In history, the
period called the Enlightenment happened between the 17th and 18th
centuries. It was a period that was characterized by dramatic changes in
thought in many areas including politics and science (Bristow, 2011). These
changes were brought about by a different mindset that pushed freedom and
allowed people to begin considering other points of view and schools of
thought. According to Matthew Taylor, 21st century enlightenment has
to do with the idea that in order to live differently, we must have a different
mindset. This makes a lot of sense because, as long as we keep handling
situations the same way, associating with the same people, and closing our
minds to new ideas, nothing will change in our lives. In effect, we are the
masters of our own destinies. If we are willing to see issues from other points
of view, we can exact change in our lives and our communities.
Taylor (2010)
goes on to talk about the fact that people naturally want to change what is
unfamiliar to them. This has been seen throughout the years as evidenced by
historical events like Europeans trying to convert the native peoples to
Christianity. This idea is also a major reason for racism and other forms of
hate. We tend to be afraid of that which we do not understand. In my organization,
I find people to be more forward thinking and accepting of new concepts. We
tend to embrace the unfamiliar as the nature of our business involves keeping
up with whatever is trending in the industry. For instance, MOOCs or Massive Open
Online Courses, was in its fledgling stages just a couple of years ago. Just
this week, Embry-Riddle offered its first MOOC, drawing over 400 interested
students. Although this was not an
avenue that the university had pursued in the past, key players within the
organizations saw the value and were willing to find out more about what they
were and how to make them happen.
Taylor (2010)
argues that we should shun pop culture that puts people down and instead
concentrate on what will make us more empathetic. This is an extremely
difficult task. It is like telling a lifelong smoker to quit cold turkey or a
morbidly obese individual to los 200 lbs. Although these requests are not out
of the question they certainly are not going to be easy to accomplish. Because
pop culture surrounds us, it is easy to get sucked in whether we want to or
not. Examples abound however, one in particular stands out to me: reality
television shows. There seems to be a trend to put hidden cameras around and
record people in unfamiliar or embarrassing situations. I refuse to watch these
kinds of shows for many reasons, among them the fact that there is nothing
intellectually stimulating about them and most of the time, I end up feeling
sorry for the people on t.v. So, although it is possible, I would venture to
say that improbable is a better adjective to describe the likelihood of people
adopting this mindset.
In my
organization, collaboration is a vital part of our culture. In order to bring
new technologies on board, we have to work together. IT has to evaluate its
support of the product, the faculty have to embrace this technology, trainers
have to teach people how to use it, and ultimately, the students have to
incorporate it into their classes. If we were to work as fragmented parts, each
independent of the other, implementation of new technologies would become much
more difficult and frustrating for all involved. Collaboration allow for the
sharing of ideas and incorporates many points-of-view. Most organizations rely
on some type of collaboration but I think that Embry-Riddle is a shining
example of how collaboration (throughout many departments) promotes growth and
success.
For me, the
phrase that really stood out to me in this assignment was, “to live
differently, you have to think differently” (Taylor, 2010). While I am not opposed to change and
growth, my personality type prefers a stable, predictable environment. For
instance, when going out for lunch or dinner, I tend to frequent the same
places and I order the same things in those places. On the other hand, if I do
not change my way of thinking and try a different place, I might miss out on
some great food or interesting experiences. Another example of this would be my
move to Embry-Riddle a couple of years ago. I had been unhappy in the public
school environment for many years but I was scared to make a change. After
talking to a close friend I realized that if I continued to be scared, my life
would never change. When I finally decided to make the jump to ERAU, not only
did I feel relieved, but I also opened up an entirely new world of ideas,
innovation, and opportunities for myself. So, as I move forward in my career, I
will keep that quote in mind. If I want change, I have to be willing to change
the way I think, too. As a leader, the question that occurs to me is, how do
you make other people realize this, too? Half the battle is getting people to
see the need for change. I think that passion and charisma have a lot to do
with this process and hope to be that kind of leader, formally or informally,
for someone else in my life like my friend did for me.
References:
Bristow, William, "Enlightenment", The
Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Summer 2011 Edition), Edward N.
Zalta (ed.), URL = http://plato.stanford.edu/archives/sum2011/entries/enlightenment/.
Taylor, M. (Performer). (2010, August 19). RSA
Animate - 21st Century Enlightenment [Web Video]. Retrieved from
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AC7ANGMy0yo&feature=youtu.be
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