Compared to what?

 

I attended Harvard as a graduate student, so I like to check in on what is happening during commencement week. One of the speakers at Harvard's graduation this year was Congressman Barney Frank, who apparently graduated from Harvard with quite a few degrees.

Graduation speeches are always a challenge, and they can be memorable or sleep-inducing.  Though I didn't attend the commencement, the wonders of modern technology (i.e. "Youtube") gave me access to his speech (as well as Andy Samberg's which was certainly more entertaining).

One point made by Frank has really stuck with me, and it is the notion that idealism and pragmatism are not opposites, and they are both highly needed today. There seems to be a significant tension today between these two issues and it occurs on both sides of the aisle to some extent.  There are liberals who will not vote for Obama because of their ideals and the fact that he has caved in on some liberal issues.  There are conservatives who will not vote for Romney because he is not ideologically pure on conservative issues. There are elected officials who will not vote on any issue that requires compromise, even if it is disastrous to our country.

Now its a free country and people are free to vote for whomever they want, or to not vote at all. I understand the sentiment of those who bow out because they cannot find a suitable candidate.  But the question Frank raised, "Compared to what?" is really an important one.  We are a very heterogeneous country.  I  will likely never vote for a president with whom I totally agree.  There will always be issues near and dear to my heart that will not be popular among the whole of society.  Should I not vote because of this?

It is easy to blame the politicians and say "they're all bums", as I hear so frequently these days.  The highly polarizing environment of Washington is distressing, and it is standing in the way of the progress of our country. But I think this view is a cop out. They aren't "all bums",  they are people we elected to represent us. So to a large extent, we are responsible.

When voting for a President, Congressional candidate or a specific issue such as healthcare, debt reduction or financial reform, it is important to ask ourselves "Compared to what?".  What is the alternative? What happens if we don't vote for this person, issue, or reform? What happens if we stomp our feet and refuse to budge. This is the essence of leadership: making the difficult decisions.

At the root of this question is the reality that we cannot always get everything we want, and instead we sometimes need to compromise.  It may not be pretty, and it certainly isn't perfect,  but if it moves us in the right direction, then it may be worth it.

The New Face of Learning

I am currently teaching a course on Organizational Culture.  This course is taught through an online platform, Blackboard, asynchronously, which means as a class we do not all "meet" at the same time.

I recently had a discussion with some folks which is becoming more and more familiar--something to the effect of: "Do you really think the quality of education is as good if you don't meet face to face?".  To be honest, it is usually people of my generation (boomers) who are likely to question the value of online education.  However, it is certainly a fair question.

The Experience of People

Tom DeLong

Attended a dinner meeting provided by the New England Society for Applied Psychology last nite. The speaker was Tom DeLong from the Harvard Business School. Tom had an energetic and interactive style of presenting which was fun, and he based his presentation on the usual HBS case-based style of teaching which centered on succession planning in a professional services firm.  

There were a number of interesting tidbits but what seemed to resonate most, were the 3 questions he posed as being most relevant for people like us who work with high-achieving professionals:

1. How do people experience you;
2. How do you experience people; and (most importantly)
3. How do people experience themselves when they are with you.

Interesting.  

What do you think, Dr. King?

Martin Luther King, Jr. as a young man

              Today we celebrate the life and work of Martin Luther King, Jr.   

 He had a dream. Did his dream come true?

Psychology, Leadership & the Big Ideas

I recently attended a seminar through the New England Society for Applied Psychology in which Sarah Cliff, Executive Editor of the Harvard Business Review spoke. Her presentation was entitled, "On the Psychology of Leadership and Managing People"-- a topic which is indeed near and dear to my heart.

Ms. Cliff described leadership and management trends evident throughout the history of the journal, some of the noteworthy ones being: Maslow's hierarchy of needs, Ed Schein's organizational culture, career anchors, OD; Dan Goleman on Emotional Intelligence, Martin Seligman on Resilience, Chris Argyris, Peter Drucker, John Kotter, and many more.

Recent trends noted include: technology, globalization, the increasing pace of change and lack of job security--all of which we know have a big impact on leadership today.

One comment really stood out for me:

"Truth: We have not been overwhelmed by BIG, EARTH-SHATTERING management ideas in the past 12 or 13 years."     

Thanksgiving: a time to pause and reflect

Betty and Curtis in Granada, Spain.

I love my work. What's not to like? I have a great boss (that would be me), I get to use my talents, and I help people and companies get better at what they do.

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving and in honor of our national tradition, we use this day to give thanks.  Despite the fact that I love my work, I am most thankful for those "other things".  I guess rather than be a person who lives to work, I work to live.

I am most thankful for my family--my husband,  kids, parents, siblings, in-laws, uncles and aunts who are still around, cousins, nephews and nieces.  I am not yet a grandparent, but I am already thankful for the grandchildren I hope to have someday (I am an optimist).

I am also thankful for friends--both old and new. Like many baby boomers, I have recently reconnected with friends who I had lost touch with--I am enjoying these re-connections quite a bit.

I am particularly thankful for my health and the health of my family and friends.  I know that illness and death are a part of life; and like most people, I do not enjoy this aspect of life. But I also know there are people around me to help with these more difficult times, and for that I am thankful.

I  recently visited Spain with my husband. I am thankful I have the opportunity to travel and also a spouse who enjoys traveling with me.

As corny as it sounds, it can be quite a useful exercise to sit and count your blessings.  It is easy to get caught up in the stresses of our busy lives, making it that more important to pause, reflect, and remember those things most important to us.

Why INTEGRITY trumps everything

Joe Paterno was obviously a well-loved and respected coach by the Penn State community as well as throughout athletic circles. Yet Joe Paterno is out. History has become irrelevant; an integrity issue has reared its ugly head.