The Friday Grab Bag: Three others’ posts to read (July 3)
This week it’s a celebration of the genius that is Kevin Kelly. My goodness, this man knows how to write and knows how to write provocative, smart, thoughtful stuff. Perfect reading for those of us on a long weekend…
1. What’s your death clock read?
Just posted today, and already a classic. You can set up your own countdown to when you die… (it’s not a gruesome as you’d think)
2. Upcreation
How does complexity happen? How doe things keep upgrading so the simple building blocks become the marvellous, complex universe in which we live? Not a fast read, but a deep one.
3. The arc of complexity
This article follows on nicely from “upcreation”. Read the two of them together. Then go: Wow.
The answer? Dance more.
I’m on the way back from New Orleans where I spoke about the Coaching for Great Work program. It was my first visit to the city, and I had a great time - a really fantastic vibe.
We finished the conference last night with a concert from the redoubtable Sheryl Crow. She rocked us with all her hits.
And the crowd?
They sat there.
I on the other hand put aside my embarrassment about being an awkward white guy, stood up, and danced the whole show long.
And I tell you - I’ve decided that dancing more is a pretty good answer to whatever ails you.
Time to get a little more funk and groove into your life too?
Happy Canada Day to those North of the border, happy July 4th to those South of it
Great Work Quote #36: “To improve you have to…”
“To improve you have to have mistakes. That is the problem with improving. You have to accept that problem.”
~ Rafael Nadal
With Wimbledon underway, this little gem from Rafael Nadal seemed right on the money.
It cuts to the heart of one of the tensions of doing more Great Work. Safety, comfort, reliability and familiarity all lie in the Good Work zone. Risk, uncertainty and error lie in those unmapped parts of your Great Work.
You’re not trying to leave Good Work behind. You can’t, to misquote Jack Nicolson, handle just Great Work. But you’re looking for the best mix for you, now, between Good and Great.
And to do more Great Work, you need to make mistakes.
Where do you want to improve?
Where do you want to make a mistake?
(The answer’s the same.)
The Friday Grab Bag: Three others’ posts to read (June 26th)
By “three” I mean “six”. (I haven’t posted the Grab Bag for a couple of weeks, and I’ve got a backlog of cool stuff to share with you)
1. Woulda Coulda Shoulda
My friend Paul Williams of Idea Sandbox riffs on this topic, with a particularly fantastic illustration of just how…blunt a choice this really is.
2. The triumph of the default
Kevin Kelly, who I’m coming to realize has the brain the size of a large planet, and another brilliant post. It’s not just machines we should be thinking about. It’s what defaults are WE set on?
3. What should a Gruffalo look like?
A big question. Here’s the answer from the Gruffalo creator, Axel Scheffler
4. Your so called “priorities”
Merline Mann’s one of the other big brains of the internet - a productivity and creativity curmudgeon. Actually, the description of the gruffalo fits him pretty well…
This is a fantastic rant about the insanity of a big priorities list.
5. Change resources
I love hanging out with people who make me think and make me laugh. In Toronto, that group includes the members of NextGen Leadership. They’re smart, experienced, funky people who’ve come together to form a loose collective of smarts. Here’s a list of articles and resources they’ve shared on making change happen in organizations. There’s an article from me there too about three counter-intuitive truths about coaching in organizations.
6. You Matter
Seth lays it down.
7. The funkiest flight attendant ever.
This almost makes me want to fly again. Almost.
Great Work Interview: Steven Rothstein, President of Perkins School for the Blind
With it being Helen Keller’s birthday this weekend, it seemed perfect to release my interview with Steven Rothstein. Steven is the ninth president of the Perkins School for the Blind - most famous for being Helen Keller’s school, but most extraordinary for not resting on its laurels. Perkins is extremely active supporting people who are visually or hearing impaired, not just in the United States but internationally and Steven is a great force and great champion for the school. I heard him speak at an education conference, and was very much inspired by what he had to say.
Before joining Perkins, Steven worked in government, private business and non-profit human service education, including being co-founder of the Citizen’s Energy Corporation, which is a non-profit organization providing millions of dollars in energy and medical benefits to low-income citizens nationally and internationally. In this interview we:
- Hear the the story of Perkins and some of the amazing work they do
- Learn how Perkins moved from being a US-centered organization to working internationally, and the importance of working through local cultures.
- See how they choose which battles to fight - and which ones to let go
- Uncover the deep belief that drives all of Perkins’ strategic decisions
You can listen to this interview here: http://www.findyourgreatwork.com/interviews/featured-interview-steven-rothstein/
“Security is mostly a superstition. It does not exist in nature, nor do the children of men as a whole experience it. Avoiding danger is no safer in the long run than outright exposure. Life is either a daring adventure or nothing.”
~ Helen Keller
