Just Plain Bill

Growing Up while Growing Old

The other day, I was feeling quite good about my work in a new and challenging job, where I’m surrounded by more talented and motivated managers and colleagues than I ever could have imagined.  I am truly blessed to be able to draw on my wealth and depth of experiences and accomplishments to contribute to mission-critical projects in a cutting-edge software company. Working in concert with professionals from four other generations – Millennials, Gen Y, Gen X, and Boomers – with little lost in translation – is a testament to the incredible value of staying current and connected over five decades.

I’m not a technical master by any means, but as computers have evolved since my first use of punch cards and the massive mainframe TRS-80s Commodore dial-up and my first purchase of an Apple IIE, so has my acceptance and comfort evolved with each succeeding generation of computers.

When I resumed teaching elementary school children just over six months ago after a hiatus of 33+ years, my loves for learning and teaching were rekindled and initiated a quantum leap, especially since I’m at the age that is well into the usual retirement chapter of most other professionals’ lives.

Not me. I wouldn’t know what do to if I couldn’t engage and facilitate – and continue to grow!

It’s a great way to end another year, and I wish as much for you all…

Just Plain Bill

Boneless Wings?

While walking to breakfast the other day, I passed a chicken fast food place and was taken aback by the advertisement for “boneless wings.” Initially, the advertisement didn’t seem to be all that contradictory, but I eventually did try to picture the chicken from which these boneless wings were harvested.

I imagine the invention of this fast food delicacy frees one from the hassle of having to eat the meat off the bone…but would that really be a hassle? As a kid, I always liked the “handle” aspect of the meat on the bone.

Really not a priority in the scope of things we’re faced with today, but I do feel better after bringing it up!

What’s your opinion on the subject of boney versus boneless for your chicken wings?

Just Plain Bill

Can We All Get Along?

Those words ring especially true at this time when we have another uptick in attacks on innocent civilians. We’re experiencing these attacks on a global scale, while individual acts of terror are occurring with regularity in homes, businesses, and neighborhoods across our land.

“Can we all get along?”

I know that may be simplistic. There are a multitude of reasons why one group may not want to, or be able to, “get along.” Regrettably, I feel that one’s religious beliefs are at the root of all too many feelings of persecution, discrimination, or the need to attack and take revenge.

I remember clearly when Rodney King, a victim of police brutality and a jury system seen at its worst, made that statement in the hopes of quieting down the riots that were taking place in many parts of our country – civil disobedience supposedly in response to the perceived injustice experienced by Rodney King himself.

At that time, I was living in Pasadena, California. The violence in the streets of Los Angeles spilled over into surrounding communities. It had a direct impact on the lives of the youth with whom I was working in the YMCA.

I remember spending many hours trying to work through the feelings of “unfairness” in the minds of the teenagers in my community, searching for logical answers… answers that never included “getting back” at the individuals and institutions who were seen as the perpetrators of justice gone bad.

Many years have passed since the Rodney King incident, but nothing much feels different these days. I ask myself, “What have we learned from all that occurred?”

“Can we all get along?”

Just Plain Bill

The Law of Unintended Consequences

I had the occasion to drive on the road east of Bakersfield, on the way to Barstow, where over six feet of mud had recently engulfed more than 30 cars. The incidents of flash floods and mudslides are not uncommon in that area, resulting from short but concentrated rains that come from time to time.

What was unusual about this storm and resulting trapping (and probably totaling) of many vehicles falls into the category of what I'd call the “Law of Unintended Consequences” based on the following: Cal Trans took four-foot high dividers and built a dividing wall, intending to make safer the windy highway with its serious down grade, by preventing cars from head-on crashes on the curves.

While traveling this road a day after it re-opened (after experiencing an 80 mile detour a week prior), I noticed the stain line caused by the collected mud on those concrete dividers. It was apparent the dividers compounded the damage from the collected mud, since they prevented the flow of the rainwater and mud to dissipate across the road. Without the dividers, the mudslides most likely would not have trapped, stopped, and engulfed the eastward traveling vehicles.

Hindsight as they say is 20-20, but it was interesting to observe this particular case of the unintended results of action purposefully taken with the intent to make things better.

