The Growth and Resilience Network®

(#182) Making Ends Meet on $27,500 per Month

Posted on November 17, 2013 by Steve Piscitelli

Why did our college leaders
give a newly minted millionaire a housing allowance?

NOTE: Those of you who follow this blog on a regular basis recognize that I write affirming posts about student and life success issues. Please pardon me, as I digress this week. While not necessarily an “affirming” post, this topic does affect higher education (and beyond).

My college, Florida State College at Jacksonville, just hired a new president. The hiring was seen by many as a welcomed change. We had just endured the lengthy separation process of the previous college president (with a subsequent high dollar payout and questions of ethics issues). Unfortunately, what transpired during the “expeditious” contract negotiations for the new president continues to raise questions about college leadership decisions.

I want to be clear. This is not about the new president (the person). From all I have read and heard, she is a wonderfully capable administrator. No, this is about the contract the Board of Trustees decided to approve. And, I am not writing this as a faculty member. This comes from the perspective of a taxpaying working-class citizen in our community.

The contract, according to The Florida Times Union, provides the incoming president with an annual salary of $330,000 through 2016 (that is $27,500 per month for a grand total of $990,000 in base salary over three years). Additionally, she will receive a $25,000 per year housing allowance ($75,000 for 3 years) + $12,000 per year car allowance ($36,000 for 3 years). I guess it is difficult to make ends meet on $27,500 per MONTH.

Image: renjith krishnan/
FreeDigitalPhotos.net

So, the way I read it, the college’s District Board of Trustees extends a contract that virtually makes the new president a millionaire—and gives her additional money to help her make her mortgage payments and pay for gas and oil changes ($1,000 per month to support car expenses). One board member, to her credit, raised concerns about the add-ons.

Why did our college leaders give a newly minted millionaire a housing allowance? Is this an example of “government housing assistance”—the kind we seldom talk about?

Apologists in these situations are quick to fall back on the old canard that we need to pay these candidates to attract the best and brightest; and that the contract is “within the market.” But, who has set that market? The various college Boards of Trustees?

Consider the following:

The new president currently earns (again, according to The Florida Times Union) $201,000 at her current college. She comes into her first year at FSCJ with a nice pay bump of about 65%.
According to the 2013-2014 salary index for FSCJ the starting ANNUAL salaries for an Administrative Assistant 1 (office support staff) or an Adviser comes in at $25,704—less than what the new president will earn in base salary each MONTH and about the same as the housing allowance she will receive. An Academic Tutor will pull in the princely sum of $29,160. And a Human Resource Specialist will command (at the starting level) $27, 504.
According to the poverty guidelines released by the United States government, a family of 4 earning $23,550 ANNUALLY is at the poverty level. (Source: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. http://aspe.hhs.gov/poverty/13poverty.cfm#thresholds. Accessed November 14, 2013.)

So, our new president will be given as much money for her housing allowance as we believe people who are vital to office/support/student success at the college get for an entire year to feed their families, pay a mortgage or rent, and perhaps build a savings plan. If you listen to the board’s audio minutes of November 12, you will hear dialogue about these allowances. Even some of the Board members seemed uneasy with this arrangement. It appears that the allowances were added to the compensation package (in part) to make sure that the base pay does not look egregiously high. The college still pays the same amount—it just looks better to separate some cost from the base salary because no college wants to be “number one” in presidential compensation. There was only one opposition vote on the Board to this contract.

When I asked my students (many of whom are working class members of our community) how much they thought a person would have to earn in the Jacksonville area (without government assistance) to be able to provide his/her family with affordable housing the answers were in the $40,000 to $55,000 per year range. One young woman told the class that she did it on less than $30,000 per year.

Video recommendation for the week:

Florida Governor Rick Scott initiated an investigation (about a year ago) into the level of college president compensation. Were the college governing bodies out of touch with the fiscal realities of the common workers in their respective community markets? Does the new FSCJ Board find itself in the same situation with financial compensation for the people at the top?

