Sunday, November 14, 2010
Thursday, November 11, 2010
From Churchill
"To each there comes in their lifetime a special moment when they are figuratively tapped on the shoulder and offered the chance to do a very special thing, unique to them and fitted to their talents. What a tragedy if that moment finds them unprepared or unqualified for that which could have been their finest hour."
This quote has me thinking lately about my vision, direction and future. I am grateful for some incredible mentors over the last two years, who have taught me the importance of setting time aside to think. Booking in that time every week to think about my future, be creative in my work, volunteering, how I manage my time, how I love my future wife, and how my behaviour affects situations. By allowing myself the time to think I've realised that I have learnt so much about myself and have changed in every aspect of my life.
If you get that feeling that life seems to just be coming full circle, time and time again, I encourage you, set yourself some time. Even if it is just a half hour, or an hour if you can manage it. Find a place where you can be alone and don't limit yourself. Think, be creative with your life.... you'll be surprised what you will come up with.
This quote has me thinking lately about my vision, direction and future. I am grateful for some incredible mentors over the last two years, who have taught me the importance of setting time aside to think. Booking in that time every week to think about my future, be creative in my work, volunteering, how I manage my time, how I love my future wife, and how my behaviour affects situations. By allowing myself the time to think I've realised that I have learnt so much about myself and have changed in every aspect of my life.
If you get that feeling that life seems to just be coming full circle, time and time again, I encourage you, set yourself some time. Even if it is just a half hour, or an hour if you can manage it. Find a place where you can be alone and don't limit yourself. Think, be creative with your life.... you'll be surprised what you will come up with.
Thursday, September 2, 2010
The Fringe Benefits of Failure, and the Importance of Imagination | Harvard Magazine
This is an incredible speech from J.K. Rowling to the Graduates of Harvard University in 2008.
Inspiring in heart and in delivery.
The Fringe Benefits of Failure, and the Importance of Imagination | Harvard Magazine
Inspiring in heart and in delivery.
The Fringe Benefits of Failure, and the Importance of Imagination | Harvard Magazine
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
Impressed Much?
Right now I wish I could try these things, but unfortunately I'm a grown-up and realize my physical limitations, so I'll live vicariously through these three youngsters.
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
Baffles the mind
Would it really change the way you drive? For me I'd never hop on a bus again.
The threat of being killed in an accident is a powerful incentive to drive carefully. But a driver with a seat belt and a padded dashboard faces less of a threat. Because people respond to incentives, drivers are less careful...... If the seat belts were removed from your car, wouldn’t you be more cautious in driving? Carrying this observation to the extreme, Armen Alchian of the University of California at Los Angeles has suggested a way to bring about a major reduction in the accident rate: Require every car to have a spear mounted on the steering wheel, pointing directly at the driver’s heart. Alchian confidently predicts that we would see a lot less tailgating.
Source: Landsburg, S. (1993) ‘The Armchair Economist: Economics and Everyday Life’, The Free Press, New York.
The threat of being killed in an accident is a powerful incentive to drive carefully. But a driver with a seat belt and a padded dashboard faces less of a threat. Because people respond to incentives, drivers are less careful...... If the seat belts were removed from your car, wouldn’t you be more cautious in driving? Carrying this observation to the extreme, Armen Alchian of the University of California at Los Angeles has suggested a way to bring about a major reduction in the accident rate: Require every car to have a spear mounted on the steering wheel, pointing directly at the driver’s heart. Alchian confidently predicts that we would see a lot less tailgating.
Source: Landsburg, S. (1993) ‘The Armchair Economist: Economics and Everyday Life’, The Free Press, New York.
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
Ultimate in passing the buck
Growing up in a standard family as the middle child always led to those situations where something has been broken and we are all lined up for questioning! In this circumstance, the blame is generally shifted between all three of us, ultimately resulting in us "getting what's coming to us".
In Russia, passing the buck has taken a different twist where a phone company has removed a mobile number from service saying it was "jinxed", stating that the last 3 people to own this number have died. Funnily enough one was a king pin in a mafia circle and another was a high level drug dealer, yet this has not been taken into consideration at all.
I always thought if I dealt drugs or was a top end mafia leader, my life expectancy is reduced more from 'occupational hazards' more so than my phone number.
Just a thought, but for your enjoyment, then rest of the story can be found here.
In Russia, passing the buck has taken a different twist where a phone company has removed a mobile number from service saying it was "jinxed", stating that the last 3 people to own this number have died. Funnily enough one was a king pin in a mafia circle and another was a high level drug dealer, yet this has not been taken into consideration at all.
I always thought if I dealt drugs or was a top end mafia leader, my life expectancy is reduced more from 'occupational hazards' more so than my phone number.
Just a thought, but for your enjoyment, then rest of the story can be found here.
Thursday, May 13, 2010
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Author removed for privacy
As a business student, majoring in marketing, and sociology student, whose unit this semester focuses on power, I see leadership in a far more, I guess, cynical way (also probably because I've become a far more cynical person over the last couple of years). When I think of leaders, I think of CEO's of major international corporations who are screwing over third world countries, or the "influenced", to get a better dividends for their shareholders and create more profits to keep the board of directors happy.
When I think of influence, which is basically power, what comes to mind are companies trying to influence consumers to buy their product, over the products of others, to make more money, not to end absolute poverty in Africa or stop global warming.
And power, or influence, is used to convince people to do things they wouldn't, or worse, make them think they want to do them and it'll be beneficial for them, when really, it benefits the influencer. Why is leadership so good when that's what it really is? It's really the powerful using their position to get what they want and inflicting their beliefs and opinions on those without power. Also, it must be said that Hitler was one of the greatest leaders of the modern age, yes, horrible, terrible, never to be repeated things occurred because of it and it hardly needs to be stated that no-one would suggest a good leader should be like Hitler, yet there is no way anyone could disagree that his leadership changed the world. There is also the idea of paternalism and whether you should be able to tell others how to live just because you think it is the best thing for them and have the power to make them do it.
Amazing how one seminar can be described as "amazing" and "inspiring" by some people and cause me so much angst!
Chad Walker
I would propose that leadership is as you say, influence. Maxwell (2002) wrote "Leadership is influence, nothing more, nothing less". Would it be true to say that not all leaders are therefore acting to manipulate others, but simply have influence over others?
The true essence of leadership is one of providing another with vision, purpose, encouragement and direction. If the leader is heading in a direction I do not wish to go, I simply do not follow negating their authority and leadership over my life.
I would propose that your observations are not a reflection of leadership itself, rather the ethics of the individual using their authority in leadership. If leadership has the power to influence for both the good of mankind and to its detriment, then leadership is simply a tool. Like a shovel, can be used to kill someone, or used to dig deep foundations for great structures to be built upon.
Just a thought