Just Plain Bill

 Intrigued by Celestial Bodies and Time

We recently had a celestial event when we experienced a rare, “red moon” or “blood moon” eclipse; the moon was at its closest distance to Earth and in the Earth’s shadow. It’s a remarkable combination that hadn’t occurred since 1982 and won’t be viewed again for 18 years. 

As a youngster, I suppose like most people, I took the daily rising and setting of the sun for granted, as a matter of routine or simply as the natural order of things. However, it wasn’t too long before I experienced intrigue when something out of the ordinary would occur, whether it was a lunar or solar eclipse, or even a northern California earthquake.

Even daylight savings time was intriguing to me. It changed my usual pattern between sunup and sundown, which I thought was cool, as it gave me more time to play during the day. In fact, I’m of the age to have experienced double daylight savings time and year-round daylight savings time during World War II, when it stayed light until after 10 o’clock in the evening.

As an adult, I have to admit I’ve come to dislike the changing of the clock twice a year. My body is too used to “regular” time. But my mind? Far less so. Concerning the expected patterns of time, books and movies have presented radically different ideas of how time and the heavenly events are changed in various fictional ways. I’ve become enamored with the concept of time travel, and the possibilities of going backward and forward in time.

In fact, I think I just noticed movement out of the corner of my eye that I’m sure is coming from a different dimension.

Did you see it too?

Just Plain Bill

Did anybody notice?

The recent celebration of Halloween, the change from Daylight Savings back to standard time, and the later celebration of the Day of the Dead made it a long and intense weekend, plus a day or so. Did anyone notice that I missed posting my weekly blog for only the second time in nearly three years?

Regrettably, I did, and I have no dramatic reason or excuse except that I got really, really busy.

Admittedly, I primarily write my blog for my own purposes – to juggle my creative writing stuff, to see if I can maintain a certain level of discipline, and to see if there's an occasional comment from a follower. I know I need to add some icons to my blog to allow my readers the ability to forward my blog for others to read. I must do that as a New Year's resolution - once someone can show me how to do it in Blog Spot!

So, trust you're Halloween, your time change, and your celebration of the Day of the Dead were all enjoyable, or at least memorable!

Just Plain Bill

True or False: Competition is Natural

to the Human Condition

Throughout my life, I’ve always felt that competition, while persuasive, was not necessarily conducive to producing the best results. That feeling probably came from the reality that I was not very good at games. My lack of coordination was quite evident on the playground, resulting in my consistently being picked last on playground teams my entire grade school career. In short, I just wasn’t very coordinated, strong, or fast. (Yet, in spite of that unfortunate beginning, I became the leader in physical fitness in Marine Corps boot camp, earned my brown belt in Judo in Japan, and was a college wrestling champion.)

In academics, I was lazy, but got by on my innate intelligence, not really studying because I didn’t sense any value coming from being “smart.” Case in point: I underwent a psychological exam upon being hired by the YMCA in the early 60s, scoring 138 on an IQ test. The doctor asked why I hadn’t done better in school, or been a natural leader of some type.

While I’ve been teaching school - after a 37-year break – I first noticed the surprising impact of offering a “reward” for performance to students working on a computer typing game. This steered me back to a book I’d read almost 30 years ago, No Contest, by Alfie Kohn.  Amazon describes the focus of the book as follows: “No Contest stands as the definitive critique of competition. Contrary to accepted wisdom, competition is not basic to human nature; it poisons our relationships and holds us back from doing our best.”  Kohn “…argues that the race to win turns all of us into losers.” (This book followed another by Kohn, one that also generated a great deal of controversy in the public schools: Punished by Rewards.)

One of the most striking statements Kohn makes is the following:

“That most of us consistently fail to consider the alternatives to competition is a testament to the effectiveness of our socialization.” (7-8)

Is Kohn saying that my socialization, the influences of my surroundings, the impact of media, the expectations of my parents and other adults, those things that shape my perception create a reality that is beyond my control?

So to make any progress in combating the pressure to compete, I’d have to address all the factors that go into our socialization process? That’s a heady thought – and one to be pursued in a later post.

