What I Love Most About What I Do

I don't really think I ever said what I do. I'm also not sure that it matters but here goes. I am a learning strategist or adult learning consultant. I have a master's degree in Instructional Systems Design with an emphasis in adult learning and human performance improvement. I've been in the profession for 15 years and I worked as an instructional designer, internal performance consultant, external consultant and director of a training company before starting my own company. I love what I do for a living. I go into organizations when their is an identified performance deficiency and help build programs to speed time to competence or to help people work better, faster, and cheaper.

The work that I do takes many forms. Over the last few years I've spent most of my time developing models for increasing the rate at which people learn, unlearn, and relearn. In a knowledge economy it is imperative for people to learn faster than the rate of change. I write articles about strategic thinking and it's power to improve problem solving. I've been working at writing a business book and use the adoption blog alot of the time to help me break through a mental block.

What I love about what I do:

• I am exposed to a variety of organizations and every kind of people that you could imagine. I get an opportunity to work with a diverse group of people and over the years have had every stereotype challenged for the good.
• Learning people's stories. We all have them and the more I stories I hear the more I realize how we are all connected.
  
• No two days are ever the same and something unexpected always happens.
  
• It is a challenge to find the right levers for different groups. I like trying to come up with different and unique ways to engage an audience.
  
• I've had the opportunity to teach in foreign countries. Teaching while using a translator is a really interesting experience. Your brain hurts by the end of the day. But, I'm always reminded by my favorite line from a movie. In a Walk In the Clouds, the Spanish American father says to the Keanu Reeve's character, "Just because I speak with an accent doesn't mean that I think with an accent." That is the best line!
  
• Getting to work as a part time or adjunct professor. I've taught adult learning, human performance improvement and now teach group and organizational dynamics. I teach in a non-traditional program where adults are returning to school to get their degrees. It's pretty rewarding to be a part of that.
  
• I am always in learning mode. Every time that I think that I've "got it" I learn something new.
  
• My greatest love is seeing people do more than they thought was possible. I love when people light up with the personal "aha." To see people walk out of a room with much more confidence is the best feeling for me.
• Getting letters months and even years later from participants telling me how they have exceeded their goals.
  

These days like I said I focus more on how people think, learn, and solve problems. Here is a link to one of my favorite articles Thinking Through Problem Solving. It was published by a company called Change This.

If you are really bored or at least curious you might read, 35 Thinking Dispositions. Most people find it really interesting to try to figure out their thinking style. I've classified them into three groups. Can you guess which one I am? You might even get a little insight into why some of my forum post are what they are.

Which one are you?

What are the Best Referral Gifts

Since all I do know is think about the referral. I am trying to figure out the best gift to send to the children to let them know that I am on my way.

Here are a few things that I am considering:

1. Me. I am hoping on a plane right after I receive the referral to meet them.
2. My father. He is going with me.
3. Picture of me in a talking picture frame with me talking of course.
4. A picture book with pictures of the house and their room.
5. Snow globe with a pictures in it. Isn't every kid fascinated by a snow globe? Sort of a warm up to a Chicago blizzard like it looks like we are having tonight.
   
6. Matching bracelets or necklaces. I would have the same to help them recognize me. I like the idea of ID bracelets, name bracelets, or necklaces with a cross charm.
   
7. Writing a children's book for them illustrated by my father. My favorite idea.
   
8. Something fun that they can share with the other kids like a case of bubbles.
9. If I'm feeling really brave, I could sent them a tape of me singing them song or a few nursery rhymes.
   

Any ideas? What did you send?

Officially Waiting for a Referral

It's time to wait...and wait...and wait...
When I began the process I was told that the wait for a referral would be between 0-6 months. For my own sanity I focus on the far end of that range. It's hard to believe that I am almost at the two month mark already.

I think I will be able to deal with the wait pretty well for the first 4-5 months. I have a lot of things to do and I know that the time will go by quickly. Without the referral, I don't know the gender of the children or their exact ages. I am open to either gender so I may be referred two boys, two girls, or a set. I am requesting children that are older than two and younger than six and may receive a referral for anything in between. There is a difference in preparing for twin two year olds and making plans for one 3 and one 6 year old. You know what I mean.

With that in mind there are so many things that I am finding it difficult to resist:

• Buying bedroom furniture and choosing colors.
• Walking into children's stores and toy departments.
  
• Buying cute outfits at JC Penny's (because I walked into the children's department) that were all on sale for $2-5 dollars. I had to call my friend for an intervention.
  
• Getting a fixed picture in my head of who they may be. I want to be able to love and embrace them as they are rather than have them live up to some crazy expectation.
  
• Calling them by names that may not fit them (currently they are the Kende Poohs).
• Purchasing toys, BOOKS, and games of any kind.
  
• Looking at too many pictures from other families, wishing that I had pictures of my own.
• Blogging and commenting on the adoption forums!
  

