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Name of author Rick Baker, P.Eng.

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Firmitas, Utilitas, Venustas

by Rick Baker
On Jan 8, 2013

First...firmitas.

If you want to build something...consider strength first.

Vitruvius, a Roman, was a 1st Century BC architect, engineer, and author. He wrote what many believe to be the first treatise on architecture - 'De Architecura' - outlining among other things the virtues that a good building should possess.

Vitruvius taught that a good building must possess firmitas, utilitas, venustas...strength, function, and delight or beauty.

NOTE: of the 3 attributes, strength comes first.

This explains why numerous Roman constructions exist to this day: roads, bridges, buildings, and aqueducts. For example, the aqueduct pictured below remained in operation until early 20th Century...nearly 2000 years after its construction.

  

Aqueduct of Segoviain modern Spain. 

 

For buildings, strengths is the first consideration. 

The same applies to business...

In business, strengths are the first consideration...and business strengths exist in people.

Lead with talents & strengths.

 

Footnote: 

Vitruvius also studied people and their 'construction'...Vitruvius' work was captured about 1500 years later by the Leonardo da Vinci (Homo Vitruvianus, "Vitruvian Man").

From Wikipedia: Vitruvian Man by Leonardo da Vinci, an illustration of the human body inscribed in the circle and the square derived from a passage about geometry and human proportions in Vitruvius' writings

 

 

Tags:

STRENGTHS: People-Focused for Success

Thought Tweet #647

by Rick Baker
On Jan 8, 2013

Thought Tweet #647 Creativity is like a good sauce - you have to boil it down before it has the flavour.

 

The Thinking Behind The Tweet

This is about one aspect of Seeking Simple!


 

Tags:

Seeking Simple! | Thought Tweets

Thought Tweet #646

by Rick Baker
On Jan 7, 2013

Thought Tweet #646 A dust mite, almost invisible to the naked eye, contains about as many atoms as there are stars in the Universe.

 

The Thinking Behind The Tweet

There is much to marvel at...atoms so small and at least one universe so big...and such amazing things in between.

Tags:

Beyond Business | Thought Tweets

Thought Tweet #645

by Rick Baker
On Jan 4, 2013

Thought Tweet #645 We can not assume the purpose of our thinking is obvious. 

 

The Thinking Behind The Tweet

We can not assume the purpose of our thinking is obvious. We can not assume the purpose of their thinking is obvious. And, we are far better off over-communicating about the purpose behind out thoughts, ideas, and requests than under-communicating about them.

Making the Best of Your Situations

by Rick Baker
On Jan 4, 2013

"Our main thinking habit is to analyse situations so that we can recognize standard situations and then apply standard answers."

Edward de Bono

`The Six Value Medals`, (2005)

 

 Business Only Contains 3 Things: People, Process, & Situations.

&

People Only Do 3 Things: Good HabitsBad Habits, & New Things.

 

 ***

If you want to make the best of your Situations:


As you analyse Situations, do not assume they are 'standard'...explore and see if there are important nuances that deviate from familiar patterns:
  • direct your attention toward the key parts of the Situation [the People, the place, the level of urgency, the 'props', the background noise, etc.]
  • compare those parts, looking for similarities - the parts that fit a pattern you recognize
  • compare those parts again, looking for differences - the parts that do not fit a pattern you recognize 
  • look for the parts that catch and pull at your attention...they can be the most-important aspects of the Situation
  • set logic aside and take some time to focus your attention on your gut feel

 

 

Tags:

Business Contains Only 3 Things

What Was I Thinking!

by Rick Baker
On Jan 3, 2013

Say you are 40 years old. That means you are about 350,000 hours old. If you are like the average person then you spent 1/3 of that 350,000 hours sleeping. So, you have been awake for about 230,000 hours.

During, at least, those awakened 230,000 hours your brain has been thinking about stuff.

That's a huge amount of time and you have done a huge volume of thought. 

What did you think about?

...i.e., did you ask yourself, What was I Thinking?

As you think about what you thought about for all those hours, do you find the analysis of your thinking tends to sort things under dimensions or categories?

A few examples...

The Time Dimension,  did you sort your thoughts into 3 time buckets:

  • thinking about the past,
  • thinking about the future, &
  • thinking about the present?
The Feelings Dimension, did you sort your thoughts into 2 feelings buckets:
  • thoughts linked to positive emotions and feelings like happiness and joy &
  • thoughts linked to negative emotions and feelings like worry and unhappiness?
The Locus Of Control Dimension, did you sort your thoughts into 2 control buckets:
  • thoughts about things I can control &
  • thoughts about things beyond my control?
The Identity Dimension, did you sort your thoughts into identity 3 identity buckets:
  • thoughts about self [Internal],
  • thoughts about others [External], &
  • thoughts about bigger things like your place in the Universe [Spiritual]?
The Creativity Dimension, did you sort your thoughts into 3 or more creativity buckets:
  • thoughts where you, alone, were thinking creatively [Individual],
  • thoughts where you worked with others to achieve a creative result [Team], &
  • thoughts where you determined creativity was not required?

Did you also happen to zero in on your thoughts about your thinking?

Asking yourself questions like:
  • How often do I step aside to think about what I'm thinking about?
  • How often do I work to develop my ability to focus my thoughts?
  • How do I go about improving my ability to focus my thoughts?
  • Can I stop the 'chatter' in my mind at will?
  • What's the best way to stop the 'chatter' in my mind?
 
When you know the answers to these sorts of questions, you know what you are thinking and why you are thinking it.
 
 
 

Copyright © 2012. W.F.C (Rick) Baker. All Rights Reserved.