Voyage of discovery

"The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes but in having new eyes." Marcel Proust,

Seneca: hankering after more

"It is not the man who has too little who is poor but the one who hankers after more." Seneca

Hamlet's Blackberry Notes

"To lead happy, productive lives in a connected world, we need to master the art of disconnecting." p. 6

talking about Plato's Phaedrus "In a busy world, path to depth & fulfillment begins with distance.

"It is not the man who has too little who is poor but the one who hankers after more." Seneca

Unnecessary interruptions & recovery time take 28% of the avg worksday. p. 60

***Like Seneca's idea of finding one new idea to fully consider per day: After running over a lot of different thoughts, pick out one to be digested thoroughly that day. This is what I do myself; out of the many bits I have been reading I lay hold of one.">>considering how to do this myself...what would be a good practice for doing this...a daily entry?

Also talks around this point of the "finding flow" concept. >>I would also add the practice of "bracketing" to be able to block out distractions and focus...some of this is a matter of discipline & priority I'd say.

***My thoughts about how I pursue depth & balance

• Start the day with poetry or other reflective reading (from a book!)
• Keep Brendan company while he eats breakfast--don't be behind the screen unless there is a major pressing deadline!
• Exercise goals:5 times/week target; 4 minimum. (no screens!) Walking outside regularly is one of most important practices of disconnecting.
• Re-commit to our Sunday offline day.
• Increase book reading/decrease web reading (especially random post dinner web surfing w/o goals). (possibly increase newspaper subscription?)
• More times when email & Twitter are off for focused tasks
• Weekly blogging for work; more frequent personal blogging (i.e. more in depth writing as opposed to thinking Twitter is covering my idea sharing). More in depth consideration of ideas/ issues.
• Build in more book reading time during day while Brendan is up for role modeling.

Communication tools/technically boring

Communication tools don't get socially interesting until they get technically boring. Clay Shirky

what are we busy about?

It is not enough to be busy. So are the ants. The question is: What are we busy about? Thoreau #quotes

draft week in review

Wow, there was a lot happening in the social capital world this week! Granted, our mission has us interested in a wide range of subject areas; but this week seemed particularly chock-full of relevant stories and studies. So I'm got to start early on my resolution to blog more regularly, and recap the top stories I came across this week.

Walkable Cities & Social Capital A recent University of New Hampshire study found that more walkable cities have higher social capital--this article recaps the study nicely. I suppose it's no big surprise that walking around one's neighborhood would build social capital--greeting familiar faces and maybe even stopping to chat. However, it's always nice to have our guesses confirmed with data! Those of us in the Boston area can thus take heart that placing high on the list of most walkable cities--it's good for our social capital and our health!

Census Trends & Resources An interesting NY Times article "Census Data Shows Immigrants Making a Path to the Suburbs"

survey on US views on diversity & more

US gets a "C" for addressing racial prejudice in this survey full of interesting info http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/usa-networks-new-united-or-divided-poll-shows-americans-believe-racial-ethnic-political-divisions-are-worse-than-just-a-year-ago-111547664.html @ansinanser #socialcapAC

Also has data on bullying

tips from Eric Andersen

Thanks for asking, @socialcap my profile at @oneforty has the list of Twitter tools I use and I've rated: http://j.mp/gaSc0r

@socialcap I've used @tweetbackup to archive tweets - and twapperkeeper for specific hashtag streams

Gotta make things happen

Main character in Richard Russo's That Old Cape Magic

"Part of the reason he'd so passive at his daughter's wedding was his profound sense that something was supposed to happen there; all he had to do was be patient and recognize the moment when it arrived. Today, though, he knew better. The only things things that are supposed to happen are the things you made happen."

Crisis terrible to waste

"A crisis is a terrible thing to waste." Standford economist Paul Romer, mentioned in Florida's Great Reset

To accomplish great things

To accomplish great things, we must not only act, but also dream, not only plan, but also believe. - Anatole France

gratitude

As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them. - JFK.

