What Drives You?

I have been thinking quite a bit about Daniel Pink's "Drive" (http://www.ted.com/talks/dan_pink_on_motivation.html), where he outlined the three fundamental ways that drive a person. In fact, if you'd ask me, it is not new. Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs might be familiar to most people. But perhaps, Tony Robbins - Six Human Needs is something a little lesser known.

Incidentally, Tony Robbins also did a TED session some years back.

I like Tony Robbins explanation as I am familiar with his work.

Tony mentioned that there are essentially six human needs; Certainty, Variety, Significance, Connection/Love, Growth, and Contribution. If we align this to Pink's thesis on motivation, we can see how it all fit.

Pink started by saying that there are some basic human needs. Tony suggests that we all want comfort, and much of this comfort comes from certainty. However, once we are too comfortable and knowing about everything with certainty, that's when we crave for variety. This is where we want excitement. We want surprises.

Pink that stated that there needs to be some form of extrinsic rewards, like monetary for instance. Of course this is aligned to Tony's significance, where take it literally, the more significance can be equated to monetary rewards. For instance, when we know we got the promotion, we had the pay rise, we had the recognition and reward, we get a sense of 'significance'. We feel important, when we get a title change, from executive to manager. And that's is because deep down, we all want to be important.

Granted, I have not read Pink's Drive, hence I will not comment. But this is where I see the application to the kind of knowledge work our schools are doing, and we should probably watch this like a hawk, as there are a few tell-tale signs that we need to address at this outset.

For example, where Tony talks about "Connection/Love". We all want to be a part of a community. We want to be cared for and cared about. As such, in Schools where we are encouraging the idea of teachers working in team, we are also in a way building up their relational competencies to help them work in team, collaborate to improve, as well as to guide each other. Truly in the spirit of leading the learning, leading the learner, and leading other teachers.

So, when we group teachers into Professional Learning Communities, we are in fact, creating a greater sense of together-ness at the social level, so that, for one, they do not feel like facing a particular challenge alone. They have support. They have others in the "community" that can lend them a hand. However, for this to occur, there are several fundamental prerequisites.

For one, each member of the team must have, what I call, "Personal Mastery". That is they are self-aware and are also able to manage self. Next, I would say that "Engaged Mastery" is required. This is where we expect each other to respect others' point of view. In order to work in a team collaboratively, the ability to see others' viewpoint, critically examine it, and then decide what to do with it is important. Then, it will be the "Professional Mastery", where they must have the necessary competencies to carry out a task or design a solution that is not only effective, but is done in such a way that it serves a greater good/purpose. The "Personal Mastery" deals with a personal trustworthiness, whereas "Engaged Mastery" deals with trust. Just as its described in Stephen M.R. Covey's The Speed of Trust. Finally, the "Professional Mastery" goes into the knowledge, skills, and competencies that each team member must have.

Finally, Pink stated that, in some areas of work, especially where creative work is concerned, throwing money at the task sometimes impede the performance of the individuals. And that is so true, especially so in the current state of affairs. Individuals do not work for a company just because it pays well. Many companies pay well. But how many company has a purpose and mission that will engage their people.

Let us think for a moment, why do people want to work for Apple, Google, IBM, (LINE Consulting - I am working towards that), or to become a teacher? Why do they not want to settle for just any other company? I believe its because these companies or jobs have a meaningful purpose that they can identify with, that they want to be a part of (linking back to "connection/love"). Everyone wants to leave behind a legacy. In fact, what struck me most, whenever I ask people what would they want to do if money is no object. They'll usually say they would continue what they're doing, or they would want to do missionary work, or they would want to help others. And the common theme I gathered from these responses was "contribution" - which is Tony's sixth human needs.

Of course, if you think about being part of an organization, one would want to be able to "grow", whether it is to become better, to enlarge their portfolio of skills, to stretch their thinking and abilities. And that is important, nay, critical. Because, try being optimistic while at a job where you see no further growth.

Hence, if contribution is ranked at the highest level of all human needs, then we need to pay attention to what we are doing.

If innovation, for instance, is to be seen as a growth and contribution; I mean why do we want our teachers to innovate? Not because so that we appear on schoolbag.sg but because we really want to be able to make a difference and provide the education that the child deserves, despite of his/her background. Hence, we have to ask ourselves some serious questions.

