Fact #1 – As each bird flaps its wings, it creates uplift for the bird following. By flying in a "V" formation, the whole flock adds 71 percent greater flying range than if one bird flew alone.
Lesson Learned – People who share a common direction and sense of community can get where they are going quicker and easier because they are traveling on the strength of one another.
Fact #2 – Whenever a goose falls out of formation, it suddenly feels the drag and resistance of trying to fly alone and quickly gets back into formation to take advantage of the lifting power of the bird immediately in front.
Lesson Learned – If we have as much sense as geese, we will stay in formation with those who are ahead of where we want to go and be willing to accept their help as well as give ours to others.
Fact #3 – When the lead goose gets tired, it rotates back into the formation and another goose flies at the point position.
Lesson Learned – It pays to take turns doing the hard tasks and sharing leadership.
Fact #4 – The geese in formation honk from behind to encourage those up front to keep up their speed.
Lesson Learned – We need to make sure our honking from behind is encouraging, and not something else.
Fact #5 – When a goose gets sick or wounded or shot down, two geese drop out of formation and follow it down to help and protect it. They stay with it until it is able to fly again, or dies. Then they launch out on their own, with another formation, or they catch up with their flock.
Lesson Learned – If we have as much sense as geese do, we too, will stand by each other in difficult times as well as when we are strong.
Taken from http://www.teambuildinginc.com/
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
Practical Hints on Work/Life Balance
1) The bottom line is that if you truly want to reach your highest potential as a leader, it is imperative that you continue an almost child-like zest for learning throughout your career. AND THIS MEANS MAKING TIME FOR YOUR PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT (LIFE BALANCE: A Lifetime Journey, Not a Brief Trip, Oct. 2005)
2) Leadership in the family involves the exercise of some balance so that the needs of all members can be met as well and as creatively as possible at all times (Leadership in the Family, Dec. 2005)
3) How we spend our time and prioritize our life says a lot about how successful we will be personally and professionally. There are many things that compete for our time: finances, future plans, family, fun, friends, present goals, pressing projects and pushy people. There is a saying that if you don\'t control your time someone else will. (Living Life in a Time Starved World, March 2005).
4) “Instead of struggling to find our next meal, we are struggling to get our busy families together long enough to eat a meal. It is not the sparse simplicity of too little but the crowded complexity of too much that plagues our lives. And the answers lie not in the balance of our abilities, but in our ability to balance. Balance, like most other truly worthwhile things, is something we never fully perfect or completely attain. Rather it is something we can always be obtaining. The tightrope walker is never balanced in the sense of being still or stationary—he is always balancing, and gradually becoming better and more comfortable in his balance.” (Simplify and Bring Harmony to Everyday Life, April, 2004.
Taken from http://www.leadershipdevelopment.com/html/magazine2.php?page_id=5&sub_id=119
2) Leadership in the family involves the exercise of some balance so that the needs of all members can be met as well and as creatively as possible at all times (Leadership in the Family, Dec. 2005)
3) How we spend our time and prioritize our life says a lot about how successful we will be personally and professionally. There are many things that compete for our time: finances, future plans, family, fun, friends, present goals, pressing projects and pushy people. There is a saying that if you don\'t control your time someone else will. (Living Life in a Time Starved World, March 2005).
4) “Instead of struggling to find our next meal, we are struggling to get our busy families together long enough to eat a meal. It is not the sparse simplicity of too little but the crowded complexity of too much that plagues our lives. And the answers lie not in the balance of our abilities, but in our ability to balance. Balance, like most other truly worthwhile things, is something we never fully perfect or completely attain. Rather it is something we can always be obtaining. The tightrope walker is never balanced in the sense of being still or stationary—he is always balancing, and gradually becoming better and more comfortable in his balance.” (Simplify and Bring Harmony to Everyday Life, April, 2004.
Taken from http://www.leadershipdevelopment.com/html/magazine2.php?page_id=5&sub_id=119
Monday, July 13, 2009
Congrats Class I
Back Row: Tom Laprath, Joel Keierleber, Amy Moe, Brad Reis, Brad Schroeder, Luanne Thompson, Jolene Konechne, Grant Konechne, Scott Sandal
Front Row: Linda Svec, Darah Darrington, Jodi Bush, Jennifer Starks, Wanda Jundt, Angela Tarasoff
Not Pictured: Keith Halvorson, Jannine Pahl
Sunday, July 12, 2009
Eight Steps to Better Decision Making
By: Robert E. Cannon Posted: Feb 2nd, 2007
"Half of all decisions fail." These are the findings from twenty years of studying decision-making at Ohio State. After writing "Taking Aim for Better Decision-Making," I decided to build a list of things that anyone could use to improve their performance.
1. When faced with a decision, think about your desired outcome rather than facing the decision as a problem to be solved. Problems are negative almost by definition and negative thoughts invoke the constricting "fight or flight" response in us rather than helping us to relax and be inspired and creative. Good decisions need a creative thought process.
