Process and Habits: Important Parts of Managing Knowledge

“Just do it! First you make your habits, then your habits make you!” 
― Lucas Remmerswaal

Managing knowledge is heavily reliant upon two things: process and habit. By process I mean that new information management practices must be included in our daily practice for them to take root. For example I once oversaw a team that would help clients use SharePoint to manage their data. Much of this work required that my team members engage with their clients from conceptualization to deployment of a project. Due to the interwoven nature of our organization, team members sometimes would work on projects that solved different aspects of the same problem. This would later cause difficulties as the solutions to the problem could potentially conflict with one another or waste human resources as more work was committed to than was required. 

The problem was addressed by integrating additional information sharing practices into our project management process. We switched to a new project management approach (Agile Scrum) that made use of frequent knowledge sharing behaviors. Key defining characteristics of the methodology were collective planning and daily progress updates. These new behaviors allowed the team to spot potential synergies or conflicts between projects prior to work being done. The important thing was that these knowledge sharing practices were part of a formalized process and as a result, new behavioral habits were able to take root.  

Which brings me to my second point, habits are powerful things. They allow us to engage in the world without giving much thought to the day to day actions we take. Habits allow us to conserve mental energy on mundane issues and deal with more complex concerns. Our habits support us without fail all day everyday while remaining on the periphery of our awareness. This characteristic is also the problem with habits. If our habits are not  in alignment with the needs of our environment we experience all sorts of challenges and difficulties that seem to materialize out of nowhere. However through deliberate reflection we can assess our daily habits and align them appropriately. Memorializing effective habits and behaviors into a process will ensure that we sustain our new direction until environmental changes require we refine our approach.   

4 Tips On Trust Building

“The inability to open up to hope is what blocks trust, and blocked trust is the reason for blighted dreams.” 

― Elizabeth Gilbert

Trust building is a steady and deliberate process. There is not a quick path to establish trust with people.  Trust  is developed as a result of consistent and visible action. Building trust requires that we are mindful of our behaviors and that ALL of  our actions influence the "trust" quotient that characterizes our relationships. A few things to consider in creating an environment of trust in your organization and team: 

 IDENTIFICATION:

Identify the important behaviors and expectations in your relationships. Clarity regarding the ground rules to a relationship helps to ensure appropriate follow through occurs. If we do not specifically determine what we base the trust in our relationships upon we cannot truly determine the reason we may feel our trust has been violated. We  are left with an ambiguous sense of disatisfaction with the state of affairs.

BE CONSISTENT:

Follow through on the agreed upon expectations. Consistent follow through is like making a deposit into a bank account. The more we follow through the greater the trust balance is in our relationships. Failure to follow through on commitments is like making a withdrawal from our trust account. This balance will be in a constant state of flux.

 BE VISIBLE:   Being visible with adherence to our commitments can be as simple as a follow up email after completion of an agreed upon task. Subtle but deliberate follow up is a way reaffirming the expectations we have agreed upon as a group. The bottom line is that actions are a great teaching tool and communicate more powerfully than words.

BE ACCOUNTABLE: Part of being accountable means that we are open and own our shortcomings if we break trust with people. It means that we affirm our commitment, make amends and take steps to repair the damage done. Being accountable also means that we are honest with people when their actions have damaged trust with us. Alerting people regarding our feelings provides them a chance to course correct. It reinforces transparency, an important component of creating an environment of trust. 

There many models to nurturing trust within relationships. These are a few practices that I found to be helpful. What practices have worked for you? I would like to hear from you.

Personal Knowledge Management: The must have skill for the 21st century professional (Part 2)

In the previous post I explained the importance of personal knowledge management (PKM) for the 21st century professional. In this post I will discuss some best practices that you can use to create your own approach to PKM.

There are four phases of knowledge creation that you need to be aware of in establishing your PKM strategy. The phases presented here are based on the work of Ikujiro Nonaka and comprise what is known as the knowledge spiral. The spiral elaborates on the manner in which we gain deeper understanding through our interaction with the world around us.  

 

 

The phases of the knowledge spiral are:

1. socialization
2. externalization
3. combination 
4. internalization

For more on this model see Nonaka's Knowledge Creating Company.

Socialization

The socialization phase acknowledges that we learn through our interactions with "knowledgeable others". Seeking out and engaging in discussion with people provide us with new insights, a practice central to intellectual growth. 

Action Steps in This Phase

• Identify your goals, interests and the people that share them.
• Identify people that are experts in the fields you seek to learn more about. 
• Identify the social media channels that you can use to create relationships with people.
• Identify the gathering places and events that you can attend to socialize with people you would like to learn from.
• Create a weekly schedule that you will use to engage in dialog with the people you have identified. 

Externalization 

This phase involves the documentation of new ideas and thoughts. Externalizing our ideas makes it possible to review and share insights with others in a non-time bound and structured way. The importance of reflective writing in the learning process has been the topic of numerous studies. 

