A good #idea will never become a #great one unless we ask, "What's wrong with this?" #QuoteADay #Day7 #edchat #edu #EmbraceArgument
Everybody thinks the ideas they generate are better than the ideas generated by anyone else. It's human nature. And, for what it is worth, many of the ideas we do generate are actually quite good. However, what separates a good idea from a great one is being willing to see that your idea isn't perfect, and therefore, to be willing to make your idea stronger by building on constructive criticism received.
With that in mind, I like to offer up ideas with a caveat of "What's wrong with this?" at the end. This isn't meant to detract from the idea itself, but rather to show that ideas are only as good as the feedback they generate, and my expectation is that every idea I have can be made better by the input offered from someone else.
In addition, asking this simple question is a great conversation generator. Though we all love to come up with ideas, many of us love even more to identify holes and areas of improvement in the thoughts of others. What better way to encourage positive argument and debate than to require that every idea generated needs to be critiqued by stakeholders! As far as I'm concerned, if an idea I have is going to go "prime time" I definitely want to make sure it has been vetted by my peers. :)
Tuesday, January 7, 2014
Monday, January 6, 2014
Quote-A-Day: Day 6
Patience isn't a #virtue, it's a #necessity.If we can't give time to others, why should they give time to us? #edchat #edu #QuoteADay #Day6
As the father of two young girls (one of them being three), I find that my patience is tested regularly. I pride myself on being a very patient person, but there are times when I wish I had an even deeper reserve. As I have to remind myself regularly, my daughter is not a thirty-four-year-old adult, and things that come easily to me may be beyond challenging to her.
For instance, this morning, our three-year-old (who is also incredibly independent, imagine that) wanted to put her mittens on herself. The first mitten was a breeze, but the dexterity needed for the second one was beyond her. She wouldn't take any assistance, so I forced myself to patiently wait the five minutes while she struggled (only telling her once that we needed to hurry or we would be late for school :) ) until she finally got them on. My stress level was heightened, but this was a necessary accomplishment for her. But, in reality, had I been an even more patient person, I would have seen no rise in my stress level, knowing that the learning she took from the experience was much more important than the five minutest it took to complete the task.
The point is, everyone comes to a decision and/or action with a slightly different (or tremendously different) set of skills, background knowledge, and/or perspective. If we can't give people the time they need to process and act, then we shouldn't be surprised when that same courtesy is denied to us. True reflection and learning require time, and as we all know, time is not a commodity we have a lot of. Yet, if we don't provide people with it, we have to be willing to deal with sub-par results. In life, I don't think that is an outcome anybody would want.
As the father of two young girls (one of them being three), I find that my patience is tested regularly. I pride myself on being a very patient person, but there are times when I wish I had an even deeper reserve. As I have to remind myself regularly, my daughter is not a thirty-four-year-old adult, and things that come easily to me may be beyond challenging to her.
For instance, this morning, our three-year-old (who is also incredibly independent, imagine that) wanted to put her mittens on herself. The first mitten was a breeze, but the dexterity needed for the second one was beyond her. She wouldn't take any assistance, so I forced myself to patiently wait the five minutes while she struggled (only telling her once that we needed to hurry or we would be late for school :) ) until she finally got them on. My stress level was heightened, but this was a necessary accomplishment for her. But, in reality, had I been an even more patient person, I would have seen no rise in my stress level, knowing that the learning she took from the experience was much more important than the five minutest it took to complete the task.
The point is, everyone comes to a decision and/or action with a slightly different (or tremendously different) set of skills, background knowledge, and/or perspective. If we can't give people the time they need to process and act, then we shouldn't be surprised when that same courtesy is denied to us. True reflection and learning require time, and as we all know, time is not a commodity we have a lot of. Yet, if we don't provide people with it, we have to be willing to deal with sub-par results. In life, I don't think that is an outcome anybody would want.
Sunday, January 5, 2014
Quote-A-Day: Day 5
#Collaboration + #competition are equal #partners. To #learn + #lead, you can't have one w/o the other. #edchat #satchat #QuoteADay #Day5
I recently finished reading Michael Fullan's book Change Leader. One of the important characteristics Fullan discusses for leaders is the ability to cultivate both collaboration and competition in leadership and management. This is a powerful idea. We often speak of collaboration as being a necessity to take learning and leading further, but in reality, collaboration without competition will never be as effective as when the two work together to emphasize the drive to keep getting better. That constant drive is what competition is all about.
I like to think of a true combining of the two terms into what I call "collabetition." The idea here is that teamwork always is at the heart of the work being undertaken. We work as a team when we collaborate towards an end, and we also work as a team when we compete positively to see who can reach the desired end in the most effective and efficient way possible. Collabetition requires everyone to work together, even if people are pursuing the same result in "competing ways." Why? Because the goal is always the same: the betterment of the world around us, and the betterment of ourselves.
I recently finished reading Michael Fullan's book Change Leader. One of the important characteristics Fullan discusses for leaders is the ability to cultivate both collaboration and competition in leadership and management. This is a powerful idea. We often speak of collaboration as being a necessity to take learning and leading further, but in reality, collaboration without competition will never be as effective as when the two work together to emphasize the drive to keep getting better. That constant drive is what competition is all about.
I like to think of a true combining of the two terms into what I call "collabetition." The idea here is that teamwork always is at the heart of the work being undertaken. We work as a team when we collaborate towards an end, and we also work as a team when we compete positively to see who can reach the desired end in the most effective and efficient way possible. Collabetition requires everyone to work together, even if people are pursuing the same result in "competing ways." Why? Because the goal is always the same: the betterment of the world around us, and the betterment of ourselves.
