This is the start of a paper by Anita ath.

Worrying about failure is so ething that many people do throughout their

lives. It seems that we often worry t much about failing. Many spend all of their

energy focused on failing that they ver get to focus their energy on succeeding or concentrating on what they really ant to achieve. Life can be very stressful this day and age and people add to .s stress by worrying about failing

themselves, their families, or even eir boss. Personally, I do this myself and find

that I spend too much time worrying that I forget about what I am trying to achieve or accomplish. I think this orrying about failing stems from our parents teaching us what is right from wron .When we were children, if we made a mistake or failed we had some type f consequence to face one way or another.

Fortunately, as you get older you Ie that failing is okay and its one of the best

ways of learning.

Failing is something we are ught not to do when we were younger that it has become ingrained in our thought process that we must not fail at any expense. Our society focuses so much on the egative impacts failing might have, that they never see the good side in failing. S me individuals cannot accept that they have failed or made a mistake and will lie or put the blame on someone else to cover up their faults.

The battle of worrying about ailing is often one that I have a hard time overcoming. I spend too much time orrying about failing my boss or coworkers, my colleagues, and my fa .ly that this limits my time being creative and concentrating on what must be done n order to be successful. I think many others have this problem as well. However, there is some good that comes from failing in limited quantities. First and most. portantly, the good thing that comes from failing is that you learn from your m stake and you usually won't make that mistake again. Secondly, it shows at you are human and when you are in a leadership position it shows your e loyees that everyone makes mistakes. Lastly, it gives you the opportunity t adapt and overcome from your mistake or failure, which is a great leadership tr it to develop. Donald Trump was a millionaire then went bankrupt. Bu he moved on and is now a billionaire. Fortunately, the Bears just failed an the Colts won the Superbowl.

This is the end of a paper by Anita B tho

This is the start of a paper by Iphaba.

This week I decided to s art a dream journal. It's something that I have always wanted to do. A few years ago I even went so far as to

buy a journal with a soothing lestial pattern that I thought would

entice me to actually wake up rom a dream and instead of just changing positions and going ight back to sleep without giving the dream or even the acknowled ement that a dream occurred a second thought and having to go thro gh the motions of consciously waking up enough to write down the d eam and then trying to fall back asleep. My dream journal so f r is sparse because I am not in the habit of trying to remember m dreams and when I wake up from the blaring radio that is my alarm lock I typically don't remember my dreams.

Excerpt from my dream j urnal: Scene 1: I was visiting at my grandparents' house (I'm not ure where because I do not have any living grandparents and I did n t recognize the house) and was sleeping in the guest bedroom They weren't home but had contractors in the house doing some renovations. Scene 2: I was back at home being interviewe by some people (like you see in reality T.V. -confessional like .I don't recall what I said but then my

grandparents were the ones ing interviewed based on what I said

which lead to an argument ab ut curfew times. Then I woke up.

I'm not really sure what y dream meant. The reality T .V. can

be easily explained since I ha been watching a bunch of previews

for one of my favorite shows, urvivor. The contractor stuff I can relate to because there have b en a lot of renovations going on at work and there have been ma y contractors around for all kinds of

work. It has become the norm t work to see these people around and here their tools going at al hours of the day. However, the interaction with the "grand pare ts" is what is so puzzling to me since I do not have any living grandp rents. I have never met either of my grandfathers since they both d ed before I was born and in the dream the role of my grandmother di not resemble either of the grandmothers that I knew. In f ct I can't really remember the exact

look of the people in my drea .The only part of the dream that I can visually recall in some detail w s the room that I was staying in when I was at the "grandparents'" ho se. Stayed tuned next week for more excerpts from my dream journ I.

This is the end of the pa er by Elphaba.

This is the start of a paper by Bos Lady '08. In last week's class (Monday, January 22nd), Dr. Mendell led a discussion on c arlatism and lateral thinking. Both topics of which are prevalent and crucial to the adminis ration of public agencies.

