A500.9.4.RB_MilliganSteven

This course is my first course on the way to receiving my Master of Science in Leadership.  I learned a lot of valuable things during the last nine weeks.  I felt the course load was pretty heavy but not necessarily overwhelming.  It definitely taught me to get a jump start on my coursework.  One of the things I like most about the course was the work itself.  The readings weren't there just to read and dump.  It was there for a reason and in order to do most of the coursework I needed to do the readings.  I felt that the readings weren't boring either.  There was a lot of good information in them that I was able to use while accomplishing the various assignments.  One of my favorites was the Amelia Earhart assignment.  I think I may have looked up at least five other crazy conspiracy theories that week just because it got me interested in them. 

I enjoyed the research project also because it allowed me to focus on an aspect of critical thinking and how to expand my own ability to think critically in a way that I felt I needed the most.  For me learning to be more creative and being able to apply this to critical thinking and complex problem solving is definitely something I would like to be better at.  The research project took a lot of time and effort but it was a great way to really learn and understand the topic.  This was much more enjoyable than just reading about it in a book.

Some improvements in the course I would like to see are probably just some links to help those of us that aren't used to APA style or writing a literature review have something to reference when doing these.  When looking at these online there are a lot of sources but not all are very helpful.  I was able to find some good ones though and share them with the class.  The way it was set up did allow me to problem solve and class members were expected to help each other out.  This is generally the way it is at work so I can’t complain too much about this being this way here.  Actually, I usually get a lot less instruction at work than I do here. 

I found the topics incredibly useful and hopefully will apply these in future courses.  I have already found myself looking for ways to apply them at work to help others learn some of the cool and useful things I’ve learned over the last nine weeks.

The most difficult part of taking a course in critical thinking is that you are afraid that you are not thinking about your assignments enough, so you are always trying to think about how you are accomplishing the assignment and hoping that you did it right.  I guess this is something I should have been doing throughout my college career though.    

Overall this was a great course and a great online experience.  I especially liked some of the new tools I discovered for presentations.  I like to do presentations in person and I felt that the tools enabled me to feel like I was able to do a more personable presentation rather than just making a PowerPoint and script.  I liked being able to record and embed the presentation.  In the future I hope to be able to spend more time on the material and less time wondering if I'm doing the assignment correctly.  I think that would help me to learn the material better and enjoy the learning process more.  

This was a great course and I appreciate the time and effort that was put into it by both the professor and the other students.     

A500.8.3.RB_MilliganSteven

Great Presentation Design

There are a number of ways to create a well designed, thought out, memorable presentation.  To do this there are some key principles and rules to remember.  If these are followed and some practice and effort is put forth the next presentation you do could be spectacular.

In the book Presentation Zen by Garr Reynolds there are 4 principles that make a good presentation.  These are Contrast, Repetitions, Alignment and Proximity.  Contrast refers to making whichever item is different than the rest truly standout.  When making a point it is important to show that point clearly.  There needs to be a design contrast to show the difference between elements.  You want the listeners to be able to glance at the presentation, understand the point and quickly know what you are referring to. 

Repetition does not necessarily mean to just say the same thing repeatedly to beat it in to the audience’s brain.  It does however mean when presenting there needs to be a design theme.  You want to theme of the design to add value without distraction.  You want to keep the listeners interested without making them think too much about the slide instead of what you are saying.  The theme and design should have similarity in color, font and style.  This helps give the presentation a theme that can be interesting without distracting if done well.

Alignment is the visual focus on a specific slide.  This helps add harmony to the slide and keeps it looking cleaner and easier to read.  This is something that someone with a photography background may understand more than others.  Good alignment in a slide can direct our eyes where we want the most attention to be.  This will make the slides easier to understand for the audience.

