Leaders Light The Path

PODCAST EPISODE

Who gives a damn?

What’s the who-gives-a-damn-principle and why should you learn it?

Read more thoughts on the art of communicating week-daily at https://michaelgerharz.com/blog

Transcript
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Professor Donald Saari is a mathematics professor at the

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University of California, Irvine.

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In the fantastic book “What the best college teachers do”, he's counted

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among the best teachers in the world.

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One thing that's remarkable about him is the who gives a damn principle that

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he has established in his lectures.

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In the first lecture of a semester, he explains what he means by that.

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The who gives a damn principle allows his students to interrupt him at any point

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in time, no matter what he's currently doing or saying to ask the question: ”Who

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gives a damn?” He will then immediately interrupt what he's currently doing to

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give an elaborate answer to that question and explain why this specific detail is

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of the utmost importance to first, today's lecture and second, the overall education

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of the students as a mathematician.

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So, for every detail that made it into his lecture, Professor Saari knows exactly

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why it's in there and why it matters.

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He's able to do this because he has thought deeply about the

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struggles of a mathematician and how the concepts help his students

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to become a better mathematician.

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He doesn't just speak about the things he cares about.

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He focuses entirely on the things that his students need.

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Could you do the same for your comunication?

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