Just a Dream

Posted on June 19, 2024     Leave a Comment

Chapter 1 – A Dream is Just a Dream

How can you tell the difference between a dream and reality? The feeling I have in my dreams feels no different than if I was awake. Again, how does a person know when they have woken from a dream? The emotions, the physical elements, they diminish when I finally kick myself awake from the dream. But damn, the lingering feeling in my dreams cannot be completely shaken off!

I often wonder what happens if I die in my dreams. Or worse, what happens if I stay stuck in the dream? What crazy damn distortions of reality await the person who never wakes! Well, I hope that is a scenario that I never have to experience. With good reason. This dream, this dream that seems to come back frequently and is accelerating as if a conclusion is expected or I’ll end up dying in my dream and in real life.

Not only is the dream reoccurring more often than I want, but they are also changing. There is a creepiness that did not exist in the earlier versions. Although still very frightening when they first began as I lay helpless in the bed as the interlopers had struck me in the head with a 2×4 piece of lumber, the intruders are now attacking my elderly parents and searching for my 8-year-old daughter.

What is worse, is in the early iterations of my dream, the faceless intruders scared the crap out of me because I knew there was evil in their intentions. Malevolence reeked from their bodies as they left me on the bed thinking I was either dead or knocked out. Now, these intruder’s faces are coming into focus a little too clearly. What were once shadowy figures, that were black, with maybe hoodies on, tall, lanky, slinky, and strong were beginning to show details in their faces.

As I sit there reliving my dream and contemplating what I saw, I hear my doorbell ring. I answer my door and my best friend is standing there with two Peet’s coffees ready for consumption. “Hey you, what a pleasant surprise! What brings you here this early?”

“Well, I had a feeling you needed a friend today.” Isabella smiles as she hands me a coffee. She has a radiant and beautiful smile.

“Thank you, my friend, you always seem to know. Your psychic abilities are in full force I see.” I cannot help but return her smile. Although any man in my position as a friend would surely do everything in their power to make a move on a beautiful woman such as Izzy, I never crossed that line. Although, she has caught me peeking at her backside occasionally. We have been friends since 2nd grade, and I understand that what we have given each other as friends all these years is damn near the same as a long-term marriage. Minus the sex of course.

“Perfect timing Izz, that damn crazy dream I told you about just woke me up. The dream is getting worse. The two guys are showing their faces, they are demons. I can see what they look like now. They are not those movie looking demons, these guys, they are far more menacing. I’am afraid to look into their eyes because I feel like if we were to make eye contact, they would come to life and possess me and my daughter.”

Izzy looks at me and I can see concern in her expression. The frown lines deepen, then they disappear. She has heard the progression of my dream over the last few years. She knows every detail as I have described this dream to her many times as they evolve. She understands my fear of loss and why I am so disturbed by these dreams.

Chapter 2 – Time for Action

“We should go talk to my Tia Blanca. I know you do not believe in her religion and her beliefs, but I swear Chewy, I know she can tell you why you’re having these dreams and what it means”, Izzy takes a sip of her piping hot coffee.

I know her coffee is super sweet. She knows I like mine black and strong. Hence, the Peet’s dark roast for me.

I sigh after I enjoy the hot, bitter, rich taste of my coffee and it hits the taste buds. I inhale that rich coffee aroma I say, “I’m not sure Izzy, that Santeria stuff scares me. I know I always tell you I don’t believe in that stuff, but your Tia, she has that aura of power and knowing. If anyone could convince me it was real, it’s her. And I think that’s what really scares the shit out of me.”

Izzy looks at me, studies me, the brows furrow briefly again then falls back into place. “Chew, I’m just a bit scared for you if you don’t do anything. I know that therapist was unable to help you at all. You fully committed to her solutions and nothing to show for all your hard work, it didn’t help you very much. Although you have opened up more about Teresa than you ever have since she left us.”

Izzy always calls me Chewy, short for Jesus in the Mexican world. Don’t ask me how, it just is. She calls me Chew when she means business, which is most of the time. Talking about Teresa is certainly another indicator she means business.

