The Titan Group - Derrick Strand's Blog: Conventional Thinking Not Allowed!: Recent Comments

Comment on The Lost Discipline of Reading

2011-11-11T13:06:03Z

Bravo, Derrick! thank you for the statistics. I've noted the same disturbing phenomenon as I go around the country doing training seminars. I've coined a term for folks who can read but won't: "illiterate by choice".

John Spence also addresses the same issue in this blog post: http://blog.johnspence.com/2011/11/personal-kiazen-2/

Comment on The Lost Discipline of Reading

2011-11-04T20:06:03Z

Wow. I literally dropped my jaw as I read the statistics listed above in this blog. I never really thought about the decline in reading as people leave high school and move on with their busy lives, but clearly it is a major issue in our country. I must admit, I do not read anywhere near as much as I did in high school. As a junior in college, I find myself spending most of my time "reading" when I am assigned textbook work. Reading about "Principles of Marketing" or "Financial Accounting" can certainly be useful, but it does not provide the same insight and knowledge as "Good to Great" or other best sellers. Now that I really think about it, I can't remember the last time I sat down to open a book that had not been assigned by a teacher. I agree that the books we read can build our problem solving skills, our level of creativity and depth of analysis, and so much more. I think that I will go to the library to grab a copy of "Good to Great" so that I can spend Thanksgiving break reading (since it really has been a while!) I am so glad that I saw this blog. Now that I have read it, I feel inspired to get back to the books.

Comment on Leadership Trap - "Sanitized For Your Protection"

2011-06-21T17:26:20Z

Well said, Derrick! At Reynolds, I was always amazed at the work that would be done at a plant prior to a board visit. Safety lines repainted, equipment properly stored; it's no wonder the company was bought by Alcoa. I'm also aware of a certain school system in the Richmond area where the elected school board members are "discouraged" (prohibited?) from entering schools without an accompanying senior employee from the Central Office. I've been lucky that I've always worked for bosses who expected and encouraged me to tell them the truth... albeit with due respect and timing perhaps... but still, they wanted to hear what I really thought.

Comment on Why Personal Motivations Matter

2011-06-06T06:07:41Z

Great insight, great article, and thanks for sharing it.
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Comment on Leadership Trap - "Sanitized For Your Protection"

2011-05-23T11:04:47Z

I love this article! In far too many organizations, leaders come up through the ranks learning thee bad habits, and I believe this translates in to the continued proliferation of the same bad habits if and/or when they reach the senior positions they were once reporting to. It's almost a self-fulfilling prophecy of conditioning that has set the expectation for how things will be. It takes strong leaders willing to shake things up and not accept the status quo to make a difference, and I hope that those that read this take it as a call to arms. We have to learn to accept the not so great news to make it better and really improve. Thanks so much for putting this in the spotlight!

Comment on My Top Ten Most Influential Business Books

2011-04-21T21:34:46Z

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Comment on Use Results Based Thinking vs. Activity Based Thinking To Improve Performance

2011-04-18T12:51:46Z

Good post! thank you

Comment on Managing the Employee Productivity Curve: Entitlement vs. Fear

2011-04-18T12:12:46Z

Good post! thank you

Comment on Change Your Lens for More Insight

2011-04-18T09:59:23Z

Good post! thank you

Comment on My Top Ten Most Influential Business Books

2011-04-18T02:59:29Z

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