Changing the World

Just finished listening to Episode #6 of Foreword Thinking: the Business and Motivational Book Review Podcast that's hosted by Mitch Joel.

His guest in this episode is John Wood, author of the memoir Leaving Microsoft to Change the World and founder of Room to Read, a non-profit organization that establishes schools, libraries, and other educational infrastructure in developing nations.

I was moved by the idea that this man would feel compelled to dedicate the best years of his life to battling illiteracy in countries so far from his own home. It's humbling because I live in a developing country, see poverty and the effects of a deteriorating educational system on a daily basis, and yet I don't do enough to help.

Below are a few of the quotes from the podcast which really struck me [minutes into the podcast]:

• The Tyranny of Or. Sometimes there's this thing -- Steve Ballmer calls it the "Tyranny of Or" where everything's an Either-Or thing [7:26]
• On over-thinking. In a certain sense, I'm glad I didn't over-think it, because I could have talked myself out of it very easily. There's no shortage of people who would tell me exactly why this is a bad idea, or why this wouldn't work, or how difficult it would be. And I think at a certain point, you just have to ignore those voices and dive into what you're passionate about. So looking at it now, where I am today 8 years later, if I'd over-thought it I probably wouldn't have done it and I'd probably still be at a desk at Microsoft or some other technology company [8:05]
• Keeping Things Tangible. It's hard to be cynical about charity if you know exactly where the money is going to: you see a photograph of the finished school; you see a dedication plaque; it's very tangible for people. In this day and age when communication is ubiquitous, it's not difficult to raise money to do one project in the developing world. [15:42]
• Education as Key to Personal Success. All of us who have done well in life, we have education to thank for our success in life. The fact that there are almost 1 billion people in the world today who are illiterate is a damning indictment on our world. How can we ever break the cycle of poverty for these kids if they don't go to school? It is impossible. [17:37]
• Education affects Entire Countries. The United Nations has statistics where you can graph amazing things against the literacy rate. The most literate countries have the highest life expectancy; the most uneducated countries have the lowest life expectancy. Maternal death during childbirth: low literacy countries are losing 15 times as many women to death during childbirth as in an educated society like Iceland, or Norway, or Sweden. [18:05]
  
• Education is not a hand-out, it's a hand-up. You're giving people the skills they need to break the cycle of poverty themselves. [18:55]
• It is solvable; you don't need millions of dollars. We can build a school library and support it for the first three years and train a librarian and fill it with books for US$3000. We can put a girl on scholarship and keep her on scholarship and have a strong female mentor who looks after her, and pay her school fees, and give her a bicycle and pay for her school supplies and pay for her healthcare -- all of that is Cdn $275 a year. It's less than a $1 a day to put a girl in school and keep her in school [19:32]
• Literate women and girls will educate the next generation. The statistic that I think is most depressing and most damning is that two-thirds of the people who are illiterate in the world today are women and girls. And if we don't educate the girls, we don't educate the next generation. That to me is one of the most important things in the world -- to get girls in school, keep them in school, they will break the cycle of poverty for their family. An educated mother -- I know from my own background; my grandmother and my mother were both educated and they both read to me. If they had been illiterate, my life would be very different today. [20:04]
• Keep the solutions simple. Sometimes in the charity world, people make things overly complicated. I have people who say -- I want to help you plunk down a solar-powered, satellite enabled, remote learning station... and I'm like -- Oh, my God. Let's just build a library and put some books in the hands of kids and start with the basics. [20:48]

The hardcover edition of the book came out in 2006. The paperback edition was released in September 2007.

Confessions of an Economic Hit Man

I'm currently reading Confessions of an Economic Hitman by John Perkins and must confess that I don't quite know what to make of it yet.

It's a damaging and damning book. Given its contents, I'm frankly surprised that the author is still alive and not in hiding.

Excerpts from the back cover:

'Economic Hit Men are highly paid professionals who cheat countries around the globe out of trillions of dollars. Their tools include fraudulent financial reports, rigged elections, payoffs, extortion, sex, and murder.

John Perkins should know -- he was an economic hit man for an international consulting firm that worked to convince poorer countries to accept enormous development loans -- and to make sure that such projects were contracted to U.S. companies. Once these countries were saddled with huge debts, the American government would request their "pound of flesh" in favours, including access to national resources, military cooperation, and political support.

The book itself reads a lot like a spy novel, which makes the book accessible and easy to read. However, the conversational tone also reduces the book's believability. I almost wish it had been written in a dry, matter of fact tone, i.e., with a lot less sensationalism.

