgence undermine the
creative potential of community.
The Hero-Myth
Moses failed to rally his people. Despite his failure popular

images of Moses as a heroic leader persist.
An older generation remembers Charleston Heston in the epic

film, The Ten Commandments. He leans into a wind that blows
across the Red Sea. He lifts his staff and the sea parts. The
1998 animated film, The Prince of Egypt perpetuates the image
for a younger generation.
The presentation of Moses as a heroic leader echoes Max

Weber's understanding of leadership. Writing in the early part of
the twentieth century in post World War One Germany, his
interest was to understand how a German government could
reestablish political legitimacy following the fall of Kaiser
Wilhelm.
Weber promoted “Leadership Democracy.” He envisioned the

rough and tumble of local politics elevating certain individuals
above the masses. The purpose of a democracy was to rise up a
heroic leader who possessed the character, courage, and
charisma to wield the power of state.
This gives expression to a common longing in us all. Who

doesn't wish for a superman to swoop down from the skies and
save us from the uncertainty and confusion of human freedom?
How much easier life would be if we lived in an age of heroes.
Field Marshal Eric Ludendorff, the embodiment of German

authoritarian ambition once asked Weber for his definition of
democracy.
9
ROOT VALUES:
“In a democracy the people choose a leader whom they trust,”

Weber replied. “Then the chosen man says, ‘Now shut your
mouths and obey me.”
That, Ludendorff must have thought, was a democracy he could

believe in.
Authoritarian rule by the heroic leader had been a European

ideal for centuries. The Greeks and Romans believed the Fates
signaled out individuals to rise above their peers. In the age of
the Church, Bishops taught that the laying on of their hands
conferred the power of the Holy Spirit to those deemed worthy
of leadership. Kings claimed a similar gift by divine right.
American cinema perpetuates the heroic model still today.

Contemporary action-adventure flicks energize the hero-myth.
Little wonder readers of the story of Moses project the heroic
ideal.
These heroic tales resonate with us. Childhood experiences of

dependency are imprinted on our souls – our unconscious – that
remain with us forever. In our immaturity we transfer childish
expectations to heros we project only to be disappointed time
and again.
Pitty the simple human being upon whom heroic attributes have
been projected. It is an impossible task to ask anyone to fulfill
the unlimitted expectations of a childish imagination.
A closer reading of the Book of Exodus provides ample

evidence that Moses’ place among the “charismatic leaders” of
the world is not justified. The story tells another tale.
As a young man Moses shelters in the privileged sanctuary of

the house of Pharaoh. Suddenly he swings unexpectedly and
without explanaton to an impulsive and unproductive act of
violence. The text presents ambiguous motives. His action is in
10
MOSES
protest against abuse of power. (He kills an overseer for beating

a Hebrew slave.) But he lacks the courage to take responsibility
for his action.
Rather than challenge the system he abandons it. He flees into

the wilderness. He trades the security of Pharaoh’s house for the
refuge of the house of Jethro -- a strong man in the land of
Midian.
His habitual cowardice becomes clear when he stands

dumbfounded before a burning bush. In response to a call to set
his people free he falls back on the reaction of cowards
everywhere. He makes excuses.
His lack of heroism continues in Egypt. He fails time and time

again. He proves to be an unsuccessful negotiator. He musters
no argument that wins the freedom of the Hebrew slaves. It
takes ten plagues, the last of catastrophic consequence for the
first-born of Egypt, to break the bonds of slavery.
During their midnight escape Moses’ ineptitude leads the people

into a trap. They find themselves up against the Red Sea with
the rumble of Egyptian war chariots just beyond the rise. It
takes a miracle – literally -- to pull them out of disaster.
He leads the people into the desert without having given any
thought to appropriate logistics. They lack both food and water.
Again, it takes a miracle to save the people.
In the end he fails to deliver on the ultimate promise. He brings

them to the threshold of a land ‘flowing with milk and honey.’
He lacks, however, the rhetorical skill to overcome the people’s
fear. It would take a generation -- and another leader -- to fulfill
the promise.
Moses dies an old man within sight of his objective. No

monument remains to celebrate the “charismatic power” Max
Weber and popular American sentiment ascribe to him. The
11
ROOT VALUES:
people he led fail even to mark his grave. He is buried on some

forgotten height overlooking a goal that in the end he never
achieved.
If one cannot attribute the emergence of an empowered

community to the intervention of a heroic leader, what explains
the transformation of this band of Hebrew slaves? What finally
releases the power of community?
A Different Kind of Leadership
Moses was most emphatically not a charismatic leader. But the

popular understanding persists nevertheless. Legend, myth,
history, or hype -- hearing the stories of great leaders awakens
our imagination. We thrill to the idea of dynamic power,
conquest and miraculous victory.
But investing in heroic tales comes with a price. It undermines

the formation of community. It absolves us from taking
responsibility for problems we share. Stuck in childish
dependency, we turn away from one another and look for
someone to come and save us.
If I am not a hero, if I lack the strength of Hercules or the

nobility of King Arthur, or the visionary courage of Joan of Arc,
how can I be expected to lead? Like Moses we stand in the
shadow of what appears to be an impossible challenge and say,
“Who am I that I should go to the house of Pharaoh?”
You may never face a nine-headed Hydra, pull a sword out of a

stone or be addressed by an angel. But you do exercise
influence. At home, at work, at church, at school, or just among
a group of friends -- leadership is not the responsibility of a
chosen, charismatic few. It is the responsibility of us all.
Heroic tales fire the imagination. But they do little to help us
12
MOSES
understand the role we play in empowering community.

Turning the biblical story into a heroic tale fails to shed light on
the genuine nature of Moses’ leadership or our own.
Instead of a heroic leader the Book of Exodus portrays Moses as

an awkward man who stumbles into an uncertain future, carried
forward by a promise. How does such an unpracticed leader
succeed in the transformation of a band of slaves into an
empower community?
The answer is that he does not. The Book of Exodus remembers

him not for what he accomplished, but for what a community
accomplished in relationship with him. Moses was transformed
by the empowering of the community much more than the
community was transformed by him.
In his early years Moses spent most of his time in a quiet,

reflective mood. But on occasion he could be roused to fits of
anger and even violence.
He was a thoughtful man who swung between extremes of

stubborn resolve and periods of withdrawal. He killed an
Egyptian overseer because in the high emotion of the moment he
lacked within himself any other option.
Unconscious habits formed in childhood ofte determine how we

relate to one another. Habits keep us inflexible and
unresponsive to a changing social environment.
We want security. We find a groove when we are young. We

stick with it. We do what we know. We do what feels
comfortable.
Sigmond Feud identified this behavior as “transference.” We

transfer feelings, associations, and patterns of relating from early
childhood experiences to relationships we have today.
For many of us, our relational style remains unconscious. We
13
ROOT VALUES:
do our best to match-up with people who happen to conform to

our own style of relating. We often form aggressive or avoidant
associations with those who do not.
Because we are limited by such habits our relationships become
less constructive. Over time they may become toxic.
Leadership as Life with Others
Moses was not the heroic leader we sometimes imagine. He was

limited as we are. But he shared life with others. He chose to
invest in a common journey with former slaves. He did not
stand apart from them. Their struggle became his struggle, their
burden his burden.
This resulted in unimaginable stress. The Book of Exodus

records numerous lamentations of Moses as he cries out to
Yahweh in his frustration. In community he was pushed up
against the limitations of his personal style – the habits that
constrained him. He had no choice but to learn to be more
intentional in how he related to others.
We live in an unimaginably vast network of projecttion and

conter-projection, of transference and counter-transference. As
a result other people exert a tremendous amout of pressure on
any one individual.
Moses might have been crushed by the murmuring crowd but for
one thing. The covenant-making event at Mt. Sinai introduced
this band of slaves to a set of values that would transform them.
We begin with the story of Moses because this is where the story
of empowered community begins.
Among the literature of the Ancient Near East the Book of

Exodus is unique. Most ancient cultures identified deity with
14
MOSES
monarchical power. Cultic language provided symbols for

establishing the personal legitimacy of the leader. The masses
existed to serve him.
Pharaoh exhibits this characteristic quality of ancient tyranny.

Once the norms of a social system are set, it is a rather simple
thing to reinforce dependency and submission through strategic
application of power.
Most story-tellers and poets of the ancient world promoted their

leader. But the Hebrew prophets were different. They
undermined the authority of kings to promote the legitimacy of
the community.
Moses is but the first example. He stands in the face of Pharaoh

and shakes a defiant fist. Prophets to come would likewise stand
in the face of kings and shake a defiant fist.
Moses was no charismatic leader. The genuine agent of

transformation in this story is the covenant made at Mt. Sinai,
and the Ten Words that, overtime, replaced the values of
bondage and oppression with five Root Values of genuine
freedom.
Ten Words made the difference between a chaotic band of slaves

dying in the wilderness, and an empowered community ready to
embrace a more hopeful future.
The Book of Exodus begins the story of an empowered

community that learns to embrace responsibility for its common
life and claim its freedom. If a band of Egyptian slaves can be
transformed into an empowered community, so can we.
“The One”
This story has never been more relevant. Moses was not the
15
ROOT VALUES:
heroic leader so often portrayed in the popular imagination.

Awkward, clumsy, non-charismatic leadership continues to take
place today in business, schools, non-profit agencies, families
and even among casual groups of friends.
It can begin in the board room, the corner office, the copy room,
the storeroom or the basement. Wherever people gather to
address the challenges of their lives you will find leadership.
The story of Moses portrays leadership as a quality of

community rather than the character of an individual.
Leadership capacity describes the effectiveness of a group of
people working together, not the ability of one person to compel
others to act. Real change comes through the power of
community.
Despite the promise of an empowered community the ancient

hero myth continues to disempower community. As long as
people look up to heroes rather across the table to one another
they will miss the opportunity to enter whatever promise lies
before them.
The challenge of overcoming hero-longing is ever present. For

this reason alone the relevance of Moses (the anti-hero) and the
vital importance of community and the Root Values that
empower it will endure.
In the Presidential election of 2008 hero-longing pushed the

campaign of Barack Obama toward a heroic narrative. Oprah
Winfrey risked much when she introduced him at a rally in Des
Moines, Iowa.
"For the very first time in my life,” she said, “I feel compelled to
stand up and to speak out for the man who I believe has a new
vision for America. . . .I am here to tell you, Iowa, he is the one.
He is the one!"
Republicans pounced on the opportunity to lampoon Winfrey’s
16
MOSES
endorsement. A television spot featured messianic overtones.

Following Obama’s successful visit to Europe Republicans
mocked his appeal calling him “The Biggest Celebrity in the
World.”
Despite Oprah’s over-zealous endorsement and the Republican

attempt to exploit the vulnerability of his popularity, Obama
consistently shifted the focus of his campaign away from
himself, to his supporters. He kept the work of change among
the people.
His staff rallied get-out-the-vote efforts among neighbors. The

innovative use of communication technology encouraged
followers to become leaders.
Obama’s inaugural address conveyed confidence in a nation of

300 million leaders.
My fellow citizens, I stand here today humbled by the task

before us. . . . America has carried on not simply because of
the skill or vision of those in high office, but because We the
People have remained faithful to the ideals of our forbearers,
and true to our founding documents.
The new President acknowledged that leadership extends

beyond the White House. He attempted to overcome the heroic
thinking that persists in every generation and undermines the
formation of empowered community.
There is one advantage to hero-worship. When a project stalls

the same people who make a hero can un-make him. In failure
they have a ready object upon which to caste their blame.
Both the worship of heroes and the scapegoating of them

provides opportunity for people to avoid responsibility to
address challenges they share.
17
ROOT VALUES:
Leadership and Society
The enduring relevance of the anti-heroic theme in the story of

Moses becomes clear when we consider the story in the context
of history. The leader as hero emerged at a time when a man’s
physical size and courage was the determining factor in
overpowering an enemy in conflict. (Ancient tales of heroic
women are rare.)
Stories extol the virtues of warriors who demonstrate merit in

feats of glory. The Iliad relates the story of Achilles who gains
glory in striking down Hector before the gates of Troy in single
combat.
Note how the well-known story of David and Goliath turns this
story on its head. The giant Goliath falls in single combat, not to
a great warrior, but to a shepherd boy with a slingshot.
Outside the Hebrew experience legendary stories legitimized the

authority of leaders like Alexander the Great and Julius Caesar.
Ancient leaders wrapped themselves in whatever stock image of
the heroic was at hand. If successful they themselves became
material for heroic tales to come.
As society changed new models of leadership emerged.

Physical strength no longer elevated heroes. The mighty warrior
gave way to the military strategist and logistical expert who
through great feats of planning provisioned soldiers. Napoleon
was a small man with a big mind. The mind of Lord Wellington
was bigger still.
With the Industrial Age power shifted from land to urban
18
MOSES
centers. The strategic deployment of raw materials and massed

labor rather than armies claimed the high ground over
hierarchies of power.
Pharaoh traded his chariots for a balance sheet and an income

statement.
The years following World War Two accelerated social change.

Just as the age of agriculture yielded to industry, the Industrial
Age gave way to a new consciousness. Communication satellites
signaled the change.
The War in Vietnam was lost in the living rooms of America.

The glory of war related in epic poetry lost its luster when
presented in graphic detail on television sets on the evening
news.
In the 1970s elders bemoaned the loss of respect for authority

among young people. It was not that the young lacked respect
for authority. Rather, the center of authority was shifting.
Heroes rise quickly in an age of electronic media, Barak Obama

being but the latest example. But what electronic media gives, it
also takes away. Heroes began to fall with greater rapidity as
hero myths became impossible to sustain under the unrelenting
gaze of content-hungry media outlets.
Heroic tales arose at a time when people responded to heroic

leaders. This habit of thought persists. But signs suggest it may
be weakening.
A new center of authority is emerging. In an age of fallen

heroes, only one source of authority remains: that of the
empowered community.
In the first decade of the Twenty-First century the global

ecnonomy underwent dramatic transformation. After twenty
19
ROOT VALUES:
years of unparrelled economic expansion, the world experienced

one year of unparrelled economic collapse.
In 2009 the world economy collapsed at a faster rate than any

time since World War II. Analysts described events as the
greatest financial crisis since the Great Depression.
Former Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan described
events as “by far” the worst in history including the Great
Depression.
• One out of every four families owed more on their

mortgages than their houses were worth.
• Economists predicted chronic long-term unemployment
to last until the year 2014.
• A Gallup survey reported 20% of eligible workers
unemployed, twice the office 10% unemployement rate.
• 44% of families experienced a job loss or pay cut.
• Local banks under stress from commercial real estate
foreclosures reduced loans to small business further
slowing local economic recovery.
No hero can save us from the challenges we face today. The

problems are pervasive, complex and overwhelming.
We will no longer measure ability in terms of a charismatic

leader. The individual will no longer be celebrated. The clay
feet of the powerful are too readily exposed. The challenges are
too great.
Those who would exercise influence in this new world will do

well to recall the ancient wisdom found in the Book of Exodus.
Moses was not a heroic leader. He was a simple man who
joined himself to a band of slaves. They were transformed by
five Root Values that endure.
The time has come to release the power of community.
20
MOSES
21
3
The Empowered Community
Moses was a surprising leader. No one would have suspected

Moses of organizing a social movement or leading a revolution.
But Moses did not do it alone. It took an empowered
community.
You see an empowered community in what a group, team, or

organization can accomplish together. An empowered
community is fruitful. Creativity and vitality flow out of its
common life.
A community consists of individuals in relationship who

experience continual growth and learning with the result that the
world is enriched.
It may be a business that remains innovative and competitive in

the midst of a changing market -- like a Google that defined the
search engine experience or an Apple that defined how music
would be distributed.
It may be a social movement. The Civil Rights efforts gained

irresistible momentum in the 1950s. The catalyst was "the be-
22
THE EMPOWERED COMMUNITY
loved community" that gathered around the friendship of two

Southern preachers, Ralph Abernanthy and Martin Luther King.
It may rise up out of the fellowship of a church, synagogue,

mosque or temple. Such places are built with the hope that they
might become centers of empowered community.
An empowered community is not an accidental collection of

random people who happen to live in the same neighborhood,
work in the same building, or visit the same place of worship.
An empowered community does not come about by accident.
What makes the difference is the degree to which one person can
maintain her unique identity while at the same time being
bonded in relationships of mutual support with others.
The Community Paradox
Consider the community paradox: The stronger the individual,

the greater the potential for community. It takes strength to
yield something of your personal interest to serve a common
purpose.
In community individuals come together. Each one possesses

unique gifts and talents. Each has the courage to be who she is
and the grace to welcome the other person as he is.
The Book of Exodus begins with the Hebrew people enslaved to

Pharaoh. Pharaoh gathered individuals but kept them weak. He
was not interested in participation in an empowering
community, but exploitation.
They had migrated to Egypt at a time when their ancestor

Joseph, the great-grandson of Abraham and Sarah served
Pharaoh as chief steward of his house.
23
ROOT VALUES:
Through a carefully administered agricultural policy he had

saved the Egyptian people in time of famine. A grateful Egypt
welcomed Joseph’s family fleeing the same famine in Canaan.
Many generations later, “there arose in Egypt a new King who
did not know Joseph.” This simple sentence can stand as
headline news in any age. Corporate memory is short when it is
convenient to forget.
The German people “did not know” the contributions of their

Jewish neighbors during the Nazi era.
The American people “did not know” the contribution their

African-American neighbors during the years of Jim Crow.
In Rwanda the Hutu did not know the Tutsi during the genocide
of 1994 in which 800,000 Tutsi were cut down with machetes.
Neighbors in Iraq and Afghanistan and in other hot spots around

the globe do not know one another.
This loss of recognition fails to see the individual. The unique

potential of each person gets lost in the crowd so that all that
remains is the crowd.
Failure to celebrate the individual dissipates the potential power

of community. Without the individual, community fails.
In community each individual has a responsibility "to know" her

neighbor. Each person celebrates the other and builds up the
strength of each so that each has the strength to extend grace to
welcome another.
In this way a community develops its power, one person at a

time. Honor the sanctity of the individual and the community
will flourish.
Therefore every organization fails at the individual level. A

business fails when employees do not feel appreciated. A
24
church fails when a visitor is overlooked or a lay leader gets

burnedout for lack of support. A school fails when a teacher no
longer cares and a child becomes a statistic.
Organizational failure is failure of community at a personal

level. For this reason personal values impact organizational
performance.
The Root Vaues’ Story
The Book of Exodus weaves within its narrative examples of

Root Values that release the power of community. These values,
embraced by each person, allow the group to leveral the uique
gifts of the individual.
As a Root Value, Legacy serves as a repository of experience.

Every community carries a memory. Indeed, a community is
constituted by the story people share.
When a newcomer embraces the story of a community as her

own, she becomes one with the community. When people no
longer attend to one another, they stop telling the story. The
community ceases to exist.
When the Book of Exodus introduces Moses, the Hebrew people

exist as a collective, but they are not yet a community. Their
identity is limited to a genealogy. They share a common
ancestor in Abraham, but that is all.
Once again, Pharaoh's interest was exploitation. He wanted

labor, not partners. The irony of tyrants is that in their abusive
ways they establish a basis for a common experience among the
oppressed. This leads to their downfall.
Labor unions find their inspiration in the abuse of management.

An experience workers share. African-Americans organized
25
ROOT VALUES:
around a common experience of segregation and social injustice.

The seeds of community are planted by a common experience.
Though the Hebrew people lacked a common story, they shared

a common experience. A story waited to be told. Liberation
awaited a story-teller.
Their journey will begin with an event of such arresting

significance that it will be anchored in the memory of story-
tellers for generations to come. The Passover still constitutes the
heart of Jewish identity. But in the days of Moses any potential
for a communal identity had been broken by years of slavery.
Shared suffering serves as a basis for a common story. But in the

opening pages of the Book of Exodus the suffering of the
Hebrew people had been joined to dependency.
They lived as characters in a story not their own. A powerful

external force defined who they were and what they could
become. Pharaoh’s story defined their lives.
Abuse of any kind breaks a person's spirit. A person looses her

sense of self. She only knows herself as she is defined by
others. She waits to be told who she is. She then submits to that
perspective.
If told she is a slave, she believes it. If told she lacks initiative,
she believes it. If told she has no capability, no future apart
from the structure of oppression, she believes it.
To break the power of dependency one must embrace another

Root Value, that of Autonomy. Autonomy is a clear,
unambiguous personal identity. It embraces personal freedom
without apology.
Without the Root Value Autonomy, the story of empowered

community could not have begun.
26
It can be said that the eventual emergence of Judaism,

Christianity and Islam depended on the strong sense of
Autonomy of two female slaves, Shiphrah and Puah. The text
honors their individual and very significant contribution by not
allowing their names to be lost to history.
Pharaoh instigates a social policy of infanticide in order to

control the Hebrew population. He exploits the strength of their
labor. He does not want them to become too strong lest a slave
revolt undermine his power base.
He orders the midwives to kill all the sons born of Hebrew

mothers. But two midwives, Shiphrah and Puah, possess a
strong sense of personal Autonomy. In a courageous act of
personal freedom they choose to break the law and risk the
consequences rather than kill children.
When Pharaoh saw the midwives' lack of compliance he

legalized the killing of Hebrew sons in the general population.
One Hebrew mother -- another woman whose name is not lost to
history -- Jochebed, also possessed a strong sense of personal
Autonomy.
Jochebed refused to surrendering her son to death. She placed

him in a basket and set it among the reeds along the bank of the
Nile River. Pharaoh’s daughter discovered the foundling who
was, of course, Moses.
To flourish, a community requires both a Legacy as well as

individuals who maintain their claim to personal Autonomy.
Corporate unity must be joined with personal freedom.
If individuals surrender their unique identities and the power of

personal agency to be a part of the collective, hollow
relationships result. Empty connections between people lack
vitality, creativity and passion. Compliance or conformity is not
community.
27
ROOT VALUES:
Other Root Values appear in the opening narrative of the Book

of Exodus as well. Along with values of Legacy and Autonomy,
we recognize the Root Value of People. The midwives refuse to
kill the children. As a young man Moses comes to the aid of a
Hebrew slave who is being beaten by an Egyptian.
The Root Values Truth appears as God hears the groaning of the
people under oppression. Finally, the Root Value Commitment
appears as God remembers the covenant made with Abraham,
Isaac and Jacob.
Throughout the Book of Exodus one finds the Root Values

woven through its narrative. Together they create a value
system that nourishes community. Strong individuals in
relationship together extend grace to one another which allows
space for each to become who she must become.
This results in continual growth and learning among individuals.

This in turn builds the capacity of the community with the result
that the world is enriched.
The narrative portrays each Root Value but it is not until

Chapter 20, and the introduction of the Ten Commandments --
the Ten Words -- that we may discern the Root Values with
distinctive clarity.
The Book of Exodus tells the story of how Five Root values
transform a band of Hebrew slaves into an empowered
community. The story continues to be told today. Indeed, it
continues to be lived today wherever people embrace the five
Root Values as their own.
An Empowered Community at Work
Like Moses Aaron Bartley was a surprising leader. He entered

Harvard Law School in the Fall of 1998 where he began to learn
28
important lessons about the power of community. But he didn’t

learn them in the classroom.
“We were a core group of 40 students,” Aaron said. “We were

marginal to the culture of the institution until up to the very end
when we took over the Administration building. That propelled
us from the margins to the center. At that point we were not
only physically at the center of Harvard University, we had
taken over its leadership.”
Of only medium height and slight build, Aaron’s first school of

leadership was as a boy soprano singing in his hometown church
in Buffalo, New York. He moved to Cambridge to begin his
study of law just as so many other students had done before, but
with this difference. By his early twenties he had learned the
value relating to others. He valued People.
Legacy
“I just started to get to know the workers,” he said. “I wanted to

get to know people who were not a part of the same set of
experiences that I had. You see people taking their ‘smoke
break.’ You talk to them rather than walk by.
“I knew that their wages had just dropped, significantly, from

$9.00 to $7.00 an hour. So that was a conversation starter.
‘Where do you live? How long is your commute? What are you
paying for rent? How are you getting by?’”
Aaron’s takeover of Harvard University began with simple

conversations with janitors, dishwashers, and security guards.
He connected with their experience. Rather than investing time
with the heroes of Harvard University, Aaron gave his attention
to the men and women who cleaned up after them.
29
ROOT VALUES:
Aaron asked them questions. He explored their experiences. In

the process he helped them discover that their individual
experiences were in fact a shared experience. They discovered
they shared a common story, a Legacy.
The way they were treated at work provided the basis to

transform this disparate band of laborers into an empowered
community. He helped them take responsibility for the
conditions under which they labored, conditions they shared.
People
“I probably know 350-500 workers,” Aaron said. "When I go

back to Harvard today I get to see them all. I know them by the
building they work in: Ronny Tolousma in the Science Center,
John Sullivan in the Bio Labs.
“Frank Morely was 55 years old, but had the body of a 75 year
old. He grew up two blocks from the Harvard campus, a
working class Irish guy. Four years earlier his rent had tripled.
He had to move an hour away from where he had spent all his
life because he couldn’t pay his rent.
"He had the Irish gift of language. He also had a very

sophisticated sense of Harvard. He’d been there long enough to
know the institution – who was in power, the values, how the
place ticked. He became one of the leaders at our rallies.
“Another worker, Shakespeare Christmas, hangs out in the

basement of the music building. He is an intellectual from the
Caribbean. He is as well-spoken as any Harvard student.
"He grew up in the British education system and the Anglican

Church. He gets his work done in six hours so he has two hours
to read, and listen to NPR (National Public Radio).
30
"He worked a second job as well. He lived about an hour away

because everything else was too expensive. He slept five hours
a night.
“Edgar Varios is a Guatemalan. He’d been part of the social

movements in Central America in the 1980’s. He fled
Guatemala because of blood-feuds and other disputes. He was a
very developed social thinker and a great leader.
“Another guy with a lot of experience was Roosevelt Felix. In

the Dominican Republic he’d led economic development
projects in the banana region along the Haitian border. He lost
his job when his political party lost power.
"He had a very sophisticated sense of organizational dynamics.
He worked as a janitor in the basement of Harvard Business
School."
Autonomy
Aaron has broken the habit of looking for heroes to solve his
problems. He values Autonomy and has a strong sense of
personal freedom.
He looks for partners. He finds them one at a time, people who

struggle with shortcomings and limitations of all kinds. But
because he values Autonomy he looks for where their individual
strengths come together to compensate for personal weakness.
What could a kid in his twenties do that could make a difference

in the lives of 2,000 workers employed by the most prestigious
educational institution in the world?
Pharaoh shows up in many ways and in many places. Aaron

Barley stood like Moses against improbable odds and shook a
first in the face of Pharaoh.
31
ROOT VALUES:
Commitment
Another Root Value is Commitment. Nothing of significance

can happen without it. People live in emotional systems that
resist change. Both positive goods and negative effects exist
together in very stable social structures.
Personal habits of perception, feeling, attitudes and thoughts do

not change easily. Most people will fight to maintain a familiar
system rather than risk an alternative future they do not know. It
takes commitment to see real change through.
“For three years we had tried everything,” Aaron said. “We had
over 30 different rallies. We’d bring the president of the
university a Valentine card saying something like: ‘Will you be
my Valentine? Will you give these workers a living wage?’
“We did a sit-in in the Admissions Office during freshmen

orientation. We had a rally that included Matt Damon and Ben
Affleck. They are Cambridge guys and had come from a
working-class background. Ben’s father had even been a janitor
at Harvard.”
After three years of advocacy Aaron and his team of fellow

students and workers had made little progress. No one was
listening.
But Aaron and the empowered community that gathered with

him valued Truth, another of the Root Values. After listening to
each other’s stories and assessing the relevant data, they
believed in what they were doing. Time was running out.
“The take-over of the Administrative Building was a ‘now or

never’ proposition. A lot of us were about to graduate. People
were beginning to wonder if the Administration would ever
respond to our appeal. It was a ‘Hail Mary’ pass that happened
to connect.
32
“We were aware that our email was being read by the
Administration. We wanted to know if they were aware of our
plan. Three people kept constant surveillance.
“On the day of the event we met in a basement next to the

Administration building. We stormed the office with 55 people.
"We secured the bathrooms, then moved into the other rooms.
We had letters for the staff explaining what we were doing. We
did not engage them in conversation.
“We ended up living with ten police officers throughout the

month. It was a tactical play on the part of the Administration.
They were sending us a message: ‘Any minute we can remove
you.’
"But we ended up making friends with them. They were

working class people. They were not from the same class as the
typical Harvard student. They knew what we were about. Even
the head guy -- he was a retired State Trooper. He had a role to
play in terms of his office, but he supported us.
“The first few days we made our own food. Then that ran out.
We had cells phones and access to the Internet. We pushed back
in the media against the Administration’s attempt to starve us
out. People brought food. We got incredible donations. One
restaurant brought a meal every day, feeding 55 of us.
Truth
“The action galvanized people’s sense of justice. There were

two mass marches every single day. We had as many as 7,000
people outside the building, everyone from workers to students
to professors.
33
ROOT VALUES:
"Homeless people moved in near the building. There were

hundreds of tents, people sleeping out on campus. The
Administration could not do business. You could not ignore the
mass of people who supported us.
“The steps of the Administration building became a concert

venue. There was amazing art -- from signage, to dance
performances, to all kinds of cultural stuff that just came out.
We did not anticipate that at all.
“It ended with a negotiated settlement. The Administration

would not publicly commit to a wage. But they agreed to a
committee that would make a binding recommendation.
"We got to appoint three professors and three students. There

were three representatives of the Administration on the
committee. The wage and benefits policy was eventually
adopted.
“I graduated two weeks later.”
When Aaron Bartley entered law school, the janitors, dinning

workers and security guards at Harvard University earned
$7.25/hour without benefits. Today, they earn $18.00/hour with
health insurance.
Aaron has moved on to found a not-for profit organization in his

hometown – PUSH Buffalo, “People United for Sustainable
Housing.”
Today, a janitor at Harvard earns $10,000 a year more than the

Harvard Law grad who led them on a three year journey to
receive a living wage from the most powerful university in the
world.
That is what can happen once you learn to release the power of
community.
34
4
The Ten Commandments as Root Values
Value Awareness
There is no greater power in the world, than the power of

community. Five Root Values – People, Commitment,
Autonomy, Truth and Legacy – lead to its formation.
The importance of an organization having shared values is

accepted in business schools everywhere. Writing the value
statement has become a necessary drill in almost every corporate
office. People sit around a conference table and nod their heads
-- some in agreement, most fighting sleep.
Not everyone understands why articulating a clear set of values

matters. Besides, among the countless values that a group can
come up with, who is to say which ones really count?
Value words fill the white space on a flip chart:
• Respect
• Integrity
• Communication
• Excellence
35
ROOT VALUES:
The challenge is landing on the set of values that will make a

difference.
One management consultant related how he once participated in

a value identification process with his consulting firm. These
management professionals regularly counsel others on the
importance of having shared values.
“After talking for hours we came up with a value statement,” he

said. “But after the meeting we never looked at it again. It
didn’t mean a thing.”
The Challenge
What makes developing a value statement so hard?
Consider first that organizations do not have values. People do.

Organizations consist of a number of individuals, each of whom
give expression to a unique set of values. The acquired their
values unconsciously as children. They remain hidden beneath
the surface of their lives.
We each grow up in a particular family, in a certain

neighborhood, absorbing attitudes and learning behaviors we
pick up from those around us. A specific culture influences who
we become. This process is so much a part of our lives it goes
unnoticed.
Who ever stops to ask: What values shaped my life growing up

where I did? How do my values differ from someone who might
have grown up elsewhere?
Few people take time to dismantle the value system that churns
deep within their hearts. Everyone has values. Not everyone
knows what their values are.
36
THE TEN COMMANDMENTS AS ROOT VALUES
When you lack value awareness resolving conflict is difficult.

There are so many layers. If we do not know what we value we
only skip along the surface. The deep stuff never gets resolved.
Who gets the bigger piece of pie? This may be children fighting
over a real pie. This may be a metaphorical pie related to
appropriate distribution of limited resources in a business.
One layer beneath the pie conflict involves behavior. Someone

does something that raises other people's awareness that an issue
exists. A child reaches across the table to grab a piece of pie. A
manager distributes a budget that presents a plan for the
allocation of resources.
Go even deeper and we encounter emotion. Someone feels

betrayed, short-changed, taken advantage of, at risk, or some
other pain that results in reactivity.
Beneath the presenting issues, beneath the behavior and the

emotion is a set of values that give the issue, behavior and
emotion meaning. Values make it matter.
When Values Conflict
Moses and his people faced a fundamental conflict of values.

