Growth is Self-Sustaining
Picture a Slinky doing its thing down a flight of stairs. If you start it right and conditions are good, the Slinky will go from the top step to the…
Stop Running and Screaming
When in trouble or in doubt, run in circles, scream and shout. Herman Wouk There are a few things less productive than running in circles while screaming and shouting, but…
Showing the Target: Criteria in Context
You can't hit a target you cannot see, and you cannot see a target you do not have. Zig Ziglar Our last blog entry was about criteria and how we…
Criteria are Everything
If you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid. Anonymous That’s worth keeping in mind, but…
Will You JUDGE or HELP?
Mom: “That's not good....you fell off your bike and got hurt. You're not supposed to do that.” Dad: “You didn’t even make it to the trees. You failed at your…
Assessment and Lightbulbs
Q: How many assessors does it take to change a lightbulb?A: One, obviously, because change is something we do TO lightbulbs. Q: How many assessors does it take to improve…
Start with Affirmation
When starting a new performance, whether a difficult and serious one (a new job or a new course/degree or major project) or one that’s relatively inconsequential (a new hobby or…
The Anonymous Expert
In Mark Twain’s short story, Captain Stormfield’s Visit to Heaven, once Captain Eli Stormfield makes it past the pearly gates and gets his bearings, he begins to learn about the other inhabitants of heaven.
Play it Again, Sam
We improve our future performance by assessing a past performance. This includes identifying areas for improvement and creating an action plan for carrying out those improvements. If we implement our…
The Worst Day but a Good Week
The days in our life are like pearls on a string. Though they are connected, as we go from one to the next, they are also separate. It is difficult to make sense of them one at a time and our most immediate feelings are about the one we’re in. That’s where our awareness is.