August 2011
Chilling . . . Serious Suggestion for a National... →
This is where we really have to start saying “Enough is enough”.
Click the title to read a news release about a minister who thinks a national registry for atheists would be a good way to keep an eye on them … I am beyond appalled at this action.
Atheists are not avowed terrorists, child molesters, or even right/left wing nutcases, dangerous criminals, or religious fanatics...
From Jobs to Meaningful Work ~ Harold Jarche →
Neat combination of two things I like:
1) An analysis of “The Company Men”, which is one of my favorite hard-to-watch movies.
2) Solid reflection on the difference between a job and a career.
Harold Jarche is one of the best thinkers out there on things relating to learning and work. Good stuff … check it out.
#FB #LI
“The more you complain to yourself, the better — as long as you always take...”
– Jeff Haden shares the magic step that turns mindless complaining into intentional improvement.
Finally, a concept where first-class ranting can become useful for something besides venting feelings of frustration or anger.
#FB #LI #Productivity
". . . there are two yardsticks that you can use... →
For insight, Kevin Eikenberry uses the same best source many of us enjoy: our wives:).
In this piece, Kevin describes how his wife reframes his expectations by simply observing the reality of an event, instead of accepting his version of that event.
To read a lovely story about how a husband and wife REALLY work to live happily ever after along with some good business advice, click the link...
“Shutting off the thought process is not rejuvenating; the mind is like a car...”
–
True these words spoken by Bill Watterson ~ who just happens to be one of our country’s best cartoonist philosophers.
After all, who else could have created a six-year old thinker with a faithful stuffed companion?
That’s a reproduction of the cover of the first collection of Calvin...
What You Can and Can't Do ~ According to Mimi and...
This is Mimi and Eunice.
They belong to Nina Paley
Funny person and funny characters with just that touch of reality-based thinking that adds zest to the mix:)
“Nothing is as easy as it looks.”
–
I do not know who said this and I’m quoting a coffee mug from over twenty years ago, but this is one of the truest things I’ve ever heard.
We commit to everything from marriage to a new job to using credit with the underlying assumption that the process will be as simple as it...
“Action may not always be happiness…but there is no happiness without action.”
– Benjamin Disraeli
Rather stern looking bloke to be talking about happiness … especially when he nails the Need to Act part of achieving bliss, while reminding us that nothing is guaranteed.
The failure to guarantee success sinks many an otherwise worthy endeavour.
You have to act to...
Managing Expectations ~ Guy Harris →
Click the title for a litle story about driving through construction and a large lesson about managed expectations.
Guy Harris tweets as @recovengineer and blogs regularly about human behavior and performance improvement, especially around the the use of the DiSC behavioral assessment tool.
#FB #LI #DiSC
Not All Stories End Well ~ The Naked Pastor →
Got your attention with “Naked Pastor”, didn’t I?
David Hayward has the best blog title AND the best tagline going: “Graffitti artist on the walls of religion”
Check out the graphic depiction of spiritual life ~ it’s thought-provoking.
#FB #LI #nakedpastor
Pew Research Sez: Half of US Adults Use Social... →
Still think this is all just a fad or kid stuff?
Apparently we are social creatures and will take advantage of technology to support and enhance our natural sociability:)
Actually I could have saved the researchers some time and effort. When I see the variety of the folks I am connected to on either Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, or one of several other social and business networking sites, it...
Reading Books . . . Still →
Even when you read the Bible on your iPad, the message is the same.
I have suffered from what this post talks about … that nagging desire to read the “Latest and Greatest” in the world of business or leadership or psychology, while poo-poohing anything written earlier than two days ago.
New is not necessarily better. I have come to appreciate that many of the things we...
“Success in life comes not from holding a good hand, but in playing a poor hand...”
– Denis Waitley
I reflected in more depth on this yesterday at “What You Do is What You Get”, but I like this quote so much I wanted to end the workweek with it:)
#FB #LI #Resilience
“Is your passion creating clarity, focus and purpose, or is it blinding you from...”
– Dandy question by Mike Myatt.
We are often told that successful people have a passion for what they do and I believe this to be true. Success requires a vision, hard work, and persistence … hard to achieve those without some kind of “fire in the belly”.
However, Mike rightfully...
"Habit is overcome by habit." ~ Thomas a Kempis →
… Psychologically, this makes sense.
Replacing one set of behaviors with another set is literally exchanging one habit for another. One habit is not necessarily stronger or more powerful than another ~ it’s just different.