In the meantime, what do you think about the role that competition has played in your life?

Just Plain Bill

“I didn’t get your email.”

“But I sent it.”

Sound familiar? Our present state of electronic communication has given rise to increased uses (abuses?) in less than efficient means of correspondence. When we compose and send an efax or email, we tend to think that we’ve fully “communicated” with someone when in fact, the recipient may not have received our email. This could be due to a variety of factors: it goes into their spam folder, there’s a problem with a server, there’s a mistake in the email address or phone number, the intended recipient could have previewed and ignored it, or…gasp…previewed and simply deleted it.

Email has been a near miraculous advancement in our communication process over the traditional writing and sending of a letter, or writing and physically distributing copies of a memo. At the same time, it has a glaring flaw. Far too many people feel that once they’ve composed and sent an email, they have fulfilled their role in delivering a message – regardless whether it’s been received.

What brought this to mind was a situation today where I had asked for some records to be faxed from one organization to another. I asked the recipient of the records to confirm receipt of the information I had asked to be faxed.

The recipient indicated they had not received the records I had requested from the first party. So, did the first party not fulfill my request for the records to be sent? Did they send them to the wrong fax number? Or, had they simply forgotten to send them?

Regardless, the records were not received. I was forced to backtrack and contact the first party to request once again that the documents be sent.

When I followed up with the receiving party this time, I was assured the records had been received and they could then move forward with the next action step I needed taken.

In short, we’ve become conditioned to believe that our email and faxes most certainly are being received, simply because we know we hit the send key. These foregone, yet incorrect conclusions can often lead to a variety of problems including wasted time, terse exchanges of comments, and less-than effective customer service experiences.

Just Plain Bill

Tickets – what are the value of tickets?

When I started teaching in public schools after a break of 35+ years, I found myself looking for ways to motivate and reward student performance. When I started as a substitute, eventually teaching every grade from pre-K to high school, it was well known that substitutes are usually “tested” by students who often engage in behavior that would not be acceptable if their regular teacher was present.

While I don’t support giving prizes for what should be expected performance or behavior, I kind of stumbled onto a simple and effective system that worked for me – and for my students.

I have collected a wide array of tools and toys in my work as a corporate trainer over the years, enlivening learning opportunities through team building and problem solving. In my stash was a large roll of tickets, the kind you’d see in a raffle or some sort of give-away. Never did I imagine that these tickets would be of immense interest to students of all ages.

I assigned some math games, where everyone had a chance to earn points. The students would earn one ticket for each 100 points. They could then turn in their tickets for some “penny” prizes. What was most surprising was many of the students were satisfied just collecting the tickets – without concern for turning them in for prizes.

Who would have thought so many students would be satisfied with something as simple as tickets? 

I do believe I am catching glimpses of the competitive nature in this next great generation. It just might be the same spirit and drive quite like all the generations that have come before – those who have made our great country the envy of so many others…

It is reassuring.

Just Plain Bill

Shhh…

Can you remember way back in your school days, when the teacher would say “shhh” when the class was getting noisy? (I’m sure everyone else was talking, but not you, eh?) Well, I was surprised when I looked to Wikipedia to help me understand the origin of the practice. It seems that “shhh”, and other sorts of admonition to be quiet, are originally coming from the stark command, “shut up.” (A harsh and destructive admonition.)

As I’ve been substitute teaching and running a computer lab, I’ve heard many teachers and aides use “shhh” quite often, and I’ve observed that, as it was when I was young, the command has little, if any lasting effect.

Classroom management has been a pet subject for me ever since I first began teaching school 46 years ago. I didn’t use “shhh” then, and I haven’t used it since returning to the classroom. Instead, I’ll usually say, “excuse me”, and then wait a minute or so, which usually allows me to provide instruction and direction without interruption.

Not sure if “shhh” will ever go away, but I can always hope. Working with students there will always be hope, but I fear that with teachers it may be a lost cause.

Just Plain Bill

“The computer won’t let me win!”

When Melanie, a diminutive first grader in my computer lab class made this statement, my first response was to say, “Give it another try.” After further thought, I realized that “not winning” is one of the realities of computer games: to not be “defeated” by a human.