2. Don't think you are Superman or Wonderwoman. Enlisting the aid of others has been proven to improve decision-making. First, multiple voices means more options to choose from. Second, involving others in the process facilitates parallel processing versus sequential processing by the lone decider. Multiple inputs also reduce potential unintended consequences. I am not suggesting that you delegate the decision, rather get as much help in the process as possible. The decision is still yours.
3. Consider the Golden Rule. Over the last few years, ethics has become a hot topic in our society. There are all kinds of initiatives being undertaken in our schools to address this issue, but I am convinced that the easiest and quickest solution is to teach decision makers to, "Do unto others as you would have others do unto you."
4. Sleep on it. There are few times in life when instant decisions are required. Most decisions can be considered before any action is taken. There are some who will take this as my approval to put off the decision indefinately which is not what I recommend. Rather, I would encourage you to sleep on a decision before taking any action. This allows your subconcious a chance to participate in the process and possibly provide you with new insights.
5. Always state your decision in a positive frame. Since we have been trained to approach decisions as problems to be solved, it is not surprising that our decision is to not have the problem. I think there are two things at play here. First, we get what we focus on. Second our mind doesn't recognize the word "not." As an example, an organization I know had a check list of reasons for why an order was delivered late. This only exacerbated the problem until they changed their focus to measuring and rewarding when orders were on time or ahead of schedule.
6. Trust your gut. This is a tough one for some of us fact based people to accept, but the truth is that when your gut tells you something is wrong you need to pay attention. At the very least, think about the words of Henry Ford when he said, "If you think you can do a thing or think you can't do a thing, you're right." Something in you doesn't believe you can make this decision work.
7. Tell me why. Traditional decision-making focuses on how to make decisions and it results in only a fifty percent success rate. I am convinced that you will make better decisions if you focus on why you are making a particular decision. There is research that suggests you will have better results if you can elaborate your decision-making process for each decision.
8. Begin Now. Aristotle said, "Well begun is half done." Begin the implementation of your decision immediately with the one small thing you can do right now to move you toward the desired outcome.
By: Robert E. Cannon Posted: Feb 2nd, 2007
"Half of all decisions fail." These are the findings from twenty years of studying decision-making at Ohio State. After writing "Taking Aim for Better Decision-Making," I decided to build a list of things that anyone could use to improve their performance.
1. When faced with a decision, think about your desired outcome rather than facing the decision as a problem to be solved. Problems are negative almost by definition and negative thoughts invoke the constricting "fight or flight" response in us rather than helping us to relax and be inspired and creative. Good decisions need a creative thought process.
2. Don't think you are Superman or Wonderwoman. Enlisting the aid of others has been proven to improve decision-making. First, multiple voices means more options to choose from. Second, involving others in the process facilitates parallel processing versus sequential processing by the lone decider. Multiple inputs also reduce potential unintended consequences. I am not suggesting that you delegate the decision, rather get as much help in the process as possible. The decision is still yours.
3. Consider the Golden Rule. Over the last few years, ethics has become a hot topic in our society. There are all kinds of initiatives being undertaken in our schools to address this issue, but I am convinced that the easiest and quickest solution is to teach decision makers to, "Do unto others as you would have others do unto you."
4. Sleep on it. There are few times in life when instant decisions are required. Most decisions can be considered before any action is taken. There are some who will take this as my approval to put off the decision indefinately which is not what I recommend. Rather, I would encourage you to sleep on a decision before taking any action. This allows your subconcious a chance to participate in the process and possibly provide you with new insights.
5. Always state your decision in a positive frame. Since we have been trained to approach decisions as problems to be solved, it is not surprising that our decision is to not have the problem. I think there are two things at play here. First, we get what we focus on. Second our mind doesn't recognize the word "not." As an example, an organization I know had a check list of reasons for why an order was delivered late. This only exacerbated the problem until they changed their focus to measuring and rewarding when orders were on time or ahead of schedule.
6. Trust your gut. This is a tough one for some of us fact based people to accept, but the truth is that when your gut tells you something is wrong you need to pay attention. At the very least, think about the words of Henry Ford when he said, "If you think you can do a thing or think you can't do a thing, you're right." Something in you doesn't believe you can make this decision work.
7. Tell me why. Traditional decision-making focuses on how to make decisions and it results in only a fifty percent success rate. I am convinced that you will make better decisions if you focus on why you are making a particular decision. There is research that suggests you will have better results if you can elaborate your decision-making process for each decision.
8. Begin Now. Aristotle said, "Well begun is half done." Begin the implementation of your decision immediately with the one small thing you can do right now to move you toward the desired outcome.
Graduation
We just completed our final session for class one! It was a bittersweet ending, but alumni gatherings will be held!! Class II starts in October, so sign up now! Check out our website, www.sdfu.org Rural Development page for more information and an application.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)