Action Steps in This Phase

• Setup up a daily journaling schedule. 
• Make it a habit. Even a half hour a day dedicated to journaling will have a positive impact. 

Combination

Combining information from different sources is central to innovating new approaches and strategies. This practice advances human understanding and deepens our body of knowledge.

Action Steps in This Phase

• Organize your information by establishing a taxonomy or subject categories to use when filing away collected information. 
• Use tools like Evernote or OneNote to organize your documents and collected data. 
• Bookmark gathered web resources using tools like Digg and Delicious. 
• Use organizational tools that are supported by an application and a website. The provides you tremendous access to your information. Remember the power of knowledge is not just in its acquisition but in its ability to be retrieved. 
• Use article aggregators like Feedler or Google reader to stay abreast of new information in your areas of interest. 
• Use online dashboards like Netvibes to centrally locate all of your web tools and resources to one location.

Internalization 

 

This phase acknowledges the fact that knowledge acquisition changes our behavior. As we deepen our understanding we continuously internalize new lessons which in turn change our behavior and thus forms an ongoing spiral.

Action Steps in This Phase

• Keep track of your progress by setting goals and establishing performance benchmarks. 
• Use behavior tracking tools like Habit List and The Habit Factor to provide a visual indicator of your progress.
• Check your progress daily to ensure you are on track.

 

These are just a few recommendations that you can use to form your personal knowledge management strategy.

 

Did I miss something? 

 

I would love to hear about the PKM techniques that you currently use.

Personal Knowledge Management: The Must Have Skill for the 21st Century Professional (Part 1)

Do you want to thrive as a professional? The 21st century economy, powered by knowledge and information, requires new skills and competencies for people to succeed. The challenge for the 21st century professional is how to manage information. 

We have more information then we have ever had before in human history. The skill for the new century is managing the flow of data and harnessing it to achieve our goals. Access to data is just the beginning. Turning that access into actionable insights is a game changer.

Competitive advantage no longer is reserved for those "in the know" because with technology we are all potentially "in the know". Competitive advantage will go to those who can manage information in a way that it can be put to effective use. It is action that separates those that lead an industry from those that do not. 

Personal knowledge management (PKM) is the essential skill for professionals today because it outlines how people can manage knowledge and information more effectively. Personal knowledge management investigates behaviors, processes and technologies that people can integrate into their daily lives to empower them in using data to their advantage.

Over the next few weeks I will highlight a few PKM strategies that will aid you in taking information in transforming it into insight and action.

 

 

Honesty Drives Social Learning

 

Learning within a group in a social manner requires honest engagement. In my view the only way to truly contribute to the success of a team or organization is to act from a space of honesty. This means to forget who you are supposed to be or the rank you are supposed to portray and just be authentic. This is challenging because honesty can feel risky, uncomfortable and offer little places to hide. 

 

For social learning, honesty is crucial in creating an environment of sharing, where people feel comfortable to contribute opinions and insights to the discussion. It is estimated that 70% of the knowledge within organizations resides in the minds of its people. Nurturing an environment where this information can flow is essential to improving organizational performance.

The alternative to this is to take false positions, regurgitate standard opinions and not share our insights for the sake of keeping the peace. This is definitely the wrong answer. Honesty is what drives innovation, learning and change.Honesty allows organizations to look at the reality of situations with all of its complexity and seek real solutions.

How do you manage honest communication within your organization?

 

Thankful

I am happy to be at home in Ohio. It is Thanksgiving 2012 and I have much to be thankful for. Though I was laid off from my job in what for me was a disappointing ending; I am thankful for the great team I had to work with during my time with Apollo. I am thankful for the opportunity I had to learn new things in the education field. I am happy to have found my passion for knowledge management and the opportunity to contribute to the successs of others. I am thankful for a wonderful relationship with an amazing woman.

 I am thankful for a tremendous family that I love deeply and seek to give them as much as they have given me. I am tremendously thankful to have launched The e-lightened Mind Consultancy. I am thankful to have found the chance to serve others and pass along a portion of what I have received.

What are you thankful for?

Knowledge Starts With The Individual

I think knowledge starts with the individual. The effectiveness of an organization in using information and achieving business objectives is a reflection of how well their people are empowered to manage the data around them. In my view this is not just a matter of providing technological resources but a matter of helping people develop certain skill sets such as information literacy and personal knowledge management. These two skill areas focus on a person's ability to find,manage and use information in an effective way. Acquiring knowledge is a task that is both subjective and objective. 

 

The subjective aspect encompasses our emotions, thoughts and assumptions. It guides our ability to make sense of the world we live in. Our ability to derive knowledge from our experiences is determined by these faculties. The objective aspect is defined by the outside world we engage in daily. Lived experience provides the materials for knowledge acquisition. I think it is a mistake to assume that experience equals wisdom. External experience is not the deciding factor in the attainment of knowledge. A person's ability to make sense of what they see,live and experience is the deciding factor. Embracing experience, distilling it to its essential elements, observing its patterns and placing a value on those observations is necessary for learning to occur. I believe that by helping people master their subjective resources you help them master their objective ones. 

