I've been somewhat envolved in discussions about leadership potential lately, and just came across of an interesting piece by Korn Ferry, 2007:

Successful leaders develop on the job (McCall, Lombardo, & Morrison, 1988). They learn managerial lessons from day-in and day-out work experiences. On the other hand, many executives derail. They depend too much on the competencies that moved them into management in the first place and tend to stop learning the skills that are needed to continue to perform effectively as a manager (McCall & Lombardo, 1983). A relatively new concept called “learning agility” is increasingly recognized as essential for long-term success. The concept derives from a variety of studies conducted at the Center for Creative Leadership. Robert Sternberg and his colleagues at Yale (Sternberg, Wagner, Williams, & Harvath, 1995) and Daniel Goleman’s (1995) work with emotional intelligence also is focused on this concept. Learning agility is the ability to learn something in situation A and apply it in situation B. It is about forming patterns collected in one context and then using those patterns in a completely new or different context to make sense out of something you’ve never seen or done before. Research indicates that learning how to deal effectively with first-time or changing situations is more predictive of long-term potential than raw intelligence.

Understanding complexity?

(ufa ... it's been a while since my last post here! I'm thinking of getting back online .. let's see how that goes)

Just to share I thought that I caught myself with just a few moments ago.

One of the challenges related to sustainability has been said the lack of system thinking, lack of understanding complexity etc.
Over the years we have been drawn into predominant ways of looking at the world as linear cause and efect equations, fragmenting complex issues into smaller parts, trying to implement mechanical solutions to every complex issue etc...

So as I went online today, and suddenly caught myself in a sort of a free flow of information that lead me through one page to another, from twitter, facebook to CNN news blog etc etc. I started to wonder whether the digital era helps the new generations to develop a skill of systemic thinking and understanding complexity?

Biopsychology

Just got back from the second module of the biopsychology course with Susan Andrews in her ecovila Visão Futuro. Super interesting how she brings together Eastern and Western science, not just medicine, but also many other sciences... all that mixed with music, arts, theatre ... I'm excited to learn.

Ask "What's possible?" ...

Ask "What's possible?" not "What's wrong?" - Keep asking...

Notice what you care about.
Assume that many others share your dreams.

Be brave enough to start a conversation that matters.
Talk to people you know.
Talk to people you don't know.
Talk to people you never talk to.

Be intrigued by the differences you hear.
Expect to be surprised!
Treasure curiosity more than certainty.

Invite in everybody who cares to work on what's possible.
Acknowledge that everyone is an expert in something.
Know that creative solutions come from new connections.

Remember, you don't fear people whose story you know.
Real listening always brings people closer together.

Trust that meaningful conversations change your world.

Rely on human goodness.

Stay together.


^^^^

Was trying to find the author for that poem (thanks Pablo for sharing it!) and a posting I had made in my blog more than two years ago came up in the search rs ...
I became curious about what happened that day. And I can't recall ...

The True Joy of Life

This is the true joy of life, the being used up for a purpose recognized by yourself as a mighty one; being a force of nature instead of a feverish, selfish little clod of ailments and grievances, complaining that the world will not devote itself to making you happy.

I am of the opinion that my life belongs to the community, and as long as I live, it is my privilege to do for it whatever I can. I want to be thoroughly used up when I die, for the harder I work, the more I live.

Life is no "brief candle" to me. It is a sort of splendid torch which I have got hold of for a moment, and I want to make it burn as brightly as possible before handing it on to future generations.

- George Bernard Shaw