The 4^th principle is Proximity.  This is grouping items that relate to each other near each other.  The farther apart the more the audience assumes they are unrelated.  There is generally a limited amount of space on a slide and this makes the idea of proximity and careful selection of what goes on the slide even more important.  Choose wisely; the audience needs to see the most important items and make sure they are close together with a clear distinction between the items that don’t relate.  

Kipp Bodnar from hubspot.com has some great tips for creating a memorable presentation.  Here are my favorites and how I think they can help out the most. 

   

1.      Avoid Bullets.  All through school when doing presentations you are told to create short bullets that get the point across quickly and cleanly.  This is ok but it would be great to completely do away with these.  You want attention focused on you and your presentation.  Avoid bullets like you would in a firefight. 

2.      Paper.  Sticky notes are a great way to get started.  They will force you to slow down and write it out.  Patients and thought are both virtues.  It’s like penciling out a drawing before applying the final ink.  Write it down on some sticky notes and map out the presentation before you sit down at the computer.  This will save time in front of the screen and your eyes will be happy they’re not strained anyways. 

3.      30 pt fonts- When presenting on a screen remember that people are farther away from the screen then you will be when creating the presentation.  Make it big!

4.      Avoid weird meaningless graphics.  These don’t help anything out and are distracting

5.      Keep it to one thought per slide.  Too much going on in a slide gets confusing.  Keep it easy.  1 Slide 1 Thought

6.      If there is no slide limit it’s ok to have a bunch.  This way it keeps the slides simple.  You don’t need a ton of info on each slide.  Just something to spark a thought and you can explain the rest. 

7.      Simple charts and stats: Just like before, simplicity is key.  Avoid complex charts only rocket scientists understand. 

8.      Remember the purpose of the presentation.  You are telling a story.  Whether that story is your life, how a product came to be or tips on buying a home, these are all stories.  Keep the focus and avoid tangents.   When all is said and done the story is what they will remember and this is the most important part.  Tell the story and make is great!

These tips should help you to create a great presentation design and hopefully give a great lasting impression.  

A500.7.3.RB_MilliganSteven

Quantitative Research Methods

There are several main elements within quantitative research that I will be discussing in today's blog article.  I will be following the presentation "Quantitative Research Methods" by Tero Mamia.  In the presentation there are a list of topics I will be using that will help me to break down and more clearly summarize the key points of quantitative research.  These topics are: the quantitative method,observation units and variable, the research process, elements of research design and processes, strengths and weaknesses, and sampling. (Mamia, 2006)

When dealing in the world of research there are two types of research; qualitative and quantitative. Qualitative seeks to understand the "why" whereas, quantitative seeks to answer the "how".  It is in the latter form I am most interested in today.  Both forms are looking to explain reality. They happen to focus on different parts of the answer and both are very useful.  Quantitative research is essentially based on the idea that the world can be explained and questions can be answered through numbers.  A question may focus on how many people participate in a particle activity or how many cars break down due to cold weather in a particle area.  These are examples of quantitative questions.  The data then is the number given to answer that question.  These are then turned into a data table or matrix.  This begins the researchers analysis of the answers obtained and the path to a better understanding of the answers to the questions posed.  When understanding quantitative data there are two parts; variable and the observation unit.  The variable is a "observable and measurable characteristic of an observation unit, which varies across different units" (Mamia, 2006)  while the observation unit is the group or people that are being observed for the purposes of the study.  Essentially the variable may change and the observable unit does not change.  A person (observable unit) may be watched to see how many times they do a particular thing in different situations (variable).

Obviously when using quantitative study methods there are going to be strengths and weaknesses to doing this.  Quantitative research enables researchers to analyze specific social structures and processes that may otherwise be difficult to observe.  They can put the data in easy to read, factual forms.  They can take something that is happening all over the world and break it down into numbers and readable data. Unfortunately the weaknesses of this method specifically develops because of its strengths.  Because of the simplicity of the data it makes it impossible to understand the true complexity of the situation.  If you look at the number of murders in New York City in 2012 you will find that there were 419 murders.(nyc.gov, 2013) These give an overall number of murders that took place but not the reasons behind them, whether they were accidental or on purpose or discussing the lives effected by the murders.  This, however, is not the purpose of quantitative research so although it can be considered a weakness the strength still lies in the simplicity of the numbers.