Did I miss something? What are your thoughts on how  people can more effectively acquire knowledge?

The Power of Social Media

 

The power of social media is that it provides access to a network of people, ideas, thoughts, and information. Social media empowers people to expand their awareness and extend the reach of their influence. The ability to collaborate with others is also enhanced due to  this technology. The complexity of the challenges we face from economic to environmental requires higher levels of thought and a broader range of perspective. Social media weaves together people, data, images and stories in a network of information that can be used in a real time manner.  Think about the way current events ripple throughout  virtual networks like Twitter and Facebook.

 

Almost immediately after the triggering event, a flood of viewpoints, documents, pictures, video clips, etc. populate our news feed. This is information that is often event driven and context specific. Characteristics that make social media a tremendously powerful tool that can be used to not only become aware of but to influence the state of affairs within our organizations and communities.

 

In a world driven by knowledge it is important for us to be mindful of our personal knowledge networks. Our networks are not just something that happens to us. Nor are they random occurrences that provide mere sensory stimulation. Our networks are created through deliberate action and choice.  

In what ways are you using your network?

KM is About People

You cannot have a knowledge management initiative without being focused on how people interact, with processes, with technology, with content and with each other. At the heart of a KM initiative is change. People are challenged to change and evolve the way that they engage with the world.

I would recommend showing people how knowledge management can help improve their life in a real way. This is what creates buy-in. Once KM methods are associated with concrete benefits the doors are open for progress to be made. Seek small wins first. Provide basic tactics and techniques that help people solve a problem or work more effectively. This helps to generate much-needed support for the initiative.

This process also creates an educated populace knowledgeable about KM methodology and it's desired outcomes. This is an important step in creating champions and evangelists.

Remember KM isn't about a new tool or a process. KM is about people!

Fearlessness has a starting point it includes discipline…


Chögyam Trunpa


There will always be fear in trying new things. For professionals trying to excel and seek a higher-levels accomplishment fear is a reality. Becoming more proficient requires doing things that you have not done before. It requires you to step into unknown spheres. This can be an unnerving and scary experience. However the key to overcoming the paralyzing effect of fear is to adhere to your discipline. The concept of discipline entails more than just staying within the lines of practice. Discipline in this sense means a dedication to a standard, a devotion to a way of being. This enlarged concept of discipline challenges a person to understand the nuances and details of his or her practice. Discipline requires a person to be intimately acquainted with his or her craft in a way that allows execution to occur under any circumstance. Discipline challenges a person to think in deeper and more detailed ways about his or her practice.

This is an all the time thing. There are no “time outs” from discipline. A steady devotion to a standard, to an ideal helps a person view things in a new light. This is the first step in moving past fear.

A Bit Of Zen

"Before enlightenment - chop wood, carry water. After enlightenment - chop wood, carry water." ~Zen Proverb

FEAR by Chandresh Bhardwaj

The origin of fear lies in the unknown. Be it the darkness, ghosts, weather calamities or whatever is unknown to the man is feared the most.

If you are walking in darkness, you are afraid to go ahead, fearing what will come next. However, as the light appears, the fear tends to settle down. Fear, thus, is just a manifestation of your imagination ruled by cowardliness.

When we get certain information on our fears, we get relaxed. However, it’s not going to be possible that we will always get the information on the unknown. Then what can we really do to manage our fears?

1. Accept your fears: There’s no need to fight your fears. The more you fight, the more they will haunt you. If you accept them the way they are, they will bring a shift in your consciousness necessary to move beyond the fear.

2. Fear is normal: There’s nothing to be embarrassed about in being afraid. If you are afraid, then you are. Society has connected fear with the sign of weakness and that is one of the reasons why we hate to accept that we are afraid. When you accept fear as a normal emotion, it doesn’t bother you anymore.

3. Explore the unknown: Every year, make a list of things that you fear the most. Then, do something everyday that gets you closer to the unknown factor residing in your fear. Gradually, you will overcome all your fears one by one.

4. Know the roots: Go into the source of your fear. Some fears are based on past conditioning. Having a good understanding of the roots from where it all started will help in moving toward state of fearlessness.

Moving on, death seems to be the second issue bothering everyone if the world ends. There’s nothing one can do to avoid death. You can avoid the possibility of birth by using pills, protection and so on, but man hasn’t been able to interfere in the business of death.

What you can do is accept it with open arms. If the world ends, it ends. It will release all of us from a life where we yearn for things that are useless to show off to the people who don’t matter. When the world ends, it will end for everyone. Why we are giving it so much attention?!

Do

Learning by doing is scary, but totally worth it. Nothing matches experience.

Thinkers Think.

Enjoy Your Practice

Stay personally invested in your work. This level of attention will bring with it a greater degree of learning and mastery. Insights flow from being mindful in ones practice. Karen Horner psychologist and theorist identifies mindful learning as a central ingredient in effective learning and growth. What we enjoy we tend to be more actively engaged in.

