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Showing posts from October, 2019

Practice Nudgery

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Change the context and in turn you can change attitudes and actions.  According to Richard Thaler and Cass Sunstein, authors of Nudge: Improving Decisions about Health, Wealth, and Happiness , people “can be greatly influenced by small changes in the context.” In other words, small nudges can lead to big changes The idea of “nudge” is that there is “no such thing as a ‘neutral’ design.”  Thaler and Sunstein elaborate on how “choice architects” organize and thus influence the context in which people make decisions. Context does influence behavior. A little push in the “right” direction can have a huge systemic impact. For example, the invisible hand of an honor code nudges people to do the right thing. As important as it is to practice fundamentals you should also practice "nudgery" by implementing a system of standards that encourages people to do the right thing.     Nudge: Improving Decisions About Health, Wealth, and Happiness

No One Ever Washes Their Rental Car

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Too many players today are using their team/program the same way they use a rental car. They see their team's primary purpose being to get them from where they are to where they think they want to go. In high school, it's to get to the college level. At the college level, it's to get to the professional level. And even at the professional level, it's often to get to the superstar level where a contract is guaranteed and more endorsements are available. The problem with this mindset is that no one ever washes a rental car. This attitude is more prevalent today than it has ever been because players have played on more teams than they ever have.  Many players today have the trade-in mentality--when things begin to ratttle they look for a new team instead of trying to fix the problem or at least get to the root cause of the situation. They have not made an investment into it. They don't take care of it the same way they would if they were making payments on it. A

The Bystander Effect

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In 1964 Kitty Genovese was attacked in the middle of the street near her building in New York and again in her building. The attack was witnessed by many, though no one tried to stop the attack.  She yelled for help. Yet no one called the police. Such acts of apathy have been coined by social scientists as the “Bystander Effect.”  When people see something they know is wrong yet they also see that no one is doing anything, then doing nothing becomes the norm. When witnesses in the building were questioned by police after the incident about why they remained silent and did not take action, one man spoke for all the witnesses.  According to a New York Times article at the time, he answered, “I didn’t want to be involved.”  And neither did the others who witnessed this crime. Okay, so someone on your team violates a team rule and you don’t know about the incident.  However, team member’s know about it and they don’t tell you nor do they confront the teammate.  The norm has quickl

Excellence Is A Deliberate Choice

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In Gita Mehta’s novel, A River Sutra , the daughter of a master musician tells of her experience learning from her father: My first music lesson extended several months. In all that time I was not permitted to touch an instrument. . . . Instead my father made me sit next to him in the evenings as the birds were alighting on the trees.  “Listen,” he said in a voice so hushed it was as if he was praying.  “Listen to the birds singing.  Do you hear the half-notes and micro tones pouring from their throats? . . . Hear?  How that song ended on a single note when the bird settled into the tree?  The greatest ragas must end like that, leaving just one note’s vibration in the air. . . .Still an entire year passed before my father finally allowed me to take the veena across my knees. . . .  Morning after morning, month after month he made me play the [scales] over and over again, one hand moving up and down the frets, the other plucking at the veena’s strings, until my fingers bled. .

Lead With A Sense of History

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A sense of history relates to purpose. Leaders in the moment are thinking about how to make decisions and take actions for future generations. Benefits come earlier, but good leaders know that they are building a foundation. They know that they need to get it right. Some historical leaders may have had personal flaws. Some flaws may be bigger than others. We are imperfect. Although still not right, personal flaws are usually contained within self or a few individuals. Flaws are  not failings--failings involve crimes or abuse. Integrity is paramount, and personal failings negatively impact what any leader may have done. With a sense of history, the important element is leading forward. History provides lessons to leverage and, sometimes, avoid repeating. However, good leaders with a sense of history don’t get stuck in the past. Having a sense of history translates into making an impact on the present with momentum to affect future generations in an affirmative manner. Disconten