The correlation between success and like-ability

In Sheryl Sandberg's TED talk ​on "why we have too few woman leaders", she explains that the correlation between success and like-ability is positive for men, and generally negative for women. In other words, when men succeed they are liked more. And when women succeed, they are liked less. This works against you if you are a women who is aiming to succeed in the workplace, because you don't receive the support of the people around - both men and women.

While this wasn't her main point (see full talk below), it was the one that got me thinking the most. And now I want to depart from the context of women and touch on the issue of success and like-ability in groups of people generally. 

I think this principle applies to many groupings of people - and by 'group' I mean people who identify with one another and would see themselves as part of the same group, however they may define this. As part of a group, we're happy for other group individuals to succeed to an extent, but the less secure we are in ourselves and in the group itself, the less we're likely to support individuals success beyond a certain threshold. I'd hazard a guess that this threshold is where we start to feel uncomfortable about our own relative success and/or we become insecure about the future of the group itself, i.e. that an individual's success somehow impacts negatively on the group. And for these reasons, and probably many more that I haven't thought through (success does make some people behave badly!), so many of us stop supporting our peers when they succeed.

I realise this issue of group dynamics is much more complex than I make it out to be, but it got me thinking about my role in the groupings of people I identify with. Here are some of my thoughts:

  • I acknowledge that i'm part of groups of people who don't always support each others' success, and i'm going to strive to actively support people who succeed. It's important for them and for me.
  • I'm going to try identify with people who aren't threatened by the changing nature of the group. I'm thinking about the opposite of "clicky" Cape Town social groups specifically. If you've lived in Cape Town, you'll know what I mean.
  • ​As I strive to succeed, i'm going to be sensitive to friends' challenges.

Right, it's time to get back to work with the awesome group of people at GetSmarter Head Quarters!

Shared learning with our partners

My wife, Keri, and I have started watching a TED talk (www.ted.com) each night before we go to bed. It's taking the place of time that we would normally have spent watching an episode from an entertaining TV series, and while I think there is probably a balanced to be established between watching stimulating TED talks and pop-TV series (there's nothing wrong with zoning out for an hour after a long day's work), i'm really enjoying the ritual of including at least one TED talk into my daily schedule.

​The fact that my wife and I are watching these talks together adds another dimension to the experience: shared learning with the person who i'm incentivised most to grow and learn with. We've only been doing this for a few weeks, and I have thoroughly enjoyed the discussions that come out of these talks. It's giving us a tool to deepen our relationship by learning together.

*Edit since I first published this blog post*: Georgie Eadie, a friend and colleague, forwarded this list of the top TED talks by levels of engagement. It's a great starting point for anyone wanting to dig into the good stuff immediately! Here's the link.

Last night we watched Elizabeth Gilbert talk about our elusive creative genius. She shares the idea that, instead of the rare person "being" a genius, all of us "have" a genius. ​I particularly liked her description of a 90-year-old poet's view of how she had to "grab her creative inspiration" when it came her way, as if creative inspiration is separate from, and frequently available to all of us.

It's an inspring talk, and i've included it below:​

​

Paddocks on Safari

Keri and I decided we'd spoil ourselves and hit Phinda Game Reserve for 2 nights. We stayed at Vlei Lodge, which is a camp with just 6 chalets at the bottom of the sand forest. There are no fences, which was a first for us, and having guards walk us to our room at night really gave us a sense for being guests in an area that belongs not to us, but to the animals. Amazing.

I took a few minutes of video with my new iPhone 5, edited the clips into 1 clip with iMovie and uploaded it via Vimeo's iPhone app. It's amazing to think this HD clip was shot, edited and uploaded using nothing but the iPhone 5.

Thanks to @stoimitch for recommending Vlei Lodge. Champ.

What is a flipped classroom?

The Khan Academy has played an important role in popularising the concept of the "flipped classroom". The simple idea is that students' time in the classroom is better spent actively engaged in learning material rather than being the passive recipients of a 1-way lecture. And while this teaching methodology gains traction worldwide, it is important to understand the broader implications of this change in teaching style. I came across an infographic today that clearly explains the flipped classroom and it's broader benefits. I'd be interested to hear your view on this approach to teaching:

flipped-revamp