Sometimes we can become disconnected from our practice. Other things take our attention from the joy we get from the activity. We no longer are mindful in what we do. This disconnection impedes our growth and estranges us from the source of our continual progression.

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Ideas on Social Learning

Social learning initiatives are sparked initially by modeling the behavior necessary for success. Technology is just the medium that aids in communication. The driving force behind collaborative learning is the commitment to engage in regular dialogue.

Commitment can be indicated by the following:

1. Creation of a regular time and frequency for the dialogue to occur
2. Establishing a set goal for the group
3. Identifying and documenting a list of discussion topics
4. Behavior standards are determined
5. Participant bios documented and made available to members
6. A schedule of activities planned in advance and made available to members

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Power of Thought

Thought affords the sole method of escape from purely impulsive or purely routine action.

Dewey

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Reinvention

The purpose of reinvention is to embrace new possibilities. Not to fall back into old circumstances.

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Ideals Are Not Fluffy

Ideals Are Not Fluffy
4/6/2011

I feel that I am beginning to progress in my aim of creating a new appreciation for open and collaborative learning. I am finding that the willingness to stand out on the ledge alone must be apart of a person's toolbox if true innovation is desired.

There is something deeply personal about helping people grow in new ways. I believe that to do the job a person had better be legit in how they conduct themselves. Remember... Nonaka stressed the importance of IDEALS in the creation of new knowledge.

Well...ideals are only true ideals if a person is willing to look like a complete idiot in ascribing to them. Ideals are not "fluffy"constructs.
Ideals form the basis of human action and contextualization. Ideals add structure to a person's life as they navigate through difficulties to arrive at prosperity. i know that this is easy to say... harder to do!

-What ideals do you live up to?
-How do you maintain focus?

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You Need Both Ideals and Ideas

Ideals vs Ideas 3-19-2011

Ideals allow you to be proactive. Ideas provide you the target. Ideals that are compelling demand action and inform decisions. Knowledge creation according to Nonaka is as much about ideals as it is ideas.

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What the HELL is social media - in 2 minutes

Social Learning

Learning with others is powerful. Social learning allows knowledge to be placed in a living and breathing dynamic. It's not enough to know if what you know cannot be communicated to others and implemented to the world.

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Let's Give This a Go: KM Podcast

My first podcast regarding Knowledge Management and leveraging our internal wisdom.


KM Podcast

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Who Innovates?

Who Innovates? 4-2-2011

It's funny many recognized or official "leaders" are not the initiators of sweeping cultural movements. I am believing more and more that the true leaders of change are the anonymous risk taking agents that make up what is known as the grass roots.

Recognized leaders can do a lot to draw attention to and legitimize a maturing movement.
It is my belief that very rarely is it a recognized leader that gives birth to the movement. Within organizations and society innovation is risk taking. It is stepping outside of conformity and exposing yourself to scrutiny. I have to admit this is uncomfortable. Most leaders would find it difficult to truly do this and remain influential. Most leaders instead may seek to back a winner already making waves. Visionary leaders can pick out the winner well before it becomes apparent to everyone else.

Now the views expressed in this blog post are solely my own and are not based on academic scholarly research,but rather are derived from my observations and experiences within organizations.

-What are your thoughts? Who really innovates within organizations and society?

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People Need People To Be Smart

I was listening to a lecture the other day and the speaker made the statement that a person cannot maintain expertise for long without other people. I thought this was a great point. Growing in knowledge has always seemed to be portrayed as a singular activity.

But what this speaker was saying is that through others we receive a lot of current information and insight. Knowledge will deteriorate without this steady flow. It's like a body of water stagnating without replenishment. PEOPLE NEED PEOPLE TO BE SMART.

-Do you agree or disagree with this statement?

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4 months reflection

I am 4 months into my knowledge management journey. It has been a busy ride. I have been working 12 hour days for the majority of this time trying to create momentum behind the endeavor. What am I spending my time on?.....well...research as well stabilizing the ship so that the organization can conduct the normal course of business.

When trying to birth something new I am realizing that one must always be aware that immediate needs will hold a dominant sway. The question becomes for people "how can you solve my current problems"?
If this question is answered than one has taken a great step towards introducing innovative and cutting edge work strategies.

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It's Not Happening Without Structure

Without structure to my work pushing towards meaningful and fulfilling Knowledge Management initiatives is not going to happen. Hours spent researching strategies and the background information to execute the strategy will not make a bit of difference without the discipline and personal management structure to execute the plan.

I think this in a way is analogous to knowledge acquisition. Self-regulation has long been thought by educators to influence the level of learning a student acquires. Creating a platform and system to complete tasks and monitor behaviors is a core component of creating order out of seemingly disarray. Self regulation is what keeps people from
drowning in the stream of data that chatacterizes our world. I am looking for ideas to improve my organization skills..

-How do you stay organized?