When beginning a quantitative research study it is important to understand that there are 12 steps in the research process.  These steps in order are as follows: Research idea, literature review, theoretical formulation of the research problem, empirical research questions, research design, data collection, data analysis, answering the empirical research questions, theoretical interpretation of the results, comparison with earlier research and conclusions.  When beginning research you will go through a variety of steps.  These including selecting the topic, searching out previous research on the topic (why do the work when someone else already has), select the approach (quantitative or qualitative), ask the questions that enable you to perform the research followed by how you will obtain the data (surveys, sampling, observation).

A key factor in any study is to have a good research design.  How will you perform the study? How will you collect the data?  Will you compare the data to other theories of research?  What target populations will you focus your study on? These are all important elements needed when performing the research and need to be answered before the research begins.

A common method of selecting units for the study is through a method called sampling.  When a question being asked pertains to a large population it may be impossible to ask the entire encompassing group, so a much smaller, random selection will be made.  If a population area of 10,000 people is being studied a smaller group of 500 people may be asked a question and the data can be analyzed to show the probability of more people acting the way those 500 people did.  When deciding what shows to cancel the Nielsen ratings are used. These sample a group of people in the United States and the numbers are applied to a larger population. If 50 out of a thousand watch a show the odds are the percentage won't be much greater if the sample is larger and the show runs the risk of being cancelled.

Quantitative studies are used frequently to come to a better understanding of what and how often things happen around us.  When properly organized and thoroughly and appropriately used, quantitative studies are highly effective in learning more about the world around us.

References

Mamia, T. (2006). Quantitative Research Methods.

nyc.gov. (2013). Retrieved from nyc.gov: http://www.nyc.gov/html/nypd/downloads/pdf/analysis_and_planning/murder_in_nyc_2012.pdf

A500.6.3.RB_MilliganSteven

Qualitative research is essentially the process of looking for meaning and understanding to problems and information not recorded by means of statistical data.  This can mean that the data received can be any number of things and is often up to the researcher to define the value of the data.  Researchers, when searching for qualitative data frequently look to be enlightened by the questions they are asking and not necessarily the number or statistics provided by the data.  Qualitative research is often referred to as naturalistic research, focusing on the quality of data rather than numbers.  According to many researchers there are a number of items needed to be considered qualitative research.  These include observing in the natural setting.  This gives the researchers the opportunity to see behavior in an unaltered state.  An example of this type of research comes from Diane Fossey.  In 1963 Fossey went on a seven-week safari to study Mountain Gorillas in their natural habitat.  Over time she was even accepted by the gorillas as an observer and grew to develop relationships with them.  The next characteristic is that the researcher is the "human element" that collects the data.  This means that the researcher is the one collecting and interpreting the data.  This is not left up to machines or counter, but the researchers themselves.

 Qualitative researchers generally use inductive data analyses.  This is an in depth analyses of the information and can be very time consuming, focusing on the properties of the information rather than quantitative data.  When performing inductive research the researchers are looking for the critical themes that exist within the data.  They also include descriptive research reports  that use expressive language in the explanations.  This form of research involves an interpreter.  One of the most difficult things about qualitative research is that the data is meant to be interpreted by a researcher.  This person needs to analyze the data and discover the relevance and meaning behind it.  They look at the cases from their own viewpoint and study the data based on the uniqueness of each study.  Each and every case will flow differently.  It has what is called an “emergent design”, meaning that what will take place is not predetermined.  Just like in the case with Diane Fossey.  Her only goal was to study the lives and habits of Mountain Gorillas.  What happened during each study was up to the gorillas.