What do you think? What represents fair and equitable compensation for college leaders?

I realize I am “just a teacher” but I don’t understand.

Choose well. Live well. Be well—and H.T.R.B. as needed!

Thank you for taking the time to read my blog post. Please share it (and any of the archived posts on this site) with friends and colleagues. You also can follow me on Twitter, LinkedIn, and Facebook. If you get a chance, visit my Facebook page and join in–or start–a conversation (www.facebook.com/stevepiscitelli). If you have suggestions for future posts, leave a comment. Make it a wonderful week!

Check out my upcoming webinar free webinar on Blogging with a Purpose on November 20. Click here to register now for the webinar. Or go to my website for registration information. This webinar is part of the Innovative Educators’ webinar series.

Posted in leadership | Tagged 1%, college boards of trustees, college president salaries, excutive pay, florida state college at jacksonville, fscj, higher education salaries, leadership, management, pay equity | 7 Comments

(#181) Knowing—Doing—Being

Posted on November 10, 2013 by Steve Piscitelli

“We are human beings—not human doings.”

In a blog on leadership development, Colleen Sharen wrote about the 10/20/70 rule for effectiveness. Simply this means that 10% of leadership development comes from training, 20% from mentoring, and 70% from actually applying the knowledge gained. “Thus the majority of development comes from doing leadership rather than knowing leadership,” states Sharen.

I remember my wife telling me about a professor she had in college who was fond of saying, “You don’t learn math in class, you learn it at home.” In other words, you have to use the material.

At the end of all of my workshops, I give the session participants a “Call-to-Action.” The challenge is for each person to find some quiet time after the workshop, sit with their notes, synthesize the material, and apply it to a practical situation in their personal or professional lives.

We have to know the material/strategies; do something with this knowledge; and be what we want—a leader, a community activist, a coach, an author, a teacher, a friend….

Image: markuso/
FrereDigitalPhotos.net

Years ago an older colleague shared some wisdom about knowing—doing—being that rings a bit of a different bell. According to my friend we (roughly) spend:

The first third of our lives knowing. This is when we gather knowledge, learn life’s lessons, and develop skill sets for the work world.
The second third of our lives doing. During these years we are busy making a life, “becoming an adult,” and finding our place in the world. Lots of movement here, there, and beyond.
The final third of our lives being. We finally take time to reflect on what we have done; who we have become; and where we are in life.

While this may be a forced trilogy (and I could easily argue we continue the knowing phase while we are doing if we are truly life-long learners), the words have become a reminder to me. A reminder to stop and breathe and just be. Do we really have to wait until the final part of our lives to enjoy a considered time of reflection? In this I am truly a work in progress. (OK, those who know me well will tell you I struggle with the being.) I am constantly in motion. But more and more I am finding that the constant doing ends up sabotaging what I want to accomplish.

Make no mistake, I love what I do—and I am glad to have every opportunity that comes my way. Still, my body and mind have been attempting to get my attention of late.

I believe it was Deepak Chopra I heard say, “We are human beings—not human doings.”

I certainly seem to be a human doing—as do so many around me. And while I don’t want to stop what I am doing, I (and maybe you, too) need to take more time for quiet, for reflection, for being. So, what can we do to quiet our minds, slow ourselves down, and just be—even if for a brief time? Here’s my quick top five.

Image: Steve Piscitelli

Exercise. (While I am doing something when I exercise, it does allow me to focus on my body—breath, movement. I become more aware of how I feel. And less concerned about the email inbox, the chapter that is due, or the engagement coming up.)
Experience sunrise on the beach.
Move away from the computer, cell phone, tablet, television, and loud people.
Distraction-free driving—no cell phone, no radio, no CD. Just simple alone time.
Meditate.

Video recommendation for the week:

What do you do to just be? Or is the question better stated, what do you not do?

Choose well. Live well. Be well—and H.T.R.B. as needed!

