Learning to solve problems gives coding meaning. Otherwise we are just learning to saw, hammer, and glue without a vision of building a house.
Uncategorized
Only in….
This photo came under the subject line ‘Only in Denver.’ It makes for a good question. What is the ‘only in (at)…’ answer to your community/organization/tribe? The answer to ‘only in’ is what is remarkable about a place, even when the answer is cynical.
Seth Godin’s Freelancer Online Course
Quick action required if you want to take a self-paced online course taught by Seth Godin (and wish to benefit from the discount). I signed-up and look forward to sharing observations. I previously participated in his Skillshare course and found it very productive.
Online courses are like a bike sharing program. You can ride as far and as fast as you want. Pick-up and drop-off when you please. Or keep walking as a perfectly reasonable alternative.
63% of Meetings Have No Agenda
Without an agenda, how do we articulate the meeting’s purpose? Without purpose, how do we know why we are assembling? Without any orientation we are left to overlay our purpose and that could be remarkable or recessive.
attentiv published an interesting report on our meeting habits. It may offer a baseline for your enterprise.
Boring Boards
Self-reported, most participants at board meetings find little value. Is there a better way forward? What if the next board meeting agenda was composed of just questions.
Strategic Agenda:
1. Why do we do what we do? 2. How do we make our purpose visible? 3. What route is most compelling for us?
Growth Mindset Agenda:
What makes us hopeful? What is hard for us but worth attempting? Where has our hard effort been rewarded?
Inquiring Minds Want to Know Agenda:
Each individual asks a question they have been reluctant to ask before (or has gone unanswered)?
The Question Agenda:
Devise all the presentations and reports as a direct responses to a single question. For example, how do we know we are succeeding?
Making Everyday Items Visible
Many people know the process described by Bill The Engineering Guy. There is nothing proprietary about the knowledge he presents. However, Bill cared enough to make it visible. He took the time to illustrate the process in an easy to understand video. One cannot look at an aluminum can the same way upon completion of the video. Because of Bill’s commitment, we are more apt to return to his studio for future information.
What are you making visible that changes lives?
Will Paint for Food
What activity would you do if it guaranteed food, shelter and clothing? Perhaps it is a pursuit where you can spend more time? It is convenient to select what will get us ahead at the expense of our passions.
Perspective
The above image represents mapping from the Bomb Sight website that tracked the impact locations of all the bombs that fell on London during World War Two. I has recently completed the book Citizens of London which illuminated the power of the bombings of London but this map provided a level of understanding that was far more profound. If you have ever visited London you can zoom into a neighborhood you know and feel the echo of chaos that must have existed during these bombing raids.
We can share the work we are doing and sometimes it is met with a shrug. The question then for us is if the insight is worth representing in a way that is more visible. Can it be appreciated for its full effect? Sometimes it feels like we provide rainstorms when we were looking to create a microburst.
Everday
Everyday activities can be remarkable when you make them visible for others to see.
Transactional Aquaintiances
I have been intentionally mindful about my interactions since the beginning of the year and intrigued to discover that I maintain more transactional acquaintances than friends. Transactional acquaintance are individuals we hear from when our resources benefit their efforts without regard for the provider. It may be opening a door, leveraging resources, loaning materials, or captivation of time. At first I was discouraging to place people considered friends into the transactional category. Then I realized that I allowed these relationships to perpetuate along the transactional narrative. As an individual synopsized about my new understanding, we are a member of these false tribes until our value is replaceable.
So I continue on my quest with increased awareness. Looking for those who are seeking to be inspired by thinking and acting differently. Reminded that our best ideas sporadically spring from those with whom we posses weak ties. I recall the Edge Effect that states where multiple ecosystems overlap we find the greatest diversity. We must strive for the edge in order to experience the inspirational.
A great resources for mindfulness has been employing the Head Space app. An easy to use, beautifully designed, and customizable meditation course. The program is remarkable and the results of daily meditation equally profound. I offer it as resource to those on a path that bends around corners which causes us to lose sight of all we know, even for a fleeting moment.
What-if-concepts 