Managing and Leading at Work and at Home: You must strive to fail . . .

Thursday, March 25, 2010

You must strive to fail . . .

Yup, you read that right. According to David Shenk, you have to strive to fail to reach the potential of your unique genius.

We all have gifts, but it is not just genetics that leads people to success. Instead, it is hours of practice focused on development and improvement, the willingness to fail over and over again, and the desire to learn from that practice and failure.

Listen to Shenk discuss the variables in all cultures that guide us toward certain skills, rather than internal abilities:

What does this mean for us as managers, leaders, and/or parents? How do we create and support the environment that facilitates another to become the genius he/she is capable of becoming?

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Purpose statement and terminology

Purpose statement:
Welcome. This blog is for my students, past and present, and for all others who wish to learn with us.

I'll post quotes, relevant anecdotes, links, and my own recent learnings here about once a week.

Terminology:
Direct report: someone who reports to you directly on an organizational chart. At home, your child(ren).

Managing: ensuring that all people, materials, money, supplies, and other resources are in place to accomplish tasks and projects. Ensuring that all people are informed and on track to meet project goals. Daily work involves planning, coaching, supervising, persuading, and reporting.

Leading: Developing a vision, inspiring others to make vision reality, creating urgency around needed change, and foreseeing future risks and opportunities. Daily work involves strategizing, persuading, inspiring, analyzing, and coaching.

Managing upward: One manages upward when one understands one's boss (and his/her boss and so on) and ensures that boss knows what is happening in the way he needs to know.

Leading upward: One leads upward when one understands the strategic nature of one's organization -- its financial levers, its competitive advantage, and its strengths and weaknesses -- and communicates to those above oneself on the org chart to ensure decisions are made that reflect the best interest of the organization.