Charlatism. In public administrati n, there are various actors whose actions, beliefs, outlooks and views either positively or egatively affect the outcome of the agencies to which they are a part. The existence 0 charlatans within these agencies makes for an interesting environment. Numerous lea ers work hard to give a particular image to their subordinate personnel, and within their p rsuit, leaders sometimes become that which they are, in actually, not. Do you recognize ny one like this in your agency? Remember in grade school that one individual that ca e off as bully, and years later you found out that this person was actually more afraid of thers and the idea of what could have happened to him/her more so than you were afra d? Or, the spouse or other party to a debate or conflict that boasted throughout the ev nt or scene, then later admitted to the high level of fear they withheld-with only hopes hat the outcome would be in his/her favor? All

charlatans! More importantly, It's s d but true that charlatans prevail in public

administration and often times, outcom s fall within their favor.

Lateral Thinking. The first thing t at came to mind when introduced to this topic was the familiar phrase-"think outside the ox." Dr. Mendell shared a very interesting story involving employees to one organizati n and the elevator service. Who would have thought of installing a mirror to solve he problem of slow moving elevator? Not me. Never. But the concept, I must admit, as very intriguing and forces one to think further to take this thing called "Visionary and C eative Management" to new levels. After listening to this story, my mind began to pond r on work situations and problems as well as personal problems and how I could se out to initiate creative ideas of a non-traditional nature as a means of resolution. At f rst, it's tough trying to brainstorm, and thoughtprocessing could go on for hours at a ti e. Often times, creative ideas come at the most inopportune moments or when one is not even thinking about a problem. Just as in dreams-but that was the prior week's dscussion.

Edward deBono leaves much to one's imagination when outlining lateral thinking techniques-breeding new ideas, cha ging one's focus, using "unconnected input", challenging the status quo, and turning problems into opportunities. All together, these spells c-r-e-a-t-i-v-i-t-y. Not yet a hous hold word in the world of public administration. Usually when an individual ventures ou to act on or attempt to materialize a new and/or

bright idea, he or she is met with great pposition. Often times I look at cellular phones, computers, traffic lights, highways a d roadways, the world-wide web, electricity, automobiles, airplanes (my favorite an most intriguing), fire and police services-just to name a few; and think to myself, "Now omeone had a bright idea and thought enough of

it to take a chance at putting it into pia and look what evolved as a result. One cannot even imagine what life would be like w hout these and multiple other unique ideas that someone took the time to bring into exi tence. Ooh what a tangled web we weave when first we don't succeed. Imagine if the cr ators of these inventions had stopped at their first encounter with failure; and even more imagine how many other visionary and creative thoughts are or were never acted upo .I can't help but to wonder how else this world could be or could have been shaped if a I the tangled webs were dismantled and re-woven into s-u-c-c-e-s-s. Hmm.

This is the end of the paper by oss Lady '08.

This is the start of a paper by Bu whacker.

The Peters PrinciQles article s nice. I am enjoying some of the revolutionary aspects of entrepr neurialism. It is fascinating how someone can make something out of ap arently nothing. Ideas can be extremely valuable and creative. The ideas of change and creation are what carry us through different standards of Ii ing. Everything we enjoy in our modem world was and is created by i ovators. Some of these innovators were viewed as freaks.

The long struggle of ec nomic survival is often overlooked or discounted once we incorporate nd take for granted what we see as being simple. Yet even the simplest 0 .ects of success could never be created and possibly not duplicated by most humans. Matching this kind of ignorance with the natural pressures to ove consume has made somewhat of a mess of everything. Over consumption has become so rampant in most modem cultures, that we may see creati .ty as being secondary to the products and services we use. In other wor s, I see most people getting farther from appreciating any authentic attem t at creativity.

I found it insightful in is article where Peters says "the more government gridlock the better." This makes me laugh and offers another way to see overly gridlocked or anizations. Apparently when government and stagnant organizations beco e gridlocked, they are less harmful and "out of the way" of innovation. Peters' comment on the old workplace is interesting where he positions the old corporate business world with republicans and the old labor or anizations with democrats and he further says it was all a bunch of garbag .I believe he is right looking back at the economic history of the big bu iness versus big labor era in the United States.

