In TIME the Person of the Year Is . .
Friends,
If you haven’t heard the word yet, TIME Magazine has named its “Person of the Year”. It is: YOU. Their thinking is that 2006 was a huge year in the information age, where you — for example through YouTube — have the ability to get yourself into the marketplace of ideas. Well, with time comes synchronicity — the seeming coincidence of events. And the synchronicity of this moment? Beginning today RFL becomes a blog.
In March of 2000, I was running a small business and had a love for ideas when I began “self-publishing” this column to a handful of friends and clients. Now, I invite you as an everyday leader to consider contributing to this discussion on leadership. At the bottom of today’s RFL you will see a “comment” link, which will allow you not only to do reading, but also to do Writing for Leading. For years I have had the benefit of wonderful responses you have sent to me. Now these comments can be made more publicly and edify, inspire and stimulate others as well as me to lead with our best selves.
So since we’re all the persons of the year, I welcome you to this new opportunity to write and read and
Lead with your best self,
Dan
The danger in choosing “you” is that it feeds the drive towards a self-centered society. Our information age has allowed us to customize messages so we are able to individualize what hear, read or see. I would rather that Time chose “us” for what we have accomplished together.
I was surprised to see that I was named TIME Person of the Year, then I realized how much of an influence blogs and other online communities have played recently. I myself hopped on the bandwagon by creating a new blog in August. I also post on a couple of other blogs.
How comforting it is to be reminded that power is not vested solely in a few people. It is vested in all of us, and we have a responsibility to use it wisely.
I was surprised to see the Person of the Year. My choice would have been the Amish in Pennsylvania for showing us how to live. On further thought, with the Amnish in mind, as one of the persons of the year, I have a great responsibility to live a life of peace. May we all be people of peace so that peace is the result of our being honored.
Gosh, it is about time that YOU got the recognition that YOU deserve…most people want to be recognized for what they do. As a public school teacher that recognition is a rare occurrence. We are one of few professions where the body of our work is usually only witnessed by children under the age of 18. Yet this work is one of the most important jobs around. We pass on a legacy of knowledge to people who usually do not develop an appreciation for it until they are adults. This knowledge base is what all adults rely on as they go through their day to day lives as moms, dads, lawyers, bricklayers, tree trimmers, cashiers at McDonalds, plumbers, even politicians. Our job is evolving from teaching the facts and information that we expect students to remember, to teaching how to find the information that might be needed to solve any problem that a person might face. Yet these same students are required to sit for hours of multiple choice, standardized tests designed to assess their knowledge and my teaching skill. And oh, by the way, I have to meet these goals without overlooking the fact that I teach precious children and I have to teach them to share. So I am happy to share the person of the year status with everyone else…because I have to be a do-it all and model sharing.
Being named as “Person of the Year” drives home the importance of our personal accountability. Every one of us has the capability of being and doing more than we sometimes realize. We often focus on that proverbial “closed door” and fail to realize that if we reach out and turn the key instead of blaming someone for closing it, we can open it. I have prominently displayed in my kitchen the following thought for the day: If your ship doesn’t come in, swim out to it.
How appropriate, Dan, that you invite US to participate. You are modeling an aspect of good human leadership - that it is relational, and relationships are built on LISTENING as well as presenting. How interesting that our designer included TWO ears and ONE mouth. And so now you invite us to join you in learning from each other. Time’s Person of the Year engages not only in presentation of ideas on the internet, but LEARNING from others on it - as we do while we . . . “Lead with our best selves” . . . by learning from and with each other along with you.
A word for the season: “Amid all of this merriment, may we find time for joy. (Lifted from Peter Fennessy’s Sunday homily)
Maybe we should use as a theme song, the old “R&B” song, “YOU thrill me!”. Seriously, glad TIME decided not to fill one person’s ego, again, with Person of Year, nice to include all of us. Happy holidays!
Dan,
This is a great idea and the timing is perfect. No Pun intended. This forum will provide an opportunity for so many people to become engaged and included in the discussion of issues that impact our political and social envirmoment and it will serve as an avenue of learning.
Jim Amar
Not too long ago, there was a time in my life when I decided that “enough was enough”; joining exclusive groups, clubs, and organizations had done nothing to improve my life, and on at least one occasion I had to explain my remittance thusly, “I’d rather work on being a member of the human race”. It becomes apparent after spending time fulfilling exclusive roles, that inclusion is the stronger and more desireable of the two forces. When people work together, their achievements are “greater than the sum of the parts”.
But another driving force, to do “more”, in order to achieve “something”, for “someone”, or simply to busy oneself, has its own stronger, opposing force, as well; to do only what is necessary — not to do what is excessive, exorbitant, extravagent, unwarranted, undue, wasteful, wanton, or otherwise extraneous. Not surprisingly, in our western culture, we don’t find anything wrong with excess, nor do we tend to take its counterpart, stress, very seriously.
