When Mentoring Meets Coaching - Part 2

WHEN MENTORING MEETS COACHING
Part Two

by Kate Sharpe & Jeanie Nishimura

In Chapter 5 of When Mentoring Meets Coaching, authors KateSharpe and Jeanie Nishimura discuss the 3 key aspects of being coach-like.  The first aspect is presence,  which they define as "our internal state of readiness as mentor-coaches". (98)  Being fully present as a mentor-coach includes staying in the moment, being fully conscious, actively listening, being open-minded, and "letting go, and not anticipating or predicting". (102)  Part of being fully aware as a mentor-coach is "quieting our internal chatter", which means putting aside one's own to do list, concerns, and priorities.   In order to achieve presence during a mentor-coach/mentee discussion, it is important for the mentor-coach to clear his/her mind and "arrive without preconceived notions". (109)  The authors list a number of practices that help a mentor-coach develop presence, including meditation, improvisation, and movement and stretching.

The second aspect of presence is mindset.  The mindset of a mentor-coach is comprised of components such as

• assuming the mentee is competent;
• being inquiry based, not directive;
• being non-judgemental; and,
• viewing the learning as the mentee's work  

The final aspect is stance, which involves 6 principles:

• Inviting discovery and reflection;
• Fostering awareness;
• Sharing  mentor-coach's experiences (when doing so supports the mentee);
• Holding the mentee resourceful;
• Supporting the mentee's strengths and values; and,
• Collaborating   

Effective listening is the topic of Chapter 6.  The main distinction the authors make is between listening through and listening to.  The former refers to being distracted in one's listening - a listening stance that is ineffectual.  Some external listening distractions that the authors identify are other people, the environment, and various forms of technology.  More subtle internal types of listening distractions include one's internal state (ie. being worried, agitated, or bored), making mental to-do lists, and connecting to one's own experiences or memories rather than those of the mentee.  The strategy the authors recommend for moving out of distracted listening is to name the particular distractor(s).  Once the distraction is identified, one "...can consciously move it out of the way." (124)

In contrast, listening to is deep or focused listening: "We are aware of the speaker's words, energy, tone of voice, body language and gestures, emotional expression, and so on." (127)   Having a listening to stance includes, as Stephen Covey noted, "Listening with the intent to understand rather than the intent to reply." (133)   Also important to effective listening is recognizing the filters and barriers to one's listening.  For instance, recognizing that one's age, gender, culture, and ethnicity influence our listening as do one's past experiences and one's present mental and emotional state.  Listening to the language the mentee uses is also important for a mentor-coach.  He/She should attend to both what the mentee says and doesn't say and attend to language that reveals the mentee's assumptions, values, and growing edges.

Chapter 7 examines the important mentor-coaching skills of asking questions and focusing on the mentee's agenda.  Sharpe and Nishimura emphasize that the mentor-coach should resist the temptation to solve the mentee's problems or supply the "right answer"|; instead, the mentor-coach should adopt an "open stance", serving as a "thinking partner". (144) 

According to the authors, questions should be simple and clear, results-oriented, on target, and challenging.  They also identify different types of questions that the mentor-coach should ask.  There are questions that support the mentee's agenda including What do you want to focus on today? (152) and questions such as What is the result you are wanting? which expand his/her awareness. (153)  Also good are questions that challenge the mentee's beliefs and assumptions such as What assumptions are you holding? (154) and questions that invite reflection; for instance, What feedback would be most valuable for you right now? (155)  Questions that support forward movement and change include What are your first steps? (156) and, equally good, are questions that explore the mentee's learning edges, such as Where is the stretch in this for you? (157)   Questions should be open-ended (Tell me about ...).  Question types to avoid are those that are leading or suggestive and questions intended to advise or fix. (ie. How about getting someone else to lead the meeting?) (161)

An important part of keeping the focus on the mentee's agenda is generating questions from the mentee's own language.  For example, when the mentee says he/she has to do something, a good response is You 'have to'?  What does that mean for you? (162)   In particular, the mentor-coach should learn to "...'listen for' moments when the mentee is, or is not, referring to or accessing particular parts of themselves or their [sic] situation, such as strengths, values, core beliefs, assumptions, their inner critic, and commitment." (163)  A good example of such deep listening is attending to metaphors such as the following that the mentee uses: A mountain of work? Where are you in that? (163)

