Learning a new language: why we should bother!
Read moreI find myself beginning this week’s post with the same reference as last week’s, to Simon Kuper’s piece about language learning, entitled “Learning another language? Don’t bother”. By way of recap, the writer states that native speakers of English have little reason to learn other languages, since the rest of the world is now mastering English, at least at conversational
Struggling to learn a language, growth mindsets, and another opening to systems thinking
Read moreLast week, I referred to a Financial Times opinion piece by Simon Kuper about language learning, entitled “Learning another language? Don’t bother”. The article makes the point that, for native speakers of English in today’s world, there is little reason to learn a second language. With the rest of the world mastering English at acceptable levels, and with the advancement of smartphone
Systems thinking, liberal arts education, and learning language
Read moreSystems thinking seems to be crossing my path these days. Or, is it perhaps my current mindset that causes me to process everything I see or read with an eye toward this concept? In any case, in the past week, I have come across three unconnected items that got me thinking again about the value of a varied, liberal arts
Recent speaking engagements, and a reflexion about my methods
Read moreThe last week of August in Buenos Aires, I was invited to speak at three diverse and remarkably interesting venues: the Polish Embassy, the innovation incubator Fly Garage, and IAE Business School. Though I prepared individual talks tailored to each of the audiences, there was a storytelling theme common to all of the presentations. I enjoyed the differences between the
Systems thinking, employee satisfaction, and worker engagement
Read moreWhen I began writing about systems thinking in mid July, I thought I would write a few blog posts or perhaps a short article. So, I am somewhat surprised to be still writing about it. It turns out, though, that I am discovering connections between this concept and so much of what is necessary in organizations today. For example, I
Silos and systems thinking
Read moreLast week, writing about General Motors caused me to reflect a bit more on why silos exist in organizations, and why they are so difficult to break down. Certainly, one of the reasons the silos are so deeply entrenched is that the structures and processes of the “Industrial Corporation” that evolved over a period of about 100 years are still