Once a researcher knows he/she wants to perform qualitative rather than quantitative research they then decide on two forms of collecting data.  These are interviews and observation.  The distinctions between the two are simple and work exactly as they sound.  This does not necessarily mean that the two need to be completely separate.  One can be an observer and still perform interviews and vice versa.  When interviewing subjects the questions need to be open ended allowing the individuals answers to be unique and personal.  When collecting the answers or data in the interviews the two methods that can be used are either writing the answers down or recording them.  It seems that this is up to the researcher and the opinions of professionals tend to vary. 

Observing subjects in the field is the more classic approach.  The researcher will take note of the surroundings and environment in order to give context to what is taking place and what the person being observed is doing.  This is important because in nature we tend to communicate in a number of different ways and understanding the surrounds and how we communicate will help the researcher understand the “why” of what is going on.  If as an observer you state that you saw two people fighting at work over something tedious you may suggest that they are impatient and rude people.  For example, once you include the context of stress, lack of sleep, personal lives, that air conditioning at work broke and the boss is breathing down both their necks it will completely change the data and the understanding the observer has of the situation.  Although observing in the natural environment is a good way to gather information the observer needs to understand that the presence and knowledge that the observer exists will in itself change the data.  Those being observed may react differently when being watched than when they are alone. 

When analyzing data themes need to first be identified, this is called “open coding”.  This is where the researchers identifies the different themes found within the research and names them.  These become categories and will hopefully be descriptive enough to provide a good framework to analyze the data.  After doing this the data must be broken down into manageable sections that can then be separated out.  The next state in analyzing data involves what is known as “axial coding”.  This is when researchers determine how the categories discovered in the data are connected.  Each category is compared in new ways enabling the researching to develop better overall understanding of the data.  After all this is done it needs to be translated into a report that will be comprehensible by others.

When the research has been finished, the report written and finally in the hands of those that will read it, it must then be judged.  For the reader or “judge”, this can be a delicate matter and requires them to think creatively.  Essentially the quality of the research and data is in the eye of the beholder.  It is up to the reader to determine its validity.  The question becomes, how is this done?  The reader must follow three distinct features.  According to the article, Choosing Qualitative Research: A Primer for Technology Education Researchers, by Marie C. Hoepfl, these are "Coherence, Consensus and Instrumental Utility". (Hoepfl, 1997)  Coherence is whether or not the story makes sense and are the conclusions being supported?  Consensus is whether or not the readers concur with the findings and if they are consistent with their own experiences.  Instrumental Utility is the testing the usefulness of the study.  Does the study help us to understand a problem or situation?    

When these guidelines are followed qualitative research can help us to understand the “why” of many of life’s questions.  We can look and watch and learn why people do things and why the world works the way it does.  Suddenly many of life’s questions wrapped in enigmas smothered in riddles are peeled back just a little bit and we are able to see all of the ingredients that make them what they are.                                                                                                                                                                                                   References                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   Fossey, D. Gorillas in the Mist. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1983.

Hoepfl, M. C. (1997). Choosing Qualitative Research: A Primer for Technology Education Researchers . Journal of Technology Education                                                                                       

A500.5.3.RB_MilliganSteven

Critical Thinking about Critical Thinking

Over the last several weeks I have tried to examine the way I reason and think through things.  Having learned about the Elements and Standards of Reasoning it is amazing how much I have changed the way I think through problems, issues and daily dilemmas that I run in to.  I think many times in life we go through these processes of reasoning without even realizing it.  However we may skip over some of these or not spend enough time on certain ones before we move on to the next.  We may have an issue but not have a good understanding of what the actual problem is or think that our goal is one thing when it should actually be another.  These elements have enabled me to slow down my thought process and focus on certain aspects that I may feel I don't fully understand yet.  Whether this is spending more time examining the implications or consequences, the data and facts or even coming to a better understanding of the actual concept.  I focus a great deal more on these processes then I did before I started this course.  Sometimes this means spending more time thinking about the possible solutions.  When going through the Elements its important to not forget the standards.  This may mean I needing to clarify the problem all the way or question the significance, it is important to include these while reasoning out a situation.  Since reading about these I have actually printed them off and posted them at work.  When listening to problems or trying to figure out a solution to something it has helped me a great deal to keep this in mind and has afforded me to be much more thorough when working on solutions.

