Vocation | Explorations Media

Emotional Intelligence for Everyday Leadership @TheHighCalling

Some leaders seem to instinctively understand people: what motivates them, what frustrates them, what inspires them. Other leaders don’t. They are blind to the emotional landscape around them. These leaders lack what is commonly known as “emotional intelligence.” EI can be defined as “the ability to perceive, control, and evaluate emotions.” The concept has a long history, but was popularized in the 1990s by psychologists Peter Salovey,John D. Mayer, and Daniel Goleman.

The director of Seattle Pacific University’s Brain Center for Applied Learning Research, John Medina, Ph.D., prefers a more scientifically verifiable concept called Theory of Mind. He describes ToM as a gadget in the brain that allows a person to do two things: 1) peer inside someone else’s psychological interiors and understand the rewards and punishment systems inside those interiors; and 2) understand that the rewards and punishments that motivate that person are not same as the rewards and punishments that motivate oneself.

Medina says that having “terrific” ToM is what people mean when they talk about emotional intelligence. “If you’ve got really good Theory of Mind, you can make a terrific manager, because you can understand your emotional landscape all around you very, very quickly. If you have very poor Theory of Mind, you’re an emotional blunt instrument. You just bang around inside people’s hearts and make them mad and make them happy and inadvertently you do both and you have no idea how you do it, because it’s random, because you don’t see anything, because you’re an emotional idiot,” he said. (Note: This kind of forthright talk typifies the Medina Grump Factor, which is how Dr. Medina and others describe his commitment to rigorous scientific methodology.)

Whatever one calls the intuitive ability to read and respond well to others, nurturing this characteristic can help leaders create and foster cohesive, productive teams. After all what leader wants to be an “emotional idiot”? …

Read the whole thing at The High Calling.

Posted on December 22, 2012 by cascheller

Christianity, church life, Community, Ethics, Faith, Family, Friendship, Philosophy, Science, Theology, Vocation, Walkin' the Talk

Christianity, church life, Community, Dave Danielson, Emotional intelligence, Ethics, Faith, Family, Friendship, Golden Rule, John Medina, Leadership, mutliple intelligences, Philosophy, Psychology, relationships, Science, Terry Hargrave, TheHighCalling, Theology, Theory of Mind, Vocation, Walkin' the Talk

Roller Girls Recover in Championship Style @NJShorePatch

There’s a saying in the entertainment business that “the show must go on,” but it’s not always true.

For the Jersey Shore Roller Girls, the region’s all-female flat-track roller derby league, the decision whether or not to cancel its 2012 championship bout after Hurricane Sandy was a tough one.

The bout had been scheduled to follow the Asbury Park tree lighting ceremony at Convention Hall on November 24, but the venue wasn’t cleared for use until a week before the event date and there was no time to advertise. Worse still, at least nine of the league’s seventy skaters suffered serious damage to their homes, said JSRG board member Bash N. Onya. …

Read the whole thing at Brick Patch.

Posted on December 22, 2012 by cascheller

Community, Culture, Friendship, Leadership, Public Square, Redemption, Vocation, Walkin' the Talk

and jersey shore roller girls, Community, comraderie, Culture, Entertainment, Friendship, Hurricane Sandy, Jersey Shore, Leadership, NJ Shore Patch, Public Square, Redemption, Roller Derby, Storm Damage, Team work, Vocation, Walkin' the Talk

Which Is the Better Story @Image Journal’s Good Letters blog

Image courtesy of 20th Century Fox Studios.

“There’s a scene early in Ang Lee’s majestic Life of Pi film in which the main character watches everything he loves die. Pi is floating in a vast, murky sea as the ship carrying his family and their zoo animals recedes into the distance and sinks. His arms are stretched out wide and his whole body seems to reach for them as they slip away.

This is the moment when I forgot I was wearing 3-D glasses and felt as if I was in the water with Pi, losing everything I love. I’m not sure I would have reacted as viscerally as I did to the scene if it had not been produced in 3-D. As it was, I sat in my seat and wept.”

Read my whole [spoiler alert!] review at Good Letters. It’s my first appearance at the Image blog and I’m honored to see my byline there.

Posted on November 24, 2012 by cascheller

Art, Beauty, Books, Christianity, Community, Culture, Ethics, Faith, Family, Friendship, grief, Humanism, Islam, Philosophy, Redemption, Theology, Travel, Vocation, Walkin' the Talk

3-D, Ang Lee, Art, Atheism, Beauty, Books, Christianity, Community, Culture, death, Entertainment, Epistemology, Ethics, Faith, Family, filmmaking, Friendship, grief, Humanism, Islam, Judaism, Life of Pi, lost at sea, movie review, ontology, Philosophy, Redemption, religion, suffering, Theology, tragedy, Travel, Vocation, Walkin' the Talk, Yann Martell

Recapturing Innocence With Ang Lee @TheHighCalling

Director Ang Lee in New York City, courtesy Explorations Media, L.L.C.