Spiritual Life

The spiritual life does not remove us from the world but leads us deeper into it: Henri Nouwen

Social capital quote

The most powerful force in American democracy is the connection between and among citizens.

From NCOC civic health assessment

Cape Mini-Gold: Skull Island in Yarmouth

As I've mentioned, mini-golf was very big on our recent Cape Cod trip. Our 2nd time playing was at the Bass River Sports World in South Yarmouth. The course is dubbed "Skull Island"--you can probably see from the photo how the course got that name! It definitely is a fun course, especially as our young fellow is fairly interested in pirates these days. The course is pretty challenging, and has fun features such as a hole that goes through a cave. My one piece of advice would be to play there when it is less than 90 degrees--there isn't much shade there other than a cave or two! Most days down the Cape that wouldn't be an issue, but we were there on a hot spell.

There are a lot of other activities at the Sports World facility, including soccer cage, a skate park and go karts. We didn't dabble in those but did enjoy the (air conditioned!) arcade for a bit after we played mini-golf.

Tips: There's a dollar off/person coupon in the Kids on the Cape book (at least there was in the 2010 addition). Like other mini-golf places we played, the facility is cash only. If you are like me and often have little cash, expecting to pay with a card, you'll want to make note of that!

Cape Mini-Golf: Arnold's in Eastham

Mini-golf was very popular during our recent Cape Cod vacation. We made it to the mini-links no less than 3 times in the week we were there. I'll start with the most recent outing at Arnold's Adventure mini-golf in Eastham. In a week where the temperatures pushed 90 most days, a rarity for the Cape, the shade at this course was welcomed. This was a fairly challenging course--though my brother-in-law and I both managed a hole in one--with quite a few balls needing to be retrieved from the "water hazards".

Many of the structures on the course pay homage to various aspects of local Cape history. These displays had potential to be interesting, though I must say we were to busy keeping up with our 5 year old to notice too much.

This course is right on Route 6, conveniently located near Cape Cod National Seashore beaches. We combined mini-golfing here with a trip to Nauset Beach to check out the impressive post-"Hurricane" Earl surf.

The smell of fried seafood wafts onto the course, as the mini-golf is located next to Arnold's Lobster & Clam Bar. We had plenty to eat at home for lunch so stayed strong and passed on the restaurant, but certainly seems like it could be a nice combined outing.

Tips: $1 off/player coupons can be printed right from the Arnold's website or also found in the "Kids on the Cape" publication. Like the other mini-golf courses we visited at the Cape, this is cash only.

Hope spring eternal

Hope spring eternal in the human breast. Alexander Pope #quotes

referenced in Casey at the Bat (and many a Red Sox season!) which we were just reading.

Anne Frank

How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world. ~Anne Frank

Facebook groups to track certain friends

Question posed on Facebook: This question was asked.... "Is there a way to set a "friend" as preferred so you don't loose their feeds behind other clutter. I don't want to have to hide others to keep my page clean. I am interested in keeping up to date with a particular individual for a while. Is there an easier way?" I thought Tweetdeck ???? But HOW?

***

My answer: I haven't done that on Facebook, but do use Twitter lists a lot in that way (i.e. create lists of groups of people I want to monitor closely). Good idea re Tweetdeck (TD), that looks like it would work. In TD, go to "add column" (the + sign near top), then click "Use Facebook", then "create new group" (assuming you don't already have 1 created you can use). Name the group, pick the people you want to follow in this group, and then you'd have a column of their newsfeed you can look at. (I didn't go all the way through creating a new FB group but it should work).

effective Facebook pages

40 Highly Effective FaceBook Business Pages (SpeckyBoy) #SocialMedia #Marketing | http://ht.ly/2rfpA

starbuck's digital

starbuck's network article...worth keeping eye on it. they talk about pulling in local content, including via Patch (like what's in Winchester)

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/38695157/ns/business-consumer_news/

Screen shots

hold ctrl + al + prnt scrn

paste into Paint

save as jpg

retention of records federal grants

per MSA conference call, 3 years after closeout...4 to be safe (i.e. closeout takes a bit).