Janet Byars of the stress-management business Innovative Leadership Solutions, suggests that stress is better dealt with by some people than by others. People who regularly practice relaxation techniques tend to suffer less from stress-related illness and injury during prolonged periods of higher stress, than those who are under the same stressful conditions but do not regularly practice relaxation technique.
To me, the TIME offering resembles an overdue relaxation technique; the tension and anxiety of an upcoming “Of-the-Time-Period” trophy was released this year through a psychologically reversed, “lack of fulfillment” effect. Personally, though, I was unaffected; unlike evidently most adult Americans, I don’t usually think about TIME magazine or the “of-the-year” presentation until after it’s made the media rounds a few times. I didn’t hear about it this year until it was mentioned in RFL.
All the same, I believe that we can all benefit by unbusying our lives a bit more. How much time spent caring about whether or not a person, person(s), or even all of us, are to be recognized as “of-the-year” could have been better spent enjoying life for what it is without-a-trophy?
A trophy is all that TIME’s offering can amount to; LIFE goes on, even without TIME. Well. As the old joke goes, “That’s life”; “what’s life?”; “a magazine”; “a magazine — how much does it cost?”; “seventy-five cents”; “seventy-five cents!!”; “that’s life!”; “what’s life?”; “a magazine…”
Hi Dan:
In reading these comments I’m reminded of a thought I’ve been mulling over the last few weeks—possibly in anticipation of the upcoming “New Year’s resolution” period. I’m a generally quiet, laid-back person and I’ve read recently the opinion that shy people are really self-centered, inward-looking people (more interested in what people think of THEM). From this point of view, the TIME cover choice of YOU really means ME.
Beginning today, I’ve decided to make the YOU mean YOU . . . you, the person across the table, next to me on the park bench, standing in line at the supermarket. It will require me to break free of many comfort zones and quite possibly make a fool of myself sometimes. But in reaching out to YOU, I can begin to lead with my best self.
Thanks for all you do!
It is so considerate of Time to give all of us the honors of being named person of the year. I hope this provokes all of us to ask ourselves a profound question; have we truly loved as God has commanded us? Have we truly deserved the honor, when people in this State voted against everyone having a fair opportunity to exist in embracing the advantages that have been given to others. Yes, the “yes” vote for proposal 2 has really taught me that there are people who are truly afraid to embrace and love those who are different from who they are. No one in this State should have received Time’s honor that voted “yes” for proposal 2; instead all who voted for Granholm and no for proposal 2 should receive the honors.
As one other person commented to the closing of doors, I must say this is one example of a door closing, but thank God there are people who will not give up. I had to tie Proposal 2 into this topic, because “you” (yes all of us) made history in this country, and it will have an endless impact on everyone, please just wait and watch what I am saying becomes true. Many of us are afraid to see others lead, and for that Michigan is going to suffer to a greater degree. I recall the words of a great leader, who informed me that a true leader is one who is not afraid to make other leaders. Therefore, for the people who voted no for proposal 2, they’re the real leaders in this State. However, it is imperative for those leaders to pray for those who did not see the bigger picture. Yes, to pray that the hate and discontent be erased, or else this State is going to see, feel, touch, and be awarded harder “Times”.
b2339826e88d5033e06d
b2339826e88d5033e06d78edc176d19bb2339826e88d
buy tramadol
news
cialis
news
buy cialis
news
phentermine
news
buy cialis online
news
zithromax
news
buy hydrocodone online
news
phentermine online
news
foradil
news
buy hydrocodone
news
tramadol
news
lexapro
news
free viagra
news
buy xanax
news
valtrex
news
cheap tramadol
news
buy phentermine
news
adipex
news
cheap adipex
news
hydrocodone addiction
news
vicodin without prescription
news
buy lortab without rx
news
strattera dosage
news
levitra
news
cialis and levitra
news
online phentermine
news
buy xanax online
generic xanax 2 mg no prescription
buy xanax without prescription in usa
cheap xanax
generic viagra
viagra
buy xanax
carisoprodol
phentermine no prescription
buy phentermine
cialis
cheapest cialis
cialis online
tramadol
ambien cr
ambien online
free viagra
hydrocodone
buy tramadol
cheap tramadol
side effects of zithromax
prevacid prevacid
2 download free ringtones
1 download free ringtones
FedEx next day delivery, free prescription with your order and 24/7 live help and toll free customer service, www.DrugsHome.com
15 hydrocodone hydrocodone pregnancy
xanax
news
Yo! Cool stuff! Thanks for being here. Please also visit my site:
Nice page greetings to all in this guestbook! Please visit my homepage too:
Hi everybody! Wanna see my cool pages? Please visit my homepage too:
I just want to say thank you for taking the time & effort for put this web page together! Would you please also visit my site?
Nice webpage, lovely, cool design. Please also visit my site:
Hello, Your site is great. Regards, Valintino Guxxi
County Criminal Justice Center
I couldn’t understand some parts of this article, but it sounds interesting