The goal I have is to incorporate this into my daily life.  While it doesn't seem like it will be that difficult to remembers these things, especially when they are posted on my wall at work, it is, however, difficult to force myself to be thorough.  This is especially the case when I am attempting to multitask and am distracted by fifteen different things.  When attempting to combine school, family life, work, church and other duties, focusing on these seemingly small problems can feel like a daunting task.  Often times these are problems brought to me by people that I have been appointed a leader over and I sometimes forget completely about the issue.  It is up to me to not allow that to happen and remember that I was put there for a reason and that I need to remember that the situations that I often forget about are very important to those around me.  I need to take them as seriously as if I were the other person.  I have attempted to help myself do this by keeping notes and tasks written down in a notepad.  This helps me to remember the things that my mind would otherwise have wiped away to make room for all the other things that I need to keep in my throughout the day.  I have especially learned that there is often more than one way to "skin a cat" or solve problems.  Understanding this and not settling on the first idea that comes to mind has increased the amount of time I spend on a problem.  If I am working with others this standard is helpful because I quickly learn that my ideas are not always the most effective and others have different insight that can bring other solutions to the table.  This requires a level of creativity that I do not naturally excel at and am happy to be learning and practicing it in my daily life now.

I feel that I can incorporate both the Elements and Standards of Reasoning into my daily life and in turn improve my critical thinking abilities.  The hard part is how much they will permeate my day to day life.  In the end this just means that I need to put a good amount of effort into this until it becomes more like a second nature rather than a daunting task.  Hopefully by doing this my decisions will be more informed and have better outcomes thereby increasing my desire to keep up the processes.  Keeping this things visually around me so I can see and remember both the Elements and Standards of reasoning and continue to remember that there is "more than one way to skin a cat" helps me to be more creative and to ask others for advice and their points of view.

A500.4.3.RB_MilliganSteven

Ballet Slippers or Adorable

When one brings up the topic of choice it seems to me that choice is a fairly relative term.  What choice we have is based on our life circumstances, money, location, occupation and a great deal of many other influences.  This leads me to believe that some choice is no more than an illusion.  If I look at the choice of soda out there.  In my mind as an American there are hundreds of different flavors and choices of soda.  Cola alone has many options from Coke to Diet Coke to Pepsi to Diet Pepsi, Pepsi 10, Coke Zero, Pepsi Max, Pepsi Next to the various options of store brands and so on.  Only a few years ago we were limited to Coke, Diet Coke, Pepsi and Diet Pepsi.  If this was the case does the new plethora of options mean we have more choices or does it just mean we now have the illusion of choice?  Are we essentially choosing a variety of essentially the same thing?  This leads me to believe that more options does not necessarily mean better choices, it only means more choices.  Is Coke Zero really better than Diet Coke or does it just give me another choice in a world full of them.

I am a person of research.  When looking to purchase an item I like to understand exactly what it is I am buying and get the best quality for the best value.  When searching for a digital point and shoot camera it took me several years to buy one due to the fact that I had done so much research and realized that everything I wanted in a camera I could not find in only one camera.  At the time one camera had hd video while the other got higher picture ratings and another had more settings options and the last had wifi built in.  I wanted all of these for the price I was willing to spend.  Had I not done all this research and realized the plethora of choices out there I probably would have just driven to my local Best Buy, found a camera I liked for the price I like and purchased it.  Due to my research and realization of choices I then could not decide and simply gave up losing several years worth of quality photos and videos I could have taken.  What then was the problem? Was it the number of choices I had or my inability to decide? This is something that still plagues me and on occasion when trying to decide on an expensive purchase I will turn to my wife and make the statement, "ignorance is bliss".  By this I mean if I didn't know about all the choices out there life would be so much easier and I could decide what I wanted much more quickly.