Teresa was, is my wife. She was brutally murdered when our daughter was only 6 months old. Raped, then tortured, then murdered. Her killer was caught because he wore her wedding ring in a makeshift necklace around his neck, with her finger still attached. He was caught because the homeless encampment he lived at off 23rd Avenue in Oakland near the railroad tracks had a woman who lived in the tent next to his with a conscious. She saw him wearing the finger and called OPD, he was arrested a couple of weeks after that call. But the police found the woman dead, a rat stuffed down her throat and a needle in her arm.

The guy that killed Teresa was named Billy Doo. He was pure evil, that is the easiest way to describe him. He laughed and taunted me and Teresa’s loved ones throughout the trial. He was removed from the courtroom multiple times. He never denied what he did to Teresa and his scumbag defense attorney had him take the stand merely to demonstrate that he was insane without regard for any of us. He described what he did to Teresa and looked at me the whole time to watch my reaction.

I refused to give him any reaction to feed off of, I knew that’s what he wanted. I only maintained eye contact to let him know I did not fear him, in fact, I would kill him if I had the opportunity to get my hands on him. When it was all done and said he stood with his scumbag attorney to receive his guilty verdict and life sentence, we locked eyes one last time. That’s when I saw the demon. The true identity of the thing that killed my wife.

The only person I ever spoke to about this incident was Izzy. Izzy and my wife became great friends because Teresa knew the friendship we had between us was true. There was never any jealousy, Teresa was like that. Although there was no denying Izzy’s beauty, Teresa was a beauty in her own right. She had that traditional Latina look and flavor, the long and thick straight black hair to the middle of her back. When she flipped her to one side or the other, I was always captivated by her sexiness. She was my version of Salma Hayek, short, curvy, perfect brown skin, a slight accent, fire, and her loud laugh always made everyone turn toward her and smile.

Izzy’s brow furrows only slightly this time, then relaxes. I always wonder if she knows she does this with her eyebrows to express her tensions or if her tensions are escaping her and she does not realize others can see her concerns so easily. Either way, I respond, “Izzy, let’s go see Tia Blanca. The demon I saw in Billy Doo, those are the same type of demons that are beginning to show themselves in my dream.”

Izzy shivers, maybe she knows something or maybe she is picking up on my fear.

“I know this sounds weird, but I know those two demons in my dream are not a manifestation of my thoughts about Billy and what I saw the day he was sentenced. I know they come from the same place, the same origin, and they are purposely coming to me in my dreams. To make me suffer, to get my precious Ari, to hurt her, to get me.” I trail off a bit to keep my emotions in check. I cannot fathom any harm coming to my daughter Arianna.

I always promised my daughter I would protect her from everything bad in this world. I will keep this promise. It was time to act, as unorthodox as going to Tia Blanca for a resolution seems, I am not sure what else I can do.

Chapter 3 – The Dream

Tia Blanca lived in a nice neighborhood in Alameda’s West side near Encinal High School. She says she likes the energy of the young high schoolers as they walk by her home to and from school. Her house is quaint, a small three bedroom with one bathroom. A one-story home with a small front porch and a spacious back yard. The home was very welcoming but the shrine in the living room always made me wonder what powers it held.

Tia was expecting us, we gave her a hug and kiss and she asked us to take a seat on her La-Z-Boy couch and I almost started to recline it but remembered we were here on business. She looks at me, looks into me, I feel as though she is poking around my thoughts, then she asks, “Mijo, please tell me your dream. I see danger ahead, a fight you cannot back down from. It is coming fast.” Her voice is almost hypnotizing, soft but oozing with authority, an amazing combination.

“Tia, I hope I can convey what I feel in this dream. I’m not sure I can do that, but I will try. I am sleeping in bed at my parent’s house, lying on my left side. All of a sudden, I feel and hear a something go CRACK! It’s the sound of someone hitting me across the right side of my face. I know that my eardrum has been ruptured, I feel blood coming from my ear and maybe my face. I’m paralyzed, I can’t move, I see two shadowy figures move around me, laughing lightly as they move toward the hallway.” I feel my breathing getting shallow, I try to correct my breathing.