In Chapter 8, the authors present a model for navigating the mentor-coaching conversation.   This model consists of 6 concentric circles, which represent the layers of the conversation.  It has an arrow running through the circles and pointing outward, which shows the movement in the conversation  from the mentee's agenda to the mentee's growing awareness of the possibilities for bringing about desired changes (learning).    In the Red Zone are, first, the mentee's agenda, and then, in the second circle, his/her deepening awareness, which is prompted by the mentor-coach's questions and feedback The third and fourth circle form the proceed with caution Yellow Zone.  In this zone possibilities for action are generated and explored and then the mentor-coach helps the mentee propel forward by discovering the possibility which most engages him\her and aligns with his/her goals and values.   In the Green Zone, the mentee first steps up into action by "actualizing resources",  "clearing obstacles", and "securing a concrete action plan" (198 & 200)   Lastly, the mentee secures his/her own accountability.

The final chapter deals with feedback.   The authors refer to the work of Hattie and Timperley (2007), which suggests that effective feedback answer 3 important questions:

• Where am I going?
• How am I going?
• Where to next? (226)

 As well, they reference Rock (2016) in maintaining that mentor-coaches should "...move away from ... constructive performance feedback", and instead, "...respectfully ask [mentees] what they learned and how [the mentor-coaches] can best help them to improve even further." (228)   The mentor-coach should offer feedback respectfully, link the feedback to the mentee's intentions and values, and "Offer balanced and concrete observations that are in line with the mentee's desired results." (235)   The mentor-coach must also "...be mindful of how the feedback is 'landing' [being received] for the mentee." (236)   The authors also identify 3 approaches for mentor-coach feedback:

• Acknowledging to inspire: Sharing with the mentee "who they are being in order to do what they are doing." (237)
• Holding Up the Mirror to produce insight: Inviting the mentee to reflect.
• Sharing observations to incite: Sharing evidence-based observations without judgement.

A key point the authors make is that mentor-coaches should also invite feedback from their mentees on their mentoring-coaching.                    

When Mentoring Meets Coaching Part 1

WHEN MENTORING MEETS COACHING
Part One

by Kate Sharpe & Jeanie Nishimura

Co-authors Kate Sharpe and Jeanie Nishimura explicitly state in the Introduction the purpose of their book When Mentoring Meets Coaching: "...to provide all those involved in education ...with the principles, attitudes, behaviours, and skills they need to support capacity building from the inside out." (xvii)  

The inside out approach to mentoring and coaching that the co-authors recommend " ...shifts the traditional focus of the [mentoring-coaching] relationship from one of sharing on the part of the mentor to one of focusing on the wants and needs of the mentee through inquiry, reflection, and accountability." (3)  The mentor, in this approach, moves away from playing the role of expert and advisor, and instead, "...invites the mentee to dig deep and access their [sic] own gifts and wisdom, in the service of building their confidence and competence." (7) 

Sharpe and Nishimura contend that a powerful learning model results when mentoring and coaching are combined.  This model has several key components:

1. A clear set of coaching skills and principles;
2. A capacity-building approach whereby the mentor asks questions rather than gives answers;
3. A "path for structured conversation"; and,
4. The promise of "support over time". (15)  

The 6 guiding principles of mentoring and coaching are summarized at the end of the first chapter:

1. Co-creating the mentor-coaching relationship through building trust and offering support, challenge, and encouragement;
2. Holding the mentee resourceful and creating a space for the mentee "...to dig inside and find the path or solution" for him/herself'. (21);
3. Supporting the mentee's strengths and values;
4. Inviting the mentee's reflection and self-discovery;
5. Fostering awareness, choices, and accountability; and,
6. Sharing mentor-coach experiences and expertise only when doing so is "in service of the mentee". (18)

Co-authors Kate Sharpe & Jeanie Nishimura

In Chapter 2, the co-authors explore how the mentor-coach can help the mentee build his/her capacity.  The key thing for the mentor-coach to do is to help the mentee identify his or her strengths and leverage them during leadership challenges.  The authors suggest that a written list of the mentee's strengths be generated and kept available so that they can be accessed during mentor-coaching conversations and when challenges arise.   This strength-based approach, however, does not imply that a mentee's weaknesses be ignored; rather, the mentee should "manage" his or her weaknesses by adjusting his or her mindset and holding realistic expectations for him/herself . (26)  

In the remainder of Chapter 2, Sharpe and Nishimura demonstrate that current research - including research summarized in the McKinsey Report (2012) - indicates that "...coaching and mentoring are two of the most effective methodologies to support enhanced professional learning and integration." (34)   They also show in this chapter that mentor-coaching from the inside out is an effective approach to adult learning as it places the mentee in charge of his/her own learning, focuses on "real and relevant experiences", and is based on the principle that adults bring a depth of experience and knowledge to the learning process. (40) 

The focus of Chapter 3 is on the mentor-coaching relationship.  The mentor-coaching relationship should be such that, in the language of Edmondson's (2003) concepts, both psychological safety and accountability are high.

