Back to School: Year 2 August 20, 2007
Posted by TimTheFoolMan in Blogging, Celebrities, Coaching, Discipline, Exercise, Family, Fitness, Flatulence, Food, Football, Love, Nutrition, Parenting/Children, Sports.3 comments
Once again, we’ve taken our oldest son back to college, moved him in, and said our “goodbyes.” Though I would have presumed that sending him off to school would be easier this year, it wasn’t.
What made it harder? The myriad of ways we spent time together this Summer. (more…)
Grace, Delivered by a Child November 25, 2006
Posted by TimTheFoolMan in anger, Communication, Discipline, Family, Football, Love, Parenting/Children, Self-Worth, Sports, Stupidity.3 comments
Grace.
It’s a simple word, and one that takes on a variety of meanings in today’s culture. For instance, we may “say grace” or say that someone “exhibits a certain grace” when they move.
Or, we might experience the strange wonder of undeserved forgiveness. This is what the Apostle Paul talks about in the New Testament book of Romans. Typically, parents expect to be the “givers of grace.” A more amazing grace is that which can be delivered by your child. (more…)
Art of Failure Part 2: 3 Ways to Learn from Negative Feedback November 10, 2006
Posted by TimTheFoolMan in anger, Coaching, Discipline, Education, Exercise, Family, Football, Learning, Love, Management, Parenting/Children, Self-Worth, Sports, Success, Workplace.6 comments
In the first half of this essay, I talked about ways to give effective negative feedback. This is difficult, because we’re conditioned to be negative in unhealthy and destructive ways, which encourages some to abandon negative communication altogether.
I’m convinced that negative feedback has been given a bad rap. Regardless of whether it’s in connection with correcting the behavior of children, players, or subordinates, I’ve seen evidence that some of the greatest in any particular field seem to draw inspiration and strength from past failures. Ultimately, where’s the balance? Why is it that negative feedback has such a positive effect on some, but such a negative effect on others? How much is it dependent on the recipient? (more…)
The Art of Failure Part 1: 3 Ways to Make Negative Feedback Effective September 25, 2006
Posted by TimTheFoolMan in Coaching, Communication, Discipline, Family, Football, Learning, Love, Parenting/Children, Self-Worth, Sports.2 comments
In electronics, taking the output from a circuit and sending it back to the input is called “positive feedback.” This configuration tends to find an optimum mode or frequency, and reinforces it. However, if left unchecked, positive feedback can “runaway.” Even if you’re unfamiliar with electronics, you’ve probably experienced the downside of this phenomenon when a microphone starts picking up the output from a speaker (even in a hearing aid), and you get a telltale “squeal” (more formally called “oscillation”)
In contrast, changing the polarity of the signal and doing the same thing is called “negative feedback.” Done properly, this tends to reduce distortion at the output, and makes the amplified signal more closely resemble the input. Though not as susceptible to “runaway,” too much negative feedback in a circuit can be bad too, as it can completely negate any gain of the circuit. Nature abounds with systems that depend on both positive and negative feedback, and social systems are no different. After looking at the nature of both, I’m going to share three ways that I’ve found to make the most of negative feedback. (more…)
Discipline Without Anger June 3, 2006
Posted by TimTheFoolMan in anger, Discipline, Family, Management, Parenting/Children, Self-Worth.7 comments
A well-known basketball coach once said: “Discipline isn’t something you do to someone, it’s something you do for someone.”
If you’re a parent, when the time comes to discipline your son or daughter, do you do something to your child, or for them? Likewise, what of the manager who needs to discipline an employee? (more…)
A Fool and his Words are Soon Parted 