reflecting on the MBTI

As I mentioned earlier, I used the MBTI in my OB class this past week. I shared with the students the fact that I am an ENFP. Being an ENFP works pretty well as a teacher. You like being in groups, you like talking about abstract concepts, you care about people, and ... well the P cuts both ways. You might argue a J would be better, because at the end of the day you have to give out grades. But as a P I think I do a lot of innovative things with my classes. When I teach, it's more like a jazz performance than a classical performance. I spend a lot of time preparing for class, but I never know quite where I'm going to go or how I'm going to explain the material - it could all change in the moment as I am trying to connect with the class.

The story I shared with the class is that prior to getting into academia, I worked as a hospital CFO - a job that is more naturally an INTJ. The TJ is that analytical, process oriented mind set that lays down the rules and makes everyone stick with them. I was good at that role. Some of my E and F would leak out here and there, but I think to the benefit of the organization. But in that role, it was always like I was play acting - I was wearing an INTJ mask at work - but it wasn't really me. When I became a teacher, I was able to take off that INTJ mask and really be myself. 

I could have gone my whole professional career pretending to be an INTJ, and it would have been fine. But there would always have been some dischordance in my life between my work self and my non-work self. I'm much happier now that I get to be more true to who I am every day. It's not quite the same thing as finding your passion - it's more about finding your fit.

Use the Force - Thinking vs. Feeling

I was talking about thinkers vs. feelers (MBTI) in decision making in class and tried to reference this scene in Star Wars. Most of the students said they had never seen Star Wars. So I had to find this and share it.

http://www.starwars.com/video/use-the-force-luke

MBTI time again!

Doing a short introduction to MBTI tomorrow with my OB class. A few resources:

Nice slideshare on the MBTI and team dynamics:

https://www.slideshare.net/malpascoe/mbti-team-dynamics

Take a free MBTI-based indicator:
https://www.16personalities.com/free-personality-test

I really like the MBTI as an ice-breaker for talking about personality and diversity. Most social psychologists prefer the Big 5, but the MBTI is so well known, it's good to have some familiarity with it. I think the "types" are interesting, and I feel like I've settled on one that reasonably represents me (ENFP), but it took me a long time to get there. I think that's one of the weaknesses of all these self-report tools. Even if people aren't trying to be deceptive or manipulative when the take these indicators, their lack self-awareness might interfere with an accurate outcome. I've suggested people have close friends or relatives take it for them, then compare the results.

Give it a try!

Importance of a reading

I enjoyed this podcast, The Leader's Bookshelf, from the Art of Manliness this morning. McKay interviews retired Admiral James Stavridis about his new book by that name. Stavridis compiles a list of books leaders should read in his book. The discussion about the particular books is interesting, but more important is the take away that leaders should be readers, and that leaders should encourage their subordinates to read, and even give them lists of good books. Most senior officers I knew had some variation on a reading list they recommended to their subordinates. I don't get the sense this is as common in the civilian world as it should be. One of the really admirable things about the military was the culture of teaching that permeated every level of leadership.

Link to the podcast: https://www.artofmanliness.com/2018/01/23/leaders-reading-list/

Dr. Evil learns about inflation

I was talking to my finance class about purchasing power and inflation yesterday and used the example of Dr. Evil waking up after being frozen for 30 years and demanding a ransom of $1M to not destroy the world and being laughed at, because $1M isn't very much money (even in 1997 when the film came out). Most of them had never seen the movie. So now I am going to subject them to the clip.

https://youtu.be/cKKHSAE1gIs

human diagnosis project

Check out this podcast interview with Shantanu Nundy, MD, director of the non-profit arm of the Human Diagnosis Project.

https://jamanetwork.com/learning/audio-player/16121888

This is an online clearing house for primary care physicians who need advice from specialists, particularly if they have patients who cannot afford to see a specialist themselves. I love this kind of innovative use of information technology combined with altruism. This is how the culture of medicine is supposed to work.

new course, old course

Spring classes start a week from Monday, and I have not written my syllabi yet. Luckily I only teach two classes, and only one of them is a new start. New starts are painful. You have to start from scratch, think through what you want to accomplish, what assignments would be both meaningful and instructional, fair for the level of student while at the same time pushing them to actually learn something. It's all a balancing act. And the act of putting it all down in a schedule is tedious. But that's the price you pay to have the privilege of being a teacher. 

I'm excited to take a second whack at teaching my organizational behavior course using open pedagogy. I am more confident that it is the right approach than I was when I tried it last year. This class is currently sitting at 24 - 10 more students than I had last year. I hope the larger size does not wreck the dynamics. Fourteen was intimate, and hard to hide yourself if you were not contributing. Twenty four may be pushing the limits, but we will see.

RWL Newsletter #78

Greetings from the University of New Hampshire! I'm back in the States, at least in body. One more week to our winter break, and then we start spring semester. I'm really excited because I get to teach a new course - Finance II - which is an introduction to financial management, and even more excited that I get a second whack at teaching organizational behavior, which I intend to do using open pedagogy again. Open Ped is a bit like jazz - it's an act of teaching improvisation. I think it suits me. And I think it provides a level of realism, particularly in the field of management that is valuable. I received notice that my open pedagogy paper will be published in an upcoming issue of the Journal of Health Administration Education. I'll put a link up when it comes out. 

Read

What: McKinsey Quarterly, What AI can and can’t do (yet) for your business

https://www.mckinsey.com/business-functions/mckinsey-analytics/our-insights/what-ai-can-and-cant-do-yet-for-your-business

Why: I am convinced AI is going to transform healthcare in the same way as antibiotics did nearly a century ago. I think it will be a revolution in value-based care as the technology allows us to increase accuracy of diagnosis, but more importantly allows us to establish predictive models. When that will happen is still in question, but I think it is inevitable. This article is structured around the challenges to AI, so it gives some realism (in understandable English, not techno-babble) to the prediction. It is worth 10 minutes.

Watch

What: TED Ed, Why incompetent people think they're amazing (5 minutes)

https://youtu.be/pOLmD_WVY-E

Why: The video does a nice job explaining the "Dunning-Kruger" effect - e.g., why 88% of American adults think they are above average drivers. "Poor performers lack the expertise necessary to recognize how badly they are doing." Some good hints to fix this error - ask for feedback, keep learning. 

Listen

What: CATO Institutes, Sally Satel discusses obstacles to organ donation and donor compensation (7 minutes)

https://www.cato.org/multimedia/cato-audio/sally-satel-discusses-obstacles-organ-donation-donor-compensation

Why: Should altruism be the only legitimate motivation for organ donation? I have some emotional difficulty with the idea of a free market in organs, but it seems something is broken in the market for organs - altruism just isn't sufficient. We're still a ways from 3D printing functioning kidneys, though that is on the way. This short podcast presents a few options short of direct cash payment. What do you think?