In any case I believe that although more choices does not necessarily mean better choices it does mean that we still have a choice.  In my opinion no choice is more often a bad thing than it is a good thing.  When looking at internet or cable companies no choice in who your provider is leads to high prices and poor service.  For two years I lived in a very poor part of the Philippines.  People in this country had very little choice due to economic circumstances.  Many could only choose from a few options for food, entertainment or transportation.  They often have no choice of where they go to school, if they want a higher education or where they would like to work.  This lack of choice leads to a lack of life style choices.  This however does not necessarily mean they are unhappy.  I found that many Filipinos are happier than many rich Americans that have a slew of choices.

What then does this mean for leadership? I've learned that choice only goes so far and that sometimes choice is not necessarily a good thing, although people do always have a choice.  They can choose to do what their leadership says or ignore it and face the consequences.  I've learned if I ask for volunteers or ask people to do something they are generally much more willing to do what I ask.  However, I am mostly dealing with people that are themselves in leadership positions and are seasoned military veterans.  Most of these people do what is asked of them without a push and even volunteer to do more then they are asked.  I have found that many times choice is a good thing as long as there is not too much of it.  Its when you give the option for unnecessary choices is that problems arise.  When my wife asks my what I would like for dinner and gives me too many choices I quickly give up and tell her to decide.  It only recently dawned on me that she may be doing this on purpose.  She is giving me the illusion of choice only to get me to tell her to decide for me. Much like the choice of what shade of pink nail polish, sometimes this is just an illusion.  In the end I feel that for the most part I agree with Dr. Lyengar.  Choice over no choice is always the better option, however, I feel that choice can be taken to the extreme and then becomes a disservice to those that are making the choice.  The choices almost become impossible.    

A500.3.4.RB_MilliganSteven

Both the Hunt library and Google are significant resources for information.  The world of online connectivity has enabled us to have access to almost instantaneous information at any given point in time.  That information even extends to handheld devices like phones and tablets.  If I'd like to have access to a variety of delicious recipes or directions to a new destination Google is a great resource.  Even if I am looking up basic information on subjects that I am interested in, there are a variety of websites for any given inclination.

The question then becomes, why do we even have resources like the Hunt Library in an age of Google and Wikipedia?  The answer is simple.  You can't tell if the sources you are getting from Google are trustworthy. If I were to look up a variety of information online the sources I would have access to could range from online encyclopedias to blogs to wiki answer sites.  Most of these are not scholarly resources.

The Hunt Library has a variety or ways of searching information online.  These include books, articles, videos and a tab for research help.  Using the Hunt Library online gives you access to thousands of books and articles instantly.  Sometimes as humans we tend to mimic water flow.  We like to follow the easiest route possible.  Sometimes we like to think this means using resources like Google or Yahoo.  Unfortunately this means that often the information we are privileged to isn't from scholarly sources.  When doing research it is imperative that we use information that has been proven, researched and tested.

The Hunt Library allows you to search for information from a number of different sources.  When needing to search these sources you can search the databases by subject also.  When you search the term "leadership concept" on the Hunt Library it gives you 299,757 possibilities.  You can narrow this down more by refining your search.  This can be done in any number of ways from subject term to content type to publication date to language.  After three simple clicks I can narrow the possibilities all the way to 12,760.  Once I narrow the publication date and articles that have been peer reviewed it brings the possibilities down to just over 1,000.  This may sound like a lot but when compared to the almost 300,000 listed before it has been reduced significantly.  In reality this is a simple and effective way to find scholarly information that can be used for research and paper writing.

When comparing the usefulness of the Hunt Library to that of a source like Google it seems like there is no contest.  When searching for useful, scholarly information the Hunt Library is by far the best and most effective source.        

