Archive for the ‘Education’ Category
Wednesday, August 25th, 2010
School is In
You can feel school in the air. This is the week to prepare for teachers and we just waved goodbye to a group of amazing students who will be manning and womaning one of the main dorms at the University of Pennsylvania.
These dorm leaders were at the Country Place Retreat for the week end to get to know each other and talk about what is expected of them. They spent much time in the great room discussing campus issues. They played volleyball, had a campfire, and ate really great food.
Nothing out of control happened. No scenes from a reality show showed up. They talked, walked, played, and learned. Not much to write about. So, why am I writing about something that was peaceful and positive.
Different from a group we had here eighteen months ago who were about the same age as these college students. The other group thought the great room was a hockey field, that food fights were acceptable, and cleaning up after them was a sign of weakness. That other group cost us a fortune in repairs and new carpet.
Both groups traveled the hour and a half from Philadelphia. Yet, they were words apart. Both groups also had teachers with them to facilitate the program. So, what was the difference?
I’m going to take an educated guess. Now, group two will remain anonymous; just know they were mentors to students in the city. Maybe the Penn group is more future-oriented, more academic. Is that what could make the difference? That may be one part.
Here is another thought to ponder. Pendulums swing from one side to the other. We have just come out of a time of “mean girls/boys” to the max. We are just finishing with the Lindsay Lohan drama and now that she is in rehab it is really quiet. I think that in these past eighteen months the tide has begun to change.
At some point all the cursing, bad behavior, and silliness of reality television starts to get old. We become hungry to hear about those who are making a positive difference. We become hungry to make a positive difference.
Like this saying: “When wallowing in a vat of hot fudge one cries out for a piece of celery”; maybe, just maybe we are moving into a time where the Snookie’s of the world can drink their tequila and no one will care. Let’s hear it for those who are helping to make this planet a better place and don’t need to be applauded for every move.
Tags: Drama, Lindsay Lohan, School, Students, The Country Place, University of Penn
Posted in Communication, Education | No Comments »
Friday, June 4th, 2010
What was the most meaningful graduation gift you ever received? Or one you gave? I was thinking about my daughter’s high school graduation and the gift I gave her, a short quotation, copied on a piece of paper that I have been told has stayed with her through so many of her life journeys.
That was many years ago.
Yesterday my granddaughter “graduated” from pre-school. It was a low key day, no caps and gowns, a special gift from the teachers and all the grown-ups bringing flowers.
The two events came together in my mind and I have been thinking deeply about what we graduate from, and what we go toward. What as a society, do we offer at every level for leadership development? How do we create “elegant leaders”? Elegant, in the true scientific meaning is to get things done effectively and efficiently.
Here is what I found so moving at young Arielle’s day before getting ready for “big school” in August. The teachers talked about each child and their special contributions to the class as a whole. That was good; talking about how the system works together without a need for an academic explanation.
Then they were given a present, a Lucite memory box to put gathered treasures in. On the box were four words so they would remember what they had learned past the fun of the playground and cooking class, art and storytelling time. It is for them to take as young, emerging leaders into the future, the essence of education and leading a good life: knowledge; service; loving kindness.
It was then I was reminded of the quotation I had given my daughter when she graduated, past the fun and excitement of preparing for college, getting ready for “big school”.
Here is the quote from Carlos Castaneda: “Look at every path closely and deliberately, and then ask ourselves this crucial question: Does this path have a heart? If it does, then the path is good. If it doesn’t it is of no use.”
This is my gift for all graduates.
Tags: Gifts, Graduation, Happiness, Heart, Journey, Kindness, Knowledge, Leaders, Leadership, Path, Strong Leaders
Posted in Character, Communication, Decision Making, Education, Educators, Leaders, Leadership, Reflections, Relationships, Transformation | No Comments »
Tuesday, June 1st, 2010
School is out, or almost out. It is a time of endings and beginnings. High school seniors are moving on, college grads are moving on. I recently went with my daughter to tour my granddaughter Arielle’s new elementary school. She also will be moving on after preschool graduation next week. (I was concerned I would make some slick comments if these little ones wore caps and gowns, fortunately they will be in play clothes).