Edmondson's Four Zones 

According to the authors, the optimal Learning Zone is achieved when the mentor-coaching relationship is collaborative, open, flexible, interdependent, and focused on learning.   They also maintain that the starting point of the mentor-coach relationship should be a focus on the mentee's "learning wants" and "growing edges". (56)   Important aspects of the mentor-coaching relationship include:

• appreciative or strengths-based mindset  
• reciprocal learning 
• mentor as a thinking partner

Sharpe and Nishimura illustrate the critical characteristics of an effective mentor-coaching relationship via their Mentor-Coaching Relationship Critical Characteristics Wheel:

Meaning Making is achieved through the mentor-coach's sharing of stories , wisdom, and experience that support the mentee's learning.  With respect to Confidence and Assuming Competence, the authors note that "...the guiding mentor-coaching principle [is] holding the mentee resourceful, creative, and expert in [his or her]own life." (69)

The main topic of Chapter 4 is the authors' mentor-coaching model.   This model has three zones - red, yellow, and green.  The task of the mentor-coach is to support the mentee in moving through the red zone first, then the yellow zone, and finally, the green zone.   The red zone focuses on the individual - the mentee's awareness of his/her own strengths, values, and goals.  The yellow zone shifts the focus to the collective - to other stakeholders, including the mentor-coach, and how they can support the mentee in his/her learning and growth.   The green zone is about results - "...specific, desired changes in performance, fulfillment, and growth for the mentee." (89)

Sharpe & Nishimura's Mentor-Coaching Model

    

  

          

   

On Earth As it is in Heaven

ON EARTH AS IT IS IN HEAVEN

On Thursday, September 27, 2012, the keynote speaker at the Director's Conference for Leaders was Dr. Josephine Lombardi.  She spoke about her book on the Lord's Prayer, which is called On Earth as it is in Heaven.

  

In On Earth as it is in Heaven, Lombardi develops the idea that the Lord's Prayer reveals the way to salvation or restoration: 

               God accepts our repentance; forgives our sins; calls us to forgive ourselves and 
               others; heals our shame and guilt; liberates us from thoughts and habits that 
               frustrate freedom, delivers us from oppression, addiction, and our fears; and 
               leads us to everlasting life. (18)



 Lombardi analyzes the Our Father, line by line, in each chapter of her book.  Each chapter concludes with reflective questions and a brief prayer focused on the particular phrase from the Lord's Prayer which is the subject of the chapter.

In the chapter focused on the first line of the Lord's Prayer, Our Father in heaven, Lombardi points out that the term for 'father' used in the Lord's Prayer is the Aramaic word abba, which is the equivalent of the English term 'daddy', 'dad', or 'dearest father'. (27)  According to the author, the use of this term tells us that we should approach God intimately - as children coming to her/his father.  She writes: "Jesus' reference to God as 'Father' implies a positive, life-giving relationship with the God who desires to be worshipped and understood as a loving and merciful parent...." (30)  For Lombardi, "It is a relationship that is rooted in intimacy, trust, and connectedness." (34)

Hallowed be Your Name, the 1st petition of the Lord's Prayer, is, for the author, both our acknowledgement of "the holiness of God's name" (39) and a "petition" or calling to honor God's holiness through our own holiness in life - through our actions, thoughts, and words - "...carrying out our promises to follow the commandments, our baptismal promises, and loving self, others, and God." (40)  At the end of this chapter, the author poses an excellent reflective question: "How do you live out your call to holiness?" (44)

The second petition of the Lord's prayer is found in the line Your kingdom come, which "...speaks of the arrival of God's reign." (45)  Lombardi emphasizes though that God's kingdom in this line does not refer to a place but rather "...to the divine power and authority" already in the world which transforms our sinful natures into Christ-like righteousness.  We bring about God's kingdom in our lives and communities when we allow this change to occur.  The author quotes one of her theology professors who, in way of explaining that God's kingdom only arrives when we die to our old sinful ways, said, "Your kingdom come, my kingdom go!" (46)

