Can Knowledge Be A Cause of Paranoia?

Leadership Lessons (for yesterday’s piece): First-aid can be applied to relationships. Upon injuring somebody’s pride or self-esteem, you can reduce further injury by applying apology. Draw into the affected relationship, new value. Add value to the strained relationship by using relaxation. Learn to be less tense in future conflicts. Conflicts are inevitable, even with the best of friends or colleagues. Our choices of interventions matter, if we are to seek the results we desire. Build bridges, not destroy them. You never know if the colleague you disliked could one day be your employer.

Is this a possible cause for alarm? Extreme endurance training may be bad for the right ventricle of our heart. Could this be a cause of sudden death?

The more we learn about stuff, how much of that affects you? When you say that you have learnt, does that mean that you apply your new-found knowledge? When it comes to health matters, research material, new facts, clinical evidence, testimonials from patients and doctors, and the like can shift our equilibrium of what we belief, and how we behave. What leads us to feel anxiety, concern and fear? Can too much head knowledge be count-productive and counter-intuitive to our attitude and psyche?

Spend time with argumentative people, and you may acquire their trait. Arguments are more fun when you have loads of knowledge. A lack of knowledge leads to poorly structured arguments, with superficial grounding. If we spend too much time with people whom are hypochondriacs, manic-depressives, and those suffering from depression – can we become like them? Conversely, how do once-negative people become positive? More importantly, how do you stay positive-minded amongst a school of negative-minded colleagues?

As my student shared with me today: ‘Accidents do not occur accidentally! Our energies are transferred from person to person, from thing to thing.’ Respect things as much as you would people.

Expertly Evaluating Our Opinions

The study of knowledge is known as epistemology. Certainly, a larger body of study about the knowledge about knowledge itself has been established – however, it is a ‘meta-‘ description it. Knowledge can be out-dated, so we need to up-date it. Applied knowledge works better when our information is current and timely. Failure to act on timely information can lead to disastrous implications, whereas a stitch in time saves nine.

Facts can be corrected; people will correct your facts. Even indisputable laws of physics are only facts, until proven otherwise (as outliers, aberrations and abnormalities are wont to do). Once a wrong assumption has been made, it triggers off a spate of false logic that consumes knowledge to back it up. You may have heard of anecdotal evidence about researchers changing their data to fit their hypotheses. Factual inaccuracies are poor sources of facts. Thus, journalism serves to seek out the truth without impinging on privacy like hacking into private phone conversations and text messages. Another corollary could be the direction that Wiki-Leaks took. Every action has an equal and opposite reaction – or more.

With the operative language of distortion, deletion and generalisation in communication, how much of the news can we trust without being cynical or paranoid?

When you evaluate a process or appraise a staff’s performance, do you do it as a pre-mortem or post-mortem? It is so easy to criticize without adequate facts, and more so when the person does not have a chance to defend their case. Be cautious and mindful when you use Social Media as a platform to air your grievances, air dirty laundry and articulate your thoughts. Some thoughts and opinions are best left to our own privacy. Digital imprints of our ‘verbal sharing’ during our emotional highs and lows can be traced back, and used as weapons of mass manipulation by others.

Instead, be thankful for small mercies. Give feedback and assert your influence when it falls on deaf ears. Catch people doing right, instead of merely ‘in the wrong’!

Your public persona and personality is also measured by how you evaluate others. Are you a fair manager? Do you treat others fairly? How impartial are you when you facilitate conflict at your workplace? Jumping the gun, or making a premature judgement reflects on your lack of observation, interpretation and prejudices.

Mind your head, heart and hands!

Leadership Lessons: When was the last time that you audited your knowledge? How often do you admit it when you are proven wrong? How do you respond to feedback that your facts are wrong?

*****

Congratulations to all the runners who completed the 10K and 21K races of the Marina21K Run! I hoped that you enjoyed your first experience at completing such a distance. I was pleased to see participants at our run clinic show up and run the race. I look forward to seeing you in-person again at other races. Continue to race, when you can and feel you want to, and enjoy this lifestyle that you have designed for yourself!

