Finding North

Today was the kick-off of Journalism Week, held each spring and fall by the Meek School of Journalism. As a special guest, our dean, Dr. Will Norton invited Roger Fransecky, the CEO of The Apogee Group to speak on what he described as the "illumination of a meaningful life."

Fransecky focused life into two core principles; Prose - the defining of your own voice by listening and establishing your view on life, and Poetry - the meaning and light in what you do. The rest, Fransecky said, is plumbing. Sometimes the plumbing makes people fall into routine and slip away from the prose and poetry in life.

"It is why you have to find your true North," Fransecky said, "You do this by finding focus and finding a purpose driven life."

And just as quickly, he turned his focus on the issue of "Change."

Fransecky described Change as having its own architecture, saying "real change begins with ending something. As behavior follows belief, you have to make visible your beliefs."

He then went on to create the allusion of the journalism profession as a boat upon a fog filled lake. As journalists, we cannot see the beginning or the end. To turn back is to try to regain the certainty of what we knew but may never find again. The only clear answer is to go forth through the fog until you reach the new land, or the new world of media tomorrow.

Fransecky discussed the personal side of realizing higher achievement. "The question of life is not what you're doing but what you are becoming," he said.

He went on to describe the 5 factors NEEDED for Higher Achievement:

1. A Mentor - Someone you admire for positive traits.
2. A Lover - We all need love. It teaches us to love life as it illuminates your own.
3. An Editor - Someone to watch your back and call you out and keep you humble
4. A Truth-teller/Champion - Someone who will praise you and fill your balloon when you need it, given their words are sincere.
5. A Friend - The people who tell us the truth, find us, travel with us, belong to us. It's important to have a few great friends and remember you cannot be a friend to all.

Finally, Fransescky left us with what he called the two doorway truths (the truth someone tells you just as they are departing). The first is that everything we knew and trusted about everything is over! The second is that today is just the beginning of finding that greater tomorrow!

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