Stephen E. Walker, PhD

Flashmob Wedding – My Kind of Athletes

Stephen Walker, Ph.D. — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 15:02:10 +0000

Choreography, staging, production, a happening, a movie, and a wedding. Worldwide notoriety – Priceless! What fun:-)

Click here to view the embedded video.

Positive Psychology Enhances Coaching & Athlete Productivity

Stephen Walker, Ph.D. — Tue, 28 Feb 2012 19:54:34 +0000

Shawn Achor has been an innovator and key promoter of the principles in Positive Psychology. As a researcher in this arena for the past 10 years, the results are gaining traction in numerous fields – but none need it more than in the field of coaching education. Old school methodology, and hard-nosed tough guy approaches in coaching are not only antiquated….but they are ineffective, inefficient, and miss huge opportunities to allow the athlete to train themselves mentally. Achor’s background includes his graduation Magna Cum Laud from Harvard and a graduate degree in Christian and Buddhist ethics. In 2006 he became a Head Teaching Fellow for “positive psychology” which soon became the most popular course at university. Consider this TED TV Talk by Achor and the implications for your team or organization.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Achor is the author of The Happiness Advantage and recently was featured in the cover story of the Harvard Business Review and later paraphrased in the HBR blog article “The Value of Happiness.” This approach and key methods for turning our focus into a productively happy one does require discipline and attention which Achor believes can be done in as few as 2 minutes per day for one full month. His research suggests that each individual, coach or athlete can practice the same method and receive huge benefits merely by shifting our attention to these exercises:

Write down three new things you are grateful for each day;
Write for 2 minutes a day describing one positive experience you had over the past 24 hours;
Exercise for 10 minutes a day;
Meditate for 2 minutes, focusing on your breath going in and out;
Write one, quick email first thing in the morning thanking or praising a member on your team.

As simple as these suggestions are (and for athletes the exercise piece is already taken into account – but not all coaches do this) the active engagement of these activities everyday for a full month the transition will be significant. Want to give it a try?

The Significance of Six Seconds & Our Emotions

Stephen Walker, Ph.D. — Thu, 20 Oct 2011 14:21:05 +0000

Josh Freedman is the COO of Six Seconds, a world-wide not-for-profit organization created for the purpose of advancing our knowledge of the importance of EQ – Emotional Intelligence. This is a key concept in understanding leadership, and more importantly for every leader – how to develop follower-ship. One of my friends, who is an expert on branding has told me several times “People make buying decisions because the message offers them solutions (the end of pain) – or – positive feelings. Observe how Freedman articulates the neurophysiology of this process and consider the implications for how emotions contribute to the water quality of our blood.

Heart Disease as a Water Quality Issue

Yes. Heart disease clearly involves problems with our cardiovascular system and heart disease does involve atherosclerosis, plaque building up within our arteries, unstable clotting factors and years of poor choices (what we eat, how much we exercise, emotional outbursts, etc). Freedman’s message implores us to make conscious choices with our emotions – first to know ourselves, know what we may be projecting, and to make a considered decision in each “now” moment to revise and modify our emotional messages. We have six seconds to catch ourselves, reassess and decide differently. More on this later, but for now – check this out:

Click here to view the embedded video.

To learn more about Freedman and the Six Seconds organization visit: www.6seconds.org. The organization features programs for teachers, professionals, business organizations, leadership training with a broad array of assessment tools designed to help one understand their emotions better, recognize the importance of authenticity and how those emotions are projected amongst those we engage with, and finally, “how” to make a conscious choice as to what kind of emotional messages we aim to offer up – every six seconds. Although the organization is a 501(c)3 it’s programs are not inexpensive. In addition, they offer a large number of well-thought-out certification programs. Check it out: 6Seconds.org.

New Denver Office is Now Open:-)

Stephen Walker, Ph.D. — Wed, 14 Sep 2011 03:15:54 +0000

Dr. Stephen Walker

Health & Sport Performance Associates

Alamo Placita Building

825 E. Speer Blvd – Suite 205

Denver, Colorado 80218

Located in the perfect Central Location – Right next door to the gorgeous gardens of Denver’s Alamo Placita Park and across the river from Hungarian Freedom Park in Denver’s loveliest neighborhood.

The office includes free parking, quick access from north or south. The building is located between Clarkson and Emerson, Speer and 3rd Avenue and rests on the North Side of Cherry Creek easily accessible to the Cherry Creek Bike Path.

Stay tuned for our Open House where you can meet Dr. Walker, his colleagues and associates and learn about new offerings coming your way.

Finding Pearls Where We Least Expect Them

Stephen Walker, Ph.D. — Thu, 25 Aug 2011 01:08:54 +0000

One of my good friends is a media guy – does large scale marketing involving Television and emerging PPV internet applications. Pretty complicated stuff and frankly is engaged in a business that seems to have lost a lot of its humanity, especially when you consider the revelations amongst Rupert Murdoch’s “NewsCorp – News of the World” lack of respect for people – all in the name of making money and brokering power. Thanks to Pete Moran for sending this along, and to Bob DeSena for reminding us to “keep it in perspective”.

