Weekend Building Blocks - 01 SEPT 2017


There's no value in collecting blocks unless you're connecting them to build something awesome!
Assumptions. Kids sports. Data Visualizations. Navy ship collisions. Sales adaptability training.
  1. Assumptions can be a situational awareness barrier. Rich Gasaway comes to us from the fire and medic services. He brings up a discussion on assuming, guessing, estimating, and other time-saving tricks in the world of human decision-making. I'm a believer that we need to make assumptions in chaotic, adaptive environments...especially when the stakes are high and time is crunched. Because variables in complex situations are often unknown and unknowable, experience and intuition is what helps those assumptions be as accurate as possible. 
  2. How Kids' Sports Became a $15 Billion Industry. TIME magazine's Sean Gregory takes us inside the world of youth sports teams. The journey leads from local, community-based teams to private, national, "professionalized" teams and clubs. The money is huge. How is this affecting our kids? Is it healthy? Or is it capitalizing on manipulated emotion? I can't help but draw a few parallels to modern US police training industry. 
  3. Taking Data Visualizations From Eye Candy to Efficiency. Geoff McGhee is a data visualizer for Stanford University. This piece gets into the storytelling through visual aids, charts, graphs, and more. How are the ways we present the avalanche of data telling a story or sparking an emotional connection? I'm intrigued by how masterfully some people can make that meaningful link between data and imagery and emotion. 
  4. Collisions: Did Culture Trump Technology? Retired US Navy Captain William Toti shares a few differences between surface ship crew culture and that of submariners. I'm not completely surprised by his take on the disparity in mindset and attitudes between these two groups. I was reminded of some similar differences in policing - between SWAT/tactical and uniformed patrol. If you've spent any considerable time in both, you can feel the climate disparity - in terms of leadership, attitude, learning, feedback, accountability, teamwork, and more. 
  5. Dr Stefanie Boyer on Adaptability Training. This is a 28-minute podcast conversation between Jeff Boss (former Navy SEAL) and Dr Stefanie Boyer (adaptability coach). Dr Boyer focuses on sales training, but the lessons translate (and adapt!) well into many industries and fields. Given my background in adaptability training, it's no wonder I absolutely had to listen to this episode!! What are your mental barriers keeping you from learning more about adaptability?
Lastly, here is a piece from my archives:
  • The Managers Take Apart What The Leaders Build.  Synthesis vs Analysis. Leadership vs Management. Why vs How. The complexity of these spectrums is intense. We need broad skills and mindsets to survive uncertainty and unpredictability. We also need a language and visualizations to help communicate with those on our teams in these chaotic environments. 
I appreciate you allowing me to make these recommendations to you each Friday.
    Lou Hayes, Jr.
    thinking & adapting like a Tactical Philosopher
    at The Illinois Model in Chicago.

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