Thursday, January 22: Depart Aurora, Ohio at 8:00 AM. Arrive safely at the Denver Marriot City Center Hotel at around 3:30 PM. Greeted by roommates. Walk 16th Street "Mall." Visit the Tattered Cover (new) Book Store and eat dinner. Attend EL Reception from 10 - 10:45 PM. (Felt a little sick/strange so left the reception early.)
Friday, January 23: EL Workshop from 8:30 - 5:30. Smart Investing @ Your Library grantee reception from 6 - 7:00 PM. EL Team A reception with mentor Satia Orange until 8:00 PM.
Saturday, January 24: Coretta Scott King Award Committee meeting from 8:30 AM to 10:30 AM. Looked through half of the Exhibition Hall. Lunch. EL Town Meeting from 1:30 - 3:30. Finish exploring the Exhibition at 5:00 PM. Spend the evening with my Denver cousin and his girlfriend driving to see the mountains and, eventually, have dinner at Beau Jo's in Idaho Springs.
Sunday, January 25: YALSA's Amazing Audiobooks meeting from 10:30 AM to 12:00 PM. Visited Denver Art Museum and peeked in the window of the Denver Public Library. Preschool Discussion Group on incorporating non-fiction books in "story programs" from 4:00 to 5:30. Explore Larimer Square.
Monday, January 26: Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration from 6:30 AM to 7:30 AM. Travel home.
Details and notes to follow ...
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Location
I've now gathered some information on Denver's transportation systems and local attractions (with many thanks to the links organized on the ALA Midwinter Wiki) as well as this week's upcoming weather and the every day health considerations of being a mile above sea level.
I feel prepared, but I know that the challenge is in putting all the information together once I get there. I remind myself what I learned while traveling and studying abroad in the summer of 2007: I can only take one step at a time in order to reach each destination.
I feel prepared, but I know that the challenge is in putting all the information together once I get there. I remind myself what I learned while traveling and studying abroad in the summer of 2007: I can only take one step at a time in order to reach each destination.
Monday, January 12, 2009
First EL Assignment
In order to prepare for an activity during the EL Town Meeting on Saturday, January 24, we have been asked to read Business Week, 2/4/08 p 88 (ISSN 0007-7135), and "highlight three sentences that resonate with you."
I was pleased to read this article because it provides more insight into this blog's posed question, "What is leadership?"
Below I have copied the three phrases that resonate with me. Beside each phrase I have also written a keyword, two of which ("vision" and "execution") are actually named in the article:
Vision: "... a clearly conceived, inspirational mission is critical for real progress."
Education/Learning: "... Every time you fail, you get back -- wiser ..."
Execution: "... promises get kept and plans get completed ..."
It is interesting to reflect on my January 1, 2009 post entitled "Leadership Defined: My View" and see (in only 12 days) how my definition may have already changed. In that post, I also addressed three components of leadership. They were Commitment to an Idea, Marketing, and Open-ness.
Let's see how what I discovered then compares with my discovery above.
In my Commitment to an Idea, I actually used the word "vision." However, I lumped it together with the (article's) idea of execution without giving it proper elaboration. In my thoughts, I didn't come to the necessary and clear wording " ... plans get completed..." that this article captures.
In the article, the paragraph on vision also refers to inspiration which I included (and expanded) in my Marketing paragraph as I covered the idea of communication and interaction with others. Here, too, would be an excellent place to detail the execution in interpersonal relationships and say "... promises get kept ..."
The article's paragraph about resilience says that " ... Every time you fail, you get back -- wiser ..." I have keyworded the phrase as "Education/Learning" instead of "resilience." This keyword allows the phrase to supplement my Open-ness paragraph. In that original paragraph, I should include the statement that a leader needs to be open to mistakes by accepting and learning from them.
Overall, I am still pleased with my previous definitions, but today's information allows me to add more detail and better understand my original definitions.