Your will be done is the 3rd petition.  Lombardi poses the question How do we know what God's will is?  She provides several answers:

• It is found in scripture ie. the 10 Commandments;
• It rests in our conscience; and,
• It includes "the salvation of all people". (52)  

A reflective question she includes for the third petition is What are some obstacles that prevent you from doing God's will? (56)

In clarifying the 4th petition, Give us this day our daily bread, the author notes that the Catechism of the Catholic Church defines daily bread as "...all appropriate goods and blessings, both material and spiritual". (58)  God wants to provide for our minds, bodies, and spirits. "Material blessing is a part of the greater spiritual blessing." (63)  We are also called to help supply "daily bread" for others in need.
The author askes: What has been your "time of trial"? (97)

Concerning the 5th petition, And forgive us our debts, as we have also forgiven our debtors, the author states that "The process of forgiveness brings healing to all involved." (69) Those who were wronged, learn mercy; those who were lost through sin and harming others are restored. She adds that while God's forgiveness of our sins is"assured", God also "...wants to give us understanding ...so that our learning can be complete." (75)  Understanding of the causes and harmful consequences of our sins involves "...our desire to restore what has been lost or distorted." In summary, "Healing is the fruit of forgiveness and understanding." (78)

Lombardi explores, as well, the link between forgiveness and physical health and healing:

               ...some research does show that guilt, shame, and a lack of forgiveness may
               compromise a person's health ...Forgiveness of self and others, meanwhile
               leads to improved health. (82 & 80)

The second-to-last petition, And do not bring us to the time of trial, is a reminder "...of our need for humility and surrender to God's guidance." (93)  It is pride that leads us into temptations such as addictions, which the author makes the focus of this section.  "We trick ourselves into thinking we are in control. 'I can handle this.'" (93)  The antidotes for pride are humility and acceptance of God's grace. 

The final petition of the Lord's Prayer is Rescue us from the evil one.  This petition begs the question: Who or what is the 'evil one'.  Lombardi supplies 2 related answers.  First, she points out that "The Cathechism of the Catholic Church teaches that this evil one is Satan" - an actual supernatural adversary to God. (101)  However, she cautions that blaming satan for all evil action "...takes away from human responsibility...." (103)  She elaborates by exploring in the remainder of this chapter several internal "demons" from which we need deliverance: fear, anxiety, and pride.  

Standing In The Fire

STANDING IN THE FIRE

by Larry Dressler

In Standing in The Fire, Larry Dessler examines 6 ways that those who facilitate groups can successfully deal with high-heat meetings:

-       Stand with self-awareness

-       Stand in the here and now

-       Stand with an open mind

-       Know what you stand for

-       Dance with surprises

-       Stand with compassion

Before exploring these 6 way of standing in the fire, Dressler first distinguishes between two types of energy or ‘fire’ that can be ignited by high-heat meetings.  The first is a negative self-protective reaction. Negative forms of group heat include aggressiveness and defensiveness.  The second is the positive energy of deliberate choice and wise action.  The role of an effective group facilitator, or fire tender, is to role model the latter, and by doing so, “bring out the life-generating, creative potential of group fire” - in other words, cast light as opposed to darkness onto a meeting.

Author Larry Dressler

For each of the ways of standing, Dressler describes first how a group leader, if not attentive, can lapse into negative thinking and/or behaviour, and then Dressler elaborates on the capacities the leader needs to master in order to successfully stand in the fire.

 With respect to standing with self-awareness, Dressler points out that we all have hot buttons, based on our past experiences, and if we don’t develop an awareness of these triggers, they can set us off to respond in an aggressive or defensive manner.  However, if the practices of self-observation, whole-body sensing, and reflective processing are cultivated, then we will be more aware of our internal narratives and feelings and recognize that we needn’t be controlled by them, but instead, can create  space for better responses.

Dilbert Cartoon - Emotional Trigger

Standing in the here and now involves being alert yet at ease with what’s currently happening. We get ourselves in trouble when, instead, we become preoccupied with regrets about the past and worries about the future.  We can maintain here-ness by cultivating two practices.  First, we should attend vigilantly to what’s going on in the group around us and to the thoughts and feelings that we are experiencing.  Secondly, we should keep still, and rather than seek to take control of the group by imposing our will on others, we should assume the role of a witness.

