Bryans Post:
As I continue making my way through the readings of
The Art of Possibility
I’m further engrossed in the idea of redrawing perceptions of the world
around us to start seeing what is truly around us. Starting with the
first reading of Chapter 5, I felt that the idea of “leading from any
chair” could just be a good motto for any leader. In my opinion, good
leadership is simply motivating your students, team, or employees to
perform at their best. If you are motivating these people to wish to
perform at in a leadership role or to be able to function so efficiently
that they don’t necessarily notice when the leader is removed, then
that is the mark of great leadership. I also found it inspirational to
hear the tales of the conductor having the violinist take over so he
could watch his orchestra from the back row of the audience. To me,
regardless of what kind of music being performed, this is a concert I
would be compelled to go see. Hearing that level passion that the
conductor is leaving his very controlling and involved role to
experience his “product” as the paying customer would, demonstrates a
thoughtfulness to me that
should be modeled by any leader of quality.
Moving on through the reading, I found chapter 6 to be especially
inspiring. The whole mantra of “Don’t take yourself so goddamn
seriously” is a good one to live by, and one I’ve learned on my own to
adopt over the years. Having worked in a teaching and mental health role
with kids, I’ve worked with a big range of ages and learning
capacities, and throughout this I’ve learned that humor is probably the
most universal of languages. Some of my most successful teaching moments
have evolved out of taking difficult materials and adding bits of humor
to the teaching process. Even just joking around with students can
sometimes build a strong enough rapport that they learn that you’re not
always about business, and in turn, this can motivate some to really
push themselves to perform better in my course because they feel they
know me better as a person than some of their other teachers. As I read
of this concept being applied to business models, it didn’t surprise me
to learn of instances where it generated success in those worlds as
well. I also felt that chapter 7 conveyed a strong idea about presenting
things as they truly are when dissecting a situation. I think it’s
human nature to fall into the “poor me” boat when things don’t
necessarily go our way, but it rarely ever helps the situation, and more
rarely improves it in my experiences. I can really see how the simple
idea of changing “but” statement to “and” statements can make it easier
to stop us from playing the victim in situations where it really won’t
help anything move forward.
Lastly, I think this week’s reading wrapped up with some good
thoughts on doing something about all of the possibilities one can see
when they reframe their ideas. The metaphorical imagery of a river
building an ice tower is a strong concept, and the thoughts on letting
nature flow through your body to take the course it should are really
strong; but, I have to admit I’m excited to hear more ideas of doing
something about the possibilities Zander is trying to open our minds to
seeing. Again, I have to reiterate that for an “assigned” reading this
has been an easy and compelling read for me, and one I would recommend
to others. I look forward to concluding this book in the coming week.
My response to Bryan's post:
Bryan,
I enjoyed your post very much, but what stuck with the most from it
was your Chapter 6 reflection. I too agree and need to live by, “Don’t take
yourself so goddamn seriously”. Not too long ago, I would become overwhelmed
and stressed out over the smallest things. During my experience at Full Sail,
my managing and teaching position along with my personal life, I have learned
and continue to adopt this attitude so I am able to strive for a piece of mind.
I agree with you that humor is always needed when things get a
little too serious. I also bring humor to my classroom to ease the tension,
especially during my portfolio class, where the pressure is on due to
completions of portfolios and website in a 4 week deadline. My students always
seem to appreciate my silly jokes. I believe when a teacher rules with an iron
fist, it brings the moral and motivation down in the classroom. When people are
happy and comfortable in their work environment, they are more productive.
Humorous and happy people always seem to get more accomplished. So I build the
environment in my classroom with a smile and the occasional teacher joke.
