Strategy

As I wrote in last week’s Tuesday Reading, “Procrastinators Anonymous: Yes, both I and you are most likely members of this club,”¹ procrastination is “willingly deferring something though you expect the delay to make you worse off.”² I like this definition as it explicitly calls to our minds the fact that procrastination requires a decision to procrastinate and that a cost is always incurred.

… Yes, both I and you are most likely members of this club

Today’s Tuesday Reading is an essay by Mark Katsouros, Director of Voice & Video at the Pennsylvania State University. Mark is an early alumnus of the MOR Leaders Program. His essay first appeared in his blog Mark My Words on September 13, 2018. [Mark may be reached at <mark1@psu.edu>.] 

… to Your Smartphone

ad·dic·tion ––  the compulsive need for and use of a habit-forming substance, thing, or activity.
 
As individuals in today's society we have become addicted to our smartphones. We are at a loss when it isn’t in our hand, on our person, out of sight, etc. And, the research is clear, for all the value that the smart device brings it is also extremely disruptive and often not helpful.
 

Leaders must be men and women who influence others to enable them to become more effective. In her essay Five Principles to Follow If You Want to Influence Others,¹ Amy Glass, writes “No matter your role, influence is key to solving problems and making things happen.

Kids ask questions in order to learn about the world in which they live. And, sometimes they will answer their own question to show-off what they know – for example, my great-granddaughter holding out a stuffed rabbit and saying “rabbit” – and sometimes they want you to tell them. As they grow older, their questions may give you an opportunity to propose additional questions they might be asking.
 

Today’s Tuesday Reading is an essay by John E. Hill, Instructional Technologies Specialist at Cornell University’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. His essay first appeared as a leaders program reflection earlier this year. [John may be reached at  <jeh24@cornell.edu>.]
 
 

It was Voltaire who said: “It is easier to judge the mind of a man by his questions rather than his answers.”

Today’s Tuesday Reading is an essay by Frances Haies, Assistant Director, Office of Information Technology, Project Management Office, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey. Her essay first appeared as a leaders program reflection last fall. [Frances may be reached at <haiesfa@oit.rutgers.edu>.]
 
 

At one time or another, we have each tried and failed at something, sometimes miserably. And, as a result we all have some fear that if we try to do the same thing, or something similar, again, we will again fail.
 
Not always. But, sometimes. It might be that when you have a new opportunity or are beginning a new task, you remember when you tried something similar, and it didn’t go well. So, you hesitate. Or, you might recall a time when you were laughed at or made to feel like a failure or ignored when you made a proposal or presented an idea.