I look at Izzy and I see the brows furrowed deeply now. I proceed, “I cannot tell if they are dressed in all black with hoodies on obscuring their face or if they are all black. I know that sounds weird but that’s what I see. Then I know what their intentions are, to kill my parents and take my baby. They mean to hurt her, torture her, torment her, take her innocence, and kill her. But only after they have used her up completely.”

Tia Blanca looks concerned, I can feel she knows something, she asks with an urgency that she is trying to hide, “Where is Ari now?”

“She is with my parents, she stayed the night so they can watch Encanto again, eat popcorn and have enjoy some sweets.”

Tia nods her head approvingly, “Good, she needs to be with strong people. Your mom and dad, they are old now, but stronger than you think. Although your parents and I do not speak much these days, we have been through more than you know. We came here together, to the U.S., before we were teenagers. We crossed the so-called boarder by ourselves, the three of us, we seen more death and cruelty on our journey from Juarez to California than I care to remember.”

I never ask my mom or dad about how they got to the States, my mom and dad always redirect the conversation to other topics when I did. I always figured they did not want to talk about what it meant to be in the States illegally in their earlier years, but now I see it might be for other reasons. They are both U.S. Citizens now, so I always wondered why they still choose not to tell me about their journey.

Again, Tia nods as if she sees understanding in my face. “Now Mijo, tell me about these two in your dream. What do they look like?”

“Tia, that is the hard part, they are changing. I can see them more clearly each time the dream comes back. They are coming back more often. I see them becoming demons, but hideous, dark, and the eyes, they are black, more than black, they radiate evil and hate.” I catch my breathing picking up speed this time and make a conscious effort to slow them down. “Before Teresa’s killer was taken from the courtroom, we made eye contact, I saw the same type of demon. I saw the blackness, the hate, the depth of nothing in those eyes. These are the same type, but not the same demon. Don’t ask me how I know, but I know.” I slow my breaths again.

I see Tia’s eyes were wide, I do not know if it was fear, but it was certainly urgency.

“Mijo, you have to listen closely and do everything I say. What you have seen, is blackness, void, hate, it requires pain to grow its power. I must call the oricha, they will help guide you, arm you, and protect you as you battle this void.” Tia’s heartbeat is pulsing in her neck as she hastens her directions. “Go to the room at the end of hallway, tonight you will battle for your life, for your baby’s life, for your parent’s life.”

I look at Izzy, she looks at me, I know she will not leave my side today. I look at Tia, the warrior that brought her to the U.S. is showing in her face. That gives me hope and scares me at the same time. She comes and hugs Izzy, then hugs me, I hug Izzy hoping this is not the last hug for us. I feel the warrior growing in me, the warrior that began with my ancestors. I am not ready but I know that I will not fail my family. Tonight, will change all our lives. Tonight, I fight.

Complexity Leadership Theory

Posted on July 31, 2018     Leave a Comment

History of Leadership Theory

Leadership theory is a progression that has evolved over time and will continue to evolve as we have witnessed throughout history.  Machiavelli reportedly claimed there were over 1,000 leadership books for sale during the 1500’s.  Bass reviewed more than 3.000 leadership publications before 1974.  We have well over 10,000 leadership publications in the 21st century and that number continues to grow exponentially.  From the Great Man theory of the 19th century to current theory where leadership is based on hierarchy, top-down, authoritarian, cascading types of approaches to leadership we see an increasing need to understand leadership and its implications for leadership development.

Contemporary Leadership Theory

Current leadership theories such as Leader-Member Exchange (LMX), Theory X Theory Y, Authentic, Situational, Transformational, Pseudo – transformational, servant-leadership, transactional, authoritarian, and others fit the top-down or cascading theories we often see in leadership development.  These contemporary leadership theories comprise most of what we see in leadership development.  An emergent theory challenges contemporary leadership theory as being too “leader-centric” without appropriate regard for agents that drive leadership.  Although LMX components derives from understanding and evaluation of vertical dyadic relationships between leaders and followers, the theory does not delve deep enough into the complexity of leadership theory.