I enjoyed my stint as a volunteer, mainly escorting the Guest-of-Honour and flagging off the runners. I coordinated the release and withdrawal of the start-off banner, which was a new experience for me – seven times. It was particularly more stressful during the first wave of the half-marathon when the professional runners were inches away from the banner, raring to go. Several Kenyan runners were standing alongside Singapore’s top 5,000m runner and SEA Games 2007 gold-medalist in triathlon, Mok Ying Ren. Even though the prize purse was small for a pro, the air of competition was so thick that you could cleave it with a butter knife. One of these Kenyan pro-runners was interviewed at the start-line by charismatic emcee, Ross who asked him his timing for the 21K. His reply of ‘1:02!’ led to a short burst of awed silence before a resounding and appreciative applause. Somebody uttered in shock: ‘That’s how long it take for me to complete 12K!’ Well put – I concur.

Dennis Quek - my swim-buddy with an infectious positive attitude towards life..

A big shout out to runners from Team Fatbird, Boston Uncle Kor, and friends from Triathlon Family and our armed forces for your positive energy and participation. Tribes and sneezers of the world unite.

Clever wordsmith and endurance buddy, Munn (a few hours fresh from his vacation)

Photo-credits: Marathon Mohan (over-130 marathons completed!) & KK Chin - both from Team Fatbird

The Relevance & Reality of Education

We cannot deny that education is important and useful. A good education is critical for navigating through today’s, often times, confusing world. A better quality education may spell the difference between more opportunities and missed opportunities. Education arms us with the knowledge and know-how, married with the know-who we will build and develop. Education helps eradicate ignorance, and the prejudices and discrimination that it breeds.

Book smart versus street smart: we need both to survive and thrive in today’s tumultuous and unpredictable conditions. Applied intelligence is the next big leap into the big time, where we learn from mistakes and harness our successes. Knowledge hoarded becomes useless, stuck, and diminishes through time. Knowledge spread and shared ensures longevity of thought, and allows it to evolve and be bountiful.

As leaders, we need to continually reinvent ourselves, by adding value to what we do. Whether we lead our people; resource, educate and develop them, we need to be mindful of the quality of instruction and influence we wield. Knowledge – the basis of education – is a double-edge sword. Like a surgeon’s scalpel, it can heal or kill. Learn. Constantly apply. Learning is an L-plate for learning!

That is why endurance sports are such a useful analogy for leadership, and learning. You have to learn to maximize your resources and optimize your natural talents to extend towards your potential. Leadership involves educating yourself on proper techniques, being mentally prepared, and feeding yourself a diet of nutritious thoughts and ideas. Go long, go far, and go the distance!

Reading is a precursor to gaining an education. You have to do your reading before you attempt your assignment in college and university. My recent reading diet yielded this interesting piece about swimming and lengthening your body fully, and leveraging it to get more speed.

*****

While searching the Internet for resources, I chanced upon a mention of our blog. The opening paragraph reads: ‘An education can only take a leader so far in life, though it never stands as a detriment. In order to succeed in positions where they must organize and guide other people, a multitude of different skills and qualities must first be honed. Fortunately, the Internet allows business types to network and share their experiences, insights, and observations into the do’s and do not’s of leadership. While the following blog posts are not the only worthwhile reads available for free online, they nevertheless provide an excellent foundation for those wanting to know more about how to better strengthen the necessary abilities and virtues to both obtain and maintain leadership positions.’

Quote Me on This!

"Running is about more than just putting one foot in front of the other; it is about our lifestyle and who we are." Joan Benoit Samuelson

Quote.

The above quote came via one of my Twitter friends, who captured the quote from one of the world’s best marathoners. I love quotations, as some of these eventually merge into my cache of internal or external mantras. Mantras are usually quotes that are recited in repetition, or become clichés through time if these are habitual verbal spouts. Famous people tend to be quoted often, through their writings or public interviews.

