How does a cool action you take grow into something legendary?
I don't know, but I have been told that a cool project I worked on in 2009 with Jessika Kasten, Jon Konarske, Jeff Madden, David Mays, Matthew Moeser, Tammy Rozek and our group advisor Diane Morgenthaler has become legendary.
Weird. Called "Tech-Know", the project didn't feel legendary while we we were working on it.
Here's the story and what it takes for you to do some 1 or 2 (or a 100) legendary things.
I don't know, but I have been told that a cool project I worked on in 2009 with Jessika Kasten, Jon Konarske, Jeff Madden, David Mays, Matthew Moeser, Tammy Rozek and our group advisor Diane Morgenthaler has become legendary.
Weird. Called "Tech-Know", the project didn't feel legendary while we we were working on it.
Here's the story and what it takes for you to do some 1 or 2 (or a 100) legendary things.
www.leadershipgreatermadison.org
A Cool Project
A handful of years ago I participated in local civic leadership development program called Leadership Greater Madison (LGM). It was as part of this program that Jessika, Jon, Jeff, David, Matt, Tammy and I worked on "Tech-Know".
"Tech-Know" was a mobile technology cart to be used for in-classroom, elementary education, consisting of netbooks, a mobile cart, and a wireless internet port. Included was training for teachers on how to use this equipment in their teaching and how to integrate free an inexpensive web 2.0 educational tools into their curricula. Eventually our partner schools leveraged our pilot cart to eliminate traditional computer labs by securing more carts with netbooks and then integrating technology into daily learning.
As an aside, if you are curious about this project I have included my group's final slide deck about it below. In the original PowerPoint the "Tech-Know" cart rolled on the screen
Cool to Legendary?
At the end of February the LGM program director Lynn Wood, included me on a panel of LGM alumni sharing our experiences and advice on the group project portion of the program. This is the kind of thing I really enjoy, and it was made even more enjoyable when I spotted a member of this community in the audience.
After we were done offering heaps of advice, I was told by a fellow panelist that my group's project had become a legend among LGM alumni. I was flattered (and I hope the rest of my group members are too). But to be completely honest, the experience didn't feel all that legendary as it was happening.
I felt lost when on the first day of LGM our group was told that we need to address public school funding. I remember mumbling to one of my table mates, "Oh, that's what we're doing here."
I felt unworthy when our group came to the conclusion that we wouldn't be able to solve the problems around taxation, accountability and revenue models in a single LGM year. We were in LGM and we were suppose to able to fix real community issues, and school funding is one in my community.
I felt frustrated when we had a tough time coming with an OK alternative solving the problems with public education. It took something like 4 painful months before we made any forward progress.
I felt rebellious (and in not an entirely good way) when we decided to abandon school finance, but instead try to find a way to support the principals. We didn't tell Lynn.
I felt lucky when we stumbled upon a proposal to use technology to reduce the cost of educating a child while improve outcomes. We really got lucky - we didn't really have a viable project until that happened, even if appears as if we had planned the tech route the entire time.
I felt fortunate when we found a couple of schools to pilot the cart idea in (the carts were from the previously mentioned proposal), and the partners to fund the equipment and provide the training.
I felt effective when the schools leveraged our cart and training into a whole new way to educate their kids.
I felt good then, and still feel good now, that the project went off as well as it did. It was a cool project.
At no time did I feel like I was doing something legendary, and I am pretty sure the rest of my group didn't feel that way either. We could have quit at the beginning when things were rough (and one person not listed above did just that). At the end, we all felt proud and happy to have gotten through the experience in one piece.
So what does it take to accomplish cool, or even legendary, stuff?
Do something. Start a project. Take initiative. Lean in. Act now. Or, if you need help getting going, find a coach or join a program like LGM or Motivate (Beta).
You can't get lucky like we did unless you take a chance.
Be well,
Sterling Lynk
P.S. - Last year's LGM class had some pretty cool projects that may become legendary too. Check out this videos:
P.P.S. - I am still doing an experiment. If you can help out, please take this 3 question survey:
https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/52YKG6D. Thank you for your help.
A handful of years ago I participated in local civic leadership development program called Leadership Greater Madison (LGM). It was as part of this program that Jessika, Jon, Jeff, David, Matt, Tammy and I worked on "Tech-Know".
"Tech-Know" was a mobile technology cart to be used for in-classroom, elementary education, consisting of netbooks, a mobile cart, and a wireless internet port. Included was training for teachers on how to use this equipment in their teaching and how to integrate free an inexpensive web 2.0 educational tools into their curricula. Eventually our partner schools leveraged our pilot cart to eliminate traditional computer labs by securing more carts with netbooks and then integrating technology into daily learning.
As an aside, if you are curious about this project I have included my group's final slide deck about it below. In the original PowerPoint the "Tech-Know" cart rolled on the screen
Cool to Legendary?
At the end of February the LGM program director Lynn Wood, included me on a panel of LGM alumni sharing our experiences and advice on the group project portion of the program. This is the kind of thing I really enjoy, and it was made even more enjoyable when I spotted a member of this community in the audience.
After we were done offering heaps of advice, I was told by a fellow panelist that my group's project had become a legend among LGM alumni. I was flattered (and I hope the rest of my group members are too). But to be completely honest, the experience didn't feel all that legendary as it was happening.
I felt lost when on the first day of LGM our group was told that we need to address public school funding. I remember mumbling to one of my table mates, "Oh, that's what we're doing here."
I felt unworthy when our group came to the conclusion that we wouldn't be able to solve the problems around taxation, accountability and revenue models in a single LGM year. We were in LGM and we were suppose to able to fix real community issues, and school funding is one in my community.
I felt frustrated when we had a tough time coming with an OK alternative solving the problems with public education. It took something like 4 painful months before we made any forward progress.
I felt rebellious (and in not an entirely good way) when we decided to abandon school finance, but instead try to find a way to support the principals. We didn't tell Lynn.
I felt lucky when we stumbled upon a proposal to use technology to reduce the cost of educating a child while improve outcomes. We really got lucky - we didn't really have a viable project until that happened, even if appears as if we had planned the tech route the entire time.
I felt fortunate when we found a couple of schools to pilot the cart idea in (the carts were from the previously mentioned proposal), and the partners to fund the equipment and provide the training.
I felt effective when the schools leveraged our cart and training into a whole new way to educate their kids.
I felt good then, and still feel good now, that the project went off as well as it did. It was a cool project.
At no time did I feel like I was doing something legendary, and I am pretty sure the rest of my group didn't feel that way either. We could have quit at the beginning when things were rough (and one person not listed above did just that). At the end, we all felt proud and happy to have gotten through the experience in one piece.
So what does it take to accomplish cool, or even legendary, stuff?
Do something. Start a project. Take initiative. Lean in. Act now. Or, if you need help getting going, find a coach or join a program like LGM or Motivate (Beta).
You can't get lucky like we did unless you take a chance.
Be well,
Sterling Lynk
P.S. - Last year's LGM class had some pretty cool projects that may become legendary too. Check out this videos:
- Connect Madison: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WSlql4jpBVs&feature=youtu.be
- Career Pathways: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tgpY5dRDu_o&feature=youtu.be
- Raising the Bar: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ixMBYJJLGe8&feature=youtu.be
P.P.S. - I am still doing an experiment. If you can help out, please take this 3 question survey:
https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/52YKG6D. Thank you for your help.