Comments for The Gumption Blog http://www.gumption.com/blog Resisting Gumption Traps Since 1995 Thu, 29 Oct 2009 21:10:57 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.1 hourly 1 Comment on So, what exactly is gumption? by Jaap Hazewinkel http://www.gumption.com/blog/2007/05/02/so-what-exactly-is-gumption/comment-page-1/#comment-903 Jaap Hazewinkel Thu, 29 Oct 2009 21:10:57 +0000 http://www.gumption.com/?p=3#comment-903 Yes I remember gumption from my readings and rereadings of "Zen". Refocused on this word last week. A guy in the management development program where I work focused on the leadership competency "passion for XXX" (not material where I work, but Pirsig wrote some user manuals for that company a long long time ago). He was puzzled about the topic and we discussed freely and we concluded that being passionate about something requires you to understand it and connect with it regularly. I can be passionate for golf but not for curling, so to say. We concluded that "passion" in this sense actually would better translate to gumption, as when you like your work you can be passionate about it and you get more energy out of it than you put into it (and as you're passionate you put lots of energy into it anyway!). For managers it becomes interesting as a competency as the challenge is to fill your employees with passion for the business. Then Pirsig comes back to help us out with all the gumption traps & how to avoid them.... Surely I am preferring the carrot over the stick. Has anybody been working on this college material on gumption that Pirsig envisioned? Is this the right platform to blog on encountered gumption traps and how you worked them? Here is a start: whether you're an employee or a manager, we all get our challenges in our daily work. We need to cope with them to keep either our bosses or customers happy. But they are gumption absorbers. If you did what they ask you, you "just" did what was requested (and they will let you know that they didn't expect anything less). Try putting 70% only in this and reserve the other 30% for the topics that you put for yourself as your ambition in the business you're in. You will get something done, satisfy yourself, get gumption out of it and most likely your bosses or customers will be happily surprised and praise you for your productivity.... It's all a win-win... Happy to receive feedback on these thoughts. Cheers, Jaap. Yes I remember gumption from my readings and rereadings of “Zen”. Refocused on this word last week. A guy in the management development program where I work focused on the leadership competency “passion for XXX” (not material where I work, but Pirsig wrote some user manuals for that company a long long time ago).
He was puzzled about the topic and we discussed freely and we concluded that being passionate about something requires you to understand it and connect with it regularly. I can be passionate for golf but not for curling, so to say. We concluded that “passion” in this sense actually would better translate to gumption, as when you like your work you can be passionate about it and you get more energy out of it than you put into it (and as you’re passionate you put lots of energy into it anyway!).
For managers it becomes interesting as a competency as the challenge is to fill your employees with passion for the business. Then Pirsig comes back to help us out with all the gumption traps & how to avoid them….
Surely I am preferring the carrot over the stick.

Has anybody been working on this college material on gumption that Pirsig envisioned? Is this the right platform to blog on encountered gumption traps and how you worked them?

Here is a start: whether you’re an employee or a manager, we all get our challenges in our daily work. We need to cope with them to keep either our bosses or customers happy. But they are gumption absorbers. If you did what they ask you, you “just” did what was requested (and they will let you know that they didn’t expect anything less).
Try putting 70% only in this and reserve the other 30% for the topics that you put for yourself as your ambition in the business you’re in. You will get something done, satisfy yourself, get gumption out of it and most likely your bosses or customers will be happily surprised and praise you for your productivity…. It’s all a win-win…

Happy to receive feedback on these thoughts.
Cheers, Jaap.

]]> Comment on Premix by The Gumption Blog · Premix 1.0 Released http://www.gumption.com/blog/premix/comment-page-1/#comment-812 The Gumption Blog · Premix 1.0 Released Thu, 23 Jul 2009 21:45:32 +0000 http://www.gumption.com/blog/?page_id=351#comment-812 [...] Premix [...] [...] Premix [...]

]]> Comment on Premix by The Gumption Blog · Premix 0.9.3 Released http://www.gumption.com/blog/premix/comment-page-1/#comment-807 The Gumption Blog · Premix 0.9.3 Released Thu, 16 Jul 2009 17:29:35 +0000 http://www.gumption.com/blog/?page_id=351#comment-807 [...] Premix [...] [...] Premix [...]