Quotes are interesting verbal utterances. In journalism, you may be familiar with ‘Don’t quote me on this!’ and wonder why they do. Usually, the best stuff is often not quoted (but appear in print, nonetheless). Quotes may include wise sayings, or words of wisdom – drawn from tacit wisdom and experience. Quotes are distilled knowledge, filtered finely through time. It is précis writing at its verbal best.

Blogs are archives of open quotes. The writer expresses his or her own thoughts, musings, random thoughts, babbles and sharing. Certain, random outbursts of unbridled thinking can lead to humiliation and shame. Never accept a quote provoked in a moment of emotional outburst. It can be raw and unsavoury.

In an abstract sense, quotations may conceal personal strategies for success. Virgin’s Richard Branson’s ‘Screw it. Just do it!’ suggests that at times we should be proactive and decisive, and not hesitate. ‘The journey of a thousand miles begins with the first step.’

Which quotes keep you moving, one step in front of the other? Which quotes activate you into action? Which quotes sustain your actions and passion? Which quotes remind you to stop, take stock and smell the roses?

Unquote.
******
'Status update: Sprained my right wrist last Wednesday before a ride'; rode on adrenaline for two more hours until I responded to body's shocked state. Applied RICES and rehabilitative interventions. More mobility, markedly reduced swelling. Hand grip improved, with wider range of finger mobility. Spirit still high, thanks to well wishes from friends and associates. Mild setback; what doesn't kill us makes us stronger. Enjoyed the forced rest. My new Elite Razor Carbon is fine - at a glance, she does look like a traditional steel-bike (painted deliberately as such). Listen to your body.'

Is There A Geek Behind The Leader?

Barry Buchanan is a satirist and cartoonist. His artistic expressions draw a smile to my face, however his observations are his strength. I think satire is the bridge between reality and the theatrical. There are humorous moments in our daily vignettes as can be read in the cynical comic strip, Dilbert.

I admit I am an ignoramus when it comes to techie things – writing this phrase is a dead giveaway about my technological incompetence. It took a long while before I could put my bike together on away-races. I was motivated to do it myself after my powers of influence and favours ran out. Talk about what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger (or skillful)!

I am a geek, and so are you. When you consider the profundity of your knowledge within the ambit of your hobby and pastime, you are a geek! We are experts in our leisurely pursuits, for we chase after it. When we start speaking in the tongue of a technophile, we are expressing our brighter side. Who isn’t fascinated with talking about their passions? If you are passionate about your profession and are knowledgeable about it, you are a geek.

A geek is an enthusiast. If you enjoy working with customers, you are a geek. If you enjoy bicycles (and are into bike porn), you are a geek. Ozzie Osbourne bit off the head of a bat (by accident?) during a 'live' performance, so he is a geek (in the carnival sense). If you are familiar with geeks and all things geeky, you are indeed a geek!

Geeks spend hours on their hobbies; does that make work a hobby? Are we suckers for punishment? Sounds like a masochist’s slogan. I still hear cries of dismay when I announce to my colleagues that I’ll be doing yet another Ironman race; my family has resigned (and redesigned) itself to the fact that it is part of my neurosis. I am a neurotic with my abundant share of idiosyncracies and idiotic behavior. Within the triathlon community, I feel normal. Among the blind the one-eyed is king. Hey! I was influenced by idiots!  And I graduated with first-class honours for being an idiot – I just don’t know when to stop (or at least, I pretend I don’t).

Want to track your triathlon races worldwide? Go to AthLinks. It has your race records and history for you to claim. Quite a few fellow bloggers are already on its free membership.

Endurance sports are hard things. Mastering an instrument is a hard thing. Doing my chores is a harder thing. When was the last time you attempted hard things? Michael Ray Hopkin (incidentally, a 3:30 marathoner) blogged about doing hard things and the relevance of supporters, and I actually set my marathon PB as a result of our conversation.

Are you a geek or meek? I suppose that we have a bit of both in our composition. Who shall inherit the earth?


Illustration of DontFeedTheGeek.com by: Krishna Sadasivam the cartoonist behind the excellent www.pcweenies.com