In any case, we all need to roll up our sleeves and take a more active part in the education of the next generations. The Washington Post article gives food for thought. It is high time we look deeply at the fact that our education system needs renovation. For the most part it is not preparing our youth for the dizzying, whirling world in front of all of us.
Presently we are consulting with the Derry Township school district and the administrative team is tackling the core questions of what else should we be imparting to students past the required curriculum. It is tough and important work and we would like to hear from other educators about the role of the schools in the 21st century.
In the meantime I am watching an open and eager five year old already “liking” her new school. I can only hope she stays open to learning as time goes on.
My comment to the article:
Donald Kettl hit that proverbial nail smack on! It’s no longer skills for jobs, it’s learning how to learn, how to think. I have seen amazing and relativley fast change come through the dialogue model first started by physicist David Bohm and philosopher Krishnamurti. Here is my “however”. We truly need to start with the bright shiny little ones entering kindergarten who are so open and ready to learn to learn rather than check the boxes. Change is systemic and needs to go way up river so the next generation of college presidents has more wiggle room for innovation.
Tags: Change, Education, Educators, Leaders, Leadership, The Washington Post
Posted in Collaboration, Communication, Education, Educators, Leaders, Leadership | No Comments »
Thursday, May 6th, 2010
A friend of mine, amazing man, just sold his business for a lot of money, I mean a lot of money. Everyone is happy for him. He smiles when he talks about his pot of gold, his fabulous career, yet the smiles seem somehow vacant, somehow sad.
He invited me for late morning coffee. We sat at a cornet table, far from the maddening crowd in this busy Starbucks and I heard the story under the plastic smile.
He has the money now, and he has what he never had before, the time; all that is good. However, he told me he has been haunted by memories of years gone by and he can’t get these memories out of his mind.
Let me give you the picture. This tall, handsome man is in his early 60’s. He has been healthy and vibrant. Married, divorced, remarried; two grown children, a son and a daughter and two step sons. He has a beautiful wife, beautiful city home and a beautiful vacation home in a beautiful beach community. Got the picture?
Sounds like the model of American success? On one level it is. On another it raises a major question: what do we give up to get?
That is his struggle today. He is haunted by thoughts of how much he missed watching his kids grow up, how driven he was for success. How sad he is about the times that the office became his sanctuary and everything else was on the back burner.
Not sure what he wants to do with the remaining years. His parents and grandparents lived to their late eighties so unless hit by a truck he has many good years ahead. Yet, no preparation for what to do; there is only so much golf you can play.
He asked me to officially coach him, help him find some meaning, some new kind of quality. Most of my coaching time is spent with folks requesting leadership development and executive education. This is a new and important place for me to focus; with the boomer group searching for meaning.
We will be starting a program soon that is the result of my coaching with this man; it has been named “Total Life Connections“. It is based on our highly successful “Total Leadership Connections “program. It addresses the big question of how to give back, how to make a difference, what really matters when pinnacles of success have been reached and we stand there with vacant smiles asking “Now what?”
This program will answer that quality of life question. Call or email for more details.
Tags: Coaching, Collaboration, Communication, Consulting, Leaders, Leadership, leadership development, programs, Transformation, Workplace Relationships
Posted in Business, Coaching, Collaboration, Communication, Conflict, Conflict Resolution, Consulting, Education, Leaders, Leadership, Leadership Strategies, Patterns, Reflections, Total Leaders, Workplace Relationships, leadership development | No Comments »
Monday, April 19th, 2010
Colorado Senator Michael F. Bennett deserves to be classified as an elegant leader. The definition of an elegant leader is one who can cut through the b.s. and see the essence of a situation and then find ways to make things happen.