Contemporary Leadership Limitations

Current leadership theory is one directional or limited to the leader/follower relationship.  Further limitations of contemporary leadership are the focal points of an individual’s character, actions, attributes, charisma, or other individual driven actions pertaining to these theories.  Leadership development in this realm inevitably pertains to an individual’s personal development and expansion of his or her capacity to fulfill their role.  Contemporary leadership theory fails to recognize the complexity of relational aspects that foster or inhibit leadership in broad or organizational perspectives.

Complexity Leadership Theory

An emergent theory known as complexity leadership (CL) reframes leadership by differentiating between leaders and leadership.  Furthermore, complexity leadership (CL) incorporates both definitions of leaders and leadership into a far-reaching and overarching theory that aligns with its supporting theories.  CL theory is an extension and expansion of network theory, systems theory, and complex adaptive systems (CAS) theory and arriving at CLT.  Each of these theories demonstrate how complex dynamic systems move, grow, and develop leadership throughout an organization or any system that contains leadership.

Expanding the Framework of Leadership

CLT expands traditional leadership theory from a leader-centric perspective to one that resides within complex adaptive systems (CAS) theory.  Complex leadership theory (CLT) emerges from CAS with the aspiration to examine the dynamic patterns of interaction within leadership theory.  CLT transcends leadership theory through an examination of interactions from the entirety of a system opposed to established paradigms founded in typical hierarchical structure.  CLT considers the various elements within a dynamic system as each component can produce unpredictable actions throughout the system.  Moreover, elements within a system may appear to be of little consequence within the entirety of a system but may have unknown reactions should the element change.

Summary

While contemporary leadership theory aligns with CLT, it is marginalized in its role when assessed from a systems perspective.  Thus, we can begin with this broad overview and build on network theory, systems theory, complex adaptive systems theory, and conclude with complexity leadership theory.  From this vantage, we can assess the role of contemporary leadership and how we can incorporate CLT in leadership development.

Baby Elephant Syndrome

Posted on February 10, 2017     1 Comment

Baby Elephant Syndrome

Early in the doctorate program, I read about Baby Elephant Syndrome. You may have heard of Baby Elephant Syndrome before, but that was the first I had heard this story.  If you have not heard this story, let’s briefly recap.  Baby Elephant Syndrome is where a baby elephant is tied to a strong rope or chain at a young age and is unable to break free of the constraint.  When the elephant matures, the elephant has grown strong enough to uproot trees and surely break the rope, but the elephant has been conditioned to accept this constraint.  Even if a weak rope is used, the elephant will not attempt to break free.  The constraint is now in the mind of the elephant opposed to an actual physical constraint.

Constraints

We live within a world of constraints, some physical, some not physical but necessary to navigate our social structure, and some merely in our minds. The physical constraints or those needed to function in society are easier to identify than mental constraints.  Often, we create those constraints for our own good.  The speed limit for instance, or harassment laws, minimum wage, well, you get the picture.  Maybe some are beneficial to society and maybe some are viewed as unbeneficial, the subjectivity in those constraints can be debated but we will leave that debate for others to argue.

Unseen Obstacles

The challenge with constraints in our minds is how do we know when we are dealing with a mental constraint like Baby Elephant Syndrome? Let’s look at those around us… how many people do you know that make you wonder why they cannot progress beyond certain limits?  Maybe, you have a friend with a degree from a prestigious college, but cannot find a job with decent wages.  Maybe, you know someone in your family who seems to have chosen a path that continually leads them into trouble.  The purpose of identifying constraints in others is that they always appear easier to identify in others.  Self-reflection and understanding our individual behaviors can be challenging.

The Beginning

Where do these mental constraints form? My best guess is they begin at an early age, our parents or caregivers telling us what we can or cannot do as young children.  What we are taught as toddlers and throughout adolescence will stay with us our entire lives most likely.  Imagine in middle school a young female student is in shop class and tells her teacher she wants to be an engineer, but the teacher discourages her because it is a male dominated field, or makes her feel she is incapable of meeting the rigors of college to become an engineer.  Maybe her parents also say her math skills are not strong enough to become an engineer.  Those types of negative reinforcements may lay the foundation that creates a mental constraint that deters her from her dream!