I was pleased to read this article because it provides more insight into this blog's posed question, "What is leadership?"
Below I have copied the three phrases that resonate with me. Beside each phrase I have also written a keyword, two of which ("vision" and "execution") are actually named in the article:
Vision: "... a clearly conceived, inspirational mission is critical for real progress."
Education/Learning: "... Every time you fail, you get back -- wiser ..."
Execution: "... promises get kept and plans get completed ..."
It is interesting to reflect on my January 1, 2009 post entitled "Leadership Defined: My View" and see (in only 12 days) how my definition may have already changed. In that post, I also addressed three components of leadership. They were Commitment to an Idea, Marketing, and Open-ness.
Let's see how what I discovered then compares with my discovery above.
In my Commitment to an Idea, I actually used the word "vision." However, I lumped it together with the (article's) idea of execution without giving it proper elaboration. In my thoughts, I didn't come to the necessary and clear wording " ... plans get completed..." that this article captures.
In the article, the paragraph on vision also refers to inspiration which I included (and expanded) in my Marketing paragraph as I covered the idea of communication and interaction with others. Here, too, would be an excellent place to detail the execution in interpersonal relationships and say "... promises get kept ..."
The article's paragraph about resilience says that " ... Every time you fail, you get back -- wiser ..." I have keyworded the phrase as "Education/Learning" instead of "resilience." This keyword allows the phrase to supplement my Open-ness paragraph. In that original paragraph, I should include the statement that a leader needs to be open to mistakes by accepting and learning from them.
Overall, I am still pleased with my previous definitions, but today's information allows me to add more detail and better understand my original definitions.
Saturday, January 10, 2009
Mid-Winter Conference Schedule (Planned)
The Mid-winter Conference is less than two weeks away!
Here is my schedule so far:
Thursday, January 22: Arrive in Denver in the afternoon. Meet up with roommates. Find hotel and explore local attractions before EL Reception from 10 - 11:30 PM.
Friday, January 23: EL Workshop from 8:30 - 5:30. Smart Investing @ Your Library grantee ( http://www.libraryvisit.org/smartmoney.htm ) reception from 6 - 7:30.
Saturday, January 24: EL Town Meeting from 1:30 - 3:30. Project A Team meeting to be scheduled. Explore the Exhibition area.
Sunday, January 25: Preschool Discussion Group on incorporating non-fiction books in "story programs" at 4:00. Explore local attractions.
Monday, January 26: Travel home.
I suspect that other responsibilities and opportunities will arise and am as much excited about the possibilities as I am with the schedule.
My greatest concern is the traveling between events -- finding out where the events are located as well as the most visitor friendly (and cheapest) transportation to these locations.
I need to consult a map and become more familiar with the public transportation system before I leave.
Here is my schedule so far:
Thursday, January 22: Arrive in Denver in the afternoon. Meet up with roommates. Find hotel and explore local attractions before EL Reception from 10 - 11:30 PM.
Friday, January 23: EL Workshop from 8:30 - 5:30. Smart Investing @ Your Library grantee ( http://www.libraryvisit.org/smartmoney.htm ) reception from 6 - 7:30.
Saturday, January 24: EL Town Meeting from 1:30 - 3:30. Project A Team meeting to be scheduled. Explore the Exhibition area.
Sunday, January 25: Preschool Discussion Group on incorporating non-fiction books in "story programs" at 4:00. Explore local attractions.
Monday, January 26: Travel home.
I suspect that other responsibilities and opportunities will arise and am as much excited about the possibilities as I am with the schedule.
My greatest concern is the traveling between events -- finding out where the events are located as well as the most visitor friendly (and cheapest) transportation to these locations.
I need to consult a map and become more familiar with the public transportation system before I leave.
Friday, January 2, 2009
Leadership Defined: My View Visualized
This "word cloud" was created on http://www.wordle.net/ using the text from yesterday's post.
It is interesting to compare my visual representation of the definition of leadership to that of the compiled comments from others.
