DaveShearon

How to Live

“There are two educations. One should teach us how to make a living and the other how to live. “

John Truslow Adams, author of The Epic of America (1933), which introduced "the American Dream"

One of the interesting things about the MAPP program has been the recurring Aristitolean theme of "the good life."  Aristotle saw it as the life of virtue (which he saw as the balance between two extremes) lived to the point where it became natural and automatic.   Not a bad vision.  Laurence Peter (author of The Peter Principle)  said,

“Real, constructive mental power lies in the creative thought that shapes your destiny, and your hour-by-hour mental conduct produces power for change in your life. Develop a train of thought on which to ride. The nobility of your life as well as your happiness depends upon the direction in which that train of thought is going.”

Like Aristotle, this gets to the question of personal responsibility.  If I'm not happy, if my relationships are not satisfying, if my work doesn't afford me the opportunity to do those things I do with relish, competence, and flair, who has the best opportunity to do something about it?  Answer:  I do.  I think, prior to the MAPP program, I would have questioned how much of an opportunity I (or anyone) might have to improve those areas.  Today, I do not.  Today, I am convinced that I have, and always have had, far more opportunity to live a full, meaningful, and joyous life than I have permitted myself to believe. 

• Nothing is magic. 
• No one's perfect. 
• Keep getting better.

And the range of "better" that is possible is far more than I might have once believed!

Strategy, or meaning?

"The calculated logic of strategic analysis (where leaders traditionally spend 80% or more of their time) is simply not enough to engender the commitment from employees required for world-class performance."

Leading through Meaning, Mike Morrison, PhD, Dean, University of Toyota

He precedes that statement by saying, "if a new strategy or simply pushing harder could have solved our problems, our most significant challenges would have been handled long ago."  Dr. Morrison is thinking about business, but the same is true, in spades, for school systems.  How many school boards are currently looking for a superintendent?  And how many of those boards think what they need is the answer person with a new management program, curriculum, or strategic plan?  Someone who'll roll in and say, "I'm not here to win a popularity contest."  Someone to "whip things into shape."  Answer:  every last one of them.  And then, in 2, 3, or 4 years, they'll be going through the process again and wondering why things didn't work out.

ActiveWords & Mind Manager

I use both ActiveWords and Mindmanager daily and love both.  Now buzznovation reports they are working together.  Too cool.  The integration of technologies to create custom performance tools without custom programming is a trend I expect to continue, and I think it will make inter-functioning software components (work-togethers and add-ins) a continuing boom.