Your best just got better

An AWE-inspiring day in the life of a teacher...

I am a lucky, lucky man... Check out what landed in my e-mail inbox today!

E-mail #1 - from a former student in my high school World History class (this is going back YEARS!)

Jason,
How have you been?  I'm doing well now that I have graduated from college.  I am a Mechanical Engineer working for Oceaneering International.  I work on Blow-Out Prevention (BOP) systems for the oil and gas industry.  It will prove to be a challenging area for engineering as this company is just getting into these systems and there is a lot of progress to be made in the industry.
I am living in Houston, TX now too.  Little far from Ojai and a totally different social environment.  I am enjoying things thus far.
Let me know if you are ever out this way, maybe we can meet up.
Andrew

And, E-mail #2 - from ANOTHER former student in my high school World History class!

As of right now the expected due date is Oct 27th but I will be letting my people (you) know as the date gets closer if anything changes.  Isn't it weird knowing that you used to teach me history and now I'm having a kid!  time files but friendship never dies.
Brian

Next time you're wondering if what you're doing is making a difference, just take my word for it...

YES! Each of us makes an impact. And, we do so ever...single...day!

Brian and Andrew, thank you guys for remembering me, checking in from time to time, and reminding me to "keep it real." You're an inspiration to me...

The Power of [your] TEAM - another version of the vision

I was doing my weekly "catch-up" blog-reading, and came across this wonderful post on TEAM by a colleague of mine in the Not-For-Profit sector. Christopher and I go way back, though we've only spent a few hours together physically. Most of our idea generation, innovation sharing, and project planning is done via e-mail and over the phone.

None-the-less, he is an integral performer on Team Womack (as, I'd imagine I'm on his as well...but, I'll let him speak to that later!). Please check out his stuff, it's good!

Thank you to two teachers...

In 1990, I was a college student, in Santa Barbara, California. One semester, I had the honor of learning under the tutelage of Dr. Curtis Solberg (American History teacher, author, great all-around human being).

In 1997, I was a full-fledged, tenured teacher in the state of California teaching, you guessed it, American History!

In 2000, I attended the Masie TechLearn conference in Orlando, Florida. This multi-day conference is where I met Marshall Goldsmith for the first time. It is also where I began to understand just how BIG the learning-world really is.

More recently, I got to "introduce" Elliott Masie to Dr. Solberg. You see, Masie put a book together compiling memories of our "best" teachers...here is what I wrote about my US History teacher of so long ago:
Click on the text below to see the short letter...

A learning tool created expressly for the children in developing nations

I first heard about the $100 laptop while watching my "daily dose of information AND inspiration: TED Talks." I heard Nicholas Negroponte describe the ideas, ideals and goals of the OLPC program (one laptop per child).

Doing my part, I helped sponsor the program last year, and in doing so was sent  $100 laptop to experiment with myself. Why would I want one? (Like I need ANOTHER computer!) Well, I want to stay "on the edge" of technology and education. The more I know, the more I can help...I'll be blogging about this journey here, and writing about it in other places on the web (quite possibly over at the www.SchoolGuides.org site as well...).

To find out more about the $100 laptop, please click this link: A learning tool created expressly for the children in developing nations.

The XO is a potent learning tool created expressly for children in developing countries, living in some of the most remote environments. The laptop was designed collaboratively by experts from both academia and industry, bringing to bear both extraordinary talent and many decades of collective field experience for every aspect of this nonprofit humanitarian project. The result is a unique harmony of form and function; a flexible, ultra-low-cost, power-efficient, responsive, and durable machine with which nations of the emerging world can leapfrog decades of development—immediately transforming the content and quality of their children's learning.

and, click on the "white space/text" below for a timeline from the one laptop per child website...

Dinner with a leader...

Just another amazing day... Over a nice dinner in LA, I got to talk with Christopher (www.ChristopherScottBlog.com) about leadership. We came up with some ideas:

1) Filter choices, and go for it. Identify what you could do, and do it! Also, identify what gets in the way, and don't do it!

2) Be willing to act small so others can step up and practice their own leadership techniques.

Chrisopher will be blogging more on this topic soon!

