I realized last night that yesterday’s post may have led some to question my situation here.  ”Why did you write that?” one reader said.  ”Do you have bad leaders?”  Well, let me break the suspense, and go ahead and answer the hanging question before I insert the ubiquitous “Click here to read the rest of this post” link: I have great leaders.  I have great leaders here.  I’ve been led in a way that has even made me stand up and take notice, because of all the hard choices and discipline that have been required of them.

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My time in Bosnia has been a primer on one thing, more than anything else.  No, not language.  More than any other aspect of work in general, since arriving in Sarajevo I have been continually fascinated with the task of leadership.  No, I am not a leader in my job — well, not officially, anyway.  But being here and taking part in the challenges of living in a foreign land and attempting to execute a clear mission and vision has given me more respect for those in positions of leadership, and has made me take notice of different principles, as I discern them, of how one must lead if everyone is to (pardon the slogan) be all they can be.

So, let’s apply these leadership principles to leading people whose assignment is to learn a new language…

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More posting from around the web today.  In the waning hours of this Sunday evening, I happened upon this incredibly compelling video on YouTube (thanks, Linguist, for the heads up) about 3 elements that truly motivate people in all levels of professional life.  Three elements — autonomy, mastery, and purpose — are necessary to give people the motivation to do that which they are uniquely capable of.  Take a look:

While this is perhaps only tangentially related to language, it is inherently linked to nearly all tasks that are undertaken in the realm of work.  Without motivation, people will eventually do nothing, much less learn a new language.  More on this later… or earlier, seeing as it’s almost midnight.