Woolgathering #150: On Ownership and Stewardship
Plus: Off-the-beaten-path productivity systems, the Cynefin Framework, and The Beatles!
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A sense of ownership is something I didn’t hear much about until I got older. I had heard the word ownership as a kid, but I never really understood what it meant until I began to encounter people who owned things. And those folks are generally not kids.
I’ve found that there are two kinds of owners of things—be they objects, property, or company-owners:
Minimal Owners
Steward Owners
Minimal owners just have whatever they own and will be quick to assure anyone else that what they own is theirs—to do whatever they please with it. For them, ownership is the ability to exclude others and the freedom to use something however they like.
Steward owners care for what they own. They own it for the benefit of not only the thing they own, but also to help ensure that if what they own can benefit others—it will.
It’s easy to spot the difference. I challenge you—in the weeks until you hear from me next—to start noticing the minimal owners and steward owners around you.
There are two recent articles I’ve written that circle around the concept of ownership:
Other Interesting Things
Book Recommendation: The Beatles by Bob Spitz
Pretty much everyone has heard of The Beatles. You may know their songs, you may know a bit of their story. But this book by Bob Spitz constructs a well-paced, but also in-depth narrative of how the most prolific hitmakers came together—and how they ultimately drifted apart. It’s a great study in creativity, drive, conflict, adversity, and the love of one’s art.
6 Off-the-Beaten-Path Productivity and Time Management Systems
I’ve been having a blast writing for Workflowy’s blog for the past few months. They’ve got a great batch of topics they’re exploring, and it’s been really fun to take them and run with them. This piece, I had a lot of fun with. It dives into 6 productivity systems that aren’t as well known as the ones that get all the attention. Check them out. Maybe there’s one in there for you!
The Cynefin Framework
A decision-making framework for managers, and really anyone who deals with people and has to make sense of differing perceptions, beliefs, and behaviors amongst people. It draws on research into systems theory, complexity theory, network theory and learning theories.
Himalayan Sanyashi (monk) Drops Some Wisdom on Meditation
This dude has some interesting things to say about meditation. He makes a specific point halfway through the video about our perception of time, and our perception of the body. Really good stuff.
A Question
Who could use a check-in?
Research continues to show that we do best when we have a network of people we talk with regularly. Of course, we do better when that network is built on mutual trust and service to one another. But that has to be built.
The way to build it is to just ask yourself—especially in moments when you might feel anxious or down in the dumps—who could use a check-in? Just think about the folks around you. Who could you check in with? If you could use a little cheering up, who in your network is good for that?
Reach out and touch someone—so to speak.
A Quote
“Freedom begins the moment you realize someone else has been writing your story and it’s time you took the pen from his hand and started writing it for yourself.”
— Bill Moyers