However, let’s not underestimate the tendency for people to stick with what they know, however painful, rather than take the risk of changing to something...
The Mindset List ~ Beloit College →
… is one fascinating yearly look at popular culture, history, economics, and change.
No matter your age or generation, this annual list from Beloit College will make you sit up and think about how things are different now. For over twenty years, this list has displayed what freshman college students have either always had or never had in their lives.
A sampling from the Class of 2013...
“Passion and purpose go hand in hand. When you discover your purpose, you will...”
– … at least, according to Steve Pavlina, a writer on Personal Development who is intelligent and interesting ~ good combination.
I would only add a caveat of sorts here:
Passion is a terribly powerful motivator and like most powerful things, passion can be either very good or very bad.
...
“If you are going to achieve excellence in big things, you develop the habit in...”
– … so says Colin Powell and if he speaks, who am I to argue?:)
I do not much care for those who blithely dismiss criticism with statements like “I’m a ‘Big Picture’ kind of guy (or gal)” or who ignore details as somehow beneath their leadership or mangerial...
Why Liberals are More Intelligent Than... →
… Sigh. You won’t believe how much I thought about whether to post this one.
On the one hand, I’m feeling just a tad smug to see an entire book that basically confirms my impressions.
On the other hand … so what?
Those who agree with these findings will be tempted to seize some fictional moral high ground just because their IQ is a few points higher than another...
“It is not necessary to imagine the world ending in fire or ice. There are two...”
– Leave it to a musician to finally and accurately describe the probable end of the known world:)
Photo by Helge Øverås ~ Frank Zappa, Ekeberghallen, Oslo, Norway 1971
“From now on, we live in a world where man has walked on the moon. It...”
– Jim Lovell, astronaut
A simple statement which speaks volumes about three things:
Vision
Commitment
Persistence
… and you don’t have to go off-planet to make something happen. What’s on your mind right now?
Go ahead, just “decide to go”:)
#FB...
"The Real Grand Bargain" ~ Washington Post →
I knew there was a reason why I should have paid more attention in History class …
Here’s an articulate and well-documented historical analysis of the roots of our current crisis involving corporations and the government.
If you want to have opinions about why we have Social Security and other governmentally supported programs; are concerned about the increasing divide between the...
“How much do you value me as an employee if out of the 2,080 hours I work, and...”
– Paul Falcone, the author of 2600 Phrases for Effective Performance Reviews said this.
Why are we STILL talking about the need to coach employees on an ongoing basis, instead of this once-a-year waste of most people’s time?
The employee who receives feedback about their performance once a...
“Change is good. You go first.”
–
Scott Adams said it best …
A leader has to be the one to dare, to go confidently into the unknown, to change.
We may never jump out of a “perfectly good airplane”, but we have opportunities to go first every single day.
Take one …
#FB #LI #Change #Leadership
Derek Penwell Describes His Time as God . . . →
Possibly one of the best rants I have ever read …
I think a lot of heads will nod at the idea of righteous justice finally visiting some of those who seem oblivious to the import of their actions. Who among the many of us has not at least secretly wished for what Derek desribes or even worse?
I think his last words are the only way to end … better to let things be the way they are...
“I love quotations because it is a joy to find thoughts one might have,...”
– Thanks to Marlene Dietrich for this one.
“Can I quote you on that?”:)
I am doing quotes about quotes during the first part of this week on Twitter and here. Check them out by following @stratlearner and searching for the hashtag #quotes.
As I myself have said “Why work up an...
"How do we Live and Honor Each Other Despite Our... →
Here is a great example of why I like public radio …
This headline link is actually to Krista Tippett’s blog “On Being” and a blog post of thoughts on her interview with Rev. Mouw, who is the President of Fuller Theological Seminary. As she describes, Mouw is a lower-profile, but influential Christian leader.
He is also one heck of a thinker …
If you have interest...
“Story is the gospel way.…Story brings us into more reality, not less, expands...”
– ~ Eugene Peterson in “Leap Over a Wall”
Nice explanation of why storytelling is so powerful and so important. We are a people who tell stories to remember the past, enlighten our present, and to prepare for the future.
#FB #LI #storytelling
MSTA Sues Over Social Media Law . . . →
Now the Missouri State Teachers Association (MSTA) is weighing in on what may be a very far-reaching legal situation.
This controversy is a great example of well-meaning people who do not understand what they are regulating … which is too often a nutshell description of most of our elected legislative bodies.
Some abuse of social media occurs … some of it is by teachers and students...
