Thursday, July 16, 2009
Monday, July 13, 2009
Sunday, July 12, 2009
Thursday, July 2, 2009
Monday, June 29, 2009
The Stories of Success
I recently finished reading Malcolm Gladwell’s latest book, Outliers: The Story of Success (ISBN 9780316036696). I guess I misread the title when I bought it, and continued in my misconception until I was part-way through the book; I kept thinking the book was about the secrets of success. No, Mr. Gladwell only explains how other people became successful. His is not intended to be a how-to book to enable others to become successful also. Because, while there are several things each of us can do improve our chances of success, sometimes factors that affect our success are simply happenstance. Here is a list of things that Mr. Gladwell indicates have affected the success of others:
I’m sure you’re scratching your head at a few of those items, wondering how they can be relevant. But Mr. Gladwell provides interesting stories that explain their relevance, and I encourage you to read the book. And, obviously, some of these things are out of our control, so for those of us who maybe don’t feel we are as successful as we might be, perhaps there is some consolation that some things that might have made us successful at what we want (or wanted) to do were simply out of our control. But for those of us who are close, maybe it’s just a question of getting up earlier in the morning, working harder, worker smarter, getting better at our craft. That culture one is a tough one. Many of us don’t realize that maybe the culture we were raised in is not the right one for the profession we’re in, and sometimes we don’t discover this at all, or discover it too late to make a difference, or cannot for whatever reason acculturate ourselves properly to become successful in our chosen field. Mr. Gladwell, discusses national culture with regard to success, and only discusses corporate culture as it is affected by national culture; I wish he had expounded on corporate culture more directly and thoroughly. Because if you realize that perhaps the culture you were raised in is undermining your success in your work, I’m not sure how you would go about getting acculturated properly. Find a mentor within your corporate structure? Find a sociologist who can identify the cultural values you need, and teach them to you? And how much time would it take to integrate those values into your mindset?
I enjoyed this book, and I encourage you to read it. It is an easy read, interesting, and insightful.
- Being born at the right time of year.
- Being born during the right era.
- Having parents capable of nurturing your interpersonal skills and your interests, and having parents capable of furthering your education.
- Being smart enough. Being too smart isn’t necessary—smart enough is enough.
- Similarly, going to a good enough school—it doesn’t have to be the best and it doesn’t have to be Ivy League. It just has to be good enough.
- Being raised in the right culture, or acquiring the values of the right culture for the occupation that you have chosen.
- Choosing work that is meaningful to you.
- Practicing until you have acquired the skills or level of skills that you are satisfied with, or that are in demand. About 10,000 hours ought to do it.
- Taking advantage of opportunities afforded you.
- Working hard.
I’m sure you’re scratching your head at a few of those items, wondering how they can be relevant. But Mr. Gladwell provides interesting stories that explain their relevance, and I encourage you to read the book. And, obviously, some of these things are out of our control, so for those of us who maybe don’t feel we are as successful as we might be, perhaps there is some consolation that some things that might have made us successful at what we want (or wanted) to do were simply out of our control. But for those of us who are close, maybe it’s just a question of getting up earlier in the morning, working harder, worker smarter, getting better at our craft. That culture one is a tough one. Many of us don’t realize that maybe the culture we were raised in is not the right one for the profession we’re in, and sometimes we don’t discover this at all, or discover it too late to make a difference, or cannot for whatever reason acculturate ourselves properly to become successful in our chosen field. Mr. Gladwell, discusses national culture with regard to success, and only discusses corporate culture as it is affected by national culture; I wish he had expounded on corporate culture more directly and thoroughly. Because if you realize that perhaps the culture you were raised in is undermining your success in your work, I’m not sure how you would go about getting acculturated properly. Find a mentor within your corporate structure? Find a sociologist who can identify the cultural values you need, and teach them to you? And how much time would it take to integrate those values into your mindset?
I enjoyed this book, and I encourage you to read it. It is an easy read, interesting, and insightful.
Monday, June 22, 2009
Create an OPAC widget
Now your patrons can add your library's OPAC search box to their own websites. Take a look at this video for instructions, which includes using your OPAC's html and widgetbox.
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