Behavior as a Mirror of Self
“Behavior is the mirror in which everyone shows their image.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe Behaviors, unlike thoughts, are observable to other people. Although a witness will often not understand the reasons why someone acted a certain way, they will know how someone conducted their affairs. Your behavior is measurable and can be compared and contrasted in the following […]
Read MoreDo You Kaizen?
There are two basic kinds of changes: 1) Explosive Innovation 2) Small Incremental Alterations Often, it is believed that explosive innovation is necessary to improve a system, a process, an organization. Innovation is wonderful, especially when the current way is failing; however, if a current methodology is not ‘broken’, then small incremental alterations are often […]
Read MoreThe 80/20 of the 80/20 Rule
Although the Italian sociologist and economist, Vilfredo Pareto, provided the foundation for the 80/20 rule (often called the Pareto principle) when analyzing income distributions in the 19th century, it was Joseph Moses Juran who applied the idea to quality management theory. It is a very valuable idea; however, one must be careful not to oversimplify […]
Read MoreThe Rule of Five
Learning is based, in part, on repetition. Most of what you see and hear on a daily basis will be forgotten if there is only the single (or initial) stimulus. One method to improve your overall memory is to employ the ‘Rule of Five’ review technique for important material. Research suggests this works as multiple […]
Read MoreLearn to Learn (Metalearning)
You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make him think… The first 15 years of the 21st century has certainly made two things abundantly clear: Change is the new constant. Change will continue at an ever-increasing speed. This means the any skills you have today will become obsolete sooner than could have […]
Read MoreHow Practice Makes Perfect
Psychologist Edward Lee Thorndike (1874-1949) proposed the “Law of Exercise” which stated that the more times a response is made in a given situation, the stronger it becomes. As a behaviorist, he suggested that stimulus-response associations are strengthened through repetition. This was an early idea about learning, based on animal studies. In other words, he […]
Read MoreWhat’s Your Learning Goal?
What new skill, activity, hobby, or subject matter do you want to learn about? I suggest pursuing one major learning goal for 2015. Perhaps you would like to delve deep into history and become an American Civil War buff or an expert on the campaigns of Alexander the Great. Maybe you would like to learn […]
Read MoreThree Magic Words are…
…Write It Down! 1) Do you want increase your productivity? Write It Down. Think on paper and consider your top concerns, assumptions, questions, goals, projects, and tasks. 2) Do you want to increase your creativity? Write It Down. Record your observations, conversations, ideas, insights, answers, solutions, crazy thoughts, and wild memes. Simple advice? Yes. Easy? No! Think of all […]
Read MoreAvoiding Groupthink
Rub-a-dub-dub, Three men in a tub; And who do you think they be? The butcher, the baker, The candlestick-maker; Turn ’em out, knaves all three! It is common for individuals to seek out people of the same race, gender, educational level, and SES; however, gathering like-minded people is an awful strategy for finding the best […]
Read MoreAchieving Your Childhood Dreams
“We cannot change the cards we are dealt, just how we play the hand.” – Randy Pausch Former Disney Imagineer and Carnegie Mellon Professor Randy Pausch (October 23, 1960 – July 25, 2008) was an inspired (and inspiring) man who passed away at age 47 due to pancreatic cancer. Although he knew he was dying, he did […]
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