Late Night TV Lessons

So watching late night tv this evening I realized something about the shows that I watch and why I watch them. I don't watch much tv, but the main show that I do watch is Stargate, both the SG-1 and Atlantis versions. I don't just enjoy the science, the special effects and the cheesy jokes... I realized I watch it for the leadership situations and what I can learn from them.

It's interesting because there are decisions that have to be made at multiple levels. Sometimes it's the leader in the field that has to make a split second decisions that affect more than just his (or her) team, but they affect the entire program, or the expedition. Some situations call for a show of force and others for an intricately negotiated peace treaty. Sometimes there are decisions that are made by those above you that you can attempt to influence, but the final say lies with someone who just may not understand how wrong the decision they are making is. Most, if not all decisions have lasting effects that will be felt by the rest of the team.

What I have been learning above all though, is that decisions have to be made. Decisons are not meant to be ignored, or thrust aside. Leaders delegate tasks, not decisions, and certainly not responsibilty.

The other show I've watched recently is the Cosby Show. Yes, the oft adored and nearly as often maligned Cosby Show. It should be obvious what I've be learning about... family and fatherhood.

I sometimes wonder if when Cosby was writing the episodes if he intentionally wrote in these lessons, or if they naturally come out of the situations that he sets up. Every interaction with his children, with his wife, with his parents, even with the neighbor kids next door... All of these are quasi-consciously analyzed and lessons are gleaned. How to motivate children to succeed, how to treat a wife, how to create a culture within the house of an open home... I could go on.

Of course, please understand all of this in context. None of this is taking place in a vacuum. I'm not just some coach potato lounging on my sofa (though that is my posture at this moment, heh) being spoonfed junk from the tube. All of this is related to the experience I had in college, in church, growing up with my family, and now in my own apartment and with my work. I am who I am because of how I was raised by my parents, the influence of teachers and professors, the way I pushed myself in school and my desire to know God more.

And finally, these lessons are not merely academic, but are fed into
the superprocessor that is the mind to be crunched, ruminated over,
and put into action in everyday life. Sometimes the lessons learned
are put into practice the next day at work, but other lessons will
wait for that nebulous time in the future when I will be a husband and
a father... Or who knows, maybe even a "pastor".

Sent from my iPhone