Standing with an open mind is maintaining a stance of not knowing and a sense of inquiry.  In short, it involves a willingness to say I don’t know and be comfortable with this not knowing.  It also involves resisting the urge to resolve contradictory positions too quickly. The danger that results from not taking this stance is an over-confidence that can lead us to believing that we know more than we actually do.  We can stand with openness by displaying humility, suspending judgment, being curious, and optimistically holding on to possibilities. 

The over-confidence mistake

View Dressler speaking on Standing in The Fire:    Larry Dressler on Standing in The Fire

When we make ineffectual low-integrity moves in moments of tension during group situations, we fail to show that we know what we stand for.  Low integrity actions include:

-       Putting on a false persona to appear smarter or gain popularity;

-       Overreacting or being overly aggressive;

-       Acting ambivalently or uninterested when involvement is required.

To know what we stand for involves commitment to a guiding intention.  We must have clarity about our higher purposes and be committed to working and living by the principles we value.

Dancing with surprises means exercising flexibility when we encounter unexpected and even threatening events during a meeting.  We burn ourselves when we give in to the desire to control rather than go with the flow.  

Obsessive focus on control - another mistake in management

We can effectively dance with surprises by letting go of our beliefs and expectations (when doing so serves our guiding purpose), exercising playfulness and not taking ourselves too seriously, and keeping the faith in the collaborative process. 

Finally, standing with compassion challenges us to acknowledge the struggle and suffering within people –including within ourselves.  We fail to take this stance when we resort to flight or fight reactions.  Emotional detachment is one form of flight response.  Becoming overly aggressive is taking a fight approach.  We successfully stand with compassion when we embrace emotional openness, self-acceptance, awareness of the whole person, and unconditional positive regard for others (dignity of person s).   

Freakonomics - Part 2

FREAKONOMICS - Part 2

by Steven D. Levitt & Stephen J. Dubner

Chapter 4: "Where Have All The Criminals Gone?" of Freakonomics provides strong support for the 3rd concept that co-authors Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner explore in their best-selling book.  Concept 3 is Dramatic effects often have distant, even subtle causes.  Chapter 4 also reaffirms their 2nd concept - Conventional wisdom is often wrong - and their 5th concept - Knowing what to measure and how to measure it makes a complicated world much less so.

In Chapter 4, the authors set out to show that several commonly held views for why the crime rate dropped dramatically during the 1990s don't hold up to scrutiny.  For instance, the most popular reason given for the crime drop (as suggested by the LexisNexis database*) is innovative policing strategies, such as those instituted in New Youk City by Mayor Rudolpho Giuliani and his hand-picked police commissioner William Bratton.  The authors conclude though that "...a careful analysis of the facts shows that the innovative policing strategies probably had little effect on this huge decline." (128)   For one thing, the New York City crime rate was alreading plunging even before Giuliani and Bratton's arrivals on the scene.  Furthermore, as it turns out, crime rates dropped significantly across all of America in the 1990s, not just in places such as New York City that introduced innovative policing practices.  

Levitt and Dubner also present other commonly given reasons to show that other conventional explanations for the crime drop (ie. tougher gun laws, a stronger ecomony) likewise don't adequately explain why the crime rate dropped during the 1990s.

Their analysis reveals instead a hidden and seemingly remotely connected reason: the legalization across America in 1973 of abortion:

            In the early 1990s, just as the first cohort of children born after Roe v. Wade 

            was hitting its late teen years - the years during which young men enter their

            criminal prime - the rate of crime began to fall.  What this cohort was missing,

            of course, were the children who stood the greatest chance of becoming

            criminals. (139)

In summary of Concept 3, the authors write:

            We have evolved with a tendency to link causality to things we can touch or

            feel, not to some distant or difficult phenomenon.  We believe especially in

            near-term causes. (140)

In answering, in Chapter 5, the question How much do parents really matter when it comes to success for their children in school?, the authors again provide support for their 2nd and 5th concepts. To address this question, they apply regression analysis (which determines correlation) to data obtained from the U.S. Department of Education's Early Childhood Longitudinal Study.  The results are surprising.  Conventional expanations such as The child's family is intact, The child attended Head Start, and The child's parents read to him [sic] nearly every day do not correlate with success for a child in school.  Furthermore, "Despite the conventional wisdom, watching television apparently does not turn a child's brain to mush...", that is, it doesn't correlate with a lack of school success.   According to the survey, the factors that do correlate with early school success are characteristcs of the parents, such as their being well educated, successful in careers, and healthy.