Senator Bennett is the former Superintendent of the Denver public schools and is taking a stand in Washington for what is sorely needed, leadership in the schools. He wants to establish a national leadership institute and training centers in a bill that addresses high need schools.
His bill considers how the present system for recruiting, training, supporting, and retaining teachers and principals was designed for the last century and won’t work in present time. He is so right.
I did some research about how our present public education system began. It was brought across the ocean from a Prussian model that focused on what it would take to be a good citizen and do what was expected from you. It is based on a military model of respecting command and control and following orders.
This is obviously not what is needed in this time of internet, speed, and continuous questioning of rules. Questioning rules is one thing; disregarding responsible behavior is another thing. Somehow we have lost the capacity to teach youngsters about the “Three R’s”: respect, responsibility, and relationship.
Schools are often armed camps. All schools, urban and suburban have locked doors and either television monitors or armed guards.
The need for educators to get the best leadership development is critical. They hold the next generations in their hands. The future we create is being created today by the care and direction we give our youth.
The essence of leadership development for educators is no different than executive leadership programs offered to Fortune 100 corporations. All leadership programs need one major adjustment, some include this and others don’t. It is a section on self awareness. Without being clear about our motives for why we do what we do there is too much room for error. The leaders of business and schools are the role models for the youth of our country and how they behave and make decisions is critical for where we end up.
Senator Bennett is leading an initiative of major importance and needs every alert citizen to support his efforts. We need more elegant leaders like Bennett in government so send him your acknowledgment and let him know you are behind him. Go to: http://bennet.senate.gov/contact
Tags: Colorado Senator, Education, Educators, Executive Leadership Program, Leaders, Leadership, leadership development, Leadership in Schools, Senator Michael F. Bennett
Posted in Character, Collaboration, Communication, Education, Educators, Ethics, Integrity, Leaders, Leadership, Leadership in Schools, leadership development | No Comments »
Monday, April 12th, 2010
There are so many words to describe leaders. In all the leadership development programs I have researched there are certain words that are on most web sites. Strong leadership is everywhere, so is powerful, committed, and of course, great leadership is always on the list.
Lately I have seen a rash of leadership blogs and responses about being a tough leader. I often wonder is this is in reaction to President Obama who many see as too soft, or bringing out too much of his “feminine side”.
As I research executive leadership and look at the who and the what of good to great leadership I am struck by the fact we keep using the same names over and over again; Jesus, Buddha, Gandhi, FDR, Churchill, and a rash of personal relatives from parents to aunts and uncles.
I would like to pose a possibility; rather than looking at being a strong, tough, fearless, etc. leader, perhaps it is time to address both the leadership qualities as well as the qualities of the men or women who can be great role models because they are TOTAL Leaders.
My definition of a total leader is someone who is so in touch with her or his inner and interpersonal realms they can be honest as they run through the total range of human emotions, who is real, who can express upset, and fear, who can show us how to radiate delight as well as be definite and firm in decision making. A total leader is one who has the strength of character to stay steady when the winds of change are blowing and will not waiver when the right thing is hard to do.
Total leaders are those who know that “we are all connected and no one wins unless we all do“. They have enough ego strength to let others be front and center, yet will take the stage when it is necessary. Total leaders do not avoid conflict, yet will not throw fuel on the fire to get their way.
I believe being a total leader is an ideal, to go toward, being the best we can be without the need for the fanfare although accepting the applause when it is given. Even if total leaders don’t always land on their feet, they have a way of keep on keeping on, even against all odds.
Do you know any leaders who are going toward this lofty goal? I would love to interview them (or you if this shoe fits) for our new teleconference program that will begin in several months. You can email me at sylvia@ceoptions.com so we can discuss. Thanks for any help you can offer.
