Randy Pausch – Page 2 – Disney Brand Loyalty Keynote Speaker

Naggers Are Lovers

Randy Pausch in his book, The last Lecture, proposes that nagging people are really lovers. He didn’t say that, I’m just rephrasing what he wrote to make a point.

People nag others because they care, although it doesn’t seem so.

Stop what you’re doing and watch this.

When people stop nagging you, it means they’ve given up on you.

It’s an educated guess that you’ve never considered this angle before. Nagging seems so negative.

Nagging is actually positive.

Are you going to find ten minutes in your life to watch Will Smith’s passion and wisdom?

It will be the best ten minutes you invest this year.

We’ll there’s better stuff out there, but you’ll most likely never find it. I probably will. And then nag you to pay attention. Maybe.

Are you willing to take that chance?

Ten minutes.

Only a fool would pass on this.

I guess.

Super Freak She’s Super Freaky

Okay, the human mind is remarkably strange. This Rick James song from long ago is in my head. Why? Because I’ve just reflected on the past two jungle jeff blog posts.

Wake up calls. Corporate down-sizing. Christmas Day attempted terrorist attack. It’s all kinda freaky, super freaky.

The Last Lecture, by Randy Pausch. Pancreatic cancer. Wife. Three young kids. Best-selling author. Hero. Role model. Computer Science Professor. Oprah Winfrey Guest. Deceased.

These are unprecedented times. Turbulent times. Stressful times. Uncertain times.

But time marches on. Question is, “Will we?”

Sense of Urgency

Reading a book has the potential to alter the way we behave. This can be a gift. It can also be a curse.

The Last Lecture, by Randy Pausch, was a gift.

Randy’s book helped me see the same things I always see, in a completely different light.

It was in the contemplative moments, inspired by his news, “You have about six months to live”, that really helped me see a blind spot.

A blind spot that most humans share.

Putting important things off because they are not urgent.

Health. Family. Spirit. Life. Legacy.

What does this have to do with leadership?

Do I really have to explain it? Because if I do, it worries me that you still might not get it.

You will eventually, but what if someone disconnects your phone?

Leadership Books

I get it. There is only so much a person can read. We can’t do it all. Right there with you. And, many of us received new books as gifts recently.

What books changed your life last year?

There were a few for me. Two had significant impact.

Up first, The Last Lecture, by Randy Pausch. Randy was a Carnegie Mellon computer science professor, in his mid-40’s. He had a wife and three children under the age of six.

Then he got pancreatic cancer.

To paraphrase what I heard Randy say:

This isn’t a book about dying. It’s a book about living.

It isn’t a book for you and me. It is a book for Randy Pausch’s children.

How did this book change my life?

It is in living in the moment that makes us great leaders. Doing things – things that matter – with a heightened sense of urgency has changed my life. I’ll tell you why tomorrow.