Randy Plutarch : His Last Lecture / Tips For Group Collaborations

You may recognize Randy Plutarch from his many television appearances. He was a brilliant professor at Carnegie Mellon University who lost his battle with pancreatic cancer on July 25th, 2008.

Although, he left an amazing academic legacy, he is most famous for a discourse he titled “The Last Lecture.” The lecture was his contribution to a long-standing tradition at the University where professors would give an address speaking about life lessons.

Undeniably, Randy’s eminent death brought a new poignancy and emotional depth to the series.

The lecture is an educational, gratifying and wrenching affair. He discusses combating the disease, his life before cancer and his family’s struggle to find happiness and balance after learning about his terminal condition.

Even though, I have watched the lecture many times, I feel the audiobook is the best way to experience the speech. As an added bonus, Randy narrates the book and it contains supplementary content not included in the original lecture.

You can get additional information on his website at http://www.thelastlecture.com

You can also watch the original lecture in its entirety at http://youtu.be/ji5_MqicxSo

I have included a copy of a handout titled “Tips for Working Successfully in a Group.” He was a proponent of group activities in his courses and provided this document to help students make the most out of their group experience.

In an era where collaboration is an important factor at work and school, this handout is more poignant than ever.

Randy Pausch’s Tips for Working Successfully in a Group

Link to Original

Meet people properly.

It all starts with the introduction. Then, exchange contact information, and make sure you know how to pronounce everyone’s names. Exchange phone #s, [email addresses] and find out what hours are acceptable to call during.

Click to read more ...

New Partnerships: Finding the right person to lead your company

Businesses benefit from the potential diversity of knowledge, experience and resources that multiple owners bring to an enterprise.

However, in accessing these resources, companies need to develop an organizational structure that assigns areas of responsibility according to each partners or employees strengths, expertise and commitment to the company’s goals.

Each partner needs to know what their associates bring to the venture and collectively the team needs to decide how to best use those resources. This type of predefined structure makes a company flexible, focused and stable.

Leadership

Most ventures start with a limited amount of capital and manpower, which means owners need to take responsibility for aspects of the business they are not competent or interested in overseeing.

For some people, it becomes an all or nothing proposal. Consequently, they refuse to entrust somebody else with any responsibilities, because of their compulsion to retain control or because of pride.

The business becomes an extension of their personality and self-image. They refuse to accept advice in their personal life and by extension are unlikely to accept it on behalf of the business.

Partners need to be aware of these traits, and act accordingly. They need to accept this management scenario, find a tolerable compromise or walk away.

Click to read more ...