The Ford Motor Compan is in economic trouble today probably because of some stagnant thinki g. I heard a televised comment on Ford where the speaker said the cars are just not completive in a fashionably attractive way. I believe the F 0 Edsel automobile produced in the 1950s failed because these cars were no thought of as being attractive. So, just as we are technically incompetent a humans, we are fickle as well. Presently we are swimming in an overabun ance of goods and services and where and how it will evolve or disappear i the future is anyone's guess. I believe if one has any creative ability or w 11 to create, he should nourish this feeling. And similarly to Peters' comme t about traditional strategic management planning being a nourishment f existing ideas, bringing fertilizer into existing systems may encourage eedy change.

This is the end of the paper by B whacker.

This is the start of a paper by Bus Iwhacker.

I can view Charlatanism as a ecessary step to grow in your career or

personal matters. Most eve ne has been faced with employment

opportunities not obtainable for e lack of credentials and especially the lack of experience in the occu ation. I have noticed most people are constantly trying to stay in the s e way of being once certain basic needs are met. Perhaps you get m ied, have children, buy a house and everything is supposed to be the ame as long as you act the same. Market, institutional and political change may allow for your future to disappear. Then you are forced, for a whil , to reinvent yourself. You may console your feelings by reporting to your elf and others about all the new education and experience you have gained. You hopefully have evolved close enough with reality that plugging back in will not be that difficult. But difficult or not you are forced to re-sell your elf in a much better light than the one you voluntarily left or was forced to Ie ve.

All of us want to be somet ing we are not. Even if you deny this, the truth remains evident that we orship innovators, artists of all crafts, athletes, and politicians. Look at I the procedures and devices available to all of us today. There are wa s to change your looks through plastic surgery, make-up, hair replace ent, wigs, elevator shoes, and all other material goods. Weare flooded ith encouragement to become someone we are not. But I do enjoy some ofth s and would prefer it in some cases.

Each election cycle and ea time a floor product promises to be new and improved I believe it is a char atan' s attempt to give you what you want. You want change. You want be er. Politicians and advertisers promise to give you a better product which ill change your life and make you happy. Obtaining a life's partner, a wife r husband, a boy or girlfriend is a similar

pursuit requiring the same charla skills. I have seen where the better one

is at using these skills; the more s ccess is obtained in romance and "love."

All acting requires abando ment into charlatanism. Everyone loves acting and stories of how some pe pIe live or have lived. We wonder could these events ever happen to us. I say they can if you are willing to put yourself into the role you are see ing. Most of us are focused on what we are not. Most of us focus on wha we do not have. We mayor may not be willing to do whatever it takes to ake ourselves fit into what we think will allow us to obtain the people and ings we do not presently have. I see this as natural as any other competiti e pursuit we all worship. It is very rare and probably boring to settle for e same things and people for all of your life.

This is the end of the paper by Bus whacker.

This is the stm1 of another paper HeavyMetal.

The second class~ syllabus d suggested readings~ as well as comments from ilie first papers su miffed ,vill be ilie subject. I found it interesting that many people sub. tted similar papers dealing with the Internet readings of ilie syllabus. ut what was more interesting were papers that d~alt with subjects completel off the topic~ such as the Miami Dolphins coaching choice~ the NFL Playoffi and Peyton Manning~ s trip to the Super Bowl~ and an interesting discussio of sexual harassment~ wherein ilie writer thought that training created more incidences of alleged harassment~ which I have also always believed. Anoth r interesting paper focused on having a woman president.

Professor Mendell ~ s discus ion of charlatans brought to light what I have thought~ that many professor are frauds that do not have real experience~ or get by with false cr dentials. But they can be problem solvers~ since creative thinking is part of eir makeup. The discussion around taking a blank sheet of paper and forcing someone to be creative~ like an architect~ made me dt.aw a blank~ I guess I~l not that creative. But I agt.eed with the concept that most Ph. D's simply esearch 300 papers~ spit it back and come to a conclusion.

