Comments on: The village idiot http://managingleadership.com/blog/2008/03/18/the-village-idiot/ The strategic role of the senior executive Fri, 09 Jan 2009 23:17:39 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.7 hourly 1 By: Tolstoy and the great man theory | Managing Leadership | Managing Leadership http://managingleadership.com/blog/2008/03/18/the-village-idiot/comment-page-1/#comment-7727 Tolstoy and the great man theory | Managing Leadership | Managing Leadership Mon, 08 Sep 2008 13:26:51 +0000 http://managingleadership.com/blog/2008/03/18/the-village-idiot/#comment-7727 [...] Peasants, he supposes, might guess that it is the devil that makes the train go. The devil signifies putatively great figures acting as the locomotives pulling human aspirations and behaviors behind them. We, Tolstoy laments, continue to cling to this essentially illiterate impression. So, it would seem, we are all peasants after all. [...] [...] Peasants, he supposes, might guess that it is the devil that makes the train go. The devil signifies putatively great figures acting as the locomotives pulling human aspirations and behaviors behind them. We, Tolstoy laments, continue to cling to this essentially illiterate impression. So, it would seem, we are all peasants after all. [...]

]]> By: Assessing values and purpose in effective management | Managing Leadership | Managing Leadership http://managingleadership.com/blog/2008/03/18/the-village-idiot/comment-page-1/#comment-5632 Assessing values and purpose in effective management | Managing Leadership | Managing Leadership Tue, 06 May 2008 07:22:13 +0000 http://managingleadership.com/blog/2008/03/18/the-village-idiot/#comment-5632 [...] portrayed in The Man of La Mancha. It is his crazed optimism, his deranged vision - perhaps divinely inspired - seeing good where it was not otherwise visible, in people who themselves had been unprepared to [...] [...] portrayed in The Man of La Mancha. It is his crazed optimism, his deranged vision - perhaps divinely inspired - seeing good where it was not otherwise visible, in people who themselves had been unprepared to [...]

]]> By: Jim Stroup http://managingleadership.com/blog/2008/03/18/the-village-idiot/comment-page-1/#comment-3738 Jim Stroup Fri, 21 Mar 2008 10:28:26 +0000 http://managingleadership.com/blog/2008/03/18/the-village-idiot/#comment-3738 Hello Nina, Thank you very much indeed for your visit and your generous comments. I agree that the shape and direction taken by modern technology - and the forces that are driving those - are leveling the playing field in important ways. The thing that I find promising about this isn't so much that it will help enable more women to work in more areas and levels in management (which, itself, is valuable for a number of reasons), but that it will enable management to benefit from the distinct views and skills that women will bring to it, and that men generally can't and don't. This can a difficult area for discussion, but it I think it needs more attention. Thanks again for stopping by, and for your own work - I look forward to benefiting from your writing for a long time to come! Hello Nina,

Thank you very much indeed for your visit and your generous comments. I agree that the shape and direction taken by modern technology - and the forces that are driving those - are leveling the playing field in important ways.

The thing that I find promising about this isn’t so much that it will help enable more women to work in more areas and levels in management (which, itself, is valuable for a number of reasons), but that it will enable management to benefit from the distinct views and skills that women will bring to it, and that men generally can’t and don’t. This can a difficult area for discussion, but it I think it needs more attention.

Thanks again for stopping by, and for your own work - I look forward to benefiting from your writing for a long time to come!

]]> By: Nina http://managingleadership.com/blog/2008/03/18/the-village-idiot/comment-page-1/#comment-3721 Nina Fri, 21 Mar 2008 03:13:41 +0000 http://managingleadership.com/blog/2008/03/18/the-village-idiot/#comment-3721 Jim, As you say, and I wholeheartedly believe, the traditional "walls" are coming down. I firmly believe that technology has leveled the playing field and now allows "the led" to lead. In fact, anyone with an opinion, perspective or viewpoint, no matter how interesting it may be, has a platform with which to reach a global audience. Please keep your VERY interesting perspectives coming! I for one, greatly enjoy your writings. Thanks, Nina Jim,
As you say, and I wholeheartedly believe, the traditional “walls” are coming down. I firmly believe that technology has leveled the playing field and now allows “the led” to lead. In fact, anyone with an opinion, perspective or viewpoint, no matter how interesting it may be, has a platform with which to reach a global audience.

Please keep your VERY interesting perspectives coming! I for one, greatly enjoy your writings.