What the authors conclude from they analysis is that "...it isn't so much a matter of what you do as a parent [that accounts for a child's success in school]; it's who you are. (178)  Add Levitt and Dubner:

            For parents - and parenting experts - who are obsessed with child-rearing 

            techniques, this may be sobering news.  The reality is that technique looks

            to be highly overrated. (177-178)

In line with their 5th concept, the authors analyze the "predictive powers" associated with first names that parents select for their children.  They state that "Many parents seem to believe that a child cannot prosper unless it is hitched to the right name." (181)   Thus, they ask the question Does the name you give your child affect his life?  

The California birth-certificate data for 1961 (more than 16,000,000 births) indicates that, overall, people with distinctively black names (ie. DeShawn or Imani) do have a worse educational, income, and health outcome than people with white-sounding names (ie. Jake or Molly).  However, according to the authors, a deeper analysis of the data reveals that this correlation doesn't equal a cause and effect relationship.  Rather, they conclude that a black or white sounding name is only "...an indicator - not a cause - of [an individual's] outcome." (192)  They elaborate as follows:

            If two black boys, Jake Williams and DeShawn Williams, are born in the same

            neighbourhood and into the same familial and economic circumstances, they

            would likely have similar life outcomes.  But the kind of parents who name their 

            son Jake don't  tend to live in the same neighbourhoods or share economic

            circumstances with the kinds of parents who name their son DeShawn.  ...A

            DeShawn is more likely to have been handicapped by a low-income, low-

            education, single-parent background. [the actual cause] (191)     

The authors' answer then to the question they pose is clear:

            What the California names data suggest is that an overwhelming number of

            parents use a name to signal their own expectations of how successful their

            children will be.  The name isn't likely to make a shard of difference. (207)

      * The LexisNexis database cites reasons offered in articles found in America's 10 largest 
         newspapers.

               

         

Freakonomics - Part 1

FREAKONOMICS - Part 1

by Steven D. Levitt & Stephen J. Dubner

Starting from the general premise that there is often a hidden side to things, authors Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner explore in their highly successful book Freakonomics 5 concepts:

          1. Incentives are the cornerstone of modern life.  

          2. Conventional wisdom is often wrong.

          3. Dramatic effects often have distant, subtle causes.

          4. Experts often use to their advantage the information only they have gathered and analyzed.

          5. The modern world becomes easier to understand when one knows what and how to measure 

              it. (12)

Chapter 1 of Freakonomics has an intriguing title - What Do Schoolteachers and Sumo Wrestlers Have in Common?  The answer to this question is, for the authors, evidence of Concepts 1 and 5. Analysis of data regarding teachers in the Chicago Public School system and professional sumo wrestlers reveals both the "power" (30) and the "dark side" (20) of incentives.

After the Chicago Public School system introduced high-stakes testing in 1996, teachers found themselves under enormous pressure to ensure that the vast majority of their students passed these tests.  While there were rewards such as praise, promotion, and job security for teachers whose classes performed well on the standardized tests, teachers whose classes did poorly could face the negative consequences of censure, being passed over for promotions, and even termination.  Hence, the incentives associated with teachers cheating when it came to high-stakes testing were tantalizing. On this point, the authors quote comedian W. C. Fields: "A thing worth having is a thing worth cheating for." (21)  The cheating by Chicago district teachers would likely have gone unnoticed if not for the sophisticated analysis of the multiple-choice test score data.  Identifaction of algorithms such as suspicious answer strings revealed that many teachers had either given correct answers to their students or simply changed their students answers themselves.  For instance, one teacher had 15 students in her/his class all give the same 6 consecutive correct answers.

According to the authors, examination of data also showed that many sumo wrestlers in Japan were cheating due to incentives - ironically though, not by winning matches but by deliberately losing them!  The data analysis was extensive.  From examining the results of 32,000 tournament matches between 1989 and 2000, suspicious patterns emerged.  Most notably was that close to 80% of matches between sumo wrestlers with 7 and 7 win-loss records and 8 and 6 win-loss records resulted in the generally lower-favoured 7-7 wrestler somehow winning the match.  The incentives for winning a majority of tournament matches are enormous, icluding a huge increase in both income and prestige.  Thus, the authors speculate that big bribes were offered by wrestlers with 7 and 7 records to those with 8 and 6 records to throw matches.  Wrestlers with 8 wins and 6 losses had nothing to lose by throwing such matches since they were already guaranteed a majority of wins and the incentives associated with that feat.  