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Courage to Change

I can't forget a big part of knowledge attainment is courage. I am beginning to learn that groundbreaking learning comes with an emotional price. Innovation and wisdom challenges people to step into unknown areas. I am finding out that this can be both scary and exhilarating at the same time.

I have a deeper appreciation for those ground breaking thinkers that had the audacity to believe that the non existent was possible. Learning and growing must eventually tread upon emotional terrain.

Our ideals, paradigms or views of the world reside at this deeper level. These constructs are the source from which behavior flows.

Change these and you change your world. When expanding ,growing and innovating I must expect and be prepared for the emotional rush. Learning is not a purely intellectual exercise.

I am interested to know:

-What experience have you had the challenged you both intellectually and emotionally?

-How did you handle it?

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Emotions the Key to Success

Many times what can keep us from change is not lack of knowledge or vision, but rather an emotional response that tells us to turn back.

Learning and growth is a matter of the heart just as much as it is the mind. The concept of emotional intelligence deals with this reality extensively. Robert Cooper defines EI as a source of energy, information, creativity, trust and connection.

-How are you using emotions to stay focused on your goals?

- How have emotions derailed you from goal attainment in the past?

-What have you done to correct this?

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Time and Money

Time and money are two resources which can make or break you. They must be managed well. Without awareness in these spots it is difficult to summon the strength necessary to create change and push innovation.

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Learning is Emotional

Robert Cooper states that emotional intelligence is a source of energy, information, creativity, trust and connection.
Qualities that lend themselves to knowledge creation. Tacit knowledge is knowledge that we carry around within us. Our subjective realities are the wellspring through which insight flows. The best practices and insights that allow us to be experts in what we do. Emotional intelligence is a way that we can tap into that reservoir.
The more aware we are of our internal states the more knowledge we have access to.

Learning is an emotional activity. Emotions are information and creativity. Emotions can either impede or empower the learning process.

-What goals do you have that you have a deep connection to?

-How has this helped or hurt you?

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Vision Clarity

I have been thinking about the power of a clearly defined goal or an ideal end state. The importance of this is that a compelling vision helps to establish the blueprint for goal attainment.

I have realized that a vision can help me stay true to personal my personal principles.In matters of innovation principles set the stage for discernment and strategy.

Those who believe enough can innovate. No road maps exists for the trail blazing idea. Believing in the unseen reality of an idea will fortify efforts that make it a reality.

Clarity does not just happen, I believe that it takes constant pondering, learning and reflection to make things happen.

~What is it that you visualize about?

~How has this transformed your life?

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Small Scale Planning and Action Plans - Time Management Training from MindTools.com

Small Scale Planning and Action Plans - Time Management Training from MindTools.com

Basics of Action Planning (as part of strategic planning)

Basics of Action Planning (as part of strategic planning)

Information Use

The more malleable the information source, the more apt it is to be used in the informal context of a person's life.

- Is this assumption correct?
-What contingencies must be considered?

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Changing the Quality of Mind Through Yoga

"Our aim in practiciting yoga is to bring about a change in the quality of the mind so that we can perceive more from the purusa (pure awareness). Yoga attempts to influence the mind in such a way that it is possible for our purusa to operate without hinderances".

-Desikachar 

 New Beginnings as a Knowledge Manager
 

I am beginning my stint as a professional within the field of knowledge management. This area is an exciting and expansive one, because knowledge management permeates through ever facet of human life. Whatever activity or behavior a person engages in , something new has been learned. To me knowledge management involves the process of capturing this knowledge, making it available for others to use, learn and grow from.

The creating, sharing and application of knowledge is in my opinion not a phenomena that can be initiated simply by putting in place technological modalities. A KM strategy will have to grow organically within an organization. The manner in which people think and how they operate will need to be taken into consideration  when initiating a strategy.

I look at knowledge management as a cultural movement, a shift that encourages people to share and contribute their knowledge to others. This is not something that happens automatically skills regarding critical thinking and self-direction should be developed and refined like any other skill in order for people to be effective. The skills of self-regulation and critical thinking are necessary in order for people to function fully within a KM paradigm.


The benefits of encouraging the development of a KM system in my opinion far outweigh the expense and effort required. Managing the knowledge within an organization helps the enterprise develop reflective practitioners capable of critical thought. This is an essential prerequisite for organizational innovation. Innovation is a matter of cultural awareness, something to be nurtured in the hearts and minds of people. Knowledge management strategies should help to create this shift in cultural perspective that can act as a catalyst for the creation, sharing and application of knowledge.

Expand Your Mind and Skill Set

To the man who only has a hammer, everything he encounters begins to look like a nail.

Maslow

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Simplicity

Any intelligent fool can make things bigger and more complex... It takes a touch of genius - and a lot of courage to move in the opposite direction.
-Einstein

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Step Into The Unknown

When you get to the end of all the light that you know and it's time to step into the darkness of the unknown, faith is knowing one of two things will happen: either you will be given something solid to stand on or you will be taught how to fly.