The sound of a baby’s laughter. A six year old’s wide-eyed wonder on Christmas morning. The moment you first believed. Who doesn’t want to relive innocence like that?
For Academy Award-winning director Ang Lee, recapturing innocence in life, in filmmaking, in the cinematic experience is at the heart of his film adaptation of Yann Martel’s best-selling novel, Life of Pi. Speaking to a group of journalists in New York City last month, Lee said the film is about what happens to a young boy’s innocence after the ship carrying his zoo-keeping family sinks and he’s set adrift on a lifeboat with a dangerous tiger.

The ocean becomes like a desert, Lee said. “It’s a test of his faith, his strength.” …

Read the whole thing at The High Calling.

Posted on November 24, 2012 by cascheller

Art, Beauty, Christianity, Community, Culture, Ethics, Faith, Family, Friendship, grief, Humanism, Islam, Leadership, Travel, Vocation

Ang Lee, Art, Beauty, burn out, Christianity, Community, creativity, Culture, David Magee, Ethics, Faith, Family, filmmaking, Friendship, grief, Humanism, innocence, Islam, Judaism, Leadership, Life of Pi, mentoring, religion, suffering, Suraj Sharma, TheHighCalling, Travel, Vocation

Managing the ‘Disaster After the Disaster’ @NJShorePatch

“You’ve probably been asked by out-of-state friends where to send Hurricane Sandy donations and what kind? It’s a daunting task to advise people when you’re in the midst of a crisis, but as the Associated Press reported, unwanted donations can become a “disaster after the disaster.”

‘Ad hoc relief groups need to make sure they are taking in only items that are requested and can be distributed. Money is the best because organizations don’t have to pay to move it and can tailor spending to changing needs,’ James McGowan, a representative from the National Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster reportedly told AP.

I saw this problem firsthand after the 9/11/2001 terrorist attacks when I volunteered with the Salvation Army.”

Read the rest at Brick Patch.

Posted on November 19, 2012 by cascheller

church life, Community, Culture, Family, Friendship, Leadership, Public Square, Redemption, Social Action, Vocation, Walkin' the Talk

American Red Cross, and brick township high school, church life, Community, Culture, Disaster Relief, Donations, Family, Friendship, Hurricane Sandy, Leadership, NJ Shore Patch, Point Pleasant Beach High School, Police Athletic League, Public Square, Redemption, Salvation Army, Social Action, Vocation, Walkin' the Talk

A New Kind of Heroine @TheHighCalling

Katherine Sarafian (Photo by Deborah Coleman / Pixar.

The protaganist of Disney/Pixar’s newest feature film “Brave” is an unlikely heroine. The Scottish princess confronts and overcomes what she views as a constricted future for her life, but she also learns that her own unfettered dreams can be both limiting and dangerous. The film’s producer Katherine Sarafian identifies with the character and says working on “Brave” taught her to more fully integrate the diverse components of her own life. Sarafian has been withPixar since 1994 and has done production work on blockbusters from “Toy Story” and “A Bug’s Life” to “Monsters, Inc.” and “The Incredibles.” She has also served as director of marketing for the studio. The High Calling talked to Sarafian about what it’s like to work for a company that is notorious for its habit of changing course mid-project, how “Brave’s” protaganist Mirada inspired her, and how her faith informs her work.

Read the interview at TheHighCalling.

Posted on November 19, 2012 by cascheller

Art, Beauty, Christianity, Community, Culture, Ethics, Faith, Family, Leadership, Redemption, Technology, Theology, Vocation, Walkin' the Talk

Art, Beauty, Brave, Christianity, Community, Culture, Entertainment, Ethics, Faith, Family, heroines, Katherine Sarafian, Leadership, Mirada, Pixar, Redemption, storytelling, Technology, TheHighCalling, Theology, Vocation, Walkin' the Talk

Micromanagement: Leadership Style or Pathology @TheHighCalling

Occupy movement protest 3/30/12, Union Square Park, New York City. Photo by Christine A. Scheller, Explorations Media, L.L.C.

Micromanagement. The term screams negativity, but is the practice inherently pathological or a misunderstood approach to organizational leadership? For answers to this question,The High Calling asked three leadership experts to weigh in.

“Micromanagement is, by definition, a pathology,” said L. Gregory Jones, senior strategist for leadership education and professor of theology at Duke Divinity School in Durham, North Carolina.