"Memory Bears by Bonnie" →
Bonnie Dean is a saint … not one of those holy, up-in-the-sky, olden time folks, but a saint who walks our earth in our time.
I have long held those who provide hospice services in very high esteem. Having been through an extended death of two people very central to my life, I know that I would be a different and lesser person without their gentle and loving support and guidance.
On the...
NATIONAL RADIO DAY →
The sign says it all:) I’ll be listening to National Public Radio (NPR) on 90.7 KWMU today and every day in honor of this holiday.
I hope you will take some time today to listen to some radio station, somewhere as well. Does not matter if you are a little bit country or a little bit rock and roll, Cardinals fan or Cubs fan, lean to the left or lean to the right, or just like hearing a...
World Humanitarian Day (aka "Give A Damn Day") →
Just found out about this ~ better late than never.
If ever we needed a special day, this might be it.
Big Dog & Little Dog's Performance Juxtaposition... →
Just imagine any topic that has to do with learning, leadership, or human behavior, which are three of my favorite topics.
Now imagine a place to visit where you can find whatever you imagine:).
#performanceimprovement #FB #LI
Business Balls →
Now admit it … isn’t this a cute name for a clearinghouse learning and organizational development website:)?
This site has been around a long time and is another site without the glitz of more current sites. What this site does have is content in abundance and diversity.
Note the two operative words “free” and “fun” in this blurb from their landing page:
...
Mind Tools with James Manktelow →
James Manktelow is a sharer.
Mind Tools is one of the most comprehensive online sites I have come across and it is a browser’s delight.
Whether you just want an article that clearly explains a leadership concept, some formal learning activities, or focused and customized assistance and support, Mind Tools has what you need.
Mind Tools is a great resource for anyone interested in ...
“Improvement requires curiosity and a willingness to go beyond, often far beyond,...”
– Michael Wade, as he waxes eloquent about untapped resources, the “Pretty Good” employee, and curiosity at Execupundit.com.
This is as good a definition of improvement as I have found.
I do not miss a post by Michael Wade and always find it time well spent.
If you are not familiar with...
Happy Independence Day from CommIndia →
First, obviously the United States is not the only country with an Independence Day.
So to all my Indian friends, Happy Independence Day on Tuesday, August 15
Second, click the title link to check out the neat graphic on the transitions in learning. While others might wish for a more detailed history of learning, this one suits me just fine.
"New Managers Feeling Lost at Sea" via BNET →
” … 58 percent said that they didn’t receive any training on how to be a manager.”
That is a very telling statistic, which shows more than all the lofty statements about support and value that are used to describe how employers feel about employees. The article referenced surveyed new managers about their experiences.
Bottom Line:
If you do not develop your managers,...
“I began to think that our Christian duty was not to make our country’s laws...”
– Alisa Harris writing on Belief Blog at CNN.
#FB #LI
“It’s an art to ask really good, precise questions; if you ask messy questions,...”
– ~ Ana T. Forrest in “Fierce Medicine
In prayer, as in work, as in life … the trick is to ask the right questions in the right way:)
“One may have the right to speak, but that doesn’t mean that he is right...”
– Anonymous, but I wish I had said it first
#FB #LI
“Many the dreams of a young man are dashed on the rocks of reality.”
– I was reminded recently of my intense desire for a Ford Mustang when they first came out. One car on display at the local Ford dealer in our small Missouri town.
My father unintentionally engaged my adolescent brain when he innocently stopped by to check it out one morning. In my world, anything...
“Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?”
– … Possibly the most thought-provoking career management question one can ask or answer.
This is one of those all-purpose inquiries which can be used at any time, in any place, during any circumstances. A few words which spark thoughts and dreams.
Consider, for example, the inclusion of...
““Every person, all the events of your life are there because you have...”
– Are you telling me I actually asked all these people to be part of my life?
… And that I can choose what I do with them?
You mean I am truly in control of myself and my actions?
Wow …
… What HAVE you been smoking?
“We are what we pretend to be, so we must be careful about what we pretend to be.”
– Kurt Vonnegut is a very imaginative and engaging author. I have enjoyed his work,if not always understanding it:).
This little snippet caught my attention.
Which of us is not familiar with that little voice inside which says “You are really not as smart or good or capable as you pretend to...
I Quit My Job in Pool Maintenance Because it was... →
C’mon, admit it … you laughed at this title, didn’t you?
Check out the complete list of failed careers by clicking on the link above.
Then add your own:)
