"Any airplane is off track much of the time but just keeps coming back to the flight plan. Eventually, it arrives at its destination." - Stephen Covey
A pilot will be intensely disappointed if he demands a direct flight in order to be successful. Those who start a journey with a plan are ahead of the game, but those who expect that plan to shift a little or a lot over time are better off still.
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
Monday, June 7, 2010
Integrity
"Over time, integrity produces loyalty. If you attempt to reverse them and go for loyalty first, you will find yourself temporizing and compromising integrity. It's better to be trusted than to be liked. Ultimately, trust and respect will generally produce love." - Stephen Covey
What is integrity? It's been described as "doing what you say you'll do." When I heard this at my supervisor orientation a decade ago, I bought into it. And lately, I still agree about integrity, though I kind of disagree with the definition. Integrity has the same root as "integrate." Something that's integrated is connected. It's all together. It fits. It's united. Harmonious. What about oil and water? If I approach a fountain that randomly disperses water or oil, I'm not going to drink from it - it has no integrity with me! And if I meet a person who sometimes says one thing and sometimes a contradicting thing, I'm not going to invest in a trusting relationship with that person. More extremely, if a person says one thing and does the opposite, that's dishonesty. Honesty, the old-fashioned best policy, is a special case of integrity - a consistency and dependability in one's actions that's the cornerstone of trust.
What is integrity? It's been described as "doing what you say you'll do." When I heard this at my supervisor orientation a decade ago, I bought into it. And lately, I still agree about integrity, though I kind of disagree with the definition. Integrity has the same root as "integrate." Something that's integrated is connected. It's all together. It fits. It's united. Harmonious. What about oil and water? If I approach a fountain that randomly disperses water or oil, I'm not going to drink from it - it has no integrity with me! And if I meet a person who sometimes says one thing and sometimes a contradicting thing, I'm not going to invest in a trusting relationship with that person. More extremely, if a person says one thing and does the opposite, that's dishonesty. Honesty, the old-fashioned best policy, is a special case of integrity - a consistency and dependability in one's actions that's the cornerstone of trust.
The 2 Habits?
"To sum up the 7 habits of highly effective people, one might say 'make and keep a promise,' and 'involve others in the problem and work out the solution together.'" - Stephen Covey
Seeking First To Understand, Then To Be Understood
"One of the things I did right in the whole process was to establish a set of ground rules dealing with how we should engage with one another. It wasn't so much that I dictated it, but I did model it. In the middle of the year's worth of work, I gave a speech about the difference between debate and dialogue, making the point that dialogue was a far superior method for reaching understanding and resolution. The essential difference between it and debate is that in dialogue, you are listening to understand rather than looking for ways to convince someone of your view point. It was my way of trying to build understanding throughout the entire culture and it was embraced quickly and readily. It became a powerful force on campus, and a way for doing business." - Michael Bassis, president Olivet College
I remember thinking from business books that building a team of people who are courageous in debating ideas is a great way to get healthy results. And that courage is something I've seen and appreciated as people challenge ideas, so the principle is sound. But I especially like the distinction between debate - and its win-lose connotation - versus dialogue as a means of exploring. There can be many good answers to emerge from a dialogue. The one that was in my head when I entered the room may well be different from the one that becomes reality. And as a side note, I think that effective organizations make it clear who gets to break any stalemates. I've seen enough to know that such a person, if designated, acts like a bathtub plug. It's necessary to keep resources from flushing down the drain!
I remember thinking from business books that building a team of people who are courageous in debating ideas is a great way to get healthy results. And that courage is something I've seen and appreciated as people challenge ideas, so the principle is sound. But I especially like the distinction between debate - and its win-lose connotation - versus dialogue as a means of exploring. There can be many good answers to emerge from a dialogue. The one that was in my head when I entered the room may well be different from the one that becomes reality. And as a side note, I think that effective organizations make it clear who gets to break any stalemates. I've seen enough to know that such a person, if designated, acts like a bathtub plug. It's necessary to keep resources from flushing down the drain!
A Bag Of Stuff
"I think people need to feel good about themselves before they can feel good about what they do at work every day." - Tom Dolan, CEO, Xerox Business Systems
Are problems "out there" or "in here"? A neighbor of mine said that in her view, "everyone is born with a bag of stuff," meaning that we all have strengths... and things that are gaps in our abilities. We can obsess about those shortcomings, or enjoy what we do well and the fact that creation is teeming with plenty of people to fill in the gaps.
Are problems "out there" or "in here"? A neighbor of mine said that in her view, "everyone is born with a bag of stuff," meaning that we all have strengths... and things that are gaps in our abilities. We can obsess about those shortcomings, or enjoy what we do well and the fact that creation is teeming with plenty of people to fill in the gaps.
A Serious Mistake
"There's a give-and-take between these two generations that is missing when middle-aged people are inserted into the equation. We take things so seriously and those two groups don't. When a student shows up with purple hair and a Grateful Dead T-shirt, our inclination is to send him home, but the residents get a kick out of it." - Kathy Newman
Kathy's the leader of a program which connects at-risk youth in elementary school with senior citizens. What infects us between childhood and our golden years... responsibility? A sense that we are called to be perfect or highly significant, more so than a view from the heavens would ever suggest?
Kathy's the leader of a program which connects at-risk youth in elementary school with senior citizens. What infects us between childhood and our golden years... responsibility? A sense that we are called to be perfect or highly significant, more so than a view from the heavens would ever suggest?
