Self-Action Leadership for Students

What do YOU remember most from
what you learned in your school days?

Looking back on your college or preparatory education (high school and below), were there ever any textbooks you read, or assignments you completed that were so special you decided not to sell them back or throw them away after your final grade was posted?

I know I have.

As I reflect back on the 19 years I spent enrolled in formal schooling and the thousands of different individual assignments I completed, there are only a few that really stick out in my memory.  Among these more memorable academic projects, TWO stand out above the rest in importance to me.  They are also two of the only hard copy assignments from my school days that I actually saved.

The most important assignment I ever completed was my doctoral dissertation.  This assignment holds great value for me not merely because it was the longest (1,149 pages) and most time-consuming project of my academic career, but because it formed the basis of nearly everything in my new book, Self-Action Leadership: The Key to Personal, Professional, & Global Freedom.

The second most important assignment I ever completed is something I specifically wrote about in my dissertation.  It was a capstone project (in lieu of a final exam) in a leadership course I took at Brigham Young University as a college freshman in 2001.

The name of this project was a "Personal Leadership Statement."  It consisted of a 10-15 page paper whereby I was required to formally articulate vitally important things about myself, my life, and my future.  Some of these things included my personal vision, mission, values, goals, standards, etc.

Unlike most other school assignments over the years that I eventually threw away and forgot about, I held on to my Personal Leadership Statement.  More importantly, I continued to work on it even after my final grade had been posted.

Not only did I continue to work on it diligently, but I also began to flesh the concept out more fully whereby I eventually produced my own, original scholarship on the subject.  Thus was born the Freedom Focused Self-Declaration of Independence and Self-Constitution.

Click HERE and scroll toward the bottom of article to read more about writing your own Self-Declaration of Independence & Constitution.

Click HERE to watch a video of Dr. Jordan Jensen explaining the principle of writing a Self-Declaration of Independence & Constitution.

My Self-Leadership Textbook in College

 Of all the courses I took throughout my entire academic career, that leadership class I took at BYU ranked highly among my favorites.  I enjoyed it thoroughly not because I had an outstanding professor (he was okay, but not one of my favorites).  I enjoyed it because the material, aside from being very interesting to me, was, in fact, all about me.  As an agent of destiny—and all human beings are—can there be many things more fascinating and enlightening than learning about what we can individually think about, say, and do to become our best selves and maximize the potential we possess for happiness, success, and most importantly—to contribute positively and constructively to the welfare of others around us and the planet-at-large?  To me the answer to this question is a resounding no!

As such, I'll never forget how cool I thought it was when I went to the bookstore and purchased my textbook for this course because it was all about these very things!

As you can imagine, this was definitely one of the textbooks I ended up keeping for future reference.  Later, I purchased an updated edition of the same text, which I used extensively during my doctoral research and writing.  In fact, of the 400 different books, articles, and other resources I cited in my doctoral dissertation, I referenced this one textbook more than any other.

John H. Zenger, an international leadership expert and renowned author of The Extraordinary Leader, has said the following about leadership education:

"The old paradigm of separating core academic curriculum from leadership, character, and life-skill education in America's schools is gradually beginning to shift. The time is coming when classes in leadership will be equally as important as those in mathematics, biology, or English; and from a career standpoint, possibly more important."

An Updated Version of my S-L Textbook
I Cited Liberally in my Doctoral Dissertation

Zenger's views effectively mirror our own vision of the educational future of students now in school—as well as those yet unborn.  We foresee the day when students from kindergarten up through the graduate level will be as likely to be toting around textbooks, e-books, apps, and URL's containing information about Self-Action Leadership, character, and life-skills as they are in reading, writing, math, science, history, technology, etc.

Indeed, we envision a day when society will collectively recognize that it is as important to do right as it is to read fluently or to calculate correctly—and that directing one's life and career morally and ethically as guided by a highly developed conscience is even more important than being literate and numerate (as important as those things clearly are).

We predict that this growing recognition will eventually spawn a seismic cultural-educational paradigm shift where a majority of lawmakers, educators, parents, and voters alike will recognize that being a highly developed human being—existentially and morally speaking—requires the same kind of rigorous study and practice that is required to become a highly developed anything else (doctor, lawyer, plumber, builder, engineer, teacher, leader etc.).  As such, proper allocations of time, resources, and human capital will gradually be invested to avoid falling behind the rest of the world and fail to rise to the full extent of our potential as Americans.