They begIn their journey across the wilderness. The presenting
issue involves food and water. As we suggested earlier, Moses'
lack of planning reveals his poor judgment as a leader when it
came to logistics.
“Would that we had died in the land of Egypt,” the people moan,
“when we sat by the meat pots and ate bread to the full.”
They complain of lack of water. "Why did you bring us up out

of Egypt?” they ask. “To kill us and our children and our
livestock with thirst?"
37
ROOT VALUES:
This was no minor conflict. Moses feared for his life. The
people were on the verge of revolt.
On the surface the conflict seemed to be about material issues.

The people were hungry and thirsty.
But beneath the surface certain values informed how they

experienced their need, and how they expressed it. Values
informed the meaning of their experience.
The deeper issue was a familiar and often repeated value conflict
between Liberty and Security. Moses assumed Liberty as a
value priority. The murmuring crowd valued Security.
Every despot knows a dependent people will readily trade

personal freedom for the promise of sufficient comfort. The
emperors of Rome gave the people “breads and circuses” in
exchange for compliance. Hitler and Mussolini made the trains
run on time.
Long years of forced labor had developed a habit of dependency

among the Hebrew slaves. They would not embrace their
freedom until someone satisfied their longing for security.
Not until the people embraced the Ten Words would their values
begin to unite them into a community ready to accomplish
meaningful work. Where people lack value awareness and
alignment, community falters.
Why It Matters
In December 2001, the Enron Corporation filed for bankruptcy

protection in Texas. A month later, in Sugarland, an upscale
suburb of Houston, law enforcement officers found a man in a
38
shiny new 2002 Mercedes-Benz with a 38-caliber bullet in his

head.
The Coroner confirmed Cliff Baxter’s death a suicide.

Investigators had hoped to question Baxter, an Enron executive,
about the corporation’s recent collapse.
The company had overstated its profits by $580 million. Enron

executives unloaded more than $1 billion in company stock from
their personal portfolios while at the same time encouraging
employees to buy the stock. They knew the company was
financially unstable.
Thousands lost their jobs. Their life savings disappeared as their

retirement funds fell from over $80 a share to less than one
dollar a share.
“What does it profit a man to gain the whole world but forfeit
his life?” Jesus asked. Sitting in his new car with a revolver in
his hand, Cliff Baxter knew the answer to that question. He left
a note for his wife.
Carol, I am so sorry for this. I feel I just can't go on. I have

always tried to do the right thing but where there was once
great pride now it's gone. I love you and the children so much. I
just can't be any good to you or myself. The pain is
overwhelming. Please try to forgive me.
The values listed on the flip chart above -- Respect, Integrity,

Communication, Excellence -- were the published values of the
Enron Corporation.
It is as good a list of values as one is likely to find. But the list

failed Enron. It failed Cliff Baxter. If he had been more aware
of what he truly valued, his life might not have come to such a
tragic end.
39
ROOT VALUES:
Instead of a list of value words that become an ideal to which no

one really aspires, the Root Values provide insight into what
people truly value. Awareness of these values, and respecting
them in one another, brings people into alignment and enables
them to do the work that results in community. It empowers a
community to flourish.
Without sufficient value awareness and alignment, chaos

reigns.
Chaos
In September 1991 the Tailhook Association gathered in

convention in Las Vegas. Founded in 1956, this not-for-profit
organization supports retired and active Naval Aviators.
The annual symposium features workshops and speakers that

encourage the development of airborne naval warfare. This
particular event drew nationwide attention when 83 women and
seven men accused fellow members of the Association of sexual
harassment and assault.
In the wake of the scandal 14 admirals left the naval service.

The Secretary of the Navy resigned. President George W. H.
Bush appointed 36 year old Sean O’Keefe the new Secretary of
the Navy. His mission: Restore the honor of the service.
“This was a case when the conduct on the part of a handful of

individuals compromised the integrity of the service,” Sean
said.
He perceived a failure of institutional culture. Some

departments were scrupulous in maintaining discipline and
order. They held officers and enlisted personnel to high
standards of accountability. Other naval communities indulged
poor behavior. The Navy lacked alignment in its values.
40
“Among Submariners, if you don’t follow the instructions to the

letter, even if everything goes right, you are held accountable.
It’s a very unforgiving discipline. Aviators are much more free-
wheeling.
"The differences in culture are huge. You have the Surface

Sailors, the Submariners, the Supply Corps types, the Aviators,
the Marines. There is a wide range of different cultural
influences.
Keep It Real
“Not long after I became Secretary of the Navy I ran a little

exercise with the senior leadership on the uniform side of the
house. I gathered the admirals together and said, ‘There is a set
of established principles and policy that are referred to as, Core
Values of the United States Navy.’ To every flag officer sitting
there I said, ‘Write it down. This is a pop quiz.’
"Not one of them got it right. Not one. I said, ‘Tell me how
valuable you think those core values are?
“You are the KEEPERS-OF-THE-VALUES, and you don’t even

know what they are. I am not passing judgment. But if you
don’t know these values, how can you expect anyone else to
know them?
"'Before we leave here, everyone in this room is going to agree

on just three. What are the three core values of the United States
Navy?”
Sean did not ask the admirals to imagine what the three core
values of the Navy ought to be. He asked them to identfy what
the core values of the Navy are and have always been.
41
ROOT VALUES:
A meaningful value statement for any organization must be real

for every individual in it. The admirals sitting around the table
searched their souls and reviewed their Legacy.
People just do not know what their values are. We live habitual
lives.
Friends who help us discover what we truly value, become

powerful influences in our lives. Leaders who do not know what
they value, only lead us into confusion, misunderstanding and
distress.
An Impossible Task
If you had to come up with a list of five values that have always
been at work in the human heart, at all times and in all places,
what would you include on your list? What would your spouse
include, your neighbor or your children? How much work
would it require to get everyone to come to a consensus?
An empowered community requires a clear set of values

everyone shares. To build one, one option is to try get everyone
in the room to debate the question. Imagine the challenge!
First ask each person to identify what he or she values most. Be

sure to include the children, the teenagers, the drunks, the
egotists and the cynics. You have to include everyone.
Next, lead a discussion in which everyone feels heard,

appreciated and honored. And remember, you cannot exclude
the children, the teenagers, the drunks, the egotists or the cynics.
It does not count if you only include the healthiest, most
emotionally mature people in the group. The goal is to have
everyone listen to everyone else. The discussion has to be real.
It has to be authentic -- no holding back. Good luck.
42
Now that you have accomplished the first two steps (something I
have never been able to do) invite debate, argument, disagree-
ment and conflict. The goal is to come to consensus on one set
of values everyone truly shares.
Do you really want to do this?
How is nourishing an empowered community even possible if it

involves working for value alignment among people who bring
unique experiences, personal challenges, and irritating habits to
the group?
One person must not inhibit another. Intimidation is outlawed.

Watch out for that person who undermines his neighbor. What
do you do with the quiet, sensitive soul who lacks the confidence
to share?
The whole process breaks down before it can even begin. Who
can number the obstacles to a successful completion of the
project?
We have seen how the values of Liberty and Security conflict.

If you are not truly heard my desire for Security may result in a
community structure that leaves you feeling constrained.
Your desire for Liberty may result in a community structure that

leaves me feeling anxious. The common values we identify to-
gether must cover the whole of the human experience, without
contradiction or conflict.
The challenge is overwhelming. No wonder so many people

feel frustrated in community. We lack the ability to discover a
set of values we all share.
This is complicated by the fact that technological innovation
changes traditional social structures faster than established
communities can adapt to them. Rituals nce conveyed habits of
community-making from one generation to the next. They lack
43
ROOT VALUES:
relevance in the new environment.
What becomes of our longing for community? Do we set it

aside and endure isolation? Do we seek distraction or self-
medication?
Or do we simply accept our alienation? Are we resigned to

living with anxiety and loneliness we are powerless to
overcome?
The Ten Commandments
The ancient wisdom found in the Torah saves us the need to sift
through the unique value sets of every person on our team, in
our organization, neighborhood, church, synagogue, mosque or
temple – whatever your context for community-making. We
need not sit for hours in a conference room trying to figure out
what values everyone shares.
The Ten Commandments provide five Root Values that live in

the heart of every person. These Root Values energized the
covenant-making experience at Mt. Sinai. They transformed a
band of Hebrew slaves into an empowered community. They
release the power of community today.
Many traditions have long recognized “two tables” or “tablets”

in the structure of the Ten Commandments. The first table
prescribes one’s relationship with God, the second one’s
relationship to one’s neighbor.
To discover the Root Values expressed in the Ten Words,

simply place the two tablets side by side. This results in two
corresponding sets in parallel, five paired sets.
You shall have no other You shall not kill.

gods before me.
44
You shall make no You shall not commit

graven image to bow adultery.
down and worship it.
You shall not take the You shall not steal.
name of the Lord your
God in vain.
You shall remember the You shall not bear false
Sabbath day and keep it witness.
holy.
Honor your father and You shall not covet.
your mother.
Each paired set expresses a common value. In other words, the

five Root Values emerge out of each paired commandment. Five
values inform one’s relationship with two subjects: God and
Neighbor.
The value becomes one commandment when addressed to God.

It becomes a different but related commandment when
addressed to Neighbor.
To discover the Root Value simply ask: “What value captures

the essence of each paired commandments?”
The first and sixth commandments have to do with the value of

Persons. To have another god before Yahweh is to deny Yah-
weh’s personhood, Yahweh’s relational character. It reduces

Yahweh within the scope of one’s own experience to non-being.
Obviously to take the life of one’s neighbor reduces the neighbor

to non-being. Jesus notes in the Sermon on the Mount that
calling another person, “a fool,” results in the same thing. It
undermines a person's sense of self. Anything that reduces
another person’s essential dignity is tantamount to murder
because it denies the value of Persons.
The second and seventh commandments have to do with the

value of Commitment. It defines a process of healthy interaction.
45
ROOT VALUES:
The prophets commonly associate idolatry with adultery.

Adultery violates mutually agreed upon expectations between
covenant partners. It erodes the bond of trust which serves as the
only genuine link between personal agents who would share life
together.
Commandments three and eight hold up the importance of

personal boundaries. Taking the name of the Lord in vain fails to
honor God’s autonomy. It attempts to access God’s power apart
from relationship with God.
Similarly stealing takes a neighbor’s goods without regard for an

appropriate relationship. It fails to respect the neighbor’s
personal authority.
The value expressed in the fourth and ninth commandment is

more subtle. Sabbath keeping is both a call to community as well
as a challenge to remember and to speak the truth about the
nature of reality.
To bear false witness is to misrepresent the human experience.

The truth is made known as partners each bear witness to what
they experience as the move together in a new reality.
The common value shared between each commandment is an

orientation to Truth that is communal in nature and explored in
dialogue with others.
Finally, the value expressed in the fifth and tenth commandment

is also rather subtle. To honor mother and father is to honor the
bearers of tradition, the history of the family and the community.
It expresses a certain orientation to the past.
Covetousness also expresses a certain orientation to the past,

one’s personal past. It expresses dissatisfaction over your
present condition and seeks in someone else’s experience what
46
you want for yourself.
This dishonors your personal history. It fails to embrace and to

learn from the past. When you covent you wish you could
inherit the experience of someone else. The common value
shared here is an appreciation for the past as a resource for
continued growth and learning.
Think carefully about how these commandments are paired.

You will discover the five Root Values:
• People – You are of eternal worth.

• Commitment – Anything you accomplish of significance
requires the sustained investment of your personal will.
• Autonomy – You are unique and possess personal
freedom to influence who you are and who you become.
• Truth -- You want to know what will provide security
and what will help your life flourish.
• Legacy – You live your life one day at a time.
Significant moments reside in your memory as a
resource for learning and as a personal testament of your
contribution to the human experience.
The Root Values resonate deeply in the human heart. How

important are they? Consider a few simple questions.
• How do you feel when someone insults you?

• How do you feel when someone breaks a commitment to
you?
• How do you feel when someone tries to tell you what to
do?
• How do you feel when you do not understand a
situation?
• How do you feel when you meet someone new who
shows no interest in your story or no appreciation for
your experience?
47
ROOT VALUES:
The Root Values are very important to your personally. But

now consider their importance in community building.
You must protect the freedom of the individual. After all that
person is the community's source of creativity, vitality and
support.
At the same time you guard the freedom on the individual, you
must also encourage people to connect. You hope to see bonds
form that will endure.
An empowered community comes about when one person can

relate to another without loosing her sense of self in the process.
The Root Values create a value system that both secures the
individual and readies the individual for relationship with
others.
The Golden Rule, “Do unto others, as you would have them do
unto you,” proves the universality of the Root Values. Each
value expresses an essential quality that secures the personal
dignity of an individual. Extending the same consideration to
others protects one person from exploitation by the community.
Consider the Root Values framed by the Golden Rule.
• People: Do you want to be valued? Value others.

• Commitment: Do you rely on others to keep their
promises to you? Keep yours.
• Autonomy: Do you cherish your personal freedom?
Respect the personal freedom of others.
• Truth: Do you seek what is important to you? Listen to
what is important to others.
• Legacy: Does your personal story inform your life?
Respect the personal story of others.
Most people feel a sense of injustice when one of the Root

Values is violated. Conversely, most people feel honored when
someone shows respects for the Root Values. Honoring the
48
Root Values helps another person feel safe. It opens a person up

to respond to an invitation to the possibility of a deeper
relationship.
People who raise awareness of the Root Values in the lives of

others are in a position to enter into dialogues of substance about
secondary values and priorities with greater freedom. Human
bonds endure to release the power of community.
49
5
Legacy
Commandment Five: "Honor your father and your mother, that

your days may be long in the land that the LORD your God is
giving you.
Commandment 10: "You shall not covet your neighbor’s house;

you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his male servant, or
his female servant, or his ox, or his donkey, or anything that is
your neighbor’s."
Every journey begins with a first step assuming, of course, you

have a place to stand. The ground provides the resistance that
propels you forward once you decide to move.
A journey into community begins with your ground -- your

history, your personal story. Someone ready for community
values her own Legacy. She embraces the past for its lessons.
Talk to your parents and your grandparents. Listen to their

stories. Their experience informs who you are and who you will
become in ways you will not understand if you do not know the
Legacy.
50
LEGACY
"It occurs to me how much people really look for their own
legacies." Craig Wildman said. "There is really no concrete and
immediate need for this. It is just something people seem to do.
"I was in a fraternity in college. Later I was resident advisor at a

coed one. In both places every freshman was matched up with a
big brother or a big sib', in the case of the coed fraternity. There
was this long history or who was connected via big brother
relationships A kind of legacy developed."
Craig describes how his fraternity created its own genealogy. It

went back for generations of undergraduates at MIT.
"One could say the legacy claim of your big-big-big-big brother

was weak at best and generally meaningless," Craig said.
"Nevertheless a lot the undergrads bothered to figure out who
that alumn was, a person they had never met.
"Were we making up for something missing here?"
Human beings make meaning for their live through the stories
they tell. We look for connections in the past knowing that who
we become depends on who the people were who came before
us.
Knowing the story empowers us. Neglecting it means we walk

in the world blind to forces that have shaped who we are.
Coming to terms with your own story is not easy. Your Legacy
comes freighted with disappointment. This may include feelings
of shame and guilt.
The present moment may be informed by your Legacy to the

degree that what you see is more darkness than light. You may
feel defensive or guarded. Defensiveness is a sign of something
waiting to be learned.
51
ROOT VALUES:
Someone who values Legacy holds on to the lessons of the past

but leaves the baggage behind. Are you ready for relationship?
Make peace with your past. Your personal story is always your
greatest teacher.
Someone ready for community is non-self-condemning.

Confonting your past, working through it, listening to the stories
and learning their lessons strips the past of its power to harm.
It helps a person appreciate the Legacy of others. Her

willingness to be non-self-condemning allows her also to be
non-judgmental. She is profoundly reverent in the presence of
another person’s struggle to become who he is.
Moses fled Egypt in shame. He killed an Egyptian overseer for

beating a Hebrew slave. He found shelter in the house of a
Midianite clan leader named Jethro. He married the man’s
daughter and worked for many years as a shepherd. He rebuilt
his life.
His Legacy now not only included having grown up in the house
of Pharaoh. It had been enriched by his embrace of the
accumulated history of the house of Jethro as well. But all of
this was built on the Legacy of his birth-mother.
While leading the flock of his father-in-law across the

wilderness, he encounters something miraculous, out of the
ordinary, something beyond the scope of his experience. The
voice that addresses Moses claims the authority of Legacy. "I
am the God of your father,” the voice said, “the God of
Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob."
This Legacy provides the primary context of what Moses would

become. (Although he lived in the house of Pharaoh he had
been raised by his birth-mother who had become his nurse
maid.) All other stories would be subordinated to the Legacy
Moses shared as a descendant of Abraham.
52
LEGACY
This did not obliterate his Egyptian experience. Nor did it

devalue his life in the house of Jethro. His Legacy of having
been born of a Hebrew mother informed and completed both.
The House of Abraham
His Hebrew Legacy begins with the story of Abraham, an

unknown native of the land of Ur. As the story goes a
mysterious call separates him out from the masses of the ancient
world.
Few remember the names of the great kings of Ur. Who

remembers Ur-Nammu, Shulgi, or Amar-Sin? Everyone knows
the name of Abraham.
Abraham steps out of the darkness of pre-history. He responds

to a mysterious call that, unlike the call of Moses, lacks the
context Legacy brings. This alone makes Abraham worthy of
the title, “Father of Faith.” He responded to a promise that he
could not fully understand.
"Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house
to the land that I will show you," the voice said. "And I will
make of you a great nation. I will bless you and make your
name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who
bless you, and him who curses you I will curse. In you all the
nations of the earth shall be blessed.”
The story of this beginning, of this promise, wasn passed down

through the generations. It passed from Isaac to Jacob, to Jacob’s
twelve sons to their descendants in Egypt. This Legacy carried
the identity of the people.
They knew themselves to have been set apart for blessing. But
whatever the blessing entailed, it was not for their indulgence.
53
ROOT VALUES:
This was no exclusive claim to privilege, no “divine right” to

anything. According to the promise they were blessed to be a
blessing to others. It was all inclusive. It extended to all the
nations of the earth.
The story of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob is the story of the

working out of this promise. Any number of events put it at
risk. The bareness of Sarah, the violence of tribal conflict in the
land
of Canaan, treachery, betrayal, greed and fear all make an
appearance in the Legacy that preceded Moses.
Moses was raised in house of Pharaoh under the protective eye

of Pharaoh’s daughter. But he was nursed by his own mother.
He grew up hearing the story of their heritage.
He was a son of Pharaoh by adoption and blessed to receive

special privilege as heir of the nobility of Egypt. But he was
also a son of Abraham by birth and by faith. He was a son by
faith because he embraced this identity as his own.
The voice addresses Moses with the words, "I am the God of
your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God
of Jacob," The Legacy of his Hebrew forbears filled his heart
with meaning and understanding.
Advancing the Legacy
Legacy as a Root Value is a central theme of the biblical

narrative. How many have tried to read the Bible “cover to
cover” only to fall exhausted when they have come to the
“begats?”
Genealogies break up the biblical narrative with mind-numbing

regularity. What for us is an incomprehensible list of names, is
54
LEGACY
for people closer to the source a memorializing of their Legacy.
Legacy provides context and meaning. To disregard one’s

Legacy is to neglect the context of one’s life. It reduces life to a
meaningless series of random events. A truly meaningful life
requires context.
Your Legacy includes your own experience and the experience

of your family. This is your identity by birth. But your Legacy
may also include an association by faith.
Your faith Legacy includes the story of your tribe, your nation
and your world. The broader you draw your Legacy circle, the
more meaningful your life becomes.
Moses was comfortable living the life of a shepherd in the

security of the house of his father-in-law Jethro. It provided a
measure of meaning. But once he was addressed by “the God of
Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob" his circle of
meaning expanded to include the whole world.
Moses could not know it at the time. But in responding to the

call to “set his people free,” he set in a motion a new part of the
story. He and the people he led would enrich the Legacy of
Abraham for generations and gerations to come.
He could not know what he had set in motion. In leading the

liberation of a band of Hebrew slaves he would advance the
Legacy of Abraham to include all the nations of the earth.
Legacy at Work
Your Legacy provides the context that gives life meaning.

Moses’ personal Legacy included many narratives feeding into
one story.
55
ROOT VALUES:
His Hebrew mother contributed the story of God’s covenant

with Abraham. His Egyptian mother contributed access to
Pharaoh and a certain social legitimacy in Egypt that his brother
Aaron lacked. His father-in-law Jethro provided an extended
clan in the wilderness that provided emotional support if not a
power base in the wilderness.
Like Moses each of us carries a Legacy that equips us to tackle

the challenge of the day. Each of our Legacies is unique. Each
one enriches the community of which we are a part
Can you embrace our own Legacy as a gift? Do you embrace

the Legacies of others?
Stephen is descended from the White Russian elite who served

Czar Nicholas before the October Revolution brought Lenin and
the Bolsheviks to power in 1918. On the other side of the family
he is the great grandson of early 20th century American
industrial wealth.
“Both sides of my family had been extremely wealthy during a

certain time in history,” Stephen said. “My Dad’s family had
been in the upper class of the Russian Empire. They’d served as
Russian ministers, generals and professors. All that was wiped
out by the Communist Revolution.
“My mother’s family had been even wealthier. Her grandfather

had been one of the pioneers of the electrical industry in the
United States. He’d been a president of General Electric. He
was friends with Thomas Edison and Henry Ford.
“His son had managed to dissipate the family fortune by the

1960s. As a result there was always a hang-up in my mother’s
family over money, wealth and class.
“My mother and her older brothers had all been sent to boarding
school. They lived a certain life-style. But as my grandfather’s
56
LEGACY
inheritance dwindled her younger siblings lived on the other side

of the line between the wealthy and the middle class. There was
always tension in the family.
“Growing up I’d always had the idea that I would solve the
family’s problems by re-creating the wealth and restoring the
family fortune. That was part of what was driving me.”
Stephen graduated from Georgetown University. He started a

business with two friends. After several profitable years he
turned down a slot at the Harvard Kennedy School of
Government to begin an MBA program at the University of
Michigan.
In graduate school he partnered with a young man from Jordan

and a Swiss Hotel/Restaurant group to open a resort on the coast
of Turkey.
This promising beginning collapsed when the Swiss pulled out

at the last minute. Stephen lost his investment. It was
everything he owned.
Stuggling with Legacy
As a young man Stephen imagined a Legacy that positioned him

as a member of the social elite. He embraced an identity as one
of the upper class, a member of the American Industrial
Nobility.
In reality he grew up in a middle-class family. He constructed a

pseudo-identity he overlaid against his lived experience. With
the loss of the Turkish resort project his dream of restoring the
family fortune was washed out to sea.
Valuing Legacy requires a willingness to embrace all of your

life's experience. We often try to bring forward the good parts
of our past and leave the rest behind. The biggest hindrance to
57
ROOT VALUES:
entering an empowering relationship is not past failures, but fear

of former failure.
We present ourselves putting our best foot forward. We forget

that the lesser foot must also always come along. Denial
cripples us, not our humanity.
“The collapse of the Turkish resort project was the first time I
had lost a significant amount of money,” Stephen said. “I was
devastated. I had an emotional breakdown and was depressed
for a year.
"I look back now and see that as the greatest thing that ever
happened to me. But at the time it was devastating.”
What is so great about a failed business venture, losing

everything you have, and falling into a deep depression?
We all have things in our past that make us blush and cringe.
We doubt our personal value. We question our capacity for
commitment. At times we may have been unduly influenced by
others, even abused to the point that we had lost our sense of
identity and perhaps our dignity.
We have blamed others for our failures, made excuses and lied
to ourselves. We have hid from our own experience. We feel
fragile. We try to forget the difficult times, the hardship, the
hurtful moments, the moments of which we are most ashamed.
We are afraid to face our Legacy.
“Error is not blindness,” Nietzsche said. “Error is cowardice.”
To embrace one's Legacy as a Root Values is to bring the past

forward. The hard times hide all the best lessons. Why devalue
your Legacy?
It undermines confidence. It prevents you from coming to
58
LEGACY
terms, once and for all, with your fundamental identity. In

failing to value your Legacy you feed the demon who whispers
daily in your ears, “You don’t measure up.”
Stephen spent a year struggling to come to terms with his
Legacy. He worked to understand how it informed his priorities
and his self- understanding. He spent a year wrestling with the
demons of his past.
An Authentic Legacy
“So why was it so important for me to make the business so

successful? I was able to get at some things that had been in the
background that I had not seen and that were having a negative
influence on my life.
“I became a very different person on the other side of my

emotional breakdown. My wife and I often joke that she would
never have married me, or even spent time with me in that
period of my life.
"When I came out the other side I was a very different person.
Wealth was no longer the driver and achieving a certain status
was no longer important to me. I began to focus on the question,
‘So what really does matter?’ That set me free from all the
expectations I’d put on myself.”
A neglected Legacy will limit your ability to enter authentically
into relationship with others. Shame shackles you. You may
not necessarily feel shame so much as observe it through the
avoidance of your Legacy.
“I needed to be set free from all the expectations I’d put on

myself,” Stephen said.
The first step to valuing his Legacy required him to ask

fundamental questions about who he was and how his past could
empower him to become the person he hoped to be. Before he
59
ROOT VALUES:
could walk, he had to appreciate the ground upon which he

stood.
The opposite of shame is not pride, but humility. Shame grows

in the toxic environment of denial. Reviewing the disappointing
moments in our past hurts. But if we stay with it, work to
understand it, embrace it, and learn its lessons, we discover that
we endure.
We discover goodness in weakness, power in vulnerability, and

success in failure. Shame gives way to humility. Valuing one’s
Legacy – the good and the bad – nurtures health.
“Before the breakdown I was unnaturally optimistic,” Stephen

said. “I was confident to the point of arrogance. I was driven by
the need to amass wealth. It was a little like living in my own
made up dream-world. I already thought I was what I was
always trying to become.
"It was all manufactured. It effected how I related to other

people. I related to others as the character I wanted to be, not as
the person I really was.”
After the collapse of the Turkish resort project Stephen stopped

and reviewed his legacy. He gave up playing a role of his own
invention.
Stephen had not valued his Legacy. He denied the deeper truth
of his family history. He had become captive to an incomplete
family story that distorted who he really was.
"Each side of my family dealt with the loss of their fortunes

differently. On my father’s side the attitude was, ‘Thank God
we are educated. The rest of it doesn’t matter.’ They
immigrated and were able to start their lives over again in the
United States.
"On my mother’s side they were still trying to live the life-style
60
LEGACY
of their former status. They maintained membership in the

Detroit Athletic Club. When I was born my name went into the
‘blue book,’ the social register.
"The reality was that we lived the life of a middle-class family in

the suburb of a factory town. But we were still trying to
represent ourselves – sub-consciously in some cases – as
something else.”
Stephen invested a year in exploring his legacy. He opened it up

and unpacked it. He embraced it. He learned the lessons it had
to teach.
He asked: What motives, values, and beliefs has my legacy

given me that can serve as a foundation for a more authentic and
productive life?
After recovery Stephen went on to work for a

Telecommunications company. As his career developed he
eventually took on a sales organization in a very competitive
market in Europe.
He started with a team of five people and a sales target of

$5,000,000. In three years he had built his team into a 200
member sales organization closing $500,000,000 in annual
sales. Stephen credits his success to breaking free of habits of
mind that had limited him.
“I came out of the breakdown more grounded. I now interacted

with people on terms of who I really was as opposed to the
fantasy I had created. I was happy being myself.”
So much of our Legacy shapes the present moment we take it for

granted. A deep, driving force lies beneath the surface of every
life. This irresistible, unseen momentum propels us.
Stephen’s Legacy includes Russian generals and American
61
ROOT VALUES:
industrialists. Your Legacy is unique to your own experience. It

will either inspire you or cripple you. It depends on what you do
with it.
To value Legacy means to explore it. You can understand it.

You can practice being grateful for everything that has
contributed to who you are today. It is a gift you bring to
community.
To value Legacy also means you are willing to listen to the

stories of others. Everyone has a story to tell. Everyone lives a
life that matters.
When you listen, you connect. When you listen without

judgment, you empower.
Value Legacy and you will begin to release the power of your
community.
62
6
People
Commandment 1: "You shall have no other gods before me.
Commandment 6: "You shall not murder."
“Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never
hurt me.” So we teach our children. But is it really true?
Sticks and stones break bones. But ridiculing or shaming

another human being breaks souls. It also undermines the power
of community.
Everyone would readily agree that murder works against the

notion of valuing people, but so also does calling your brother a
fool.
"You have heard that it was said to the people long ago,” Jesus
said. “'Do not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject
to judgment.' But I tell you that anyone who is angry with his
brother will be subject to judgment. . . . Anyone who says, 'You
fool!' will be in danger of the fire of hell.”
63
ROOT VALUES:
Do not let Jesus’ reference to “judgment” and “the fire of hell”

distract you from the central point. This is no religious
argument for the existence of hell. He is not threatening to send
anyone there.
Religious authorities have long used such references as

insturments of control.
Jesus is using language of judgment to make a compelling case

of the enduring value of People. The sixth commandment was
not limited to murder. It includes respecting the personal dignity
of others.
Moses acted out of this Root Value when he struck down an

Egyptian overseer for beating a Hebrew slave. We see in his
action an imperfect expression of a value for People. Indeed, the
shame with which he fled suggests a measure of remorse in
having taken the Egyptian’s life.
We find a number of other instances of how the Root Value of

People is portrayed in the story of Moses, both in its observance
as well as in its neglect.
The Book of Exodus describes Pharaoh’s oppression of the

Hebrew people without moral commentary. No where does it
say, “This is wrong.” Readers respond with compassion
expressive of this Root Value when they read of the treatment of
the Hebrew people.
In each of our personal Legacies we can remember having

suffered some form of abuse at the hand of one tyrant or another
– even if only on the playground at school.
“Sticks and stones may break my bones,” we are taught to sing.

“But words can never hurt me.”
64
PEOPLE
Reflecting on our Legacies we know that words hurt. They also

justify tyrants. The Nazi holocaust of the 1940’s began with a
holocaust of words in the 1930s.
Faced with the prospect of his slave population growing too

strong Pharaoh orders all male infants of Hebrew mothers to be
killed. Two mid-wives refuse to comply. In breaking the law
they elevate the Root Value of People above the authority of the
state.
It goes without saying that building community must include

valuing people at some level. But there is a difference between
valuing People as a theoretical notion of justice, and valuing
people one by one as you encounter them each day.
“I love mankind,” Charles Shultz said. “Its people I can’t

stand.”
The Root Value People recognizes the intrinsic worth of others.

People are not objects to be used. They are fellow human beings
to be supported and loved. But this, as the old saying goes, “is
easier said than done.”
Personal Resistance
Loving other people is difficult. Another person always

represents a measure of resistance. Call it push back,
disagreement, or conflict. Introduce another person into your
world and you are immediately confronted with the problem of
“the other.”
John Macmurray recognized the value of other People with

particular clarity. His philosophy of “persons in relation”
describes the value of other people as necessary in the
development of the one’s own identity.
65
ROOT VALUES:
According to Macmurray, “the Self” (one’s personal identity) is

constituted by the presence of another person. He argues that
until you are in relationship with someone, you do not
meaningfully exist.
Do not let the philosophical language intimidate you. Obviously

your body does not “disappear.” But your emotional and
intellectual significance does indeed begin to fade. Left alone
long enough, you will die.
J.R.R. Tolkien provides a brilliant portrayal of this in The Lord

of the Rings trilogy. Fans know well the story of Smeagol who
discovered the ring of power. Seeking to posssess it, it came to
possess him.
Smeagol becomes Gollum as his life deteriorates. He did not

nurture relationships with others. The sole focus of his life was
possession of the ring, As a result he began to fade. His
inability (or unwillingness) to be in relationship stripped him of
his personhood.
The Root Value People does not just help people feel better. We
are co-creators of one another. How we treat one another
influences who we become.
Honoring this Root Value builds the vitality of community as it

breaths life into the individual members of it every day.
I need another person I can “bounce ideas off of.” I need

another person to tell me “I am doing a good job.” I need
another person who will respectfully listen to me, and speaking
from from a foundation of genuine concern “tell me I am
wrong.”
Other people energize the significance of my existence. They

give me life. Without an experience of “the other,” “the self”
cannot be said to exist in any meaningful way.
66
PEOPLE
Resistance provides the basis for the formation of personal

identity. Another person pushes back. She tells me I am alive.
Most husbands and wives experience this regularly. The one

you live with is generally the one who knows you best, and
helps you to know yourself best. An authentic interchange
between partners helps to clarify what is important to oneself.
When listening with genuine appreciation accompanies speaking

with openness and honesty, the exchange is empowering and
deeply satisfying. When listening stops and speaking becomes
defensive or accusatory, people are hurt.
Resistance Not Abuse
Do not confuse personal resistance with mistreatment.

