Last week I blogged about Daniel Pink’s list of different kinds of people and resolved to be more like those on the left-hand side of his list.  Of course I added a resolution about rhubarb pie, and you may have come up with some of your own.  People who like Krispy Kreme doughnuts versus those who like Dunkin Donuts.

On a more serious note, here are three resolutions passed along by Daniel Pink to make 2011 more “practically radical.”  They are from the co-founder of Fast Company, Bill Taylor, who has a new book called Practically Radical: Not-so crazy Ways to Transform Your Company, Shake Up Your Industry, and Challenge Yourself. I haven’t read the book, but I do like his resolutions.

1.      I resolve to help my organization (and me personally) become “the most something” in my field.

2.      I resolve to embrace a sense of vuja de.

3.      I resolve to look for new ideas in new places.

These resolutions are offered mostly with private businesses in mind, but they seem equally applicable to the School of Government.  Look at Taylor’s explanations and see what you think.

His resolutions are a call against complacency, which should be guarded against by every organization.  As we think about making strategic investments and budget cuts, what is it about our work that distinguishes us from everyone else?  How can we take a fresh look at our work?  Where should we look for new ideas, especially about how we do our work?

These are good questions for all of us to consider as we head into a challenging budget year.  I find myself thinking about these issues a lot and I would love to hear your thoughts about them.  Please feel free to post comments.