Category Archives: Leadership

#147 We are all curators

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I am not sure how many of us have truly original ideas. Once you research a body of knowledge, you’ll find that everything that needs to be said about a subject has been said, the ones who say it later, are just saying it differently. Truly “breakthrough ideas” are few and far between, the ones that are really “something out of nothing.”

Does anyone really “invent” anything or do we all “discover?” The practical application of the question is, when you have an insight, don’t go running thru the streets, naked like Archimedes, shouting “Eureka!” Take the time to find out if others have had the insight before you. It is more realistic to acknowledge that you were not first with the idea, but you can claim credit to be the first to present it in an interesting, simplified, and practical way.

There is a huge market for folks who can execute. The supply of true innovators is very limited. The invention itself does not produce value. It is the hard work to convert the invention to a useful solution, and make something happen, that produces value.

So… if you don’t have an original idea, don’t feel bad. Become a curator! Be sure to study copyright laws and don’t plagiarize.

Be a curator of your own thoughts. Well researched and experienced based insights will always be respected over the rant of individuals who lack self awareness.

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#144 Das Boot

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Well made movies have great story telling that communicates messages in a very simple and easy to understand manner.

Recently, I saw Das Boot. I was bored and could not find another movie to watch. But it turned out to be the best 3 hours I spent in a long time. It has some surprising lessons in leadership, not something you’d expect to get from a movie told from a German’s point of view.

Das Boot

Das Boot

The whole thing about World War II and Nazis trying to take over the world and the way history is being told seems to paint all Germans during World War II as the bad guys. If you’ve seen Valkyrie, you know that is not true.

Valkyrie

Valkyrie

Was it Sun Tzu who said you can learn a lot from your enemies? For your purposes in the workplace, I’d replace “enemies” with people you thought were less than perfect, or otherwise guilty of bad behavior. What would happen in the workplace if you took the time to learn from people who are in your opinion, dysfunctional?

There are no enemies in today’s day and age, just people in pain looking for help. Violence is their cry for help. I could write a whole book on that subject. The leadership challenges we face are not trivial, or easy, or going to be solved any time soon. The only thing you can do is to give yourself a chance to succeed!

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