Check out my upcoming webinar on student retention for November. Click here to register now for the webinar. Or go to my website for registration information. This webinar is part of the Innovative Educators’ webinar series.

Posted in Balance, growth, happiness, leadership, Mindfulness, Personal growth, Personal Wellbeing, resilience | Tagged being, growth, introspection, joy, leadership, meditate, mindfulness, reflection, resilience, well-being | 2 Comments

(#180) Access and Power of Technology: Carpe Diem!

Posted on November 3, 2013 by Steve Piscitelli

With a smartphone, you have better access to information
than Bill Clinton did when he was the president! How
are you using this power?

?4U (I have a question for you): Do we understand what we have at our fingertips?

In their book Abundance: The Future is Better Than You Think, Peter Diamandis and Steven Kotler grabbed my attention in the first few pages with two considerations.

Consideration #1:

”Right now, a Masai warrior with a cell phone has better mobile phone capabilities than
the president of the United States did twenty-five years ago. And if he is on a smartphone
with access to Google, then he has better access to information than the
president just fifteen years ago.” (9)

Whoa! Really?

I shared this with my students and asked them what they were doing with the power they carry around each day. When we consider that we have better information access than Bill Clinton did when he occupied the White House, it begs an obvious question. “What do we do with this access and power?”

While many of my students belong to the Net-Gen (they have not known a world without the Internet) and are “connected” that does not make them tech savvy. More to the point, they are tech-dependent. Always having to be in touch, they live in constant FOMO (fear of missing out).

My students told me they mostly use their smart phones (about 50% of my students have them) for texting and social media updates. So, all that power they have access to is used for “What’s up?” and “I’m having a taco for lunch.” Missed opportunities. Consider the potential in this abundance.

Consideration #2:

Quoting Eric Schmidt of Google, Diamandis and Kotler tell their readers, “From the
beginning of time until the year 2003 humankind created five exabytes of digital
information. An exabyte is one billion gigabytes…In the year 2010, the human race is
generating five exabytes of information every two days. By 2013, the number will be
five exabytes produced every ten minutes.” (35)

Again, whoa! 5,000,000,000,000,000,000! Is that becoming 2M2H (too much to handle)? Is it 511 (more information than 411)?

Think of your last Google search. How many “hits” turned up? Thousands? Millions? A billion plus? Which links did you click on? My students tell me that they tend to look at the first one or two items on the page.

Right now about 1 in every 5 people in the world has a smartphone. Global mobile phone traffic is expected to reach 134 exabytes in 2017.

What are you doing with the power of the Internet and new technologies? How do you use it to better your life and improve the quality of life around you?

Video recommendation for the week:

At the end of the day, have you seized the day and accessed the power that waits? We need to move beyond BYOD (bring your own device). IMHO (in my humble opinion), we must learn how and when to harness the power and add value to the conversation.

Choose well. Live well. Be well—and H.T.R.B. as needed!

Posted in Life lessons | 3 Comments

(#179) Stop, Reflect, Evaluate

Posted on October 27, 2013 by Steve Piscitelli

Do you want someone else or something else to determine where you will end up?
Is your growth intentional?

We just passed the halfway point of the semester on campus. Midterm exams have come and gone. Although students receive continual updates on their progress, the midterm provides a natural check-in point.

For the last few years I have sent my students a midterm email encouraging them to reflect on where their actions have taken them. I would like to share this semester’s email with you (below).

As you read it, may I suggest you apply it to yourself? All of us need to take time to stop, reflect and evaluate. If we want to grow, we must understand where we have been, what we are doing, where we are headed, and how we plan to move along the journey. Our growth has to be intentional.

—————–

Hi, scholars,

With the completion of this week of classes, you can now look back on half of your semester. You have completed 8 weeks. Please do the following at this point:

* Stop–Find 5 or 10 minutes and get away by yourself. A quiet room; the campus library or cafeteria; your car; a quiet park; the beach; or even the bus….someplace that you do not have to talk with anyone else. Just time for you.

