Russ Off The Cuff

This is a quick reflection on learning. No absolutes. No certainty.  Only an awareness that the future belongs to those who learn, and organizations with a learning culture.

"we can then build “learning organizations,” organizations where people continually expand their capacity to create the results they truly desire, where new and expansive patterns of thinking are nurtured, where collective aspiration is set free, and where people are continually learning how to learn together."

The above quote belongs to Peter Senge.  It is from his book "The Fifth Discipline: The Art & Practice of The Learning Organization," a volume I refer to when I notice myself or others in the organizations of which I am a part becoming resistant to learning.  

My hope is you will listen and share, and if there is enough interest then I will be writing more about learning on Lead Different.

Emotional Phobias lead us to "suppress and diminish our emotions." After a time, we become emotionally deprived or dehydrated.  This emotional deprivation or dehydration leaves us in a state of emotional hunger or thirst at which time we start pursuing...

Real friendship tends to be difficult for men and boys. We are taught early on that our emotions can lead us into the “dark arts of human vulnerability...”

"One of the best ways to receive an emotional education is through friendship. For this to occur these friendships must be built from the inside out, intrinsically not extrinsically."

"We are all in desperate need of an emotional education, the very thing capable of helping us nurture and strengthen the relational aspects of life, and let’s face it, more often than not it isn’t our failure to understand the philosophy of Nietzsche or Einsteinian principles of physics which sink our lives. What sinks us most often is our failure to navigate relationships, the emotional aspects of life, and yet we continue to neglect and diminish the need for an emotional education."

Thanks for taking the time to read and listen to my content and journey. I hope it helps you with yours.

The Lost Art of Friendship is an article of exploration of deeper relationships and can be found at Lead Different.  This episode of the podcast is an introduction and is entitled "The Pursuit of Love" because of the following quote from the aforementioned article.

"We all want to know how it feels to be loved. I believe it feels like friendship, but my fear is we as a country and culture, be we secular or religious have lost the art, the considerable understanding and skill necessary to make real friends."

This is the introduction to a series about leading in times of crisis.  In this first episode there are three broad topics. Featured prominently in the podcast and companion articles is the concept of empathy. You can read the article Why This Pandemic Requires Empathic Leadership to begin your journey of seeing its importance in the midst of crisis.

The companion articles for this post as well as all of the posts in this series can be found at Lead Different.

This is an audio supplement to the Lead Different Article "The Pursuit of Greatness"

This is another bonus episode for those searching for a Sunday Morning Spiritual Meditation. The theme is "The Power of Change."   You as always can find the Russ Off The Cuff Podcast wherever you listen to podcasts.  You can also check out my writing on leadership and change at Lead Different.

"Only If You Want To Change" is for people who are passionate about personal change, especially personal change can lead to changing the world. This episode takes a deep dive into making the type of choices that will reduce anxiety and stress, turn motion into action, help us choose confidence over control, live lives of boldness instead of timidity, to believe rather than second guess, so we can slow down rather than speed up, because we choose the spiritual rather than humanistic path, all of which can help us be present, living today rather than freaking out about tomorrow.