While I was in line at the bookstore paying for this book, I noticed a poster that was promoting yet another 'economic hit man'-type book that is due to be released soon; this new one will be focused on events in the Philippines during the Marcos presidency.

I would have bought a copy if it were already in stock; it's apparently on order right now. It should make for interesting reading, especially if the contents are anything like this Executive Intelligence Review article on George Schultz and the Philippines.

Guilty Pleasure

Finally had some time in the past few days to indulge in reading a bit of 'chick lit' -- a guilty pleasure that I've had very little of in recent months.

Since I couldn't spot any new work from my usual favorite authors, I decided to expand my horizon a bit by trying a different writer. My new pick was Susan Carroll.

Bought one of her books (The Bride Finder) and breezed through the whole thing in one night, although I must admit that it was 4am by the time I finished reading.

I was so happy to find a more traditional romance novel, without the mystery/murder/slasher angle that's been creeping into all the more recent writing (I believe the official term for the latter is 'romantic suspense').

As it turns out, the book had been written in the late 90s, so it was just perfect, IMHO.

I'm already planning to hit the bookstore the first chance I get to pick up the sequel to The Bride Finder. I hadn't realized until I reached the ending that it was actually the first in a trilogy (although technically the story stands alone and is complete).

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When my sis-in-law learned about my new find, she was quick to lend me another Carroll novel the next day (Winterbourne), which had been written several years before the other novel.

It was another enjoyable read, although I felt that there was way too much plot crammed into a single book. Our poor hero had to go through too much (court intrigues, accusations of treason, castle sieges, becoming a prisoner of war, and so on) before he finally got to his happy ending.

I guess the author was constrained by actual historical events and had to stay true to the setting of the story, and therefore had to ride out the plot until a logical stopping point could be reached.

After two books, I think it's safe to say that this author is a good find. I am happy to have found a new name to add to my list of 'authors to buy'.

Crisis of Faith

Warning: Long and Rambling Entry.

Have lately been reading a book by Max Lucado entitled "It's Not About Me: Rescue from the Life We Thought Would Make Us Happy."

The book was a birthday present from a couple whom I've known socially for quite some time, although I guess it would be a bit of a stretch to say that we're close friends. Not that I wouldn't want to be a close friend; it's more a lack of opportunity than anything else.

Anyway, it's a highly readable book, and I agree with most of the things that are in it (I'm only half-way through so there's still a chance that I'll find something really disagreeable before I finish it).

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What I particularly like about the book is that it touches on the one aspect of the Christian faith that's my stumbling block: the fact that God has done and will do everything for His glory.

Below is a passage from pp.40-41. The Chapter Title is "Divine Self-Promotion."

God exists to showcase God.

He told Moses: "By those who come near Me I must be regarded as holy; and before all the people I must be glorified (Lev 10:3 NKJV).

Why did he harden Pharoah's heart? "I will harden Pharoah's heart, and he will pursue them [the Israelites]. But I will gain glory for myself through Pharoah and all his army, and the Egyptians will know that I am the Lord (Exo 14:4 NIV).

Why do the heavens exist? The heavens exist to "declare the glory of God" (Psa 19:1 NIV).

Why did God choose the Israelites? Through Isaiah he called out to "everyone who is called by My name, whom I have created for My glory" (Isa 43:7 NKJV)

Why do people struggle? God answers, "I have tested you in the furnace of affliction. For my own sake, for My own sake, I will act" (Isa 48:10-11). "Trust me in your times of trouble, and I will rescue you, and you will give me glory" (Psa 50:15 NLT).

He spoke of "this people I have formed for Myself; they shall declare My praise" (Isa 43:21 JKJV).

The prophet Isaiah proclaimed, "You lead Your people, to make Yourself a glorious name" (Isa 63:14 NKJV).

Christ taught us to make God's reputation our priority in prayer: "Our Father who is in heaven, hallowed be Your name" (Matt 6:9).

Every act of heaven reveals God's glory. Every act of Jesus did the same. Indeed, "The Son reflects the glory of God" (Heb 1:3 NCV). The night before his cruxifixion, Jesus declared, "Now my heart is troubled, and what shall I say? 'Father, save me from this hour'? No, it was for this reason I came to this hour. Father, glorify your name!" (John 12:27-28 NIV). Paul explains that "Christ has become a servant of the Jews... so that the Gentiles may glorify God for his mercy" (Rom 15:8-9 NIV).

And Jesus declared his mission a success by saying, "I have brought you glory on earth by completing the work you gave me to do" (John 17:4 NIV).

God has one goal: God. "I have my reputation to keep up" (Isa 48:11 MSG).

Surprised? Isn't such an attitude, dare we ask, self-centered? Don't we deem this behavior "self-promotion"?

