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October 18, 2008 ( PowerHomeBiz
) - Kennesaw, GA --
I was sitting in a teacher’s assistant training session years ago, and the
director of the training, a long-time tenured professor, posed a question,
seemingly on impulse, that got everyone in the room thinking. His question
was: Ultimately, what is your job as a teacher? After several responses from
my peers, I tried my hand. My answer?
(news continued below)
My job is to equip others with the ability to make better choices.
(The fact that I knew this caused his mouth to drop wide-open.) To this
day, I am more convinced than ever that helping others make better choices
is a primary hallmark of the exceptional educator, the exceptional employee,
and the exceptional leader. Interestingly, research has repeatedly confirmed
this fact.
William Glasser’s work is worth noting along this line. Glasser, a
noted-psychiatrist, lecturer, and widely-published author, contends that the
quality of our lives are determined not by our circumstances, but by our
choices. Specifically, the decisions we make regarding what we think and how
we act dictate our feelings and make-up: to put it succinctly, our world.
In brief, it doesn’t pay to blame any thing or any one else for your
state in life. You are the captain of your own ship. You decide what to
think. You decide how to act. You decide your journey.
Why address this now? Because it’s easy to get lost in a riptide of bad
economic news. These are uncertain times, and it’s easy to let the events
define you. Instead, remember, you have the power to define the events. You
have the ability to plot the course to your next port of call. When you take
this mindset, you will make better choices, and you will provide an example
worthy for others to follow.
About the Author
Dr. Philip Aust is a professor at Kennesaw State University (KSU). He
teaches Organizational Communication Audits, Leadership, Training and
Development, and Research Methods in the Department of Communication at KSU.
Dr. Aust’s research focuses on leadership in organizational, group, and
interpersonal contexts. He examines emerging leadership perspectives,
messages associated with productivity and task quality, and leader
performance. He has authored and co-authored book chapters and articles
published in such journals as Communication Studies, Basic Communication
Course Annual, and Communication Teacher.
Dr. Aust regularly conducts communication consultations for profit and
non-profit Atlanta-based companies. He has worked with over 25 companies in
the last three years.
www.searchlogixgroup.com
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