Use what you know

Good Morning,

 

Like many people with smartphones, I have a game or two that I play when there is nothing else to do or I am waiting on something. The game I play the most is called ‘Flow’ where you have to basically connect the same color dots to each other with lines, which do not intersect with other lines.  See the photo below.

 

 

When working these puzzles I found that I can best solve them when I start connecting the dots where it is obvious they go together. Basically, I use what I know to get the puzzle solved. What happens next is the puzzle gets less complex and more solutions which were not apparent before now jump out.

 

I look at the new puzzle and ask myself, what do I already know about solving this. For example, from the yellow dot, we have to go left to the corner and up, as otherwise it would be cut off, etc.

 

This same philosophy can work in life, especially when we are at an impasse or confused about what course to take.

 

Asking for help is something I do often, but when there is no one to ask, or no reference to work off of, I revert to what I already know about how to solve this particular issue.

 

For example, when I want to college for the first time in Buffalo, NY, in 1986, when I was younger and more stupid. Since I did not have to attend class (attendance was not mandatory), I just paced myself and studied the night before each test.  I remember walking into the second to last day of class to get a refresher for the final which I thought was on the last day of class. I ended up walking into a class with tests being handed out.  I had not studied and I had a good chance of failing. I looked over the questions, 15 multiple choice, and cringed as I really did not know any.

 

Several years before, my parents sent me to a SAT preparation course which taught me test taking strategies for taking multiple choice questions, in order to raise my SAT scores. So I did know those strategies and I used them. I ended up coming out of the test with a ‘C’ overall and learned some valuable lessons.

 

One is to NEVER do that again with college classes, projects or anything else (i.e., waiting to the last minute), and second is to rely on what I know, in this case, I had test taking strategies which helped me pass.

 

I am not proud of that episode, but it is a good example of what to do when faced with a difficult challenge. When there is no one to ask for help, stop, and take stock of what you already know, and go forward with that first.

 

Enjoy!

 

Sanford Berenberg

Sanford@berenberg.net
http://www.learnandgrowdaily.com

http://sanfordberenberg.blogspot.com/

 

Click on the book to order: "Learn And Grow Daily!"

502-533-9336

 

Refreshing

Good Morning,

 

This weekend friends of ours from Charlotte, North Carolina, came to visit with us. I hung out with my friend ‘Kiwi’ who is originally from New Zealand while the girls kept the home-fires going. One of our treks was to see a vintage baseball game played between the Cincinnati Red Stockings and the Cincinnati Buckeyes http://www.cincyvbb.com/.

 

They played baseball as it was played back in 1869. They did not use baseball gloves, pitched underhand, and followed the rules of the game which were very different back in the day.

 

What I found most refreshing was the attitude of the players.

 

First they introduced themselves to the fans watching the game, with each team captain first saying they hope to give a good game and thanking everyone for coming out, followed by each player introducing themselves.

 

Then they cheered each other on. All good plays were followed by applause from both teams. Even when a batter from the Buckeyes flew out with a long high fly ball to the outfield with a one handed catch (bare handed, and it was loud, so it must have hurt), both teams stood to cheer the catch (even though one team just had a player fly out).

 

When a player was tagged out after trying for another base, both players shook hands no matter if the runner was out or safe.

 

At the end of the game, both teams came and presented themselves to the fans once again and thanked them for attending. The losing team captain apologized for not giving a better game, gave kudos to the winners and then as a team cheered them. Then the winning team captain thanked the fans and the losing team for the game, and then they, all players included cheered the losing team.

 

After the game, some of the players stayed behind and hung out with the fans and some even played catch with the kids who came to see the game.

 

It may sound vanilla and lame to have such camaraderie, but I found it refreshing and enjoyable to watch a competition which was not about egos, was not about winning at any cost, but just plain athletic ability, teamwork and respect.

 

I’d like to think that all competitions could be held this way:  with respect, with camaraderie, and with spirit of fun.

 

It was a good game.

 

Sanford Berenberg

Sanford@berenberg.net
http://www.learnandgrowdaily.com

http://sanfordberenberg.blogspot.com/

 

Click on the book to order: "Learn And Grow Daily!"

