Let Yourself Be Inconvenienced

Todd Whittaker mentions his simple but powerful phrase in all of his books at some point, "When you do something nice for someone, two people feel better... and one of them is you."  The truth is we do end up feeling better when we go out of our way to help someone else.  I know I have many opportunities each day to do "nice things" for others that I miss because I am too self-involved or focused on my own needs.  I really try to remind myself that the best things often come out of what I would consider "life's inconveniences."  The trick is being self aware enough to realize when we have a "worthy inconvenience."  

Let's try to be aware of when we feel "inconvenienced" this week.  Let's see what happens if we can embrace the inconvenience and put all our energy and attention into it.  Who knows, maybe something unexpectedly good may come out of it.   If it doesn't, we haven't lost much, and maybe we'll have learned some lessons in human interaction. 

The image above is a photo my daughter took of a deer we saw on a recent walk in the woods during a 100 degree day.  I almost missed that walk because I didn't want to be inconvenienced with a walk on a hot day.

Mountainous Goals

Just outside of Tucson you can find the Catalina Mountain Range.  The highest point is about 8,000 feet.  A group of 4 MRH staff members (including myself) and two students  awakened at 4:45 AM to attempt to  hike up the mountain as far as we could.  We were unaware that the Sierra Club rated this an "A Trail."  This is the rating they hold for the most difficult hiking trails.  We trudged up this rocky trail for 2 hours going up to about 5,500 feet.  We had a great view of the Tucson Valley below.  Dripping with sweat, tired, and picking thorns from the thousands of cactus along the way out of our clothes, we drank in the view and headed down.

All of us found the trek down much more challenging.  What a great lesson to learn.  Going up, we all had our mind focused on the summit and it motivated us.  Going down, we had no focal point.  This lack of a goal seemed to make our downward climb less invigorating.  We also got sloppy and had more slight falls, slips, and bumps.

I guess that's what happens when we take our eyes off the goal.

Judging and Grading

"Every judgement ends up being a self-judgement in some way."  I heard a presenter say this at a conference in Chicago this past weekend.  We were discussing the ethics of grading in schools and the idea that standards based grading was a more ethical way to go about it.  Separating behavior, timeliness, and teacher subjectivities from what kids actual know is not always so simple.

I don't know about you, but I don't want to be seen as a judge for anybody.  God forbid anyone look at me in that same judgmental way.

Our grades really should not be seen as judgements should they?  Too many times they are because they seem so random and subjective.  Why did homework count for this amount?  How come we only had one test worth any points?  Why did I get a zero when I handed in the paper a day late?  Can I redo that test because I know I can do better?

When you let students know what their learning goals are and track their mastery of that goal, aren't we giving a more accurate description of what they actually know?

I think it's time we start to investigate the legitimacy of standards based grading.

Energy Givers and Takers

There are many ways we can categorize people, (and I abhor categories for people), but I must say this one caught my attention.  This speaker, who ran a very successful organization, stated that the basis of their success was the fact that he had 100% buy-in from staff that everyone would do their best to be an "energy giver" at this organization.  This did not mean that people did not have their bad days.  No, but it did mean that everyone was conscientious of the fact that their attitudes and feelings can alter the daily atmosphere and success of the organization.  And, in the end, if the results were not so satisfactory, people would still have the good fortune of working in a supportive and positive work environment.  "The funny thing is," said the speaker, "that every organization, team, family etc.. that has this buy in to being 'energy givers' seems to find success." After all, when there are no "energy takers" to poison our cultures and climates with their toxic attitudes and behaviors, we liberate our organizations and take the restraints off that were holding us back.

Are we "energy givers" or "energy takers?"

The Presence at Cameron Indoor Stadium-Duke Univeristy

I just left a quick visit to Cameron Indoor Stadium in Durham, NC, home of the Duke Blue Devils Men's Basketball team.  As we drove on to campus, we could not find the place.   We approached the football stadium and noticed a small, unassuming, old brick building with the sign in front of it that read "Cameron Indoor Stadium."  "This is it?" said my friend.  We immediately entered to witness a basketball cathedral of excellence.  Wooden chairs, gold copper railings, light wooden paneling in the bleachers and the famous announcer's booth hanging from the low ceiling.  "This is where a powerhouse was created?  This is the team that has won more championships than any other school in the last 30 years?"

The answer is an emphatic, YES!  After leaving this humble installation I was even more impressed by the work of Coach Mike Krzyzewski.  The place definitely has a "presence."  It is a good presence that speaks of wholesome values, hard work, humility, and doing things with pure intentions.  I became a Duke fan for life after today.  If excellence comes from humble origins, this is truly a case study for that theory.  I left inspired realizing that greatness can come from anywhere if the right leaders are in place to make it happen.

Learning From The Dallas Mavericks-no shortcuts

We have a new, and first time, NBA champion--The Dallas Mavericks!  Let's look at the qualities in the individual players that has made them champions:

• Tyson Chandler-brought a positive attitude, energy, and defensive toughness.  His attitude changed the culture of the team.  
• JJ Barea-fearless, consistently aggressive, constantly on the attack and putting pressure on defenses
• Jason Kidd-incredible court vision, unselfishness, and game awareness
• Jason Terry-confident and explosive leader/scorer.  A leader who puts team first.
• Dashawn Stevenson-great defender, tough, not concerned with scoring or accolades.
• Dirk Nowitzki-incredible offensive talent, unstoppable, took shots within offensive flow, held teammates accountable
• Ian Mahimi-big defender who maximized his minutes
• Brian Cardinal-big bruiser, better passer than appears, very tough, adds a hard-nosed attitude to the team
• Shawn Marion-athletic defender who causes matchup problems.  A steady and calm influence
• Owner Mark Cuban-the team's biggest fan and supporter.  He loves his players and they love playing for him
• Coach Rick Carlise-pushed all the right buttons with substitutions, defensive changes, and understanding his personnel.  Rick understood his team.  His calm and confident demeanor set a tone.

Dallas created a culture of unselfishness and they did so by repeated failure.  For 13 years they kept the main pieces of the puzzle and this loyalty to its core paid off.  This title was 13 years in the making!
Congrats Mavs!

Open Up

While currently in Spain visiting a current student (who is studying at a high school there), and hoping to develop a partnership with some Spanish high schools, I paused to reflect upon why some people can cross cultures with ease and others simply cannot.  I came to the conclusion it all starts with the open mentality that is so necessary to learn a new language/culture.  This "openness" is accompanied by a few traits:

-A realization that there are many ways to do everyday things and no one way is necessarily better
-A strong self image that allows for one to make mistakes when speaking
-A work ethic that leads one to learn from mistakes
-A willingness to try new foods, accept a new way to break up the day, and an openness to trying new activities.
-A realization that no culture is necessarily superior, just different, and they all have strengths and weaknesses

The student I visited was strong in all the above mentioned areas and is thriving in the Spanish culture; although his language skills have a ways to go.

The lesson is simple:  When respect is demonstrated to others, it's usually returned