And by golly, that last question encapsulates the biggest struggle I have with my Christian faith.

According to all of the above, God created us for His pleasure and for His glory. Yet by creating us and giving us free will, He surely created the possibility of sin. By virtue of His omniscience, He surely must know that many will choose not to accept His offer of salvation, and consequently, countless millions will be condemned to hell in the process.

Given all this, why did He still do it? Why create man and give man free will if He knows that souls will spend eternity in hell as a result? Is it a good enough answer to say that He simply did this for His pleasure and glory?

Are we nothing more than laboratory rats in a complex puzzle called Earth, placed there for the amusement of a divine being who is indulging Himself in an elaborate experiment?

I find the mental image difficult to accept.

Mr. Lucado does spend some time in the book to explain the virtue of Divine Self-Promotion. And while I am not completely satisfied with his answer, I do greatly appreciate the fact that his book actually raises and addresses the question. It is the first time I've actually encountered a book that tackles this issue head on. I am gratified to know that I'm not the only thinking such potentially sacrilegious thoughts.

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Edited to Add:

I wrote the above entry a couple of days ago, but I didn't quite know how to end this post... until now.

Because tonight, as I was discussing this issue with my cellgroup mates, I came to the realization that I am way too proud and too full of myself and my own worth -- and that my pride is the barrier that prevents me from accepting that I exist primarily to praise and worship God.

I rebel against the idea because I want to believe that my life has more meaning than simply being an instrument of praise. I want to believe that I am important enough in my own right, that I deserve to exist for a purpose beyond just worshipping God. At the core of my angst lies the fact that I can't accept the notion that I'm really nothing.

In stark contrast to my attitude is the worldview of one of my cellgroup mates. I'd have to say that she's probably one of the most humble people I know. She attributes every little success or victory to God's provision. She praises God for every trial she encounters because she perceives every solution as evidence of God's grace. I often find myself marvelling at her child-like faith when she shares her experiences with the rest of the group. She truly believes that she is powerless, helpless, and yes, even worthless when she's without God.

Tonight, I realized that her life embodies the title of the book: "It's Not About Me."

So finally, after months of intermittently wresting with this issue, I find myself feeling better. Because I've come to realize that when the day comes that I have finally learned true humility, everything that was so hard to accept about "Divine Self-Promotion" will suddenly make perfect sense to me.

I just hope that humility will not have to be too painful a lesson to learn.

Vital Friends

Stumbled across a podcast interview of author Tom Rath whose second book, Vital Friends: The People You Can't Afford to Live Without, is out. The podcast is available courtesy of 800-CEO-Read and is hosted on Odeo.

The Vital Friends book has a companion site which lists the 8 roles that different friends fulfill in our lives -- and emphasizes that expecting one single person to fulfill all 8 roles is a guaranteed recipe for a disastrous relationship.

The roles are (see Vital Friends site for full descriptions):

• Builder. Motivators. They invest in your development and genuinely want you to succeed.

• Companion. Always there for you, whatever the circumstances.
  

• Connector. Bridge-builders who get to know you -- and then connect you to others.

• Collaborator. Friend with similar interests; you share a passion.

• Energizer. Your fun friends. You have more positive moments when you are with these friends.

• Mind Opener. Friends who expand your horizons with new ideas, opportunities, cultures, and people.

• Navigator. Friends who give you sage advice. You go to them whenever you need guidance, and they talk through the "pros" and "cons" with you until you find an answer.

• Champion. Champions stand up for you, and defend you until the end.

I find the concept behind the book interesting (although I haven't actually read the book yet) and I am seriously tempted to buy a copy because it's a drill-down on yet another Gallup book that I had read a few years ago, entitled First, Break all the Rules. That book forever changed the way I think of my role as a manager (but I won't go into why for now since that's a subject for another post. hehe!).

Anyway, I'm glad that I can actually name at least one person in my life for each of the above roles, with the possible exception of the Connector role... which I guess isn't that surprising since I've yet to master the fine art of networking.

Sources of Power

I'm currently in the middle of a really interesting book entitled Sources of Power: How People Make Decisions by Gary Klein.

It's an interesting read, because it dispels the notion that the best decisions are always made after listing all the possible options, weighting and rating each option, adding up the ratings, then selecting the highest-scoring option.

As it turns out, highly experienced people in high-stress, time-sensitive roles (think firefighters, air force pilots, emergency room doctors, ICU nurses) who have to make rapid-fire decisions with very little information on hand do not go through the motions of enumerating and then rating their options. Instead, they use what the author calls a Recognition-Primed Decision (RPD) making model.