Teachers and sumo wrestlers - Strange bedfellows!

In Chapter 2, Levitt and Dubner again show how a similarity between two very different groups provides evidence for their concepts. In this instance, it's that both the infamous Klu Klux Klan and real-estate agents are motivated by incentives (Concept 1) and have gained advantage from information hording. (Concept 4)

As a secret society, the Klan struck fear in the hearts of its opponents and enemies through its violent, scourge of God image while also appealing to uneducated whites by claiming to be a righteous, not-for-profit association.  However, after a journalist named Stetson Kennedy fed information he obtained from inside sources in the Klan to radio personality Drew Pearson, the Klan was revealed to the American radio audience to be a far less powerful group and its so-called righteous leaders little more than racist profiteers.  The authors conclude,  "[Pearson] turned the Klan's secrecy against itself by making its private information public; he converted heretofore precious knowledge into ammunition for mockery." (61)

With respect to real-estate agents, Levitt and Dubner explain that, like most people, they are motivated by incentives.  The realtor's incentive is the quick and tidy commission he/she can earn by persuading "...the homeowner to sell for less than he would like while at the same time letting potential buyers know that a house can be bought for less than its listing price." (70)  This sleight of hand is accomplished by the realtor's withholding from the homeowner expert information on the housing market, such as recent sales trends and inventories of similar houses.  The real-estate agent uses his/her "informational advantage" (what economists call imformation asymmetry) to befuddle the homeowner and "...make [him/her] feel stupid or rushed or cheap or ignoble." (65)

Concept 2, Conventional wisdom is often wrong, is the theme of Chapter 3 "Why Do Drug Dealers Still Live With Their Moms?"   During the 1990s, the illegal crack cocaine industry exploded in America.  The image portrayed by the media was of millionaire crack dealers engaging in "one of the most profitable jobs in America." (89)  This image, however, couldn't have been farther from the truth.  The reality was that the vast majority of crack dealers operated in impoverished urban neighbours and were, indeed, earning so little they could only afford to live at home.  Sudhir Venkatesh's analysis of a Chicago gang which controlled the crack cocaine market around a housing project on the south shore of Lake Michigan revealed that gangs operated like American corporations: Gangs were hierarchical with a small group of central leaders at the top of the pyramid, followed by local leaders then a small group of officers who reported to the leaders.  Towards the bottom were many foot soldiers who actually sold crack in the steets, and underneath them were scads of rank and file members.  While the leaders enjoyed large profits, foot soldiers in the gang Venkatesh investigated earned less than minimum wage!   So then one might ask, why would foot soldiers peddle crack cocaine?    

            Well, for the same reason that a pretty Wisconsin farm girl moves to Hollywood.
            For the same reason that a high-school quarterback wakes up at 5 a.m. to lift
            weights.  They all want to succeed in an extremely competitive field in which, if
            you reach the top, you are paid a fortune (to say nothing of the attendant glory
            and power. (102)

The answer is, simply put, that "...criminals, like everyone else, respond to incentives." (103)

           

       

The Third Wave Part 2

The Third Wave 

An Entrepreneur's Vision of The Future

(Part 2)

In Chapter 7, "The Rise of The Rest", Steve Case begins by noting that, since the First Wave of the Internet, venture capital money has been mainly limited to 3 states - California, New York, and Massachusetts. However, with the dawning of the Third Wave, a new distribution, which the author terms the rise of the rest, is occurring.   Whereas during the First Wave hugely successful start-ups were mainly the creation of "twenty-something coders" in places such as Silicon Valley, during the Third Wave, entrepreneurs with multi-billion dollar new companies are "...more likely to be thirty-something farmers, teachers, doctors, chefs, and artisits - people who saw a problem in their own spheres of expertise, then leveraged the skills of others [in their own backyards] to build great companies." (109)  

One of the many benefits that Case attributes to the rise of the rest, is the injection of new investment in dozens of cities and regions throughout America and the positive impact such investment is having on local and the national economies.  As well, the author predicts that the rise of the rest will bring much needed diversity - "...both of people and ideas" (115) to an Internet-driven world of commerce that has, hitherto, been dominated by the cultural majority.  Writes Case, "...Facebook reported that only 4 percent of its employees in the United States were Hispanic in 2015, while only 2 percent were black.  At Google, the numbers are similar, and have been for years." (115) 