Thanks,
Nina

]]> By: Jim Stroup http://managingleadership.com/blog/2008/03/18/the-village-idiot/comment-page-1/#comment-3703 Jim Stroup Thu, 20 Mar 2008 20:18:43 +0000 http://managingleadership.com/blog/2008/03/18/the-village-idiot/#comment-3703 Hello Cam, You point directly to something that is at the bottom of much of what I've been trying to draw out, here, over the past several months: the presence of power in the absence of discernment. Even if we individually lack wisdom, experience, or even judgment, if we can deploy our discernment to pick them out where they exist, and avoid the false displays of them presented by those of articulate imbecility, we have a shot at reasoning our way to justice - at least for ourselves. Hopefully, in the aggregate, for our communities and organizations. Hope that was responsive. Thanks for stopping by! Hello Cam,

You point directly to something that is at the bottom of much of what I’ve been trying to draw out, here, over the past several months: the presence of power in the absence of discernment.

Even if we individually lack wisdom, experience, or even judgment, if we can deploy our discernment to pick them out where they exist, and avoid the false displays of them presented by those of articulate imbecility, we have a shot at reasoning our way to justice - at least for ourselves. Hopefully, in the aggregate, for our communities and organizations.

Hope that was responsive. Thanks for stopping by!

]]> By: Cam Beck http://managingleadership.com/blog/2008/03/18/the-village-idiot/comment-page-1/#comment-3690 Cam Beck Thu, 20 Mar 2008 14:35:17 +0000 http://managingleadership.com/blog/2008/03/18/the-village-idiot/#comment-3690 How we source and use what is at once both "well known" and factually inaccurate is a very real problem in this world, not just this country. In our society, those who have poor discernment abilities have at least as much power as those who have good discernment abilities. Instead of discernment, the powerful elites have the ability to flame the passions without respect whatsoever to justice and reason. We have the ability to reason. We have a desire for justice, but a relative few have the interest in making the connection. How we source and use what is at once both “well known” and factually inaccurate is a very real problem in this world, not just this country.

In our society, those who have poor discernment abilities have at least as much power as those who have good discernment abilities. Instead of discernment, the powerful elites have the ability to flame the passions without respect whatsoever to justice and reason.

We have the ability to reason. We have a desire for justice, but a relative few have the interest in making the connection.

]]> By: Jim Stroup http://managingleadership.com/blog/2008/03/18/the-village-idiot/comment-page-1/#comment-3609 Jim Stroup Wed, 19 Mar 2008 14:26:59 +0000 http://managingleadership.com/blog/2008/03/18/the-village-idiot/#comment-3609 Hi Steve, I think a lot of us vary unpredictably between being at any given moment the village idiot or the genius - and that's where your characteristic of discernment comes in for us and our colleagues - to pick out what's valuable, and treat with firm respect what isn't in the present context. Discernment - I'm glad you inserted that - thanks! That belongs in this discussion. Thanks as always for the visit and the generous insight - you have an unvarying genius for that! Hi Steve,

I think a lot of us vary unpredictably between being at any given moment the village idiot or the genius - and that’s where your characteristic of discernment comes in for us and our colleagues - to pick out what’s valuable, and treat with firm respect what isn’t in the present context.

Discernment - I’m glad you inserted that - thanks! That belongs in this discussion.

Thanks as always for the visit and the generous insight - you have an unvarying genius for that!

]]> By: Steve Roesler http://managingleadership.com/blog/2008/03/18/the-village-idiot/comment-page-1/#comment-3578 Steve Roesler Tue, 18 Mar 2008 16:21:35 +0000 http://managingleadership.com/blog/2008/03/18/the-village-idiot/#comment-3578 Gee, Jim, does this mean my long-standing "I'm not the village idiot--I'm the genius" defense is completely shot? The leveling that you so accurately reveal prompts the need for another characteristic to replace the intellectual elite. That characteristic is discernment. In a world where information is valued and the purveyors are numerous, one needs to develop a depth of character and wisdom to discern fact from fluff, albeit it engaging fluff. Looking forward to the next installment. . . Gee, Jim, does this mean my long-standing “I’m not the village idiot–I’m the genius” defense is completely shot?

The leveling that you so accurately reveal prompts the need for another characteristic to replace the intellectual elite. That characteristic is discernment.

In a world where information is valued and the purveyors are numerous, one needs to develop a depth of character and wisdom to discern fact from fluff, albeit it engaging fluff.

Looking forward to the next installment. . .

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