Question Based Academics
August 1st, 2011
I taught a Psychology 101 course at a local college for a few semesters and each time assigned one short paper. In that paper students had to demonstrate the ability to formulate a single question, a question they genuinely did not know the answer to and one that affected their life. They also had to devise a strategy to pursue an answer. The one catch? They had to submit their question prior to writing the paper in order to verify authenticity. I turned many back for re-working. Students often had great topics, but no real question, or not one they cared about in any special way.
Students in the course accused me of unfair practices, of trying to trick them, and some even said it could not be done. Why? Because we live in a world that honors answers, not questions. Students as young as first grade are taught to avoid questions that do not have readily available and verifiable answers. Teachers know that papers are not written anymore, they are Googled.
Our ability to access information on the Internet is all well and good. But, iconic breakthroughs need a person willing to ask the right questions. Albert Einstein was a master at asking questions. At one critical point he asked himself what it would be like to ride a light beam through space.
A question based academic system would look like students being encouraged and rewarded for curiosity, for asking questions that appear strange and silly, not connected to data gathering and information retrieval. These would be questions like Steve Jobs asks on a daily basis. Term papers and dissertations would be graded on whether a student was able to generate authentic and original questions. Research would be based on questions that are platforms for future development. The emphasis would be more on the journey itself and less on the end product.
Our current system of discovery is built on “tweeking” what we already know based on existing technology. An academic system should be producing students with big questions and the commitment to pursue answers to those questions even if it is beyond what our current technology can deliver. In the academic system I propose students would be awarded Ph.D.’s in a particular question, not an academic field that already has a fund of knowledge waiting to be tweeked.
My Powerful Question is a program that helps participants discover the question that captures their passion and propels them to a clear definition of their life’s mission. Expect to hear about new achievement and breakthrough from graduates of this program. This is not thinking out-of-the-box. It is an entirely new box.
Posted in boundary repair, business psychology, john olesnavage, motivational, psychology book | Post a comment »
Demystifying Creativity
July 11th, 2011
Just finished reading Josh Linkner’s book, Disciplined Dreaming. I strongly recommend for anyone who wants to enhance their business through creativity. This book is down to earth with numerous examples that illustrate how to apply a creative approach to a variety of business challenges. His belief in and promotion of co-creative process is evident in his team building practices.
Josh explains that he became “obsessed with demystifying creativity” in the wake of developing his highly successful ePrize internet online promotion company. What a magnificent example of a personally powerful question and where it can take you.
I asked the team of collaborators helping me launch My Powerful Question to formulate a creativity brief as outlined in the book. Our initial efforts are yielding surprising breakthroughs in thinking and planning.
Read this book, you will not be disappointed.
Posted in business psychology, john olesnavage, motivational, Uncategorized | Post a comment »
Do Coping Mechanisms Always Come Back to Bite Us?
June 14th, 2011
Coping mechanisms are attitudes and behaviors we rely on to deal with stress and mediate life’s circumstances. They will always cause us more problems than they started out helping to the extent that they are efforts to deny or avoid real issues. Why? Because denial and avoidance only work for periods of time, then the fear grows stronger and the coping mechanisms themselves bring unwanted consequences.
Think about the times you tried to “wait” for things to get better, and refused to take action even though the issue persisted. Like the toothache that surfaces “once in awhile,” when you finally get to the point of taking action, you now have two problems not one. You have the original problem, and you also have new problems brought on by the coping strategy. How many people ignore real relationship problems until their better half walks out on them? I have lost count of the number of clients who been forced to face that reality and lament “I know I can change, but she said it is just too late.”
It is difficult to admit when our strategies are not working. At times we purposefully cling to things we know are not working rather than change. We rationalize that staying stuck is better than the possibility of losing face and stepping up to real change.
Posted in boundary repair, child psychology, coping mechanisms, john olesnavage | Post a comment »
Co-created Boundary Experience
June 7th, 2011
When two whole, flexible boundaries meet it creates authentic relational space. This is space that is neither “You” nor “Me.” This is “Us” space. This space is healing and magical. It is co-created because it allows both parties to experience new limits and new possibilities.
Boundaries that are torn due to trauma or loss, and boundaries that are stuck in addiction or depression, are not able to create authentic new space. The only space they can create is marked by control. They seek to control, or to be controlled.
What does co-created magical space look like? It looks like two people who give-and-take without taking for granted. There is risk and the possibility, not the guarantee, of reward. It is feeling one’s own boundary come alive in the shared space of purposeful and authentic contact.
Posted in boundary repair, co-creation, john olesnavage, psychology book, Uncategorized | Post a comment »