Tags: Character, Decision Making, Executive Leadership, Interpersonal, Leadership, leadership development, Our Philosophy, Powerful Leaders, Strong Leaders, Total Leaders
Posted in Character, Communication, Decision Making, Diversity, Education, Ethics, Executive Teams, Integrity, Leaders, Leadership, Leadership Strategies, Reflections, Total Leaders, leadership development | No Comments »
Wednesday, April 7th, 2010
students participating in Build and Give
Last week we had an amazing group of young people at our retreat center, The Country Place Retreat and Conference Center, in the Pocono Mountains of Pa.; they give hope for the future!
They were inner city teens from New York who all had difficult times as children. Yet, the beauty and brilliance of who they are was evident in their respect and caring about each other, about their team leaders, and about the environment.
Part of one of their three days here was spent doing a process called “Build and Give” where they worked as teams to build two wheeler bikes for elementary school kids that would be given to a local charity when the program ended.
What a super way to teach and grow. We all know that learning is best if it is experiential rather than merely listening to someone talk or being focused on a power point. These young people are the hope of the future. If, by learning about themselves, their colleagues, and especially by doing something to help others, the new triple bottom line of people, planet, and profits has more meaning.
We are doing more and more “Build and Give” programs with our corporate clients. It seems that the tough economy, the devastation we all saw from Haiti, the flooding from excessive snow this winter, and the deep yearning that truly resides in all of us when we stop the focus on a false American dream about “he who has the most toys wins” is giving way to human caring and kindness.
What a great way for team enhancement and conflict resolution workshops by getting new ideas and giving to others!
Tags: Build and Give, Collaboration, Communication, Conflict Resolution, Retreat Center, Teambuilding
Posted in Collaboration, Communication, Conflict, Education, Leadership, Leadership Strategies, Patterns, Reflections, Team Building, Transformation, Workplace Relationships, leadership development | No Comments »
Monday, March 8th, 2010
Edmund Pettus Bridge
Yesterday was a day of glitter and glitz at the
Oscars. It is often interesting to see what else has happened on the same day through history. The big one that stands out is “Bloody Sunday” on March 7, 1965.
The connection with the Oscars is to see so many people of color walking grandly to the stage for awards and think about those people of color who, 45 years ago also walked. What a different walk that was, across Selma, Alabama’s “Edmund Pettus Bridge”, where they were met with tear gas and police clubs during a voting rights march.
It was a courageous time when so many still in their teens banded with leaders who were willing to put not just their names on the line; their lives were also up for grabs. Here is where 600 plus individuals came together to say “It will stop with me”.
This was an active solution to lives lived in fear. It was where those who had been victimized for generations threw off the victim mantle and began to explore options, to take charge of their lives in a new way.
The color lines are more blurred at the Oscar ceremonies than ever before. There is a camaraderie based on creativity and a search for excellence. The film “Precious” however, shows that the poverty and sadness of past generations of poverty and struggle still has a long way to go. Yet, and yet, there is the beauty of the human spirit that shines through and gives hope that we are, albeit slowly, moving in the right direction.
However, some stay so, so stuck; when it was announced that Arne Duncan, Secretary of Education is to meet with students at the Robert E. Lee High School in Montgomery, Alabama on Tuesday, to commemorate the anniversary of Bloody Sunday, there was controversy. The school had opposed the march those long years ago and therefore this opposition should still be respected, so goes the rhetoric.
When do we let go of the past and move to higher ground? When do we clear the past to free the present? In some places it simply and sadly takes longer.
Tags: Behavioral Patterns, Conflict, Diversity, Education, Ethics, Leadership, leadership programs, pattern aware
Posted in Collaboration, Conflict, Diversity, Education, Ethics, Fear, History, leadership development | No Comments »
Monday, March 1st, 2010
There is an interesting new TV program airing this Friday; “Who Do You Think You Are?” based on finding the long lost ancestors of celebrities.
This is not just for the rich and the famous. I believe we all would benefit from finding out more about where we came from, and what patterns of behavior were handed down from generation to generation.