The obstructions to creativ thinking (knowing too much), and the concept that someone who thinks utside the box~ bringing in new ideas would be ridiculed or called a "tr ble maker" certainly applies in the workplace. I have seen this happe many times. I liked the stOl"y of Professor Mendell's accomplice in creating e course (the guy who smoked too much marijuana); I have sure seen many of these people in my college career.

The link to Lateral Thinkin , and the Futuristic Questions posed by Powers were very abstract. I gues they are intended to show how differently you can look at the same thing an come to many different conclusions.

Unleashing the Ideavirus al 0 seemed to be very abstract, and geared towards mat.keting people. Word- f-Mouth advel1ising campaigns, creating a buzz and getting people to talk out a product, without investing much money seems to be a great idea, b t in reality there at.e probably a million products that try this~ while only c rtain things get lucky and hit on it.

The concept of the Mind R om sure put everyone on edge. Reading the web link reminds me of how uch I don~t believe in hypnotists~ and it will be strange to see this attempt d at the class. Somehow I can't see myself as a rag doll oozing sawdust!

This is the end of the paper y HeavyMetal.

This is the start of a paper by *****

In today's society it can be difficult i obtaining a degree and at the same time maintaining a full time job. But theJi is good news for lots of people it can be achieved online. As with everythin in life there are advantages and disadvantages of doing this. The ad antages of obtaining a degree online include:

.The flexibility of earning a d ree regardless of where you live. By obtaining a degree online it lIows one to attend the school of ones choice.

.Decrease in cost. The cost t at is usually associated with school tends to be less such as traveling, co muting, parking, meals, childcare and books.

.Customized learning. Onlin courses are usually formed to the pace of

the individual and allow one go at their on speed and allow each one to

do things that better suites t re learning styles.

.Simplicity. The usual time co suming procedure of registration, payments are done on your time on lin and there will be no need for worrying about class size and the inability to get into a class that has specific size.

.Accessibility and convenien .Remember those days of trying to leave work on time, fight through tr ffic to ensure you arrive at class on time well degrees online allows for yo to structure your class around your day instead of your day around y ur class. Interactive learning environment.

For those who were once no lwilling to speak out in class this medium

fosters greater student intera and allow each person the same access to the instructor. Working on Ii e for projects in a group allowed each other being able to do things at th same time and not having to worry about

giving up as much as when u had to leave your home to have group

projects done. I

The disadvantage of obtaining a de ree online includes:

.Employment problems. Not II employees are willing to accept an online degree so before you try this method check out whether or not it is widely acceptable or not.

.Fraud. Not all online degree are valid so do your homework about it the

institution you are planning t i obtain the degree from.

.Availability. Not all courses a e available online with the same institution

so see which one will off the ntire degree program and see if that

institution best fits your need

.lack of self discipline. While orking at your pace is good one have to be

discipline to do online cours .

This is the end of the paper by*****

This is the start of a paper by the Driving Range Golfer. Darold

Powers compiled 10 questions to spark alternative problem solving

processes. There is one question in particular that I frequently ask myself.

It is question #4, "Who or what has an interest in keeping this the same?

Who has an interest in changing it?" In our capitalist society which revolves around the dollar bill, someone or something with an interest always exists.

Opposing interests are what drive our country to continually improve

products and services.

I am sure that most of you have heard the story of oil companies

purchasing the patents of highly fuel efficient vehicle engines. I am not sure

of the story's validity, but I doubt it is true. Who would be interested in

keeping highly efficient engines off the road and unavailable to consumers? A logical answer would definitely be oil companies as they want to sell as

much oil to our gas guzzling country as possible. Perhaps large, engine manufacturers believe that the cost of updating their manufacturing

equipment exceeds the benefit of the update. Fuel vendors may also fear

losing food and beverage sales as drivers would fill up less often. However,

if oil companies were so concerned with limiting fuel efficient engines, how did hybrid vehicles make it through? In addition, wouldn't oil companies

want to ensure that their product was continually in demand, even if not

consumed at such a high rate? If the United States creates a mass market

hydrogen fuel car, other products will likewise be upgraded to run on

hydrogen. Hence, the need for oil would greatly decrease along with the

profits of the oil companies.