Resistence is a natural result of sharing life wth others. The
presence of another person helps me to discover the boundaries
of my life. Another person is limiting in the positive sense of
defining and brining greater focus to who I am.
I know myself fully as “me” only when I am in relationship with

you. (Martin Buber describes this beautifully in I and Thou). If
I remain out of relationship too long I lose myself. I know
myself reflected in the eyes of others.
What happens if the other person in whose eyes you see yourself
disdains you? What if he holds you in contempt, or shames
you?
This was the crippling experience of the Hebrew slaves. It is

also the experience of living in an abusive household, working
for a disrespectful boss, or trying to navigate an impersonal,
dismissive institution.
We begin to experience ourselves as unworthy. If we remain in
67
ROOT VALUES:
such relationships our sense of self becomes self-loathing. We

become diminished to the point that we will no longer be able to
share our gift with the world. Community is diminished.
Personal resistence is not abuse. But abuse is an excessive form
of personal resistence. Managed from the right perspective
mistreat can serve to reinfornce an even great sense of self.
Did Moses' first encounter with Pharaoh result in failure?

Assessed from the perspective of the goal – the liberation of
Hebrew slaves – it was a miserable failure. But when framed in
terms of the personal formation of Moses it was a great success.
Sometimes when we encounter others who present resistance we

dehumanize them. We may dismiss what they have to say as
Pharaoh did. Or, take a more passive-aggressive approach and
gossip about them in an attempt to strip them of their influence
in the lives of others.
Doing this we deny the Root Value People. We diminish our

own identities. In devaluing others, we devalue ourselves.
Conversely when we encounter the resistance of others as a gift,
we are enriched.
Pharaoh’s, “No!” generated in Moses a profound “Yes!”

Pharaoh’s resistance gave Moses a much greater sense of
himself, of his mission, and of his resolve.
How grateful Moses must have been for Aaron's support,

validation, and affirmation in the face of such hostility. The
Root Value People highlights not only the importance or
resistance, but of encouragement as well.
Moses led a group of Hebrew slaves into the wilderness. They

grumbled for lack of food. They grumbled for lack of water.
Moses could have simply walked away. After all, the wilderness
was no wilderness to him. It was the land of his father-in-law
Jethro.
68
PEOPLE
But Moses did not walk away. He endured the murmuring of

the people. He continued to engage. He continued to be
present, even in the midst of discomfort. How grateful Moses

must have been for Jethro's uncompromising support.
In his willingness to stay connected through conflict, Moses

honored the Root Value People. In relationship with supporters
like Aaron and Jethro, he was every day transformed into a more
empowered person.
People at Work
The Root Value People not only highlights the need to celebrate
the intrinsic worth of others. It also highlights the need to
celebrate the moments when another person seems to get in the
way.
Getting in the way lets me experience the limitations of my

influence. It gives me a greater sense of where I stop and others
begin. The resistance of another person helps my own unique
qualities come to life.
In 1995 the largest industrial fire in the history of Massachusetts

broke out at the Malden Mills factory in the small town of
Lawrence. With an unemployment rate of over 14%, the fire put
3,000 irreplaceable jobs at risk. The insurance company agreed
to pay $300 million to settle the claim.
Henry Feuerstein founded the family owned and operated

company in 1906. Henry’s grandson Aaron, already in his
seventies, had inherited the family business. He had reached an
age when most men are ready to retire.
Feuerstein could have taken the $300 million and retired in

luxury. But he would have left another dead mill town in
69
ROOT VALUES:
Massachusetts. Instead he invested the insurance money to

rebuild the factory.
But that was not enough. Constructing a factory takes time. The
families of his employees needed to eat in the mean time. He
borrowed another $100 million to continue to pay his 3,000
employees until the factory could open again.
Good intentions to not always work out. In November 2001

Aaron Feuerstein filed for bankruptcy. Financing the cost of
rebuilding the factory outdistanced the income Malden Mills
could generate in a slow textile market.
The Union of Needle Trades, Industrial and Textile Workers

Local 311 rallied behind their cash-strapped boss. Despite
layoffs employees continued to maintain passionate loyalty to
the company.
Said one 22 year employee, "If anybody can pull a rabbit out of
his hat, he's shown time and time again he can."
Feuerstein did not give up the fight. He believed he could save

his company and keep working on behalf of the people of
Lawrence, Massachusetts. Asked what he wanted engraved on
his tombstone when he went to work for the last time, he replied,
“He done his damndest.”
Creating Conditions for Happiness
Aaron Feuerstein “done his damndest” because he understands

the Root Value People. When people believe they are valued
and feel valued by others, they accomplish amazing things
together. Such goodness multiplies as affirming power moves
from one person to the next in an expanding circle of influence
that enriches the world.
70
PEOPLE
In The Wealth of Nations Adam Smith describes how self-

interest drives the economy. But earlier he had written another
book, The Theory of Moral Sentiments. It begins with a simple

observation only the most mean-spirited person could deny.
How selfish man may be supposed, there are evidently some

principles in his nature, which interest him in the fortune of
others, and render their happiness necessary to him, though he
derives nothing from it except the pleasure of seeing it.
“Happiness” meant something different for Adam Smith than the

passing mood we associate with being “happy” today.
Happiness described a social condition that enabled people to
flourish. It could never be achieved outside of living life
together with others.
Thomas Jefferson had this notion of happiness in mind when he

penned the Declaration of Independence.
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created

equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain
unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the
pursuit of Happiness.
The Declaration of Independence assumes the Root Value

People as a first principle. The self-evident truth of the right to
pursue happiness excludes any treatment of others that would
deny that pursuit. It excludes any social condition that prevents
another person from flourishing.
The “principle of our nature” that takes pleasure in seeing the

well-being of others is the Root Value People. The recognition
of the importance of the pursuit of happiness highlights this
value in the founding document of the United States.
Aaron Feuerstein took such great pleasure in seeing the well-
71
ROOT VALUES:
being of others that it cost him $400,000,000. It was not too

high a price to pay measured against the value of People.
Someone who values People expresses great appreciation for

what they bring to a team. They speak freely about their gifts,
abilities and talents. They acknowledge the shortcomings and
limitations of others, but never allow that to get in the way of

celebrating their basic worth.
Billion Dollar Assets
Tim is a direct seller of automation and industrial control

products. For seven years in a row industry surveys have
consistently recognized his company as number one for
technical service excellence.
“Each one of my employees,” he says, “is a billion dollar asset,”
What does a billion dollar asset look like?
“I met John at a karate class. He was young, probably 19 years

old. There was something special about this guy. I saw that
right off the bat.
“Everybody is God’s creation. If you look at somebody, and

you try to turn off your prejudice, their hair cut, the clothes they
wear, etc. you see potential.
"There was something that glowed about this guy, so I watched

him. He took care of his younger brother. He came from a poor
family. The world held him at a pretty low level. He didn’t
have a college degree. He worked at Wal-Mart. He lived at
home and contributed what he earned to support his parents. Yet
72
PEOPLE
this guy always had a smile on his face.
“One evening I brought him over to our facility after karate. I

showed him around and then invited him to apply to work for
us. He started in our warehouse. He was strong physically. He

was dependable. He took the job very seriously.
"Eventually he began to get involved with one of our technical

teams. I kept up with him. (I keep up with a lot of people
around here.) I heard good things from his team captain. He
kept taking on more and more responsibility.
“He is one of our billion dollar assets because there is such

goodness down in there somewhere. We encouraged him to go
get a college degree. We reimbursed him based on his grades.
If he earned an 'A' we gave him 90% of the cost of tuition. If he
received a 'B' we gave him 80%.
“During this time he got married. Then he got financially

strapped. I found out he had taken a second job back at Wal-
Mart.
"'Listen, I said, 'we can help you out.’ We don’t do shift work
here, but I knew I could trust him. I had him come in at night
and do odd jobs. Customers request a catalogue. Or free
samples have to be stuffed inside a bag – that kind of thing, all
kinds of odd-ball jobs.
"Over time, not only did he get his two year degree. He
completed his four year degree. Now he is going back to get his
master’s degree.
“He came in here making minimum wage. Now he is earning a

significant salary. He is doing that because he invested in
himself. He is an American success story. I believe he is going
to keep going, and keep growing.”
73
ROOT VALUES:
John invested in himself because Tim values People. Tim

helped him see capabilities in himself that he may not have seen
otherwise. He saw himself reflected in Tim’s eyes.
When Tim looks at people, he really sees them. He sees them in

the fullness of their individuality. He sees each as a unique
person with gifts and talents to be shared.
Tim talked about Beth.
“Beth came here and interviewed for an entry level sales

position. She used to work as a 911 operator. Her husband was
a police officer.
'You could tell she lived a tough life. She didn’t trust many
people. She did not take care of herself. She was extremely
overweight. She was obese.
“But she had a strong work ethic. She really cared about doing
the right thing at work. Now don’t get me wrong, she wasn’t
perfect. She had an edge to her. She could be pretty hard on
someone who didn’t measure up to what she believed was their
responsibility to the company.
"We attract a lot of people who don’t have a formal education,

who have not had a lot of opportunity in life. And they come
here and they take off. I mean, in a really good way.
“Beth worked her tail off. She was number one in sales. In our
industry a typical sales person usually processes $200,000 in
sales a month. She hit a $1,000,000. The whole team excelled.
She brought everyone up. When someone runs that fast,
everyone else just trys to hang on.
“Beside all that she is constantly telling us how to redesign the

business, how to redesign our process to make it better for our
customers. That’s what I love about people like this. They are
74
PEOPLE
going to push us hard to make the company better.
“She had an idea about how to apply 911 principles to our

business. When a customer calls she wanted to know why we
couldn’t very quickly triage that customer, figure out what the
problem is, and immediately direct that customer to the best
person on the team who can answer that question as soon as
possible. It’s a really great concept. She pioneered that process
for our company.”
What does it mean to really value People? Tim recognizes

capabilities in others and calls them out. He begins with the
assumption that everyone that works for him is a “billion dollar
asset.” He receives the gift each person brings to his
organization, fans the flame, and then gets out of the way to
watch them glow.
Embracing the Root Value People challenges a community to

celebrate the life of one another. It also challenges people to
provide the resistance that helps others become more than they
ever thought they could be.
If all you did was truly learned to value People, that alone would
empower others to pursue happiness and energize the creativity
and vitality of a team or organization. That alone would release
the power of community.
75
7
Commitment
Commandment 2: You shall not make for yourself a carved

image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or
that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the
earth. You shall not bow down to them or serve them. . . .
Commandment 7: You shall not commit adultery.
People who value Commitment recognize the link between

internal resolve and external results. Intentional change of any
kind requires an investment of the will. Hope moves out into the
world through Commitment.
Imagine the commitment required of Moses. He returned to

Egypt and stood before Pharaoh ten times with the same simple
appeal, “Let my people go.” How many times can you endure
hearing “No,” before you give up?
Portrayals of Commitment fill the Book of Exodus. Do you

focus on the miracles?
76
COMMITMENT
There is the burning bush, the plagues, the parting of the Red
Sea, Manna in the wilderness, water out of rocks, a divine voice
on a mountain – the book runs over with the miraculous.
If you look past the miracles you will discover how often the
story lifts up the Root Value Commitment. Miracles do not
make the Book of Exodus distinctive. The power of the story is
in how a demoralized band of Hebrew slaves find their strength
through repeated demonstrations of Commitment.
Seeking the Death of Moses
When Moses returns to Egypt to confront Pharaoh the Book of

Exodus includes a startling and disturbing story.
He travels with his Midianite wife Zapporah and their son. They
stop for the night. Without warning or provocation the text says,
Yahweh “sought to put Moses to death.” What can this mean?
Earlier the story portrayed Yahweh as compassionate. The I

AM hears the suffering cry of the descendants of Abraham.
Yahweh remembers the covenant of Abraham and comes down
to liberate the people from Egypt.
How is it that once calling Moses to set his people free Yahweh
now seeks to destroy him?
Later in the story we find a similar incident that helps us

understand. After the covenant-making event in which the
people commit to "hearken" to the voice of Yahweh and keep his
covenant, Moses goes up the mountain to be in the presence of
Yahweh.
While Moses is away the people come to Aaron. They ask him
for an idol, a clear denial of the commitment they had just
made.
77
ROOT VALUES:
Aaron complies with the request. He fashions a Gold Calf. The

people bow down to worship.
The response of Yahweh is severe. Yahweh's intention is to kill

the people. "Now therefore let me alone," Yahweh says, "that
my wrath may burn hot against them and I may consume them."
Moses quickly steps in and plays the role of mediator. He

reminds Yahweh of the Legacy of Abraham. "Remember
Abraham, Isaac, and Israel," he said, "your servants, to whom
you swore by your own self."
Moses makes an appeal to Commitment. Yahweh sets aside the

divine wrath.
Returning now to the story of the threat against Moses' life, we

find similar themes.
Yahweh intends to kill Moses, the man who had just agreed to
partner with Yahweh in the liberation of the Hebrew slaves.
Yahweh intended to kill the Hebrew slaves who had just become
partners with Yahweh.
In the Golden Calf incident, the cause was a failure of

commitment on the part of the Hebrew people. The story does
not make clear the cause of wrath in the story of the threat
against Moses.
Ancient readers would have known the cause. They would have
picked up a sub-text that is obscrure to us. But we find a clue in
the response of Zapporah, Moses' wife.
Similar to the way Moses interceded with Yahweh, reminding

Yahweh of the Legacy of Abraham, Zapporah plays the
mediator here.
Moses’ death is averted when Zapporah quickly circumcises her

infant son. “Surely,” Zapporah says to Moses, “You are a
78
COMMITMENT
bridegroom of blood to me.”
The act of circumcision seems arbitrary, even barbaric to one

unfamiliar with the Hebrew Legacy. But to one who stands
within the family story the message is clear. Since the days of
Abraham circumcision had always been a sign of commitment.
“You are a bridegroom of blood to me!” declares Zapporah. The

term “bridegroom” is clearly a reference to commitment-
making. That the commitment is made in blood suggests the
depth of the commitment represented by circumcision.
This story only makes sense within the Legacy of Abraham and
the Root Values framework.
This is not a "test" for Moses (and Zapporah). It is a call to

commitment. There is now no turning back.
Demonstrations of Commitment
Commitment will make the difference in this story. It is the only

thing Moses brings to the encounter with Pharaoh. He will need
it.
Moses confronts Pharaoh for the first time. Pharaoh registers his
refusal to let the Hebrew people go by increasing their work
load. In response the people turn against Moses. They blame
him for having aroused Pharaoh’s anger.
Moses, in turn, makes his complaint to Yahweh who calls Moses

to stand by his commitment just as Yahweh has stood by his
commitment to the descendants of Abraham. Moses stands firm,
despite his rejection by the people he had come to liberate from
slavery.
79
ROOT VALUES:
Moses’ commitment precedes the people’s willingness to

follow. “They did not listen to Moses, because of their broken
spirit and harsh slavery.”
The infamous plagues follow Pharaoh's initial rebuff. With the

final plague (the death of the first-born of Egypt) comes the
initial call of commitment to the Hebrew slaves.
Only those among the slaves who demonstrate their commitment

through the sacrifice of a lamb will be spared the fate of the
Egyptians. Clearly Passover is a call to Commitment.
Indeed, the detailed instructions associated with the event

(“roasted on the fire; with unleavened bread and bitter herbs. . .
do not eat any of it raw or boiled in water,” etc.) tests the resolve
of this dependent people.
Other demonstrations of Commitment follow. The most

significant comes with the covenant-making event itself.
On the third new moon after the people of Israel had gone out of
the land of Egypt, on that day they came into the wilderness of
Sinai. They set out from Rephidim and came into the wilderness
of Sinai, and they encamped in the wilderness.
There Israel encamped before the mountain, while Moses went

up to God. The LORD called to him out of the mountain,
saying, "Thus you shall say to the house of Jacob, and tell the
people of Israel:
"You yourselves have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how
I bore you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself. Now
therefore, if you will indeed hearken to my voice and keep my
covenant, you shall be my treasured possession among all
peoples, for all the earth is mine; and you shall be to me a
kingdom of priests and a holy nation."
80
COMMITMENT
So Moses came and called the elders of the people and set
before them all these words that the LORD had commanded
him. All the people answered together and said, "All that the
LORD has spoken we will do."
Immediately following this event we receive a presentation of

the Ten Commandments. The recurring theme makes the point
of the story clear. No one releases the power of community
without a clear, unambiguous call to Commitment.
NCAA Soccer
The year before Tim took over as head coach of the men’s
soccer team at the University of California at Santa Barbara,
“the Gauchos” had never made it to a Division I, NCAA
tournament. They finished the previous year with a record of
two wins and seventeen losses.
“When I met with the Athletic Director, the goal was never to
win,” Tim said. “The program had dropped down to the level of
embarrassment. There were no resources provided.
"The NCAA allows us to recruit ten players on scholarship. We

had two. They allow three assistant coaches. We had one. We
paid him $5,000/year.
“So you have no history. You have no tradition. You have no

resources. The stadium itself is a 35 year old metal complex that
is rusting out. You have nothing to attract players.
"In NCAA Division I soccer, UCSB was at the bottom. I took

the job at UCSB because I had an itch. ‘Could we win here?’”
A pseudo-community consists of a group of people who value

conformity and comfort over vitality, creativity and life. The
81
ROOT VALUES:
energy of the group remains focused on resisting change, living

in denial, and undermining and discrediting “outliers,” those
who refuse to conform.
The Hebrew slaves in the desert stumbled along in this fashion

until they were challenged by the covenant-making event. They
received the Ten Words that would transform them.
Similarly, the UCSB Gouchos stumbled along as well. It took a

coach who understood the Root Value Commitment to transform
a casual group of guys into a team that could win.
Hard Decisions
Tim’s prospects of building a winning soccer program at UCSB

were about as remote as Moses prospects of getting a band of
Hebrew slaves out of Egypt. Moses at least had a burning bush
to inspire his commitment.
“I became head coach in February 1999. I inherited 24 players.

After working with them for eight weeks, I walk out onto the
field and cut almost the whole team -- 18 players.
.
“The issue was not talent. It was lack of commitment. They
didn't care about what they were doing.
“One kid had an alcohol problem. He’d been kicked out of the
dorms three times.
“The previous season the team made a trip to play the University
of Washington. The goal keeper and their leading scorer did
not go because they had a fraternity function. The team gave up
nine goals. It was the most lopsided loss in UCSB history.
82
COMMITMENT
“Their lack of commitment infected the whole team. There was

no way to fix it. In addition to the freshman, I kept three other
players.
"One had been cut the year before. He came back and had to
fight to get back on the team. I kept him.
“Another guy was passionate. He really cared. I kept him.
“I had a fifth year goal keeper. During his freshman year he had
his face kicked in at a game against Fresno State. He had to
have reconstructive surgery. He was out for two seasons. No
one thought he’d ever play again. But his attitude was, ‘I’d do
anything to get back on a soccer field.’ I kept him.
Friedrich Nietzsche, the philosopher of Commitment, described

“the will to power” as the vital center of individual vitality. We
do not merely have a will to live, we want to flourish.
Nietzsche pointed to the creativity and greatness released when

someone taps into the passionate motive energy that lies just
beneath the surface of our awareness. Once energized the Will
punches through limits of convention and pushes beyond the
empty shell of social habits of conformity to express the vitality
of the human experience.
Unfortunately people readily yield to the pressure of mediocrity.

Excellence establishes a standard beyond the norm. True
excellence, therefore, is abnormal by definition.
A person who strives for excellence will experience rejection.

She must have the resolve to press through the inevitable
ostracism that comes with personal striving. Only after she wins
the prize is she celebrated. The journey to excellence requires
courage and commitment to press forward.
Too many of us forgo the vitality of real community for the

mush-headedness of the herd. Real community never has a
83
ROOT VALUES:
chance to start because it requires a shared commitment to

excellence at every level among every one. Pseudo-community
becomes the norm. We settle rather than strive.
Moses' commitment enabled him to push through apathy

generated by generations in slavery. Tim had to push through
the apathy of spoiled children in a university that tolerated poor
performance.
Commitment over Talent
“I recruited guys I called ‘second-chance players.’” Tim said.

“These guys were looking for an opportunity because something
had gone wrong before.
“One guy had had cancer in his hip -- a good player. But when
they cut the cancer out all the scholarships went away. They
never thought he’d play soccer again. But he was committed.
“We traded high talent players for high commitment players.

That season we went from 2-17 (two wins, seventeen losses) to
13-7. It was the biggest turnaround in Division I NCAA soccer.
“The next season we won our conference. We were excited.

This would be the first year in the history of UCSB that we were
going to make the playoffs. We were at a sports bar watching
television as they announced what schools were going to the
national tournament.
“As we sat there, they named forty-eight schools. They did not
name UCSB. They left us out. We were the only team to have
won their conference no to go to the national tournament.
“The team was shocked. They said, ‘Next year we are in the
same situation. Even if we win the conference, we still have no
84
COMMITMENT
guarantee that we will be invited to the national tournament.’ It

focused the team. They couldn’t take anything for granted.
“This led to the 2002 season. We opened against the University

of Michigan and scored 5 goals by half-time. We went on to
score 63 goals in the next twenty games and ended the year with
an 18-2 season.
“Being snubbed by the NCAA galvanized the team’s

commitment. They knew that poor play in just one game might
be enough to exclude them from the playoffs.
“They led the country in scoring in 2002. They led the country
in defense in 2004. We played nine overtime games and didn’t
lose one. We went to the national tournament in 2004.
“In the sweet sixteen we were in North Caroline playing against

UNC Greensborough. Four minutes into the game we lost our
forward. We had to play with one man down, against the
highest scoring team in the country.
"We beat them, 1-0. These guys would not be denied their place
in the national tournament.”
Tim values Commitment. He understands that leadership that

fails to call others to commit, fails all together.
Genuine commitment cannot be coerced. It is not a matter of

compelling obedience. A genuine call to commitment motivates
the free expression of a human heart.
85
ROOT VALUES:
Rebuild
“The team that took us to the National Championship graduated

in 2004. In 2005 we had to reinvent ourselves. Because of our
success our program had risen in visibility.
"Our recruiting was pulling in a higher caliber player. The local

kid who might try hard was not at the level of play of the talent
we were attracting. We were dealing with superstars now. That
means egos. We were dealing with kids who were talking about
who would be be their agent.
“The 2006 team began as the most disappointing one of my

career. We started the season in dysfunction. There is no other
way to put it. They weren’t playing for each other.
“We were 7-6 when we played UC Riverside, which was the last
place team in our conference. UCSB had never lost to
Riverside-- even in the bad years. We went down and lost 1-0.
“As we were pulling out of the parking lot the bus bottomed out
on a curb. We sat there for three and a half hours waiting for
someone to come pull us off. The guys had a lot to think about.
“After the Riverside disappointment, we were scheduled to play

Cal-Poly. One more loss and our season was over. We would
not make the playoffs.
“I said, ‘This next game will be Senior Night.’ (Senior Night is

the last game in which the seniors play. It is the last game of
their soccer careers.)
“‘What do you mean, Senior Night?’ they asked. I said, ‘Well,

if we lose the next game then I am going to go with all the
younger players. We are going to be done with our seniors. We
need to develop the future.
86
COMMITMENT
“'You seniors might want to invite your parents.’ I said, ‘because

this is the last game you are going to play. But I don’t want to
be responsible for putting players out there who don’t have as
much to lose as you guys. So you tell me who you want to play
with. You pick your team for this game.'
“One of my captains met me in the parking lot. ‘Tim, I looked

around and I didn't see two other players that I wanted to play
with.’ I said, ‘Well that’s a problem. You have two more days
to figure it out.’
“We drive up to Cal-Poly. The captains call the team together.

‘Look, this may be our last game. And we are not sure who to
tell Coach to play. So we want to know if any of you are not
ready.’
"One guy said, 'My hamsring is feeling tight. I don;t think I can
give 100% today.' He pulled himself out. But he was the only
one.
“We scored two goals in the first 10 minutes. It was a defining

moment.
"The team decided they wanted to go somewhere. That was

when they committed. We went on to win the next nine games
in a row. We made it to the national tournament.
“We played in St. Louis in the semi-finals. A big storm hit on

Friday. They moved all the games to Saturday.
"We played in the afternoon. It was 25 degrees. We played into

overtime, 110 minutes. We win but we did not make it back to
the hotel until 6:00 PM.
"After this exhausting game, we had to be back on the field at

11:00 AM the next morning.
87
ROOT VALUES:
“We played UCLA in the finals. They were playing for their
100th National Championship. They were motivated.
"They beat the University of Virginia 4-0 in their semi-final

game. They had had the opportunity to rest some of their
players. It did not look good for us.
“Before the game the sports broadcaster comes up to me and

says, ‘You know Tim, finishing second is great. There is
nothing wrong with that. You still will have had a great
season.’
“We didn’t come to the National Tournament to finish second.

We beat UCLA. It was the first national title in the history of
UC Santa Barbara athletics.
"This was the same crew that six weeks earlier was sitting on a
bus that had bottomed out after losing to Riverside. You would
not have given them a prayer.”
You would not have given them a prayer, but for one thing. The
Root Value Commitment, releases the power of community.
88
8
Autonomy
Commandment 3: You shall not take the name of the LORD your
God in vain, for the LORD will not hold him guiltless who takes
his name in vain.
Commandment 8: You shall not steal.
The Root Value Autonomy defines the dividing line between

people. It marks where one person stops and another person
begins. Our physical autonomy – that we have distinct bodies –
obscures the fact that we do not always live with distinct
emotions. We sometimes loose our emotional autonomy.
When you waking up on the wrong side of the bed, results in me

having a bad day, I have lost my emotional autonomy.
When you ask for my opinion, and instead of sharing it with you
I try to figure out what you think, I have lost my emotional
autonomy.
When my sense of serenity depends on the height of your

happiness, I have lost my emotional autonomy.
89
ROOT VALUES:
Our lives merge I need you to supply my sense of security or my

identity. When I fail to take responsibility for myself, when I
blame you for how I feel or the condition of my life, I have
merged with you.
I begin to live my life only with your permission. I lose my

unique perspective. I want to know what you see and what you
think. My personal power shrinks away. My creativity dies. I
have nothing to contribute of my own that enriches the
community.
We neglect the Root Value Autonomy when we surrender our

identity to another person in this way. Your life is a gift to share
with others. When you merge with another person, your gift
goes away. The world is diminished by your lack of
participation. Community suffers.
Similarly the Root Value Autonomy is violated wherever a

spouse, parent or manager tries to control you. Seeking to have
power over another person dishonors Autonomy.
Pharoah’s Tryanny
Authoritarian states violate Autonomy when political systems

secure the privilege of the few at the expense of the many.
Theories of democracy seek to secure the Autonomy of citizens.
But care must be taken that the “tyranny of the majority” does
not violate the Autonomy (the rights) of the minority.
This Root Value anchors the wisdom behind the “separation of

church and state” clause in the second amendment to the
American Constitution. Churches dishonor their deepest Legacy
when they attempt to use the power of the state promote a
dogmatic social agenda.
90
AUTONOMY
The Root Values story in the Book of Exodus begins with the
violation of Autonomy under the coercive power of the state.
Moses helps the Hebrew slaves escape tyranny.
Perhaps the most striking quality of the biblical narrative is how

consistently Yahweh honors personal Autonomy. This explains
why a lightning bolt does not come down from the sky to “strike
Pharaoh” in his refusal to let the Hebrew slaves go. It would
have been an easy solution to the problem of oppression once
and for all. But the lightning bolt never comes. Yahweh honors
Autonomy, even the Autonomy of a tyrant.
Once at Mt. Sinai the covenant-making event begins with a

clear, unambiguous act of boundary setting.
“And you shall set limits,” Yahweh says to Moses, “For the
people all around, saying, 'Take care not to go up into the
mountain or touch the edge of it. Whoever touches the mountain
shall be put to death.'”
The biblical narrative everywhere secures the inviolability of

Yahweh’s autonomy. The design of the Tabernacle reinforced
this Autonomy. The symbol continued in the construction of the
Temple in Jerusalem where the “Holy of Holies” defined a clear
line of demarcation between Yahweh and the people.
The word "Holy" originally meant "set apart,"

"unapproachable," "wholey other." The vale, or curtain of
separation in both the Tabernacle and the Temple defined the
line. Yahweh is not to be approached.
The cry, "Holy, Holy, Holy" in the temple is a song in

celebration of divine Autonomy. A "holy man" is a person set
apart. A "holy people" or a "holy nation" defines a distinct
community.
That the word "holy" now carries connotations of "moral purity"

suggests how far religious piety has wandered. Exhortations
91
ROOT VALUES:
from the pulpit "to be holy" are more often attempts to control
personal behavior -- an act of dogmatic tyranny -- than it is a call
to safe-guard one's personal autonomy. Can there be a more
tragic irony? A word that once secured the Root Value
Autonomy is now used regularly to violate it.
Just as Yahweh demanded that the divine autonomy be held

inviolate, so also does Yahweh respect the Autonomy of the
people. We see this in the appeal to covenant-making. The
divine compact is not compelled, but invited.
In the Burning Bush incident, the voice invites Moses to

commit. Yahweh does not force Moses to action.
In the covenant-making event at Mt. Sinai, Yahweh invites the

people into partnership. “If you will hearken to my voice and
keep my covenant,” Yahweh says. The covenant is dependent
upon the consent of the people.
Even the Golden Calf incident displays respect for Autonomy.

The people choose to build an idol. Moses recognizes Yahweh’s
authority to destroy the people. Nevertheless, Moses claims his
own personal Autonomy when he argues with Yahweh.
Argument and negotiation requires autonomous partners.
We also see this in the construction of the Tabernacle. In the

appeal for supplies and material Moses respects the Autonomy
of the former slaves. By this time in the narrative they are now
emerging as an empowered community.
Unlike Pharaoh who coerced the people to build, Moses’ calls

the people to build the Tabernacle for Yahweh. They responded
“everyone whose heart stirred him, and everyone whose spirit
moved him. . . . brought (material for the Tabernacle) as a
freewill offering to the Lord.”
92
AUTONOMY
Autonomy and Commitment
The Root Values of Commitment and Autonomy have a

paradoxical relationship. Without Autonomy, Commitment is
not possible. Commitment requires that an autonomous
individual freely chose to limit personal freedom in the service
of a shared interest. Where there is no real autonomy, there can
be no real commitment.
Once committed, one’s freedom is circumscribed or bounded.

But it is a limitation one chooses for oneself. If it is compelled,
it is not commitment.
Commitment requires saying yes to one thing, and no to every

other option. In committing to go to Egypt to challenge Pharaoh
in the service of Yahweh, Moses turned his back on life as a
shepherd in service to Jethro.
The autonomous individual may choose, as Pharaoh did, to use

his freedom in the service of self alone. However, as the Book
of Exodus suggest, a team or organization (or even a band of
slaves) who choose to limit their personal freedom and unite,

will ultimately prevail.
Without Commitment, autonomous power is limited to what one

person working alone can accomplish. Furthermore, in a crowd
Autonomy is further weakened through unending strife. Many
pseudo-communities (some churches, schools, businesses, etc.)
fail for this reason.
Seventeenth century political theorist Thomas Hobbes imagined

“the state of nature” to have consisted of autonomous
individuals in perpetual conflict. He described the potential
problem of freedom.
93
ROOT VALUES:
In such condition there is no place for industry, because the fruit

thereof is uncertain: and consequently no culture of the earth;
nor navigation, nor use of the commodities that may be imported
by sea; no commodious building; no instruments of moving and
removing such things as require much force; no knowledge of
the face of the earth; no account of time; no arts; no letters; no
society and which is worst of all, continual fear, and danger of
violent death; and the life of man, solitary, poor, nasty, brutish,
and short. (Chapter 13, Leviathan)
Autonomy unsupported by Commitment results in perpetual

conflict. Hobbes’ world is filled with autonomous individuals
who only under duress finally yield personal liberty to an
overarching power, a “great Leviathan,” who brings personal
interest to heel.
For Hobbes, only the coercive power of the state could limit the
risk associated with personal freedom.
Jean Rousseau challenged this view.
In Social Contract Rousseau envisions the genesis of society in

people freely choosing to come together. Commitment enables
life to flourish.
Rousseau argued there comes a moment in “the state of nature”

when obstacles to personal freedom are greater than the
individual’s power to overcome them. The autonomous
individual gladly surrenders natural liberty to a broader
community so they may work together in a common cause.
Hobbes sees social origins in reluctant commitment to do no

harm. Rousseau sees joyful commitment enriching the life of
community. Either way, in the service of security or
enrichment, people yield their Autonomy to one another to serve
a common good.
The Founding Fathers constantly negotiated the paradox of

Autonomy and Commitment. Some, like Thomas Jefferson
94
AUTONOMY
tended toward a Rousseausian vision of community. Others,

like Alexander Hamilton tended toward a more Hobbesian
view. Nevertheless they understood the paradoxical role
commitment plays in the securing of personal liberty.
Where Virginian Patrick Henry exclaims to the Virginia House

of Burgesses, “Give me liberty or give me death!” Benjamin
Franklin, at the signing of the Declaration of Independence,
solemnly says, “We must, indeed, all hang together, or most
assuredly we shall all hang separately.”
Psuedo-Community
Earlier we suggested Frederick Nietzsche was the philosopher of

Commitment, one who celebrated the power of the Will. It is
not surprising that he is also preeminently the philosopher of
Autonomy.
Nietzsche is sometimes criticized for his advocacy of a neo-

aristocracy in the late 19th Century. He lifted up the excellence
of the “Noble Spirit” over and against “the herd.” Detractors
suggest he undermines democratic values.
A closer reading of Nietzsche shows his criticism of the herd

focused on what we are calling pseudo-community. He had
disdain, even contempt, for easy conformity to social habit.
Because it costs nothing and risk nothing, it is worth nothing.
By contrast an empowered community consists of the type of

people Nietzsche envisioned in his description of “the Noble.”
In the following passage, note how confidently he embraces the
Root Value Autonomy.
Signs of nobility: never thinking of degrading our duties into

duties for everybody; not wanting to delegate, to share, one’s
own
95
ROOT VALUES:
responsibility; counting one’s privileges and their exercise

among one’s duties. (Beyond Good and Evil, paragraph 272.)
When you value Autonomy you honor personal boundaries.

