Month: January 2013

The Learn-Do Balance

Our ability to execute is a by-product of our learning. Our learning constantly gets better when we test those theories as we execute.

It makes sense that we spend most of the first part of our lives learning because learning is the low hanging fruit (whether all the learning we do at school actually prepares us for the world is a different matter). It helps us avoid the obvious mistakes.

The trouble is that this design often naturally results in extremes. Many go into the academic path and choose to never bother with execution. Many others get into “the real world” and never bother with learning. While the former is stuck in an endless loop of theorizing with some safe experimentation, the other is stuck in an endless loop of execution without feeling the need to learn.

So, imagine what the world would like if we married the two? If the academics who theorized spent some time in the real world or designed their experiments to work in the real world, and if executives kept up with the latest theory and added the knowledge to their experience.

Magic. That’s what it is.

On Coding War Games and Private Workspaces

This week’s book learning is a part of series on “Brainstorming and Peer Pressure” from Quiet by Susan Cain.

“Coding war games” was an extensive research study that involved 600 developers from 92 companies. Each developer designed, coded and tested a program working in their own office. The results made for interesting study –

– The best outperformed the worst by 10:1 and the median by 2.5:1
– Attributes like years of experience, salary, time spent on programming etc had little correlation (in fact, programmers who sent in 0 defect work often spent less time on their programs)
– BUT, programmers of the same company more or less performed at the same level even if they never spoke to each other

So, the researchers dug in to understand what these companies did differently. The results, here, were illuminating –

– 62% of the best performers all said they had an acceptably private workspace
– 76% of the worst said people interrupted them needlessly

In short, top performers worked for companies that gave them control over space, physical environments and freedom from interruption.

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Sketch by EB

We all know interruptions dramatically decrease productivity. But, on the other hand, we’ve had office design consultants push open plan office to increase group work and “brainstorming.”

If we produce our best work in privacy, how productive are we when we “brainstorm”? Coming up next week..

Here’s to ensuring we find quiet time to do our most productive work this week!

Rome was not built in a day..

It’s 3 weeks since the new year. There were lots of hopes, dreams and resolutions. Most of all, there were habits that were supposed to have been nailed by now – more exercise, more reading, better focus, better relationships, etc. These initiatives seem like they are failing well in advance of the typical failure date (1st Feb..).

That’s all right. Give it time.

Don’t stop measuring progress. But, don’t be too hard on lack of it, either. 

Rome was not built in a day. It wasn’t easy. Why should building character and habits be any easier?

Until then, keep plugging away..

Pain and perspective..

I was in a taxi when the driver asked me for the exact address of the place we were traveling to. As I moved to the side and leaned forward, the joints of my right knee took a knock against a small knob that stuck out. The knob had hit a spot between bones and for a minute and a half I knew nothing but intense pain.

I screamed. I swore. I rubbed my knees with my palm as I just felt everything else blank out. A minute and a half later, the pain began to dull and a few minutes later, I was ready to behave normal.

Those few minutes made me think. During that minute of intense pain, I cared for nothing but my pain. It didn’t matter that the taxi driver was confused. Even if there was a serious crisis at hand, it wouldn’t have mattered. For that minute and a half, I was incapable of doing anything else. Slowly, as the pain lessened, I began thinking about other things. Five minutes down, I was ready to do work, be nice and continue attempts to make that small difference in the world.

I realized that pain changes everything. If we are in pain, we are incapable of doing anything other than to just focus on it. In this case, the pain was physical and such instances are rare. More often than not, the pain is mental. We feel low, bad, sad, etc.

On a macro level, this is why stability is key to making meaningful contributions to this world. This is why creative contributions to society only happen in places experiencing periods of stability. You are not likely to hear of inventions that change the world coming from war torn Afghanistan or Iraq. The severe pain caused by a lack of security results in an intense focus on one self and one’s society. War costs more than just weapons and lives..

On a personal level, it matters so much that we have support systems in place for us to constantly put our pain in perspective. Maybe things are not that bad after all and maybe we need to read a book, get some exercise, speak to a close friend or a mentor to tell us that. Else, we can end up just spending a large part of life being incredibly self involved..

Work Hacks Wednesdays: Use the Quick Access Toolbar

The Quick Access bar is a big time saver if you are a frequent Microsoft Office (2007 onwards) user. It doesn’t really matter if it’s Excel, PowerPoint or Word as it gives quick access to all your most used commands.

It is pretty easy to do – right click on the bar next to the home button and choose “Customize Quick Access Toolbar” and start adding your favourite commands.

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This is what my PowerPoint Quick Access toolbar looks like. I pretty much do all my formatting using this – aligning, distributing, changing colours, etc.

Any Office hacks that you would like to share?

Brad Blackstone, Communications Lecturer, Real Leader Interview 33

Dhanya: Brad Blackstone was my professor (He laughs when you address him as Professor, btw) for a Professional English Communication module at National University of Singapore. The second I met him, he stood out from the professors I was used to – even with the way he introduced himself. I found being in class an incredible experience. Brad just loves what he does and it shows in the way he handles things. Rohan and EB have also taken the exact same module in their university days and loved it!.