We have been "rewarding" eSSS contributions. If its about contribution, is that why we are getting people to drag their feet in submission of eSSS?

If PLC is for about 21st Century work, where its putting (data + information + knowledge + expertise + delivery) * innovation = 21st Century Work (read products or services), and if its creative work, meaningful work, work that contributes to the current pool of knowledge on education, pedagogy, assessment; then what might be the best way to motivate people? Definitely not throwing money at their projects. Then, what else can we do?

If "staff engagement" is about "say+stay+strive", then we seriously have to look at "talent management". And no, "talent management" is not about giving that someone "more tasks" to try him/her out. We need to look at strategies and structures that allow us to help the officers find purpose and meaning in what they do. Guide them towards Personal and Engaged Mastery. Equip them with the skills. Recognize them appropriately. And map out their career path.

This is not an easy task and it requires a paradigm shift for some of us. So, what I am going to do differently tomorrow is to re-examine my motivations and intentions behind what I do, each day.

Who are you as a teacher?

Today was such a great learning for me.

I was invited to sit in for one of the school's PETALS training session today and was so glad.

Of course there's work expected of me; to (i) draw up an action plan, (ii) formulate implementation strategy, and (iii) identify KPIs to measure the effectiveness of PETALS.

It was certainly an eye-opener for me. Though I've always talked about PETALS to the schools, today I gained an in-depth understanding, including sitting through a series of presentation of lesson plans by teachers and joining the rest of the teachers in providing feedback and critique of actual lesson plans.

It was even better for me when the facilitator brought out the chart on "Thinking about Pedagogy".



It reminds me of Gregory Bateson's "Logical Level of Change" that we shared extensively in our seminars and workshops for educators. Refresher: Identity > Values and Beliefs > Strategies and Capabilities > Behaviors and Actions > Environment and Outcomes.

It is first, understanding who you are as a teacher. This is exactly what Parker Palmer discussed in his book, "Courage to Teach", where you are what you teach. This is so in line with Gregory Bateson's model, where we talked about "Identity" - who you are.

Following the "Identity" is the beliefs, values, theories and principles that underpins your pedagogy. Again, this is in line with Bateson's "Values/Beliefs" + "Strategies/Capabilities".

At this point, you would enact and evaluate ("Behaviors and Actions") your pedagogy based on your "Values/Beliefs" + "Strategies/Capabilities".

After that, you would develop your pedagogy, where I take it to mean you check against your "Outcomes" to determine if your pedagogy is sound.

Here, I believe there are a few fundamental principles that we need to think about:
(1) Who you are determines how you teach.
(2) What beliefs and values you have and what theories and principles you subscribe to will shape the way you teach.
(3) What knowledge, skills, and attitudes you have will determine how your pedagogy will be.

This is where I would like to make the connection of the principles to what we do:
Principles (1) & (2): if all our teachers write their own personal mission statement and write down their values and how it look like, it allows them to better understand themselves.

Principle (3): is where we need to know two things. One is what are our teachers training needs (LNA). The other, I found out today, is what kind of teaching skills and style does that teacher have?

And this, the TPI can help provide us with five perspectives. Check it out here.

Asking HOT Questions

There comes a time where we need to start asking ourselves difficult but important questions. The benefits of it are too numerous to state here but we'll mention just three.

One, asking such questions allow us to make improvements to what we currently have. It used to be, if it ain't broken don't fix it. It's now, if it ain't broken fix it anyway. Unless we pursue excellence as a way of life, as a habit, as a mantra; we will suffer the serious consequences of being caught in a situation where what we know and what we can do no are no longer in demand.

Two, asking such questions force us to re-examine our assumptions, beliefs, and perception. They are not the same and we are not arguing on matters of semantics but seriously each has it's unique characteristics that we sometimes neglect at our own peril.

Let's start with assumptions. By assuming that your spouse will not change, maybe because you have reasons to believe that it didn't happen in the past and hence it wouldn't happen now. Based on that assumption, you will response in a particular manner that would reinforce that belief. Over time, as it proofs to you that because your spouse doesn't change will lead you to form the perception that all spouses don't change.

Now, in a corporate context this get magnified to a degree that can sometimes blow things out of proportions.