-Edward Teller

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Social Media Revolution 2 (Refresh)

Authors@Google: Don Tapscott

Now

The secret of health for both mind and body is not to mourn for the past, nor to worry about the future, but to live the present moment wisely and earnestly.

-Buddha

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Everything Is A Learning Experience

“If we learn to open our hearts, anyone, including the people who drive us crazy, can be our teacher.” ~ Pema Chodron

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Winners and Losers

Winners lose much more often than losers. So if you keep losing but you’re still trying, keep it up! You’re right on track.

Matthew Keith Groves

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Andrew McAfee - What is Web/Enterprise 2.0

The Internet Time Group - Engaging Communities of Practice

University of Hertfordshire - Evaluating Learning Process

Caterpillar- Collaboration Through Communities of Practice

People Power

For organizations people are a source of creativity, energy and information. Strategies should be designed to tap into this potential.

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Keith Ferazzi: How to Expand Your Network

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Using social media to drive knowledge management

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ILA Memories

My time at the International Leadership Conference in Boston was fantastic! I had a great time and enjoyed representing the University of Phoenix, School of Advanced Studies. My doctoral research was well received and I learned much from the experience.

Deeply Felt

"Everything that the human race has done and thought is concerned with the satisfaction of deeply felt needs and the assuagement of pain. Feeling and longing are the motive force behind all human endeavor and human creation, in however exalted a guise the latter may present themselves to us".

Albert Einstein

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The Influence of Suggestion

All suggestions take effect sooner or later. We develop our good or bad life according to our constant suggestion.

The following are the forms of suggestion:

1. Physical Suggestion   (experiences of the physical body and its movements)
2. Suggestions of Senses ( perceptions of hearing, sight, sound, taste, touch)
3. Verbal Suggestion (vocal repetition of ideas and thoughts)
4. Mental Suggestion ( suggestion repeated only in the mind)
5. Environmental Suggestion (influences of the subjective and objective realms)
6. Autosuggestion (spontaneous self-suggestion that can take any suggestion form)

-Rammurti Mishra, M.D. (Fundamentals of Yoga)


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"The greatest power of nature is the power of suggestion. It is as old as nature and as powerful as nature. We are constantly moving every moment by our suggestion. First we think, then we do. First we plan, then we accomplish that plan".

Rammurti Mishira, M.D.

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The roles we take on can bring out our talents and can nurture our reinvention.

-Warren Bennis

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Comfort within Discomfort

I do not have to be comfortable with the process of  peronal development and that is ok. I am realizing that basing my actions upon how I subjectively feel about them can lead to limitations in my growth. Pleasure and pain though important concepts to consider should not be the sole determining factor regarding my decisions. There has to be a more encompassing intelligence upon which to guide my actions. My exploration into Education and Yoga is helping me to be ok with my path and practice. I am where I need to be. The barrage of constant self-evaluation and calculation of progress can take me away from being “present” if I let it. Presence in practice and action is essential to personal advancement.


When I am not present, I can feel it immediately in my training. My sessions start rough, I am not able to feel as deep or as smooth as I had desired. When these moments occur, an instant litany of judgments soon populates my awareness precluding any chance for me to engage. Even now as I document these experiences, the words seem pre-planned and calculated not really expressing how I feel in the truest sense.

Honesty is the root of embracing life and practice more fully. I am learning that fear prevents people from being honest with themselves about who they are, what they want etc. Perhaps this is caused by a fear of discomfort and pain. If one could tackle discomfort, render it helpless to the point where it no longer held its sway, what great things could be accomplished?


“There is nothing to fear if you refuse to be afraid”.
- Ghandi

Howard Gardner of The Multiple Intelligence Theory

The Art of Coaching in Business

John Wooden: Coaching for people, not points

Practice

Thoughts are controlled by practice and detachment. Practice is a continual effort to master thought waves of the mind. Practice becomes firmly rooted when cultivated uninterruptedly over a long time with devotion and skill.

- Patanjali Yoga Sutras (1.1 - 1.4)

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Stronger

Do not pray for easy lives. Pray to be stronger men.


John F. Kennedy

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Relaxation and Breathing with Rodney Yee

  Beginning of My Practice

I never intended to walk the path of yoga. I picked up the Heart of Yoga book by T.K.V Desikachar, a chance and random occurrence, and poured through the book's contents. I was amazed by what I read. I never realized the transformative potential the discipline of Yoga held. At the writing of this journal entry, I am 6 months into my focused use of Yoga. It is strange but I am excited about the new prospects that are emerging because of this practice. Already I am seeing a subtle difference in the manner life opens itself to me. I feel a sense of synchronicity between my goals, the person I am becoming and the manifesting events of my life. I feel as if I do not have to try as hard to engage in the authentic expression of myself.

In the Heart of Yoga, Desikachar mentions that one can witness the evolution of one’s practice by observing the state of one’s relationships. Desikachar elaborates that a person will grow in the level of engagement and harmony experienced with other people. The changes I have noticed in my own personal interactions both professionally and personally mirror this statement.

