...The Talent Code – Greatness Isn’t Born. It’s Grown. Here’s How Introduction – The Girl Who Did a Month’s Worth of Practice in Six Minutes: * Media coverage tends to treat each hotbed as a singular phenomenon, but in truth they are all part of a larger and older pattern * Consider the artists of the Italian Renaissance, during which the city of Florence (population 70,000) suddenly produced an explosion of geniuses that has never been seen before * The questions echo – where does this extraordinary talent come from? How does it grow? * Clarissa, part of a study by music psychologists that tracked her progress at the clarinet for several years * Based on her aptitude tests and the testimony of her teacher, parents and her self, she possessed no music gifts * Good musical ear, but her motivation was below average * In the study’s written section, she responded “because I’m supposed to” as her reason for practicing * Nonetheless, she had become famous in music-science circles * Since on an average morning, the camera would capture this average kid doing something un-average, in 5 minutes and 40 seconds, she accelerated her learning speed by 10x and she didn’t even notice * Her music sounded pretty bad, common sense would lead us to believe that Clarissa is failing, but this would be wrong * She has a blueprint in her mind that she’s constantly comparing herself too, she’s not ignoring errors, she’s hearing...
Words: 12317 - Pages: 50
...Leadership Development Seminars and ECQ-based Readings The success or failure of any endeavor depends on leadership. Now, more than ever before, we need leaders in our organizations and in our world. Great leaders create and communicate a vision and move people into action to achieve it. They ignite our passion and inspire us to do our best. Government leaders in the 21st century are experiencing change at a more rapid pace than previous generations. Rapid advances in technology have expanded the quantity of work we are capable of accomplishing, and also where it’s accomplished. We have a more highly educated workforce, yet face diminishing resources with an increased demand for productivity, and the essential services we provide to the American public. To be successful at navigating these challenges leaders must develop the essential skills to motivate their employees, effectively communicate with others, fine-tune critical thinking skills, and build and leverage partnerships. Future leaders must also be visionary; i.e., possess the ability to identify trends and the courage to be innovative. Being technically adept in your field will no longer be enough. In response to these demands on senior executives, the U.S. Office of Personnel Management identified five Executive Core Qualifications (ECQs) that all aspiring government leaders and executives must possess. These ECQs and Fundamental Competencies were developed by OPM after extensive research on the attributes...
Words: 181771 - Pages: 728
...Leadership Development Seminars and ECQ-based Readings The success or failure of any endeavor depends on leadership. Now, more than ever before, we need leaders in our organizations and in our world. Great leaders create and communicate a vision and move people into action to achieve it. They ignite our passion and inspire us to do our best. Government leaders in the 21st century are experiencing change at a more rapid pace than previous generations. Rapid advances in technology have expanded the quantity of work we are capable of accomplishing, and also where it’s accomplished. We have a more highly educated workforce, yet face diminishing resources with an increased demand for productivity, and the essential services we provide to the American public. To be successful at navigating these challenges leaders must develop the essential skills to motivate their employees, effectively communicate with others, fine-tune critical thinking skills, and build and leverage partnerships. Future leaders must also be visionary; i.e., possess the ability to identify trends and the courage to be innovative. Being technically adept in your field will no longer be enough. In response to these demands on senior executives, the U.S. Office of Personnel Management identified five Executive Core Qualifications (ECQs) that all aspiring government leaders and executives must possess. These ECQs and Fundamental Competencies were developed by OPM after extensive research on the attributes...
Words: 181771 - Pages: 728