* Reflect–Consider your dream–the reason you say you are in college. Perhaps it is closer than ever–or maybe it feels further away than ever. Remember why the dream is important to you; why you want to do it/reach it. Has anything changed in your life that causes you to look at the dream in a different manner?

* Evaluate–Are you doing what you need to do to get to your dream? Have you successfully identified the non-negotiable and negotiable items on your priority list? Are you letting other things or other people get in the way of your dreams? Are you making choices that are sabotaging your dreams? Are you satisfied with the progress you are making? What can you do to stay on track–or get back on track?

Image: tiverylucky/
FreeDigitalPhotos.net

* Ask–3 questions of yourself:

* What should I STOP doing?

* What should I KEEP doing?

* What should I START doing?

* Mentor–Find someone who can be of assistance; someone with the wisdom who can help you get closer to your dream. Perhaps YOU can, also, mentor someone who needs your advice.

* Commit–Once you know what you want to do–DO IT! Remember, don’t “try” to do it. “Try” is an excuse. Action will get you to your dreams.

You have traveled a long way this term. Do you want someone else or something else to determine where you will end up? Be proud of your efforts; be proud of your commitment; be proud of the work you will do in the weeks ahead.

Video recommendation for the week:

See the dream…your dream…and move toward it. Here is a short video for you to ponder:

It’s an honor to work with you….See you in class, scholars!

—————————

And, it is an honor to have you read and share my blog. Thank you!

Choose well. Live well. Be well—and H.T.R.B. as needed!

Check out my upcoming November webinar on student retention. Click here to register now for the webinar. Or go to my website for registration information. This webinar is part of the Innovative Educators’ webinar series.

Posted in Choice, creating your future, Dreams, Life lessons, lifelong learning, reslience, Success | Tagged choice, dreams, future, learning, life goals, life journey, mentors, reflection, student success | 2 Comments

(#178) Empowering Our Students

Posted on October 20, 2013 by Steve Piscitelli

Measuring long-term outcomes instead of only checking off short-term activities
will help us with long-term solutions rather than short-term dependency. In education
we need to focus on outcomes, empowerment and efficacy.

I have often shared with people how the social dimension of my life remains my rock, my foundation. My wife and friends continually lift me up. Besides the emotional support they provide, they often feed my intellectual dimension of life with book suggestions. Recently, one of my long-time friends, Royce Duncan, sent me Robert D. Lupton’s Toxic Charity: How Churches and Charities Hurt Those They Help (And How to Reverse It).

While this blog post is not a review of his book, Lupton’s words got me thinking about higher education and student outcomes. I also found connections with last week’s blog post about caring and candor.

Lupton maintains that any aid program (local, national, or international) should be about community transformation and empowerment. And the community must be part of the leadership. It is a slow and arduous process that sometimes conflicts with the intentions of well-meaning donors who want to see immediate results even if the results do not translate to lasting change. (Much like state legislators who want to see immediate results—test scores and re-enrolled students for example—that “show” education has been “fixed” or is “successful.”)

Lupton quotes Roger Sandberg (a former Haiti country director) saying that effective community development has three phases to it.

Relief: Typically needed following emergencies when “life-saving intervention and alleviation of suffering” are needed immediately. Could take months to accomplish.

Rehabilitation: With the emergency passing this phase “increases the capacity of a local community, enabling them to better respond to future crises.” Could take years to accomplish.

Development: This is the long-term planning and action that “seeks to improve the standard of living for a population over many years or decades.” Could take decades to accomplish.

Months, years, and decades. As I read the pages, I thought that much of what we do in higher education can be roughly equated to this three-phase model.

Educational Relief: Especially at two-year colleges, we see people looking to change their lives dramatically. In some cases they need specific and immediate interventions: veteran’s assistance, housing assistance, developmental education classes, child-care, financial aid to pay for tuition and books, access to job placement services, domestic safety concerns, and course advising. Students get on their feet and steady themselves for the road ahead. This will take semesters to see the results.