A500.2.3.RB_MilliganSteven

A500.2.3.RB_MilliganSteven

Tell Your Story

LIfe is full of complicated gray areas that require a lot of critical thinking and standards that will help you to guide yourself through life.  Without these standards life's difficult questions can be impossible to answer.  It can be difficult to choose the right path to go down and can lead to unfortunate outcomes.  The standards that are a big part of my life have originated from three significant areas.  The first  two are my family and my faith.  I was raised in a family that instilled morals and standards that I have carried with me since I was a small child.  The faith I was raised in reinforced these standards and instilled a sense of morality that I will carry with me always.  It wasn't till later on in life and I was able to get out of my parents home and see the rest of the world that I realized what a significant impact these standards had been.  These are honesty, love, work and integrity.  With these standards I feel like I can approach any situation and make the most right decision.  I understand that many problems in life can be approached from many different avenues and that for different people there will be a different answer.  Just like with raising children there is no one right way to do it.  For some, a child needs to be rocked to sleep at night; for others 8:00 and straight to the crib they go; for another that child may sleep in the same bed as the parent for a long time.  One thing I learned however is that all parents are different and all children are different.  What works for one will work completely different for another.  While I am still new to the parenting gig I still tend to ask others for advice.  Most of the time it is to see if what I am doing as a parent is radically different from what others do or if it is on par and other parents agree with my decisions.  While I may not completely change my parenting style if I found that others did things completely different it may help me to see things in a different light and be able to learn more about ways that could help me to raise my child.  

The same can be said for morals and standards. A standard that is right for me may not be right for someone else.  While I may share standards with someone we may not carry them out in the same ways.  After moving out on my own and making some mistakes I quickly realized how important the standards.  The first standard being honesty.  Now I understand that in some situations that plain and blunt honesty can be more hurtful than helpful.  I have geared the honesty standard to myself.  Can I look in the mirror and not be ashamed of the things I have done that day.  Have I taken advantage of someone or lied to someone or hurt someone's feelings.  Can I sleep well at night and be happy with who I am.  Love is the second standard.  I feel that many standards can fall within this one.  With love you will treat those around you with respect, you will say kind things and do your best to help others.  You will do whatever it takes to better the lives of those around you and help all those you can.  With love you can help others in their time of need and care for those that cannot care for themselves.  

The third standard is work.  Notice I didn't say hard work I only said work.  Some situations call for hard work and others call for smart work.  Sometimes that means staying late, leaving early, coming in early and staying up late at night working on school assignments.  Work is what you do in life to better your standing in society and find meaning outside of the home.  Part of the reason I wasn't to commission as an officer in the Air Force was because I wanted to be put in a situation when the people that worked under them needed something to happen I could be there to make sure it happened.  Not because I wanted to be recognized or receive rewards, although they are nice to have, but because I know what I care enough to make sure my people get what they need and I don't have to worry about whether or not some else cares.  When you love those around you and see them for who they really are you can truly make a difference in lives.  This doesn't always mean doing what they want, sometimes it means doing what they need.  Just like my seven month old.  He doesn't always enjoy going to his crib during the day for nap.  It usually involves a lot of crying and rolling around but after a few minutes he falls asleep and wakes up later a much happier baby.  I let him cry because I love him not because I like listening to him cry.  It breaks my heart every time but I know that a nap is best for him and so I do it anyways.  

The final standard is integrity.  Integrity at home, work, church and school.  Integrity in knowing that what I do day in and day out is right for me, my family and those around me.  It will lead to a truly happy life.  You can't exercise leadership if what you ask others to do if you are not willing to do it.  You can't have integrity if you expect others to stay late when something absolutely has to get done but you yourself decided to leave early or on time.  You can't have integrity if you slack off at home and let the wife do all the cooking and cleaning and taking care of the baby.  It is a partnership and I have to help out as much as I can.  Even if that means staying up late to work on school and work.  With integrity and can look others in the eyes and ask them to go the extra mile because they know I will be out in front doing just the same.  As a leader you have to work harder, longer and smarter in order to be a good leader.  This doesn't mean staying all hours and letting family life fall apart.  It means you make sure everything gets done at work that needs to and when you come home you spend all the time you can with your family building those relationships of love and trust that will last throughout eternity.  

