I just finished reading an article by Edward de Bono.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_de_Bono
Edward de Bono (born 19 May 1933, in Malta) is a physician, author, inventor, and consultant. He is known as the originator of the term lateral thinking, wrote a best selling book Six Thinking Hats and is a proponent of the deliberate teaching of thinking as a subject in schools.
Here is the quote I just read:
"Even when there is no general complacency, there is difficulty in thinking about things that are perfectly satisfactory.
There are at least three situations involved here:
Situation one: 'The good is the enemy of the best'. This means that we stop thinking when we have reached a 'good result'. Had we gone on thinking a bit more, we might have found an even better result. We do not need to stop thinking because we have an adequate answer. There are often more answers than just one. So we need to develop the habit of continuing to think about the matter even when we think we have an adequate answer.
How much time, effort and energy do we put into finding the 'better answer'? Often there is a need for choice, for decision and for action. While we may spend some time looking for a better answer, this time is limited. Yet even a little time spent looking for a better answer is not time wasted. Now and again a better answer will indeed be found.
Situation two: In this second situation we think we know that there are other possible ways. The difficulty is in persuading others to explore these ways. It is not possible to start from the deficiencies of the present approach, because none may be apparent. It is necessary to focus on the values and benefits provided by the other ways. A comparison is then made between the values offered by the other methods and the values offered by the existing approach. Big differences may now be seen.
Situation three: Here the matter being considered is excellent in itself. It is not going to be changed or replaced. It is now an issue of saying that 'it is not sufficient'. One wheel on a car is excellent – but it is not sufficient.
Traditional thinking is excellent – but it is not sufficient."
As leaders we must change how we think.....satisfactory is not sufficient. We must always look for the greatest potential. (Faverty, 2010)
Hello - Patrick, I am encouraged reading your blogs. I appreciate your mind and your energy that stimulates new way, new life, hope and leadership in education.
ReplyDeleteSome comments from Salvatore:
Our minds are co-created as we go along. If we keep Open, if we deeply consider as de Bono, Albert Einstein and you Patrick say, "As leaders we must change how we think.....satisfactory is not sufficient. We must always look for the greatest potential"; then we can create a new way of thinking about education and life for humans will move toward balance and will expand in healthy ways.
As a psychologist and educator I applaud these necessary yet not sufficient sentiments. We must find the balance between cooperation and competition as modeled in nature. And we must create a new context for what we call education where the potential of students is Actively stimulated.
It is a process. If we embrace "What might that new context be?" we can move in the direction of freeing ourselves from the socialcultural habit patterns of accepting, 'good enough', 'the way it is,' and 'we are too busy and it is too hard to make changes.'
Salvatore Lauria
onearth@gmail.com