On Perspective
by Bob DeSena, Tuesday, August 23, 2011

I wrote something several months ago about Peter Rabar, an agency legend I had the privilege to work for, and to learn from. It was called “In Peter We Trust.” The piece, on one level, talked about the nature of the client-agency relationship — that is, what it takes to achieve a long-term, productive one. And it questioned whether we were talking ourselves out of the notion that such a quaint concept can apply today, with so much more specialization, technology and pace.

Of course it can. In fact, it is needed more today than ever. If we need to debate that idea, perhaps we can do it another day.

There was another lesson Peter taught me, which happened on a very busy winter day.

I mentioned that he was the former secretary to the agency’s founder, and had become over time the head of its largest and most profitable account — a position he held, brilliantly, for three decades. He ran this account with one assistant for all those years, and for a few of them, I was that assistant.

We were working on our key, first-quarter member solicitation campaign. It involved the integration of television, print and mail, with the kind of complex test vs control plans that direct marketers routinely execute. This was just on a major scale.

One of the key components of the campaign was tens of millions of preprinted newspaper inserts. They were to be supported by the TV buy and provide a supplement to the mail, to build up a critical penetration level in each market.

We were really busy when we got the call.

One of the trucks carrying several million of the inserts was late with its delivery. After a few more phone calls, we discovered there was a massive snowstorm on this route, and no one could assure us when the delivery would be made, or if it would be made. This was our key campaign of the year. As John Belushi might have said, millions of dollars and thousands of lives (or maybe the other way around) were at stake.

Several hours later we got another call. The truck was found. It had slid off the side of the road and lost its cargo.

We were frantic. Production directors were calling printers, media directors were calling publications and TV stations, and we were all trying to figure out what to tell the client about the status of the campaign.

We gathered in Peter’s office to review the options. After allowing us to vent and pretend to have a plan, he sat back in his chair, removed his ever-present cigar and asked, “How’s the driver?”

No one else had asked that question. We looked at each other, understood that we had lost sight of the important stuff, and left his office to find out.

The driver was OK. The inserts were lost. We reprinted them and everything else fell into place, delay and all. It always does.

I think of Peter often when things get a bit frenetic. And I thank him for reminding me of the important stuff.

Bob DeSena – CEO of Engagement Marketing Group. EMG is a business advisory firm of senior executives.

Simon Sinek’s Golden Circle Shows us the importance of “Why” Great Things Happen

Stephen Walker, Ph.D. — Fri, 24 Jun 2011 15:44:54 +0000

There is no doubt that great speakers and inspirational leaders have good skills at swaying public opinion – but the most powerful of movements, inventions, companies, and collectives revolve around innovations in thinking. It is the “Why?” people gather together, are involved at the ‘tipping point’, and spur on great things.

What made the Wright Brother’s innovation in manned flight catch on? There were others with more money, big laboratories filled with the latest equipment enabling legions of inventors and would-be aviators with the wherewithal. Yet it was the owners of a simple bicycle shop that made it happen. Apple computer has people standing around the block waiting for their latest release. Why?

How is it Dr. Martin Luther King was able to speak to hundreds of thousands of people at the Washington Plaza? Certainly Twitter did not get them there. Neither did an email blast. Sinek’s call to action is compelling and I for one will endeavor to emphasize the “Why” – going forward.

Click here to view the embedded video.

A New Look at Education – Systems that Work Naturally

Stephen Walker, Ph.D. — Sat, 30 Apr 2011 16:59:46 +0000

Professor Sugata Mitra is featured on TED in a lecture from Oxford in July 2010. Mitra is a well known professor working in the field of educational technology. He’s done novel research with computers in environments where ‘teachers’ don’t want to go. Imagine remote hard-to-get-to villages or perhaps Somalia – not exactly the locations our brightest educators are waiting in line to visit and work. Mitra started in the late 1990′s with the “Hole in the Wall” computer in a remote village in southern India – and from that point on the experiment has continued to evolve.

This presentation will astound you for two reasons; 1) because of the implications for education in general, and 2) for its sociological implications for self organized learning. Mitra’s experiments have taken place in remote parts of Africa, Asia and in well funded educational centers in the UK. All that is required is one computer for every four students, an internet connections and time. In war torn environments where education is extremely limited and socio-political instability is prevalent – these self organized learning environments (SOLEs) provide hope for improving our world – one village at a time. And when Grandma is supporting the endeavor the results are even better. Thanks Professor Mitra. To learn more about this research – articles have been published in the Journal of Educational Technology – and - other educational publications.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Randy Pausch – A Legacy Worth Living For

Stephen Walker, Ph.D. — Sat, 30 Apr 2011 15:52:47 +0000

Those of you who know me understand how much I’m aligned with the principles and practices in positive psychology. We are never perfect in that regard, but coming from a rather acerbic and negative upbringing – the challenges remain constant – especially in parenting and in properly managing our own self-talk.