Three, and perhaps to me the most important of all is this, if we don't ask ourselves questions like these then we probably will never think that there is an issue to begin with.

And reason why I say it's the most important to me is this: self-awareness and humility are the elements of a great character. If we do not know what we do not know then there is never a problem to begin with. I'm not suggesting you become a trouble maker but to first question yourself hard enough.

Productivity - What is it??

Some of you might know that my first job after graduation was with the Productivity and Standards Board or PSB for short (now known as SPRING Singapore).

Reason why I got hired was because my Master thesis was on measuring productivity using Econometrics modeling. During that time, there was an on-going debate by Alwyn Young and Paul Krugman about the productivity, or lack of, in Singapore's manufacturing sector compared to the other Asian 'dragons', such as Hong Kong and Taiwan.

Now, with productivity back in the headlines it is a question I ask myself if I should dust off my thesis and look for relevant learning points or is this productivity a really different one?

After much thoughts, I reckon that while the computation of productivity is still valid, the variables and coefficients are now very different.

Let me illustrate. In the past, we determine how productive we are through the use of labor and capital in an optimal fashion and in the most effective and efficient way. Therefore, two firms with the same quality and quantity of labor and capital used in the same combination should produce identical outputs. However if one firm manages to outdo the other, then in comparison it is more productive.

In this new economy, using the same quality and quantity of labor and capital in the same combination will not yield the same output. And this is because of one key differentiating factor. And if this factor is harnessed to the max and properly nurtured (note: not managed) it will bring about extensive competitive advantage.

This differenting factor is 'ideas'. And I believe ideas is something that requires an elegant expression of calculus to capture, which then allow us to solve and hence seek solutions in the process.

To help us learn how to nurture ideas in our workplace, we suggest the 4E Framework and with it a four-step process in nurturing ideas.

Explore: this is simply to encourage our people to ask questions, challenge assumptions, think "what if we can ...", and see things from different perspectives. At this stage, it is important that we really explore all areas to see how we can better ourselves.

Experiment: here, we provide seed funds for projects that were explored in the first phase. Individuals are encouraged to be creative and innovative in their ways to solve the areas identified in the explore phase.

Expand: once the experiments are completed it is essential to see how it would contribute to the organizational goals. This is where we determine which ideas are given an expanded lease of life.

Excellence: implementation at the macro level may not be as smooth as implementation at the controlled level. Therefore at this phase, a close assessment and review process must be employed to refine the ideas further in order to experience excellence.

Research and real-life stories have shown that the above process brings about significant productivity gains for organizations. Do you have some form of framework and/or process that mirrors that of the 4Es described above?

Please share with us. Thank you.

Your friend,
Melvyn
(Posted from my iPhone)

Most Important Element of 21st Century Skills

We spent a considerable amount of time researching, discussing, and defining the 21st Century Skills (21Cs). During the process, we discover that the most important element that needs to exist before these skills-set can be laid upon is simply this - responsibility.

First, the 21Cs list a wide repertoire of skills that is required for one to survive in this new economy. To make it happen, one has to consider a series of factors. And the most important of all is, to us, responsibility.

Why?

Let us do an exercise together in order for us to illustrate the point. Think of a goal that you have set in the past that didn't materialize. Now, reflect upon what happened that caused you not to achieve this goal. Next, list down all the possible reasons you think caused this to happen.

Got it?

What we would like you to do now is to put a tick next to all the reasons that caused you not to achieve this goal that were within your control. And place a cross next to all those that were not within your control.

Tally up your score of ticks and crosses. See for yourself. Do you have more ticks than crosses?

If you had more ticks then, congratulations. You are someone who is responsible. However, if the converse was true then you'd really need to re-examine your action plan.

You see, if you have more ticks, then you have a good chance of succeeding. Why? Because if you correct those factors then it will greatly increase your chance of succeeding the next time. But if you have more crosses, then even if you were to try even harder, chances are you will not succeed.

Now, back to the 21Cs. A lot of these skills can be taught. It can be learned. It can be role-modeled. But unless one takes personal responsibility to be taught, to learn, and to role-model others who already have these skills; then trying to equip that person with the 21Cs will be extremely difficult.

And that is because more often than not, this person would be blaming others for his own demise.

We welcome your comments and look forward to engaging you in this dialogue and for you to share with us your thoughts.

