Monday, October 5, 2009

A Reader Writes... (Do Something / Do Nothing)

In response to my points on the choice of doing something or doing nothing, a reader writes:

“SC wrote that your choices are,

1. Do Something

2. Do Nothing

I put this to the test today. I was sick of the tardy situation and was tired of waiting for our committees to come to a decision. Everyone wanted to "work out the details" and maybe start in a week or two. That seemed like doing nothing to me. So I did something.

I had no solid plan, no contingency, but I acted. So how did it go? Not perfect, but pretty good. By the end of the day the kids were getting it. I had a 70% solution (I have done this kind of thing before) and executed it at full speed. No one seemed to notice the holes. As we progress forward from what we accomplished today, we will fill in the holes.

General Patton would be proud!”

SC Response
Congratulations! Former coaches and former military personnel (such as you) get it. Action creates opportunity. What makes action even more powerful in school settings is unlike sports and war, there rarely is organized opposition and even when there is, the opposition is more focused on avoiding discomfort than defeating you. So my advice is this, identify a problem and attack it. Even if you have a vaguely defined plan, your action increases your likely hood of success.

Think. Work. Achieve.

Your turn...

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