Educational Rehabilitation: We help students to build skills and explore possibilities and their potentiality. We help them concentrate on and maximize their bright spots (assets) while acknowledging and minimizing/eliminating their not-so-bright spots. This includes taking general education courses, talking with advisers, completing personality assessments, declaring majors, finding mentors, doing internships, and completing course work that empowers students with their own sense of self-efficacy (internal locus of control). Along their course of studies, these students develop a sense of resiliency and a growth mindset. This could take years—all the way to degree completion and beyond.

Video recommendation for the week:

Carol Dweck speaks about how mindsets can influence behavior.

Educational Development: This is an ongoing process that, hopefully, took root during the rehabilitation phase. This equates in my mind to life-long learning and curiosity; there is no a quick fix; there is never an end. The student has been empowered to control and direct his/her own life.

Lupton makes a compelling argument that measuring long-term outcomes (e.g., how behaviors change) instead of checking off short-term activities (e.g., how many pounds of food are distributed on Tuesday) will help those in need with long-term solutions rather than short-term dependency.

The same holds true for education. We need to help our students focus on and be prepared for outcomes, empowerment, and efficacy. In that way we can help develop a vibrant community.

Choose well. Live well. Be well—and H.T.R.B. as needed!

Posted in community development, Education, reslience | Tagged community development, empowerment, growth, higher education, reslience | 1 Comment

(#177) Caring Without Candor Should Raise Concerns

Posted on October 13, 2013 by Steve Piscitelli

It’s one thing to say our students should raise themselves by their own bootstraps.
It’s quite another to make sure we provide them with the boots and the straps.

Yesterday, I reacquainted myself with an interview of leadership coach and trainer John C. Maxwell. He explained that effective leaders exhibit both care and candor. They have compassion for their followers; they validate them as individuals and professionals. At the same time they communicate with candor—clear and unvarnished honesty. One cannot exist without the other. If the only aim is to be nice—and ignore the elephants in the corners—effectiveness and growth will be lost. If, on the other hand, all the leader does is find fault without any human connection being established, she will soon lose her followers. And a leader without followers is simply a lonely person taking a walk.

Caring and candor must take place together. If one is present and the other is not, serious concerns present themselves for the leader, the team, and the organization.

Educational Implications

Effective teachers (who are, after all, leaders of the classroom) know how to balance care and candor. They establish and maintain validating connections with their students while holding them to a high standard of content mastery and skill development.

Stuart Miles/
FreeDigitalPhotos.net

This past week I returned student essays. Most students did well; a few turned in woefully inadequate work. Most of the sub-par work reflected a lack of basic English skills, skills that should have been learned in high school and/or in previous college coursework. Candor and professional integrity dictate that I must point out the deficiencies. How can they improve if they do not know where they went wrong? I also must balance that with care. So, while the students may be shocked, hurt, and disappointed with their poor grades, I provide the opportunities for them to improve their skills. They can earn a higher grade—but they will have to work with a tutor, consult with a study partner, or visit with me for pointers.

Stuart Miles/
FreeDigitalPhotos.net

My goal is NOT simply to raise their grade (that would be misdirected compassion). I want to raise their skill level. If they address their weaknesses (pointed out with honesty), improved grades will eventually follow.

Video recommendation for the week:

Together, caring and candor will raise us up.

When students are passed along with minimal competency—because of so-called caring for the student or caring for the institution’s retention rates—we do them (the students) no favors. And we better be very concerned as an institution and a community.

The Florida legislature passed and the governor signed Senate Bill 1720 this year. It takes full effect in 2014. The short of it: If a student entered a Florida public school in the year 2003-2004 and subsequently received a high school diploma, he/she cannot be mandated to take a common placement test or to enroll in a developmental reading, writing, and/or math class even if the need for such placement is present. The same for active military members. The premise, I believe, is that a high school diploma = college readiness. Why make students do in college what they supposedly received in high school? The reality from our perspective in the open-enrollment higher education classroom is that many are not ready. I’m not sure if this new law is misdirected care (let the students get on with the college credit work) or posturing candor (the state is not going to pay for this basic education again) or both.