Leadership Defined: My View
After reflecting on the thoughts of those professionals who have chosen to comment in this blog as well as looking at my labels for each of my posts, I have come to determine two fundamental qualities in a leader.
The first and most important quality is the leader's commitment to an idea ... a vision ... a goal ... a solution ... a resolution. As I think about historical leaders and continue to read Awaken the Giant Within by Anthony Robbins, I see the power and effects of one's ideas on one's manifestations. According to Robbins, if we wish to commit ourselves to a different outcome, we are required to analyze our current beliefs and their emotional connections. After such introspection, we will need to develop support ... new ideas and new emotional connections to these ideas in order to bring vision into reality. I will add to that thought the need for a leader to re-evaluate the support or action during the manifestation process.
In other words, a leader must actively and consistently undergo total evaluation (of one's self as well as the situation) to determine ideas (visions or goals) and commit to a focus (action and outcome).
The second key component of leadership is marketing. I use the term marketing to capture the idea of clear and meaningful communication through unique and specific means. In other words, a leader needs to be able to express his/her vision and interact with a diverse audience. He or she should understand various learning styles and modes of explanation (visual as well as verbal) in order to communicate effectively. Additionally, a leader needs to be sensitive to his/her audience by consistently listening to their ideas and recognizing individuals.
The beautiful and amazing part of a successful leader's marketing (communicating a vision) is the process of correspondence or friendly discussion with others which molds the vision as well as makes it a reality.
A key ingredient within each of these qualities, is the need for a leader to be open ... open to a change in personal thought ... open to trying different strategies ... open to incorporating others' ideas ... open to the sometimes timely and serendipitous moments ... open to traveling, to learning, and to experiencing different ideas ...
At the end of this year, I will again reflect on the labels of my accumulated posts and will re-evaluate today's conclusions.
The first and most important quality is the leader's commitment to an idea ... a vision ... a goal ... a solution ... a resolution. As I think about historical leaders and continue to read Awaken the Giant Within by Anthony Robbins, I see the power and effects of one's ideas on one's manifestations. According to Robbins, if we wish to commit ourselves to a different outcome, we are required to analyze our current beliefs and their emotional connections. After such introspection, we will need to develop support ... new ideas and new emotional connections to these ideas in order to bring vision into reality. I will add to that thought the need for a leader to re-evaluate the support or action during the manifestation process.
In other words, a leader must actively and consistently undergo total evaluation (of one's self as well as the situation) to determine ideas (visions or goals) and commit to a focus (action and outcome).
The second key component of leadership is marketing. I use the term marketing to capture the idea of clear and meaningful communication through unique and specific means. In other words, a leader needs to be able to express his/her vision and interact with a diverse audience. He or she should understand various learning styles and modes of explanation (visual as well as verbal) in order to communicate effectively. Additionally, a leader needs to be sensitive to his/her audience by consistently listening to their ideas and recognizing individuals.
The beautiful and amazing part of a successful leader's marketing (communicating a vision) is the process of correspondence or friendly discussion with others which molds the vision as well as makes it a reality.
A key ingredient within each of these qualities, is the need for a leader to be open ... open to a change in personal thought ... open to trying different strategies ... open to incorporating others' ideas ... open to the sometimes timely and serendipitous moments ... open to traveling, to learning, and to experiencing different ideas ...
At the end of this year, I will again reflect on the labels of my accumulated posts and will re-evaluate today's conclusions.
Thursday, January 1, 2009
Leadership Defined: Others' Views Visualized
This "word cloud" was created on http://www.wordle.net/ using the comments to my November 25, 2008 post entitled "Defining Leadership."
According to the site, "The clouds give greater prominence to words that appear more frequently in the source text."
Voila! We have a visual representation of the definition of leadership that highlights the most prominent descriptors.
If I receive further participation in this discussion, I plan to recreate this visual representation of leadership on July 1, 2009.
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