Your friend,
Melvyn
(Posted from my iPhone)

Listen - Silent Your Mind

I was watching a training video on YouTube recently, on "The Art of Charisma" and one of the main take-away for me was this: Charismatic individuals listen to you. They pay attention to what you are saying. They are focused on you. It's you they want to know more.

And she went on to say, if you scramble the letters in the word "LISTEN", what do you get? It actually spells "SILENT". Isn't it amazing?

Perhaps, allow me to share our experiences with the schools, where we discuss about the "culture" in the school. To begin, we always get the teachers to describe in their own words what do the school values mean to them. This process allows the school leaders and middle management to really listen, learn, then lead the entire school towards defining the desired culture.

In fact, a lot of things happen when teachers describe in their own words what do the school values mean to them. Firstly, they are describing it from their interpretation of the world. In other words, they are telling you how it is like in their world. For instance, for someone the value of "care" could mean really showing respect to your colleagues, while another may extend the same value towards the environment and community as well. Both are right in their world but they describe differently because of their interpretation of the world, their experiences, their background. This is where we say they reveal their mental models.

Secondly, when they describe in their own words what the school values mean to them, they are revealing their standards to you. They are telling you what is important to them. What would really make them upset. What would mean to "cross their lines". What would violate their trust. It is really important to pay attention to what they are saying here. This is where we say they reveal their values to you.

Finally, while facilitating such sessions, we always end of by asking them what it would be like when they have arrive at a common goal. In most cases here, the common goal would be the desired outcomes of the pupils. By giving them the context of the end-in-mind, we would invite them to describe the same set of values again. Here, our objective is to get them to visualize the context in which these values would be translated into desired behaviors when they have arrived at their desired outcomes. This is where we get them to bond together based on the shared vision.

Here, as a Big-Pictured Thinker, we need to be able to silent our mind and really listen. Not listen to respond but listen to understand. Listen to learn. So that we can expand our view of the world by understanding how other people think, how they perceive the world.

To e-book or not?

Of late, especially with the announcement of the iPad, there are several discussions on whether e-books (or for that matter e-textbooks) should be introduced in the classroom. For instance, in this article; the future of textbooks is discussed; while another article here provides a more balanced view of the advantages and disadvantages.

Some agree that e-textbooks will really allow learning to come alive; imagine when you are on the topic of tropical rainforest and right there, on your e-textbook, you will be able to activate a video that will show you the rainforest right there in the classroom.

Some disagree as they think that using e-textbooks readers will distract students in the classroom. In fact, not using e-textbooks will encourage students to get up and conduct their own research, instead of having research conducted for them.

Do share your thoughts with us on e-textbooks:
- What are your thoughts on this?
- What are the advantages (or disadvantages) of using it in the classroom?
- Are you an educator, student, or parent?

Thank you.

Learning Continually

Big-Pictured Thinkers learn continually. They understand that there are always new ways of doing things better, that there can be other areas of knowledge hich they have yet to learn.

Some useful benefits from continual learning include; ever expanding your map of the world, a new subject or area of knowledge will bring about new perspectives, and most importantly to me is that continual learning is fuel for ideas generation.

If we do not learn continually from things, people, books, movies, art, music, then where do we get new ideas?

What works for me is this:
Every week during your weekly review, identify the key opportunities for new learning.

This can be very exciting because let's say in your upcoming week's agenda you find that you have a meeting with an old friend, decide that you will learn something from him/her. It can be his/her pespective of work, life, certain aspects of government policies, etc.

Or let's say you are going to the movies this week with your spouse, decide to find a key learning point from the movie.

Interesting things happen when you made that decision. First, you've programmed your subconscious mind to seek out that learning opportunity that you might otherwise elude you. Second, you approach the event with humilty (to learn) instead of arrogance (of what new thing can this event or person teach me).

So can I challenge you to look at your upcoming week schedule and identify an event where you seek to learn something from it.

As we hope to engage our friends here so please share with us your experiences after you have done the action exercise.

Your friend,
Melvyn
(Posted from my iPhone)

Mindset of Big-Picture Thinkers

In our advanced goal-setting seminar, the first step in the entire process is Big-Picture Thinking.

Reason why this is right at the top is because if your goals are not big (yet realistic) it will not only fail to excite you, it will also be difficult to enlist others to join you in achieving the goal.

