James Clear

The brain is the most important organ in the body that determines our fate as humans. It is involved in our ability to understand, to reason, to learn, and to do many other cognitive activities necessary for us to survive and thrive. Much has been researched and written about regarding how we use our brains, and how much we do not use our brains. There are on-going debates about the capacity of the brain, and whether we are accessing the full capacity in our daily lives, or a meagre 10% of it.

It all makes for very enjoyable reading, and it doesn't really matter who's wrong or right. What remains is that it is a fascinating organ, and it does direct our lives. It would therefore be most awesome to have a solid understanding of how it functions, and how we can optimise its offering.

This article by James Clear is one of the most informative I've read in a while. I hope other readers will also find it useful.

https://jamesclear.com/first-principles

​Enjoy!

Much has been written about what transformation is and isn't, what the difference is or might be between change and transformation, and what strategies and approaches should be used to best lead, implement and manage change /or transformation.

There is so much literature on the subject; it can be quite exhausting to try and get through it all and make sense of it. So perhaps we should try to Keep It Simple.

Let's start by doing what a lay person would typically and reasonably do in this day and age and ask Google... And this is what Google has to say to the question: "What is the meaning of the word Transformation?"

​Interesting to note in this account of the meaning of the word how 'Transformation' is defined as a particular type of change - 'marked change', 'dramatic change'. Also interesting to note how this change is said to come about; how it occurs - it can be 'sudden', 'spontaneous', or 'induced'. And most importantly, it is a 'process', one that alters, modifies, converts, transfigures -- transforms -- something from one state into another.

“Lessons from Geese” was transcribed from a speech given by American Anthropologist, Angeles Arrien, at the 1991 Organizational Development Network, and is based on the work of Milton Olson. 

Why do geese fly in a ‘V’ formation? 

Scientists have determined that the V-shaped formation that geese use when migrating serves two important purposes:

A) It Conserves Their Energy. 

Each bird flies slightly above the bird in front of him, resulting in a reduction of wind resistance. The birds take turns being in the front, falling back when they get tired. In this way, the geese can fly for a long time before they must stop for rest. The authors of a 2001 Nature article stated that pelicans that fly alone beat their wings more frequently and have higher heart rates than those that fly in formation. It follows that birds that fly in formation glide more often and reduce energy expenditure (Weimerskirch, 2001).

B) It makes it easy for them to keep track of every bird in the group. 

Flying in formation may assist with the communication and coordination within the group. Fighter pilots often use this formation for the same reason. But there is much more to it than conserving energy and keeping track of all members of the group. And we could learn a thing or two from geese about working together “in formation” for the benefit of all.