So, he’s been on our “to-interview” list for a while to understand. And I met with Brad at his office to understand what makes him tick. Read on!

About Brad

Brad Blackstone is Lecturer, Centre for English Language Communication (CELC), National University of Singapore, and Chief Editor of ELTWorldOnline.com. Currently, Brad teaches communication skills courses for science and engineering students and for business students. Prior to coming to Singapore, he developed and implemented communication skills training programs for General Motors, Linksys and the Japanese Ministry of Education. He has taught English for Academic Purposes, composition and communication skills in universities in Japan, Malaysia, Portugal and the United States. Brad received CELC’s Commendation for Teaching Excellence for Academic Year 2007/2008, 2009/10 and 2011-12, and the NUS Annual Teaching Excellence Award for 2009-10. Brad’s publications include academic articles, several volumes of poetry and two dozen songs.

 

(00:16)
Dhanya: What’s your story, Brad? Right from where you grew up to how you ended up in Singapore..

Brad: I was born in a small town in Ohio and majored in Russian literature. I was in a Russian graduate program. After studying in Moscow I really questioned whether that was what I wanted to do. Of course I wanted to be on the same path as everyone else – I finished undergrad and opted for a graduate course. But when I took a small break and went on a tour around Europe I realized that there was so much more to the world than Russian literature. I was fascinated, interested and realized that I could do so much more than that.

The reason I had taken Russian literature was because I was interested in European history and civilization. I realized I needn’t focus on Russian literature to embrace European civilization. I spoke to my course advisor and told him about my reservations. He told me that since I was trained in Russian literature and a couple of other languages like French and German, I could teach English. He told me how that would help increase my personal reach and growth. He told me how I understand language and people and why there was no reason I shouldn’t teach English.

That meeting got me thinking really. He told me that I could go places too. He asked me to pick a place and I remember saying Singapore. This was in 1979 when I was in grad school. I ended up quitting grad school, I moved to Europe. I lived in Portugal for 3 years; I ended up teaching English and Business Communication with General Motors. That experience expanded my horizon really. I realized how there was a world of communications waiting to be explored with respect to personal interactions and cultural interactions. That was a defining moment for a typical American college kid from a small town.

I learnt Portuguese when I lived there. I used to read the newspaper in English and Portuguese, watch the local television and I also had a Portuguese girlfriend who spoke no English. So I took every opportunity to learn new cultures and meet interesting people. It was also the time when I was questioning the United States and a lot of assumptions I had as an American. In America, you are brainwashed to think it is the best country in the world.

I realized Portugal was a country that has a thousand years of statehood and it had become a nation a thousand years earlier. They had incredible history, culture, tradition, food and beaches. America was not the only place to be.

(06:20)
Dhanya: Can you tell us the story about the General Motors pitch?

Brad: It was at a party once, in Portugal. By that time I had a job teaching engineers, English. I had about 2 or 3 engineers. They would come to my house for an hour once or twice a week for English conversation. As I talked to these guys I found out that about 20 odd engineers were being sent out to various places across the city for English – the purpose being to enhance their English language skills. I found this system extremely ineffective because these guys are driving 20-40 minutes from their office to different places. And all the time is taken from their work time.

Somebody told me that the Managing Director of GM was around at that same party. The idea to take English for all these engineers at one place had struck me earlier. So I decided to pitch that idea to him. I walked up to him and introduced myself as one of the English tutors of GM. He didn’t seem to be interested but then I said, “The program you have set up is very inefficient.” His interest perked up and he asked “Why?” I explained the situation and how I could come to the head quarters. He said “Come up to my office on Monday morning”.

I planned two different levels of English courses for Beginners and Advanced. That ended up being my job for two years. I remember learning so much about business from a huge multi national corporation like GM. They were all men except one or two women maybe. Later when I went back to graduate school I focused on business communication.

(12.12)
Dhanya: Would you say teaching was your passion?

Brad: It was just the people and the university lifestyle. I liked being in a learning environment. And suddenly being the teacher and not the student was cool. I was always interested in the human element of interactions rather than the evolution of language.

(15.00)
Dhanya: Your recent interest has been interaction on social media right?

Brad: Even something like blogging for example. I am interested in watching their interaction on the blogs. I find it really cool to see what they have to say and how they respond to each other. Similar interests on Facebook, I would say. I find it a great way for people to develop that feedback.

(16.00)
Dhanya: EB, Rohan and myself think of you as one of our favourite NUS professors. We love your charisma as a teacher! Have you ever felt a difference in approach in comparison to your peers?

Brad: I have visited a lot of lessons and I feel sometimes people are just born to teach. If you boil it down to what makes them tick, I think it is about whether or not you care about other human beings – authentic care about others. For me its not a magic formula, I am truly interested in finding out about what you need and what you have to say. I get to be part of your experience; I get paid for it and so much the better.