]]> Comment on Gaegene Released by Olivier D. http://www.gumption.com/blog/2009/01/23/gaegene-released/comment-page-1/#comment-784 Olivier D. Wed, 03 Jun 2009 08:44:21 +0000 http://www.gumption.com/blog/?p=277#comment-784 You saved me 2 days of work. Thank you. You saved me 2 days of work. Thank you.

]]> Comment on Contact Us by The Gumption Blog · IA Summit Summary http://www.gumption.com/blog/contact-us/comment-page-1/#comment-745 The Gumption Blog · IA Summit Summary Mon, 13 Apr 2009 00:59:00 +0000 http://www.gumption.com/blog/?page_id=293#comment-745 [...] Contact Us [...] [...] Contact Us [...]

]]> Comment on So, what exactly is gumption? by RaiulBaztepo http://www.gumption.com/blog/2007/05/02/so-what-exactly-is-gumption/comment-page-1/#comment-690 RaiulBaztepo Sun, 29 Mar 2009 00:15:41 +0000 http://www.gumption.com/?p=3#comment-690 Hello! Very Interesting post! Thank you for such interesting resource! PS: Sorry for my bad english, I'v just started to learn this language ;) See you! Your, Raiul Baztepo Hello!
Very Interesting post! Thank you for such interesting resource!
PS: Sorry for my bad english, I’v just started to learn this language ;)
See you!
Your, Raiul Baztepo

]]> Comment on Gumption, LLC is official by Nick http://www.gumption.com/blog/2009/01/29/gumption-llc-is-official/comment-page-1/#comment-686 Nick Sun, 22 Mar 2009 13:43:56 +0000 http://www.gumption.com/blog/?p=323#comment-686 Don't know what Gumption LLC will be doing but good luck with it! I came across your site with the aim of ways to find new ways to achieve gumption... please continue to post and help each other to get more of it... although you already mentioned that there can be too much of it, however I dont believe it. Don’t know what Gumption LLC will be doing but good luck with it!

I came across your site with the aim of ways to find new ways to achieve gumption… please continue to post and help each other to get more of it… although you already mentioned that there can be too much of it, however I dont believe it.

]]> Comment on Premix by The Gumption Blog · Premix 0.9.2 Released http://www.gumption.com/blog/premix/comment-page-1/#comment-664 The Gumption Blog · Premix 0.9.2 Released Thu, 05 Mar 2009 18:04:03 +0000 http://www.gumption.com/blog/?page_id=351#comment-664 [...] Premix [...] [...] Premix [...]

]]> Comment on Gumption Sponsors UX Book Club by Tony http://www.gumption.com/blog/2009/02/14/gumption-sponsors-ux-book-club/comment-page-1/#comment-656 Tony Sun, 01 Mar 2009 16:25:46 +0000 http://www.gumption.com/blog/?p=346#comment-656 An interesting but longstanding issue relates to the Tarski theme displaying "no comments" when the comments count is zero. Do visitors think comments are closed? I decided to write a post about it. Hope it helps! http://tonytrainor.com/journal/2009/03/do-you-really-want-no-comments-on-your-blog/ An interesting but longstanding issue relates to the Tarski theme displaying “no comments” when the comments count is zero. Do visitors think comments are closed? I decided to write a post about it. Hope it helps!

http://tonytrainor.com/journal/2009/03/do-you-really-want-no-comments-on-your-blog/

]]> Comment on Premix by The Premix Python wrapper for the Best Buy Remix API http://www.gumption.com/blog/premix/comment-page-1/#comment-650 The Premix Python wrapper for the Best Buy Remix API Fri, 27 Feb 2009 20:08:11 +0000 http://www.gumption.com/blog/?page_id=351#comment-650 [...] information and possibly collaborate? A5) The main jumping off page for the Premix project is on The Gumption Blog. If you have general comments, you can make them there. However, the project itself (code, [...] [...] information and possibly collaborate? A5) The main jumping off page for the Premix project is on The Gumption Blog. If you have general comments, you can make them there. However, the project itself (code, [...]

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