Randy Pausch became famous because he was already a well-known and respected professor from Carnegie Mellon University, but also because he was so popular in his no nonsense, yet very convincing practices and philosophies. He became a fixture in the Freshman orientations at CMU – and he enjoyed the role in mentoring bright minds. When he became ill with Pancreatic Cancer, and his prognosis was labeled “terminal”….he shocked child psychologists by purposely choosing to withhold his diagnosis from his three young children. He believed that “no good” could come from their knowing he was going to leave them, and he certainly did not want to have the daily reminders of how soon he was to die – and so – he lived his remaining life with passion, integrity and as much fun as he could cram into the remaining time he had. As it turned out, he far exceeded the time frame his doctors prognosed and he captured the hearts and minds of millions of people by reminding US ALL – that “Our lives are not measured by the number of breaths that we take – but by the moments that take our breath away.” Thanks Randy.

So this post is a tribute to a life well-lived and a man whose dedication to “service above self” reminds us how to make the most of each day.

Wall Street Review of Randy’s Life

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Randy Pausch’s lecture on time management

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The last lecture at Carnegie Mellon University

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Joshua Bell Makes the Case for Mindfulness – How Distracted are We?

Stephen Walker, Ph.D. — Wed, 09 Feb 2011 01:36:34 +0000

On a cold January morning at the Washington DC Metro Station in 2007. The Washington Post engaged in a social experiment. Here is the story:

Two Thousand People were witness to this story

A man with a violin played six Bach pieces for about 45 minutes. During that time approx. 2 thousand people went through the station, most of them on their way to work.

After 3 minutes a middle aged man noticed there was a musician playing. He slowed his pace and stopped for a few seconds and then hurried to meet his schedule.

4 minutes later: the violinist received his first dollar: a woman threw the money in the hat and, without stopping, continued to walk.

6 minutes: A young man leaned against the wall to listen to him, then looked at his watch and started to walk again.

10 minutes: A 3-year old boy stopped but his mother tugged him along hurriedly. The kid stopped to look at the violinist again, but the mother pushed hard and the child continued to walk, turning his head all the time. This action was repeated by several other children. Every parent, without exception, forced their children to move on quickly.

45 minutes: The musician played continuously. Only 6 people stopped and listened for a short while. About 20 gave money but continued to walk at their normal pace. The man collected a total of $32.

1 hour: He finished playing and silence took over. No one noticed. No one applauded, nor was there any recognition.

The Violinist was Joshua Bell

No one knew this, but the violinist was Joshua Bell, one of the greatest musicians in the world. He played one of the most intricate pieces ever written, with a violin worth $3.5 million dollars. Two days before Joshua Bell sold out a theater in Boston where the seats averaged $100.
This is a true story.

One of the most sought after musicians at music festivals in every major venue in the world, Joshua Bell playing incognito in the metro station was organized by the Washington Post as part of a social experiment about perception, taste and people’s priorities. The questions raised: in a common place environment at an inappropriate hour, do we perceive beauty?

Do we stop to appreciate it?

Do we recognize talent in an unexpected context?

One possible conclusion reached from this experiment could be this: If we do not have a moment to stop and listen to one of the best musicians in the world, playing some of the finest music ever written, with one of the most beautiful instruments ever made…..

How many other things are we missing?

Music, Movement & Learning Potential – Without Saying a Word

Stephen Walker, Ph.D. — Sun, 16 Jan 2011 17:36:12 +0000

Music and it’s spiritual qualities have been known to help (or hinder) concentration and our abilities to learn. How movement might fit into this mix is just now beginning to be understood. A teaching lesson without hearing a word? Well, not only is it unorthodox, but extremely potent. This widely seen video of singer Bobbie McFerrin as he demonstrates the pentatonic scale at the World Science Festival illustrates a number of things I will be discussing in a series of articles coming up on this website in the next few weeks. McFerrin’s contribution to the Festival has garnered much attention as he engaged the audience to sing with him. He illustrates how music, movement, and learning come together in his teaching the pentatonic scale without saying a word.

Click here to view the embedded video.

There are a good number of discussion points that come from this demonstration and I will address a few of them as I begin to speak to the relationships amongst these elements (movement – music – and our learning potential) in the weeks ahead.

Stay Tuned in the Next Few Weeks

This posting was prompted by a recent read – the book - Spark – The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain by Dr. John Ratey (Harvard Neuropsychiatrist) with Eric Hagerman. Ratey discusses the importance of exercise and demonstrates the wonders of cognitive development as its facilitated through exercise and his examples are beyond exciting. Just his portrayal of the transformation of the Naperville Illinois school district is proof enough….but what follows is even more profound. Those who have read The Protective Effects of Positive Emotions on this site have a head-start – but Ratey’s discussion of the stress response and why it is so damaging (becoming more so everyday) is the most elegant and coherent explanation of the process I’ve read. In addition, the clarity of how exercise serves to minimize these deleterious effects is superb. I look forward to sharing these things and more along with the implications for our happiness – perhaps even our survival.