Identifying Mental Constraints

Our first step is learning to identify those mental constraints. Not to trace the constraint back to the source, but rather to put a name to the constraint so to speak.  Merely understanding we have a mental roadblock to overcome allows us to deal with these constraints.  As with the elephant, should the elephant gain understanding of its strength, the constraint would have been broken long ago.  Although I am simplifying the analogy, I am sure we have come across mental constraints that we easily broke through once we gained understanding of our strength.  Whether that strength be physical or mental, we were able to break that constraint or reset it so it does not impede our progress!!  Our goal should be to identify the constraints that keep us from attaining our goals or reaching our dreams.  We can then take action to remove those constraints.  In my opinion, we can break any constraint with recognition, determination, and action!

 

 

 

Implementing Leadership Theory

Posted on January 10, 2017     Leave a Comment

Implementing Leadership Theory

Every day I skim through various blogs and read about leadership. While I enjoy reading about a wide array of topics, leadership is the one subject I follow closely.  Following blogs about leadership assists with providing perspectives I may not obtain through academics alone.  Pursuing a doctorate in business administration provides the opportunity to study and research this topic which has ignited my passion about leadership.  From LMX, Theory X Theory Y, Authentic, Situational, Transformational, Pseudo – transformational, servant-leadership (one of my favorites), transactional, authoritarian, and plenty more, each theory has its unique perspective on leadership styles.

Leadership Theory

Leadership theory appears to be a moving target in my estimation. Over time various theories have evolved and I assume we will continue to see leadership theory evolve along with social evolution.  Merely defining leadership can be a challenge.  Ask anyone how they define leadership and you will most likely get a different answer from each person.  Some answers may be similar while others interpret leadership quite differently.  Scholars also provide variations in their interpretations and I am always fascinated by these various perspectives.  Inevitably, the term leadership will carry a descriptor such as effective, great, good, and so on.  In each interpretation and with any descriptor, we do find commonalities in attributes, traits, characteristics, and behaviors that we prefer in leadership.  Leadership theory partly assists us with categorizing and defining the type of leadership styles that promote success.

Leadership Performance

Leadership is often associated with success and rightfully so. Whether we refer to social movement, organizational success, technological advances, political causes, and so on, we can often tie success to leadership.  While this statement is filled with assumptions because it is a broad statement and is not an unbeatable argument, I do think this generalization is solid enough to continue to my point.  My point relates to the traits, characteristics, and behaviors we desire in our leadership.  I will touch on a few points but will do my best to avoid getting long winded:

  • Inspirational
  • Effective
  • Positive
  • Self-confidence
  • Charisma
  • Transparency
  • Intelligence
  • Integrity
  • Ethical
  • Emotional Intelligence
  • Adaptable

These are a few descriptors of the traits, characteristics, behaviors, and attributes often associated with great leadership or effective leadership. The million-dollar question is, how do I become a great leader and how do I incorporate these various qualities into my leadership?

Application?

Three leadership theories appeal to me most, servant-leadership, transformational leadership, and authentic leadership. The reason is each of these theories are based in leadership styles that stems from the composition of a person’s being.  I believe that great leaders do not merely demonstrate those types of traits and behaviors, but they live those awesome qualities.  Which means we do not merely act out the desired behaviors we see in great leadership, but we become those types of people if that is not already the case.  Good or great leadership is more than copying characteristics of a leader, but living a life built on positivity, integrity, tenacity, determination, and all the attributes it takes to be a good or great person and extending that into your leadership style!

 

While there are far too many generalizations in this blog for my liking, I do think I can use it as a starting point for future articles. I think we are barely scratching the surface here, but I also believe understanding our individual ontology defines the true nature of our leadership styles…

Motivation

Posted on December 15, 2016     Leave a Comment

Motivation is an interesting element in relation to leadership. I believe we tend to identify motivation as a positive element, however the definition of motivation clearly states otherwise, “act or process of giving someone a reason for doing something” Merriam-Webster dictionary (2016).  We see motivation defined in an organizational setting as, “the processes that account for an individual’s intensity, direction, and persistence toward attaining a goal” (Robbins & Judge, p. 2, 2011).  In both the definition and interpretation of motivation, a leader should approach motivation as a driving factor in increasing satisfaction and performance through a positive perspective.  A leader should consider the Bases of Power (Raven, 1993) and its relation to motivation.  As a leader, expert power and referent power derived from a negative aspect can be a motivating factor but can undermine goals to be worthy leaders.