502-533-9336

The difference between knowing others and investing in them

Good morning,

 

The other day I stopped by a coffee shop that I had used to frequent. I had not been there for about a year. Some of the people in line and some who were behind the counter were new, but one lady I remembered, and apparently she never forgot me. In fact, she even prepared my coffee just the way I liked it, even with not having seen me in a year.  

 

It really made me feel good to be remembered after this time. It surprised me as the amount of people these folks see daily, weekly, etc., is huge. To remember me out of all of this, how?

 

Some could say that she was that good of a barista, although I think it is something more.

 

When I frequented the shop, I invested time into talking with the baristas at the shop. She was one of them. She reminded me of my Mother and is also from New York City, so we had a lot in common.

 

Again, there are a lot of people in Louisville who are transplants from New York or the northeast in general, but for most I never made a connection. I never invested time into creating a friendship.  

 

It was that invested time that endured for over a year. It was stopping by several mornings a week for a few years, saying hello, and sharing parts of my life and interests and they doing the same.

 

Investing in others builds relationships, it creates friendships.

 

It is the fertilizer that builds even when you don’t realize you are doing it. Just by being a kind friendly person, and sharing of yourself, you are planting seeds which will grow fruit in the time to come.

 

I promised my friend I would visit again, but this time in less than a year.

 

There is knowing people, and then there is investing in them.

 

Which do you think creates stronger relationships?

 

I think you know.

 

Enjoy!

 

Sanford Berenberg

Sanford@berenberg.net
http://www.learnandgrowdaily.com

http://sanfordberenberg.blogspot.com/

 

Click on the book to order: "Learn And Grow Daily!"

502-533-9336

 

 

 

 

 

Wisdom in the 'Conviction to Lead'

Good Morning,

 

My current read is ‘The Conviction to Lead’ by Dr. Albert Mohler (http://www.amazon.com/Conviction-Lead-The-Principles-Leadership/dp/0764210041/). It is a book on leadership, yet, it comes at leadership from new angles that I have never read before and in some cases, did not consider. It is a very easy to read book and I am thoroughly enjoying it.

 

Here are a few gems:

 

Leaders need to understand worldviews:

 

“Far too often leaders aim at the surface level and stop there. Read leadership doesn’t happen until worldviews are changed and realigned. You might be able to lead a group to build a house without trying to shape worldviews, but you cannot build a movement that way…Leadership is the consummate human art. It requires nothing less than that leaders shape the way their followers think about what is real, what is true, what is right, and what is important.”

 

Leaders are Thinkers:

 

“Our actions may never reach the heights of our thinking, but you can be certain that the quality of your actions will even exceed the quality of your thinking”.

 

Seems common sense after reading these, but how often do we, as leaders, even consider them? Probably not enough.

 

I am looking forward to continuing to enjoy this book and the wisdom it imparts.

 

Enjoy!

 

 

Sanford Berenberg

Sanford@berenberg.net
http://www.learnandgrowdaily.com

http://sanfordberenberg.blogspot.com/

 

Click on the book to order: "Learn And Grow Daily!"

502-533-9336

 

Too Much, Too Little or Just enough

Good Morning,

 

In helping others I often feel that I don’t do enough. That there is always more that I can and should do.  Like when I walk by a homeless person and I don’t have another cent on me.

 

Then there are those opportunities which come up to help others, some easy, some hard, some a one-time act, others a long-time commitment.

 

When I decide to help more, I often hear from others, those I love and trust, those who care about me, who say that I do too much and I should cut back.  That I should avoid burning out.

 

I could cut back, but I want to do more. I need to focus my efforts on fewer endeavors to do more and not spread myself thin, but there is so much need.

 

Too much, too little which is it?

 

I guess, in reality I am somewhere in the middle, doing more than others think I should be doing, but not quite enough to satisfy my desire to help others.  

 

I hunger to help more, but am tempered to keep a balance.

 

That is, I am in the right place for me.

 

Enjoy!

 

Sanford Berenberg

Sanford@berenberg.net
http://www.learnandgrowdaily.com

http://sanfordberenberg.blogspot.com/

 

Click on the book to order: "Learn And Grow Daily!"