Who's Children Are They Now

When I decided to adopt and then stumbled on the Ethiopia program it completely sucked me in. I found myself reading everything that I could about the country and trying to understand how adoption served the children and the country. I could never imagine waking up as a child and my mother, father, and other families members were no longer around.

Here is a video about Ethiopia and the AIDS orphans. I'm not sure how anyone could watch this video and not be touched to the core. I'm not sure how anyone could watch and not feel that they must do something.

In the video you will meet the woman who started Abebech Gobena (her name) Orphanage . She began her mission by picking up two children who were clinging to their deceased parents. From that and with no resources at all she began the orphanage that now has six separate facilities and has taken in more than 5,300 children since 1988. You can learn more about her story through a MetaCafe video.

Transracial Adoption -- What's Your Preference?

Get ready for an eye-opening experience.
Project Implicit has created a series of Assessments to evaluate whether or not one has a preference for one race, culture, skin-tone, or religion over another. It is really interesting in the way that you move the through the online assessment. You get your results immediately.

FROM THE SITE: Psychologists understand that people may not say what's on their minds either because they are unwilling or because they are unable to do so. The IAT measures implicit attitudes and beliefs that people are either unwilling or unable to report.

• Take the Assessment for Black/White Race Preference
• Take the Assessment for Skin Tone Preference
• Take the Assessment for Asian/White Race Preference
• Take the Assessment for Religious Identification
• Take the Assessment for Arab/Muslim Preference
• Take the Assessment for 2008 Presidential Candidates
  

Twilight Zone Politics

Obama Wins South Carolina in a Game of Twilight Zone Politics.

I'm sure that I must be in the twilight zone. I've heard of slanted reporting but I think this is going a bit too far. As I follow the primary races, Barak Obabma won the South Carolina primary getting 55% of the vote to Hillary Clinton's 27%. He got 55% of the vote and still, every news story that I am seeing is attempting to diminish his win.

There have been several statements repeated on newscasts that have me mad:

1. He only got 24% of the white vote. He will need more votes from white America if he wants to legitimize his campaign.
   
   Do the votes of African American people count differently in South Carolina? Why does he need one groups vote over another to be legitimate? I was under the silly impression that you needed more votes than the competition and rarely do you see one candidate when 2:1.
   
   
2. He won because he got 80% of the African American vote.
   
   Impressive, I think. I don't know of a white candidate that received 80% of the white vote, 80% of the female vote, or 80% of the male vote. Why is this a bigger story than the fact that Obama almost doubled the number of male and female votes that Hillary received?
   
   
3. The South Carolina primary isn't representative of Super Tuesday and we'll have to see what millions of American's do on February 5.
   
   Perhaps that's true but let's look at what happened in South Carolina. Barak Obama received 294,000 votes which was more votes than ALL the votes that were casts in the 2004 South Carolina democratic primary (290,000). Can the man get credit for anything?
   
   
4. It seems that Bill Clinton has gotten in Barak Obama's head and he can't shake him.
   
   Really? Does that also explain why Hillary Clinton showed no grace and could not even offer a concession speech? The media seems to think that it was the Clinton's way of letting Barak know that his win was insignificant. Why wasn't it just being a sore loser?
   
   
5. Barak Obama still has a lot of ground to make up if he is truly going to be in contention for the White House.
   
   He has almost twice as many electoral votes than she does. It may be early in the race, but the fact that he is leading her by a pretty good margin seems to only be mentioned as a side issue.

Mmmmmm.........At least all of us are not absolutely crazy. Here are stats from CNN and MSNBC polls:

• MALE VOTE: Obama 54%, Clinton 23%, Edwardss 23%
• FEMALE VOTE: Obama 54%, Clinton 30%, Edwards 16%
• BLACK VOTE: Obama 81%, Clinton 17%, Edwards 1%
• WHITE VOTE: Obama 24%, Clinton 36%, Edwards 29%

My headline would be, "Barack Obama trounced Hillary Clinton in every category."

Ethiopian Reflections

Ethiopian Boy Doll
There is an online store called Ethiopian Reflections. They have variety of unique Ethiopian gifts and authentic clothing. Several months ago I read an article about a the first ever plastic doll that was being manufactured in Ethiopia. Senzero is a boy doll that comes with a CD to teach Ethiopian customs, history and culture. In the CD Senzero does a traditional Ethiopian dance and moves his shoulders up and down. Children can push his head backwards and forwards, and lift his knees in the air like traditional dancers from the west of the country - with Ethiopian countryside scenes rolling across the background.

Ethiopian Girl Doll
There is never a shortage of dolls for girls but Ethidolls has come out with an Ethiopian doll named Makeda: The Queen of Sheba. More than just a doll it is considered a collectible and has a hefty $100+ price tag. Like the Senzero doll it comes with a book and CD about Makeda's rise to the throne and her Journey to Jerusalem to visit King Solomon.