Through the many gray areas in life I have been able to make what I feel are the right decisions and move on.  The times that I have were when I wasn't following my standards and later when I came back and changed I realized exactly how lost I was and how far I could have gotten on a destructive path.  It is these standards and have kept me alive and are leading me to the happy, fulfilling path that I am on.  

A500.1.5.RB_MilliganSteven

Intellectual Perseverance

If I could describe intellectual perseverance I would suggest that it is that ding that goes off in your head when you finally get something.  When you've been staring at a brain teaser for hours and you finally see the solution, or when after you having listened to a lecture on existentialism over and over again you finally begin to feel like you know what they're talking about.  If you dissect the definition of intellectual perseverance, as defined on the website criticalthinking.org, you will see that is has three distinct sections.  The first having to do with the tools you use in your persevering, the second is sticking to it through opposition, and the third, despite confusion and unanswered questions, continuing anyways just to understand more.  

We can go into this deeper.  Criticalthinking.org defines intellectual perseverance as "having a consciousness of the need to use intellectual insights and truths in spite of difficulties, obstacles, and frustrations; firm adherence to rational principles despite the irrational opposition of others; a sense of the need to struggle with confusion and unsettled questions over an extended period of time to achieve deeper understanding or insight." (Valuable Intellectual Traits, 1996)  The first part of this definition suggests that we need to understand the utmost importance of using intellectual insight and truth no matter what stands in our way.  This in many ways is the start of our journey.  Like so many things in life it all begins with admitting or recognizing the need.  If I need to lose 100 lbs I have recognized the truth of the situation and the need to do so.  I would then look at the many obstacles in my way.  Whether these are poor health, depression, unhealthy diet or not losing weight fast enough.  In the beginning I would search out these possible obstacles and attempt to recognize them before they surface.  This way I can best prepare myself for what lies ahead.  Many deep thinkers, philosophers and freedom fighters, I imagine, were able to at least have a small understanding of the trials that would lie ahead if they continued on their course.  

The second part of the definition describes the need to stick to your principles no matter the opposition.  Once you have started the journey to losing weight other may say you don't need to lose the weight or you can eat what you like as long as you exercise.  These may be things that are nice to hear, but deep down you know are wrong.  It is in these times of hardship that one must hold strong and stay the course.  If in the beginning you have decided to use your intellectual insight and were able to identify the obstacles ahead then adhering to rational principles is that much more feasible when the opposition rears it's ugly head.  

The third part of this definition is where I feel the persevering truly comes in to play.  When all the questions are not answered; when all the weight is not lost and you are exhausted both physically and mentally.  When you'd rather give up, lie down and let the other side win.  It's in that moment when you have that double Big Mac in hand and just about to put it in your mouth and be done with this quest to lose weight that you throw it to the floor and walk out not caring that you just wasted six dollars and you are still hungry.  You are not going to give up and no one can change your mind.  Some of the great minds in history overcame great obstacles in their quest for a better understanding of the questions they were asking.  From Albert Einstein to the Wright brothers to Ray Charles these were all great minds that persevered through difficult situations, impossible dreams or physical handicaps to do what others could not.  It is this patience and ability to see far beyond the walls that surround us and to realize what is truly possible.  What our lives could be and what answers are out there just waiting for the right question to be asked and the right person to ask it.  

Valuable Intellectual Virtues (June 1996). Foundation For Critical Thinking, retrieved August 16, 2013 from, http://www.criticalthinking.org/pages/valuable-intellectual-traits/528