Jones notes, however, that the tendency to micromanage can emerge from passion for an organization and its goals. “Wise leaders know how to hold both the broad vision and the execution together. People with vision but no execution may have great ideas but nothing really happens and people who have great execution but no vision often get stuck in ruts of continually doing the same thing while failing to adapt to changing circumstances,” says Jones. “What we need is not ‘micromanagers,’ who end up getting into other people’s business too often and in the wrong ways, but rather integrative leaders who can move smoothly back and forth between the big picture and the details that are necessary to ensure effective execution.” …

Read the rest at The High Calling.

Posted on October 20, 2012 by cascheller

Capitalism, Community, Ethics, Friendship, Leadership, Psychology, Public Square, Vocation

Capitalism, Community, Ethics, Foundations for Laity Renewal Leadership Initiative, Friendship, Leadership, management, micromanagement, Psychology, Public Square, TheHighCalling, Vocation, workplace relationships

Religion + Life with Elaine H. Ecklund, Part 6: Putting It All Together @TheHighCalling

Our five-part series on the work of Laity Leadership Institute Senior Fellow Elaine Howard Ecklund focused on her research into what scientists really think about religion. It’s been a compelling and fascinating series.

In part one of the series, we introduced Ecklund and her work on this topic. We learned that she has also investigated women’s presence in physics, feminist women in the Catholic church, how pediatricians and pediatric oncologists grapple with religion, how new immigrants bring change to Christian churches in America, and how religion shapes the political engagement of immigrant communities. …

Read the whole summary at The High Calling.

Posted on June 16, 2012 by cascheller

Bioethics, Books, Christianity, Community, Culture, Democracy, Education, Ethics, Faith, Family, Leadership, Medicine, Philosophy, Public Square, Redemption, Social Action, Technology, Theology, Vocation, Walkin' the Talk

Bioethics, Books, Christianity, Community, Culture, Democracy, Education, Elaine Howard Ecklund, Ethics, evolution, Faith, Family, Laity Leadership Institute, Leadership, Medicine, Philosophy, Public Square, Redemption, Science vs. Religion: What Scientists Really Think, Social Action, stem cell research, Technology, The High Calling, TheHighCalling, Theology, Vocation, Walkin' the Talk

Religion + Life with Elaine H. Ecklund, Part 5: International Attitudes @TheHighCalling

In her book Science vs. Religion: What Scientists Really Think, Laity Leadership Institute Senior Fellow Elaine Howard Ecklund focused exclusively on the views of American scientists at elite universities. Now, with a grant from the Templeton World Charity Foundation, Ecklund will spend the next three years exploring how scientists view religion and how religion influences scientists in different national and cultural contexts. She says her Religion Among Scientists in International Context study is the first of its kind, and she’ll work on it in conjunction with two colleagues, Kirstin Matthews and Steven Lewis.

“With seemingly constant developments in the areas of science and religion, these two subjects have taken an important role on the global stage,” Ecklund said. “Our team can think of no better way to discover how the international science community negotiates religion than to go straight to the source and study scientists themselves.”

The notion that science is incompatible with religion and culpable for secularization is a common one, Ecklund explained. It causes tension “on a global scale as scholars argue that religion hinders the progress and acceptance of science in the United States, Europe, and parts of Asia.” …

Read the whole article at The High Calling.

Posted on May 28, 2012 by cascheller

Bioethics, Books, Christianity, Community, Culture, Democracy, Education, Ethics, Faith, Family, Leadership, Medicine, Philosophy, Public Square, Redemption, Social Action, Technology, Theology, Vocation, Walkin' the Talk

Bioethics, Books, Christianity, Community, Culture, Democracy, Education, Elaine Howard Ecklund, Ethics, Faith, Family, Laity Leadership Institute, Leadership, Medicine, Philosophy, Public Square, Redemption, religion, Science, Science vs. Religion: What Scientists Really Think, Social Action, Technology, The High Calling, TheHighCalling, Theology, Vocation, Walkin' the Talk

A Funky Retirement: Celebrating Cornel West @UrbanFaith

In this audio clip, Lupe Fiasco dedicates a song to the well educated women of Princeton and talks about West’s influence. And, in these videos he, George Clinton & P-Funk jam.

In this audio clip, comedian Bill Maher talks about how he’ll use Cornel West to get into heaven if there is one.

In this audio clip, actor Harry Belefonte talks about how Cornel West inspires him.

In this audio clip, the Princeton University Gospel Ensemble, who opened the show, gives praise to Jesus.

In this audio clip, jazz musician Terrence Blanchard talks about Cornel West’s influence on him and then he and his band jam.

In these two audio clips, you’ll hear the Cornel West Theory perform. You have to see them live though. Really you do.

Finally, in this audio clip, Dr. Cornel West gives thanks.

To read my reflections on Cornel West, go to UrbanFaith.com.

You’ll find my full photo set at Flickr.