Facebook setting tips

http://mashable.com/2010/05/18/facebook-privacy-tips/

good article on 5 tips since the new changes. (I should probably use lists more)

Twitter--key for people learning about products

http://www.zendesk.com/blog/twitter-for-business Good chart on how people use Twitter to learn about products, etc.

Possible OTC reading

http://ht.ly/2isPb case study of group volunteer project

Also perhaps this article on role of weaver http://www.tsne.org/site/c.ghLUK3PCLoF/b.5884117/k.4EF6/Nonprofit_Resources__Project_Profiles__Role_of_a_Weaver_in_Creating_Results_on_Community_Issues_Talking_FacetoFace_Makes_a_Difference.htm

Social impact of open sources lifestyle?

Could the "open source" nature of our lives in the social media environment be pulling us away from what had been an increasingly private lifestyles? i.e. the hunkering down in our individual homes, with our nuclear family, no front porches, etc.

Net Augments real life

"The Internet augments real world life rather than providing an alternative to it." @cshirky in "Here Comes Everybody" #books #quotes

5 rules of community engagement

Good ideas here, they are consistent with a lot of our Social Capitalist principles.

http://ourblocks.net/5-rules-of-community-engagement/

From Social Capital to Social Impact

Strategies for turning social capital into social impact (from SCI AmeriCorps workshop winter 2010)

• Increase communication and have information [D1] available to all.
• Expand pre-existing networks
• Become an expert in the issue you are addressing; or at least learn enough to communicate about it, and find other subject matter experts you can tap.
• Localize a larger issue.
• Replicate and enhance past events.
• Develop clear objectives.
• Utilize the connectors in your network to expand your reach.
• Find groups with common goals and objectives who have a shared interest in the issue.
• Follow-up with groups and individual contacts made—follow-through on any commitments made, and be in touch proactively to further cultivate the relationship.
• Be willing to do small tasks to get objectives done.
• Ask your volunteers for help tapping their networks to get additional volunteers & resources.
• Expand your base of volunteers to have greater impact.

---

[D1]There seemed to be a word missing from flipchart this is what I added.

Getting connected in new community

Strategies for overcoming a modest set of personal connections in the community you are serving (tips from Social Capital Inc. AmeriCorps group, winter 2010.)

• Tap, co-workers, supervisors—especially those that are “connectors”
• Connect through the outside contacts that you have made
• Utilize a database system and tools such as LinkedIn to maintain records of contacts over time, and find people who would be good contacts
• Attend community meetings—including finding some that you attend regularly so you really develop relationships and get a sense of who the connectors are in the group.
• Be willing to make cold calls, explaining who you are, what you do. Cold calls can turn into relationships.
• Cultivate relationships with connectors, expand your base of these key contacts.

Here Comes Everybody Notes

CS points out that the invention of the printing press did not cause revolution per se; rather, in created the conditions that made it possible. Luther's theses couldn't have been disseminated rapidly enough to have the kind of effect they did, without the invention of the printing press.

"Real revolutions don't involve orderly transition from point A to B. Rather, they go from A through a long period of chaos and only then reach B." 68

"Revolution doesn't happen when society adopts new technologies-it happens when society adopts new behaviors" 160

CS asks why there is so much drivel with online posts, citing examples of someone's stream of consciousness about their day....he puts it simply "they are not talking to you." it's as if you're eavesdropping on a conversation at a nearby table at a mall foodcourt. The thing is, such chatter is being done through the same medium as professional content.

>>This distinction is true to some extent, but I do see a lot more voices trying to essential be professional in this new medium too--Twitter is especially oriented this way (many people wind up with a much broader audience than friends/acquaintances); also can see in the abundance of quality blogs (e.g. how many food/wine critics are there now via blogging).

"Conversation is king. Content is just something to talk about." Cory Doctorow

Shirky points out that part of what happens in communities with high social capital is "indirect" reciprocity. Reminds me of that point made by Prof. Putnam--he can benefit from neighborhood picnics even if he doesn't go.

