Yesterday, my friend Sherry and I were “out and about,” enjoying a relatively warm, dry, and sunny late November day in Seattle.
Sherry is a woman of many talents; in a past life was a Specialized Ed teacher. Eventually our day included a discussion of how those students who most needed help to learn were often the most resistant; but if/when a student would allow themselves to receive help, a whole new world often opened for them.
Sadly, this situation/perception is not limited to students enrolled in Specialized Ed programs; the world is full of people blind to their weaknesses (er, “areas of opportunity for improvement”) which instead they perceive as their strengths, as captured within several of my prior blog posts.
There is a Buddhist saying “when the student is ready, the teacher will come.” I realize I have missed opportunities I was not ready to recognize, ackowledge, and/or receive at the moment they appeared.
The past few years were a bit of a roller coaster ride. Sometimes I was lucky enough to work and partner with dedicated, smart, and awesome teammates and customers, and two really great managers, all whom taught me a lot about life, leadership, team work, selflessness, and business.
At the same time, I may have learned the most from those people who were clueless, who were blinded by their own pride and/or incompetence – and whom I suspect remain unchanged; as Lao Tzu wrote, “If you do not change direction, you may end up where you are heading.”
“You don’t have to be a “person of influence” to be influential. In fact, the most influential people in my life are probably not even aware of the things they’ve taught me.” – Scott Adams
Tags: sherry, lao tzu, ed programs, perception, teammates, ed teacher