It’s one thing to say our students should raise themselves by their own bootstraps. It’s quite another to make sure we provide them with the boots and the straps.

Caring without candor. Candor without caring. It does raise significant concerns.

Choose well. Live well. Be well—and H.T.R.B. as needed!

Posted in leadership, Motivation, Purpose, responsibility | Tagged candor, caring, compassion, failure, integrity, leadership, responsibility, student success, success | 3 Comments

(#176) Fail Fast, Forward, and Fearlessly

Posted on October 6, 2013 by Steve Piscitelli

In education, we talk a lot about “best practices”… I propose we get together
and talk about what we have done in the classroom that did not work.
The “not-so-bright spots.” Not learning from the failure is the lost opportunity.

An understandable inclination pushes us to focus on success. Look at magazine articles, conference agendas, and mission statements and you will find references to “best practices.” Accentuating the positive makes sense—and it feels good.

But what about failure and “worst practices”? Should we just sweep them from our minds? Is there nothing to be learned—and passed on from a less than stellar consequence? Oh, it is almost sport to focus on how someone else failed. That is the fodder of gossip, rumor, and little-minded people. (You know the ones. They’re busy whispering in the hallway or behind closed doors and playing the “ain’t it awful game.” Self-serving and fearful.)

StuartMiles/
FreeDigitalPhotos.net

The October 2013 issue of Success Magazine (print and accompanying CD) focused on failures. It examined the importance of not only taking calculated risks but also the critical lessons gained from pausing to examine, reflect, and discuss failure. Readers heard from entrepreneurs who failed—some pretty spectacularly. In telling their stories, these successful failures hoped to pass along wisdom.

In 2009, FailCon held its first conference. The organizers had found that events they attended in the past pretty much focused on speakers talking about how great their start-up companies were—but never (or at least, not much) addressing what they learned from their mistakes. Lots of self-congratulation. In fact, there seems to be a reticence to even admit failure or have one’s name associated with it. FailCon decided to change that approach. This year’s website states:

….Sometimes things just don’t go as planned. How can you predict what will
work and what won’t? Well, you can’t. But that doesn’t mean you should stop
trying. It just means you should start exchanging stories of what didn’t work …..
Entrepreneurs need to hear that from each other: it’s okay to fail; it doesn’t mean
you’re worthless. You’re just like the rest of us, learning from making mistakes and
building something bigger next time.

StuartMiles/
FreeDigitalPhotos.net

One of the participants in a webinar I facilitated this week worked in her college’s entrepreneurial center. She mentioned the strategy of “failing forward.” I have read in the literature of “failing fast” and moving on to the next part of the journey.

Video recommendation for the week:

This does not apply only to entrepreneurs. It pertains to all walks of life. Rather than always looking out the window to fix blame, let’s look in the mirror and see what we can learn from our stutter steps.

In education, we talk a lot about “best practices.” These are the methods and initiatives that have a proven track record. They work. They provide a foundation to create a body of effective strategies for success. These are what Dan and Chip Heath refer to as “bright spots.” These are the easy things to talk about; what goes right; the successes. And we should recognize and build on these. Never take them for granted.

On my campus I have floated the idea to gather and talk about what we have done in the classroom that did not work. The “not-so-bright spots.” What did we learn from those failures—but more instructively, what can we pass along to our colleagues about what we learned from the failures? Did we fail forward and fast? This can be a powerful training tool for all faculty but especially the new hires—let them know the “veterans” have stumbled. And to fail should not be a badge of shame or embarrassment. Never fear it.

If you have to fear something, then fear not learning from the failure. That is the lost opportunity.

Choose well. Live well. Be well—and H.T.R.B. as needed!