MeetUp was created by Scott Heiferman specifically in response to his read of Bowling Alone.

The Internet augments real world life rather than providing an alternative to it.

Open source movement teaches us that the communal can be at least as durable as the commercial. 258

The systematic bias for continuity creates a bias for substandard results. (i.e. an organization or company's need to survive makes it opt for consistency, steady performers, and shun the risk and innovation that an open source system can tolerate. the open source system can have a lot of failures but from those attempts come the new innovation.

CONCLUDING PAGE:

The future belongs to those who take the present for granted.

Our social tools are dramatically improving our ability to share, cooperate & act together. As everyone from working biologists to angry air passengers adopts these tools it is leading to an epochal change.

Conversation/Content

Conversation is king. Content is just something to talk about. Cory Doctorow

Change communication, change society

When we change the way we communicate, we change society. Clay Shirky, Here Comes Everybody

OTC team impact

We're up to 7,300 monthly visitors to our 4 community portals managed by SCI AmeriCorps members, up by 27% over the year. #impact

Hamlet's Blackberry

balancing being "connected" loosely/quickly and in more deep ways (i.e. not on facebook). how do deeper connections matter--also enhance the significance of our online connecting...prompted by W Powers talking about ideas in his book "Hamlet's Blackberry". elaborate on this theme

Keep on Learning

The most important attitude that can be formed is that of the desire to go on learning. John Dewey

Soul of the Community Survey

Excerpts from Knight Foundation "Soul of the Community" survey more @ http://www.soulofthecommunity.org/

"An area’s physical beauty, opportunities for socializing and its openness to all people provide the emotional glue that keeps residents happily entrenched, the study has found.

Yet the survey also delves deeper, to explore whether communities with more attached residents are better off. So far, two years of results have found a significant relationship between people’s passion and loyalty for their community and local economic growth. Researchers will examine this connection further in 2010."

Tracking impact of network connecting

Successive work days provide 2 examples of "leveraging my network"...thinking it would be good to track these more consistently both to serve as examples and try to track impact.

Friday Elaine called to discuss ILC need to find new space, quickly. Was her first call. We discussed a few ideas, agreed to put together a community network meeting to discuss further.

Monday saw this tweet below from Room to Grow, and forwarded it through a few channels to my network.

Room to Grow Bos has urgent need for Spanish books for ages 0-3, toothbrushes, & pjs. Donate new & nearly new items. http://bit.ly/b503d

Other recent network leveraging includes trying to get word out better about the free lunch program at Shamrock (no one there day 1; about 10 by weeks end)...outreach for that resulted in getting schools to make announcement via their parent phone system.

Also, in interesting example of Twitter dynamics, 2 people noticed my post about having been @PIH, including one who asked if I could help her make a connection there for a position she was seeking, which I will do.

Transience

Let us maintain ourselves between change's teeth, so that its gazing head full grasps us. Rilke, from "Transience"

Twitter resources

Don't know that I agree with the advice about following a few (I'm more a fan of reciprocity provided the follower has some relevancy to my interests)...but some good points and resources for analyzing one's twitter-based social networks.

http://thisisanawesomewebsite.com/2010/07/twitter-tip-for-networked-nonprofits-follow-the-few-to-get-to-the-many/

AmeriCorps report & replication resource

Report on Innovative AmeriCorps program, could be something to reference as we try to postion Social Capital Inc. for growth. http://www.icicp.org/ht/a/GetDocumentAction/i/12506 they also have the AmeriCorps program wiki.

How NOT to cultivate your social network

We often talk about how to cultivate your network--what about how not to cultivate your network? What things negatively impact your social capital? Some obvious ones would be not returning calls, not following through on something you said you would do. Continuously being on the receiving side of a relationship would be another.