Impact investing is another phenomenon of the Third Wave.  The author defines it as "...a bridge between traditional business and philanthropy - and between financial return and social good." (120)  In other words, it is not enough in this day and age for corporations, if they want to attract ethically-minded young workers, to "do well" (attrack investment and make profits); they must also "do good". (122)  

Steve Case recounts, in Chapter 9, the story of the unsuccessful merger of AOL with Time Warner in January 2000 and the subsequent decline of AOL, and his departure from the company he co-founded.  The reason for the merger had to do with the replacement in the late 90s of dial-up (phone lines) internet access with broadband (cable lines) internet connectivity.  Unable to partner with a cable company, AOL bought Time Warner instead. 

Although both internal and external problems led to AOL's demise, Case belives the biggest factor in its failure was cultural incompatibility between AOL and Time Warner and a related lack of trust.  The merger got off to a rocky start when, as a condition of the merger, $1 billion in cost cuts were made, resulting in layoffs of people and cutting of projects.  Writes the author, "That bred an immediate and spiraling resentment among senior executives and severly undercut our ability to build trust." (141)  He also notes that there was "...a fundamental disconnect" between administrators at AOL and Time Warner about the Internet's potential. (142)  The Third Wave lesson to be learned from the decline of AOL is "...how important the people factor is.  It doesn't really matter what the plan is if you can't get your people aligned around achieving the same objectives." (153) Concludes the author on the failure of the merger: "I even noted that the two sides seemed to be speaking different languages and speaking past each other. And while some of the differences related to different world views and strategic perspectives, I think much of it, sadly, related to personal mistrust and lingering resentments." (154)  

  

 The main point the author makes in Chapter 10 is as follows: "Government is going to play an important role in the Third Wave." (159)  To support this theory, he illustrates the essential role government played in the First Wave of the internet.  For one thing, he notes that most innovations from the late 80s through the first decade of the new millenium were only made possible by federal support.  He also emphasizes that "We would not have had the Internet itself if not for government." (163)  Indeed, it was the Advanced Research Projects Agency of the United States Department of Defence that was responsible for creating the first host-to-host connection between computers in different locations which eventually gave birth to an internetworking system, or "internet" for short. According to Case, governments will have a dual role in the Third Wave - "as a regulator and as a customer". (164)   He believes governments need to regulate the storage and use of personal data so as to balance privacy and security needs against the commercial uses of data for profit.    

In "America Disrupted" (Chapter 11), Steve Case identifies 6 areas on which he believes the U. S. government should focus in order to attract Third Wave start-up companies.  Among these areas of focus are greater investment in reserach and development and making it easier for startups to raise money through measures such as tax incentives like reduced rates on capital gains earned from startup investments.  It is, however, his advice on how to make it easier to hire top talent that is most significant.  Case recommends a more flexible immigration system through measures like Canada's Startup Visa program.  He maintains that a more immigrant-friendly attitude is needed in America if the country is to continue to thrive during the Third Wave: "The United States can remain the most innovative and entrepreneurial nation, but only if we are a magnet for the world's best and brightest. Immigration is not just a problem to solve; it's an opportunity to seize. (192) 

In Chapter 12, Case offers some tidbits of Third Wave advice for entrepreneurs, corporate leaders, and government:

• For Entrepreneurs - Worry less about your net worth and more about your net impact
• For Corporate Leaders - "Keep your finger on the pulse of technology ... Empower your team to ask questions [and] Allow more crazy ideas to bubble up...." (206)
• For Government: Reduce regulatory restrictions currently on entrepreneurs.

The author then concludes his book with a 7-part plan for reinvigorating American entrepreneurship  which he calls RESTART:

• Reform how government works with startups - Government should provide them with incentives to reinvest their profits so that subsequent innovations occur and more jobs are created;
• Educate for the Third Wave - that is, teach entrepreneurial skills such as curiosity and collaboration;
• Source goods and service from startups;
• Provide Tax incentives to regional investors who are "...capable of funding startups in their own backyards." (221)
• Attract and retain talent, including immigrants.
• Rethink capitalism and entrepeneurialism replacing businesses-for-profit with "profit-plus-pupose businesses. (226)
• Transform local ecosystems making cities "more interconnected, more inclusive, and more impactful." (226)