Three aspects of motivation that support leadership include power, emotional intelligence, and values. Whether these aspects are viewed from a professional aspect or social aspect, these aspects affect leadership.  Power is significant as it can negate positive aspects we tend to associate with motivation.  We can motivate through various aspects of power such as coercion, reward, legitimacy, expert, referent, and informational (Raven, 1993).  We find within power we can lead through these various basis or combination of these basis of power.  For instance, in the ARMY I was one of four squad leaders.  The other three squad leaders used the basis of legitimacy to lead their squads.  Each of the squad leaders had the authority to discipline their squads with Article 15 of the Military Code.  Within Article 15 the squad leaders could restrict the soldier to 30 days of punishment and deduct their pay for a total of one month.  With this power the squad leader motivated their team through methods through authoritative means creating a negative element within motivation.

Emotional intelligence (EI) is an interesting aspect within motivation.  Emotional intelligence covers a broad range of elements within leadership, however we can focus on a few key areas of emotional intelligence in relation to motivation.  In fact, motivation is a component of EI where a leader with high EI understands motivating factors at an individual or organizational level.  For instance, comparing a leader with high EI to a leader with low EI exposes challenges a leader with low EI faces.  I have worked with many supervisors during my career and it is interesting to apply EI to these various supervisors in retrospect. For this example, I have selected a supervisor who lacked many EI components such as self-awareness, self-regulation, motivation, empathy, and social skills.  I believe most of us have experienced this type of supervisor.  This supervisor had little self-regulation and was often angry and incited fear among his staff.  While he had a power basis of legitimacy over his staff, he was unable to motivate his staff to perform at optimum level.  His department performed poorly and posted ungodly losses under his tenure.  On the opposite spectrum of EI, one supervisor who demonstrated each component of EI consistently posted profits under and produced a culture that was enjoyable and fun.  I think too often we overlook these types of supervisors because they are unselfish and credits others with organizational success rather than claiming success for themselves.  I was lucky to have experienced these two types of leaders and witness the outcomes each produced.

Power and EI are drivers in motivation that help establish leadership types or styles.  The power – EI dyad certainly appear to be an integral part of any leadership style.  I am sure this relationship will be explored as I move toward leadership theory and how to utilize this information.

References

Goleman, D. (1999). Emotional intelligence key to leadership. Health Progress, 80(2), 9.

Merriam-Webster Dictionary. (2016). Merriam-webster dictionary. Retrieved from http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/motivation

Raven, B. H. (1993). The bases of power: Origins and recent developments. Journal of Social Issues, 49(4), 227–251.

Robbins, S. P., & Judge, T. A. (2011). Organizational Behavior (14th ed.).

 

Personal Exploration of Knowledge

Posted on December 10, 2016     Leave a Comment

When I was eight years old in the third grade, I took home a multiplication chart and learned it within minutes. In relation to epistemology, was this learning experience founded in innate knowledge or was it based on experience?  Reflecting on an event that happened over 40 years ago, certainly raises questions of validity and recollection. However, the important aspect of this article is not the event itself.  Rather, it is an exploration of knowledge. 

Two great philosophers and one of the great arguments of knowledge came from Locke and Leibniz.  Locke argued ideas are not innate and knowledge comes from experience while Leibniz’s argued ideas can come from innate knowledge.  Lock’s view was knowledge was earned and knowledge was not readily available in a person’s mind. Leibniz argued people have innate knowledge based in inner principles they are born with, thus they are born into innate knowledge.  While the description of the innate knowledge argument is woefully inadequate, it does provide an overview of their respective positions.

 I used the example of learning multiplication in the third grade because it is a personal experience as well as obvious that I would have had limited access to mathematics at that point.  While I do not want to bore you with the details of that event, I clearly remember pulling out my homework and analyzing the multiplication chart.  Immediately I noticed patterns within the chart as I read the numbers in each row and column.  Moreover, I knew these patterns revealed a simplicity in learning multiplication.  