I'm also thinking of a few situations lately that bring this question to mind...making referrals, and then seeing my contact handle the situation in a way that made me feel uncomfortable that I had made that referral. The take-away on this is that when someone makes an introduction for me, I need to keep in mind that the person is extending him or herself by making that connection. I need to be aware that how I proceed with that contact is going to impact my relationship with the introducer. Being insensitive to this dynamic is another way not to cultivate your network.

These are just a few additional ideas that come to mind--I would welcome thoughts from others on how not to cultivate your network! Sometimes those negative examples can be valuable for our learning.

Wishes for a grad

Congratulations on the path you have successfully travelled to get you to this peak, and best wishes to you in the journeys ahead. Know that success lies not in choosing the 1 path that is right for you, but the spirit you bring to the journey. I believe you are ready to enjoy & thrive on your chosen path. I enjoyed this book as travelling companion shortly after college and thought you might like it as well.

Cities, Time

"Cities were built to measure time, remove time from nature," says a character in Don DeLillo's Point Omega. A bit like the difference between kairos & chronos the latter being measured time, kairos a more nature flow of time, between things when something of significance happens.

Things which matter most

Things which matter most must never be at the mercy of things that matter least. Goethe #quotes #priorities

Twitter start-up points for NPOs

good points here from Raj http://blog.ambientengines.com/2010/06/03/how-to-get-started-with-twitter-to-get-your-message-out/

Aristotle--social beings

Man is a political being & is disposed by nature to live w others. Aristotle > current research on social networks proving this true!

Need for nonprofit leaders

@catchafire Over next decade, nonprofits will need 2 attract & develop 640,000 new sr managers. Tom Tierney, Bridgespan

More Twitter Tips

Value of linking Twitter feed to LinkedIn; having Facebook updates push to Twitter (note when doing so to compose the update like a tweet).

Another Twitter tip--encouraging RTs

Got an email from David Stephenson, this is a nice way to reach out to people...if you follow a lot of people you easily missing something from a contact that you might want to RT

You may remember that Wikinomics begins with the example of Goldcorp, the Canadian firm that released ALL data on its N. Ontario deposits and created a global Challenge competition to guide them on best places to mine for gold. They got thousands of outside-the-box ideas, the top prize was won by a consortium of two Australian companies that created a 3-D visualization of the site (and had never visited it!), and more than 8 million ounces of gold have been found there -- rescuing Goldcorp from near-bankruptcy.

DOESN'T THAT SOUND LIKE EXACTLY THE KIND OF CROWDSOURCING THE #BP WELL REQUIRES? I HOPE YOU'LL RETWEET THE FOLLOWING:

RT @Data4all #BP must copy Goldcorp http://j.mp/,5czXo release all #well data, create Web2.0-based global #crowdsourcing challenge

Imitation is flattery?

"When people are free to do as they please, they usually imitate each other." Eric Hoffer (Cited in "Connected")

Living in a digital world

Seeing Brendan wonder around the hotel in SD, snapping one photo after another with Jodi's knew smartphone, illustrates how digital changes things...remember with "old fashioned" cameras, pictures had to be chosen carefully to use the scarce resource of film, developing costs, etc. But on the other hand, as oil keeps flowing into the Gulf, we are reminded that that while our digital world makes the previously limited virtually limitless, we are at the same time bumping into hard limits of natural resources. Perhaps the former holds the key to dealing with the latter?

Love has to be put into action

Love cannot remain by itself--it has no meaning. Love has to be put into action and that action is service. Mother Teresa

Problems give life meaning

"It is in the whole process of meeting and solving problems that life has its meaning. Problems are the cutting edge that distinguishes between success and failure. Problems call forth our courage and wisdom. It is only because of problems that we grow mentally and spiritually." Scott Peck p. 16 Road Less Traveled

From the Pinnacle

Hawk gently flaps wings

Soar gracefully upward

Lush green pasture below

Nestled in autumnal gold

Grazing cows appear still

Flick of tail shows they’re alive

Woods and meadow

Yield to gentle mountains

Monarch dances about

Not searching just being

Written back in KY days atop the "Pinnacle" near Berea.

