To clarify, this discussion format, known as a blog, is a first-time attempt to put the workshop on “Using the Concepts in Our Personal Lives” into a written format–via an electronic, interactive discussion.  It is not an on-line meeting.  It is an attempt to simulate electronically the interaction of members sharing their insights on the Concepts as they would do in a face-to-face workshop.

I first started speaking about the Concepts at a Convention workshop that was basically centered on explaining the meaning of the words within the Legacy.  Over the years, as I became more aware of the Concepts on a deeper spiritual level, I began to discuss how we could use them in our own daily living.  Our three Legacies, the Steps, the Traditions, and the Concepts of Service are the foundation of our recovery.  Most of us are aware of the necessity of working the Steps to heal and restore ourselves, but we generally have viewed the Traditions as something for the groups, and the Concepts were for “those other people” whoever they were.

Under the Introduction tab (in the upper right-hand corner of this page) is an in-depth discussion of the Steps and Traditions.  If this is your first visit here, I suggest that you read it at your leisure.  It may help as you explore the idea that the Legacies are spiritual principles that build one upon the other.  If we don’t begin our recovery in the Steps, and enhance it with the Traditions, we may not be fully ready to expand our spiritual growth as we work the Concepts.  Of course, that doesn’t mean that newcomers can’t participate and learn in the blog, as we all gain insights in a variety of ways and at our own pace.

Let me remind everyone that these are my insights and experiences.  As always, take what you like and leave the rest.  The purpose of this blog, as in the workshop, is to share what I have discovered in hopes that it will lead you to a new and broader understanding for your own recovery.  We all know there is no one way to do it, but as my Sponsor said frequently, “But, do it!!!!”

As I stated earlier, this is not an on-line meeting so we don’t have permission to quote Al-Anon or any other literature.  As it is not Conference Approved Literature in fact or concept, it is not appropriate to print it and distribute in a face-to-face group or electronic meeting.  If you wish to print it for your personal use, that’s fine, but you need written permission from the World Service Office in order to copy and distribute regardless of your purpose.

Each of us has the ability to share what a Concept now means to him or her and how as individuals we have used it or could in the future.  Don’t worry about grammar or spelling.  The readers here are interested in your thoughts not your literary style.  It really isn’t Conference Approved Literature!

Let’s have fun and learn together.

The Conference acknowledges the primary administrative responsibility of the Trustees.

When I first looked at this Concept, I questioned how it could have anything to do with my personal life. Then I realized that Concept Six was a further expansion of the earlier ideas in Concept One and Concept Two. The groups realized that in order to exercise ultimate responsibility and authority, they had to give away those parts of the job that they couldn’t handle. Imagine each group deciding how many copies of a book to print or whether we needed a new public service announcement. So in Concept Two they delegated complete administrative and operational authority to the Conference. The Conference only meets for five days each year. How could it effectively administer the thousands of details and decisions that have to be made at the world service level? So the Conference wisely acknowledged that the Trustees who meet quarterly are in a better position to handle those administrative responsibilities. As discussed earlier in Concept Two, since the Board was given this responsibility by the Conference, it must report back to the Conference how it exercises that authority. The Board doesn’t have to wait for the Conference to approve before it can act; it merely reports the actions taken.

So I don’t have to do everything. I can pick people in my house who are better suited for certain tasks. I need to ask for help and I need to do so before I collapse under the weight or pressure of trying to be all things for all people. At the world service level, the Conference acknowledges the leadership of the Trustees. In my home, my family looks to me as a leader (not as a boss) to set the tone for how the work of the family will be accomplished. Some tasks — taking out the trash, doing dishes, or watering the plants — can be delegated with minimal supervision and minimal reporting.

Other tasks involve more detail; a job description that includes minimum expectations may be required. If I want the dog washed and treated with flea preventative monthly, then I may need to spell out the timelines to be accomplished, where the washing is to take place, the type of clothing to be worn (especially if younger children are involved), who will dry the dog afterwards and with what, and then when and how the flea preventative is to be applied.

And I need to pick the right set of skills to match the task. The family member who washes the dog may not have the skills necessary to polish silver or wash the fancy dishes. The person who can cut the lawn may not be the right individual to weed the garden. And as a leader, it is my job to distinguish those tasks and the skills required before I recruit workers.

No one wants to fail. As a leader, I want to have clear discussions in advance, get agreement as to what will be accomplished, and then remove myself from the process.

When I am clear about what the task is and I outline the specific requirements in advance, I can be a leader that I would want to follow. 

Now it is your time to share how utilizing this style of leadership could free you or has freed you in your personal life whether at home, at work, or in any type of service.

Read the chapter on Concept 6 from Paths to Recovery (B-24)
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