The game that Melanie was playing was Road Rally, one of many beginning exercises in my computer classes designed to support familiarity, comfort, and confidence in using all the keys on the computer.

After sitting with Melanie and explaining some strategy that would allow her to “win”, she has become a whiz at that game, as well as with other learning games we include each week. In fact, she’s now “beating” the computer regularly!

Once again, I was reminded that when I truly listen to my students, listen beyond just the words, I can learn much more than I realize.

Chalk that one up to another “teachable moment” for me!

Just Plain Bill

Hiroshima

I’m writing this blog soon after the anniversary of the Hiroshima atom bomb blast. It’s now 70+ years since that event, which is often described as “…when the world changed forever…”

I visited the Peace Memorial Park near ground zero as a 20-year old Marine, soon after arriving at my duty station at Iwakuni Japanese Naval Air Base, about 30 miles from Hiroshima. At the site, I was amazed to see a remaining structure, The Genbaku Dome, a hall designed for arts and educational exhibitions that was miraculously still standing after the blast. The detonation was the same as up to 15,000 tons of TNT, capable of “…destroying five square miles of the city.”

The mood at the memorial park, where there’s a plaque stating something to the effect,  “May we not bring this upon ourselves again,” was somber. Conversations were hushed. As a member of the U.S. military, I was introspective… even humbled.  

After I’d been in Japan for about six months, the base chapel hosted a presentation by the Hiroshima Maidens; survivors of the blast, all of whom were coping with a variety of lasting injuries, including many scars that disfigured them for life. The purpose of the presentation was to help the world better understand the horrendous and lasting impact of such a weapon.

And, that’s what it did for me.

The years since that experience have been filled with conflicting thoughts concerning peace, war, and their accompanying contradictions.  As a “hero between wars”, being of the age when our country was never fully engaged in a major conflict, I was never put into a position where I would take the life of another. This era of military service has been referred to as “winning the lottery” – a service era based on when I was born, enlisted, and separated. Interesting too, even ironic, is that I’d chosen a branch of the service known for its ability to defend our country at the highest level.

I do believe I would take a life in the defense of another, especially a family member. But in all honesty I don’t really know - and I hope I’m never forced to find out.

Not sure if that makes me a pacifist, as I am strongly against the yearning for war too many of our leaders and citizens exhibit. But I realize that there comes a time when we need to defend ourselves. I imagine that only time will tell.

Just Plain Bill

What good is a pencil without an eraser?

As I posed this question to myself, while sharpening some pencils I take to my substitute teaching assignments, I wondered – Is this a reflection of my perspective, or even my philosophy of life?

Ever since I can remember, I’ve always been unsure of the accuracy of what I write down. My lack of confidence is no doubt rooted in the fact that I was a horrible speller, always needing an eraser on my pencil so I could either correct or change what I’d written. My writing materials further intensified my lack of confidence for when I was young, the paper we used was usually of newsprint quality and my erasing often led to holes in my paper. Add the fact that when our writing had to be done in ink, it was done using a pen, complete with ink well and attempted on paper over numerous scratches on every desk.

I envy those who keep a journal, especially those who do so using an ink pen. I just can’t write a page, or even a passage, without thinking I needed to “correct” something. What a shame, eh?

I was raised to respect handwriting, trying to learn to let my writing “flow”, moving my arm in a rotating pattern using the fatting part of my forearm in a flexible configuration, with properly formed letters on the page as the expected result. Of course I learned cursive writing in the third grade, using what I believe was called the Palmer method - a method I most likely resist to this day. When I pay attention to the motion and action of my arm and wrist as I write, my “method” is one that results in a combination of cursive and printed letters created by “squishing” my wrist as I write. (I’m not sure “squishing” is even a word. Where’s my eraser?)

Both my parents were born in England at the turn of the 20^th century. My mother attended school through fifth grade (quite common). My father ran away from home and did not attend school beyond second grade, at the most. My mother loved writing, and became quite proficient with calligraphy. I still have a few of her journals and notebooks, which I treasure.