Posted in Failure, growth, intentional growht, Life lessons, Personal growth | Tagged business success, entrepreneur, failure, growth, intentional, startup, success | 8 Comments

(#175) What Legacy Are You Creating?

Posted on September 29, 2013 by Steve Piscitelli

Each of us creates a story –our story. Our thoughts become
our words which influence our actions. The sum of our actions creates
our destiny—our legacy.

The September 23, 2013 issue of Sports Illustrated carried a cover story on Mariano Rivera. Rivera—known as Mo to baseball fans—is the unparalleled closer for the New York Yankee pitching staff. After 23 years in professional baseball, Mo is retiring.

As I read the article I kept thinking of one word: “legacy.” His teammates and opposing players to a person had nothing but great things to say. Beyond platitudes and catch phrases, the words had reverence and respect. This man has built a solid career on disciplined work, ethical behavior, and mentoring of young players.

Video recommendation for the week:

On the last night he pitched in Yankee Stadium, the love was palpable on the field and in the stands. The fans knew they were in the presence of greatness. Mo did not need to showboat, pound his chest, pull out his shirt or otherwise call attention to himself. He simply did the best job each night for his team. He has created and will leave an enduring legacy of class and athleticism.

Years ago, when I taught high school psychology, I remember explaining the concept of “generativity”. Erik Erikson said it was the drive, in the later years of life, to leave something to the next generation. In short, to make a difference; leave a positive mark.

Each of us creates a story –our story. The story is not created by one event, one day, or one year. Your story, my story—all of our stories—are the sum of the small yet consistent choices we make and do each day. Our thoughts become our words which influence our actions. The sum of our actions creates our destiny—our legacy.

In many ways I feel so fortunate to be in a calling that allows me the opportunity to leave a mark each day in the classroom, on campus and around the nation. The sum of all those actions is still to be determined.

Thoughts, words, actions, destiny, and legacy.

What legacy are you creating?

Choose well. Live well. Be well—and H.T.R.B. as needed!

Check out my upcoming webinars for October. Click here to register now for the webinar. Or go to my website for registration information. My October titles: (1) Student Motivation: Practical Strategies that Will Increase Engagement, Learning and Retention; and (2) Priority Management: An Action Plan for Managing Work and Life (complementary webinar). Both of these webinars are part of the Innovative Educators’ webinar series.

Posted in generativity, legacy | Tagged destiny, generativity, legacy, purpose | 2 Comments

(#174) We Are All Related

Posted on September 22, 2013 by Steve Piscitelli

Mitakuye Oyasin
-Lakota-

It sounds so simple. It rings so true. And, it makes sense.

Mitakuye Oyasin.

Years ago I read words attributed to Chief Seattle that stated we are the web of life; whatever we do to the web we do to ourselves.

On my visit to Sitting Bull College this week I was struck by the references (again and again) to our connections with the universe. We have more in common than we care to acknowledge.

Lakota Star Quilt

One evening during my visit to Ft. Yates (North Dakota), I had the honor of having dinner with one of Sitting Bull’s great-great-great grandsons, Ron His Horse is Thunder. Ron and his wife live in a wonderfully comfortable prairie house on the Missouri River. Horses, cows, deer and pheasant surround them. So do snakes on occasion. Ron shared the following story.

He found a rather large rattle snake in his driveway. Rather than kill it, he picked it up (with a pitch fork) and toted it a distance from the house. He placed it on the ground and then spoke to the snake. He simply told him that he was free to go—and not return. Ron recognized the snake’s existence; he wished the snake to do the same. He then sprinkled tobacco around the edges of his property. Four years later, no rattle snakes have returned. Respect.

Debra and Ron His Horse is Thunder with Steve

Mitakuye Oyasin. We are all related. Or as I was told, more literally, the Lakota phrase means “Whoever are all my relatives.”

Video recommendation for the week:

The next day I had the opportunity to spend some time with Reuben Fast Horse. In the following video clip, he convincingly reminds us that we share so many things in our lives.