502-533-9336

 

 

 

 

Working to our strengths

Good Morning,

 

My current read is “Rommel: Leadership Lessons from the Desert Fox” (http://www.amazon.com/Rommel-Leadership-Lessons-Desert-Generals/dp/B00ANYFOE0) by Charles Messenger. I had heard a lot about Rommel through the years, but never enough to satisfy my curiosity, so when I found this book, I added it to my library. It did a good job covering the Field Marshall’s career, personality and leadership style.

 

Rommel was exceptional in his area of expertise. He was a brilliant tactician, made fast and sound decisions, and could exploit any found weaknesses in his adversary.  He liked to lead from the front, seeing everything as it happened and changed gears on a dime. The more he could remain in the know, leading from the front, the more he would succeed, and the less his opponents could withstand his hard driving forces. He loved reconnaissance and gaining new information as it happened. He would never ask his men to do anything that he was not prepared to do himself, and often visited his troops, taking a mobile headquarters with him to allow him to be visible by the most of people possible (several times to his enemies as well).

 

Due to his successes, he was given higher and higher commands. Those which took him away from the front lines and away from the latest information (in times before cell phones, social media and Wi-Fi). When forced to work at higher and higher levels of command, he lost his polish and made less sound decisions.  His mindset was a military one, seeing everything through that lens. Moving to a political level leadership, he failed to embrace politics and often bucked heads with those he worked with.

 

He may not have recognized as he moved away from his strength’s his effectiveness also lessened.

 

Rommel’s example clearly shows the power of working to your strengths.

 

Are you working to your strengths in what you do in life, or do you find that you have moved away from that which you excel and are struggling?

 

Something to consider.

 

Sanford Berenberg

Sanford@berenberg.net
http://www.learnandgrowdaily.com

http://sanfordberenberg.blogspot.com/

 

Click on the book to order: "Learn And Grow Daily!"

502-533-9336

 

 

 

Are you more a Team Player than a 14 year old?

Good Morning,

 

Since teams have been the ‘in’ thing, everyone now is measured on how good a team player they are, either officially or unofficially. It’s come a long way from picking players to be on your kickball team. Criterions include: how long they get along with other team members, how they work toward the goals of the team and how little distractions and drama they cause along the way.  Each team player, though is usually still an individual with their own goals, agenda. The best balance the work with their team and their own work.

 

Being on multiple teams, as well as doing more with less, team participation can be reduced to sitting in on weekly update meetings, or if you are lucky, conference calls while sitting at your desk doing other work and sharing a few words for updates.  Personally I see this ‘teamwork’ becoming stale not nearly as productive as it once was, and then I saw an example of teamwork from one of my Boy Scouts (I am a Scoutmaster) which took teamwork to a new level.

 

We had annual elections coming up for the honor society of Scouting. The boys were given instructions on how to vote, and who was eligible. As is common with teenagers, not everyone heard all of the instructions. One fourteen year old, who, was himself eligible for the vote, thought he heard he could only vote for one of the people on the list.

 

Easy decision, right?

 

Wrong.  He agonized over who to vote for. Which of his fellow Scouts best represented the ideals of the honor society.  He pondered this and then made his one vote.

 

While I do not remember who he voted for, I do remember this, he did not consider himself. He knew he was eligible, but he also knew that he was not the best of the best, and focused on what was best for the troop.

 

I am happy to report that he did get enough votes from the other Scouts and he is going shortly to begin his participation in the honor society of Scouting, the Order of the Arrow.  In all the boys who are going, it is he, who I feel is most qualified, because he understood a key point in team work that many others have long since lost.

 

It is not:

 

What do I get out of it?

What’s the least I can do and still be a good team player?

How long do I have to do this for?

 

It is:

 

What is best for the team, and what I can do to help make that happen?

Making a sacrifice for the good the team and its goals.

 

 

A great example from a 14 year old.

 

Enjoy!

 

Sanford Berenberg

Sanford@berenberg.net
http://www.learnandgrowdaily.com

http://sanfordberenberg.blogspot.com/

 

Click on the book to order: "Learn And Grow Daily!"

502-533-9336