Optimal Leadership  by Wayne M. Angel, Ph.D.
The Optimal Change Agent: Uncompromising Intellectual Honesty
















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The Quest - A Preface

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Optimal Leadership
  The Optimal Organization
  Causes of Organization Failure
  Creating the Optimal Organization
  The Optimal Change Agent

 
  Be Forewarned
    The Change Agent Challenge
    The Trim Tab Factor
    Passion
    Uncompromising Intellectual Honesty
    Chunking 7±2
    Master How to Learn
    The Problem with Language
    Why People Resist Change
    Understand Every Thing
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Uncompromising intellectual honestly is the passionate commitment to understand the scheme of things as it really is and to reject ANY belief we hold if the weight of evidence says it is wrong.

             “Far more crucial than what we know or do not know is what we do not want to know.  One often obtains a clue to a person’s nature by discovering the reasons for his or her imperviousness to certain impressions. 

To most of us nothing is so invisible as an unpleasant truth.  Though it is held before our eyes, pushed under our noses, rammed down our throats – we know it not.

            The fact seems to be that we are least open to precise knowledge concerning the things we are most vehement about.  The rabid radical remains in the dark concerning the nature of radicalism, and the religious concerning the nature of religion.

            Vehemence is the expression of a blind effort to support and uphold something that can never stand on its own – something rootless, incoherent and incomplete.  Whether it is our own meaningless self we are upholding or some doctrine devoid of evidence, we can do it only in a frenzy of faith.

             The weakness of a soul is proportionate to the number of truths that must be kept from it.”
                                                                                                             
[Eric Hoffer, 1955, Pgs.  41-42]

 So far the best approach we have to an uncompromising intellectual honestly is the scientific method.  There has been much written about the scientific method.  Some of it is good.  I leave it to you to study what scientists do.  Read about the scientific method.  It is far better however to learn some science and then do some science.  You do not need to be a professional scientist to do science.  If you do not understand why this is true then you have much to learn about science.  Science means seeing truth. 

 I will not repeat anything about science or the scientific method that is so readily available else where.  Understand that there are a lot of bad books about what science is.  Being able to detect what is good and what is bad is a skill you must develop.  This skill is best learned with experience.

 I will give you one small hint.  The very best definition I have ever found of the scientific method is, “It is a no holds barred assault on learning the truth.” If you come across this quote let me know.  I have forgotten who said it.

 Readings and Exercises: I had planned to give no reference here, but rather to make it an exercise to find some good books on science.  However, as I think of what is on the general public bookstore shelves in the science section, I am concerned that the percentage of really good books is not what I would like it to be if I were to just say go out and find something that interests you.  Therefore I will suggest you read Daniel Boorstin (1983).  “The Discoverers.” It is the preeminent historical view of the scientific enterprise.  It is also available on tape and CD.  I listened to it whiling driving.  It is quite long. 

 Once you have read or listened to Boorstin then go find something more specific that you find interesting.  Using Boorstin as a guide you are less likely to fall into reading one of the many very bad popularizations of some minor and unrepresentative example of science.  Go for something solid and mainstream.  Mainstream implies not of a current fad.  You will recognize fads by their prominence in the media and there will be several books on them.  You are best served reading about the discovery of solid well established science.

 As you come to understand how scientists approach understanding the world try it for yourself.  For the most part science is nothing more than a very rigorous common sense approach carefully applied to understanding with experimental verification of how the world works.  The experimental part is probably better described as predict something and then see if it is true.  Then find something that the theory says must not be true and see if you can find an example of it being true.

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