If we consider the story to be true, who would be interested in

introducing a highly fuel efficient engine? First of all, the person or

company who created it. Certainly car manufacturers or engine

manufacturers would be able to compensate the creators as much as the

oil companies. Also, how could the creators call themselves productive

citizens if they allowed the better engine to be kept off the market? Car manufacturers would also want the patent. What company would not want

to sell vehicles with double the gas mileage? Environmental groups would

also be interested in supporting or lobbying for tax breaks for companies or

consumers who sell or buy such engines/vehicles.

When interests collide, the government is asked to step in and

moderate. As members and future leaders of the Public Sector, it is our

duty and privilege to make decisions that benefit the interests of future

generations. They are the investment with the greatest return. This is the

end of the paper by the Driving Range Golfer.

This is the start of the paper by Nexus

The normalization of society by neoliberalism has left the individual disenchanted

(Howe, 2006). In most cases, instruments of rationality prescribe choice and the technical means

to achieve wealth, happiness, and success. Individuals' acting outside prescribed norms become

stigmatized by a society that adheres to prescriptions as universal truths. As a result, the

concepts of lateral thinking discussed by Edward D. Bono (N.D.) and eccentricity by David

Gergen (N.D.) have few practical applications in a world without contingency. The

impracticality of lateral thinking and eccentricity is perhaps more prevalent in academia.

According to Louis E. Howe (2006) contingency is the acceptance of ideas outside a

particular paradigm. It would appear that Bono's concept of lateral thinking and Gergen's call

for the appreciation of eccentricity meet with dismay given academia's strong adherence to

universal norms for what is knowledge and the appropriate methods for its advancement. For

example, the dominance of quantitative and empirical methods in the social sciences has laid a

normative foundation for what is knowledge. Academics that would rather adhere to narratives

and case study for the advancement of knowledge may find publication and a means to be

tenured difficult when most of the top j oumals accept only quantitative based papers.

Clearly, a paradox exists when an analysis of history reveals some of the most influential

academics and scholars were both eccentric and lateral thinkers, such as Einstein. Therefore, for

the future of research it is suggested that emphasis be placed on a means to uncover the human

motivation or condition to categorize and label all aspects of society through rationality and

universal norms.

This is the end of the paper by Nexus

This is the start of a paper by SandyDog.

One of the topics discussed in class last week was the

relevance of minimum job qualifications and degree requirements to a person's ability to succeed in a particular job. An example given was that of Maria Nape, who was an instructor in the School of Public

Administration. Ms. Nape had a law degree and a considerable amount of practical work experience representing historically

underserved communities such as migrant farm workers. Having had

Ms. Nape as the instructor for Administrative Law, I can personally

attest to her skills, knowledge and ability as a teacher in this subject

area. However, Ms. Nape did not hold a doctoral degree and this apparently was an ongoing issue of concern within the School of Public Administration.

In the absence of other information about a potential job candidate, I think that strict adherence to minimum job qualifications

and degree requirements are a reasonable management response.

If you know nothing else, you at least have confidence that the job

candidate had what it takes to complete a particular degree or obtain a certain professional license.

However, it doesn't make sense to me to follow such minimum standards blindly when considering job applicants whom you personally know are top performers in a particular field or for whom you have received personal references from contacts you trust and respect. Such situations happen frequently in the public sector when internal applicants are considered for promotion or to fill higher level vacant positions.

In my agency, employees gain a significant amount of experience and expertise from on-the-job-training and simply working

through the problems and issues they confront everyday. As a hiring

manager, I would have a greater level of confidence in promoting a

high-performing internal candidate with a bachelor's degree than I would in hiring an external candidate with better academic credentials.

This is the end of the paper by SandyDog.