Each individual forms a whole, complete unto oneself. When
people value Autonomy they delegate responsibility to one
another, even as they hold one another accountable to their
commitments.
Here is the paradox of the Root Value Autonomy. An

autonomous self cannot thrive outside of relationship with
others, but only autonomous individuals can release the power of
community.
Law of the Self
The word "Autonomy" means "law of the self." To be

autonomous is to have clear boundaries for one's personal
identity. I am not you. You are not me.
The maturation process is a movement toward greater and

greater Autonomy. A newborn cannot survive without the
nurturing support of a caregiver. A toddler relies on a parent for
security.
As children get older they test the space between themselves and
their parent. They are looking for the defining line between
where the parent stops and they begin.
The trauma of the teenage years establishes the identity of the

child as a unique person. Peer pressure results from teens who
are trying to establish a sense of personal Autonomy apart from
mom and dad. The journey can be traumatic.
They have not yet learned to fully embraced their uniqueness.
96
AUTONOMY
They trade the security of parental validation for the affirmation

of their friends. They lack confidence to think for themselves.
A mature adult has a well-developed sense of personal

Autonomy. Sadly some adults never develop a strong sense of
self. They suffer in a swirling chaos of other people's feelings,
thoughts, and perceptions.
Others sometimes find themselves in relationships in which their

personal Autonomy is not honored. All abusive relationships are
violations of personal Autonomy. Over time an adult can can
lose her identity and return to a condition of childish
dependency.
A person ready for community has a strong sense of personal

Autonomy.
The Root Value Autonomy secures personal freedom. Clear

separation between individuals make possible a relationship as
two banks of a river make possible a bridge.
Moses maintained his unique identity in relationship with

Yahweh. He was never “absorbed” into the Divine Mind. The
Divine Spark did not live within him. In relationship with
Yahweh he always remained his own man.
Marine
Joel spent his career in the Marine Corps. He graduated from

the United States Naval Academy in the spring of 1963. His
choice of schools was deeply influenced by his family Legacy.
“My father was an early naval aviator. We were stationed in

Hawaii in 1941 when the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor. At the
time he was on patrol looking for the Japanese fleet.
97
ROOT VALUES:
"Later he commanded the most decorated ship in the Navy, The

USS Enterprise. He got his orders and they said, 'You are going
to get one of the four great carrier commands in the Pacific.
That is the good news. The bad news is the other three great
carrier commands are Japanese.”
Joel’s father valued Autonomy. He understood the risk,

accepted the responsibility and fulfilled his mission.
The value of Autonomy secures the liberty of the individual. It

undergirds the exclamation of liberty loving people everywhere,
“Am I not free!”
Much earlier Jesus of Nazareth had also claimed the Root Value
Autonomy. They don’t crucify conformists.
He encouraged others to claim their own ground as well. “Let

your yes be yes,” he said, “and your no be no."
“Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do
not notice the log that is in your own eye?”
"Leave the dead to bury the dead. Come and follow me.”
We honor the Root Value Autonomy when we invite

participation from others. Autonomy does not coerce, compel or
otherwise force people into doing what they otherwise would not
freely choose to do.
Joel’s father accepted the risk and responsibility of command of

the U.S.S. Enterprise. The Japanese still controlled the South
Pacific. His embrace of his personal Autonomy empowered him
to get the job done. No one else would do it for him.
He established a rich Legacy in the Navy. He was the

commander of an aircraft carrier. He became an Admiral
commanding the Second Fleet, and then the Sixth Fleet.
98
AUTONOMY
This Legacy must have exerted significant influence over his son
Joel. But Joel had his own sense of Autonomy. Perhaps his
father respected his son’s personal freedom. Though he attended
college at the Naval Academy in Annapolis he chose to serve the
Marine Corps rather than the Navy.
“I liked what I saw as leadership in the Marine Corps as opposed

to the Navy,” Joel said. “In the Navy the officers saw their men
at quarters, at Zero-Eight Hundred. They then went off and did
whatever naval officers do for most of the day. They didn’t seem
to have much connection with their men.
"In the Marine Corps you were constantly with your men, and by
the time I left the Marine Corps, women as well.”
Joel had learned to claim his own ground. His father was the
Navy admiral. He would learn his life lessons in the Marine
Corps.
“My epiphany came as a midshipman at the Academy. We went

down to Norfolk and I was put in charge of a squad of Marine
Reservists. We were in our combat gear and had to get over a
triple concertina of barbed wire.
“We threw a canvas sheet over it. I realized I had to go first. Up

and over I went, falling on my face, coughing up sand. I’ll be
damned if those marines didn’t follow me.
“That did it for me. That was hands-on leadership. If you aren’t
willing to do it, you don’t ask someone else to do it for you.”
Valuing Autonomy Joel knows what it means to accept
responsibility. In 25 years as a Marine no one would have ever
seen him looking around for someone else to do a job that was
his to do. If there was a job to be done, and it had his name on
it, he did it.
He maintained a clear sense of personal boundaries. Because he
99
ROOT VALUES:
valued his own personal Autonomy, he learned quickly to value

the Autonomy of others.
“I learned an important lesson in the basic school. They gave

you a problem: The General wants a flag pole put up in front of
his tent.
"They gave you all the pieces to the flag pole -- ropes, wrenches,
pipe -- all types of things. Proud of my engineering degree from
the Academy, I figured out how to put up that flag pole in a
flash.
“They were all impressed. But then the instructor looked me up

and down and said, ‘Nice flag pole. But you failed the exercise.
“I did not understand. But then the instructor said: ‘The solution
is to say to your sergeant, 'Gunny. Put up the flag pole.’ That is
his job.
"You are an officer. You do your job. Let others to there’s.

Supervise to the extent necessary. But don’t do other people’s
job for them.’
Risk
Joel learned that as important as his own Autonomy is, so also is

the Autonomy of others. People feel empowered when they are
given responsibility and then are held accountable for it
But there is a risk. Autonomy is personal freedom. Once given

an assignment not everyone will use their their personal
freedom, in a responsible way.
A Gunnery Sergeant worked for Joel in a Marine Corps

recruiting assignment.
100
AUTONOMY
“I had seventy-five enlisted recruiters working out of 26 offices.

We had a high mission (goal). Our station had not made mission
in five years prior to me getting there.
“The Marine Corps had a high standard for who we were
recruiting. We wanted to keep out the trash. If the army wanted
that kind a person, I could trade the Army three rocks for one
young man who would make a good marine.
“I told the men, ‘My job is to create the environment that allows
you to succeed. If I do my job, you can do yours’.
“I divided the area into five sections. I took a Gunnery Sergeant

off mission so that he did not have to recruit. I put him in charge
of one of the areas.
"I didn’t lower the overall goal for recruits in that area. I made
him responsible not for an individual goal, but for the area goal.
After about a year – 14 or 15 months – we started making
mission.
“The system worked. I could hold each of those Gunnery

Sergeants responsible for their area and they performed.
“I only had one of the five fail me. This man didn’t have a lot of
motivation. He was not making the mark so the Sergeant Major
went out to talk to him.
“The Gunny said, ‘But I’m traveling 30,000 miles a year.’
"Maybe. I went out to his house one day unannounced. He had

the government car up on blocks in the driveway -- the engine
running, the wheels spinning. He was in the house watching
TV. You aren’t always going to get a diamond.”
Fortunately during his tour in Vietnam as a young lieutenant Joel

led a group of diamonds. He led a Reconnaissance Platoon who
valued Autonomy as much as he did.
101
ROOT VALUES:
“I was stationed in Hawaii. The man that I was replacing

received a Medal of Honor in Vietnam, posthumously.
“When I took over I went to work only to discover that the

whole platoon was ‘in hack’ for a barroom brawl in Honolulu.
“The marines had met at a certain hotel. Most were in their

‘civvies’ but one man came in uniform. The bartender said, ‘We
don’t serve enlisted here.’
“Well, the platoon didn’t like that. They threw the bartender in
the swimming pool. Then they threw the piano player in the
swimming pool. Then they threw the piano in the swimming
pool.
“They weren’t bad Marines. They weren’t troublemakers. This

is you call, ‘unit cohesion.' They stuck up for one another.”
Beware of a platoon of Recon Marines with a strong sense of the

Autonomy of their unit. You may end up in the swimming pool.
“Their motivation was incredible. There was not one loser in

that outfit. But that’s because it was tough to get into.
"The Marine Corps has a tough recruitment policy number one.

The Marine Infantry is tougher still. Then Marine Recon is
above and beyond that. They don’t have a lot of problem
motivating people.
“A Recon Marine has responsibilities often reserved for officers

other units. He has to call in naval gun fire or direct air support
to a target. These are young men -- 18 year old. You looked for
the best and brightest, one man at a time.
“We arrived in Chu Lai in March 1965 to build an airfield. In

30 days we had a jet capable runway.
102
AUTONOMY
“As a Reconnaissance platoon we operated deep behind enemy

lines. We collected information, captured prisoners. I was
involved in some 30 patrols. We were all in it together.
"Of the first four Purple Hearts, I received two of them. I was
not sitting back somewhere drinking Kool-Aid telling them to go
out into harm’s way.
"I had 26 men. Sometimes we would patrol in force trying to

locate the enemy. But for the most part my men worked in four-
man teams. It was a lot of responsibility.
“You give them a mission. They could just find a safe location, a
rock or bush somewhere, and hide for the four days they had to
be out there. Or they could do the mission.
“They were getting into location and spotting the enemy. You
didn’t have to be there to kick them in the butt. You didn’t have
to explain to them that you don’t smoke a cigarette out there
because Charlie can smell it a mile and half away.
“These are young men, 17, 18 years old. A corporal is maybe

20. I was 25 and they called me ‘the old man.’ These were
good men.
"I go to reunions now with my unit. Most of them came back

and became professional people. One guy is a heart surgeon.”
When people value Autonomy they accept personal

responsibility. They recognize the job is theirs to do. If they
don’t do it the job does not get done.
When you value Autonomy you call others to embrace their own
Autonomy as well. Without it there can be no real
accountability. With it you can release the power of community.
103
9
Truth
Commandment 4: Remember the Sabbath Day to keep it holy.
Commanment 9: You shall not bear false witness against your

neighbor.
As a Root Value Truth is about how you encounter reality in and

through your experience with others. Exactly what this means is
rather difficult to nail down.
When we think of the word “Truth” we of course think about it

in the common sense way everyone has grown up with. Truth is
an idea. Your idea may be “true” or “false.” What can be
simpler?
Well, put a case of beer on the floor in the dorm room of any
college campus. One of the debates likely to come up as they
twist the top off a bottle of Bud is whether Truth is “absolute” or
“relative,” “objective” or “subjective.” Suddenly the meaning to
“Truth” is not simple at all.
Their literature professor tells them that Truth is pliable and

expressive. They learn that Truth is “subjective,” that it exists in
104
TRUTH
the mind and shapes how we experience the world. They learn
that the artist’s job is to create “Truth.”
Their science professor tells them the exact opposite. There they
learn that Truth is fixed and durable. They learn that Truth is
“objective,” that it exists in the mind as a description of an
unchanging world. They learn that it is the scientist’s job to
describe it, not create it.
In both cases Truth is an idea -- whether conceived as an

objective understanding of the world or a subjective expression
of the imagination.
“I met a handful of philosophers during a year I spent at the

University of California, San Diego,” Craig said.
“They could never say anything simply. Every time one of them
made a statement, the others attacked the first one's assumptions.
Nothing conclusive was ever said. The discussion quickly went
over my head. I never learned anything from them -- except
don't study philosophy.”
The meaning of “Truth” as an idea is not as simple as it first

appears. The confusion begins with Plato – a Greek philosopher
of the 4th century B.C.E. He taught Truth existed in a place far
away from the concrete stuff of daily living. Your senses are not
to be trusted. Your imagination provides access to this purer
realm, the realm of the “Ideal.”
Aristotle was Plato’s most memorable student. He learned from

his teacher and then turned his teaching on its head. Truth does
not exist in the realm of the Ideal, Aristotle taught. It existed in
the stuff of daily living. You can trust your senses. Truth
comes through investigation and analysis.
Greek philosophy launched two thousand years of philosophical

debate in the Western world. Most of us are not a part of the
conversation. But without Plato and Aristotle, what would
105
ROOT VALUES:
college students have to talk about into the wee hours of the
morning? We leave it to the experts -- who we don’t understand
anyway.
Something Solid
But Truth as an idea is not its only meaning. We also use the
word in another way. We use it also to refer to how we
experience relationships.
A person who does not “tell the truth” is “a liar.” People feel
insecure in relationship with him. A person who is “true blue” is
someone you can trust. When I say, “Trust me,” I am making an
appeal to Truth as a relational quality.
This usage of the word is its most ancient meaning. The words
Truth and Trust share a common Indo-European root, deru.
Deru means “to be firm or solid.” Deru, also provides the basis
for the word Tree. Thus, Truth, Trust and Tree all point to the
same human experience: coming into contact with something
REAL.
When Moses used the word Truth (in Hebrew ‘emeth), he used it
in a way similar to ancient Indo-European tribes. The Hebrew
word has less to do with thinking than with coming into contact
with something hard. There is substance here.
In our discution of the Root Value People we explored how

another person provides the basis for establishing your sense of
self. We said another person provides resistance. This
encounter with another person allows me to experience where I
stop and the other person begins.
Not unlike other people, Truth involves an encounter with a

reality that provides resistence against which “a self” discovers
its limits. Truth provides “push back” that allows me to
106
TRUTH
experience my personal limits.
Falsehood is fantasy. It is like a mist that disapates leaving no

impression. It yields when pressed. A person (who out of
desperation or denial) embraces falsehood becomes increasingly
isolated from others as she flees the heaviness of the REAL.
The mass and weight of Truth can be difficult to bear.
For both Aristotle and Plato (and subsequent college students)

"Truth" lives in the mind of an individual. It is an idea --
something to think about, argue over and defend. For Moses
and his community Truth is something you bump into. It leaves
a bruise.
The Root Value Truth gets at your authentic encounter with

reality. It is what you perceive, think, feel, and believe about the
world. It is a profoundly personal experience.
That Truth is deeply personal, however, does not mean that

Truth is private. Truth is not an expression of individuality.
Until Truth is shared with others, it does not exist at all.
Truth-Making
When the Hebrew slaves arrived at Mt. Sinai, Jethro -- Moses’

father-in-law, comes to Moses who relates all that had transpired
in the liberation of the people from Egypt. Jethro listens
carefully.
“Now I know,” Jethro says, “That the LORD is greater than all
gods. . . .”
Jethro encounters Truth in his conversation with Moses. Moses

does not convince him of an idea. He relates his experience.
Jethro looks out across the encampment and sees wood fires
burning and children playing and men and women – all
107
ROOT VALUES:
formerslaves – going about their day.

Jethro and Moses are Truth-making. It happens in the sharing of
experiences, not in the arguing of ideas.
Truth is a product of community. Sharing life with others

requires you to interact and engage. You share your experiences
constantly. You feel the solidity of trusted friends.
Conflicts arise when perceptions or interests compete. In the

mingling of community, sometimes we embrace one another.
Sometimes we clash. Remember, personal Autonomy is a
necessary aspect of community.
When each person stakes a claim, when they begin to argue,

trying to convince one another of who is right, they are not
participating in the Root Value Truth. Quite the contrary, the
first casualty of such encounters is always Truth. .
In conflict, you honor the Root Value Truth when you come
together to build a shared perception of reality. Each person
brings her own Legacy. Each speaks out one her own sense of
Autonomy. Each honors People and makes a Commitment to an
outcome that enriches the world.
The Root Value Truth is not something to defend. It is

something you participate in with others. You come to what’s
REAL together.
We construct the Truth together when you contribute what you

perceive, and I contribute what I perceive. Together we build a
common understanding that informs how we will engage
whatever challenge lies before us. Truth-making provides a
basis for common action.
After Jetho’s visit with Moses, he observes that Moses is

overwhelmed with responsibility for mediating disputes. The
people have set him up as their authority. They are falling
victim to the hero-myth we described earlier.
108
TRUTH
When people could not agree, they brought the issue to Moses.
Dependent people do not take responsibility for their own
problems.
Jethro challenges Moses. He encourages Moses to push

responsibility for Truth-making down among the people.
“Look for able men from all the people,” Jethro said. “Look for
men who fear God, who are trustworthy and hate a bribe, and
place such men over the people as chiefs of thousands, of
hundreds, of fifties, and of tens. Let them judge the people at all
times.”
Enrichment, not Correction
The qualifications for Truth-making is not dependent on intellect

or education. It is character. But it is not “moral uprightness,”
Someone who merely “follows the rules” is likely to be blind to
Truth. Life never conforms to anyone’s rule book.
The quality of character needed was solidity in relationships.

Look for men “who are trustworthy and hate a bribe.” One
version translates the Hebrew, “men of Truth, hating
covetousness.”
Such a person perceives the world from her own point of view.
She is open and responsive to the perspectives of others. She is
strong enough in her own sense of Autonomy that she does not
get lost in alterative perspectives, but she is able to appreciate
how another point of view enriches Truth.
Truth as a Root Value, then, is something you build as you live

your life with others. It is not an idea. It is what emerges as you
engage the challenge of living in community.
109
ROOT VALUES:
The seventh Commandment, “You shall not bear false witness,”

establishes an environment for Truth-making. It challenges you
to speak what you know of your own experience – imperfect and
incomplete though it might be.
Your perspective is the lumber used to build Truth’s house. One

brings the concrete for the foundation. Another brings pipe for
the pluming. Another brings the glass for the windows. You
need the perspective of others.
I listen to you in order to be enriched by what you see and hear.

I do not listen to you looking for weaknesses in your argument,
or for blind spots in your perception. It takes a community,
everyone sharing what they see, "bearing witness to the truth."
Truth is constructed by what two or more people share together
out of their own experience.
The Imagination
Some may object that the notion of “Truth-making” seems

arbitrary. Isn’t Truth something a person discovers? Doesn’t
the truth already exist “out there?”
Something exists out there. No one disputes the nature of reality

as something beyond the control of any one person. Every Tree,
every deru, proclaims the Autonomy of the world. The
challenge is seeing it.
Our imaginations take what our eyes and ears see and hear and
shape it to make the world comprehensible. We are not passive
receivers of sense-data. Our imaginations make what we see
and hear meaningful. Sense-data becomes perception.
The challenge is that my imagination is limited. It uses my

Legacy to inform what I perceive. What I am able to see today
depends to a great extent on what I saw yesterday.
110
TRUTH
It is very, very difficult to look at the world with fresh eyes. We

celebrate great scientists, for example, for their ability to look at
the world and see new realities that had always been there, but
were simply never “seen” before.
A great scientist opens up the limits of her imagination so that

she can look out at a very old world, but see something new.
Truth-making is a process by which what I see is enriched by

what you see. The proverb draws on Truth as a Root Value
when it says, “There is wisdom in an abundance of counselors.”
For Plato and Aristotle and the Western philosophical tradition

Truth is an idea. For Moses it is something constructed and
shared together. You encounter the Truth as you live it out in
relationship with others.
Demonstrating Truth
Truth-making out in the Book of Exodus through demonstrations

of power, through action and through experience.
At the burning bush Yahweh asks Moses to return to Egypt – the

place he fled in shame and fear – to make an impossible appeal
to Pharaoh. Moses is full of self-doubt. He also knows very
little of this voice that calls him to such a challenging task.
Thoughts race through his mind: Should I go? What is my
authority? What am I to do?
"Who am I,” Moses said, “that I should go to Pharaoh and bring

the Israelites out of Egypt?"
"I will be with you,” Yahweh said. “And this will be the sign to
you that it is I who have sent you: When you have brought the
people out of Egypt, you will worship God on this mountain."
111
ROOT VALUES:
Moses is looking for reassurance. Yahweh’s assurance comes

after the fact. This will be the sign: After you succeed, then you
will know.
“How will I know?” Moses asks.
“You will know when you stand on this mountain with the band
of Hebrew slaves you have led out of Egypt.”
Later, when Moses returns to Egypt, Pharaoh refuses to let the

people go. Moses does not argue. He drops his staff on the
ground. It becomes a snake.
Then Moses touches the Nile River with his staff and it turns
into blood. Then comes a plague of frogs, then gnats, then flies.
And so it goes, demonstrations of power build until the final act
– Passover.
All of this is in response to Pharaoh’s question when Moses first

makes his appeal for the release of the Hebrew slaves. "Who is
Yahweh,” Pharaoh asks, “that I should obey him and let Israel
go? I do not know Yahweh and I will not let Israel go."
Pharoah’s error is in his presumption of authority. Rather than

Truth-making with Moses, Pharoah relies on his own limited
perception of reality.
Moses, for his part, does not argue, teach a catechism class or
appeal to religious authority. He simply allows Yahweh to act.
The Truth is known in the experience of the relationship. No
explanation needed.
Notice the appeal Yahweh makes to the Hebrew people in the

covenant-making event.
“'You yourselves have seen what I did to Egypt,” Yahweh says,

“and how I bore you on eagles' wings and brought you to
112
TRUTH
myself.”
Yahweh appeals to the people’s experience in relationship with

him. Reality is a hard teacher. It was for Pharaoh. It is for us.
Truth as Lived Experience
To honor the Root Value Truth is to stay in touch with your

lived experience. It means to listen carefully to others as they
struggle in their shared experience in relationship with you.
The Root Value Truth is ever-present. It is always emerging.

Once a moment passes and its Truth is apprehended in
community, its memory becomes part of your Legacy.
Truth never exists yesterday. It is for today. For this reason

arguing “about Truth” or “for the Truth” lacks meaning. Truth
is something we discover together.
Some people live "the day before yesterday." Others live "the
day after tomorrow." Those who honor the Root Value Truth
live fully today, one day at a time.
The 9th Commandment, “Do not bear false witness,” is a call to

pay attention and to share your experience as carefully as you
can.
Whatever our motive we often interpret our experience to

conform to some stock narratives in our culture. Are you a
Horatio Alger -- rags to riches? A Peter Pan – lost boy? A Joan
of Arc – triumphant female?
To honor Truth as a Root Value is to set aside the stock

narrative. Live your experience. Enter into relationship with
others. Be open to the surprising, shocking, and sometimes even
scandalous experience of the Truth you will discover once you
113
ROOT VALUES:
begin to listen and to share what you see and hear.
Trust your experience with others. Honor the five Root Values.
Not only will you will know the Truth, not only will the Truth
set you free, the Truth will enable you to witness the power of
community.
Truth and a New Reality
The Root Value Truth emerges in relationship with others. You

know the Truth as you live it.
Once you are willing to learn from your Legacy, you will be
open to learn from new experiences as well. The lessons keep
coming. As you learn to value Legacy, People, Commitment
and Autonomy, the Root Value Truth comes almost as a matter
of course.
Truth is not something you carry around in your head. It is

something you live in your life. It does not dwell in your past –
that is Legacy. It emerges in the present. It remains unknown,
and unknowable, until it is lived.
The President of a pharmaceutical company gave Kathy

responsibility for opening a new market. This was something
entirely new for the company. It had never been done before.
The drug had previously been used by prostate cancer patients.

Now it had been approved by the FDA to treat endometriosis, a
painful and sometimes debilitating disease in women.
“We were trying to launch our product in the female market

place,” Kathy said. “And it just wasn’t taking off. The
physicians were not embracing the new treatment.
“At the time, physicians treated endometriosis with a pill.
Unfortunately, the pill they were using had an ugly side-effect
114
TRUTH
profile.
"Women would end up with male hair growth patterns, weight

gain, deepening of the voice, acne – all undesirable side-effects.
"Our product was an injection and much more expensive. But it

had minimal side-effects. It acted on the brain to shut down the
production of estrogen, which is the ‘fuel’ for endometriosis.
The physicians were not comfortable prescribing the new
treatment.”
The company had a change management problem. They were

trying to lead physicians into a new reality. The Truth was
unknown and unknowable until they embraced the new therapy.
When Moses needed reassurance, all Yahweh said was, “You

will know when the people worship on this mountain.” When
the physicians needed reassurance, all Kathy could say was,
"You will know when women are treated."
You only know the Truth after you commit.
Truth in Not Knowing
Doctors currently prescribed a cheap pill woman could take at

home. The new therapy was an expensive drug that required a
woman to come into the office once a month for an injection.
If you asked a woman suffering from endometriosis what she

would prefer: take a pill every day that would result in facial
hair, a male vocal range, weight gain and acne; or, stop by your
doctor’s office once a month for a shot that had menopause-like
side-effects. Most women would prefer the injection.
To value Truth means to be responsive at a level of encounter

that penetrates much deeper than facts and data. It requires be
115
ROOT VALUES:
ing open to the perspective of others. It involves embracing with

humility the vast richness of the human experience.
You acknowledge your limits. You move forward into

uncertainty. You embrace a present moment filled with risk and
uncertainty.
“I had three partners. None of us had any experience setting up

a new marketing effort. None of us were experts. We were not
compensation and incentive experts, for example. We just
asked: Did that seem reasonable? And then we picked it apart.
That is how we did everything.
“We trained our reps clinically on a whole new level. We

conducted medical and clinical training that was so in-depth they
could talk to physicians at their level.
"They learned about all aspects of endometriosis – diagnosis to

treatment, including the physicians’ goals and philosophies in
diagnosing and treating the disease.
Kathy and her team discovered the motives, values and goals of
the physicians as they entered into relationship with them. The
Truth emerged as they engaged the new reality as it came into
being.
The Truth becomes known through frank and open

conversation. People will disagree, not understand, express
opposing views. They come with perspectives out of their
unique experiences, their own Legacies. Truth is not something
you defend, but something you discover with others.
Before Kathy’s team could sit down with a busy physician they
needed to demonstrate that they had the physician’s interest at
heart. They had to develop a sincere appreciation for what their
physicians valued. It required a lot of listening.
“I knew that I had some experience, I had some ability,” Kathy
said. “But I was not so self-aware that I had a clear idea of what
116
TRUTH
my strengths and talents were. But I knew that I would be

supported. That gave me confidence.”
Making it Up as You Go Along
When people value Truth they enter the future with anticipation.
Building on the foundation of their personal Legacy, they learn
through an ongoing progression of experience that never stops.
New experiences keep coming.
Alan worked for a high tech company in Silicon Valley. It was

the mid 1980s and the personal computer revolution was getting
underway. His job required an instrument to test floppy disk
drives in computers – a necessary component of the personal
computer in those days.
While supporting his clients he discovered interest in the

instrument. He had discovered a marketing opportunity. His
boss was not interested. The market was too small to justify the
development of the device as a product.
Alan determined that a market that may have been too small for
his employer was not a market too small for him. There was no
way he could know where his idea would work. Once again,
like Moses, the only way he would know would be once he was
standing on the mountain.
Alan quit his job and set up his new business in his garage. He
hired a couple of technicians, a couple of people to run the
office, a part-time engineer. Soon he was making real money.
John has built a brokerage firm for the selling of professional

business services in a niche market. His primary clients are
aging professionals who have come to the end of their careers
and are making a transition to retirement. They face the dual
challenge of selling their business and coming to terms with the
emotional transition to a new stage of life.
117
ROOT VALUES:
John has done well. His clients value his compassionate

presence through the sales process. His staff loves to work with
him. He has extensive knowledge of the industry.
John had aspirations to expand his business. He wanted to add

additional services taking advantage of the relationships he had
developed in the market for over ten years. His efforts stalled.
“My staff was afraid to make independent decisions,” John

confessed. “They lacked autonomy. They took initiative when I
was not around, but when I am in the office, they always ask me
for direction.
“I think I have created dependency by not teaching people a

complete picture of their jobs. I am embarrassed. I hate to say
this, but frankly, I just make stuff up as we go along.”
There is no need to feel embarrassment. John is walking in the

footsteps of Moses. He is not “making it up as he goes along.”
He is trusting Truth to emerge. He carries his Legacy with him

as he commits to serve the best interests of his clients.
Knowledge is sometimes a trap. It becomes an anchor rather

than a sail. The same hard earned body of knowledge that
applied in one context may not apply in the next.
More important than knowledge is the willingness to remain

open to emerging realities. To value Truth may mean setting
“knowledge” aside and embracing the discomfort of ignorance
as you encounter something new and unexpected.
Truth is not knowledge. It remains anchored in the concrete
experience of people. People who honor the Root Value Truth
possess a capacity for intellectually honesty. They know what
they don’t know. But they believe that they will learn what they
need to know as they enter fully into relationships with others.
118
TRUTH
They lean into the future anticipating the opportunity to learn

something new. Of even greater consequence, encountering the
Truth with others, they release the power of community
119
ROOT VALUES:
10
A Typology of Community
Who are You?
It does not take extraordinary people to build an empowered

community. It takes common people, just like you, in an
extraordinary relationship. We build an empowered community
one person at a time.
When you look in the mirror you see your physical

characteristics – the shape of your face, the color of your hair,
your eyes. A mirror can tell you what you look like. But it
cannot tell you who you are.
To find out who you are ask people who know you. They might
name your parents and grandparents, describing you with
reference to your family. They might pull out your resume and
review positions you have held, jobs you have had and projects
you have completed. Family and work history are components of
your Legacy.
But of greater interest would be the stories they tell. Stories

portray life-patterns and habits of behavior that reveal who you
are.
120
A TYPOLOGY OF COMMUNITY
The first two chapters of the Book of Exodus begin the story of
Moses. It relates the context of his life. He was born in the
house of Hebrew slaves.
In describing how he came to live in the house of Pharaoh, it

suggests something of his mother’s character. She was a very
resourceful woman. She maintained her sense of personal
Autonomy despite an oppressive environment.
The story relates the death of an Egyptian overseer by his hand.

This reveals something of his capacity for Commitment – he
reacted to cruelty. It also suggests a secretive nature. He hid the
body and tried to avoid taking responsibility for his actions.
Moses may not have understood himself as well as the people

who related the stories about him. We experience ourselves
from the inside out. We often believe that because we have this
internal perspective, we know ourselves better than other people
do. “If only you really knew me,” I sometimes think, “then you
would understand.”
This may not be always true. Point of view matters.
Stand too close to an elephant and what do you see? It depends

where you are standing. To see the elephant in its fullness you
need to step back. See the trunk, the tusks, the tail, and the tree-
trunk like legs.
If you stand so close that all you see is the elephant trunk, you
have not seen the elephant at all.
No one stands as close to you, as you stand to yourself. What

you know of yourself, you may know very, very well. But what
you see may not be enough.
What did Moses see of himself? When Yahweh called him to
121
ROOT VALUES:
return to Egypt to set the Hebrew people free, Moses balked. He

was filled with self-doubt.
“Who am I,” he said, “that I should go to Pharoah and bring the

children of Israel out of Egypt?”
Moses had an internal perspective on his own experience. But it

was not enough. He stood too close to himself to see himself
clearly.
If he had been limited to what he knew of himself, he would

have never left the safe and predictable life of a keeper of sheep
to play his unique role in the building of an empowered
community.
We have suggested that a person is constituted by relationship

with other people. Who I am involves what goes on inside of
me, but I am so much more than that. I am how others
experience me. People do not interact with my “inner self.”
When you get to know me, yoy get to know me through my

behavior. You hear my words. You watch the expressions on
my face. You observe my body language. You take note of how
I treat others. You experiences how I interact with you.
I may think of myself in terms of my feelings. But.sometimes

my deeper emotions remain hidden from me but not from you. I
may be anxious for example, but not feel anxious. You see it on
my face. Because you care you approach me and put a gentle
hand on my shoulder.
“Are you okay?”
“I’m fine,”
I see the quizzical look on your face.
“Really, I’m fine.”
122
“You don’t look fine.”
Suddenly a rush of emotion washes over me. In your question I

have become more aware of myself. You know me better than I
know myself.
I may think of myself in terms of what I aim to accomplish.

