Blog Post Week 4 Reading: Starting with the Spark and Ending with "We" not "Me"

"We" not "Me"

Aah, the amazing Zander book again…my thoughts on this week:

Chapter 9 - Lighting a spark – Ben’s story of how he used a sort of ‘tactic’ he remembered from his father to woo Slava Rostropovich to come and play cello at a concert was really heartwarming. I liked his description of what he defines as “Enrollment” which is the art of generating a spark of possibility for others to share.” Ben’s four steps he outlines for us to use in the practice of enrollment are easy to imagine and very possible to use effectively.

I liked Zander’s description of ‘downward spiral’ such as when the Guardian newspaper in London flew a headline “Education Action Zone May Fail” when discussing the nationwide program for so-called ‘failing’ schools. His trip to Eastlea School was a success, and a BBC producer mentioned how exciting it was that Ben just conducted 1,100 children singing Ode to Joy in German. It was quite a smashing success actually. Ben shared the poems the children had written about his visit there, and he realized that in an underachieving school, education was so important to everyone. The letters he printed in the book were very heartwarming and lovely. Later when the orchestra arrived, Ben allowed Anthony, a hyper active student conduct, and it was a brilliant moment for everyone there. That story was so amazing…

Chapter 10 – Being the board – Zander maintains in this chapter that when ‘the way things are’ offers no possibility, especially if you are angry and blocked, renaming yourself as ‘the board on which the whole game is being played’ can be done. This way you move the problematic circumstances that are going on away from the outside world to inside your own boundaries. He says with this practice you can transform the world. Interesting.

I liked Ben’s example of blame, and how blaming someone takes away your ability to steer a situation into another direction, or to learn from the situation, or even help the relationship. I think declaring “I am the framework for everything that happens in my life” is quite a sound idea actually. I know that I am responsible for all my decisions for the most part anyway. So what is wrong with acknowledging that before embarking on some huge decision-making process. I equate this with my decision to attend Full Sail University, really, because I wasn’t sure this was a ‘right path’ for me at first, as I am not a teacher like most of the other Master’s students I am learning with. However, into my final month in another few days shows me that I did make this decision, I did take responsibility for all my coursework, and for my team when we had projects, and I was responsible for the positive endings to each course and pretty much everything that went on with my own education process. If I had failed at this program, I would have been responsible for that as well, and I would have had to take the blame for it, because we are self-directed to get our coursework done here. I feel I owned the risks I took by choosing to attend this program, and I feel a lot of Grace now that I have had so much success with my program as well. And, as Zander mentions it, I do feel free to choose something else now that it’s nearly over. I chose to fly off to parts known and unknown in the world around me for a while to see ‘what’s out there.’ It is scary, but I own my decision to go on my trip. Who knows what will materialize out of that, if anything? Maybe nothing but a great vacation, but then, there are also thousands of other possibilities waiting for me there as well…and I will be free to choose again…. I liked Zander’s example of taking responsibility for everything that goes on in his orchestra, even the mistakes players make occasionally.

Chapter 11 – Creating Frameworks for Possibility

An important message in this chapter is Zander’s statement about us having the courage to distinguish the downward spiral from the realm of possibility in the face of any challenge. This really makes great sense. To me it is akin to the glass half full or half empty scenario, to which I always responded ‘half full’ when asked that question by my peers.


I loved Zander’s ‘possibility’ stories of the little girl with no hair from chemotherapy and of King Christian of Denmark. The stories he uses always illustrate the point he is making quite appropriately and perfectly.

Out of Zander’s 7 different definitions he gives for ‘vision,’ my favorite one is the last one where he says “Speaking a vision transforms the speaker.” I think this does relate to all of us in one way or another. Where some of his other definitions are more standard or nebulous, that one did make me ‘think.’

I love the story of Hewlett Packard and the poster of both of them looking into the tiny garage where they began their business decades ago superimposed with the world. I think that was truly ‘vision’ being expressed and then illustrated perfectly!

Zander is so right about how the experience of a personal crisis or failure will become the basis for someone’s personal vision. I like this because it kind of is akin to a saying I once saw on a poster which said “When life gives you lemons, make lemonade” or some such thing. We have all seen some iteration of this. I loved the story he told of the artist who had been at Auschwitz concentration camp as a teenager.

What an honor that Zander’s students’ letters are now included in the NASA program. I also loved what one NASA employee wrote back as he is reminded why he is working there: “I am here today to cross the swamp, not to fight all the alligators.” What a great saying!!

Chapter 12 – Telling the WE Story

Ben Zander’s father’s positive stories about the Arabs and Jews and Palestine circa 1947, was just enlightening, and the response of the student was really amazing. How innocent and wonderful a moment that had to be. I think also practicing talking as ‘we’ instead of ‘you’ or ‘I’ is a great idea, it forces one to think of the other person rather than just of themselves. I know I get guilty of that sometimes, so just thinking of ‘we’ rather than ‘me’ sounds like something to practice for ‘us.’

Thank you Ben and Roz Zander. It’s been a fun journey through your book! Thank you to Full Sail University for giving us the opportunity to learn from this book.