You Can Want What You Want

Most likely you've heard some version of Steven Covey's habit of highly successful people, "Begin with the end in mind." After all, if we don't know where we're headed, then how will we know when we get there? Once you know where you're going, though, have you thought about why you want to get there?

Recently, I've noticed in many facets of life--business, education, our personal lives--we have an end in mind, but we don't seem to know why we want what we want. Case in point: I am working with a large electronics company this month and the executives wanted to post a long, un-engaging video, followed by a test, for their sales training people. When I--as an experienced curriculum designer--suggested a more engaging video, in smaller segments, with an element of interactivity, they immediately pushed back. Not because of money, but because they are concerned about their sales people hearing every bit of content. Forget that these are sales people who very likely don't want to sit and watch a video anyway. Forget that sitting and watching/listening to video is the least likely way that anyone is actually going to learn anything.

Then, they wanted to add safeguards so that people couldn't skip the content and just pass the test. Um. Huh? So what is the point of the test? To make sure they understand the content. If they understand the content and can pass the test without watching the video, what's the point of making them watch the video? They had a clear "end" in mind, but was their "why" really in the best interest of the people they are claiming to serve?

Haven't we really gotten to the same place in education? We have an "end" in mind--every kid can pass these ridicu...I mean, uh, state tests. So we put little tests and exercises in place that will ensure they pass the state test. Forget if the kid understands the concept or not--it's important that he or she put the time in doing mundane activities, because after all, isn't that what life is about? Isn't that how the U.S. is going to regain it's role as a leader and innovator? If we have a bunch of kids who are really great at doing hours of sitting and listening to lectures, and then doing pointless exercises? Again, tests in themselves can serve a legitimate purpose, but why is doing well on the test the end we have in mind?

And finally, how many times have you caught yourself--with your kids or your spouse or your friends--insisting that something needs to be a certain way? As someone who prides myself on being "out of the box", I find myself quite frequently insisting that something needs to be like this or that, until I stop for two seconds and think, "why?" Pretty much 10 times out of 10 I discover that whatever parameters I've put around the situation are self-imposed and there's no good reason that we can't get to the "end" a different way.

You can want that your salespeople will sit and listen to a boring video and take a test.
You can want that our nation's kids (and therefore, our nation) will achieve success by listening to lectures, performing mundane tasks, and getting great test scores.
You can want that your husband, or kids, or friend will do what you want them to, the way you want them to do it.

But wanting it doesn't make it so. And asking WHY you want what you want may just open up a new, better way of getting to that end you have in mind.