Lilacs-fragment

Lilac scent hovers

Waking with the birds

a little early morning haiku:

waking with the birds

witness to morning's first light

weary ducks still sleep

What lies within us...

"What lies behind us & what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us." Oliver Wendell Holmes

(another 1 from Covey notes)

Success

Success is on the far side of failure. T.J. Watson

Another one from my Covey notes, from chapter on "Be Proactive".

"What matters most is how we respond to what we experience." Covey 75

Excellence, Aristotle's take

We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit. Aristotle

(read in Covey's 7 Habits...trying to digitize those old notes!)

Gladwell's The Outliers Review

Malcolm Gladwell, author of The Tipping Point, has written another lively book that sheds new perspectives on an important topic. This one focuses on the factors that lead to success for people, and debunks some common assumptions. He emphasizes the way environment & hard work combine for good results.

Regarding hard work, Gladwell gives us the "10,000 hour rule" in which he suggests that to achieve mastery in virtually any field, one needs at least 10,000 hours of practice. He cites as one example the young Bill Gates slipping out in the middle of the night as a teen to program on a nearby mainframe; and the Beatles getting their 10,000 hours through long 8 hour gigs they did in their early days at a club in Germany.

In a chapter “The Trouble with Geniuses Part 2” Gladwell talks about how a stark difference in parenting styles between upper middle class families vs. lower SES families contributes to very different outcomes. He contrasts the story of a guy with an IQ higher than Einstein’s that winds up struggling because of tough family background (mother forgets to fill out financial aid form so he can’t go to college) with parents who had both skills and an inclination to supported their talented children.

But there's also an important element of chance that underlies the story of success. He points out that Gates (and other early tech entrepreneurs) happened to come of age at a time when there was great opportunity in there field, and circumstances provided them opportunities to develop the skills needed to capitalize on the opportunity. And even simple things such as the month one is born can contribute to success (if you want to make the NHL better hope you're born in January!).

I wouldn't quite put this on par with Tipping Point, which was a highly influential work, but this is a very entertaining and interesting read.

Atlantic Article on Joblessness

Some misc. notes on this grim but important article http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2010/03/how-a-new-jobless-era-will-transform-america/7919/

Disturbing re 20somethings "They’re used to checklists" & “don’t excel at leadership or independent problem solving.” from an author names Ron Alsop

Talks about problems if people get their career started during a tough economic times--they become less risk averse, develop bad habits. (this is layered on top of existing problems w the generation suggested above).

Volunteering as a way to help people stay connected?

Imagination

The man who has no imagination has no wings. - Muhammad Ali.

Twitter Tips #1

I was meeting with friends yesterday about how social media can be used in their new business. I found myself writing a rather detailed email with some follow-up points. Pasting this in here, thinking it might be useful in this form to others, and I may develop into a more full article later on.

I'd underline point that some of the detail on the social media stuff can seem overwhelming, I encourage you to not let it deter you from jumping in & trying. The more you see it as an integrated part of communicating about your business, your passion for pairings, the better it will work out.

That said, the other possible deterrent to starting on the social media (SM is the shorthand BTW) is feeling like you don't know some of the key mechanics, and I realized a few points that could use a bit of explaining. Once you get going on Twitter, an important thing to do is track who is mentioning you, i.e. they include @PairingsWF in their tweet. Generally if someone mentions you a comment back, using the "reply" function (even if it's a simple "thanks for mentioning our shop") is a good idea. So I thought I'd share a few of the basics on how this works.

-First, to see who has mentioned you, when you're logged in and are at the "Home" page (i.e. you see the stream of Tweets of people you are following), in the right-hand sidebar you'll a clickable link @pairingsWF click that, and you'll see the stream of tweets mentioning you. (granted, it will take a little time before you see much here, but there should a couple at least from me!)

-To respond to a tweet at the Twitter web interface, when you are logged in and are at the "Home" page, simply hover over the Tweet and you'll get an option to reply or retweet. The reply option starts a new tweet by you, starting with the handle of the person whom you are replying to. Then you can just compose.