In the spirit of this vision and movement, we enthusiastically embrace the dawning of a new age—even an AGE of AUTHENTICISM.  In support of this vision, we invite YOU to begin today to become a student of Self-Action Leadership.

How?

Simple... we have written a comprehensive textbook replete with principles, practices, and even homework assignments that facilitate your completion of the SAL Master Challenge and your subsequent receipt of Freedom Focused's distinguished diploma* and medal.  We invite you to buy and then read this book, complete the SAL Master Challenge contained therein, and then share the book and challenge with others.

Click HERE to read more about the AGE of AUTHENTICISM

Click HERE to read more about the SAL Master Challenge.

As one-by-one people accept this invitation and take on this challenge, the movement will gather increased momentum.  Over time, we will, with accelerated alacrity make the desperately needed societal shift away from the self-centered, nihilistic philosophies of postmodernism and into a bright and sunny new age of authenticity and altruism founded on the self-mastery and inner security that can only come from a holistic commitment to personal discipline and excellence.  

Click HERE to buy Dr. Jordan Jensen's book — SELF-ACTION LEADERSHIP

If you are an INDIVIDUAL interested in accelerating your own Self-Action Leadership development and Existential Growth, click HERE.

If you are an EDUCATOR, click HERE to learn how you can start providing your students with an education in Self-Action Leadership to take your classroom, school, or district to the next level

If you are a BUSINESS leader, manager, or professional, click HERE to learn how you can start providing your colleagues and subordinates with an education in Self-Action Leadership for the benefit of your office interaction and bottom line.

If you are an ELECTED OFFICIAL or other high profile LEADER or ROLE MODEL, click HERE to learn how you can start promoting Self-Action Leadership to your constituents in an effort to make our nation and world the best it can possibly be.

If you are a PARENT or CAREGIVER, click HERE to learn how you can start providing an education in Self-Action Leadership to your children or dependents to increase self-reliance and encourage harmony in the home.

If you or someone you knows is struggling with MENTAL ILLNESS click HERE to learn how you can utilize Self-Action Leadership to bolster mental hygiene.

Notes:

* The SAL Master Challenge diploma is not an accredited diploma.

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SELF-ACTION LEADERSHIP is the key catalyst for initiating transformational leadership that lasts in any organization. The truth of the matter really is that simple; and the transformation of organizations through the holistic development of individuals really is that difficult—yet altogether possible for anyone willing to invest the time, effort, and sacrifice required to achieve authentic, transformational results.

Unlike any training program that has ever preceded it, Self-Action Leadership provides a single vehicle wherewith individual self-leaders can discover—and then act—upon the great truth that HOLISTIC personal development and growth spanning the mental, moral, spiritual, physical, emotional, and social elements of our individual natures is within the grasp of each one of us.

Note: Freedom Focused is a non-partisan, for-profit, educational corporation. As such, we do not endorse or embrace political figures. We do, however, comment from time-to-time on historical or political events that provide pedagogical backdrops to illuminating principles contained in the SAL Theory & Model.

Click HERE to learn more about the SAL Theory & Model.

To receive weekly articles from Freedom Focused & Dr. Jordan R. Jensen, sign up with your e-mail address in the white box on the right side of this page where it says "Follow by E-mail."

Click HERE to buy a copy of Dr. Jordan Jensen's new book, Self-Action Leadership: The Key to Personal, Professional, & Global Freedom.

Click HERE to read more about Dr. Jensen's book, Self-Action Leadership, and to review what experts in the leadership field are saying about this groundbreaking new personal development handbook.

Click HERE to learn more about Dr. Jordan R. Jensen. Click HERE to visit the Freedom Focused website.

Preserving English Text While Texting

Tush tush! A pox upon the texting
habits of our posterity!

As I have traveled around the English speaking world teaching grammar and business writing courses, I am sometimes confronted with various forms of the following question: “Is the future of the English language doomed because of the text messaging habits of today’s teenagers and young professionals?” This question always makes me smile (at least on the inside), partly because I know from whence the questioner’s distress arises, and partly because I possess sufficient optimism to provide a hopeful answer to such queries.

The simple answer to this question is “No”; contemporary young people (and their older adult counterparts who routinely butcher English virtually) are not going to ruin our language – at least not entirely – with their lazy acronyms, painfully poor spelling, and lack of any penchant for proofreading. In the end, the real cost is not to the language itself as much as it is to their own personal and professional credibility. To the extent that they persist in these habits, they tarnish their personal image and minimize their potential for professional advancement in the modern workplace.