Sometimes my reason rises out of a habit of perception or
thought that is ill-suited to the current circumstance. I think what
I am doing is appropriate, right and good. But you see me
making a terrible mistake.
“I wouldn’t do that if I were you.”
The hit television show, The Office, has built its success poking
fun at our lack of self-awareness. Steve Carell plays a most
“politically incorrect” manager of a paper supply sales
organization. Every episode celebrates the gap between how
Michael Scott perceives himself and how others experience him.
We look over our shoulder as we laugh. We wonder how the
people in our own lives must experience us.
People do not see or experience our “inner self.” They do not see
what we think or believe. They see what we do. Who you are, is
not who you think you are. You are how people experience you.
To discover who you are, do not look in a mirror. Ask a friend.
Values and Behavior
A leading researcher defined a value simply as an enduring

belief that certain behaviors or results should be preferred to
others. Values inform the choices we make. You do what you
want to do. It is not any more complicated than this. But what
do you want?
123
ROOT VALUES:
For some people social expectation gets in the way of personal

honesty, of knowing what they really want. Some of us get lost
in a crowd. We listen so much to other people that awareness of
what we truly value gets scrambled. Our unique identities get
shouted down by a multitude of voices. The result is value
confusion.
“I do not understand my own actions,” a first century Rabbi once

said. “For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I
hate.”
What you do reveals who you are. To clarify value confusion,

follow your behavior. It may be that you value what other
people think more than you value what is best for you. Some of
us struggle with the question: Who is the real me?
Others of us don't care what people think. We go through life

with great awareness of what we want. We know what we want
so clearly that we dismiss input from others that may suggest our
behavior is getting us into trouble.
We may also have such great clarity that we believe we know

what other people want, or should want. We are advise-givers
or rescuers. Some might describe us as dictators.
Whoever you are, your values define your standards for living.
Not only do they guide your conduct, they also drive your
judgments, opinions, and prejudices. They are the window
through which you look out onto the world.
Following Joel’s tour leading a recognizance platoon of Marines

in Vietnam, he volunteered to work with the Central Intelligence
Agency leading a covert operation.
“I learned at the Naval Academy a standard of ethics,” Joel

said. “I will not lie, cheat or steal or tolerate those who do.
Then I went to work for the CIA. They taught me to lie, cheat
and steal and hire people that do. In time of war the challenge is
124
to keep your moral compass pointed in the right direction while

the rest of the world is swirling around you.”
You may have never worked for the CIA, but you have probably
struggled with choices that bring layers of values into conflict.
A problem may have kept you up at night as you wrestled with a
difficult decision. Value conflict, not with others, but deep
within makes decisions hard.
Unlike animals choice defines our lives. Put a rat in a maze and
chart its behavior. Put a second rat in the same environment.
Put one thousand rats in the maze, predictable patterns emerge.
Now put human beings in the maze. One will go after the food,
just as you predicted. Another will make a speech. Another will
go on a hunger strike. Still another will burn the maze to the
ground decrying the injustice of being treated like a rat.
Human freedom makes us unpredictable when considered

collectively. But take us one at a time, each of us are very
predictable, perhaps more than we know.
People who know us see the consistent pattern of our lives.

They know us better than we know ourselves. We are free, but
our values tend to endure. We can choose anything. But we
tend to choose the same thing over and over again.
Our behavior remains constant. Our unique habits of perception,

feeling, and thought inform our personal freedom in very
predictable ways.
Mountains, rivers, and canyons take millennia to form. Geo-

thermal pressure from below, the erosive effect of wind and rain
from above along with other natural forces shape the planet.
Similarly a long series of individual choices shape a life.
What impact does one snowflake on a mountain in Colorado

make? But one snowflake after another becomes a snow pack
125
ROOT VALUES:
that melts in the spring and flows into the Colorado River. The
Grand Canyon results.
One choice combines with innumerable choices to create a
Legacy. One person may be confronted with a deep and
impassable chasm formed by his choice to drive home one night
drunk. He did not intend to kill anyone. The choice to drink and
drive that night is the culmination of many choices that suddenly
appears to be life-defining.
Another person makes small and insignificant choices every

day. She respects others. She takes responsibility. She honors
someone else’s personal space. She minds the truth. She learns
from experience. These daily choices -- mundane and
unexciting -- are also life-defining.
What you do reveals who you are. All of your doing is informed
by what you value.
The PACT-L Model
The Root Values allow us to build a mirror of the heart and

provides the basis for a typology of an empowered commutniy.
We use this typoplogy to build a model that gives us greater
understanding into the nature of relationships.
We call it the PACT-L model, using the first letter of each Root
Value in an acronym. Though it is not the order presented in the
Ten Commandments, P-C-A-T-L, we switch the A in Autonomy
and the C in Commitment to create the word “pact.”
Commandment Root Value Commandment

No other gods People Do not Kill
No Idols Commitment No Adultery
Do not use the Name Autonomy Do not Steal
Keep Sabbath Truth No False Witness
126
Honor Mother and Father Legacy Do not Covet

A “pact” is an agreement. It is sometimes used as a synonym for
the word, “covenant.” In the Book of Exodus, covenant-making
is the context for the establishment of the Ten Commandments
as the value-system that would transform a band of former
slaves into an empowered community. “PACT-L” points to the
Legacy of the Root Values in covenant making.
In the following chapters we will explore the model as we build

it. We will demonstrate how values inform habits of behavior
that become relational styles. We will also show how you can
enrich your relational style. Enriching your relational style will
help you be more responsive to others. Greater responsiveness
to others empowers community.
As we begin please remember that any model of the human

experience can only be a very limited representation of reality.
It provides a theoretical snapshot of very complex dynamics.
The PACT-L model of the Root Values is no different.
It identifies habits that combine to create a relational style.

These are behaviors with which we are most comfortable. The
PACT-L model sets aside the wonderful richness of human
complexity just long enough to allow us to catch a glimpse of
how we prioritize the Root Values in our lives.
The model serves self-understanding. Resist using it to try to

“pigeon hole” others. It is a misuse of the model to use it to
determine or define how another person experiences the Root
Values. This violates another person’s Autonomy.
It is very helpful however to use the model as a catalyst for

Truth-making discussions. As you begin to discover how the
Root Values influence your behavior, you may want to share
your self-perception with others and seek their input.
127
ROOT VALUES:
Remember, to discover who you are, do not look in a mirror.

Ask a friend. Invite people who know you to share their percep
tion of who you are as they experience your most comfortable
behaviors.
Keep in mind the goal is always self-discovery and self-

understanding. The model should never be used as a means of
manipulation, intimidation or control. If you remain mindful of
honoring the Root Values in your discussions, you will be
unlikely to abuse the model.
Polarities
In building the PACT-L model we look at three different

polarities. A polarity describes a relationship between two
opposing principles or realities. The North Pole and the South
Pole are polarities. They represent opposing ends of planet
Earth.
The model relates each of

the Root Values as three
sets of polarities: between
People and Commitment,
between Autonomy and
Truth, and we break up
Legacy between Less
Understanding and Greater
Understanding of one’s
Legacy.
A polarity creates a continuum. Few people live at either the

North or the South Pole. It is just too cold. Most people live
somewhere in between. Likewise, few people “live” at either
end of Root Value polarities, but somewhere between them as
well.
128
To understand the Root Value polarities we consider each value

in relation to the others. We look for that part of the value that
places it in tension with its polar partner.
People and Commitment
Naming the Root Values presents a challenge. On the one hand,

one must find a word that people know. On the other hand, the
Root Values have a unique meaning. The familiar word
therefore takes on a specific meaning, an enriched connotation.
It goes from being a simple word to a specialized term in the
Root Value world.
To value People means to value all People. It is the value of

inclusivity. If I value one type of person and not another, or one
ethnic group and not another, I am valuing a certain
characteristic of some people. I do not value those who do not
share that quality. I am not valuing People.
To value Commitment means to choose one thing instead of

another. It is the value of exclusivity. When I commit to attend
the University of California at Los Angeles, I deny every other
university or college in the world. When I say “Yes” to UCLA,
I am saying “No” to every other school.
The People – Commitment polarity defines a range of value

between “everything” and “one thing,” between ALL and ONE.
Do you have difficulty committing? You are not ready to deny
other options. You tend to be more inclusive. You are moving
down the continuum with a lesser priority for Commitment, and
a higher priority for People.
Conversely, you may be a person who makes decisions readily.

This may be in regard to people, places or things. It does not
matter. You are comfortable making choices. You have a
standard (which is a form of commitment) and when someone or
something achieves the standard, you act. You are moving
down the continuum with a lesser priority for People , and
129
ROOT VALUES:
higher priority for Commitment.
Autonomy and Truth
Philosophers sometimes talk about what they call “the Particular

and the Universal.” A “Particular” is one instance of a thing, a
cocker spaniel named “Lady.” Or it could be a mixed breed
named “Tramp.” Each is a unique, one of a kind, never to be
repeated entity. If you tend to focus on the individual instance --
the unique object standing before you -- you move down the
continuum toward prioritizing the value Autonomy over Truth.
A “Universal” is a theoretical abstraction. The term “Dog”

refers to a Universal. It is what Lady and the Tramp have in
common. It is what the college students debating over their case
of beer might call, “dogness.” If you tend to make connections
between things and look for patterns, theories and principles,
you move down the continuum prioritizing the value Truth over
Autonomy.
A person who values Autonomy is detail-oriented and will tend

to say, “But this is an exception!” A person who values Truth is
big-picture oriented and will tend to say, “There are no
exceptions to the rule!”
Another characteristic in this polarity is that of “responsibility-

taking” and “perspective-seeking.” A person who values
Autonomy will embrace responsibility readily. It comes with a
very specific “someone has to do it” frame of mind.
A person who values Truth looks naturally for input from
others. The more information she has, the more readily she will
be able to develop a theory that explains a more general
principle. She is likely to be perfectly satisfied thinking though
a problem, feeling little need to get out and solve it.
Legacy: Less and Greater Understanding
Our final polarity establishes a continuum between Less and
130
Greater Understanding of our Legacy. At one extreme we have

little awareness of how our behavior and family history have
contributed to our present moment. At the other end we have
thorough knowledge.
Clearly no one lives at either end of the polarity. It is difficult to

imagine a person who knows absolutely nothing of where she
comes from and the behaviors that brought her to where she is.
Likewise, life is too complex for anyone to have complete
understanding.
However, from time to time we do meet people who seem to live

with a pronounced lack of awareness of how the past influences
the present. There are at least two reasons for this, and probably
more.
First, we live in a culture that forgets. In earlier times an

extended clan network relayed family stories to the next
generation. Grandma and grandpa shared family lore. Aunts
and uncles told tales on one another. Family Legacy mattered.
Social mobility makes the maintenance of family ties difficult.
The stories simply do not get told.
In Chapter 4 we observed how Stephen benefited from

knowledge of his family Legacy. He moves up the continuum
toward understanding of his Legacy. Those with less
understanding of their Legacy may lack access to their family
history, or perhaps they neglect it. They are unwitting
participants in our culture of forgetfulness.
A second reason a person might slide down the Legacy
continuum toward less understanding of their Legacy is denial.
The Twelve-Step community of Alcoholics Anonymous and
groups they have spawned have popularized an appreciation of
the role denial plays in the human experience.
Sigmund Freud introduced the concept. He identified denial as

one of a number of defense mechanisms he believed we use to
131
ROOT VALUES:
cope with anxiety. Denial involves ignoring or refusing to

accept realities that feel overwhelming.
For a person who has experienced a great deal of trauma, denial

is a gift. It can take time to heal sufficiently to be ready to
embrace and overcome a painful Legacy. Sharing life with
supportive, empathetic friends helps a great deal. But we live at
a time of superficial friendship and emaciated community. How
challenging it is to navigate life’s difficulties alone. Sadly, for
some denial may be their only source of support.
Denial serves an important role in a world that lacks

empowering community. It helps hurting people endure.
Unfortunately this coping mechanism comes at a high price. It
keeps us ignorant of our Legacy and limits our readiness to
participate fully in relationship with others.
People-Commitment
We use the Root Values polarities to build the PACT-L model.

We model the first polarity, People – Commitment, in
association with a familiar management tool known as the
Managerial Grid, developed by Robert Blake and Jane Mouton
in the early 1960s. Earlier we explored the link the between
values and behavior. Values inform behavior, even as our
behavior shapes our values. This linkage allows the PACT-L
model to identifu value polarities through what we do.
Blake and Mouton plotted leadership styles in terms of the

degree to which a leader had a “concern for people” and a
“concern for production.” This clearly corresponds to the
People – Commitment polarity.
132
Work involves people in relationship organized to complete a

task. An individual can accomplish a task without involving
other people, but the result is always limited to what one person
can accomplish. An empowered community leverages the work
of individuals who support one another in pursuit of a common
goal.
At one pole is the task to be accomplished -- production. This

requires Commitment. At the other are the relationships that get
the work done – concern for People.
Where a task- oriented person has eyes on the goal, the person
oriented to people tends to address process, specifically, how are
people feeling, what are they perceiving and what are they
thinking about the job?
Connecting with another person requires attentive listening,

regular check-ins and empathy. This leads to a certain intimacy
that may sometimes make task-oriented people uncomfortable.
Conversely, a task orientation may feel to some like neglect.
This is what makes the Root Values People and Commitment

polar partners. Valuing people demands remaining open to ALL
people. To respect some people and not others, diminishes what
we experience as "a person."
If I observe you giving attention to me, but neglecting someone

else, it raises the question: When will you neglect me? If I
observe you giving attention to a task when I feel the need for
affirmation or validation, I feel diminished.
Knowing this, it is tempting to promote a priority for People at

all times. But this is naive. Nothing would get accomplished.
There are times when the subordination of People to
Commitment is appropriate. The farmer must commit time
away from his family to plow the field. Otherwise all starve.
Commitment-making necessarily requires making choices to
133
ROOT VALUES:
give one's attention to one thing (or person) and not another. At
some point the demands of a commitment require the
subordination of a person to the task. To make an exclusive
commitment
to a task, while maintaining an inclusive responsiveness to all

people, simply cannot be done.
Those who prioritize Commitment over People prefer to

concentrate on goals. They are about outcomes, resources, and
actions. “Leave your personal problems at home. We have a
job to do here.”
Those who prioritize People over Commitment may sometimes

feel alienated by “too much” emphasis on a project. The task-
oriented person may miss the signals that say, “Pay attention to
me. There is a person in here.”
A manager led a team of engineers that went through

reorganization. Five of the engineers were part of his legacy
team. Seven engineers were new.
One legacy engineer was particularly task-oriented. Dave had

exceptional technical ability. But he struggled in relationship
with others.
Before the reorganization the manager tolerated Dave’s lack of

attention to relationships because of his technical competence.
He was an individual contributor who had little contact with
other members of the team. After the reorganization however,
new technical specifications required Dave to work more closely
with his fellow engineers.
The manager added team-building objectives to each engineer’s

portfolio. Most of the team responded positively to this new
emphasis on relationships. Dave resisted. The manager sent the
following email:
134
I am adding a new objective to everyone's training plan this year, an

objective about being a team player. Please focus on encouraging
others and collaborating with the team.
One measurement of that objective might be a peer who sends me a

positive comment about how you appreciated them and encouraged
them to complete a task. We will define together how this objective will
be measured.
There are a couple of good courses on Team environments. As you

put together your development plan, please make sure 10 of the 20
training hours are dedicated to teamwork.
Dave responded with the following email:
It seems we are not in agreement about my contributions as a team

player. Leaders come with many different personalities. Some are
introverts some are extroverts. Just because I am an introvert, don't
assume I am not a team player.
I feel I’ve been an extremely valuable team player and would be more
than happy to provide you with a great number of examples to support
my position. Additionally, I have provided you with several
suggestions to improve productivity, such as injecting healthy
competition into the process to increase productivity.
Dave makes a good point. People do indeed “come with many

different personalities.” Dave’s challenge is not, however, that
he is an introvert. He is so focused on tasks that he neglects
relationships. He prioritizes Commitment over People to such a
degree that it puts the development of an empowered community
at risk.
The manager met with Dave following the email exchange and
reviewed Dave’s relationship with his co-workers. (They
regularly comment on what they experience as Dave’s bullying
ways.) The manager reiterated that Dave’s technical proficiency
was beyond dispute. What limited his advancement was his lack
of appropriate attention to people.
135
ROOT VALUES:
Dave’s demeanor and attitude remained positive throughout the

meeting. However, it became clear to the manager that Dave’s
development was going to be difficult. Following the one on one
Dave went over his manager’s head to the Group Manager with
the following email:
I met today with my manager regarding my relationship with my team.

My manager asked me to “get to know Janice, Stephen and Susan,”
and produce for him a “list of how they contribute to the team”.
I’m not exactly sure how to interpret or carry out those instructions.
Frankly, I think I’m a highly productive team player. I work very hard
for the team. It’s offensive to me to suggest otherwise, and I do not
feel that his position is at all justified.
The Group Manager ended this round of discussions with the

following email:
I spoke with your manager. What is apparent to us is that while you

do help your colleagues and impart knowledge to them, you come
across as being less than cheerful. This causes some consternation,
and it is in this area that we would like to provide you with guidance,
so that you become an even more valuable member of the team. I am
sorry that you have been offended by the very well-intentioned actions
of your manager.
Dave has aspirations for promotion. Unfortunately he lacks the

self-awareness, humility and willingness to learn to manage the
Root Value People – Commitment polarity. Others may focus
exclusively on relationships. They may make a decent friend, (if
somewhat indulgent) but unless they learn to lift up goals, the
relationship will lack fruitfulness.
Individuals who have greater awareness of how they prioritize

the Root Values in their lives, in this case the People –
Commitment polarity, can learn to attend to both tasks and
relationships. A deadline looming in the eleventh hour may
require that you close the door, turn off the cell phone, take a
recess from others, and get the job done. If you have tended to
the needs of people, most understand and even support this
136
subordination of relationship to task.
Likewise, sometimes you have to put a task on hold in order to

tend to the needs of others. When the team is forming, you
invest time getting to know the players. In the midst of the daily
grind you check in, touch base, stay connected. You monitor
how the team is feeling, what the team is thinking. Sometimes
you put the task on hold in order to tend to relationships.
Some of us feel more comfortable when we give greater

attention to tasks. We prioritize the Root Value Commitment
over People. Others of us feel more comfortable tending
relationships. We prioritize the Root Value People over
Commitment.
The challenge is to discover how we prioritize each of these

Root Values in relation to the other. Once we know this, we can
appreciate that certain behaviors that reinforce this value priority
have hardened into habits. These behaviors feel most
comfortable. They make us feel “normal.”
It may be helpful to think about the polarities in their extremes.

At the Commitment end of the polarity a person is frozen. Her
life is reduced to an absolute focus on one thing. An addict, for
example, is hyper-focused. She neglects the people in her life
because of her commitment to one thing, whatever that one thing
is.
At the extreme end of the polarity she actually looses her ability
to commit. She has become utterly closed to other options.
When there are no options, there are no choices. The wholly
committed has become determined by the one choice to the
extent that all other choices have been obliterated.
At the other side of the polarity, where somepne is completely

oriented to other People, a person spins in a confusing vortex of
opinion. Her life is so open to the perspective of others she has
lost herself. A person's life has become all options. This all
137
ROOT VALUES:
inclusive orientation cause a person to loose context and her

frame of reference. She has lost her place to stand. She is in
free fall.
No one of us lives at the extreme end of the People -

Commitment polarity, but we do tend to prioritize one value
over the other. This orientation informs what becomes our most
comfortable behaviors.
Unfortunately not all circumstances call from us our most
comfortable behaviors. Raising awareness of the value-behavior
connection is a first step to expanding our options when we
come to play our unique role in an empowered community.
It not only allows us to ask: What is needed here? Greater

Commitment to the task? Or Greater attention to People? It also
allows us to act.
AUTONOMY – TRUTH
The PACT-L model accounts for each of the Root Value

polarities. The first polarity, People – Commitment, is
demonstrated by behavior as addressed by the classic dichotomy
between relationships and tasks made popular by Blake and
Mouton’s Managerial Grid. The second polarity, Autonomy –
Truth, is demonstrated by behavior in a commonly experienced
dichotomy popularly known as the Flight-Fight response.
We live in a dangerous world. Houses and cars come with lock

and key. You cannot get on a plane
without taking off your shoes and passing
through x-ray machines and sometimes
feeling that little puff of air testing for
bomb-making residue. Cars have seat belts
and playgrounds post warning signs about
falling off the monkey bars.
138
But we are not just at risk physically. We feel at risk

emotionally as well. Harsh words sting like a slap. Even a hard
look hurts. A certain look from a stranger in a car on a highway
– someone you do not know and will never see again – can
communicate disdain and contempt at 50 miles an hour that may
take you a minute or two to get over, if not ruin your whole day.
Each of us has our own way of dealing with risk. But they all
fall under one of two methods. Faced with risk some of us fight,
others flee.
Some of us manage risk by going “outside” of ourselves to fight

to make the world a safer pace. Others of us manage risk by
fleeing “inside” of ourselves to imagine alternative worlds or to
escape into fantasy. Our legs are not the only part of us that
knows how to run away.
Aristotle identified these two ways of dealing with danger in his

study of the Polis, the Greek city-state. “The body of the citizen
is divided into two classes the warriors and the councilors,” he
wrote. “The rational principle is divided into two kinds, for there
is a practical and a speculative principle.”
The PACT-L model refers to Aristotle’s “practical and the

speculative principle” as the Active and Reflective Modes of
being. If you set out to re-construct the world to make it a safer
place, you operate in the Ac-
tive Mode. If you prefer to imagine alternative realities, you

operate in the Reflective Mode.
When at risk some of us feel compelled to get out and take

control. Others of us prefer to escape into the world of ideas.
We readily recognize each approach when we experience this
polarity in the extreme: some are dominators, others are
avoiders.
139
ROOT VALUES:
In Chapter 8 we referenced a long debate in the history of

philosophy that had begun between Plato and Aristotle. This
debate may be more about relational style than it is about insight
into the nature of Truth.
The urge to get out of oneself and control danger that

characterizes the Active Mode of being results in a narrowing of
one's attention to something specific. The Root Value
Autonomy brings with it a finely focused vision.
Prioritizing Autonomy over Truth enables you to concentrate on

danger. This translates to a habit of perception that sees the
world in terms of distinct objects and discrete events. Like a lion
who crouches low in the brush who is not interested in the herd,
but in spotting the one wildebeest it can bring down in one
violent rush of fang and claw.
A person formed by the Reflective Mode of being develops a

broader perspective. The outline of an individual object blurs
into a mass. You may see the object, but what is important is the
pattern created many objects together. In the Reflective Mode
of being, you do not see the wildebeest. You see the herd.
History suggests Aristotle operated in a more Active Mode.

Plato limited his activity to quiet meditation and scribbling down
his memory of the conversations of his teacher Socrates. Plato
clearly operated in the Reflective Mode.
Aristotle was very different. In addition to going out to

investigate the natural world and cataloguing what he found, he
also served as tutor to Alexander the Great. A more Active
oriented king is difficult to imagine. He had conquered the
world by the time he was thirty. Alexander's exposure to
Aristotle did not blunt his Active nature, but rather focused it.
Just as the Active and Reflective Modes found expression in the

unique philosophical orientations of Aristotle and Plato, they
continue to frame discussions of the nature and meaning of truth
140
today.
Physical scientists embrace a doctrine called the Correspondence

Theory of Truth. An idea is “true” when it accurately describes
an objective world. This external orientation to the world is
consistent with the Active Mode of being. The scientific method
tests the validity of a hypothesis against something “real.” It
concerns itself with what is “out there.” The scientific method
studies autonomous, individual samples and gathers facts to
build a theory.
Post-Modernism (a movement that began among literary critics)

takes a different approach. They embrace the Coherence Theory
of Truth. An idea is said to be true when it is consistent with
other ideas within the mind. “Truth” is not about what is “out
there” so much as it is about what is “in here.” The purpose of
Truth is to maintain a coherent and consistent model of the
world within your imagination.
Where the Coherence theory is expressive, the Correspondence

Theory is investigative. The first aims at creativity. The second
aims at description. Look closely and you will see Plato and
Aristotle standing in each camp.
Note that the Correspondence Theory of Truth allows science to

pass its results to engineers. Engineers use the truths of science
to make the world a safer place. It is the fight response applied
to transportation systems, communication technology and power
generation.
The Coherence Theory of Truth allows artists to share their

imaginative vision of the world with us. They grant us a
moment of escape from our struggle for survival as we
appreciate what their minds have created.
Aristotle has always argued for the importance of the concrete

world. Learning comes by way of attentiveness to specific
things. Look closely at what you hold in your hand. Plato has
141
ROOT VALUES:
always argued for the greater importance of the world of our

imagination. Don't trust your senses.
You probably have no interest in philosophy. But whether you

think about it our not, you tend to favor either Aristotle or Plato.
You prefer either the Active Mode or the Reflective Mode of
being. You prefer an outward, narrow focus demonstrating
greater interest in a world of things. Or, you prefer to turn
inward and take joy in a broader perspective and in the creative
expression of your imagination.
A friend from California calls one type an “an inner dude,” the
other “an outer dude.” Which is right? Does it matter? It is
enough to acknowledge that this is the way we are. Some of us
have habits of mind that tend to blind us to creative new
possibilities. Others have habits of mind that tend to blind us to
the reality of external constraints.
We all use both modes to manage risk depending on the

situation. But each of us will tend to favor, or give priority to
one mode over the other. If you favor the Active Mode you
“shoot first and ask questions later.” If you give priority to the
Reflective Mode you “look before you leap.”
Those of us who are more Active tend to give priority to the

Root Value Autonomy over Truth. This does not mean we are
not truthful. It simply means that we are attracted more toward
the particular, concrete and the specific over the theoretical and
the abstract. We are more interested in the outer world than the
inner. Those of us who are more Reflective give priority to the
Root Value Truth over Autonomy.
It may be that some cultures maintain a bias for one orientation

over the other. For example, the West tends to celebrate the
Active mode. Western institutions reward individual initiative
and assertiveness. The East encourages compliance and indirect
communication. These are characteristics of the Reflective
mode.
142
This is not say that you will not find Active individuals in the
East or Reflective people in the West. Rather, different cultures
encourage different behaviors over others. This cultural bias
will inform what is modeled for children, and what behaviors are
reinforced to become habits as they grow.
Building the PACT-L Model
Having presented two of the three Root Value polarities, we are

ready to build the base of the PACT-L model. Before we begin
however, it may be helpful to review two different models of
human behavior. This will position the PACT-L model in the
world of similar instruments.
Social Styles
David Merrill and Roger Reid developed their social styles

typology in the 1960s. They observed that personal style
sometimes complicates relationships. They believed that if
people adapted their styles to match the styles of others, they
would be more effective in relationships. (Personal Styles and
Effective Performance, CRC Press. Boca Roton, 1999.)
Merrill and Reid identify four social style types: the Analytical,
the Amiable, the Driver, and the Expressive. Similar to the
PACT-L model, they developed a matrix along three polarities:
Assertiveness, Responsiveness and Versatility.
The Assertiveness pole addresses whether a person tends to ask

questions or inform. This polarity plots “the degree to which
others see us as trying to influence their decisions.” The
Responsiveness pole plots how a person deals with feelings.
Does a person express feelings freely, or try to control feelings?
The Versatility pole measures to what degree a person is able to
adapt to the social style of others.
143
ROOT VALUES:
Merrill and Reid participated in the school of behavioral

psychology popular at the time. Behavioral psychology reacted
against various Freudian schools of psycho-therapy that sought
to describe motive powers at work deep within the human
subconscious.
Merrill and Reid made a distinction between behavior (“the

public you”) and intentions (“the private you”). They were not
interested in exploring a person’s intentions. The inner world
was not important. What mattered, they believed, was behavior.
Their goal was to help people improve their relationships by

becoming aware of how their behavior was perceived by others.
“Learning to see ourselves as others see us,” they wrote, “can be

a very rewarding way of understanding ourselves. More
importantly, it can lead to improved relationships, without
requiring dramatic changes in our attitudes or values.” (Merrill
and Reid, pg. 8).
The PACT-L model shares this goal. But it takes the process
one step further. Merrill and Reid did not explore the link
between values and behavior. They did not address motive.
They missed the opportunity to appreciate how adapting to new
behaviors leads to changes at the values level.
Because Merill and Reid did not develop the behavior - values
connection, they failed to appreciate how addressing values can
lead to changes in behavior. They missed an opportunity to
facilitate learning.
The PACT-L model demonstrates how addressing both values

and behaviors aids in improving self-awareness. It also allows
you to improve your relationships with others as you reflect on
your values in light of your behavior. Finally, it helps you
change your behavior as you 1) practice new skills, and 2) work
on reprioritizing your values.
144
An authentic relationship is the starting point of an empowered

community. Appreciation for what others value enables us to
appreciate their behavior without judgment. It also enables the
creative resolution of conflict as we improve our ability to
respond to disagreement at the value level.
The PACT-L model brings a "two-pronged" approach making

the difficult challenge of adapting your relational style to
appropriate circumstances easier. Merrill and Reid provide
insight into how social style informs interpersonal behavior.
The PACT-L model steps beyond behavior to demonstrate how
to address relationships at the values level as well.
Myers-Briggs
"I am an ESTJ. What are you?"
If you are familiar with the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator

(MBTI), you may have heard (or said) something like this
before. The concepts behind the MBTI were first developed by
Katharine Briggs and then picked up her daughter Isabel Briggs
Myers through the 1920s and 1930s. It was formally published
in 1944.
The MBTI is based on Carl Jung's brilliant analysis of

psychological types. (His Extroverted and Introverted type
correspond readily to the PACT-L Active and Reflective Modes
of being.)
Jung identified four main operations of consciousness based on
two categories: Perception and Judgment.
He identified a polarity in Perception between Sensing and

Intuition. He identified a polarity of Judgment between
Thinking and Feeling. Myers and Briggs adapted Jung's
fundamental insight into 16 unique personality types.
145
ROOT VALUES:
Many people who have taken the MBTI find that the personality
assessment aids self-understanding and even self-appreciation,
though some find the instrument to be somewhat slippery. They
report taking the test at different times and coming up with
different results. This is not surprising given the nature of the
instrument.
It depends on self-reporting in response to specific questions.

Lack of self-awareness, or a bias toward what one may perceive
as a more acceptable response influences results. This problem
is typical with instruments of this type, including the PACT-L
Personal Profile.
Generally the MBTI is a handy introduction to the brilliant

analysis of one the Twentieth Century's most gifted
psychotherapist. But therein lies its limitation. It is a complex
tool that requires significant study to master. The MBTI presents
16 unique personality types. Once you master the meaning of
your own type, you still have 15 more to learn in order to gain
insight into how other people in your community think.
In addition, once you learn your "type," the instrument lacks

clear guidance on how knowing that you are a "ESTJ" should
inform your behavior. This may have been the factor that
inspired Merrill and Reid in their elucidation of social styles in
terms of behavior without consideration for inner motives or
processes.
The PACT-L model combines the advantages of attentiveness to

behavior that Merrill and Reid emphasized with insight into the
nature mental processes suggested by Myers-Briggs.
The PACT-L Model
In our discussion introducing the PACT-L typology, we set aside

the Legacy polarity to introduce four relational styles of our
typology of empowered community: The Focuser, the
Collaborator, the Challenger and the Encourager. Legacy is
146
equally important to all four and does not contribute to defining

relational style.
The different styles emerge out of habits that define our most
comfortable behaviors. They are determined by how you
prioritize four of the Root Values – People, Autonomy,
Commitment
and Truth. But we all make meaning in our lives the same way,
through the story of our life – our Legacy.
The greater the understanding of your Legacy, the more

responsive you are to different life circumstances regardless of
your most comfortable relational style. We will explore Legacy
in much greater detail later. First, we will explore the four
relational styles in greater detail as we build the platform of the
PACT-L model.
The PACT-L model operates

along three axes, bringing
together three Root Value
polarities: People –
Commitment, Autonomy –
Truth, and a Greater
Understanding of One’s
Legacy – a Lesser
Understanding of One’s
Legacy. If we set aside the
Legacy polarity, we simplify
the
model. We reduce a three-dimensional model to two
dimensions.
This provides a relational style platform. The horizontal axis

represents the People-Commitment polarity, modeling your
preference for either relationships or tasks. Plot yourself along
this axis, depending upon the degree to which you tend to prefer
one side of the polarity over the other.
147
ROOT VALUES:
The vertical pole represents the Autonomy – Truth polarity,

modeling the Active and Reflective modes of being. Plot
yourself along this axis, depending upon the degree to which
you believe you are either a more Active or a more Reflective
person.
Pulling both axes together creates the relational style platform.

