Tag: teacher

Of friends and acquaintances


When I first arrived in the United States I was more like the German version of Crocodile Dundee landing in New York.  For instance at the check-out line at the grocery store I was really flabbergasted when total strangers asked me: “How are you?”  I was impressed about how friendly people were and told them how I was.  Fortunately, it did not take all that long figuring out that this was only a polite gesture.  I was equally befuddled by the frequent use of the word friend though.  Have you ever noticed how much this term is used around you? 

A while back a close business associate used it and I asked him if he meant it. He affirmed it perplexedly.  I explained to him that to me a friend is someone who would get out of bed at 3am to pose bail for me if I would get into trouble.  That is the difference between a friend and acquaintance.  He was taken aback and maintained that he fit the friend category.  Fortunately, I never had to find out the hard way which way that could have gone.  How many people around you would you put into one category or the other?  I think you will find it surprising how many people you will think about differently once you have thought about how close they really are. 

How can you increase the number of true friends?  The answer is really easy:  Be prepared taking the first step in approaching others.  Be genuine and sincere when you do this and always be prepared to put in more effort without the expectation to get anything back in return.  Open yourself up to openly ask for help too.  Then sit back, relax and hold on for the ride.  Life is great! 

Ralf

Procrastination buster: The five minute rule


I am all but certain that you have some tasks come up and they gather on your desk and you just cannot seem to get them done.  For one, some of them look like they may take a bit of uninterrupted time to get them done.  That time is all but nonexistent on any regular business day.  Other tasks might deserve the bundle tactic.  These are the ones that look deceivingly easy and hence are put to the side until similar ones come along to make it worthwhile working on them.  Either way, I used to end up with stacks of these items that now will really take some time to work on.  It is definitely a downward spiral with them. 

One rule that has helped me getting rid of this phenomenon has been a five minute rule.  First thing in the morning I take one task that I have lined up the evening before and start working on it for 5 minutes.  Key here is to stick to this task only and only for 5 minutes.  What keeps amazing me all the time is that the majority of items do not even take the full time to get them done and checked off the to do list.  Focus is part of the success of this method.  That means that you cannot – in fact, must not – check e-mail, RSS feeds, browse the Web etc in the morning.  Kill all distractions and get this done.  You will realize quickly that this provides a great mood boost as you get a sense of accomplishment that you do not have to get stressed out about anymore during the rest of the day.  Give it a try and perhaps you have your own ways how to bust procrastination.  Please do share. 

Ralf

From James Bond to “Girlie Men” in less than forty years


 

Diaper bags.  I used to carry them anywhere when our kids were little.  More men than ever carry not only diaper bags, but also their fair share of parental responsibilities.  We clean houses, cook and help with child rearing.  Does this make us “Girlie Men”, which used to be the catch phrase of the then California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger?  I feel men should be proud of what they helped achieve.  They helped women to come closer to being emancipated and thus making room for other issues to roll into the forefront. 

James Bond once stood for what a guy should be like.  Who would not wanted to be a man of flair, look like a million dollars, and enjoy dangerous work, tall, slim, bringing home the dough, play hard during the day and relax at night?  The woman was there to entertain and be around when needed.  Single income families used to be the standard.  Nowadays, very few families survive with only one family member going to work. 

Then there is the old fashioned notion that every man has to go to do the yard work and fix things around the house.  Today, more women than ever enjoy the average hour of cutting grass just the same as their significant others.  Let the husband deal with the screaming kids for a change.  And who is to say that woman cannot fix things?  My own sister knew how to properly adjust her car engine’s valves and fix the brakes and much more. 

Even as late as the eighties, men were not as involved with child rearing as they are today.  Have you ever noticed the amount of men lugging all kinds of children’s paraphernalia during your latest visit to the mall?  Men of yesteryear used to not be caught dead with all the baby stuff.  It was just too cutesy. 

Then there are the jobs men and women can finally share.  Men make a living as nurses now for instance.  Women enjoy careers nowadays that would not have been possible in the sixties.  In today’s world men have a totally different defined role just the same as James Bond has no clear defined enemies like he did in the Cold War days.  So much progress has been made, yet some of the old prejudices of men doing “girlie” things prevail in many a mind. 

Fortunately enough none of this seems to make big news anymore and the most one can here is most likely limited to the occasional verbal jab from a close relative or friend.  Three closely related issues are still wide open for improvement and more focus though.  Why are there not more women in top leadership positions?  Why does the income between women and men for the same positions still exist?  How can we help the ever so growing share of single parent households? 

Ralf

There is a teacher in all of us


What I mean by that is that most of us would think that the word teacher merely applies to school settings.  I venture saying that this applies in family, social and also all professional areas as well.  To me “teacher” goes hand in hand with being a leader.  Can you think of the best teacher you have encountered?  Now think of the worst one(s).  Interesting contrast do you not agree?  My best was my English teacher here in the States while attending evening college.  Conversely, the worst was my English teacher in German high school who once asserted that I would never, ever “get” English and never be able to speak it correctly.  He was also known for throwing his key chain at students when he wanted their attention. 

Here are a few attributes that I believe you will find our best teachers have in common.  They also represent criteria that we must possess as parents and business leader-managers. 

A good teacher,

has a profound, current knowledge of the subject matter.

conducts continuous research in his field or related field.

has an intuitive understanding of human learning.

has an understanding of student motivation.

understands the proper use of assessments / exams.

exhibits empathy and compassion. 

trusts students in their ability to achieve and learn.

possess openness:  Talks about his own personal journey as well as listening to the student’s own journey. 

discusses secrets he has learned. 

treat students with decency and respect. 

is genuine and sincere. 

lets student struggle to exercise the material and tolerates mistakes made.

provides a fun and safe learning environment. 

makes the lesson about the student and not about himself or the school. 

This should sound familiar and perhaps you can think of more points that you could share with us.  While I hold fond memories of my favorite teachers, I also wrote a lovely mail to my high school English teacher in the best English that I could muster about how I learned to write and pronounce English correctly – just not in his class. 

Ponder these points in your own social and business settings and I believe you will be amazed how many times you slip into the role of a teacher every week.  . 

Ralf