Continue Takeaways from Tou Boon’s Workshop
In the end, it is impossible to have a great life unless it is a meaningful life. And it is very difficult to have a meaningful life without meaningful work.
Jim Collins
Tou Boon’s workshop focused on driving change by building processes or tools. James Clear, in his book Atomic Habits, explains the difference between systems and goals: “Goals are about the results you want to achieve. Systems are about the processes that lead to those results.” In Chinese, we have a similar distinction between 决定 (juéding) and 决策 (juéce), both translated as “decision making” in English. However, 决定 focuses on a single matter, while 决策 refers to solving similar matters through systems, processes, or policies.
For instance, how do we define success in school? Does it mean producing only grade A students and neglecting those who get lower grades, or is “most improved” a measure of success for us? This is the process of defining SHARED Success.
When the school is organized to focus on a small number of shared goals, and when professional learning is targeted to those goals and is a collective enterprise, the evidence is overwhelming that teachers can do dramatically better by way of student achievement.
Michael Fullan
Love truth. Love life. Love people.
That’s one of the Stellar culture. In everything we do, all of our plans lead to elevating people. So all our strategies revolve around one area: we learn to Love people and use things, rather than Love things and use people. There’s a clear distinction. Additionally, as modern organizations, we have been talking about work-life integration rather than work-life balance.
Tou Boon’s session offered a fresh perspective on another example of shared values:
Work-Life Priorities
Sometimes, work needs to be prioritized, and sometimes family takes precedence. There’s a season for everything. Giving birth is a great example of work-life priorities. After giving birth, the focus shifts to taking care of the baby. On the other hand, during important school events like Sports Day, we might stay back late to get the job done because the work won’t be done by itself.
Growth Mindset: Be willing, then be able
As teachers pursuing excellence, a growth mindset is essential. Tou Boon shared an inspiring story:
When brainstorming the signature program of e2stem, he suggested Robotics. However, none of them knew anything about robotics. So they decided to learn. These were literature and geography teachers, but they learned from Youtube and universities. Finally, E2STEM Cambodia bagged 3rd Place at the 2023 FIRST Global Challenge held in Singapore out of 191 countries! That’s the power of a growth mindset: Be willing, then be able. For anything new, always carry the attitude that “I don’t know it yet, but you’re willing to learn“.
The workshop covered many more topics and discussions, which are challenging to document here. However, I’ve captured some key takeaways that, if put into practice, can bring powerful change and transformational impact to any organization.
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