Volume 4, Issue 6
|
June 2012 |
|
Greetings!
Nola Ochs was 95 when she graduated with a Bachelor's Degree from Fort Hayes State College in Kansas, alongside her 22-year-old granddaughter. This year, now 98, Nola graduated with a Master's Degree in liberal studies with a concentration in history. She plans to apply for a graduate teaching assistantship.
I don't know many 95 year-olds who would return to school. But for Nola, it was no problem. "I don't dwell on my age. It might limit what I can do. I just see myself as another student."
Our knowledge and beliefs are shaped by how we see ourselves, other people and the world around us. It's so important that we challenge our "see" - especially when it comes to how we see ourselves - so that we're not shortchanged.
Have you challenged your see lately?
Boldly yours,
Jennie Ayers
Senior Partner
June 2012 |
|
|
|
Boomers Gave the World Woodstock...So Why are We Perceived the Way We Are? (925 words: time to read - less than 4 minutes)
Curated by Kris Campbell
 As boomers, our discovery-bent generation gave the world The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test, Ken Kesey and his Merry Pranksters rolling across the country in a psychedelic bus, Monty Python, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest and Clockwork Orange. Today we're seen as the older generation that's "formal, difficult, uptight, self-indulgent, too serious and reluctant to let loose". And now, here we are, in the midst of challenging, turbulent, chaotic times. A period of scary risks, of multi-alternatives, of exploring the jagged edges of what tomorrow will be. Are we the role models for how to navigate change? Are we the great mentors of metamorphosis? I'd like to say yes...but the Millennials and Gen Y's aren't looking to us for guidance. And maybe we shouldn't blame them.
This generational divide becomes painfully apparent in the workplace, where we struggle over definitions of work ethic and professionalism. Instead of leading the change, Millennials want Boomers out of the way, seeing us as protective of our knowledge and reluctant to let go and allow them to lead.
Take a look at how author Allison Fine describes 'most people over 40' (ouch - that hurts) and their out-of-date perceptions of professional image. She makes a good case for how social media has actually become a threat to what it means to be perceived as professional. Check out her list of "Old Professional" and "New Professional". Be brutally honest - which camp are you in?
|
|
Why Is Everyone Leaping?
(1107 words: time to read - less than 5 minutes)
Curated by Kris Campbell
I actually found a website called "passionicity". There are over 400 million websites listed on Google that will tell you all about finding your passion in life or pumping passion into your daily work if it's a grind. At Google images, when you type in a search for "work passion", you get pages and pages of smiling, ecstatic people on a mountain top, a beach at sunrise/sunset, in a wheat field or corporate cubicle - all with their arms exuberantly in the air as if they have indeed, found that passion.
Some people find this passion, others stumble upon it and still others meander through life, thirsty for it, never quenching that thirst. However, it looks to me like the amazing field of neuroscience is opening doors to our understanding of how brain-based mechanics and genetic advantages can make or break this search for passion, purpose and plan. I'm passionate about this field of research and knowledge and what it's revealing about how we connect with excellent, accountable BOLD work. It's actually pretty straightforward, not mystical or magical and no one needs to leap into the air. Small genetic differences can turn into large advantages that compound over a lifetime. Passion from genetic advantage? Of course! Combine compulsion with passion and we can produce extraordinary achievement. Maybe then you'll want to throw your arms up and out and leap into the air on a beach at sunrise! Read "Where Does Passion Come From?" by Sam McNerney at the Creativity Post.
|
|
 Creativity - At the Top of Every CEO's Wish List(740 words: time to read - about 3 minutes)
Curated by Jennie Ayers
When it comes to creativity, most organizations agree they need to foster it, simply because without it, you can kiss innovation goodbye. Unfortunately, a huge majority of people simply don't consider themselves to be creative..which is completely untrue! Teresa Amabile of Harvard University has spent a lifetime studying creativity and is one of this country's foremost explorers of business innovation. And her research shows that anyone with normal intelligence is capable of doing creative work. According to her, creativity depends on a number of things: (1) experience, (2) skill, (3) an ability to think in new ways and (4) the capacity to push through uncreative dry spells. I think being creative also takes practice. Creative muscles have to be worked regularly, just like abs if you want that six pack. Personally, I find working my creative muscles fun...and by building those muscles, we also build confidence, knowing that we can rely on our creativity when we need it. |
|
|
TalkShoe -  "Can You Make It As an Entrepreneur?" Join us for this month's Continuing Conversations on TalkShoe - "Can You Make It As an Entrepreneur?" - on Tuesday, June 26th, at noon CST. Today's real-life entrepreneurs are much admired - after all, the development of new enterprises is the cornerstone of economic growth. But not everyone is cut out to be an entrepreneur. Are you? |
|
About BoldWork
We partner with our clients to optimize the performance of the people who work for them. Clients come to us when they seek to create a WorkClimate that motivates employees to become high achievers and superior performers. Through research-based resources in human behavior, our clients successfully create a WorkClimate that:
- Optimizes the Purpose of Work
- Enriches Engagements
- Maximizes Achievement Drive
|
|
|
|
Let the world know you do BoldWork!