With RPD, decision-makers take in the situation, immediately come up with a candidate action, check mentally if it will work, and implement it right away if they believe it has a chance of success. If they're not convinced their candidate action will work, they just come up with another, evaluate it, discard it, and so on until they find one which they believe it will work.

There's no weighing of multiple options to find the 'best' one. There's simply weighing one option at a time and going with what (given the information and time available to decide) looks like a decision that will work.

I'm not sure yet how this is supposed to apply to me in real life, but then, I'm only on p.58 at the moment. Should be interesting to read it through all the way to the end.

The Deep Blue

Just finished reading Blue Ocean Strategy: How to Create Uncontested Market Space and Make the Competition Irrelevant, a book by W. Chan Kim and Renee Mauborgne.

It was an enjoyable read.

They provide a top-down framework with corresponding diagramming techniques to take you through the steps to define your "blue ocean" strategy. Each diagramming technique is designed to highlight or enlighten one aspect of your thinking.

While a lot of the the concepts presented is plain ol' common sense, the Strategy Canvas does help a lot in crystalizing your company's positioning vis-a-vis the positioning of your competitors.

Will try to find some time this week to make the firm's Strategy Canvas to see how it looks.

Watchmen

Was at the cashier of a bookstore the other day paying for a copy of House Beautiful: How to Paint (A complete guide to painting your home) when the boss came by and plunked a copy of Watchmen in front of me, asking if I'd read it before.

I'd never heard of the book, frankly; but since the cover says it was a Winner of the Hugo Award and one of Time Magazine's 100 Best English-Language Novels, my interest was immediately piqued. The fact that the book was marked down 20% as part of an ongoing book sale clinched the deal for me. I bought a copy.

Turns out Watchmen is a graphic novel which was first published by DC Comics in 1986. The story is written by Alan Moore, who is also the author of V for Vendetta (which, I've now learned, originally appeared also as a graphic novel).

Watchmen begins with the mysterious murder of a former masked hero / vigilante. I'm only in Chapter 3 now, so I'm eager to reach the end of the book and find out where all this is going to lead.

Reading this book brings back memories of high school, when I used to borrow copy after copy of DC and Marvel comic books, following the adventures of The Uncanny X-men and the heroes in the Justice League of America (among others).

It surprises me to realize that I now find it difficult to read a story that is told primarily through images. Words have become so much a part of my life over the years that it really takes an effort of will to stop and look at each image before reading the words in the character's thought bubbles. I find myself rushing through the pages, not giving myself enough time to appreciate the beauty of the artist's work.

Which is why reading this book is one of life's "full circle" moments for me. We all started out as little kids looking at picture books before we ever learned what the alphabet was. And now here I am, having to relearn the value of images as a form of story-telling, and reading a novel that some people might easily dismiss as just being a spectacularly thick comic book. Haha!

Life can be funny sometimes.

How Far a Drive is That?

I don't really know when it happened, but over the years I've developed an unusual aversion to number-crunching. I often find myself freezing when I'm confronted by a long and wide spreadsheet and it takes some effort to go through it and distill insight from a sea of figures.

So, upon the recommendation of my boss, I've lately been reading a book entitled "Mathsemantics: Making Numbers Talk Sense" by Edward McNeal.

And while it has not cured me of my irrational fear of spreadsheets, it has made me look at numbers in a completely different way. And it has also created a new habit -- that of making "checkable estimates."

On pp. 226-227, the author writes:

Anybody can make many checkable estimates a day. For instance, while walking, estimate how many people you'll see around the next corner. While driving, estimate how far it will be on the odometer to where you're going. Before buying gas, estimate how many gallons it will take. Before looking at your watch, estimate what time it is. Before opening the envelope, estimate your electric bill. Before opening the book, estimate its total pages. Before looking at the thermometer, estimate the temperature. As you watch football, estimate each yardage. As you watch a movie, estimate when it was made.

For that matter, don't count anything, look up, or ask for any figure without estimating it first.

The difficult thing isn't finding opportunities to learn estimating, it's committing to an estimate. Checkable estimating opportunities come to you all day long. The trick is getting yourself to take advantage of them.

And so, I have since learned that the drive from my favorite gas station to my office building is 1.2km (and not 0.7km as I originally estimated), and that the drive from the entrance of my office building to my designated parking space is 0.2km (a correct estimate). Heck, I've even learned that there are 34 slats to the blinds on my window (I had estimated 24).

And while these little exercises may be nothing more than mental diversions for now, I do find myself enjoying it. And it certainly brings a whole new layer of meaning to the term "guesstimate" hehe!

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Oh, and here's one more: Estimated number of words in the above entry: 320. Actual number: 366