From an epistemological perspective, how does one obtain knowledge?  Was the ease of learning innate knowledge or was it based on previous learning experiences?  I tend to view information as flowing from an external position to internalization in our minds.  Information flows through our minds even in the womb, and our minds process the information and use it to become knowledge.  Knowledge is not synonymous with information; it can only be knowledge once reasoning, logic, and sense has been applied.  What we view as innate knowledge does not come from our minds, rather it is the way the mind processes information creating a perception of innate knowledge.

Still, I wonder if our minds are capable of containing information that we view as prepackaged and ready to use or our minds simply the tool used to process information and create knowledge?  My guess is we do not have prepackaged information or knowledge stored in our mind.  I position myself on the side of Locke and believe that experience prepares our minds to process information.  Both arguments of Locke and Leibniz appear to provide validity in either position, but each position has not been fully proven.  I should state, I do agree with portions of both arguments and my current position is loosely anchored.

            As I reflect on that experience I question what external sources of information played a part in learning rapidly.  Did the memory games my mother often played with me factor in this event?  Were the patterns a factor?  Was innate knowledge a factor?  Or was this instance simply the mind’s ability to process information?  I have heard tremendous arguments for innate knowledge, it is possible I will position myself to align with Leibniz at various points in my life.  The innate knowledge argument has been around quite some time and I assume it will still be around long after I am gone.

First Blog

Posted on December 2, 2016     Leave a Comment

I have enthusiastically decided to enter the blogger’s world.  I am not sure where this might lead me, but I do know my passion to write must be pursued.  My passion for writing comes from my love …

Source: First Blog

First Blog

Posted on December 2, 2016     3 Comments

I have enthusiastically decided to enter the blogger’s world.  I am not sure where this might lead me, but I do know my passion to write must be pursued.  My passion for writing comes from my love of reading and more importantly, the ability to express myself in a manner I could not do verbally or otherwise.  When I speak, the words that come to mind always seem to be different from the words that pop into my head while writing.  Why?  I do not know or care, but I do know I love the words that come to mind when I write.

One of my challenges revolves around the tone, structure, and style of writing I should use.  Having been in college the last eight years and still going, the primary style of writing has been under academic confines.  How do I stimulate creative writing?  How casual and conversational should a blog be?  My guess is part of the answer depends on my audience and the subject matter.  I presume this is the evolution of someone who chooses to blog.

Subject matter, how does one decide on subject matter?  As I look down the road, I see several paths I can take.  None of these paths seem to lead in a direction that is preferable, but each has its own attractions.  Growing up in the inner city, specifically, the streets of Oakland, CA. has its own set of experiences and stories.  The mere fact that I am still here, survived, prospered, and grew out of (or grew from) that life still surprises me at times.  There are eight million stories….

Another subject that deserves contemplation relates to academics and my career.  At this moment, I have decided to conduct research pertaining to compliance in the heavy civil construction industry for my dissertation.  As I continue my pursuit of a doctorate degree in business administration (DBA), I have changed my research topic from small businesses to compliance and back several times.  In either case, the terms “small business and compliance” is a very broad description of my research topic.  The researchable problem would narrow the focus such as why small businesses fail in an industry or how do construction organizations strategize for compliance during its formation.  While my researchable topic is a little more developed that this example, those are some of the options I am considering.  As a small business owner as well as working in the heavy civil construction industry over 10 years, these subjects can enhance my career, my business ventures, and academic pursuits.

Finally, one subject that has piqued my interest was constraints.  During my undergraduate and graduate programs, constraints and bottlenecks within the realm of business or organizational processes always fascinated me.  Identification of bottlenecks, correcting those bottlenecks, that often open to other constraints downstream, then correcting those constraints can be a complicated process.  Inevitably my mind would continuously look for constraints in my life and how I handle those constraints.  Then I began to wonder how others identify constraints in their thought processes and how those constraints are met.  As I analyze various constraints in my life I have developed methods to help break or reset those constraints to allow for growth.  Maybe, just maybe this is worth further discussion.

I look forward to the future and a new life in the blogging world.  I follow several bloggers and will add to that list going forward.  The insight and perspective of others never ceases to amaze me.  Time to shift gears, move toward my passion, and create a path I did not existed.