Posted on May 18, 2012 by cascheller

Art, Beauty, Christianity, Community, Culture, Education, Ethics, Faith, Friendship, Humanism, Leadership, Philosophy, Poetry, Politics, Public Square, Race, Redemption, Social Action, Theology, Vocation, Walkin' the Talk

Art, Beauty, Bill Maher, Christianity, Community, Cornel West, Culture, Education, Entertainment, Ethics, Faith, Friendship, George Clinton and Parliament Funkadelic, Harry Belefonte, Humanism, Leadership, Lupe Fiasco, Philosophy, Poetry, Politics, Princeton University Gospel Ensemble, Public Square, Race, Redemption, Social Action, Terrence Blanchard, the Cornel West Theory, Theology, UrbanFaith, UrbanFaith.com, Vocation, Walkin' the Talk

Religion + Life with Elaine H. Ecklund, Part 4: Worshiping Science @TheHighCalling

“There are generally two sides to every lovers’ quarrel and this is true in the argument between theology, once known as the “Queen of the Sciences,” and modern science, now the undisputed king. In two previous articles about Laity Leadership Institute Senior Fellow Elaine Howard Ecklund’s book Science vs. Religion: What Scientists Really Think, we looked at what people of faith sometimes contribute to the impasse. In this article, we’ll briefly consider what role scientists play. The scientists themselves provide clues.

Whether they were Catholic, Evangelical, Jewish, Muslim, or Hindu, believing scientists told Ecklund that they disapproved of an ‘extreme form of scientism that sees science as the only way of gaining access to truth or reality in the world.’

Science, for example, doesn’t provide a rational reason to care for students, they told her, and it doesn’t provide a framework for knowing what to do with their science or how to evaluate its ethics and impact on the world. …”

Read the whole introduction at The High Calling.

Posted on April 28, 2012 by cascheller

Bioethics, Books, Christianity, Community, Culture, Democracy, Education, Ethics, Faith, Family, Leadership, Medicine, Philosophy, Public Square, Redemption, Social Action, Technology, Theology, Vocation, Walkin' the Talk

Bioethics, Books, Christianity, Community, Culture, Dallas Willard, Democracy, Education, Elaine Howard Ecklund, Ethics, Faith, Family, Human Embryonic Stem Cell Research, Laity Leadership Institute, Leadership, Medicine, Moral Knowledge, Philosophy, Public Square, Redemption, Scientism, Social Action, Technology, The High Calling, TheHighCalling, Theology, Vocation, Walkin' the Talk

Religion + Life with Elaine H. Ecklund, Part 3: Myth Busting @TheHighCalling

Would it surprise you to learn that only two percent of scientists are evangelical, or are willing to identify as such?

This is what Laity Leadership Institute Senior Fellow Elaine Howard Ecklund found when she surveyed approximately 1700 natural and social scientists at top U.S. research universities and then conducted in-depth interviews with 275 of the survey respondents.

“In the interview portion, it would sometimes come out that folks had beliefs that would be considered evangelical, such as belief in the efficacy of the resurrection and the authority of scripture, but on the survey they would not identify as evangelical when I asked if they identify with a specific religious label,” Ecklund told The High Calling.

She attributes their hesitancy to the “fraught relationship” evangelicalism has had with politics and science in the public sphere.

“It’s very difficult for scientists to align with a specific faith community when they feel it takes a negative stance towards scientific research,” she said. “Those who are not people of faith often have never seen a person of faith who is a committed Christian and an evolutionist, for example. I don’t think that position is very widely talked about, and so it is difficult for scientists to see how it could be a possibility.” …

Read the rest at The High Calling.

Posted on April 14, 2012 by cascheller

Bioethics, Books, Christianity, Community, Culture, Democracy, Education, Ethics, Faith, Family, Leadership, Medicine, Philosophy, Public Square, Redemption, Social Action, Technology, Theology, Vocation, Walkin' the Talk

Bioethics, Books, Christianity, Community, Culture, Democracy, Education, Ethics, Faith, Family, Karl Ecklundelaine howard ecklundHoustonImmigrant ReligionimmigrationKorean American Evangelicals: New Models for Civic LifeLaity Leadership InstituteLarge Haldron Collider CERN expirementMedicinepedi, Leadership, Medicine, Philosophy, Public Square, Redemption, Social Action, Technology, The High Calling, TheHighCalling, Theology, Vocation, Walkin' the Talk

Emotional Intelligence for Everyday Leadership @TheHighCalling

Roller Girls Recover in Championship Style @NJShorePatch

Which Is the Better Story @Image Journal’s Good Letters blog

Recapturing Innocence With Ang Lee @TheHighCalling

A New Kind of Heroine @TheHighCalling

Micromanagement: Leadership Style or Pathology @TheHighCalling

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