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Mind & Body

I never knew the encompassing nature of Yoga. I had always thought of it as a supplementary and soft practice used to support another discipline. I have been researching the practice and now find it to be much broader than I had initially thought. I see in Yoga the potential to bridge the gap between physical and mental performance. The art form sets a platform for the practitioner to develop his or her human potential to a greater degree, creating synergy between mental and physical competencies.

What I am also interested in is the enhanced state of self awareness that Yoga cultivates. An awareness that helps a person address flaws and shortcomings previously outside of concious awareness. With awareness comes the ability to maximize areas of talent removing self-defeating barriers that limits expression.


"Yoga cannot guarantee us this or that particular benefit if we practice diligently. Yoga is not a recipe for less suffering, though it can offer us help in changing our attitude so that we have less avidya (misperception) and therefore greater freedom from dukha" (suffering).

-Desikachar

What the Next Administration Can Do to Address the Skills Sh

Geoffrey Canada interviewed by Julian Bond: Explorations in Black Leade...

Using Assessment to Improve Instruction

Bennington president Liz Coleman delivers a call-to-arms for radical reform in higher education. Bucking the trend to push students toward increasingly narrow areas of study, she proposes a truly cross-disciplinary education -- one that dynamically combines all areas of study to address the great problems of our day.

Patrick Awuah on educating leaders | Video on TED.com

Patrick Awuah makes the case that a liberal arts education is critical to forming true leaders.

Education scientist Sugata Mitra tackles one of the greatest problems of education -- the best teachers and schools don't exist where they're needed most. In a series of real-life experiments from New Delhi to South Africa to Italy, he gave kids self-supervised access to the web and saw results that could revolutionize how we think about teaching.

Values

Break the mentality of utility when viewing your values and principles. They are not to be used just to open up once inaccessible doors or to take us to places we never been before. They are not a set of cars keys, but rather a means for us to remain true to who we are. Creating for us a sense of peace.

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Living

The art of living lies less in eliminating our troubles than in growing with them.

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Get Involved

If every person with moral reservations about power refused to exercise it, power would not cease to exist. Rather, it would be exercised only by those people who lack moral reservations about it. The result would be more abuses of power than exist today, and those who refused to exercise power on moral grounds would be partially responsible. Thus, the refusal to exercise power because of its corrupting potential is itself an unethical exercise of power.

 

 

Frances C. Fowler

Day

Enjoying the day with family.

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The Basic Unit

The basic unit of goal attainment is awareness. Subjective and objective worlds, the realms of dreams and reality needs to be explored. A constant relationship with life must be established for one to harvest potential.

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Breaking the Mold

We do not have to be anything. The limiting walls of self-concept wall us off from true engagement with the world. Our urge is to preserve notions of self, the very urge that constrain us to pre-programmed patterns of behavior and ways of being. People and events are not viewed based on their own merit, but rather as accomplices in our charades of identity and self-preservation. The consequences of this limiting behavior are uncomfortable states of one-dimensional inauthentic interactions.

 

 

Servant Leadership

Servant leadership is built on the solid foundation of transformation, seeking to evolve the layperson into a leader as well. A servant leader is a leader whom operates guided by an internal compass of ethical judgment. Greenleaf spoke of servant leaders as being characterized by virtuous distinction. “A servant leader’s ability to lead with integrity depends on his or her skills for withdrawal and action, listening and persuasion, practical goal setting and intuitive prescience. The focus is on goals, success, learning, and assisting”. (Cunningham, Cordeiro ,1999,pg.196).

Excerpt: Way of the E-lightened Mind

“...I feel that the period will sooner or later arrive when I must abandon life and reason together, in some struggle with the grim phantasm, FEAR.”
-Poe

Fear is the foe of a thousand lives and shapes for it
manifests in our lives in so many expected and unexpected
ways. The greatest accomplishments the world has ever
seen are the products of people who have conquered their
fears. Within all endeavors, a decisive moment arises, a
moment when a person must come face to face with their
deepest fears.
 
Excerpt: 4 Steps to Conquer

Concentrate

The first law of success...is concentration: to bend all the energies to one point, and to go directly to that point, looking neither to the right nor to the left.

- William Matthews

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Point to ponder

Does the type of encouragement desired vary from a person who is a high achiever and a person who is not?

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With Love

Accomplishments of note can only be attained with Love.

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Plan and Be Fearless

Plan your vision and execute. Are roadblocks really roadblocks? Or perhaps it is fear in disguise? Fear clouds judgement and causes one to base actions on false premises.

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D’Amato on Fear

CUS D’AMATO TALKS ABOUT FEAR
Posted by MMATraining.com Staff

Cus with Tyson in the 80s


Fighters are the most exposed athletes in the world. During a fight, the crowd observes every twitch and movement. Still, spectators rarely see fear in a quality fighter. “That,” says D’Amato, “is because the fighter has mastered his emotions to the extent that he can conceal and control them.”

