Unleash YOUR Inner Radical!
Excuse me, but is that your inner radical showing?
This is not a question that you are likely to run into every day and probably not a good conversation starter at a party. But it is one that we might want to ask ourselves from time to time.
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When I first heard the challenge from the University of Alberta President, Dr. Samarasekera, to unleash our inner radical, I assumed she was speaking to a handful of brilliant, thought-provoking, world-class ideators, who are capable of uncovering the secret to success for the next decade or so.
My first thought was “this is ridiculous!”
I seldom have a good idea, never mind a radical one that is so powerful it can reshape the life of our students or those around us at work. To help me understand what relevance this challenge might have for me and why I should care, I searched for a definition that would resonate more closely with something I am capable of. It turns out that radicals are wildly popular. The term is used in several sciences, mathematics, medicine and house parties involving hippies and weed. The definition that provided the most useful insight came from Chemistry where a radical is defined as “an atom, molecule, or ion that is likely to take part in chemical reactions.”
This is where we come in. We may not be atoms or molecules but we are all capable of doing something radical−to take actions that will surely lead to reactions. If directed appropriately, the impact of even small steps and actions can be profound.
Unleashing our inner radical is not a gift, it involves a process that is based on the notion that I can do something better tomorrow than I did today. If I pay attention, I can see opportunities for improvements that I did not see yesterday.
If I add in a little courage, I can modify and adjust processes to provide a better service, strengthen a relationship, provide input into building a better student experience, or increase the discretionary effort of myself and others.
This incremental approach, spread over a period of time, will lead us to a place that is radically different from where we are today.
Our hope in OLE is that everyone we work with is contributing what they can to the uplifting of the whole people and when asked if their inner radical is showing they can respond with a resounding yes.
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This is not a question that you are likely to run into every day and probably not a good conversation starter at a party. But it is one that we might want to ask ourselves from time to time.
When I first heard the challenge from the University of Alberta President, Dr. Samarasekera, to unleash our inner radical, I assumed she was speaking to a handful of brilliant, thought-provoking, world-class ideators, who are capable of uncovering the secret to success for the next decade or so.
My first thought was “this is ridiculous!”
I seldom have a good idea, never mind a radical one that is so powerful it can reshape the life of our students or those around us at work. To help me understand what relevance this challenge might have for me and why I should care, I searched for a definition that would resonate more closely with something I am capable of. It turns out that radicals are wildly popular. The term is used in several sciences, mathematics, medicine and house parties involving hippies and weed. The definition that provided the most useful insight came from Chemistry where a radical is defined as “an atom, molecule, or ion that is likely to take part in chemical reactions.”
This is where we come in. We may not be atoms or molecules but we are all capable of doing something radical−to take actions that will surely lead to reactions. If directed appropriately, the impact of even small steps and actions can be profound.
Unleashing our inner radical is not a gift, it involves a process that is based on the notion that I can do something better tomorrow than I did today. If I pay attention, I can see opportunities for improvements that I did not see yesterday.
If I add in a little courage, I can modify and adjust processes to provide a better service, strengthen a relationship, provide input into building a better student experience, or increase the discretionary effort of myself and others.
This incremental approach, spread over a period of time, will lead us to a place that is radically different from where we are today.
Our hope in OLE is that everyone we work with is contributing what they can to the uplifting of the whole people and when asked if their inner radical is showing they can respond with a resounding yes.
- Bill Isley
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