Sharing Tips, Opinions and Experiences About Developing Leaders
Tamar Lewin of the NY Times writes about the expansion of MIT’s OpenCourseWare offerings and soon you’ll also be able to prove your mastery with a certificate. This trend will be a game changer.
I think people will always desire to learn together face-to-face, but not all. Traditional physical campus space will eventually shrink or convert to other uses as more and more students choose free learning opportunities.
Helen Keller said, “The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched. They must be felt with the heart.” As I sit waiting to meet my third child, I reflect on the beauty of unseen things. The Zen of Fatherhood.
Enlightenment through deep thought. Reaching higher levels of understanding through a natural progression of experience. Fatherhood allows me to reach higher levels of understanding about things I thought I already knew.
LEARNING – My first son changed my life forever. Not that I wasn’t prepared for that, but I did not know to what extent. I learned to love their learning process. Watching the wonderment in their faces when they discover something new is priceless. If only I could remember to learn with such enthusiasm.
PATIENCE – God knows, one of my greatest flaws remains impatience. I often forget how unimportant spilled milk really is in the grand scheme of things. Usually, the dog will lick it up anyway. I think being a father has made me a more empathetic person and leader.
LOVE – Experiencing the love a parent feels for a child is like nothing I have ever experienced. Sure, I love my spouse, parents, siblings, friends, etc, but nothing compares. I know there is very little I wouldn’t sacrifice to ensure they are safe and successful.
WEALTH – I suppose I’m less motivated by money than some and more so than others. However, fatherhood has brought more wealth into my life in the last 5 years than the previous 30 combined. While I won’t stop developing myself and looking for ways to build financial stability for my family, I have nonetheless discovered the wealth of blessings I already possess.
Yes, fatherhood brings a form of zen into one’s life. Multiple paths exist toward enlightenment for all, but my path led me to this higher level of understanding. I look forward to reaching ever higher levels in the future and passing as much as possible down to my descendants.
I am thinking about how confident women are built just days before my little girl joins our family. How do I ensure she becomes a future leader? I just read Marshall Goldsmith’s blog post interviewing Girl Scouts former CEO Kathy Cloninger.
Marshall asks Kathy about the results of a study on the leadership aspirations of girls. Most were ambivalent about the current command and control leadership most prevalent in our society. A fact that most enlightened leaders already understand. Interestingly, most of the female business executives and business owners in the US (80%) are former Girl Scouts; as are more than 65% of the female members of the US Congress and Senate. Clearly Girl Scouts are developing valuable leadership skills in young women.
What else can we do to help our young girls become confident strong leaders?
What’s going wrong with American education is outlined In this Newsweek Article, re-posted at the Daily Beast titled the Creativity Crisis. Essentially, we’ve begun to focus on test taking and standards at a time that the Chinese are racing toward the old American model of fostering creativity. Europe, too recognized the lack of creativity being taught in public schools and instituted several new initiative.
Since it is unlikely that the US education system will figure this out anytime soon. What can we do to ensure our kids gain the skills and experiences they need to compete in the 21st century? I’m interested to know what you think. Please comment below.