But whatever a fighter says, the fear is there. It never goes away. He just learns to live with it. “And the truth is,” D’Amato continues, “fear is an aspect to a fighter. It makes him move faster, be quicker and more alert.

Heroes and cowards feel exactly the same fear. Heroes just react to it differently. On the morning of a fight, a boxer wakes up and says, ‘How can I fight? I didn’t sleep at all last night.’ What he has to realize is, the other guy didn’t sleep either. Later, as the fighter walks toward the ring, his feet want to walk in the opposite direction. He’s asking himself how he got into this mess. He climbs the stairs into the ring, and it’s like going to the guillotine.

Maybe he looks at the other fighter, and sees by the way he’s loosening up that his opponent is experienced, strong, very confident. Then when the opponent takes off his robe, he’s got big bulging muscles. What the fighter has to realize,” concludes D’Amato, “is that he’s got exactly the same effect on his opponent, only he doesn’t know it. And when the bell rings, instead of facing a monster built up by the imagination, he’s simply up against another fighter.”

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Generous

Be generous with your practice. Do not skimp on the investment you make into anything you classify as "your craft". Generosity is the root of competency and prosperity.

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Stop and Listen

Look around, there are sources of strength everywhere. Stop and become aware. Aware to the subtle presence of opportunity that lies just beneath the surface. Hidden by the loud clamor of the obvious.

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Strength in Diversity

The economic situation forced companies and workplace learning and performance professionals to focus on improving performance--not just an employee's poor, adequate, or superior performance in the workplace, but also an organization's vision about talent management, human and environmental sustainability, and the work environment.

The trend, a move toward an organizational approach to performance, examines the health of the whole organization, including the work, the worker, and the workplace, to find where it is weak and not performing. The most successful companies during this recession aligned people, processes, and systems to effectively manage their overall performance.

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Try Harder

Continuous effort-not strength or intelligence-is the key to unlocking our potential.

Winston Churchill

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Let Go

Most of our energy goes into upholding our importance. If we were capable of losing some of that importance, two extraordinary things would happen to us. One, we would free our energy from trying to maintain the illusory idea of grandeur; and two, we would provide ourselves with enough energy to catch a glimpse of the actual grandeur of the universe.

Carlos Castaneda

Learning in a Tough Economy

The economic situation forced companies and workplace learning and performance professionals to focus on improving performance--not just an employee's poor, adequate, or superior performance in the workplace, but also an organization's vision about talent management, human and environmental sustainability, and the work environment.

The trend, a move toward an organizational approach to performance, examines the health of the whole organization, including the work, the worker, and the workplace, to find where it is weak and not performing. The most successful companies during this recession aligned people, processes, and systems to effectively manage their overall performance.

Source:
ASTD.org

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Refusal

There would be nothing to frighten you if you refused to be afraid.

-Ghandi

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Education, Experience and the Cultivation of Human Agency

Education is an outgrowth of what a given society views the nature of the world to be. The defining characteristics of any academic system are merely a reflection of society's paradigm of itself and its neighbors. A belief in the personal capacity of people and commitment to embracing human agency is also an outgrowth of paradigm. Curriculum built upon the belief in human capacity will challenge learners to engage the world in a meaningful fashion. A "curriculum of belief" will value the ideas and insights of learners and use them as catalysts for further student growth and evolution. A "curriculum of belief" is a pedagogy firmly committed to the notion that learners possess the capacity to assess reality for themselves taking responsibility for where their path to discovery takes them.

 

 

Excerpt:

Adams, R (2008) Education, Experience and the Cultivation of Human Agency.

Question Thinking™

is actually a theory that posits that thinking occurs as an internal question-and-answer process. What people typically think of as statements are actually answers to questions that they’ve asked themselves. That links questions and statements, which are the two parts of language, in relation to each other.

If you think of a statement as an answer to a question, then it starts to get very important and interesting to notice what questions are being asked. Because questions basically program and direct how we think, feel, behave,relate, and even the results and outcomes we get.

-Marilee Adams

Source: ASTD.Org

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Difficulty

It is not because things are difficult that we do not dare; it is because we do not dare that things are difficult.

Seneca

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Career Development

"Traditional images of achievement do not capture today's more complex career development realities. Approaching career development as a long-distance expedition can help professionals in addressing the strenuous challenges they face, in seeing that a career can be built in many ways, and in taking a long-term view of their journeys. Skills are like muscles, self-efficacy is like sturdy boots, advancement how-to's are like maps, and mentors are like trail guides. Among the tasks each hiker faces are selecting destinations, navigating through rough terrain and weather, and balancing their packs. To further their hikers' resilience, departments should pay more attention to the career development ecology, including improving access to qualified trail guides and to alternate paths".

 

Source:

Bickel, J. (2009). Career development as a long-distance hike. Journal Of General Internal Medicine, 24(1), 118-121.

Small

Life shinks without Love.

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