Introduction

About the author
Chapter excerpts
Reader feedback
Discussion Guide & More

Introduction to Disregarded

     The catalyst of the story is Michigan’s Public Act 25, which gave my colleagues and I a voice in the workplace. Along with a few others, I signed on as a member of our school improvement team. In this role, my awkward dance with power and peers began.

     Later, two major influences pulled at me from opposite directions. When I joined the pilot of The Courage to Teach1 retreat program, I sought my authentic identity while my colleagues and I formed a community of support. (Sharing this experience alone would be valuable to others.) However, it wasn’t long after my new boss arrived that he assumed the role of Terminator. Our staff splintered, careers were in jeopardy and I felt the pain of disconnection like never before. I was experiencing a breakup in one setting while becoming a part of a community in another. Those parallel, but opposite experiences created a voluminous gap. From that void came important questions, some of which were:
     Why do groups split apart?
     How can group members hold together?
     How do we contribute to group cohesiveness or breakdowns?
     How can personal growth and self-knowledge transform organizations?
I became a seeker. The end result of study and reflection was a greater sense of peace, a deeper understanding of myself and others, and an increased capacity for community.
     I am confident that within these pages there is something of value for you. The simplicity of the settings is an excellent way for you to examine the complex subjects of human nature, personal growth, and organizational development. You may delight in the not so logical behaviors of groups and group members. The description of the retreats may intrigue you. Maybe the array of concepts herein will prove useful. You may become interested in the twists and turns of a person struggling to grow. If you relate to these tales, you might feel that you’re not alone in your experience of organizational life.
     While I hope you find the narrative compelling, what is most important is grasping the larger picture. What I’ve learned about personal growth and community can have a positive impact on our journey to transform organizations into places worthy of their people’s talent, creativity and commitment. Places where people feel heard, respected and valued.

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About the author

If vocation is about doing what you “can’t not do,” then Jack Bender’s vocation is thinking, speaking, and writing about the workplace. This involves addressing the subjects of power, relationships and personal growth, among many others.

His formal workplace experiences include positions of US Army officer, prison music teacher, cashier, laborer, salesperson, disk jockey, computer programmer, heavy equipment operator and public school teacher for 28 years.

Bender currently speaks, writes and facilitates large group work as well as mediating a variety of conflict resolution cases. He holds a BME from Central Michigan University and a Specialist in Educational Leadership from Western Michigan University.

He has created award-winning educational software, written music lyrics and published newspaper, journal and website articles on a wide variety of topics encompassing future search conferences, land use, computer technology, music, community, personal growth and motorcycling.

Bender has received the Army Commendation Medal, numerous concert and marching band awards, selected for the pilot program of The Courage to Teach and chosen as a competing finalist for the Christa McAuliffe Fellowship.

He resides with his wife Cindy in Zeeland, Michigan.

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