Notice the platform presents four bases. Each base provides a
home for each relational style: Focusing, Collaborating,
Challenging, and Encouraging.
Two Root Values anchor each base. Find your base as you
determine which two of the four values you tend to prioritize
over the others. Thus, Commitment and Autonomy anchor
Focusing. Autonomy and People anchor Encouraging. People
and Truth anchor Collaborating. Truth and Commitment anchor
Challenging. The anchoring Root Values govern the behavior
associated with each relational style.
Later we will explore how an empowered community benefits

from the behaviors associated with each of the relational styles.
Now we turn to a closer look at the PACT-L platform and
consider each of the relational styles.
148
11
Building the PACT-L Model
Of Types and Styles
An empowered community consists of people who share the

same Root Values. But they prioritize these values in different
ways. This difference defines the unique character of each.
Aristotle may have taken humanity’s first, toddler step toward

the scientific method. He peered into the swarm of creatures
along the shores of the Aegean Sea and tried to understand what
he was seeing.
He took careful notes. He made deliberate analysis. He slowly

began to differentiate the mass of life he encountered as he made
his way.
He identified characteristics that mattered. He created a

typology of the animal world. A typology is simply a table (or a
list) that organizes individual units into groups. His zoological
typology provided a model for biologists for generations.
149
ROOT VALUES:
Classifying animals raises our awareness of species. It provides

language that helps us to explore the animal world with ever
more precision and insight. (Who was the first to recognize that
a dolphin had more in common with an elephant than with a
shark?) Close, systematic observation, and a willingness to be
intentional in understanding what we see turns a casual
association, or stereotypical bias into a meaningful typology.
How might a typology of an empowered community help us

understand the nature of relationships? It would provide a
language that would help us explore how we expereince one
another in community. With it we could develop tools that
allow us to overcome the burden of broken relationships and
release the power of community.
Such a typology would have to begin with the indivual. It would

have to address both values and behaviors in a system that made
personal interaction comprehensible. It would have to help us
make sense of how people can relate more productively and with
greater satistaction in larger groups as well.
The Root Values provide the fundamental priniciples we need.
Typing works on characteristics individuals share. The

challenge is to identify the essential common characteristic,
while avoiding attaching secondary qualities of one individual to
the entire class. A previous generation might have been
surprised to meet an African-American physician, a female
CEO, or an Electrical Engineer from India. Today, thank
goodness, this is more commonplace.
We sometimes do this unconsciously and habitually. We distort

our understanding of others. This is “stereotyping.”
We project an imagined quality of a group to the individual. “I

am a computer science major.” (Nerd.) “I am a lawyer.”
(Heartless.) “I am a salesman.” (Sleazy.)
150
BUILDING THE PACT-L MODEL
Stereotyping limits our ability to see. We fail to acknowledge

the uniqueness of a person. We dishonor the person’s
Autonomy. We reject the unique gift the person brings.
Habits of thought and perception provide a sense of security. It

is impossible to deactivate the model building nature of our
minds, nor should we. It helps us make sense of a complex and
confusing world. But lack of awareness of how stock images,
prescribed scripts, or cultural narratives shape (and therefore
possibly distort) how we perceive the world leaves us short-
sighted.
Once we get to know someone and come to appreciate the

richness of her unique individuality, our initial typing fades. It
has served its purpose. It provided a map to guide us into
relationship with someone new.
In Part I we suggested that the Root Values live in the heart of

every person. We pointed to the Golden Rule (“Do unto others
as you would have them do unto you.”) as an intimation of their
universal application. Although everyone has the same Root
Values, not everyone is alike. We readily recognize differences
among people. How is this possible?
The Root Values form a value system. This value system is

timeless, diverse and adaptable all at the same time. We each
have the same values, but we prioritize these values in different
ways. It is not the possession of these values, but how we order
them that makes the difference. Thus, we find the same Root
Values in every person, but not the same Root Value priority.
To demonstrate how this works, set the Root Value Legacy aside
for the moment. We will return to Legacy’s influence later.
Consider two people. The first person prioritizes the Root
Values this way:
151
ROOT VALUES:
1.People
2. Truth
3. Commitment
4. Autonomy
What does this suggest about the person’s most comfortable

behavior? Because he prioritizes People over Autonomy, this
person is likely to be very warm and friendly.
That Truth is second in his Root Value system suggests he is a

good conversationalist. He asks lots of questions as he
demonstrates an active interest in the thoughts and perceptions
of
others. He looks for patterns and makes connections as he seeks
the broadest possible perspective.
How might a different prioritizing of the Root Values influence

someone’s relational style? Here is a second person with a very
different orientation. She prioritizes the Root Values this way:
1. Autonomy
2. Commitment
3. Truth
4. People
What does this suggest about the person’s most comfortable

behavior? Because she prioritizes Autonomy over People, she is
likely to be independently-minded. She maintains a very strong
sense of self.
With Commitment as her second Root Value she projects

strength and determination. She stands up for what she believes
in. She gets the job done.
We can build a simple typology of relational styles based on
152
how individuals prioritize these values in their lives. A

relational style represents a pattern of behavior with which a
person is most comfortable. There is nothing fixed or permanent
about a
person’s style. It simply expresses habitual patterns of relating
to others.
To determine the four basic styles, identify the two primary Root
Values in a person’s Root Value system.
The Focuser The Collaborator

Autonomy Truth
Commitment People
The Challenger The Encourager

Commitment People
Truth Autonomy
This is the basis of our typology of an empowered community.

We will explore each of these relational styles in later chapters.
We introduce them here to invite you to begin to think about
your most comfortable relational style. How do you prioritize
the Root Values in your life?
Understanding clearly who I am is a difficult challenge. A look

in the mirror provides a reflection of my physical features. The
Root Values are a mirror that reflects an image of my heart.
Focusing
People whose most comfortable behavior is Focusing value

Autonomy and Commitment. Commitment involves a
movement of the will, a deeply personal, sustained intention that
strives to overcome difficulty.
Autonomy and Commitment are complementary values in
153
ROOT VALUES:
Focusing. One autonomous person makes one Commitment. A

group cannot commit, except one person at a time.
Because Autonomy is linked with Commitment, Autonomy is

directed inward. Contrast this with someone in the Encouraging
domain where the complementary value is People. Autonomy
linked with People inspires an outward orientation.
If you are more comfortable Focusing you have a strong sense of

personal boundaries. You take responsibility for yourself. You
know what you think and readily take action. You make choices
and stand by them. You accept the consequences of your
choices. You know the power of commitment to surmount
obstacles and succeed.
Lou Gerstner, former CEO of RJR Nabisco, and then IBM, has
said, “Lack of focus is the most common cause of corporate
mediocrity.”
“A successful, focused enterprise is one that has developed a

deep understanding of its customers’ needs, its competitive
environment, and its economic realities. This comprehensive
analysis must then form the basis for specific strategies that are
translated into day-to-day execution.” (Louis Gerstner, pg 222
Who Says Elephants Can’t Dance? Harper Collins, New York,
20020, pg 222)
What Gerstner says about a business also applies to a person

who values Autonomy linked to Commitment. Such a person
has developed a deep understanding of herself. The ability to
focus requires commitment and the ability to stand alone against
the crowd.
154
Champ worked for Lou

Gerstner when Gerstner was
CEO at RJR Nabisco. After
graduating from college
Champ joined the Navy
serving on a destroyer in the North Atlantic during the Cold
War.
“We chased Soviet nuclear submarines as they came out of the

Arctic Ice Pack. We followed them down to Cuba. Our job was
to pick them up, which wasn’t always easy. We’d stay with
them without them knowing we were there. If we heard the
doors to the nuclear warheads opening up, we were supposed to
go over the top of them, and whatever they got launched we
were supposed to take in the gut. We’d all die, but we’d save
the country from a nuclear strike.”
After the Navy he went to law school. He practiced law in

Raleigh, NC. There he attracted the attention of RJR Nabsico.
He became the Executive Vice President and Chief Operating
Officer of the RJ Reynolds Tobacco Company. Following his
time at RJR Nabisco he successfully led a series of “turn-
around”
projects serving as CEO in a number of companies ranging from
the greeting card industry to high technology.
One of Champ’s joys is mentoring young executives. He

possesses a strong sense of Autonomy. He knows what he is
about. He also knows what he looks for in people with whom he
is willing to partner.
“The business has to make sense," Champ said. "I have no

interest in the ‘Silicon Valley business plan.’ You know how it
goes: ‘All we need is 1% of the market and we will have a
billion customers and we will worry later about how we
monetize it because our technology is so cool.’ I don’t go with
that. So they have to have a comprehensible, reasonable
business plan.
155
ROOT VALUES:
“They have to have proof that they have the ability to execute.
They have to have the understanding that they have a lot to
learn. And then I think I can help them.”
If your most comfortable behavior is Focusing, you are a

responsibility-taker. Your strong sense of Autonomy coupled
with Commitment readies you for action. Champ learned his
lessons in responsibility-taking as a young officer in the Navy.
“What I remember most about my service in the Navy,” Champ

said, “was having huge amounts of responsibility at a very
tender age. When you are aboard ship, and there are 14 officers
and 210 men, and you are having people who are dying and
there are a lot of people whose lives are on the line, you are
delegated a lot of authority and you have to grow up really fast
and get serious. The party is over.
“Authority is not a job title. Authority is the way people

perceive you. You have to guard that so that you remain
someone who is worth following. I was 23 years old. A senior
chief on a destroyer is 45-50 years old. He knows just about all
there is to know about everything. But you are in charge. And
you have to make that clear from the very beginning.”
Focusing associates with managing risk in the Active Mode. If

this sounds like you, you maintain an outward orientation to the
world. You pick up on material connections other people seem
to miss. You take pride in efficiency. You don’t like to waste
time, effort or energy on activity that is not tied to the goal.
You have a high tolerance for conflict. You prioritize tasks over
relationships. If a relationship gets a little stressed in order to
achieve the goal, so be it. “It is not my problem.”
“The rule in all the companies I have run is this,” Champ said.
“You come in and you tell me what’s wrong. Then you tell me
what you could have done to change it. I don’t care if 99% of it
156
is somebody else’s fault.
“There is always something you could have done to make it

better. So before you start telling me about anybody else, I want
to hear what you could have done to make it better. You tell me
what needs to be done, and you tell me what you’re going to do
to fix it.
“If you do that, than the only response you get from me is,
‘What tools do you need? How can I help?’ If you come in and
minimize the problem, if you try to blame it on somebody else,
what you’re going to get is. . . . I can do an ass-chewin’ that few
people can imitate.
“There is a woman who works for me. Her peers warned her
about my approach. She came in trying to minimize a problem
and share the blame around. I said, ‘If ever you do that
again. . .’ She told me she had never had anyone ever speak to
her in that manner. And I just ripped her apart, right to point
where she came to tears and then I said, ‘I don’t need tears in my
office. Get the hell out, and when you can figure out what the
problem is and take responsibility for it, you can come back here
and we will talk about it.’ Well, she did. She is still here. She
is one of the best I have.”
If your are comfortable Focusing, you do not look for external

validation. Doing the job right is its own reward. But this also
means that you may sometimes neglect to affirm others.
Getting the job done is what matters. If someone gets their
feelings hurt in the process, your response is, “Grow up.” You
expect people to take responsibility for their feelings.
Although some may feel pressured by the intensity of your

commitment, in your own mind you do not neglect people as
much as you discipline yourself to reach the objective. You may
sometimes feel frustrated by what they interpret to be other
people’s lack of commitment.
157
ROOT VALUES:
The challenge for someone most comfortable with Focusing is to

truly appreciate the perspective of others.
Collaborating
People who are most comfortable Collaborating prioritize the
Root Values People and Truth over Autonomy and
Commitment. If this describes you, you take a genuine interest
in the lives of others and want to hear their point of view. The
picture is never quite complete. Another perspective always
adds richness to your understanding of the world.
You seek additional point's

of view. You want to
complete the picture. Your
outlook on the world remains
incomplete.
Truth and People are

complementary values. If
you value Truth you look for
patterns and recurring themes
that help you formulate a
theory. When Truth is linked
to People, you remain open
to additional insight and new ideas that will enrich your own
understanding.
Autonomy is subordinated to Truth in this domain. This means

you hold your own ideas and your own perspective lightly. You
do not push information. You pull.
Likewise, Commitment is subordinated to People. You remain

open. If someone pushes you to commit, you politely demur.
158
Rather than commit, you are likely to ask for her opinion.
“What would you do?” Collaborators are in no hurry.
Max works as a Human Resources professional in the

telecommunications industry. He valued working with a former
Sr. Vice President who was a collaborating leading.
“Dan was brought in after the telecom company went bankrupt

as the Senior Vice President responsible for the Human
Resources department,” Max said. “What Dan wanted from his
direct reports were their ideas. He didn’t care if he agreed. You
could go toe to toe with him and back him into a corner. He
wanted to hear what you had to say.
“He’d say something like, ‘What was your thinking there?’ He

wanted to know how I got to where I got. And sometimes I
couldn’t tell him. I am an intuitive thinker. I’d sometimes have
to say, ‘I don’t know. Let me think about it for a while, I’ll
come back and tell you.’ He’d give me space to allow me time
to figure it out. But he’d always came back to me. ‘So what
were you thinking?’
“Dan would come in with a problem and require that the team
work the problem and come to a consensus on a solution. One
time he came in with issue after a merger. He said, ‘We have to
integrate six benefits systems. I want you to figure it out and
come back to me with an answer.
“He wanted people to work collaboratively. It was okay to

disagree. It was okay to argue. I facilitated a number of his
leadership team meetings. He liked to work on a principle of
consensus.
“I would work very hard pushing and pulling and bringing

people to consensus and then, to find out what people really
thought, he’d blow it up.
159
ROOT VALUES:
“I’d say something like, ‘Sounds like we are getting to

consensus.’ I’d go around the table and everyone would nod.
And then Dan would say, ‘Nope. I’m not there yet.’ He’d say
that to get the group talking. He would say something
controversial, push- back on someone’s idea – all because he
wasn’t satisfied that all the issues had been adequately explored.
Dan’s collaborative style was difficult for some people to take.
“We were doing this staff development thing,” Max said.

“Everybody in the room had to rate their direct reports on a grid,
and nobody could rate anyone higher than 10%.
“Richard was a compensation and benefits guy. He came in

with his ranking and Dan took him to task. ‘Why did you put
that person there? Tell me what your thinking is.’ Richard
couldn’t handle it. He said, ‘Just tell me what you want.’
Richard couldn’t engage in the debate to get to clarity.
“A similar thing happened with Brian. Brian showed Dan his

ranking grid and identified one of his direct reports as his next
replacement. Dan said, ‘That’s crazy. That guy could never,
ever take your place’ Brian went head to head with Dan for
about twenty minutes trying to explain what Dan was missing.
And it was not a discussion. It was an argument. After twenty
minutes Brian said, ‘Have I convinced you?’ Dan said, ‘No you
haven’t’ ‘Then I’ll keep trying.’ Brian said. And he did.”
Dan is very comfortable collaborating with others. Not only did

he exhibit the Collaborator’s strengths, he was weighed down by
the Collaborator's burden as well.
“Dan was a sensitive soul,” Max said. “He took a long time to
get things done. A lot of people wanted to get things done
quicker and some perceived Dan’s lack of activity as weakness
or a lack of commitment to moving forward, and that probably
160
hurt him the most.
“His feelings would get hurt when he was challenged on his

depth of caring for people. I believe that when he had to let
people go it was emotionally upsetting to him. He wanted to do
it right. He wanted to do it carefully.
“He never went to a leader and said, ‘I need 15% reduction in

headcount give them to me today.’ He really struggled. He
wanted to make sure the organization kept the appropriate
people. He was more interested in taking costs out of the
business, than reducing headcount. He was concerned about
process. He was concerned about mechanical resources and
getting that right in order to protect folks.”
If you are most comfortable collaborating you value People over

Commitment. If pushed to commit, to make a hard decision,
you may withdraw. Your openness and inclusive orientation to
the world makes it difficult to lock down on a position that
excludes other options. When forced, you have to step back to
regroup and recover your balance.
“Sometimes, when Dan was challenged,” Max said, “he would

retreat. He’d go in his office and shut the door. The message
was always very clear: ‘You are not talking to me today.’ He’d
go and sit on his porch and smoke a cigar. And then he’d
reengage. On more than one occasion he’d say, ‘I was going to
do something stupid. I needed not to be here.”
You manage risk in the Reflective Mode. You subordinate the

Root Value Autonomy to Truth. You also prioritize
relationships over tasks, the Root Value People over
Commitment.
You take great joy in meeting new people and hearing their
ideas. You are a natural networker. Your web of social contacts
continues to expand. People love the way you listen to them.
You are always more open to hear their point of view. People
161
ROOT VALUES:
tend to characterize you as warm and friendly.
Because you like to remain open to new ideas, you hate to be put
on the spot. Some may consider you to be indecisive. You
think of yourself as circumspect.
If you are a Collaborator your challenge is to take a stand on the

issues that matter to you and claim sufficient Autonomy so that
your point of view will be heard.
Challengning
People who are most comfortable Challenging value Truth and

Commitment. They are careful observers and deep thinkers. If
this describes you, you understand the power of commitment.
But your primary commitment is

to ideas, and only secondarily to
projects.
Unlike the person more

comfortable focusing, you take
more joy in developing the plan
and improving the process than
in execution. Once you have
worked out the solution you are
more than happy to hand it off to
others. You are ready to solve
the next problem.
You manage risk in the Reflective Mode, but prioritize tasks

over relationships. But your tasks tend to be conceptual rather
than practical. You understand the obstacles to goals in depth.
You are almost hyper-vigilant in your attention to detail, but in a
theoretical way.
You understand the connections between things. You abstract
162
principles from what you see and apply it to other situations.

People are most impressed by you depth of insight.
You also do not mind working alone. You may even prefer it.
You enjoy setting your sights on a goal and then getting down
and getting to work.
You provide depth of insight. You are thorough and disciplined.

You are never in a hurry. You would rather be “right” than
“finished.” You want the time to study the problem.
You probably do not feel like you need much praise or attention
– at least not consciously. But deep down you really do
appreciate it when someone acknowledges the effort you put
into solving a complex problem.
As a keen-eyed critic, you are at your best improving the

process. But you may discourage others as you point out the
potential failure while overlooking successes. This can be
particularly difficult in long-standing institutions that are
themselves bound by habits that resist change.
It requires forethought, discipline and courage to challenge the

process in a change averse environment. But you have this in
abundance. Besides, conflict does not bother you. When it gets
hot, you simply disappear.
.
You are so interested in how things work, you may neglect
people. You can sit in a crowded room and be unaware of what
is going on around you. You may miss non-verbal signals that
others find obvious. You are the “absent minded professor.”
In a crisis you are ready with input that gets the project moving
again. But sometimes you may withdraw from others, and
disconnect. People may wonder what you really think. It is
more important for you to have an idea, than to share it.
If you are a challenger, your challenge is to come out connect
163
ROOT VALUES:
with other people and make yourself available so they can

partner with you, enrich your ideas and appreciate all that you
bring to a community.
Encouraging
People who are most comfortable with encouraging value

Autonomy and People. If this describes you, you see others with
great clarity. You are a "good judge of character." Because the
complementary Root Value with Autonomy is People, your
attentiveness to
particulars is directed
outward. You see
another individual very
clearly.
You also manage risk in

the Active Mode, but
unlike the orientation of
those whose most
comfortable behavior is
focusing, you prioritize
Relationships over
Tasks. You have a very high regard for people. You value
people so much that you see individuals in their wonderful
uniqueness. You appreciate how each one brings a special
quality to the world.
You see both strengths and weaknesses. But you are not a
critic. You have a great capacity for empathy. At your best you
are truly affirming. Validation is so rare people hunger for what
you provide. Your friendship is deeply appreciated.
You have a deep, intuitive sense of what individuals feeling.
They don’t need to tell you. Somehow you just know.
164
You are also loyal. But your loyalty is not out of a sense of
commitment. It is born of attachment. As long as you sense a
meaningful bond you are a fierce friend. But if you sense a
break, you can abandon a relationship though it will cause you
great emotional distress.
The difference between attachment and commitment is that the

first is born of emotional identification. The second is born of a
sustained intention. The person who is most comfortable
focusing, commits. She values Commitment over People. The
person who is most comfortable behavior is encouraging,
attaches.
This difference may be difficult to distinguish. Marriage vows

are exchanged. One partner may be making a commitment to a
project: the institution of marriage. She is making a statement
about a sustained intention. The other partner may be
expressing an emotional attachment to a person. He is making a
statement about emotional presence and responsiveness.
In the marriage ceremony the words and actions are the same.
But the actions of each partner are very different. The same
dynamic applies in business partnerships, friendships and other
relationships.
If you value People and Autonomy over Truth and Commitment

you experience commitment as a feeling. Your relationships
with others hurt or feel good. You take joy in them or you are
burdened by them. This makes you a passionate ally.
However, because you tend to subordinate the Root Values of

Commitment and Truth, you risk doing the work of others rather
than broadening their perspective to see a larger Truth or calling
them to Commitment. You identify so much with others that
you have a hard time watching someone struggle. You feel
tempted to rescue others, to take the burden off their shoulders.
You may indulge those you care about most, rather than
challenge them to overcome obstacles that hinder their full
165
ROOT VALUES:
flowering.
You call out the talents and abilities of others. At your best, in a
crisis you inspire others to act. But watch out, if you are not
careful you may be tempted to step in and save them, and in so
doing take away their opportunity to learn.
166
12
The Legacy Polarity
The PACT-L model begins with a description of how two Root
Value polarities work to inform a person’s relational style:
People – Commitment, and Autonomy – Truth. We have
introduced the Root Value typology and explored how we can
explain differences between us in terms of different ways we
prioritize four of the Root Values.
• Focusing prioritizes Autonomy and Commitment over

People and Truth.
• Collaborating prioritizes People and Truth over

Autonomy and Commitment.
• Challenging prioritizes Truth and Commitment over

Autonomy and People.
• Encouraging prioritizes Autonomy and People over

Truth and Commitment.
167
ROOT VALUES:
Before we consider how the Root Values help you improve your
relationship with others, we must add the third polarity to the
model. This polarity “splits” the Root Value Legacy between
Less Understanding of one’s Legacy and Greater Understanding
of one’s Legacy.
If you live without understanding of your Legacy you live at a

great disadvantage. You become a victim of your own actions
as you are pummeled by consequences for behavior you do not
understand. It is as if you throw a brick in the air only to have it
come down to hit you on the top of the head. You do it not
once, but over and over again.
Today Noah works as a manager at a grease manufacturing plant

in Tehachapi, CA. He has risen to his current position over the
past four years. He manages three departments and he manages
men twice his age. He is twenty-four years old. Barely five
years earlier he had was trapped in the world Methamphetamine
addicts -- Chrystal Meth.
“I started smoking pot when I was 13 years old,” Noah said. “At
17 I was sick of high school. I was using every day. So I got
out of school and worked full-time for my brother in
construction.
“Then I started using Chrystal Meth. I had some kind of logic in

my mind that said it would be a good idea to quit my job. I was
still living at home, sneaking around. That went on for six
months until my dad drug-tested me.
“My parents tried to do an ‘intervention,’ but I would have

nothing to do with it. I knew I did not want to quit. I thought I
was still having fun.
“A friend’s mom said, ‘Let him come live with us and he can
work on getting sober.’ That did not work at all. I would go out
for weeks at a time and when I was ready to crash I would just
go there and sleep for a couple of days and get up do it all over
168
THE LEGACY POLARITY
again.
“I worked my way up to being the main dealer’s right hand

man. You think you are in a position of trust. But in reality you
are just being used. But I was young and I was stupid.
“There was this other drug dealer. He kept telling me, ‘Don’t
hang out with that dude. He is using you.’ I blew him off. I had
a ‘you are just trying to hold me down’ kind of attitude. In
retrospect he was trying to protect me.
“Soon after that he was murdered.
“My drug dealer friend pulled a gun on me and put it to my

head. Someone had accused me of being a snitch. I denied it.
He told me who had accused me. He handed me the gun and
said, ‘Go deal with it.’
"I hadn’t spoken to my mom for about six months, so I called

her. As soon as I heard her voice my heart just broke and I
started balling. At this point I realized what my life was
becoming. I didn’t want to use any more. I felt dirty. Mom
said, ‘Just come home.’
“Two days later I was walking down the street and the cops
picked me up. They kept me in jail for two days while they
questioned me about the murder.
“After my release I spent the night in my truck and went home

the next day. It took two weeks for me to work the drugs out of
my system. It was a rough come down. I stayed clean for
another six months. Then I went out and started using again.
“I met Jenifer and we were using together. She was on a court-

ordered drug rehab program. She failed three times. At this
point she was going to prison if she didn’t get straightened up.
So we decided to try to get clean together.
169
ROOT VALUES:
“We were doing random court-ordered drug testing. Right

before she was admitted to rehab, we found out that she was
pregnant. At that point I got serious. I found a job at K-Mart. I
was 19 years old. I married Jenifer and we had our baby. I have
been clean ever since.”
Families live out patterns that recur across generations. They

form emotional systems that maintain coherency as each
member of the family becomes part of a greater whole. Each of
us lives out a particular role, our behavior reinforced by others in
the system.
Among the things we learn from our family are basic habits of
relating. We also pick up coping strategies to help us navigate
life's challenges. In our families we learn the fundamental skills
that we bring to community.
Noah has lived out a pattern that is consistent with the story of
his family. His mother got married soon after she turned 18.
“It was a very abusive marriage,” she said. “We divorced after
four kids. I had this thing with the kids where they would go to
live with their father, come back and then they would leave
again.
“I went through a period over about nine years where I made

several mistakes. I have always been self-destructive. I don’t
know why. You know how the closer you get to the very thing
you want you blow it up because it is not going to work
anyway?
“I had two children by two different men before I met Noah’s

father. So I had six children by three different men by the time I
met Paul. He married me and became the father of my children
and raised them as his own. And then we had two more. Noah
is the baby. We have been married 28 years.”
Noah and Jenifer’s son is now four years old. They have
170
THE LEGACY POLARITY
another baby on the way. The greater the understanding Noah

and Jenifer have of their Legacy, they more intentional they can
be in the raising of their children.
Parents model behavior that they have had modeled for them.
These become habits for the next generation. Most of these are
healthy, beneficial and life-giving. Some may be less so.
Early childhood experiences define our “normal.” These

experiences inform how we see the world. They help us to
define what is “safe” and what is “dangerous.” These become
habits of perception that are very difficult to overcome because
they provide the very material by which we interpret what goes
on around us.
An even greater challenge is to identify and assess habits of

emotion that are modeled for us as children. When do you get
angry? What makes you sad? What triggers your anxiety?
When do you feel happy? What make you uncomfortable?
The difficulty with emotional habits is that we associate what we

feel with our very identities. If I am not what I feel, than who
am I? We resist evaluating the meaning of what we feel within
the greater context of the human experience.
Sometimes a habit of emotion can lead to destructive life

choices. When you are abused, do you feel outrage? Or do you
feel sympathy for the person who is treating you poorly? When
someone performs a kind service for you, do you feel gratitude?
Or do you feel a sense of entitlement, perhaps even treating the
other person with contempt?
These are all habits of emotion. An emotion that was learned

can be unlearned. Greater understanding of your Legacy enables
you to position your life within a larger story. Your past informs
your present. But your past need not determine your future.
Greater understanding of your Legacy is a necessary step in
171
ROOT VALUES:
helping you to discover a “new normal” for yourself and the

people you love. Behaviors that persist into the present may
have been meaningful in the past, but become less than helpful
in a new environment. Some may be harmful, others even
abusive.
If you do not know the story of your family, you may pass on
habits to future generations that you would not wish on your
children. It will also limit your capacity to give your best gift to
others.
The third polarity in the PACT-L model asks: How well do you
know your story? Greater understanding of your Legacy
empowers your community because it empowers you.
Habit and Intention
Habit and Intention are two aspects of Legacy. These provide

the poles in the third polarity of the PACT-L model.
Habits are behaviors to which we have been conditioned by our

social environment by way of repeated practice. A habit is an
archive of behavior. An archeologist of our souls could dig
down through the layers of our habitual emotions, perceptions,
thoughts and behaviors and tell the story of our lives.
Habits express the most potent part of our Legacy. It is that part
of our story we carry forward each day through our behavior.
Much of what I do today has been determined by what I have
done yesterday.
At the opposite pole of the Legacy polarity is intentional action.

