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Showing posts from April, 2017

Weekend Building Blocks - 28 APR 2017

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There's no value in collecting blocks unless you're connecting them to build something awesome! Here's what I've picked up this week: Masters of the Snowmobile: Musashi, Boyd, Musk . Chet Richards, of Slightly East of New , was an associate of John Boyd. Here he discusses the analogy of the snowmobile - a new combination of existing things. I've been a fan of Miyamoto Musashi's Book of Five Rings , and  of course all things John Boyd. It's interesting to hear the similarities with Elon Musk.  The Talent Curse . Jennifer Petriglieri and Gianpiero Petriglieri use case scenarios to describe what can happen when people are labeled according to their perceived "talent." After a handful of paragraphs, I was reminded of Carol Dweck's research on mindset (fixed versus growth)...so I wasn't the least bit surprised when she was cited in this article!  A Course of Leeches . Nathan Constable (pseudonym) is a policeman in the UK. In this piec

Why I Don't Respect Electric Smokers: The Art & Science of BBQ

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Spring is breaking here in Chicago. For me, that means one thing: BBQ season . Sure the pool is opening and days are getting longer...but during my winter hibernation (where I'm relegated to a propane grill), I drool about low-and-slow outdoor cooking! I've a group of guy friends that trades stories of our adventures in BBQ. Some (who live at great distances) text photos. Some email questions to solicit advice for cooking an upcoming dinner. But the conversations I enjoy most are those through my backyard fence...or better yet...those around the grill with a few beers in hand. BBQ is a  science because of fundamental thermodynamic laws and chemical reactions. It's an art because of the tacit knowledge and craftsmanship required to tweak and massage the system as the variables change ever so slightly. Traditionalist BBQ'ers are cavemen. We use low tech tools, fuels, and tricks to turn low quality cuts of meat into delicious meals. Two of the grills that I us

Weekend Building Blocks - 21 APR 2017

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There's no value in collecting blocks unless you're connecting them to build something awesome! Here's what I've picked up this week: Agility: the 7th Sigma.  Leadership consultant John Grinnell discusses constraining and adaptive factors of organizational agility. He gets into habits, ego, and information flow. (The article is in .PDF form which makes it a tad difficult to view on mobile devices. Do not let this dissuade you from reading this piece!)  What are the 21st-century skills every student needs?  Published in the World Economic Forum, Jenny Soffel gets into critical thinking, creativity, collaboration, adaptability, and a list of other oft overlooked skills. This completely re-enforces what I've been promoting with regards to the non-technical skills and knowledge that our people, kids, and teams need!  How to Shake the Blended Learning Blues . Carly Nations is a school teacher in Florida. She discusses her frustrations with technology and using

6 Simple Tricks to More Productive E-Mail

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In 1994, my prep school friends dispersed across the country to their respective colleges and universities. Back then, only a handful of us has access to email. I barely remember my address: l-hayes@ux5.cso.uiuc.edu . (Side note: the first digital picture I received - from a computer whiz kid across the dormitory hallway: a dolphin jumping out of the water. Really? A dolphin? Still, it was pretty amazing to transmit a picture, even at the 45-minute conversion!) Despite social media, browsing algorithms, and other direct messaging, email is still very alive. But it does appear, that email skills and etiquette have been tainted with the increase of those other more casual communication platforms. The Illinois Model exists to increase productivity, adaptability, decision-making, and project management. Its theories are applied to email as well. Here are six simple tricks you should be using to enhance your email productivity and efficiency. There is nothing spectacular here.

Weekend Building Blocks - 14 APR 2017

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I've been contemplating how to best share the sticky tidbits of information that have attached to my brain through the week. I'm considering an e-newsletter..but for now will publish via the blog.  There's no value in collecting blocks unless you're connecting them to build something awesome! Here's what I've picked up this week: It's Called Hustle . This is a 12-minute SparksTalk (TED-style) video of a great friend Mike Reynolds of InnovateMap (Indianapolis). Mike cut the cord to start his own design firm. His story and attitude is realistic, but motivating to anyone considering taking a leap of faith in entrepreneurship.  High performing teams - rugby players talk emotions . This is short blog post by David Wilkinson, published in The Oxford Review. It focuses on types of emotion regulation in the team environment. I've been studying emotional intelligence, and this fits right inline with contemporary research. Developing the Innovator&#

Restart to The Illinois Model

Please pardon the construction on this site during the overhaul to account for the expansion of The Illinois Model beyond a decision-making model for police officers. This week's web traffic is already setting records for me. Thank you!! I'm super excited! Lou Hayes, Jr.

EVENT: Growing Adaptive Thinking; 09-11 May 2017; N Aurora, Illinois

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Illinois MTU#3 NEMRT  is bringing in  Thom Dworak and me to present a special 3-day workshop on developing adaptive thinkers in law enforcement. This is geared for trainers and supervisors who tend to be the ones with the most influence and impact on organizational change.  Sign up for the May 09-11, 2017, event through this link ...but there's only ten (10) seats left. Here's the workshop description from the NEMRT website: Growing Adaptive Thinking - PAT335R May 9-11th, 2017 North Aurora Police Department, Illinois Traditional law enforcement training programs oftentimes utilize linear instructional methods for a variety of reasons, including safety, simplicity, policy, or agency best practices.  This framework is a carry over from industrial education models primarily concerned with cost savings and the maximization of time.  When training needs are, in fact, linear, objectives are met in a straightforward way and everyone is presumably happy with the results a

#AnonymousCopTwitter

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Police culture is complex. Social media is complex. Free speech is complex.  What do you get when you mix 'em all together?  Anonymous Cop Twitter. At least that's the name I've given to the phenomenon of first responders who cloak their true identities in the social and digital space. It extends beyond any one platform, and takes on many varieties. I first experienced it may years ago in the semi-private comments section of the  PoliceOne  website. And yet, it still fascinates me. Users hide themselves for a variety of reasons: compliance with agency social media policy; fear of retaliation; protection of self & family from bad guys; limitless trolling. But at the same time, users identify within the profession through: iconography; pseudonyms; avatars; badge numbers in screen names; profiles dotted with intra-cultural metaphors and slangs. Anonymous Cop Twitter includes patrol cops, detectives, SWAT operators, dispatchers, sergeants...acti