Saturday, January 4, 2014
Quote-A-Day: Day 4
Today's quote:
Never underestimate power of positive conversation. Contrary to popular belief, we can accomplish more by talking about it. #QuoteADay #Day4
This morning I had the chance to get involved in #satchat, an excellent Saturday morning chat session for educators and those interested in talking about education. With two young daughters, it is hard to find the time for weekend chats, but I was happy to be able to make the time today. Like most educational chats I've participated in, #satchat is equal parts inspiring and eye-opening; causing a participant to both reflect on his/her actions and contemplate how to keep getting better.
In thinking of the benefit of collaborative discussion, I was struck by the fact that we often equate conversation with inaction. We've often heard (and likely often said), "We need less talk and more doing." Yet, after a powerful discussion, we can actually end up with more doing than if we had embarked on action alone.
To me, it seems that the better frame is to make sure we talk quite a bit, and enough to truly motivate our processes. However, our talk has to be focused, positive, and collaborative, if ti is going to truly lead to the action we all want to take.
Friday, January 3, 2014
Quote-A-Day: Day 3
Even the most beautiful #ideas have potential #dangers. #Research, #data, + the power of time shouldn't be ignored. #edchat #QuoteADay #Day3
Ideas can be beautiful, but even those that seem to be totally innocent, can have potentially devastating consequences. In no way does this mean we shouldn't "play" with innovative ideas and take risks, but it does mean that any and every idea deserves the research and thought necessary to truly consider whether it's beauty will transfer from idea to actuality. A snow storm is a beautiful thing, but under the surface can be very dangerous. Sometimes it is better to sit tight and think, than act on an impulse.
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| The view into our backyard this morning |
Thursday, January 2, 2014
Quote-A-Day: Day 2
Here is today's quote:
Broken commitments are like muffins made w/baking soda. Both leave a bitter taste, + neither earn you friends. #edchat #edu #QuoteADay #Day2
Nothing stings worse than having a promise or commitment made to you be broken. If there is one thing I've learned about commitments, it's to only make them if there is 100% certainty that they'll be able to be kept. A commitment unmade hurts no one. A commitment broken hurts all.
As I was checking up on the news yesterday, I saw that Bill O'Brien, Penn State's football coach for the last two years, decided to step down (or more likely, step up) and accept the head coaching position for the Houston Texans (one of the worst NFL teams this year). While I wish Bill well personally, I wonder a bit about his resolve and decision-making. When Bill first accepted the position as head coach of Penn State, he stated that he was totally committed to Penn State and the University, and was looking forward to leading the team throughout its recovery. Just two short years later, O'Brien has moved on, leaving the team, the University, its alumni (like me), and the sporting world wondering a bit about the power of commitment and what it means to make (and break) a promise.
Broken commitments are like muffins made w/baking soda. Both leave a bitter taste, + neither earn you friends. #edchat #edu #QuoteADay #Day2
Nothing stings worse than having a promise or commitment made to you be broken. If there is one thing I've learned about commitments, it's to only make them if there is 100% certainty that they'll be able to be kept. A commitment unmade hurts no one. A commitment broken hurts all.
As I was checking up on the news yesterday, I saw that Bill O'Brien, Penn State's football coach for the last two years, decided to step down (or more likely, step up) and accept the head coaching position for the Houston Texans (one of the worst NFL teams this year). While I wish Bill well personally, I wonder a bit about his resolve and decision-making. When Bill first accepted the position as head coach of Penn State, he stated that he was totally committed to Penn State and the University, and was looking forward to leading the team throughout its recovery. Just two short years later, O'Brien has moved on, leaving the team, the University, its alumni (like me), and the sporting world wondering a bit about the power of commitment and what it means to make (and break) a promise.
Wednesday, January 1, 2014
Quote-A-Day: Day 1
Happy New Year! I'm embarking on my challenge in between feeding my youngest daughter and likely playing with my oldest. It seems the biggest challenge may be finding the time to think up a quote. :) Here's today's (complete with hashtags):
Embrace your #regrets. Without them we would never know failure, and therefore would never know true #success. #QuoteADay #Day1
This quote seems appropriate being that we often attribute regrets and fresh starts with a new year. Many like to talk about the benefit of having "no regrets." However, I don't see things that way. Regrets should be helpful, as decisions that we deem "bad" or providing results different from what we hope for allow us to reflect and make changes that will take us closer to success.
As far as I'm concerned, we should welcome regrets, as long as we use them to better ourselves and the world around us. I'm happy to say I have a few regrets in life, and imagine I'll amass quite a few more. I'm even happier to say that for many of these, I've used what I've learned to grow as a leader, a learner, and a person.
Embrace your #regrets. Without them we would never know failure, and therefore would never know true #success. #QuoteADay #Day1
This quote seems appropriate being that we often attribute regrets and fresh starts with a new year. Many like to talk about the benefit of having "no regrets." However, I don't see things that way. Regrets should be helpful, as decisions that we deem "bad" or providing results different from what we hope for allow us to reflect and make changes that will take us closer to success.
As far as I'm concerned, we should welcome regrets, as long as we use them to better ourselves and the world around us. I'm happy to say I have a few regrets in life, and imagine I'll amass quite a few more. I'm even happier to say that for many of these, I've used what I've learned to grow as a leader, a learner, and a person.
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