One of those "short quotes" that makes me stop and think!

Computers are incredibly fast, accurate and stupid. Human beings are incredibly slow, inaccurate and brilliant. Together they are powerful beyond imagination. - Albert Einstein

    

In my line of work, people often want to know "the best way to get things done."

"Jason, should I use Outlook?"

"Jason, is there a 'best' system?"

"Do you know of a program that will...?"

For many, many years I've searched for the answers to my own "productivity problems." Do you have any of the issues I come up against?

- There are not enough hours in the day
- There is always something else to do
- Someone always wants (or needs) my attention
- I've got more ideas than I have actions to take on those ideas

I understand that systems are important - we need to know how to use the tools we are given. For example, I built a whole website just to answer this question, "Jason, do you have any recommendations on how to use Microsoft Outlook most effectively?" And, here's another website I built because people kept asking me "what I recommend" they use to most productive.

I think I like the quote by Einstein a lot because I really puts it all together for me. When we combine "process" with "system," we get something valuable...something productive. So, if I could ask you, the reader, to do something based on this blog post, I'd just ask you to consider...

A thought for the first day of November

I am going to be on stage from 9am-5pm on Thursday, November 1st. Here's a quote I read today that is going to be a part of my presentation:

“ The greatest use of life is to spend it for something that will outlast it. ”

- William James (1842-1910)
psychologist, philosopher, author

Who doesn't know you exist...yet?

Connect with a mentor, someone who doesn’t know it, but who has helped you immensely along the way.

This has been an incredible boon to my professional – and personal – growth as an educator, husband, homeowner, student and…person!

Years ago (over a decade in fact!) I was given a book that went on to change my life. “The First Days of School” by Harry Wong prepared me for my career as a high school teacher. I spent 5 great years in the classroom, and attribute my positive experience largely in part due to the book and videos I watched by Dr. Wong.

Just this month (October, 2007) I finally got a hold of his “information e-mail address” from his website. So, I sent a note, hoping to at least let him know how much I appreciated him. Well, less than 24 hours later, he replied personally (someone in his office had forwarded the note) and asked me to tell him more about my company and my career. I’m not sure how or when or if it will happen, but in my reply I invited him to lunch or coffee “on my dime!” All of that just by sending one short e-mail!

October 8th, 2007 - NoCo Networking Group

Do you know anyone who's looking for ways to do a successful job search? Nathan Womack is presenting at the Northern Colorado Networking Group on 8 October 2007.

I've known Nathan...well, all my life!... and I can personally attest to the value he brings to group and individual coaching programs. Please help spread the word!

We're all friends - sage advice from a mentor

I sat down to have lunch with Marshall Goldsmith today (08/27/2007) and it was great. I had e-mailed him some time ago asking if he had time to share a meal and a conversation. As Jodi and I are getting busier and busier with the coaching and consulting we're doing, I knew it was time to call on my team.

 

What spurred all of this, really, was a few months ago when he sent me a copy of his newest book, "What Got You Here, Won't Get You There." I've read this book, not cover to cover, several times. I open up to the middle, read a bit, and then go on with my work and my life. One of the sections that stands out to me brilliantly is on page 119. Think about how you work, how you get things done, and how you go about your day-to-day experiences. Do you make time to:

Clearly communicate a vision?
Treat people with respect?
Solicit contrary opinions?
Encourage other people's ideas?
Listen to other people in meetings?

There are quite a few other "do you make time to" questions I could ask. Suffice it to say, I am coming closer and closer to having an answer to the second prompt of the day (see below...).

For years I have been "preaching" team to anyone I meet, anyone I talk to. Today, I was inspired to find someone with a similar focus. His quote resonates in-between my ears: "We're all friends."

It was quite amazing, as we sat down and ordered our lunch. One of his first questions was, "Will you tell me a little about yourself? Where were you born?" He wanted the whole story! What was most amazing about this - for me - was that he was listening, actually taking in what I was saying, and like a master chess-player setting up the pieces in a way he understood.

Over the course of 90 minutes, I received some great advice and a few "kicks-in-the-seat-of-the-pants." I've got some ideas that are resonating in my mind...one of them:

"We're all friends."