Dr Flavius Akerele III's The E Team Education blog

  Winning an Argument Isn't the Same as Making One.   In my previous article, Whatever Happened to the Art of Disagreement? , I suggested that we've become less capable of having thoughtful conversations with people who see the world differently. That led me to another question: when did logical fallacies become acceptable debate strategies?   When I was a student, logical fallacies were something we were taught to avoid. If you relied on one in a paper or debate, your instructor pointed it out because it weakened your argument. Today, many of those same fallacies are celebrated. Delivered with enough confidence, they can sound persuasive, even when they rely on faulty reasoning instead of evidence. To be fair, every one of us, including me, is susceptible to logical fallacies. The goal isn't to become better at winning arguments. It's to become better thinkers.   Here are a few examples we encounter every day:   Ad Hominem   Instead...

  This subject could become much larger than I intend, so I am going to focus on my own experiences. I was born in the United States, but I was raised in different countries and immersed in different cultures. It was not until I began spending significant amounts of time in the U.S. that I even started to understand the way the word race is used here. Even today, I struggle with the concept. Not because I do not understand that race has shaped many people's experiences, but because the way we often use it assumes entire groups of people think alike, behave alike, or share the same culture. My life has taught me otherwise. Years ago, my wife made a Facebook post about an interaction we had experienced. Someone commented that people probably found me "intimidating." Before I could respond, my wife, who is all of 5'5" and about 115 pounds, asked a simple question: "Why would you think that?" It stopped me in my tracks. Why would someone t...

  Have you had a real debate lately? I'm not talking about politics. That's an entirely different conversation. I mean a genuine discussion with someone who sees the world differently than you do. There was a time when this was normal, people disagreed, they challenged one another, sometimes they even changed their minds, and then they went and had lunch together. Today, disagreement often feels like the opening round of a fight, not a debate, not a discussion; a fight. Somewhere along the way, we've confused disagreement with disrespect. I believe electronic communication has played a role in that change. Emails, text messages, comment sections, and social media have stripped away many of the things that help us communicate effectively: facial expressions, tone of voice, pauses, humor, and empathy. Intent is easily misunderstood. A sincere question can sound sarcastic. Curiosity can be mistaken for criticism. But technology isn't the entire problem. The other p...

  Years ago, I worked for a large education organization. It remains one of the best places I have ever worked. Not because of the salary. Not because of the title. Because I had an outstanding manager, worked with an exceptional team, and had the privilege of serving students who made every day meaningful. When the organization began experiencing financial challenges, campuses started closing. Our manager, who genuinely cared about our futures, encouraged us to begin exploring opportunities elsewhere within the company. It seemed like sound advice. After all, organizations often tell us they value internal talent and encourage employees to grow their careers from within. But what happened next surprised me. Very few of us could even secure interviews. I was fortunate enough to receive one interview, but I left feeling like an external candidate rather than someone who had already demonstrated success within the organization. After following up two weeks later (pass...

  There is nothing wrong with working hard. There is nothing wrong with pursuing excellence, chasing goals, or striving to build something meaningful. Those things matter. Just don't forget to live while you're doing it. It is easy to become so focused on the next deadline, the next promotion, the next project, or the next milestone that we miss the moments happening right in front of us. I've learned that tomorrow is never guaranteed, and the moments we postpone today are sometimes the ones we miss forever. Take the trip. Watch the sunset. Have dinner with the people you love. Call your parents. Laugh with your children. Spend time with friends. Put the phone down and look around. Success is important, but so are the memories we create along the way. At the end of our careers, very few of us will wish we had answered one more email, attended one more meeting, or checked one more item off a to-do list. Most of us will remember the people we loved, the li...

  Don't misunderstand me. The individuals recognized as "40 Under 40" are often exceptionally talented and deserving of recognition. But it does make me wonder what message we send about experience. We celebrate potential. We celebrate rising stars. We celebrate rapid achievement. Those things matter. But what about the leaders who have quietly spent decades mentoring others, solving difficult problems, preserving institutional knowledge, and helping organizations succeed year after year? Their contributions may not be as headline-worthy, but they are often the foundation upon which future leaders build. Perhaps the question isn't whether we should recognize young professionals, we absolutely should. Perhaps the better question is why we don't place the same value on sustained excellence, long-term service, and the wisdom that comes from decades of experience. In a time when organizations are struggling with leadership transitions, succession planning, and the l...