Another key reason why this is so critical especially for advanced goal-setting is because we believe that your goals should not be about yourself (that's for first level goal-setting; where first you must be able to lead yourself before leading others). In fact your goal should be towards service and not self-serving at this level.

Here, we will like to share the four "Ls" of Big-Picture Thinking. In summary, the four "Ls" are: learning continually, listening intensely, look extensively, and live completely.

We will cover each of the "Ls" in turn, starting with 'learning continually' in the next discussion.

Your friend,
Melvyn
(Posted from my iPhone)

ABCD of Engagement - A great teacher inspires

We all recall those days of chalky boards and flying dusters (at least for folks my age). These days in schools we aim to engage our pupils in the ABC.

A is affective, where we do things to engage them in that particular domain. I am a firm believer that the reason "we do what we do when we know what we know" is because the affective domain is not engaged.

Perhaps one of the best examples is in the health arena. We all KNOW that it is good to exercise for at least 30 minutes three times a week; but we do not DO it because we are not MOVED to act in a particular manner that inspires us to take action.

Henceforth, a child (adults alike) may be effective in the intellectual domain but if s/he is experiencing certain emotional drawbacks s/he is not likely to perform well. Of course one can argue that there are individuals who leverage on such negative emotional events to spur them on, as in Brookfield (1987).

We feel that once the affective domain is engaged, then the next domains to work on would be Behaviorial and Cognitive.

The Chinese proverb: “Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I remember. Involve me and I learn."

This is where things get interesting. Because this is where the systemic benefits happen due to the multiplier effect.

We could explain it this way; when we are emotionally engaged, feel good about learning we tend to take action in learning which then leads to us knowing more in depth about a particular subject. And because we now know more we are more confident to share and that lead to even more learning.

The effect is just phenomenal.

Now, if we can add the "D" to the engagement; it would be Definitive Purpose. As long as there is Definitive Purpose, one would find that it begins to find learning meaningful and relevant.

Perhaps to end off this blog, to share a quote from Maya Angelou:
"I've learnt that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel."

Your friend,
Melvyn
(Posted from my iPhone)

Key Goal: Learning to "Think"

One of my goals this year is to sharpen my "thinking".

My reason for the choice of the goal is simple.

If we want to thrive and be a leader in our chosen field, our success hinges on one factor; that is if we are able to be always ahead of our time.

In other words, can we continually be successful in our fields, and of course the answer is yes. The what is it that we need to do to stay ahead?

The answer, as I have figured out, is "ideas". If we are able to continually generate ideas and be effective in executing those ideas, then we will always be able to create, add, and maximize value for all those that we serve.

But where do ideas come from? And how can we be effective in executing those ideas? I believe the answer lies with our ability to think.

Hence, we will be starting a series of blogs on "thinking" from here on and we certainly hope to share these ideas with you.


Your friend,
Melvyn
(Posted from my iPhone)

Change of Habits

Its the New Year, and with a new beginning comes new hopes. With new hopes come new dreams. With new dreams come new goals. With new goals come new actions. With new actions come new habits. Does it stop there? Some may say yes, but I will certainly say no.

Habits are essentially a manifestation of our inner beliefs and mindset. We can want to change a habit and possibly be successful for a while. But unless we change our thinking, we will fall back to our old habits.

Before we go into that, let's talk a little about habits, neural pathways, and basal ganglia.

Possibly the easiest way to discuss the above is this. Say, there is a footpath that has been paved that you should take when walking from your house to the main street. However, that footpath is somehow out of the way for you, hence instead of using that footpath, you walk on the grass patch. The initial few days when you walked on the grass patch does nothing to the grass. But with continual stepping on the grass will cause it to die and soon you will find a footpath being created by you.

Habits are just like that. Habits are essentially actions that we take when faced with a stimulus. Say, whenever we are stress, we start throwing our weight around. The first few times when we do that, it seem kinda odd, and we're probably embarrassed about it afterwards. But overtime, whenever we become stressed (stimulus), we start screaming and shouting (actions). After while, we probably even get used to it. So much so, that the next time we become stressed, even without thinking, we start screaming at the top of our lungs!

Over time, such habits are formed. Just like that brown footpath you've created.

