Don't Give a Hoot

I think it’s safe to say that I’m not uncomfortable sharing my thoughts out loud. We have lots of laughs in the office about my instinctual attraction to spotlights. There is even a rumor circulating about the type of 40^th birthday party celebration I expect (a rumor which I started). Some of this is hyperbole of course, but last week it literally stared me in the face. We introduced "the Owl" to our new office. As the world relies more and more on video conferencing, the organization needed to upgrade our technology and so brought in "The Owl," which looks like its namesake. "The Owl" sits in the center of a conference table and detects who’s speaking and automatically points the camera on that person, so those not in the room feel as though they are around the table. Cool right? Not cool. As we sat in our first meeting receiving a tutorial on how to use this new technology, a meeting by the way, which I was not leading nor had any meaningful contribution to make, I couldn’t help but realize just how many times my mug was up on that large screen. A visual indictment of my inability to not dominate the conversation. As the yellow beady glowing eyes of my new archnemesis stared at me from the center of the table, I realized it might be time to practice my listening skills.

In life and leadership, how much is the camera on me versus those I serve? My role may be to over-communicate clarity, but how am I over-listening for clarity from the Holy Spirit speaking through the voice of others? If I brought my owl friend into my prayer life, who would the camera fix on, my voice or the Lord’s? If I’m the only one on the screen, how can I see past myself? We’re currently soliciting names for our new office pet, so send them in if you have them. The leading contender is "The Muzzle."