I also suffered through the early years of typing with paper that was extremely hard to correct (why would I even try to use carbon paper?) That was followed by more expensive paper that was “erasable”, and then on to correction tape – I was ecstatic when IBM came out with their Selectric typewriter that allowed you to back space and “correct” your error. Then came White Out, and finally spellcheck on our computers…(oh, there’s my eraser).

So, what might be the therapy or treatment for my malady, which might be defined as a deep-seated fear of being “wrong”, or stupid, or?

Just Plain Bill

Glad I First Learned About Sports

in the “Good Old Days”

As a kid, I could name for you the starting lineup for the minor league Oakland Oaks. And except for a call-up of a few players to the majors – Billy Martin, for one – I could do that for several years.

I grew up in Oakland, California in the 40s and early 50s, when sports were much different then they are today. You may ask, “How could sports be so different in the “good old days?”

The main difference is that professional players usually stayed on one team for all, or a majority of their careers. I know this changed with the actions of Curt Flood (whom I watched play when he was in high school). Flood “… became one of the pivotal figures in the sport's labor history when he refused to accept a trade following the 1969 season, ultimately appealing his case to the U.S. Supreme Court. Although his legal challenge was unsuccessful, it brought about additional solidarity among players as they fought against baseball's reserve clause and sought free agency.” (www.wikipedia.com)

(On a side note, Flood played in the same McClymonds High School baseball outfield as Vada Pinson and Frank Robinson, all future major league all-stars. Boy, was I blessed to be able to watch those games for free!)

While free agency was a good thing for players, it led to the almost wholesale movement of players between teams, much like chess pieces in a game that’s full of chance - and a lot of guesswork. This movement has become comical, as my favorite team, the Oakland A’s, has made so many changes there are now only three players on the 25-man roster that I remember from just a year ago. I know the reason is purely financial – the A’s being the featured team in Michael Lewis’s bestseller Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game and its movie adaption. Teams have to find ways to compete on an uneven financial playing field. But having 22 members on a team be “new”? That’s a bit much. For me, loyalty to a brand is not the same as loyalty to a team. I am happy for the players, yet I yearn for the days when I could follow a team for years and know who’s who. Now, I suppose I’d be content with the same roster for a year or two.

(These major roster changes make me think of the old Abbot and Costello skit, “Who’s on First?”)

I know I’m talking like an “old timer”, even fondly remembering following teams on the radio before TV’s Game of the Week (yes, a single game a week, not all 30 teams’ every game “…subject to blackout restrictions”). I even listened to Oakland Oaks games recreated on the radio, complete with sound effects, as Bud Foster refashioned the game from the teletype! (What’s that?)

In closing, I was also blessed as an adult to be able to attend a pro football game that included the 49ers “million-dollar backfield” of Y.A. Title, Hugh McElhenny, Joe Perry, and John Henry Johnson – all future Hall of Famers.

And, I saw Bill Russell and his USF Dons in their undefeated year, paying $12 for a ticket.

Enough, old timer…

Just Plain Bill

“Give me a lever long enough…”

Archimedes has been credited with saying, “Give me a place to stand and I will move the Earth”, also translated as “Give me a place to stand and rest my lever on, and I can move the Earth.”  While the wording is somewhat different, the intent is the same, meaning – that provided the necessary resources and opportunity, one individual can change things in a major way.

Through the 2,300 hundred years since that quote from around 212 B.C., the saying was also translated later as “Give me a lever long enough, and single-handedly, I can move the world”, a phrase used in a multi-day leadership program I developed and facilitated: Leveraging Human Assets, or LHA.

The seminar included a variety of team activities requiring collaboration to solve work-related tasks and issues, complete with many competitive activities that engendered trust, while challenging assumptions, titles, and comfortable roles.

The culminating activity required participants to create an action plan establishing the value and financial impact of the five days of work. Over the eight years the program took place, the average positive financial impact stated by the managers was over one million dollars for each participant, in addition to significant efficiencies each would ultimately contribute to the company’s operations.

I personally believe in Archimedes’ statement. As I continue on my journey as a performance coach and cheerleader, I will refer back to it and recite it often while striving to maximize the capacity and increase the potential in all my students and clients.