I recently read about the Japanese concept of genba. It means that to understand something—to have an impact on something—we have go to the real place where the work is done. For me, the visit to Standing Rock Reservation was like that. It reminds me that we are all truly part of the web of life–and we still have a lot of work to do to respect that web.

Mitakuye Oyasin.

Choose well. Live well. Be well—and H.T.R.B. as needed!

Posted in collaboration, Community, Impact, influence, Integrity, Life lessons, lifelong learning, Mindfulness | Tagged dakota, diversity, humanity, integrity, lakota, native american, respect, sitting bull college, standing rock reservation | 3 Comments

(#173) Sailing or Anchoring?

Posted on September 15, 2013 by Steve Piscitelli

To reach a port, we must sail. Sail, not tie at anchor. Sail, not drift.
–Franklin Roosevelt–

No doubt, you have heard people use the expression “think outside the box” to encourage creative thinking. The idea: move beyond your comfort zone and explore new options. Be bold and creative. Be open and experience new vistas.

If you are too reticent to climb outside the box, you initially could move as close to the edges of the current box as possible. Continue to push a tad further to know you have stretched. Pause. Reflect. Extend a little further.

Image: Ohmmy3d/
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Not everyone, however, is comfortable going beyond the usual parameters. Perhaps you have had to work with people for whom even looking at the edges of the box creates too much angst. Their comfort zone ends up being assuaged by shrinking the current box. Rather than sail even a little bit from the sight of land, they choose to remain anchored in the current and in sight of the old and familiar. They work to spec. Life and work remain the “same ol’, same ol’.”

If asked to do a SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats) analysis I’ve seen these folks totally ignore the strengths and opportunities of a new perspective—and go directly to the problems (perceived or real). They tightly secure their anchor to the weaknesses and threats. Not just on occasion—but pretty much in every situation that attempts to move to the edges or beyond. Why? Well, perhaps they

Have difficulty adjusting to change.
Do not want to invest time needed to retool.
Have seen so much change they are simply tired.
Would rather protect their turf.
Are short-sighted.
Delight in being a curmudgeon.
Fear what they do not understand.
Are jealous of ideas and attention associated with creative team members.
Need a better education to the situation at hand.
Lack leadership that promotes and nurtures free thinking.

Image: cbenjasuwan/
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As frustrating as these Negative Nellies can be, let’s learn from the experience. For instance:

What strengths can we find in their opposition? What positive points can you find in the reticence for change? What have you possibly overlooked in your zeal? Even though you may disagree with Tentative Tommy he may have valid concerns.

Video recommendation for the week:

A quick visual overview of SWOT.

What weaknesses are present in your views and theirs? In what way(s) may the criticism be misguided or wrongheaded? Do you have sufficient information to support your position?
What opportunities can you find in the disagreement? How can the criticism or reticence move the team forward? How can you make sure the person with misgivings feels heard and validated? Can you see a better alternative? An effective leader will help you see where opportunities exist and how to exploit them for good.
What threats exist in this situation? The major threat is avoiding professional, respectful and passionate debate. The path of least resistance may lead to more problems. Ask the person (or people) with misgivings what they see as a positive in the proposed new direction.

If you have to spend time with the naysayers (the anchors)… learn from them…understand them…and sail on.

Image: lkunl /
FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Choose well. Live well. Be well—and H.T.R.B. as needed!

Check out my upcoming webinars for October. Click here to register now for the webinar. Or go to my website for registration information. My October titles: (1) Student Motivation: Practical Strategies that Will Increase Engagement, Learning and Retention; and (2) Priority Management: An Action Plan for Managing Work and Life (complementary webinar). Both of these webinars are part of the Innovative Educators’ webinar series.

Posted in change, collaboration, Creativity, growth, leadership | Tagged change, collaboration, courage, creativity, growth, leadershipe, negativity, risk, SWOT | Leave a comment

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