Retweeting is basically sending out the message someone else has tweeted to your followers. The format is

RT @cookingchat we tasted some good wines yesterday

You are basically indicating you find the tweet interesting, useful etc, and the above format shows that it is the person you are RTing that actually made the initial comment. I'm especially inclined to retweet something that has a link to a good article or useful piece of info. You can add your own comment like this

I liked the Nebbiolo best RT @cookingchat we tasted some good wines yesterday

This shows what you are adding to the conversation, and what I said.

When using the Twitter interface, I prefer to manually do an RT (copy and paste the tweet into your new tweet window) b/c using the RT button you don't have a chance to add anything. As I mentioned, tools like Tweetdeck can be downloaded to make some of these functions a bit easier to manage.

Gardner On Leadership

The future is shaped by those who believe in the future--and in themselves. John Gardner, On Leadership

Proust & Memories

I need to read more Proust. I recall one of his ideas being that we must have a memory of something to truly appreciate and experience it. I think of this as I read B. a night time story about a mother trying savor each of her growing sons "lasts". Find this 1 very poignant, thinking even just after 4.5 years already see how fast time goes, how fast he grows. So I do want to make sure I'm savoring as many of these moments as possible. Yet spending too much time daydreaming about the past (or blogging about it) gets us out of the present...and to really have signficant memories of something, we have to be fully present in that moment.

The Lighting of a Fire

"Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire." W.B. Yeats

Lau-tzu on Leaders

A leader is best when people barely know that he exists; not so good when people obey and acclaim him, worst when they despise him. Lau-tzu

A mind once stretched...

"A mind once stretched never regains its original shape."

Oliver Wendell Holmes

Imitation is Suicide

"A man should learn to detect and watch that gleam of light which flashes across his mind from within, more than the lustre of the firmament of bards and sages...Imitation is suicide."

-Emerson, in "Self Reliance"

Falling Trust

Yipes, the proportion of Americans who feel they can generally trust others fell from 46% in 1972 to 32% in 2008. General Social Survey. (Have seen this before, reminded of it in a post by Peter Levine).

Shadows on Icy Snow

Thumbnail moon casting

soft shadows on icy snow.

Crackling cold surrounds me as I

crunch morning's first steps over path

thinly veiled with night's subtle flurry.

This started as a haiku but wound up a bit too long for the format!

Zen from the Sides of the Mountain--Pirsig

To live only for some future goal is shallow. It's the sides of the mountain that sustain life, not the top. Pirsig, Zen & The Art of Motorcycle Maintenance #quote

Americans elevating experience over things

This references a NYT article that shows people starting to value experience-- including civic activity plus family outings, hobbies, etc.--over things. Could be good for citing in talks/writing.

Encouraging trends! RT @dbb54: NYT Americans are rearranging their lives to elevate experiences over things http://j.mp/5h8kFU

Putting first things first

Thinking in these early days of the new year about goals, priorities. Reminded of the importance of putting "first things first" which of course encourages one to clarify what those "first things" are.

In strategic planning, organizations are encouraged to focus on "core competencies" and "doing more of what they do best". I don't hear this suggest a lot, but does it not make sense that individuals, especially in leadership positions, ought to also think about their core competencies and doing more of what they do best?

Emerging from a stretch of very short-term focused activity, being strategic about my time and spending more of it doing what I'm best at and most passionate about is very much on my mind. This means more time really engaging in the substance of our program work at Social Capital Inc., thinking and writing about it, working on the learning & teaching aspects of the work. Have to believe that successfully devoting more time to these functions will help move our organization forward. Having faith that doing the right the will lead to good results over the long-term has served me well thus far and expect it will continue to do so in 2010!

The most important thing in education...

"The most important thing in education is to teach young people how to think for themselves." Albert Schweitzer

Schweitzer was in many ways the inspiration for the organization that really launched me into leadership back in high school, the Hugh O'Brien Youth Leadership Foundation (HOBY).