Summary: This program is a collective tribute to the work of Dr. H. Stephen Glenn. Our guest, Dr. Bruce Colston, was a personal friend of Dr. Glenn’s, a protégé, and eventually a Master Teacher of Dr. Glenn’s work. Dr. Glenn is also the gentleman to whom B2W co-founder Rick Stephens and I dedicated our book, The System: Igniting the Soul of Commerce. One of the many areas in which Bruce and I see eye to eye, is in the extraordinary value of sharing the work and research of Dr. Glenn to as many people as possible. It resonates with everyone. Every day, Birth2Work is involved in inspiring stakeholders in communities to align and integrate actions towards creating environments that support the building of capable people for the future. This work is rooted in the results of Dr. Glenn’s analysis of nearly 3000 studies of human behavior and interaction that served as a foundation for his popular books to follow. He served four Presidential administrations and won many honors along the way for his skillful synthesis of data, in which he uncovered the reasons why America’s high school graduates, in 1963, turned achievement downward for the first time in American history. Dr. Glenn’s written works, that resulted from his research over the years, including 7 Strategies for Developing Capable Students and Raising Self-Reliant Children in a Self-Indulgent World, as well as the follow-up training series, were a huge success and a monumental achievement. They are what inspired us to continue to acknowledge and acclaim his work and adopt his principals for raising capable kids along the way. Dr. Glenn’s books are exactly what people who work with youngsters and teens need right now, and we are honored to further share and discuss his work with Bruce. Through Bruce’s experience, we get a deeper insight into the man and his process for identifying the seven critical skills and perceptions necessary to be successful in life. These skills and perceptions do not naturally emerge as one grows up. Nor can they be taught in the classroom. Kids spend just 12% of their young lives in school classrooms, after all. These seven qualities must be taught by and practiced with parents and caregivers in the other 88% of their young lives. And that’s why this radio program is the beginning of our series called “The Other 88%.” In this show, and in coming weeks, we will further develop the idea of the roles and responsibilities of parents and community stakeholder leaders for creating the citizens of tomorrow. What has made itself abundantly clear is that the use and understanding of technology, as well as one’s own social capacity, are both necessary for the capable worker and citizen of tomorrow to thrive. Technological interfaces continue to grow more and more simple. There’s a reason 5 and 6 years olds are able to write their own iPhone applications, for example. Technology isn’t getting harder to use, it’s getting easier and more ubiquitous. What it can’t be is a stand-in for human contact. Because what we know to be true about every situation in which the highest available technology was utilized, is that humanity made the difference. Capable people – those who believe they can, that they matter, that they are not victims, that are self-disciplined, communicate well with others, are responsible and accountable for who they are, and show good judgment—are the ones that fully understand how to apply technology to life. They do not stand behind technology as a substitute for living. - Elane V. Scott www.Birth2Work.org
