Comments on: Blogs and books http://donutszenmom.com/2009/10/17/blogs-and-books/ ashtanga yoga. zen. life. words. Tue, 28 Jun 2011 19:04:34 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3 By: karen http://donutszenmom.com/2009/10/17/blogs-and-books/comment-page-1/#comment-4207 karen Mon, 19 Oct 2009 12:00:05 +0000 http://donutszenmom.com/?p=2694#comment-4207 Yeah, self-help. Some of them certainly are self-helpish. I don't mind that, for the most part. The alternative is straight-up academic writing about business/management. I don't mind either format, really -- the self-help format is easier to read, usually, and easier to grab a few helpful ideas to use in real life. It's kind of interesting: a person writing one of those books has to put together a whole model or whole world view of some sort -- that's a requirement of the form. But in the end, I think most readers really just take away a few ideas or a portion of the model that they can actually use. Leadership is fascinating to me -- I like the combination of strategic and tactical perspectives all balanced with organizational and individual needs. It's like a big puzzle. :-) Yeah, self-help. Some of them certainly are self-helpish. I don’t mind that, for the most part. The alternative is straight-up academic writing about business/management. I don’t mind either format, really — the self-help format is easier to read, usually, and easier to grab a few helpful ideas to use in real life.

It’s kind of interesting: a person writing one of those books has to put together a whole model or whole world view of some sort — that’s a requirement of the form. But in the end, I think most readers really just take away a few ideas or a portion of the model that they can actually use.

Leadership is fascinating to me — I like the combination of strategic and tactical perspectives all balanced with organizational and individual needs. It’s like a big puzzle. :-)

]]> By: Wombat http://donutszenmom.com/2009/10/17/blogs-and-books/comment-page-1/#comment-4206 Wombat Mon, 19 Oct 2009 08:46:23 +0000 http://donutszenmom.com/?p=2694#comment-4206 Thanks for these little snippets of management geekiness. I have always looked on these kinds of management books/seminars/etc with a jaundiced eye. I guess I see them in the self-help genre? But, of course, academics have no formal training in management (or teaching, for that matter), and now that I'm managing a couple students as part of a rather dysfunctional institution, I suddenly find these topics more relevant... Indeed, some leading from the middle was initiated last week... Thanks for these little snippets of management geekiness. I have always looked on these kinds of management books/seminars/etc with a jaundiced eye. I guess I see them in the self-help genre? But, of course, academics have no formal training in management (or teaching, for that matter), and now that I’m managing a couple students as part of a rather dysfunctional institution, I suddenly find these topics more relevant… Indeed, some leading from the middle was initiated last week…

]]> By: karen http://donutszenmom.com/2009/10/17/blogs-and-books/comment-page-1/#comment-4201 karen Sun, 18 Oct 2009 13:43:43 +0000 http://donutszenmom.com/?p=2694#comment-4201 Hi Arturo. Your comment helped me realize something: I don't worry about the meetings/teams/projects when I'm not actually attending or working on them. That's been a conscious decision: if I worry about stuff ahead of time, I put the worry down -- just like a random thought in meditation. That's been a purposeful practice, and it's really useful. Hi Arturo. Your comment helped me realize something: I don’t worry about the meetings/teams/projects when I’m not actually attending or working on them. That’s been a conscious decision: if I worry about stuff ahead of time, I put the worry down — just like a random thought in meditation. That’s been a purposeful practice, and it’s really useful.

]]> By: arturo http://donutszenmom.com/2009/10/17/blogs-and-books/comment-page-1/#comment-4200 arturo Sun, 18 Oct 2009 12:12:21 +0000 http://donutszenmom.com/?p=2694#comment-4200 hi Karen your post is full of a lot of interesting symbolism - workplace as a petri dish, taming the ox and bringing it to the marketplace. useful ideas. i get emotionally drained if invited to too many things. they may not all take place, but worrying about them makes me feel overly popular. i like my solitude, at a time when i'm not alone. hugs Arturo hi Karen
your post is full of a lot of interesting symbolism – workplace as a petri dish, taming the ox and bringing it to the marketplace. useful ideas. i get emotionally drained if invited to too many things. they may not all take place, but worrying about them makes me feel overly popular. i like my solitude, at a time when i’m not alone.
hugs
Arturo

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