EDM613 Wk1 Response to Lina Valery

Original Post:

Fear - Week 1 Reading

Thursday, May 6, 2010

Fear means many things to many people. For some, it is a tangible thing, a person, animal, or phobia that has long since haunted their lives. For others, that which they fear is lightly abated and easily awakened by an unforgiving mind.

A philosophy of productivity and aim for control has been injected into each person’s mindset throughout the majority of life. Most can attest that teachers, parents, leaders, and employers have worked hard to calm the fire of creativity within each of them. It is not long before these fires become the tame candles of a conforming system.

Ironically, most people spend the rest of their lives trying to invent, create, and innovate. Coloring outside the lines and going against the current is what has made each person so different and interesting. Personal success and fulfillment does not lye in the mold. Success means different things to different people and to define your their based on another’s will only lead to frustration.

I confess my own fear lies in what I cannot control, trying to prepare for the unknown. Always attacking everything with a plan, instead of letting the plan develop as the project unfolds. Rarely have I missed a deadline and yet I have often missed the journey.

Inspired by Chapters 1-3 of:

Zander, Rosamund, & Zander, Benjamin. (2002). The Art of possibility. New York, NY: Penguin Group USA.

My reaction:

Tom McNamee

I understand where you are coming from because I am a control freak. I used to always have to have everything planned to the minute and have elaborate plan B, C, D, and E. That all changed when I began teaching. For the first time I was faced with a situation in which if I held onto my need for control, I would go crazy. Slowly, I learned to let go of things. I never lowered my expectations, but understood that they weren't a "one size fits all."

This year I took on journalism and moved the school paper from a print format to digital. There were lots of hurdles and my team wasn't the most motivated. I really learned a lot this year letting go and allowing them the freedom to fail and succeed. I feel I have a better understanding of leadership now. I was a manager for Disney for three years, but never learned the things I learned this year as journalism advisor. Perhaps there is some truth in your theory of missing things if we always just strive for perfection.

Sunday, May 9, 2010 - 03:21 PM