And why is it so difficult to change our habits? Well, our brain tends to take the path of least resistance (like that paved footpath is "out of the way"), so we just blow up whenever we get stressed up.

Then, how do we change our habits? What can we do?

There are some practices that I have come across that worked for me. And I'll like you to give it a shot to.

Essentially there are three steps that we need to take. (Caution: Though it is not easy, it is not impossible too).

Firstly; practice "pause". Which means, the next time when you know you are going to act up; pause. During my NLP course, our trainer made us wear our watches on the other hand. For most of us, its the left hand, so we wear it on the right instead. And from time to time, he would ask for the time. And instinctively many of us will lift up our left hand, only to remember that we have switched sides. That brought about lots of laughter but also a reminder for us to, pause, and then lift up the other hand instead. Some other variations of this practice is, if you have always brushed your teeth with your right hand, then for the next few days, try brushing with your left hand. You will find that your brushing goes haywire and what used to be a five minutes ritual can turn into a ten minutes agony.

Secondly; practice the art of "asking questions". In other words, if you have always been doing things a specific way, ask yourself questions like, "how would it be like if I change the way I approach this?" or "what are other possible ways to approach this same issue?". Some people practice this by asking themselves what other possible routes that they can take when driving to work. Of course it might not be possible for us all, but you get the idea. Next time, before you walk into class, ask yourself what and how can you do differently to achieve the same results or even better outcomes.

Finally, practice the art of changing your thinking. This is probably the most difficult of the three. But it is definitely worth it. John C. Maxwell talked about the 11 new ways of thinking that will change your life in his book, "Thinking for a Change". If you haven't read that, I strongly recommend it. One of the most important reason to "change your thinking" is because a change in thinking brings about huge systemic change. In fact, in my training as an economist, we always learn about different models and with each model, there are a specific set of assumptions. It is therefore, important, for us to know what those assumptions are because if we don't we wouldn't be able to explain why economic agents behave in a particular manner. Just like economic models and their assumptions, we also need to better understanding our thinking habits. Are we always thinking good thoughts or have we been harboring bad thoughts for the longest time? Are we always thinking empowering thoughts or are we caught up with limiting thoughts about ourselves?

These three practices, if we follow it religiously, we will definitely see dramatic changes in our lives; for the better of course. I have been thinking about the goals I have for myself in 2010 and one of my sub-goals is to think better. And that's going to be the first thing I am starting with because it has the maximum multiplier effect on all my other goals as well.

Let me know what you think (no pun intended), and if you have suggestions or better ways of sharping your thinking skills, we'd like to hear it!

Your friend,
Melvyn

Are Your People Your Assets?

It is not uncommon to hear people say that, "our people are our assets". In "It's not about the coffee", Howard Behar said that people are not your assets; you own assets but you do not own your people.

I found that thought to be quite profound. As an economist by training, I can't help but think of the law of diminishing returns when I think of assets. Assets have an economic lifespan, during which they are most productive. And after that period, you write them off. Is this the same for people?

Well, depends on our thinking and hence, our beliefs about people.

With assets, or resources, we tend to think of being efficient and effective in the use of resources. Resources, some people think of it as not only physical and financial resources but also human resources. Stephen R. Covey says you can be efficient with a machine but you cannot be efficient with a person. In other words, Stephen R. Covey is saying you need to invest in the emotional bank account. Otherwise, if we have always been efficient with people we will instead be withdrawing, rather than depositing, from their emotional bank account.

To cite an example, let's say I want to be "efficient" with my staff. And as a result, I do not take the time to understand their needs nor explain my rationale of doing things, instead I just tell them what to do and tell them to just do it. Perhaps in the past I have asked them for opinions but were impatient in hearing them out. And overtime I figured they can't give any useful suggestions anyway and hence I decided to be efficient with them. Does that sound familiar?

Then you may ask, what then can we do? To follow from Stephen R. Covey's principles, we first have to make deposits in the emotional bank account. Only by doing so, can we become effective with people.

And if we become effective with people, can we then pick up speed and be efficient with them? The answer is yes. And that can be drawn from Stephen M.R. Covey's book, The Speed of Trust. Only when you have established trust, then can you become efficient with people. Still, the underlying principles of being effective with people must come in first. Otherwise it is not possible to be efficient with people.

Your friend,
Melvyn
(0osted from my iPhone)