Most of us are interested in ourselves and don’t care all that much about the stories of those who came before us. We are polite when grandparents talk about “walking miles to school on dirt roads in flimsy shoes with only an apple for lunch.” We say to ourselves that times have changed and that was then, not the way it is now. We want to stay in the present and not look back.
So, what is the value of searching for ancestors and finding out more about where we came from? Lisa Kudrow, of “Friends” fame and producer of the new series put it clearly “We always forget how important history is. It informs everything that happens after.”
In “Don’t Bring It to Work”, there is a way to begin the search for your own history, because Kudrow is right, the past does inform everything that happens after. In the book is an outline of a “Sankofa Map”. The word Sankofa comes from Ghana and means “clear the past to free the present”.
What we know we can change, what remains hidden, can haunt us. No, it is not possible to know all the details; that is not what matters. What matters is finding the themes that have tumbled through our histories. So, often with a little time and willingness to dig down, the pieces of our personal histories are available to us.
It is so important for leaders to take the concept of self awareness into the long-ago past and find out how the patterns handed down from great grandparents to grandparents to parents to children through the ages impact decisions made right now.
The stories we learn about can be fascinating and shed light on why we do what we do. Every family has its share of heroes as well as villains and we can then pull on the positive patterns and stand on the shoulders of the past rather than repeat it.
Tags: Behavioral Patterns, Communication, Conflict, Emotions, family patterns, Family-Based Patterns, Health, History, Leaders, Leadership, Media, Money, Neuroscience, pattern aware, Patterns, Power, Relationships, Sankofa
Posted in Collaboration, Communication, Conflict, Diversity, Education, Employers, Ethics, Executive Teams, Health, History, Integrity, Leaders, Leadership, Management, Media, Money, Neuroscience, PatternAware, Patterns, Psychology, leadership development | No Comments »
Monday, February 22nd, 2010
This is a time for women to pat themselves on the back for all the successes that have come in the last 60 years. The role of women has changed dramatically, and it has been mostly a quiet revolution.
But there have been some loud bumps and bleeps along the way, like the angry wife who took action to cut off her husband’s private parts, rather than just wish she could. With the rash of cheaters now making the headlines that may be something to rethink instead of all the shame-faced public apologies. Scratch that, it was just a wandering thought!
Since, within the next several months women will become the majority of the workforce, and we know there is power in numbers, it is an important time to think about what we, both female and male, want to have as change initiative, moving forward.
I would like to underline the importance of a partnership model. Women and men need to talk in a new and more effective way. It is about how we connect and relate around the things that matter most – our relationships and how to be stewards for the future generations.
Not enough air time has been given to these priorities, and as a society I believe we are suffering and self- medicating through substances, sex, and shopping.
There is a new feminism (what about a new ‘malism’) that takes into account the differences in the way men and women are wired. We need to find a middle way that takes into account how male and female brains process information. Not good or bad, just DIFFERENT.
Even more importantly, we need to take into account the legacy we hand to the next generation. So far, we, and that means all of us, have not gotten high marks here. What are we teaching our kids about what it means to be a woman, a man, a business person, a citizen, a human being?
The workplace is the place where change can happen and happen quickly. It is the place that has changed the most in the past century. It is the place that women and men can begin a true dialogue and real partnership can occur.
Tags: Celebrity cheaters, Change initiative, Cheaters, Female vs Male thinking, Feminism, Future generations, Models, Partnership model, Pulbic apologies, Relationships, Self-medicating, Substance abuse, Women vs Men, Women's revolution, Women's success
Posted in Accountability, Avoider, Business, Collaboration, Communication, Conflict, Consulting, Diversity, Education, Ethics, Executive Teams, History, Human Resources, Integrity, Leaders, Leadership, Management, Marital coaching, Media, Money, Neuroscience, PatternAware, Patterns, Power, Psychology, Reflections, The media, Transformation, Trust, Uncategorized, Women in the workplace, Workplace Relationships, leadership development | 1 Comment »