Pope wrote that hope springs eternal;
May it be so for your texting diurnal.

It is true that the English language is evolving, and in some ways more quickly than ever before throughout its storied history. But language has always evolved. Such evolution began long before the invention of computers or cell phones, and will continue long after the Millennial Generation has matured. As an optimist in the face of this ongoing evolution, I hold that a vestige of quality language will always remain in tact in Western Civilization and beyond.

If I am to be proven right in purporting the perpetual maintenance of what one might call “High Language,” or at very least, “Professional Speak,” then trainers and other educators must play a vital role. Moreover, if the rising generation is to effectively make the vital transition from “Teenage Texter to Polished Professional Communicator,” a very real “Evolution in the Classroom” must occur to match the seeming language evolution that mirrors the troubled text and instant messaging quagmire in which many young professionals (and others) find themselves mired.

I suggest that this educational evolution ought to be based on the view that ALL language is vital, and therefore worthy of thoughtful composition followed by careful and consistent editing and proofreading. This belief corrects the misnomer held by so many that a text or instant message somehow possesses less literary value than an email, letter, report, etc. It also eliminates the mistaken notion that emails are essentially just a grandiose text message and therefore not worthy of careful construction, eager editing, or precise proofreading.

You would think the importance of CLARITY, CONCISION, and COGENCY in all forms of communication would be a self-evident reality for all writers. Not so! In reality, even the best writers struggle at times to effectively cast their thoughts into the finest molds possible – even after expending good-faith efforts and ample time in the process. As such, is it any wonder that less experienced, and more careless composers commonly craft professional prose that would barely qualify as doggerel were it to morph into verse or suddenly burst forth into song?

In truth, the only thing that is self-evident is that much of the communicating public could use a LOT of training when it comes to communication of all kinds, and perhaps especially so when it comes to the compositions that many create most often: text and instant messages. To remedy this self-evident societal sickness and persistent professional problem, I suggest three primary premises serve as a pedagogical foundation to any effective text or instant messaging educational initiative. And the good news is that these same premises apply to other, longer forms of written communication.

Premise 1: Inscrutable text has no value

ALL communication designed to inform, instruct, or persuade (as opposed to poetry, drama, and fictional prose, which is designed to entertain) only has value if it can be quickly read and readily understood. If your readers are confused by whatever convoluted thoughts and disorganized material you have haphazardly strung together on a screen or page, they will likely find themselves frustrated – perhaps even a little angry – and in many cases may stop reading and give up trying to understand what you are trying to communicate.

I often wonder how many billions of dollars are lost in time and resources every single year in America and beyond for no other reason than that a preventable miscommunication has occurred. All communication counts! Don’t be lazy in carefully organizing and dutifully reviewing each message you decide to craft for another, be it for an individual, small group, or large audience.

Premise 2: Editing and proofreading are paramount—not perfunctory—even for text and instant messages.

No matter how long your composition is, editing and proofreading should not be considered perfunctory tasks, but a paramount part of the process. No matter how good you are at writing, and regardless how much knowledge and experience you bring to your keyboard, everyone makes mistakes. A common misnomer among amateur writers is that great writers get it right on their first draft. Not so! There are times when I will edit and/or proofread a document seven, eight, or even nine times before hitting “send” or otherwise submitting it to its intended audience. And I am typically still making changes on the eighth and ninth revision.

Carl Sederholm, a college professor of mine at Brigham Young University, once told my English class: “You never finish a document; you stop writing.” Dr. Sederholm is correct. Unlike math equations and science questions, there is rarely just one right answer when you are writing. Furthermore, you could theoretically continue making adjustments to any document forever! As such, there is usually a point in time where you must “stop writing” and choose to turn your document in. In the meantime, it is wise to spend as much time editing and proofreading as would be both practical and prudent. It will take more time up front on your part to do this; but oh the time it can save you—and others—down the road if you will do it!

Premise 3: Short messages can be just as important as lengthy communications.