Winning The Blame Game By Not Playing
"I can teach proactivity until I am blue in the face, but we are a blame society. It is everywhere and it is deep. If you can begin chipping away at that, it makes my job in the classroom a lot easier. The 7 Habits training teaches that you have to change yourself first before you can change others, and I tell my students if they follow this philosophy their lives will change for the better." - Pat Shagdai, eighth grade science teacher
The best example I've seen this year comes from baseball pitcher Armando Galarraga, who pitched a perfect game - retiring all 27 batters he faced - something less than two dozen men have done in history.
Except that the first base umpire didn't agree about that 27th guy. In a mistake clear from the video replay, he called the runner safe on a close play.
So what did these children of society do?
Well the umpire, he apologized about a dozen times. And the pitcher... read on from the Detroit media:
"Armando Galarraga was handling his brush with infamy as professionally and admirably as he did the evening before.
Galarraga, who saw his perfect game foiled by an admitted blown call by umpire Jim Joyce, said Thursday he doesn't blame Joyce and is ready to move on.
"I thought he made a mistake, (but) nobody's perfect," said Galarraga, who spoke with Joyce after Wednesday's game. "He said, 'Sorry, I'm sorry,' about three times, and I don't blame the guy."
"Nobody is perfect. Everybody makes mistakes. I'm sure he didn't want to (miss) a call. When you see a guy like that last night, he felt really bad. The guy is a professional, he's been umpiring for 21 years, for a long time. You move the page."
Galarraga isn't all that mad, but knows fans are. Tigers fans have bombarded newspaper forums and talk shows about Joyce's costly ninth-inning miscue.
"They're mad," Galarraga said of Tigers fans.
Much has been made nationally about the gracious way Galarraga has handled the situation, although he isn't sure why he's getting the attention.
"I believe a lot of guys would do the same thing, I do," Galarraga said. "It's a game. You don't want to get all crazy about it, be in his face.
"The guy (Joyce) apologized right away and he felt really bad."
Galarraga said he wouldn't mind if commissioner Bud Selig overruled the call, although Galarraga won't contact Selig personally.
"Yeah, I'd love it," Galarraga said. "I don't want to make it that big of a deal. The important thing in my heart, I know I'm perfect (in that game). In my mind and heart, and everybody, all you guys saw, I threw a perfect game."
Galarraga said his parents, family and friends back in Venezuela joined the game in progress in the seventh inning when networks there broke in with coverage.
Galarraga contacted his father after the game, who told him "something like, 'Son, I'm proud of you and I know you threw a perfect game. Make sure to keep the ball and the CD (of the game).'
"I have it (the ball) in my locker."
The initial reaction from many fans, and even some analysts nationally, was for baseball to institute instant replay on close calls, similar to other sports.
But Galarraga wasn't sure that would be a good idea.
"I don't know about that," Galarraga said. "Baseball is a slow game and that's why it's so hard. That kind of play, we're humans, we make mistakes."
The best example I've seen this year comes from baseball pitcher Armando Galarraga, who pitched a perfect game - retiring all 27 batters he faced - something less than two dozen men have done in history.
Except that the first base umpire didn't agree about that 27th guy. In a mistake clear from the video replay, he called the runner safe on a close play.
So what did these children of society do?
Well the umpire, he apologized about a dozen times. And the pitcher... read on from the Detroit media:
"Armando Galarraga was handling his brush with infamy as professionally and admirably as he did the evening before.
Galarraga, who saw his perfect game foiled by an admitted blown call by umpire Jim Joyce, said Thursday he doesn't blame Joyce and is ready to move on.
"I thought he made a mistake, (but) nobody's perfect," said Galarraga, who spoke with Joyce after Wednesday's game. "He said, 'Sorry, I'm sorry,' about three times, and I don't blame the guy."
"Nobody is perfect. Everybody makes mistakes. I'm sure he didn't want to (miss) a call. When you see a guy like that last night, he felt really bad. The guy is a professional, he's been umpiring for 21 years, for a long time. You move the page."
Galarraga isn't all that mad, but knows fans are. Tigers fans have bombarded newspaper forums and talk shows about Joyce's costly ninth-inning miscue.
"They're mad," Galarraga said of Tigers fans.
Much has been made nationally about the gracious way Galarraga has handled the situation, although he isn't sure why he's getting the attention.
"I believe a lot of guys would do the same thing, I do," Galarraga said. "It's a game. You don't want to get all crazy about it, be in his face.
"The guy (Joyce) apologized right away and he felt really bad."
Galarraga said he wouldn't mind if commissioner Bud Selig overruled the call, although Galarraga won't contact Selig personally.
"Yeah, I'd love it," Galarraga said. "I don't want to make it that big of a deal. The important thing in my heart, I know I'm perfect (in that game). In my mind and heart, and everybody, all you guys saw, I threw a perfect game."
Galarraga said his parents, family and friends back in Venezuela joined the game in progress in the seventh inning when networks there broke in with coverage.
Galarraga contacted his father after the game, who told him "something like, 'Son, I'm proud of you and I know you threw a perfect game. Make sure to keep the ball and the CD (of the game).'
"I have it (the ball) in my locker."
The initial reaction from many fans, and even some analysts nationally, was for baseball to institute instant replay on close calls, similar to other sports.
But Galarraga wasn't sure that would be a good idea.
"I don't know about that," Galarraga said. "Baseball is a slow game and that's why it's so hard. That kind of play, we're humans, we make mistakes."
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