Intention is directed by conscious choice in response to a unique
situation. It requires a certain independence from our personal
Legacy. When we act intentionally we are acting with the
172
THE LEGACY POLARITY
greatest degree of personal freedom.
Thus, at one end of the Legacy polarity are those behaviors that
are most dependent on our Legacy -- Habits. At the other end
are behaviors that are least dependent on our Legacy –
Intention.
Both Habit and Intention are necessary for a

happy, fruitful life. Habits release us from the
burden of having to rethink every act we
perform every day. Imagine having to think
about how to brush your teeth every morning.
Your mother may have worked very hard to
instill in you this healthy habit. Your dentist
can tell if she succeeded.
Unlike Habits, intentional behavior requires a

great deal of thought. The more intentional a
behavior, the more thought required. First
you must imagine an alternative future. You
must paint a picture of what you hope to
achieve. You evaluate the risk. You assess
your capacity. You estimate your probability
of success. You engage your will. You follow through. You
review the outcome.
Exhausted? Thank goodness for habits. Habitual behavior,

however, sometimes masquerades as intentional. The problem is
that not only do we have habits of behavior, we also have habits
of perception, of emotion, and of thought. I may think before I
act, but if my thought is habitual, and my perception is habitual,
and my emotion is habitual – the action at the end of the chain
may feel intentional, but it is just a long parade of habits dressed
up in intentional clothing.
173
ROOT VALUES:
Habits
What do we mean by habitual perception, emotion and thought?
Of Perception
Optical illusions play on

habits of perception. You
may be familiar with the
Dalmatian Illusion. If so,
you can readily see the dog in
the picture.
As a matter of fact, if you

know this illusion you cannot
fail to see the dog in the
picture. You see the dog
because you “know” it is there. You see what you expect to
see. You have formed a habit of perception.
If you are not familiar with the illusion, what do you see? Dots
scatter haphazardly across the page. But already you are
desperately staring at the picture, working hard to the see the
dog hidden among the dots.
Those unfamiliar with the illusion see dots because that is what
they expect to see. They must study the picture, with great
intention. (Keep looking, the dog is really there.)
Habits of perception, like habits of behavior, help us navigate a

complex world. Imagine if you walked out the door and had to
make the same visual effort to negotiate your commute to work
every morning that you have to make to see the Dalmatian in the
174
THE LEGACY POLARITY
picture?. Life without habits of perception would be

exhausting.
Of Emotion
Habitual emotion is not unlike habitual perception. We feel

what we have learned to feel in reaction to specific
circumstances. Our emotional landscape is planted by early
experiences most of us no longer remember, but our emotions
do.
Emotions are patterned for us by family and friends. We learn

how to “fit” emotion to circumstance. We return to it so
regularly that it feels natural. We assume everyone feels the
way we do.
When someone challenges an emotional response we sometimes

take offense. An emotion feels normal, appropriate and right. It
may be. But it is also a habituated response we have learned and
practiced so often and so frequently that it has become a part of
us.
Many years ago a neighbor died unexpectedly. Playing tennis

one day, down he went. No warning. No prior symptoms. He
left a wife and two daughters.
The neighborhood families were close. The widow asked

several families to sit on the altar platform to provide emotional
support during the funeral. One family included ten year old
twins.
At ten years old the boys lacked emotional maturity. Sitting on

the platform before hundreds of people who had come to pay
their respects to a dear friend, the twins laughed all the way
through the service.
The laughter was not intentional, of course. The twins had

developed the habit of expressing discomfiting emotion through
175
ROOT VALUES:
laughter. The widow’s maturity manifested itself in her graceful

tolerance of the behavior. Their mother’s maturity manifested
itself in her maternal intolerance of their behavior when they got
home.
You also have developed habits of emotion. You react

emotionally in predictable ways to specific circumstances. You
learned these habits sometime in the past and you return to them
regularly. They have become a part of who you are.
People who share common cultural cues also share similar

patterns of emotion. The closer people are the more uniform
their emotional makeup.
Members of a family display emotional behavior in concert with

one another. They “understand” one another emotionally. They
share emotional habits they have learned growing up living
together. When we leave home and go to school or to work, we
take our emotional habits with us. They help us regulate our
behavior and stay in (more or less) healthy relationships with
others.
Sometimes families imprint habits of emotion in us that create

challenges for us. An abusive father may generate an emotional
habit that causes one to withdraw when we are in the presence of
certain types of men. Having grown up in a chaotic household
may have generated an emotional habit that pushes someone else
to feel very uncomfortable in an environment that lacks clear
and unambiguous structure.
When emotional habits create problems for us, we sometimes

find it necessary to learn new emotional habits. This is not an
easy thing to do.
Just as habits of perception help negotiate our physical world,

habits of emotion, help us negotiate our social world. Despite
the occasional challenge, habit of emotion make life with others
much more manageable than if we had to sit down and figure out
176
THE LEGACY POLARITY
the myriad of non-verbal emotional cues we pick up every day.
Of Thought
Finally, not only do we have habits of behavior, perception and

emotion, we have habits of thought as well. Medical students
spend years studying medicine and looking over the shoulders of
more experienced physicians. Law students invest hours
immersed in law libraries and drilled in law school about legal
precedence. Airline pilot master technical manuals and train in
flight simulators going over and over again crisis scenarios that
involve everything from wind shear to mechanical failure.
The aim of intensive study and training involves more than

memorizing data or expanding one’s knowledge. The more
challenging goal is to discipline the mind, to develop the mind of
a doctor, a lawyer or a pilot. Training creates habits of thought
-- mental models -- that allow you to move quickly and
efficiently when confronted with a problem.
Life reinforces habits of thought freeing us from the burden of

having to actually think. It is very helpful most of the time.
Sometimes it is not.
Racial prejudice is a particularly destructive form of habitual

thinking. Fifty years ago Ralph Ellison published, Invisible
Man. Ellis tells the story of a young, African-American man
who moves from the south to New York City seeking
opportunity. But what he finds are lies and betrayal. He
encounters the habitual thoughts of an entire culture. The title
refers to an invisibility not of the body, but of the soul. He says,
"I am an invisible man. When (people) approach me they see

only my surroundings, themselves, or figments of their
imagination. . . (they see) everything and anything except me."
The Civil Rights Movement invested heavily in changing this
177
ROOT VALUES:
broadly shared habit of thought. Gender bias, classism, and

stereotypes of all kinds persist, habits of thought all.
If you don’t struggle with the arithmetic when balancing your

check book, be grateful for your capacity for habitual thinking
associated with numbers. Do you cook? If so, you don’t spend
as much time deciphering a simple recipe as some do. Cna yuo
raed tihs? Chnaces aer hbats aoscisoetad wtih raednig mkae
slepl chcek uenncerassy.
Habits of perception, emotion and thought make life efficient.

They also make change in our basic orientation to life painful,
difficult and fearsome. People who languish in lifeless pseudo-
community avoid the painful work of breaking habits of
perception, emotion and thought.
The challenge of building an empowered community requires

addressing habits that undermine relationships. Habits of
perception, emotion and thought can blind you to simple realities
that others see very clearly, but that put your life at risk. This is
the where the hard work begins.
Hale Koa
Jim was a career officer in the United States Army. Before he

retired he worked with an operation called the Moral Welfare
and Recreation Operation. The MSRO runs a series of hotels,
golf courses, bowling alleys and other recreational facilities all
over the world. It provides affordable recreational opportunities
for soldiers and their families. The MSRO does not receive
appropriations from Congress. They are a self-funding, self-
sustaining entity.
Jim described one operation in Hawaii.
“In the mid 1970s they were having huge computer processing
178
THE LEGACY POLARITY
problems; they contracted it all out. They brought me in to take

a look at it and it was an unbelievable mess. Once we got the
books reconciled, which took about a year, we brought the IT
operation ‘in house.’ I became the Information Systems guy for
operations all over the world.
“One of the hotels was the Hale Koa on Waikiki Beach. It had
been losing money for years. This was during the Vietnam era.
It was always at capacity, always busy. There was no reason
why it should be losing money like it was.
“A colleague went there the year before to look at the operation.

It was primitive, absolutely primitive. Point of sales were cash
registers. Books were kept with a number 2 pencil. Receipts
weren’t kept in a shoebox, but almost. My boss sent me to
figure out what could be done.
“Several things became clear very quickly. In the hotel side of

things they were in pretty good shape. They were breaking even
on the rooms. In that business you break even on the rooms; you
make money in the bar and in the dining room. The front desk
was in good shape. The bar was making good money; but the
dining room was just losing its butt.
“So I spent a couple of days in the dining room. The Food and
Beverage Manager had been around a lot of years. He seemed
to be a reasonably competent guy. After two days of tracking
what was going on it was clear there were two problems.
“The first problem was what they call in the business,

‘shrinkage.’ The staff was pilfering from the kitchen. This was
a common problem in hotels and especially in the hotels in
Hawaii.
"Instead of paying a decent wage, the management winked at

pilfering. Because they weren’t automated, they had no idea
what their costs were. If you don’t know what your costs are,
you have no idea whether you are making money or not.
179
ROOT VALUES:
"We got a handle on the accounting side so that we could at least

measure the performance in the kitchen. They were losing about
a dollar per plate. I sat down with the Food and Beverage
Manager, with the General Manager in the room, and I showed
him the numbers.
“And that was when I discovered the second problem. I said,

‘The costs are exceeding your pricing on the menu. You are
losing a dollar per meal.’
“The Food and Beverage Manager said, ‘Yeah, I understand

that. We will make it up.’
“’How are you going to make it up?’ I asked.
“’In volume.’ He said.
“I said, ‘Wait a minute. If you try to make it up in volume you

are selling more and more, right?’
“’That’s right,’ He said.
“’Then if you are selling more and more, and you are loosing a
dollar a plate, then you will end up losing money faster and
faster,’ I said
“He gave me a blank stare. He said, ‘Don’t worry about it. It

will be okay.’
“That was the second problem: the Food and Beverage

Manager. He couldn’t see that he was sending his hotel down a
sink hole.
“I said, ‘How will it be okay? The more you sell, the more
money you loose. How will it be okay?’
“He said, ‘It will work out. Don’t worry about it.’
180
THE LEGACY POLARITY
“The General Manger looked at me. Fortunately he understood

it and worried about it. I went back to the States and helped him
re-price his menu. I never found out what happened to the Food
and Beverage Manager. But he was not longer employed by the
Hale Koa on Waikiki Beach.”
The Food and Beverage Manager couldn’t “wrap his head

around the problem” because his head was wrapped around
habits -- habits of behavior, perception, thought and emotion that
prevented him from understanding what for someone without
those habits, was a rather simple matter of arithmetic.
Habits sometimes undermine yourability to contribute fully to

your community. If you are not careful, the habits of you life --
habits of perception, emotion, though as well as behavior -- may
send your community down the sink hole.
Intention
We all have habits and we can’t live without them. Habits of

behavior wrapped up with habits of perception, emotion and
thought, makes life so much easier. We would end each day in
exhaustion if not for our ability to put our minds on cruise
control.
Remember sitting behind the wheel of a car for the first time?
How difficult it was to keep your left foot on the floor and shift
your right foot from the accelerator to the brake, without
stomping on the break and sending you passenger through the
windshield!
You had to concentrate. Nothing felt natural. Nothing was easy.

You had to be intentional about everything you did. You had to
181
ROOT VALUES:
be intentional, that is, until the actions required to drive became

habitual. Once they became a habit, driving became easy.
Life would be easy if everyone complemented your unique

habits. Empowered community would be a snap. But people
come with the own Legacies. We do not share the same habits.
What happens when my personal habit becomes an expectation I

place on you? How do you feel when I demand that your life
conform to my need for comfort?
The more my choices are determined exclusively by habit, the

less satisfying my life with others becomes. Cooperation
becomes a burden. It is so much easier for me to do it myself. I
become less supportive, less productive, less fruitful, more
lonely but ever so much more comfortable in the familiar habits
of my life.
Intention is the highest expression of personal freedom. Without

our ability to act intentionally our Legacy becomes a prison.
Change celebrates release from the prisons of the past. As you
learn to embrace the discomfort of acting with greater intention
you become truly free.
We tend to prefer habits to intention because intentional

behavior is just too hard. Consider what it involves.
First, you must stop what you are doing. Then you must assess
your current situation. If you are chained by habits of
perception, emotion and thought, this can be very hard indeed.
You must work to get behind what you see, feel and think.
What in your Legacy has the potential to blind you to current
realities?
Next, you must imagine an alternative future. You back off of

your habit of perception and work to see the world in a whole
182
THE LEGACY POLARITY
new way. You must study the dots looking for a new pattern.
Remember the Dalmatian Illusion.
You may have to check your habitual emotional reaction. What

are you feeling? Is it appropriate? Can you tolerate the
possibility that your habitual feeling is pushing you in the wrong
direction? Can you act against your feeling and make an
alternative choice? Can you embrace the intolerable discomfort
of adjusting to a “new normal?”
You will have to question habitual thoughts in which you have

put so much confidence in past. Can you be wrong? Is it
possible that you lack sufficient information? Do you need
guidance? Are you open to allowing others to challenge your
thinking?
Or, perhaps you really do have all the information you need, but
you have a habit of delaying making a decision. Your search for
more information may be more about avoidance than seeking
clarity.
Finally, to be intentional means you may have to try something

new. No matter how successful you have been in the past, trying
something new means embracing risk. It means feeling
abnormal, strange, not your natural self.
No wonder you do not like change!
What happens after you take the first few steps down the path of
a new intention and you begin to pick up signs of failure? You
encounter your first obstacle and your entire being begins to
scream: “Stop! Go back to the old familiar habits that have
worked so well in the past!”
The more intentional the behavior, the more unnatural it feels.

The former habit just feels right. But feeling right, is not being
183
ROOT VALUES:
right. Doing the right thing poorly is always better than doing
the wrong thing well.
The habits of our lives sustain who we understand ourselves to

be. After looking hard at the world with a fresh set of eyes, after
enduring the emotional waves that wash over us, after taking the
risk of failing -- after questioning habitual perceptions, emotions
and thoughts that surge through us – what have we done if not
called into question the very foundations of our lives, our very
identity?
Habitual reactions lack precision. They are more an expression

of convenience than relationship. When tired, we tend to fall
back into habits. This is more than okay. It is necessary for a
healthy life. But life in an empowered community sometimes
requires us to act with greater intention.
184
13
Increasing Relational Capacity
The Irony of the Extreme
One challenge associated with building an empowering

community involves habits. We tend to behave in ways that are
most comfortable for us. We avoid unnecessary difficulty. We
go with the routine and with what works. We even go with what
works when it does not work anymore.
Remember the story, “The Scorpion and the Frog.”
A scorpion came to a river too wide to cross. He found a frog.
“Would you be so kind,” said the scorpion, “as to give me a ride

on your back across the river?"
“What assurance do I have,” replied the frog, “that if I give you

a ride across the river, you will not try to kill me?"
“Because, you see, I cannot swim. If I kill you I will die as

well.”
185
ROOT VALUES:
Upon consideration of this thoughtful reply the frog agreed. But

half-way across the scorpion raised its tail and drove it into the
back of the frog’s neck stinging the frog and delivering its
deadly poison.
“You fool!” cried the frog. “You have killed me and now we
both must die.”
“I cannot help it,” replied the scorpion. “It is my nature.”
Unlike the scorpion in the story, we do not have a fixed nature.

We have freedom to choose how we interact with others.
Nevertheless, the story resonates. Habits of perception, feeling,
attitudes, and thoughts appear unalterable.
We regularly return to habits of relating to others. Rather than

learning to relate to others in new, more productive ways, we
persists in styles that we had learned as children. When anxious
we tend to return with even greater zeal to what we know. It
helps us feel more confident. But feeling confident is not the
same as being competent.
How we prioritize the Root Values reinforce behaviors that

make us feel as if we are possessed of a fixed nature. If I am
most comfortable with Focusing behavior, that is what I tend to
do – especially when I am stressed.
I may value my personal Autonomy and lock down on

Commitment so tightly that others experience me as a
Controller. I fail to sufficiently value People and Truth.
Operating out of habits that had been formed long before I can
remember, I disregard the thoughts and feelings of others.
In my zeal for responsibility-taking, I neglect perspective-

seeking. In my narrow sense of Autonomy I overlook a broader
perspective of Truth. In my rush to “get it done” I neglect
People. Others experience my “Commitment” as
stubbornness.
186
INCREASING RELATIONAL CAPACITY
Similar descriptions of relational dysfunction apply to each of

the behaviors we have identified in the Root Value typology. In
certain situations:
• Focusing will sometimes feel to others like Controlling.

• Collaborating will sometimes feel to others like
Waffling.
• Challenging will sometimes feel to others like
Manipulating.
• Encouraging will sometimes feel to others like
Rescuing.
When we have a
limited set of
behaviors from with
to draw in our
relationships, we are
less responsive.
Lack of self-
awareness prevents
us from appreciating
how others
experience us. Our
avoidance of personal discomfort further complicates the
relationship. This undermines the power of community.
The habitual return to one behavior results in extreme behavior

when applied in the wrong situation. When anxious we tend to
do what makes us comfortable. Unintended consequences
result, often the very opposite of what we intended. Working
harder at what we know, we achieve what we do not want.
In Part One we explored how the Root Values form the value
system of ancient Israel. The Ten Words gives expression to the
Root Values as each contributes to one of five sets of
commandments. We can also identify in the story of Moses four
characters exemplify who exemplify the four PACT-L relational
187
ROOT VALUES:
styles.
Pharaoh: Focusing/Controller
Controllers operate in the Active Mode. As a controller Pharaoh

prioritizes Autonomy and Commitment to the neglect of People
and Truth. He is so caught up in the building of his monuments
that he demands performance without consideration for the
perspectives of others.
The goal of Focusing is to accomplish the task. But in the

extreme the motive becomes the exercise of power. Controllers
appear impatient. They invade others' space. Controllers fail to
pick up on feedback that could otherwise help them adjust their
behavior. They demand obedience and become tyrants.
Pharaoh fears the strength of the Hebrew people. "The Israelites

have become much too numerous for us," he says. "Come, we
must deal shrewdly with them or they will become even more
numerous and, if war breaks out, will join our enemies, fight
against us and leave the country."
Pharaoh's goal is national security. But rather than partnering

with this segment of his population, he enslaves them. When
this fails to limit Hebrew power, he institutes a policy of Hebrew
infanticide. This also fails. Rather then make his country more
secure, his harsh policies have simply created resentment within
his population.
At the extreme the Controller has claimed so much autonomous

power that he has alienated all others. Like Pharaoh who in the
end loses his Hebrew labor force, the Controller ends up with no
power at all.
Moses: Challenging/Manipulator
Challenging operates in the Reflective Mode with a priority

given to Truth and Commitment. Moses was clearly a deeply
188
reflective man who was committed to the liberation of the

Hebrew slaves.
But his reaction to the injustice as a young man was indirect.

Though we lack complete information, his murder of the
Egyptian overseer suggests he was probably a Manipulator in his
younger years.
His mother and his sister certainly exemplify this tendency in

their plot to hide baby Moses among the reeds in the River Nile.
They strategically place their basket in a place frequented my
Pharaoh’s daughter. They then position themselves
conveniently so that when the adoptive mother goes looking for
a Hebrew wet-nurse, Moses’ mother gets the job.
Manipulators find ways to get things done. They don’t wait for
others to come on board. They work alone.
They can feel cold and remote. Their motive is knowledge.

They can get so caught up in peering into the mystery of the
unknown that they lose sight of others. “Please” and “thank
you” do not come naturally from the lips of Manipulators.
The irony of the extreme is that they seek knowledge. But a full
and complete understanding of any problem comes from people
sharing information. Manipulators become lost in their own
thoughts. They are no longer aware of the questions people are
asking. Their limited perspective results in theories that become
increasingly irrelevant.
People resent what they experience as the Manipulator’s stand-

offish arrogance. But when Manipulators learn to supplement
their habitual behavior with new intentions associated with
giving attention to others, people appreciate their great depth of
insight – just as the people came to appreciate Moses.
Aaron: Collaborating/Waffler
Like challenging, collaborating also operates in the Reflective
189
ROOT VALUES:
Mode. But with this behavior, People replace Commitment as

the primary Root Value associated with Truth. The Book of
Exodus suggests Aaron was most comfortable collaborating.
When Yahweh needed to find a spokes person for Moses, Aaron

was the ready choice. He was good with words, as many people
comfortable with this behavior are.
In the extreme people comfortable with collaborating can

become Wafflers. They become so attentive to the perspective
of others that they lose sight of their own point of view. They
fail to take a stand.
In the story of the “Golden Calf” Moses is delayed returning

from his meditations on the mountain. (It is not unusual for
those who prioritize Truth and Commitment over People to
“disappear” from time to time.)
The people become anxious. They ask Aaron to fashion for

them a golden calf to objectify the god who led them out of
slavery. This is clearly a violation of the second commandment:
You shall make no graven image. Nevertheless Aaron yields.
Because Commitment is a lower priority Root Value, he lacks
the will to stand up against the people. He waffles.
Aaron values Truth over Autonomy. This does not mean that he
necessarily possesses the independence of mind to defend his
own point of view. It means, rather, that he remains open to
multiple perspectives to inform his own understanding – for
good or ill.
Aaron also values People over Commitment. He truly enjoys his

relationships with others. He enjoys his connections so much
that when it is time to make a decision, he falters. He wants so
much not to alienate others that he is unduly influenced by
them. A Waffler sees merit in what everyone has to say.
The irony of the extreme is that although Wafflers desire
190
friendship, they end up driving people away. They inadvertently

trivialize the perspectives of others as they fail to validate any
one person, or conversely, fail to challenge another point of
view. People feel Wafflers do not take them seriously. All they
hear is too-easy agreement.
Jethro: Encouraging/Rescuer
People most comfortable with encouraging operate in the Active

Mode. But because the Root Value Autonomy is partnered with
People, attention is directed outward to others. In the story of
Moses, Jethro demonstrates great insight into obstacles
confronting his son-in-law.
People most comfortable encouraging watch others and see each

in terms of their uniqueness. They value Autonomy and
therefore see each person in terms of their individuality, in terms
of what makes the special. They see strengths and weakness.
Jethro watched Moses and saw his tired eyes, his stooped
shoulders, and his wearisome gate. He was aware of Moses’
burden long before Moses was aware of himself.
Jethro encouraged Moses. He came along side the burdened

leader and gave him wise counsel. “The people are coming to
you to adjudicate their disputes. Appoint judges from among
them. You need not be troubled with every question.”
Jethro demonstrates maturity in his counsel of Moses. He is,

after all, a wise elder. Perhaps in his younger days, if his
encouraging behavior was habitual, he might have fallen into the
extreme. If encouraging is habitual a person becomes a
Rescuer.
His motive is to exercise influence. He would have managed

risk in the Active Mode – on behalf of others. If he had ever
become too caught up in someone else's struggle, he would have
fallen into the trap of, “I would rather just do it myself.”
191
ROOT VALUES:
In this story we see Jethro’s maturity as a wise older man.

Instead of doing for Moses he stands alongside him without
taking over his burden. In this way he avoids the irony of the
extreme.
Rescuers want to build confidence, to call out the abilities of

others. But when stressed or under a deadline they lose
patience. Despite their high-regard for people, instead of
building confidence, they inadvertently undermine it. By doing
for others, they broadcast an unintentional message: “I don’t
really believe in you.”
An Empowered community consists of individuals in

relationships characterized by a certain quality. They pursue
common goals that are genuinely shared. Thy are mutually
supportive without being indulgent. They are challenging
without being diminishing.
Unfortunately most of us have habits that limit our relational

capacity. Our priority tends to be personal comfort rather than
resourcefulness in relationship. But if our goal is to live in an
empowered community, at some point we must come to terms
with how our behavior sometimes undermines the very thing we
hope to achieve.
Although we live with certain habits that define our relational

style, we do not have to be imprisoned by them. We do not have
a fixed nature when it comes to how we relate to others. We can
learn to appreciate each of the Root Values. We can practice
new skills that will enrich our options in relationship. We can
increase our relational capacity. To that task we now turn.
192
A First Step
We sometimes get stuck in habits of relating. Whether we are

most comfortable Focusing, Collaborating, Challenging or
Encouraging, our relational style becomes a relational stressor
when we are limited to one basic set of behaviors. Controllers,
Wafflers, Manipulators and Rescuers undermine the power of
community.
We all sometimes fail in relationship. It comes with sharing life

with others. Failure awakens us to the need to learn and grow.
An empowered community consists of people who learn to
increase their capacity for relationship.
In failure we become more self-aware. We soften and become

open to learning. In our efforts to develop greater responsiveness
we adopt new behaviors. The PACT-L model helps us
understand how we may approach new ways of relating to
others.
Divide the PACT-L matrix along four points of the compass:

North, South, East and West. Notice that each axis demarcates
two hemispheres.
The Active – Reflective

polarity defines the
Northern and Southern
Hemispheres. The Task-
Relationship polarity
defines the Eastern and
Western Hemispheres.
This links each relational
style in pairs. The point
of intersection is the one
193
ROOT VALUES:
Root Value each type shares with its partner within a

hemisphere.
Northern Hemisphere
Focusing -- Autonomy -- Encouraging
Southern Hemisphere
Collaborating -- Truth -- Challenging
Eastern Hemisphere
Focusing -- Commitment -- Challenging
Western Hemisphere
Encouraging -- People -- Collaborating
Focusing and Encouraging (the North) share the Root Value of

Autonomy. Collaborating and Challenging (the South) share the
Root Value of Truth.
Look East to West.

Focusing and Challenging
share the Root Value,
Commitment.
Encouraging and
Collaborating share the
Root Value, People.
This pairing of types

suggests the range of
behaviors accessible to us
as we begin to move out
of our most comfortable relational style. When we begin to
supplement our habitual behaviors, we generally alternate
between behaviors within a hemisphere.
We tend to anchor ourselves to our primary Root Value. The
194
Root Value that ranks lowest in our Root Values systems

remains stable as well. We then move North and South within
the model -- or East and West -- depending on how we rank the
two remaining Root Values.
For example, consider one person’s Root Value system. He

values:
1. Autonomy
2. Commitment
3. People
4. Truth.
His first rank Root Value and his fourth rank Root Value remain
stable. He will tend switch the second and third ranked Root
Values. Therefore his primary behavior is Focusing. But when
he switches Commitment and People – his second and third
ranked Root Values, his Root Value system takes on the profile
of Encouraging.
1. Autonomy
2. People
3. Commitment
4. Truth.
This results in an East to West behavioral migration from

Focusing to Encouraging. This migration is not permanent,
however. His primary behavior remains Focusing. He has simply
adopted the supplementary behavior to serve the circumstances
of the relationship.
Consider a person who demonstrates a Root Value system that

supports Collaborating as the most comfortable behavior She
ranks her Root Values:
1. People
2. Truth
3. Autonomy
4. Commitment
195
ROOT VALUES:
Her primary Root Value People remains stable. Her fourth rank
Root Value Commitment remains stable as well. Her easiest
adaptable behavior comes when she switches the two middle
terms. Truth will move to the third rank, which Autonomy
moves to the second rank. Her Root Value system become:
1. People
2. Autonomy
3. Truth
4, Commitment
We can see that in this configuration of her Root Value system

she has taken on the behavioral profile of Encouraging.
Therefore this person will tend to migrate North and South
between Collaborating and Encouraging. The Root Values Truth
and Autonomy switch places in the second and third rank, while
the Root Values People and Commitment remain stable in the
first and fourth rank.
A problem with our most comfortable behavior motivates a

“hemispheric shift” between behaviors. I find Focusing is not
working. I want to avoid the excesses of the Controller. I shift to
my subordinate behavior, either Encouraging or Challenging,
depending on how I rank my secondary Root Values.
If you are most comfortable Encouraging, you may feel trapped

by trying to “support” people in your community. You realize
that there is more rescuing going on than genuine
encouragement. You shift to your subordinate behavior, either
Focusing or Collaborating. Once again, it depends on how you
prioritize your secondary Root Values.
The same thing applies if you prefer Challenging. You may

increasingly become aware that people are slowly withdrawing
support because they are losing trust in you. Or, if you prefer
Collaborating you may begin to sense the frustration of
colleagues because you are failing to take a stand.
196
The PACT-L Model presents two hemispheric orientations,

North-South, and East-West. It explains how we shift to a
supplementary behavior. Two Root Values define our dominate
style. Some improvement comes when we adopt behaviors
associated with a supplementary style.
We move to a style that shares a common value. If in my

Focusing behavior Commitment is my primary Root Value over
Autonomy, Challenging becomes my supplementary style. If I
prioritize Autonomy over Commitment, Encouraging will
become my supplementary style.
We tend to favor a “North-South” movement, or an “East-West”

movement depending on which Root Value holds the higher
priority. We move more easily into behaviors that share a
common Root Value because it feels more “natural.”
A shift within the hemisphere requires the least amount learning.

It also causes the least amount of discomfort because our first
rank Root Value and fourth rank Root Value remains stable. It
allows us to remain anchored in our primary Root Value.
If my most comfortable behaviors is Focusing my anchoring

Root Values are Commitment and Autonomy. However, either
may be dominant.
If Autonomy is dominant, I will tend to move “west” to manage

unwanted controlling behavior. In frustration, if I have failed to
rally my team, I may exclaim in frustration, “Fine! I will do it
myself.” I have exchanged controlling for rescuing.
Consider the movement from the opposite side. The Rescuer

perceives personal improvement when trading rescuing behavior
for controlling behavior. Having grown tired of doing
everyone’s work, the Rescuer becomes a Controller, barking
orders.
197
ROOT VALUES:
If the Controller’s dominant Root Value is Commitment, rather

than Autonomy, (that is, more balanced between the Active
Mode and the Reflection Mode, but with a strong bias toward
Tasks away from Relationships) the Controller will move south
and trade controlling for manipulating. Likewise, the
Manipulator with a dominate Root Value of Commitment (bias
toward tasks and but balanced between the Active and
Reflection Modes) will move North and trade manipulation for
control.
If the Manipulator’s primary Root Value is Truth (bias toward

the Reflection Mode and more balanced between Tasks and
Relationships) the movement will be to the West. The
Manipulator will surrender goals to in order to gather more
information.
Likewise if the Waffler’s dominate Root Value is Truth (bias

toward Reflection Mode and balanced between Tasks and
Relationships) she will slide to the east. Rather than taking a
public stance on a position, she will work in the shadows. The
Waffler has become a Manipulator.
But if the Waffler’s primary Root Value is People (bias toward

Relationships but balanced between the Active and Reflection
Mode) he will move north, and trade waffling for rescuing. He
will do others people’s work rather than take a stand and risk
alienating others. The Rescuer, on the other hand, whose
primary Root Value is People, will move south, preferring to
remain in conversation than risk alienation by calling someone
to commitment.
Horizontal movement in the PACT-L model can actually limit

the development of your capacity for relationship. Genuine
growth requires that you work at the value level. This involves,
1) learning to appreciate all the Root Values, 2) practicing
behaviors that express each of the relational styles, and 3)
198
allowing yourself to be formed by all the Root Values, while

being supported by partners who understand the challenges
associated with breaking habits and engaging new intentions.
The alternative to making a hemispheric shift is to move

diagonally across the PACT-L model. This is much more
difficult to do. Someone most comfortable Focusing will find
learning how to Collaborate extremely difficult. Likewise, if you
are most comfortable Collaborating, Focusing may feel next to
impossible. The same can be said for the Encouraging –
Challenging divide.
Diagonal movement across the PACT-L model requires

substituting your first and second rank Root Value with your
third and fourth rank Root Value, giving special consideration to
your lowest Root Value priority. You must elevate your fourth
rank priority to first place. This does not happen without great
intention and without a great deal of practice. We call this, The
Diagonal Challenge.
The Diagonal Challenge
An empowered community consists of common people in

uncommon relationships. It emerges when people begin to take
responsibility for the quality of their interactions. If you and I
are limited in how we communicate with one another, the
chances of forming an empowered community are slim.
Three steps enable us to increase our capacity for relationship.

First, we raise awareness of the Root Values at work in our
lives. We come to understand how what we value informs what
we do. Second, we identify habits of perception, emotion and
thought that limit our responsiveness to others. Third, we
practice new behaviors which in turn give us greater
appreciation of each of the Root Values.
Early growth comes when we begin to practice a relational style

that is contiguous to our base on the PACT-L model. Horizontal
199
ROOT VALUES:
movement across the model requires less effort because we

remain anchored in our first rank Root Value.
To appreciate all the Root Values challenges us to elevate the

Root Value we tend to neglect in our Root Value system.
Practicing new behaviors that give expression to that value is not
easy. The PACT-L model represents this as a diagonal
movement across hemispheres. We enter the opposite
hemispheres from the one with which they are most
comfortable. This is the diagonal challenge.
Negotiating our diagonal challenge is the most productive

approach to increasing our capacity for relationship. It is also
the most difficult. Diagonal movement across the PACT-L
model requires the re-prioritization of our Root Values. It
requires a great deal of self-awareness, humility and a
willingness to learn.
It also requires the tolerance of discomfort. We practice our

least familiar behaviors. We embrace practices that feel clumsy
if not emotionally painful. We may even have habits of thought
that lead us to believe the new behaviors we are trying to learn
are even wrong.
A person who is most comfortable Focusing has a Root Value

priority of:
1. Commitment
2. Autonomy
3. Truth
4. People.
Switch the second and third ranked Root Values and we see that
her secondary behavior is Challenging. Her Root Value system
temporarily becomes:
200
1. Commitment
2. Truth
3. Autonomy
4. People.
This shift in behavior is comparatively simple. Her primary

Root Values remains Commitment and her fourth rank Root
Value remains People.
Her Diagonal Challenge, however, is to practice behaviors

associated with Collaborating. This move from Focusing to
Collaborating will defy fundamental principles she holds dear.
It reflects an altogether new Root Value priority that
subordinates her normally first ranked value to fourth place, and
elevates her fourth ranked value to first place:
1. People
2. Truth
3. Autonomy
4. Commitment.
This requires breaking long held habits. We become more

intentional in our relationship with others. We adopt new skills
that may be very uncomfortable for us at first, in order to partner
more effectively with others.
I increase my capacity for relationship when I learn each of the

four relational styles. I may always be anchored in my dominant
style, but I learn to recognize situations that are best served by
other behaviors.
I develop a genuine appreciation for all five Root Values:

People, Autonomy, Commitment, Truth and Legacy. I nurture
these values through the practice of behaviors associated with
each. Finally, I learn when to apply certain behaviors to specific
social contexts. I make intentional choices informed by what the
situation demands.
201
ROOT VALUES:
From Focusing to Collaborating
If you are most comfortable

Focusing, you value
Autonomy and Commitment.
You live in the Active Mode
and are Task oriented. This
empowers you to focus
externally on the work that
needs to be done. You
subordinate the values of
People and Truth.
You expand you capacity for

relationship as you increasingly learn to value People and Truth
as much as value Autonomy and Commitment. Remaining open
to the perspective of others and honoring their fundamental
worth helps you partner. You stop treating others as servants of
your personal will. Learning to value People and Truth, you are
drawn toward Collaborating.
As you begin this process you may have habits of emotion that
make you feel that you are “caving in,” or not being “forthright,”
or not “standing up for your position.” Can you overcome the
urge to express yourself? Can you listen patiently and carefully
to others?
You may feel like you are becoming a Waffler. The fact is you
value Autonomy and Commitment too much to go that far.
Autonomy and Commitment will remain your primary Root
Values. Addressing the diagonal challenge will simply allow
202
you to collaborate when the situation requires.
In addition, when you elevate the Root Values of People and

Truth, you will also become more adept at Encouraging and
Challenging as well. You now have come to value each of the
four Root Values. You are not only leaning to collaborate, you
now appreciate the values that help you fulfill the role of
Challenging and the Encouraging as well. In addressing your
one Diagonal Challenge, you increase your relational capacity in
all four relational styles.
From Collaborating to Focusing
If your most comfortable

behavior is Collaborating you
increase your capacity for
relationship when you elevate
the Root Values Autonomy and
Commitment. Learning to value
your personal Autonomy helps
you maintain appropriate
boundaries. It gives you
permission to express what you
believe to be important. You
begin to embrace your own perspective without feeling like it is
at the expense of someone else. In embracing Autonomy and
Commitment you learn to take a stand.
To value Commitment, practice embracing goals. This inspires

others to commit as well. Your best contribution of
collaboration takes on greater power as people respond to you
and experience a call to commitment and come together under a
common purpose. Valuing Autonomy and Commitment, in
addition to People and Truth, you learn that at some point the
talking must stop and the action begin.
As you begin to negotiate your diagonal challenge you may feel

like a tyrant. You have habits of emotion that will make you
feel that a call to commitment will result in the alienation of
203
ROOT VALUES:
others. This fear may be reinforced when someone makes a

different choice or disagrees with you. You will have to manage
feelings of abandonment and loss. But you will continue to grow
and gain confidence as you see real results from focusing as you
help people find clarity of purpose.
You now also develop greater competency Encouraging and

Challenging as well. Encouraging and Collaborating already
share the Root Value People. Learning to Focus you come to a
greater appreciation of Autonomy. Encouraging behavior feels
much more natural.
Likewise, Challenging and Collaborating already share the Root

Value Truth. Practicing Focusing you exercise Commitment.
You will find you are better able to encourage others as you
develop competency Challenging to be the best they can be.
From Encouraging to Challenging
If your most comfortable

behavior is Encouraging,
your primary Root Values
are Autonomy and People.
Your diagonal challenge is
to elevate Truth and
Commitment. Learning to
valuing Truth, you discover
there is power in naming the
genuine capabilities of
others. This gives your team
confidence to take
responsibility for themselves and for their own work.
Learning to value Commitment, begin to practice calling others

to embrace their own responsibility. Rather than rescuing
others, you encourage them to solve their own problems in their
own ways. You help a team bring unique gifts and talents
together to achieve common goals.
204
You may feel you are “pushing too hard” when you call others
to take responsibility. You will feel uncaring, or that you lack
sensitivity. You may feel neglectful.
You will also be filled with doubt, that you are ignoring the
needs of others. But you will learn a new of way of caring for
people as you hold them accountable for their commitments. In
time, once you elevate the values of Commitment and Truth in
your life, you will become an even more powerful Encourager as
you also learn to Challenge others to excel far above anyone’s
expectations.
Addressing your diagonal challenge will also improve your

ability to collaborate and focus others. With Focusing you share
the Root Value Autonomy. Learning to value Commitment will
enable you to call others to
action. You share the Root
Value People with
Collaborating. Learning to
value you Truth will help you
to appreciate their
perspectives as well as their
uniqueness.
From Challenging to
Encouraging
If you are most comfortable Challenging your goal is to awaken

the values of Autonomy and People. You value Truth and
Commitment over Autonomy and People. You sometimes fail
to benefit from what you can accomplish by enlisting the help
and perspective of others.
You concentrate so deeply, you tend to work in the shadows.

