Charleston School of Business Faculty & Staff Updates

1

Be Curious

I hope you had a great spring break. It allowed me to spend time with family and finish several books. Reading is something I enjoy and need to do more often. I gleaned a few insights, such as instead of focusing on being right, we should consider ways we are wrong and strive to be less wrong tomorrow than we are today. We can find growth and insights in that space. When we have certainty, that’s the enemy of growth.

This made me think about one of my favorite Ted Lasso scenes:

Ted Lasso Darts Scene (warning: crude language)

Ted is pretty humorous, which is always a good thing, and a good lesson is involved. In the second season, it highlighted mental health issues and made it clear that we are all susceptible. A reminder that each of us needs to remain diligent.

When I first started watching the series, I came across this simple article about leadership lessons from Ted Lasso. The five leadership attributes are simple:

  1. Be curious, not judgmental
  2. Bench the bad actors
  3. Admit when you are wrong – and apologize
  4. Believe
  5. Kindness matters

I’ve seen great examples of these in numerous interactions within the College. Just yesterday, I had back-to-back visitors with ideas they wanted to explore. They are genuinely curious and seeking to make something impactful happen. We are fortunate to work with good people at the College who ask good questions. We are all just trying to figure it out – together. We also have a great environment where it is OK to make mistakes. That’s what happens when we try. But when we make mistakes, we step up and admit them so that we can learn.

The last two attributes keep me going. As I talk with people, it is clear that our best days are in front of us. There are so many opportunities that it can be overwhelming. The key is for us to identify the best ones and start. We need to work smarter and make better strategic choices for the long term. We’ve been focused too long on the short term.

Finally, a simple act of kindness can make someone’s day. Every day I see you choose to be kind.

Regarding being curious, there’s been a lot of discussion about ChatGPT in industry and higher education. This technology will drastically change what we do and how we do it. A few items you might find interesting:

We’re Asking the Wrong Questions About AI

ChatGPT: The Next Firestorm in Education

Why It’s Time to Join ‘Team ChatGPT’

And, just yesterday, I listened to a great HBR Ideacast:

Why You (and Your Company) Need to Experiment with ChatGPT Now

So, I am curious and know that what I know today about ChatGPT isn’t 100% right. It is wrong, but my goal is to be less wrong tomorrow. I look forward to being curious and learning together.

Enjoy these leadership lessons from Ted; if your schedule allows, the series is worth watching (season 3 has just been released). Also, continue being curious, particularly about ChatGPT.

YOU make a difference!

Remember:

Paul • March 16, 2023


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Comments

  1. Jennifer B. Barhorst, Ph.D. March 21, 2023 - 8:19 am Reply

    Love Ted Lasso 🙂

    Thanks for sharing these links regarding ChatGPT. So interesting! I look forward to my students using it in my Digital & Social Media Marketing lab for content and keyword ideas.

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