Nurses are the same. I have a sister who loves her job; she loves to find out who they are and what their hopes and dreams are. When I walk into a class if I believe in the course objectives, it is very satisfying.

(18.12)
Dhanya: Can you tell us about Radio Moka?

Brad: I was in a band called the ‘Blackstone’s blues’ for a long time – I played the harmonica, percussions and did some backup singing. I mainly organized our gigs and that took a lot of time. In Japan I organized a music festival – getting the bands, getting sponsors, figuring out the schedule and just putting together everything was a hell lot of work, as much as I enjoyed it. I let that role go by after that phase. To perform on stage takes a tremendous amount of energy. You need to be pumped up. I couldn’t afford to do that with my job here in NUS. I still love music; it is my place to unwind.

As for Radio Moka, I met a guy who lived in my condominium complex. He was an exchange student here. We met at the pool, became friends and got to chatting. When he came home one day, he saw all my CDs and he was impressed with my huge collection. I have got about 2000 CDs and he said he had about 2000 on his Mac. We shared music. Finally he told me that it was his dream to start a radio station and I agreed. I guessed I would love to keep my foot in music that way. This was about two years ago. He went back to Paris and figured out setting it up. He asked me to write a blog post every time I broadcasted and I have been doing it ever since. I go live once in two weeks for about an hour.

Media has a focus on pop music and there is so much disproportional popularity for pop music. I realized this and that’s when I got into regional music. That was a great way for me to get in touch with my musical and anthropological side at the same time. Music is such a happy place – whether it is sad or happy music. That’s the story of Radio Moka.

(25.09)
Dhanya: What is an idea you would like to share with the readers of this blog about what you have learnt in your life?

Brad: It is interesting that you ask that question, I just got a Facebook inbox from my 26 year old daughter. She has very strict opinions and she does not wish to change them. At my age I feel I do not have such hard thoughts. Today I think Barack Obama is a positive force in America, but tomorrow I wouldn’t be surprised to find out that it was completely fake. And I would be willing to accept that. I was more resilient with my opinions as a younger man but at this point I am not so fixed.

At this point I feel it never hurts to embrace the unknown. Even if it seems intimidating, it might not be so once you get used to it. I sign up for projects that everybody else is hesitant to sign up for. I signed up for teacher training in Thailand recently – it comes back to the fact that I am going to work with interesting people; and possible friends. I am not intimidated about jumping into things.

Embrace challenges and jump into the unknown.

—

Thank you Brad, for a very sweet interview.

Real leaders Team,
Dhanya, EB and yours truly..

On Endurance Athletes and Large Hearts

This week’s book learning is from Talent is Overrated by Geoff Colvin (and continues to be inspired by the concept of deliberate practice)

We have often read articles about how the bodies of endurance athletes, tennis players, etc., are “different” from us. For example, endurance runners have larger than average hearts while ballet dancers’ feet seem to have the ability to turn impossible angles.

Research has revealed that the reason for this is not necessarily super human ability at birth. Deliberate practice has found to alter the physical nature of a person’s brain and body.

A study of endurance runners showed that their hearts grow in size after years of intensive training and go back to normal size when they stop. And, it’s been demonstrated that the our brain (specifically the cerebral cortex) changes with deliberate practice too!

While the changes are larger when we are young, a famous study of London taxi drivers which showed them to have larger hippocampuses (= greater spatial memory) after their intensive qualification tests shows that deliberate practice can alter us at any age!

So, great performers ARE fundamentally different – their abilities to perceive, organize thoughts in their fields, etc., are far beyond what we possess. But, a large part of that are proven to be a result of a process – the general elements of which are clear.

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Sketch by EB

Interestingly, scientific research seems to the point to a substance called “Myelin” that increases the speed at which impulses move in our brains. Myelination is a slow process as the same action needs to happen millions of times for the substance to form a coat around specific neurons – this illustrates in a way why it takes years of intensive work to become expert.

Myelin may just be the connection between intensive practice and extraordinary performance.

On a completely different note, if you have an extra minute, do check out this post on “The BookBytess Project” and let me know if you are interested.

Here’s to deliberate practice and “myelination” this week!

We are what we repeatedly do

How would Bill Gates work or contribute to a weekend project or a charity commitment?

The same way Bill Gates would work or contribute to Microsoft or his foundation. Bill would bring a certain process or approach that has worked for him all these years. In truth, it is probably this process or approach that is at the heart of his extraordinary success.

And, yet, we often kid ourselves with beliefs that “If this were work, I would do this much better.” I heard this just this morning on a project I’m working on and I found myself nodding (as I thought it justified my rather poor performance of late) for a good 30 seconds before I realized I was kidding myself.

With anything we do, we have just one decision – to jump in or to stay away. Once we jump in, we bring our process to it. And, if it’s a small initiative where we are responsible for a lot, we probably see ourselves in true light for the first time as we lack the various support systems that we don’t notice in our own day jobs.

Excellence, as Aristotle astutely point out, is not an act. It’s a habit.