The Network Garden - Mark Sigal's Blog

Life Lessons: Always Be Teaching

One of the truisms that I embrace in life, and encourage others to embrace as well is the notion that life is full of "teachable" moments, so whether it is your child, your partner, a client or a co-worker, you should adopt a mindset to Always Be Teaching.

Why do I say this? Number one, the idea of giving back, and giving more than we take, is a powerful, pay it forward concept.

Don't talk the talk. Walk the walk.

Two, the idea of teaching and teachable moments forces one to soften their heart when others fail to see the full picture.

After all, there is a BIG difference between, "You let me down" and "Let me show you how to be better."

Three, the idea that we are teaching versus, selling, directing or admonishing, really focuses the mind.

What am I trying to communicate? What is the outcome goal? What other pieces do my counterpart need to know to be successful here? What is a reasonable expectation given the current understanding at hand?

Finally, when you embrace the notion of teaching, and BE-ing a teacher, you come to see interactions as part of a practice, and a discipline that requires a different kind of preparation, which forces YOU to be better, more directed and more process-driven.

By giving back, you become better.

Find Your Purpose

As the year winds down, and a new one is set to begin, know this. We have a limited time on the planet to make our mark (whatever that mark is). 

Don’t waste time with apathy, excuses or laziness.

Where confusion reigns, take inventory, seek answers, write it down and iterate.

Every breath is a blessing. Make it matter. Make your mark.

Ruminations on The Fountainhead vs. Atlas Shrugged: When Does Personal Integrity Become Narcissism and Sociopathy?

I am a big fan of juxtapositions; the idea of putting two disparate concepts side by side to get to a larger truth.

One of my favorite juxtapositions is Ayn Rand's "The Fountainhead" vs. "Atlas Shrugged."

I find that people who've read both books tend to favor one more deeply.

The Fountainhead is largely a tale about the price one pays for pursuing and maintaining Personal Integrity at all costs.

It's a book about being true to one's self.

Atlas Shrugged is about the Makers vs. the Takers (tell me if you have heard this terminology before).

Atlas Shrugged poses as a book about Creating and Building when it's really a book about Narcissism and Sociopathy.

I say this because it presents a false dichotomy and a cynical view of society and institutions when the truth is more nuanced.

Every bit of infrastructure we have is built by our institutions, and the greatest companies are built on the backs of TEAMS of great people, many of whom never get rewarded or fully appreciated for their efforts.

The idea of a Maker or Taker is core to what is wrong in our society.

It foments the narcissist view of "I create" over the more humble truth that "We built."

It fuels the sociopathic view that great societies can't or shouldn't commit to great health care, great education and safety nets.

It's a relic of a time when the stark choice was between the black hole of communism and totalitarianism, and the optimism and the realm of the possible afforded by capitalism and democracy.

We live in a time where such false dichotomies position capitalism against democracy, where one has to come at the cost of the other, when the more noble path is learning to reconcile and embrace the AND.

Needless to say, I LOVE The Fountainhead and have a gag reflex about Atlas Shrugged.