You sometimes fail to communicate. Others may experience
this as underhanded. But you would be surprised by their
resentment.
205
ROOT VALUES:
Thinking is so much more efficient that speaking. You may also

tend to under-appreciate how much people want to hear what
you think. Your habit is to "stay in your head." You do not
intend to neglect people. You simply look passed them because
you are caught up in pursuing a good idea.
Your diagonal challenge involves coming out of yourself to

engage others out in the open. Self-disclosure may cause you to
feel vulnerable and over-exposed. You come slowly to your
ideas, but unlike the person who is more comfortable
Collaborating and who remains open to the perspectives of
others, you “know what you know.”
Once you clamp down on an idea, you can be hard to move.

Rather than debate an issue you have worked so hard to
understand, you may sit silently in meetings and dismiss
conversation partners as not yet having done the hard work of
thinking.
Valuing People and Autonomy as much as you value Truth and

Commitment helps you relate to others as individuals. It brings
you out in the open where you discover that genuine partners
can be cultivated who will advance the mission much more
effectively than you can alone.
It may be difficult for you when you have to deal with

disagreement. You will have to resist retreating into yourself.
You will be tempted to dismiss the perspectives of others. If
you successfully overcome these habitual reactions and can
become more intentional in your response to others, you will
discover how much people appreciate your insight.
In addition, learning to value People and Autonomy you will

become much better at Focusing and Collaborating as well. You
already share the Root Value Commitment with Focusing, and
the Root Value Truth with Collaborating. Working your
diagonal challenge will increase your capacity for relationship.
206
As each of us begin to address our distinctive diagonal

challenge, we must try on new behaviors. This may feel odd, or
even objectionable. Some of us will feel incompetent and
clumsy. Others will feel rude and pushy. Habits will rouse
doubts that may hinder progress.
Strong internal voices will resist the Diagonal Challenge. Like

Milton’s demon whispering in the ear of our primordial parents,
habitual reactivity will confuse us and limit our perception of
alternatives to tried and true behaviors that have worked for us
in the past, but that are not the best choice in the present
circumstance.
We need support and positive reinforcement from our peers.

But in time we will grow comfortable with new behaviors. We
will experience the natural feedback of improved results. We
will continue to grow as we develop the ability to set aside old
ways, and act with greater intention in relationship with others
as together we build an empowered community.
207
14
From Values to Behavior
Anyone can say, “Value People,” or “Value Commitment.” The
bigger challenge is to do it. Close your eyes. Hold your breath.
Wish real hard. Any change?
Values and long held habits of perception, emotion and thought

as well as behavior do not change without action. Here is a
listless group of people who spend most of their time avoiding
authenticity or trying to control one another in an effort to feel
secure. Among them power to change the world lies dormant.
If only we knew how to release it?
“It is always legitimate to ask of any theory which claims to be

true,” John Macmurray said, “what practical difference it would
make if we believed it. If it would make no difference at all then
the theory is neither true nor false, but meaningless.”
We have confidence in the Root Values concept because of the

way it explains how common people come together to form
uncommon relationships. The power of a community is not in
the talent of the people, but in their ability to leverage their
unique gifts in a common purpose.
208
FROM VALUES TO BEHAVIOR
I do not need to be a genius and you do not need to be a movie

star to make a difference in the world. But we do need to be
able to learn to relate to one another in a way that allows my
simple idea and your modest talent to come together.
Our ability to relate to one another is the secret to releasing the

power of community. What hinders us is not lack of brains or
talent. We are held back only by lack of self awareness, old
habits and a desire for comfort that keeps us frozen in
mediocrity.
“Be transformed,” the old, crippled rabbi said, “by the renewing
of your minds.”
Earlier we explored the Cycle of Development. Values and

behavior interact to either reinforce or transform one another.
Values determine what we do. Behavior expresses what we
value.
When we behave in a way inconsistent with a particular value

we experience internal tension. If I am most comfortable
Collaborating (valuing People and Truth) and my job requires
that I fire a non-performing employee, I will experience much
greater stress than my peer who is more comfortable Focusing
(valuing Autonomy and Commitment).
The more “out of sync” my action and my value the greater

tension I will experience. If I can embrace the discomfort of the
cognitive dissonance and persist in mastering the new behavior,
my values will slowly change. As we practice new behaviors,
slowly our values change. We become what we do.
We all have developed habits that express values and behaviors

that have worked well for us in the past. But as we become
more self-aware, we begin to realize where our current behavior
is not working. We develop a willingness to change.
209
ROOT VALUES:
The deepest, most lasting change happens at the value level as

we take action to practice a new intention. Although it is the
most difficult, addressing our unique diagonal challenge
increases our capacity for relationship.
We embrace the discomfort of trying on new behaviors. We feel

awkward and clumsy at first. Where confidence accompanies
habits, new behaviors come with doubt. You feel like a 12 year
old, a time when just about everything you tried was unfamiliar.
If you can endure the discomfort, practicing a new intention will

promote the associated Root Value. It will come alive in you.
You will find your relationships enriched. You will experience
greater responsiveness to changing circumstances in your
world.
A value makes no practical difference if it cannot be translated

into specific behavior you can practice every day.
Three behaviors will help you increase your capacity for

relationship. They are so simple anyone can learn them. In fact,
you already practice them every day. Just as each of the Root
Values already live in you, you already practice each of the
behaviors every day.
The challenge is not to learn something new, but rather to bring

greater intention to something you already do. In other words,
you will successfully navigate your diagonal challenge when
you practice what you already know but neglect to use. It is a
matter of emphasis and judgment.
The behaviors involve
1. Pacing.
2. Organizing for action.
3. Communication
210
Becoming more intentional in the pace of your interactions with

others can bring greater balance to your Root Value system.
Breaking habits of how you “organize for action” and becoming
more intentional about how you partner with others will energize
your Root Value system. Finally, remaining mindful of just one
simple communication practice will transform your Root Value
system. Doing these simply things will help you release the
power of your community.
Pacing
Pacing is the rate of exchange between two people in a

relationship. You may know someone whose relational pace is
much faster than yours. She speaks very quickly. She may
anticipate what you have to say, interrupting you in mid-
sentence. You may notice that she expresses mild frustration
when you take time to pause before you respond to her.
You may also know someone whose relational pace feels

ponderous. He is very deliberate in what he has to say. He
seems to choose each word very carefully. He says nothing
without thinking it through first. Sometimes when you ask even
a simple question, he takes time – too much time! – to answer.
We can model
pacing as a
polarity between
Acceleration and
Deceleration. We
overlay the pacing
polarity with the
Active/Reflective
polarity. If your
most comfortable behavior is anchored in the Northern
Hemisphere you live in the Active Mode. You prioritize the
Root Value Autonomy over Truth.
211
ROOT VALUES:
Your goal is to get outside yourself and make the world a safer
place. You work fast. You are decisive. You want to kill the
monster. If you prefer Focusing or Encouraging as your primary
relational style, you have a habit of responding to situations
much faster than people who are anchored in the Southern
Hemisphere. You will tend to leave them behind.
If your most comfortable behavior is anchored in the Southern

Hemisphere you live in the Reflective mode. You prioritize
Truth over Autonomy. You go inside yourself to imagine a
safer, more ideal world. You are in no hurry. The monster can’t
get inside your head. Of course, if the monster does happen to
get inside, you can always simply recede into the deeper
recesses of your mind.
If you prefer Collaborating or Challenging you tend to approach

situations thoughtfully. The slower you move, the more
confident you feel. You may experience people who are
anchored in the Northern Hemisphere as somewhat impatient.
You will tend to hold them back.
If you are most comfortable Focusing or Encouraging, as you

address your diagonal challenge your goal is to move into the
Southern Hemisphere. You challenge is to elevate the Root
Value Truth over Autonomy. You exchange responsibility-
taking for perspective-seeking.
Feeling responsible inspires you to act. Why wait? This

orientation accelerates your relational pace. Seeking the
perspective of others necessarily takes time. There is so much to
explain. It takes a lot of listening.
You have a lot of habits that rush you along the relational
continuum. You will have to be very intentional to slow
yourself down. When it comes to pacing, you need to take your
foot off the gas pedal and put it on the break. In doing so you
may have to resist the feedback of your interior clock. You are
used to careening down the mountain like an avalanche.
212
Attempting to negotiate your diagonal challenge you may feel

glacial.
If you prefer Focusing you do well to slow down to give others a

chance to catch up. Valuing Autonomy and Commitment you
feel best when you are given authority to “command and
control.” Being Active oriented your eyes are always on the
goal. You get busy solving problems others may not know yet
exist.
When working with others you often feel impatient. You are a
border collie. You are tempted to bark orders and snap at
ankles. You want others to move. Unfortunately, they are
giving no sign that they have yet discovered where it is they
need to go. “Just slow down!” is the heart-cry of people in
relationship with you, while you want to scream, “What are you
waiting for!”
If you prefer Encouraging you do well to slow down to give

people time to find confidence to do the job. Valuing Autonomy
and People, you feel best when others feel good. But being
Active oriented you are in a hurry to solve other people’s
problems.
You are the parent at the Little League game biting your nails as
you watch a nine year old step up to the plate. You have a hard
time not stepping in and taking the baseball bat out of his hands
after the first strike.
Anxiety motivates you to rush in and fix what most of the time
does not need fixing. The more you watch someone else
struggle the more anxious you become. “Just give me a chance
to do it myself!” is the heart-cry of people in relationship with
you, while you express genuine concern.
If your diagonal challenge requires you to move from North to

South in the PACT-L Model, you want to decelerate. If you
must move from South to North you must accelerate.
Conversly, if you prefer Collaborating or Challenging you will
213
ROOT VALUES:
want to stop riding the brake and give the system a little gas.
If you are most comfortable Collaborating, you speed up when

you express what you think. But you may have a hard time
making up your mind. You listen to the People you value so
much. You enjoy exploring the perspective of others, but you
are in no hurry to share your own.
Unfortunately this is exactly what people need you to do -- the

sooner the better. Unlike those more comfortable Focusing who
tend to overwhelm others with their own very energetic point of
view, you “underwhelm.” You are quick to communicate
interest, but slow to share information. “Just tell me what you
think!” is the heart-cry of people waiting for you to speak up.
“But what do you think?” is your familiar response.
Like those who prefer Collaborating, if you are most

comfortable Challenging, you also do well to speed up. But
unlike Collaborating types who slow down in order listen to
other people, you slow down to give yourself time to think.
Deep in the Reflective Mode you invest in creating models of

Truth so that you can commit to the ideas that matter. You listen
to other people to gather information. You do not listen to the
perspectives of others so much as evaluate them.
Unlike those who prefer Encouraging, who dive into deep water
to rescue someone they fear is drowning (but who is most likely
enjoying the water) you are likely to watch someone go down
for the third time as you ponder the best way to help them. Until
you address your diagonal challenge and speed up, you do much
better writing a book on life-saving than serving as a life-guard.
To others you can feel cold-hearted, distant and uncaring. But

you experience yourself as thoughtful. Speeding up for you
means to coming out and engaging others openly and honestly.
“Where did you go? Come out to play!” is the heart-cry of
people waiting for you to engage. “I’m thinking about it,” is
214
you habitual response.
Wherever you are anchored on the PACT-L model, breaking

habits associated with relational pacing is not easy. We all have
developed behaviors -- based on what we value -- of moving
faster or slower in our interactions with others. Learning to be
more intentional in our pacing increases our capacity for
relationship.
We can learn to how to modulate our pace depending on what

the situation demands. Some of us do well to slow down.
Others need help speeding up. Imagine the power of community
released when the person sitting across from us determines our
pace rather than our unconscious desire for comfort only.
Organizing for Action
Any community – be it a family, a team, or a larger organization

-- that would accomplish anything worthwhile must organize for
action. This includes planning and execution. Some of us have
developed habits that make us careful planners. Others have
developed habits that make us enthusiastic "doers."
If you are anchored in the Southern Hemisphere you are well-

suited for the planning phase of any endeavor. If you are more
comfortable Collaborating you gather information from many
sources. You are open to
new ideas and are able to
listen to the concerns of
every stakeholder. If you
prefer Challenging you
ponder solutions. You
think deeply about
problems and penetrate
what may appear to
others to be impossible
obstacles.
215
ROOT VALUES:
If you are anchored in the Northern Hemisphere are well-suited

for the execution phase. If you are more comfortable Focusing,
you flat out get things done. Your sense of personal confidence
gives you the courage to risk failure and strive even in the face
of opposition and resistance. If you prefer Encouraging you are
a great motivator. You help others believe in themselves. You
see people in terms of their unique capabilities and take great joy
in seeing them excel and win.
A community of thinkers and doers changes the world. Our

hunter-gatherer ancestors remained on the move, living in
nomadic communities transversing continents moving with their
lunch.
As the more active among them chased down woolly

mammoths, more reflective types pondered the regenerative
cycle of nature. It probably took generations of trial and error
but eventually they discovered an opportunity in domesticating
wild grasses.
Planting grain required the clearing of land, opening dark forests

to the life-giving power of sunlight. Some of the active-oriented
members of the tribe shifted their attention from hunting game to
felling trees. The world changed.
Increasingly nomadic communities settled to form agricultural

societies around their garden plots. Food surpluses required
them to organize in new ways, dividing their work among
planters of grain, makers of tools and organizers of people. The
changing world changed people.
More recently changes in the speed of microprocessors have

allowed executives to carry storehouses of data on their hips and
have access to a work force scattered around the globe. The
world has come a long way from the days when hunters chased
down a wooly mammoth with a stick. As we have changed the
world, the world has changed us. But in at least one respect our
216
relationship with the world has not changed at all.
Organizing for action requires that we give attention to both

processes and goals. A process is simply how something is
done. A goal is what is done. What should be our aim?
Clearing a plot of ground for planting? Or running through the
forest after game? How should we invest our time, expend our
energy and train our young people?
Furthermore we must organize for action on both a personal as

well as an organizational level. Whether we are part of a small
group or a major corporation, we establish processes that help us
work together. This may be formalized in a book of policies. It
may come about through an evolution of informal practices.
These practices become institutionalized in a corporate culture --
the specific habits of a community -- that keep the wheels of the
machine turning.
But the influence of culture is such that we sometimes forget

that communities consist of individuals. Each of us come with
our own personal processes that help us negotiate our life’s
journey. We have habits of perception, emotion, thought and
behavior that define our relational style even apart from the
influence of the organization.
We also come with personal goals. These may be very

intentional, well-defined goals. “I want to become a doctor
when I grow up.” Or they may be unconscious goals that never
break the surface of awareness. “I will do anything to be loved
and cherished by another human being.”
We sometimes neglect how personal goals and processes may

undermine the achievement of the group. Similarly, we
sometimes forget how organizational goals and process can
undermine personal health.
It is never all about the organization. Some of us get so caught

up in the goal that we may neglect the personal processes of
217
ROOT VALUES:
others. But it is also never all about the individual. Some of us

are
so intimately in touch with the personal processes of others, that
we lose sight of organizational goals.
In an empowered community we are intentional in how we
organize for action. We learn to attend to the personal goals and
processes of others while at the same time honoring goals and
processes of the organization along the way. It is never all about
the individual. Nor is it always about the community. Power
comes in the push and pull of personal interest held in tension
with the needs of others.
The line of demarcation in the PACT-L Model related to pacing

was between the Northern and South Hemispheres. Those of us
from the North do well to slow down. Those from the South do
well to speed up. When organizing for action the line of
demarcation lies between the Eastern and Western
Hemispheres.
If you value People over Commitment (Encouraging and

Collaborating relational styles in the Western Hemisphere) you
have an uncanny ability to know what others perceive and feel.
You stay in tune with their attitudes and thoughts. You are a
master of personal process.
You are less comfortable zeroing in on goals. Calling others to

embrace just one goal requires excluding all other options. It
demands that you say, “No.” But you see so many good ideas
and people feel great passion for them. You feel conflicted
seeing some value in every option.
Despite many good ideas, there can only be one idea that we
embrace together. (And it need not always be the best idea.)
Although many goals are commendable, only one is achievable
when it requires the combined and concentrated resources of
everyone in the room. When it comes to organizing for action,
you who are more comfortable Encouraging or Collaborating are
great monitors of process. But you struggle when it comes time
218
to concentrate on a goal.
But where the West stumbles, the East (Focusing and

Challenging relational styles) excel. If you value Commitment
you practice exclusion all the time. You appreciate that
commitment means denying one option to embrace another. You
regularly sacrifice good ideas to serve better ideas. You identify
goals readily.
But you tend to stumble by failing to attend to process.

Individuals are processing all the time – in formal and informal
ways – in the conference room, at the water cooler, over the
internet. Organizing for action requires us not only to identify
the goal, but to understand the processes by which people will
authentically embrace a specific goal as their own.
A goal is an idealized outcome. It exists as a hope. You project

a vision that can be shared, but you must also inspire people to
sacrifice alternative options and invest in the One Thing to be
accomplished.
What do they perceive to be important? How do they feel about

what needs to be done? What attitudes might hinder (or
enhance) their forward movement? How must they reprioritize
their world in order to participate fully?
Organizing for actions requires us to express as clearly as we

can the outcome we hope to achieve while tending to the process
in partnership with others.
Those of us from the West (valuing People as we do) mind the

process. Those of us from the East (Commitment being our
priority) are great with goals. To negotiate our unique diagonal
challenge, some of us must learn how to attend to goals. Others
of us must come to a greater appreciation of process without
which nothing can be accomplished.
219
ROOT VALUES:
Comnunication
We communicate through two basic behaviors, Listening and

Speaking. Understand these words in their broadest possible
terms. Listening is information-in. Speaking is information-
out.
We listen with our eyes as well as with our ears. We listen with
words as well. When we use language to invite more complete
disclosure we are listening.
We speak with words but also with gestures, and expressions.

Emotions speak. So does silence. Anything we use to make
ourselves known falls under the term speaking.
Just as we map pacing and organizing for action on the PACT-L

model, we map communication as well. Listeners anchor in the
Southern Hemisphere, speakers in the Northern.
Those who are more comfortable Collaborating and Challenging

value Truth. They have ready ears. Those who are more
comfortable Focusing and Encouraging, who value Autonomy,
have active mouths.
This not to say that those from the South never speak, or that
others from the North never listen. Rather, certain habits of
communication have reinforced one over the other as a strategy
to satisfy our need for security.
Through countless interactions beginning in childhood and

continuing into the adult years, certain behaviors come to
dominate. If you demonstrate a more Reflective style you have
220
picked up innumerable techniques for more effective listening.
You do not need to read books or attend classes on listening.

You have done it all your life. It is a survival technique.
Similarly if you are more Active you know how to get your
point across. You do not need assertiveness training. You
practice it every day.
The diagonal challenge requires Collaborating and Challenging

styles to “speak up.” Focusing and Encouraging styles do well
to “shut up.”
Is it possible that lovers tend to find partners who compliment

their dominant style? If you are of the Southern Hemisphere,
you may have experienced the tedium of a first date where you
and your date sit silently across the table, each waiting for the
other to begin a conversation.
If you are of the Northern Hemisphere with a date from the

North, you may have experienced frustration because you could
not “get one word in edgewise.” You might be surprised to
discover your date had the same assessment of you! But oh the
joy when garrulous North meets attentive South. The
conversation rolls as the North initiates topics of interest and the
South responds with a ready ear and thoughtful questions.
A relationship grows when partners learn to both listen and

speak in equal measure. The key is to master two basic
behaviors: Asking Questions, and Making Statements.
Listening/Asking Questions
The Root Value associated with listening is Truth. Truth helps

us see the big picture. Susan Scott uses the term “interrogating
reality” to highlight the challenge of seeing the world clearly,
“I’d like to get a firm grip on reality,” one person con
221
ROOT VALUES:
fessed, “but somebody keeps moving it.” To keep a firm grip on

reality, learn to interrogate it.
Those of us who value Autonomy and Commitment may

sometimes lock down on a too narrow perspective excluding
input from others. If we value Autonomy and People we may
attend so much to the feelings of others that we forget to check
in with them to get their own perspective on their experience.
The ability to ask questions comes with valuing Truth. The

value of a good question goes a long way. “Active Listening”
has been popular for many years among counselors, teachers, in
parent-training seminars, as well as basic management classes.
Active listening involves “listening for meaning.” It promotes
the intention to understand another person’s point of view.
If you are anchored in the Northern Hemisphere, you may have

heard of the importance of listening, but you may still be trapped
in old habits of communication that prevent you from mastering
good listening skills.
Speaking/Making Statements
Much attention has been given to training people to listen, rather

than training them to speak. This may be because for so long
traditional hierarchical organizational cultures have had a bias
for the Focusing relational style. “Leaders” are Focusers. Such
organizations tend to treat the other relational styles as follower
styles.
Focusing/Controllers, coming from the Northern Hemisphere, do

indeed become better leaders when they learn active listening
skills. However, the PACT-L model suggests many of us
struggle to speak. By speak, remember, we mean any act of
self-disclosure. In speaking we make our perspectives and
intentions known.
222
The legacies of those of us with Collaborating or Challenging

relational styles reveal just as many problems in community
because we fail to “speak up” as those who fail to “shut up.”
The Root Value associated with speaking is Autonomy.

Autonomy honors personal boundaries. It sees the world in
terms of the particular uniqueness of people and objects. It is a
defining value. It enables us to make clear distinctions.
Where someone who values Truth sees what things have in

common, someone who values Autonomy sees where things
differ. Autonomy celebrates uniqueness.
Those of us who value Autonomy – the Focusing and

Encouraging styles -- have great confidence in what they
perceive. We see the world in high definition. We speak
freely.
Those of us who value Truth – the Collaborating and

Challenging styles – speak less freely. We see the world in
terms of the association between things. We ponder
connections, likenesses and commonalities.
We do not speak what we know. Either we lack confidence that

our understanding is complete (the Collaborating style), or, we
commit to the idea without feeling a need to share it with others
(the Challenging style).
In the case of the Collaborating style our thoughts are often

provisional. We come to closure on an idea slowly. In the case
of Challenging style we do not necessarily care to share what we
think. Or thoughts are almost always private. We work hard to
come to a conclusion. Once we get there, we can be hard to
move.
223
ROOT VALUES:
Putting It All Together
Earlier we explored how the PACT-L model demonstrates how

we may increase our capacity for relationship. How we
priorities each of the Root Values informs behaviors that
become habitual. If I value Autonomy and Commitment I will
develop habits that may feel controlling in certain situations. To
collaborate with others I must elevate the Root Values People
and Truth.
This requires that I break certain habits and practice new

behaviors associated with Pacing, Organizing for Action and
Communication. Where I am anchored on the PACT-L model
determines specifically how I may best address my personal
diagonal challenge.
A move from North to South requires being open other people

demonstrated through a willingness to slow down and ask
questions. A move from South to North requires self-disclosure
demonstrated through a willingness to speed up and make
statements. A move from East to West requires tending to the
personal processes of other people. A move from West to East
requires tending to goals that define the aim of tasks.
Consider how practicing these behaviors corrects the

dysfunction of the extreme behavior of each of the relational
styles.
A Controller is someone who is

limited to a Focusing relational
style. If you are a Controller you
increase your capacity for
relationship when you slow
down and ask questions that
address process. Asking
questions honors other people
224
nad helps you be open to other points of view that exists beyond
your own narrow perspective.
You turn toward People who will enrich your understanding of

the Truth of a particular situation as you listen to others. Asking
questions enlists others in the project. You will find that as you
learn to collaborate with others in this way, appropriate goals
will come into even greater focus.
Questions that address process include:
• How do you feel about our challenge?

• What do you perceive to be the issue involved?
• How would you go about addressing the problem?
• How would you define the goal?
• What additional information do you need before you are
ready to commit?
A Waffler is someone whose relational style is limited to

Collaborating. If you are a Waffler, you increase your relational
capacity when you speed up and practice making statements that
address goals. Your diagonal challenge is to practice taking a
stand.
Taking a stand helps you to elevate the Root Value Commitment

and Autonomy. It sets you apart from the crowd. When you
commitment to your own truth-statement, you begin to
experience yourself as someone unique and important.
Unlike the Controller,

you need not worry
about being
overbearing. Your
primary values are
People and Truth.
When you take a stand
225
ROOT VALUES:
it is likely to feel provisional to others. Your challenge is to be

clear.
Make statements that address goals. For example:
• I believe the outcome should be ________.

• I think we have these resources available.
• I propose we include these action items.
A Manipulator is someone who is limited to a Challenging

relational style. If you are a Manipulator you increase your
capacity for relationship when you speed up and self-disclose,
making statements that address your own personal process.
When you self-disclose, you let others know what you are
thinking. This helps you learn to value Autonomy and People.
It helps you receive others as genuine partners. At times you
may feel that you are being quite open. But your habit of deep
reflection will lead others to perceive you as lurking in the
shadows. They will not receive your ideas and feel challenged
until they trust you. This
comes through developing
greater transparency,
You address you diagonal

challenge as you self-
disclose, making statements
about process. These
statements are best framed as
“I” statements. Others will
feel appropriately challenged
when they understand where
you stand.
Statements about personal process include:
226
• I feel __________.
• I think _________.
• I recommend ___________.
• I am ready to commit because___________.
A Rescuer is someone who is limited to an encouraging

relational style. If you are a Rescuer you increase your
relational capacity when you slow doan and ask questions that
address goals.
Your challenge is to raise

questions about the Truth
to help others perceive
their own goals. In this
way you will call them to
Commitment, to take
responsibility for their
own problems.
Because you value

People, when you raise an
difficult issue, it may feel intrusive to you, but it will sound most
gentle in the ears of others.
Asks questions that address goals such as
• What do you hope to achieve?

• What resources do you see available to help us achieve
our goal?
• What actions do you think are required?
• \What actions are you prepared to take?
The PACT-L model helps us appreciate the importance of a

diversity of perspectives and strengths in an empowered
community.
227
ROOT VALUES:
• When we are Focusing we must make statements about

goals. To ensure we include everyone, we do well to ask
questions about process.
• When we are Collaborating we ask questions about
process. To ensure we do not waffle, we do well to make
statements about goals.
• When we are Challenging, we ask questions about goals.
To ensure that we do not manipulate, we do well to self-
disclose, making statements about process.
• When we are Encouraging, we make statements about
process. To ensure we do not rescue, we do well to also
ask questions about goals.
228

The Root Values. Releasing The Power of Community

Enviado por

Dados do documento

Descrição original:

Título original

Direitos autorais

Formatos disponíveis

Compartilhar este documento

Compartilhar ou incorporar documento

Opções de compartilhamento

Você considera este documento útil?

Este conteúdo é inapropriado?

Direitos autorais:

Formatos disponíveis

The Root Values. Releasing The Power of Community

Enviado por

Direitos autorais:

Formatos disponíveis

The Root Values:

Releasing the Power of

What success I have seen has come by way of the adoption of

By community I have something specific in mind.

First, a community consists of unique individuals. Each person

Second, a community involves people in relationship. They

Third, a community is supportive without being indulgent.

Finally, a community is fruitful. It solves problems leaving

Therefore, a community consists of individuals in relationship

I have spent a lifetime striving to encourage the formation of this

No one person can build a community. But everyone can

• You may run a business and be frustrated by the lack of

If you are willing to take responsibility for improving the quality

A Word about Faith

The heart of this book comes from thoughtful reflection on the

In the Hebrew conception of being and becoming, humanity is

“To be Holy” does not mean to be “pure” or “morally upright.”

Each of us is holy in so far as the freedom to be “I AM,” is an

But despite the irrepressible longing for freedom, the

“Adam, where are you?”

“I hid myself because I was naked.”

“Who told you, you were naked?”

Shame and fear always accompanies an irresponsible expression

If we share the divine name -- I Am, and our middle name

The name we share, a name that was bequeathed to us in our

The Root Values show us the way be individually who we are,

Because many associate the Hebrew experience exclusively with

For who are wary of religious imperialism, here is something to

The association of the Ten Commandments with religion is a

The ancient world did not compartmentalize their experience.

The divine was continually active. The sun coming up in the

Abraham related his own longing for becoming and completion

The Ten Commandments provide the basis for my exploration of

A brief review of each of the Root Values suggests their

Legacy: Every person lives in time. We make meaning as we

Commitment: Survival involves action. At its base, Commitment

Autonomy: A person is bounded both physiologically and

Truth: An infant begins life utterly dependent. As it grows its

I consider myself a person of faith. Like Adam, I hide when I

The Root Values release the powe of community.

III The Empowered Community 21

IV The Ten Commandments as Root Values 37

X ATypology of Community 121

XI Building the PACT-L Model 150

XII The Legacy Polarity 167

XIII Increasing Relational Capacity 185

XIV From Values to Beahvor 208

My basic understanding of community comes from the Book of

Does the Hebrew experience of so long ago really have anything

There was a time when change required millennia. Youth

Wisdom passed from one generation to the next. The Proverb

Today grandparents grow up in one world. Their grandchildren

My grandmother was born in a world without automobiles,

airplanes, telephones, or even radios. As a child I watched Neil

Technical innovation defines our lives. Older generations seem

We strain forward to discover the next new thing. Why look

Craig Wildman graduated from the Massachusetts Institute of

“We are working on some very interesting problems associated

Craig leans forward into innovation believing solar energy can

“I try to use technology sparingly,” he said. “I do not have a

He earned his PhD studying fluid dynamics and heat transfer in

“There are upsides to owning a car. It facilitates the distribution