Draft II - Braverman Philosophy

Braverman – Philosophy


My values have always held with working hard and earning what you have, then sharing. Education has always been an important and critical desire for me and my children. To use the education to further the knowledge of others and to help them lead better lives is important. I believe that there are times when people need assistance – money, a roof over their head, clothing, food, and love, to hear they are beautiful, smart, or appreciated, and this is something I feel I am responsible to do. Several children lived in and out of our home, friends of my children. These kids didn’t want for money, they wanted for love, attention, parental interaction, respect. They had no one to hug them, help them with their homework, cheer at their games, come to their concerts, and tell them they were loved. They had no one to guide them in doing the right thing and did not feel loved or wanted. I hurt for these children and yet I know there are many and my little part was to give them all the things they desired as children that their own parents chose not to give.

I believe that every person deserves respect until and unless they prove otherwise. And that we must learn about others to better understand ourselves. There is potential in every human being and it is important to learn about others and find a way to live peacefully and with trust and appreciation for each other.

The main purpose of education in the US should be to provide people with the means to help themselves first, and then help others. Education can be used for more than moving forward in a career. It can be about learning about the differences and similarities of others to break down the barriers that our ignore builds. It should provide people with new ways of thinking, not convincing them to change their opinions but open up the possibility that there are other ways to believe; other opinions out there.

If US education was offered to anyone interested, versus those who can afford it, we might once again become more competitive in the marketplace. Today, as we migrate more and more business off-shore, one of the key demands is that the location can provide a resource pool that has college degrees. But when we look at that same resource pool, who is all around 20 years of age, while they do have college educations, can it be compared? How can the US equivalent compete with these resources when positions are added to the organization and can be located anywhere? Now do we close this gap and provide the new generation of leaders with the ability to succeed? And while I think about this, I am not sure I disagree jobs should be migrated or that our lack of ability to education in the US should impact other countries.

I would like to teach in a world where there are no limits or boundaries on what a person can or wants to learn. Many adults put their education on hold because either they cannot afford to attend college right out of high school or because life takes them on a different course. I am not sure I believe in the free education systems of other countries, but I do believe that if there were a better plan in place that provided the opportunity to support your family and self while working and educating, more would participate. So many have to work long hours, sometimes several jobs to put a roof over the head of their families and the try to spend the little remaining time left over to be a family unit. It is not without sacrifice that you must place the needs of your education behind the needs of the family. For those who are lucky enough to find a career without a formal education find that it is sometimes challenging to promote into more advanced roles.

Education of an adult can be in conjunction with people’s careers, and family responsibilities. While tuition reimbursement exists within many large companies, it does not exist for all and it is minimal. We have programs for welfare, unemployment and other government subsidized programs, but getting an education in the United States while necessary for advancement, are not funded as a necessity. And employers do not give you time off to do you homework, write a philosophy paper, etc. And how can I complain? I watched my daughter earn her undergrad degree by working as an RA member of the Ambassadors taking more than 18 credits per to graduate in 4-years. In essence, she went to school full-time and worked full-time missing parties and fun events because of the position she held. Then to earn her law degree, she took on a full-time job. In America, there is no free lunch!

One thing I think about is - what if the next great leader of tomorrow is out here but can’t afford the education so they will never be known? What if the person who can solve world hunger is next door, but can’t afford their education because life threw them a curve ball?

In my opinion, adult learners need to be invested in the process and involved in the experience. As an adult learner, I want to make sure there is a return on my investment. Why take the time to learn if there is no pay-off? When adults feel their time is ‘wasted’ or they are forced into a learning environment, you must break down the barriers of their resistance and establish the desired goal and the reason for their investment.

I do believe that learning is life long and it does not require you to be in a classroom setting, though I do believe that in order to move forward from a career perspective, the ‘certificate’ or document is important to the company and the leaders who will give me the chance.

In the corporate world, we many times dictate the outcome of the training and place hard fast measurements against these goals from an acquisition of knowledge perspective. But I find many adults come back and advise that applying what they learned in the workplace and being able to understand they have and how that made their job easier, better, and more fulfilling is more beneficial and when it has been worth their time and investment.

Adults come with preconceived ideas, thoughts, opinions and sometimes baggage, and because of this many times they enter the classroom with bias as well as expectations that may or may not be realistic. In the corporate world your status or experience is sometimes considered in your credibility as a facilitator.

Setting clear, concise expectations and identifying their expectations can help to mitigate a negative experience. I believe though that if you can help each learner identify one thing that they believe will be of value or worth to them, most adult learners will feel as if the experience will be worth their time investment.

We can establish some basic guidelines and some tools that will assist leaders in increasing their ability on-the-job. Knowledge is gained through both formal and informal learning. Allowing a leader, new or seasoned to apply the skills on-the-job and gain experiences through others, to me is far more effective than lecturing them on the ‘right way’.
Each person must take their own communication and leadership style into consideration as well as the style of their employees. What works for one person will not work for another and to force a person to take on a specific style that is not their preference will surely inhibit their authenticity and credibility. Taking the best of the skills we learn or admire from other leaders allows us to build a core set of values and skills that work for each of us as an individual.

Individuals are best equipped to decide what they might want to invest their time in developing and learning. A core set of skills for both functional and technical expertise need to be developed to be job ready, but many adults bring core competencies to the table, i.e. customer servicing skills, computer skills, etc. and do not need to have these skills trained again. While it is critical to ensure that the company expectations are met, it is important to allow for individual development plans to be created.

Leaders I train like to have what they do well acknowledged, but are not as comfortable with situations where they feel less than confident. New leaders are less prone to being uncomfortable and are in fact, in my experience more open and at times self deprecating. I have experienced many a session where they will default to the senior leader and their thoughts, beliefs or ideas even when they do not believe the same.

In my current setting, I believe that a variety of teaching methods must be utilized. Lecture is extremely important when delivering a company compliance expectation or an expectation of job performance. Experiential learning must be a method when the expectation is that the leaders learn from others and apply these skills on-the-job.