Regardless whether your composition is a text message, a full-page letter, a 20-page report, proposal, grant, etc., or a full-length thesis, manual, or book, every communication matters. If it didn’t, you (or anyone else) wouldn’t bother to take time to craft the message in the first place. While some communications are clearly more important than others (e.g., a supervisor’s formal reprimand or financial statement may carry more weight with you than an email or text message wishing you Happy Birthday), any communication that fails to achieve its intended purpose has failed indeed. I don’t like to fail at anything I seriously attempt. As such, regardless of the medium, whenever I communicate, I greatly value the way in which that piece of information is composed. My goal is to maximize the clarity, concision, and cogency of every message I send. Whether a message is a 20-page report or a 2-line text message makes little difference to me.

It is true that it will take more time to effectively edit and properly proofread a 20-page proposal or a 200-page book than a 2-page email or 2-paragraph text message. In addition, the time I devote to editing and proofreading is typically commensurate to the importance of the document (in consideration of all the stakes involved). Nevertheless, I rarely, if ever, hit my “Send” button until I have done at least one or two editing and proofreading reviews—no matter how long or short the document.

I encourage ALL educators to apply these premises in your own communication practices until they become an unconscious habit on your part. By so doing, you will become a good example to your students, thus empowering you to better teach and model the cultivation of the same premises in their communication habits—and especially with regards to text and instant messaging. As you – and they – so do, the maintenance and perpetuation of the beautiful, elegant, and rich English language will be preserved for generations to come. And in the short run, everyone will save time and money while avoiding unnecessary confusion, stress, and heartache as we send and receive messages that are clear, concise, cogent, and let us not forget—kind—a topic for another day.

In closing, there are some fantastic articles online that provide additional, concrete tips for improving your text and/or instant messaging practices. Here are four I would recommend:

Frankola, K. (2015). Has Instant Messaging Become More Annoying Than Email? 5 Steps for More Productive Pinging. HuffPost Business. Posted 10 May 2015. URL: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/karen-frankola/has-instant-messaging-become-more-annoying-than-email-5-steps-for-more-productive-pinging_b_6815700.html

Maher, K. (2004). The Dangers of Using Instant Messaging at Work. The Wall Street Journal (Online). Posted 5 October 2004. URL: http://www.wsj.com/articles/SB109692934259135827

Simpson, M. (2013). 12 Tips for Using Instant Messaging. Matt Simpson Blog. 10 April 2013. URL: https://matthewsimpson.com/12-helpful-tips-for-using-instant-messaging-in-workplace/

Twelve Tips for Instant Messaging in the Workplace. Training and Consulting in International Business Protocol and Social Etiquette. Posted 1 June 2014. URL: http://www.advancedetiquette.com/2014/06/12-tips-for-instant-messaging-in-the-workplace/

Post Scripts:

What is the Difference Between Editing and Proofreading?

The terms “Editing” and “Proofreading” are often used together or interchangeably. This practice perpetuates the mistaken notion that they are synonyms. In fact, they are different pursuits that are both very important. The difference is that editing involves content while proofreading in concerned with mechanics. In shorthand, we can write:

Editing = Content  and  Proofreading = Mechanics

Editing involves checking a document for completeness and accuracy. It also includes examining a sentence, paragraph, section, chapter, or document’s organization, syntax (word ordering), tone, and flow. Proofreading, on the other hand, involves checking for capitalization, punctuation, spelling, and grammar.


The 3 (Three) C's of Good Writing: Clarity, Concision, and Cogency

All effective written compositions possess two or three fundamental elements. These elements are clarity and concision, and in cases where persuasion is a priority, cogency as well. Clarity begs the question: “Is my writing clear and easy to understand?” Concision begs the question: “Have I stated my message as briefly as possible without using any unnecessary words?” Cogency begs the question: “Will my writing be compelling and/or persuasive to my audience?” After finishing any piece of writing, regardless of the length, if you can honestly look it over and say with confidence: “This composition is clear, concise, and cogent,” then you are ready to turn your work in.

About the Author 

Dr. Jordan R. Jensen

Dr. Jordan Jensen is the Founder & CEO of Freedom Focused and the author of the groundbreaking new book, Self-Action Leadership: The Key to Personal, Professional, & Global Freedom.  He has trained business professionals in 47 U.S. States and Territories, 5 Provinces of Canada, and 9 Counties of Great Britain on a wide variety of soft-skill topics including leadership, self-leadership, management, time management, goal setting, strategic thinking, emotional intelligence, and a variety of communication skills. To learn more about Dr. Jensen and how his company, Freedom Focused, can assist you in achieving your organizational potential, visit www.freedomfocused.com

To buy Jordan's new book, click HERE.