Name:
Course:
Institution:
Date:
Leadership Based on The Last Lecture
The last lecture by Randy Pausch recounts Pausch’s life from childhood until just before his death. The book commences with Pausch saying that there are a few months before he succumbs to terminal cancer. Before knowing that his cancer is terminal, Pausch is asked to give one final lecture at Carnegie Mellon University. Once he discovers that death is imminent, Pausch considers canceling the lecture. His wife, Jai, had asked Pausch to spend more time with his family. Eventually, Pausch decides to give one final lecture to establish a professional and a personal legacy. He ends up discussing the topic of really achieving your childhood dreams (Pausch & Zaslow, pp5).
Pausch goes to the past to explain his upbringing with very encouraging parents. Pausch played football, was into science, and was permitted to paint his dreams onto his bedroom’s walls. One of his biggest goals was to float in zero gravity, which he realized in adulthood. Another aim was to play professionally in the National Football League (NFL). However, he was not able to accomplish this dream. In his attempt to join the NFL, he learned the head fake learning technique. In football, his method involves a head movement used to send an opponent in the wrong direction. Pausch acknowledges that this technique allows people to learn things subconsciously, and they only realize how much they have learned when they are well into the activity. Pausch’s family was preoccupied with the World Book Encyclopedia. It was a dream realized when the editors asked Pausch to write up their Virtual reality section. It was also Pausch’s dream to become Captain Kirk (Pausch & Zaslow, pp45). However, Randy does not get to run the enterprise, but he meets William Shatner and is very impressed by his presence.
In college, Pausch attends Brown University, studying computer science under the tutelage of Professor Andy Van Adam. The professor educates him about feedback loops and advises him, which makes him less arrogant. In his adulthood, Pausch takes his sister’s kids Chris and Laura, as his mentees and teaches them valuable life lessons. Pausch, later in his thirties, meets Jai, his future wife. Jai is reluctant to date Randy, but Randy succeeds in romancing the brick wall. He further states that brick walls are not meant to keep us out but show us how badly we desire something (Pausch & Zaslow, pp46). He successfully convinces Jai to relocate to Pittsburgh and become his wife. Pausch recalls funny bits of their relationship, such as just after their wedding when Jai was swept off in a hot air balloon. He further recalls an intense period when Jai started bleeding when she was seven months pregnant. Pausch keeps Jai calm while an emergency C-section is conducted. Their baby, Dylan, is born, and Jai ends up okay.
In 2006, Pausch was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. He analyzes his diseases to the best of his ability, and he undergoes any procedure the doctors recommend. In 2008, Pausch’s cancer returned, and he got a terminal diagnosis. He is told that he has only three to six months to live (Pausch & Zaslow, pp59).
Pausch gives advice that is meant to enable the dreams of his readers and others. His advice involves time management, responsibility delegation, meditation, and getting feedback from others. Concerning the last point, Pausch recalls when a student denied statistical feedback showing that he was a bad group member. Randy tells the student bluntly that he has a severe issue, which makes him change, similar to when he got Professor Van Dam’s advice (Pausch & Zaslow, pp159).
Pausch explains his work as a professor, like training one of his students, Tommy Burnett, who ended up working on the Star Wars movie franchise. He discussed how he was a co-creator of The Entertainment Technology Center, a two-year master’s program focusing on dynamic storytelling, innovation by design, virtual reality, and transformational games. One of Pausch’s most innovative project was Alice (Pausch & Zaslow, pp126), a computer software designed to teach kids programming through making films or making video games. His former mentees assumed control of the project to continue it after Pausch’s demise. Randy proceeds to give more advice. This advice includes learning to compromise, working harder instead of complaining, not obsessing over other people’s opinions, embracing cliches, learning to apologize, being honest, being humble, never quitting, listening to feedback, showing gratitude, and having the courage to try something new.
Finally, Pausch concludes the book by explaining his dream for his kids. He wishes his kids can have their own goals and be passionate about realizing them. Pausch then tells Jai and his children what he loves about them. Randy further says that he has faith that Jai will find a way to live without him. Pausch then says at the end of the lecture that he has a birthday cake for Jai and the crowd sing a birthday song. Pausch then asked the lecture attendees whether they had figured out the head fake of his lecture. He explained the lecture was not about achieving your dreams but how to live your life. Randy finally asked whether the audience had noticed his second head fake: the lecture was not just for the audience alone but also for his children. That way, he could pass that piece of himself to his children (Pausch & Zaslow, pp206).
As discussed above, the essential technique of Pausch’s leadership was using head fake. This technique, together with enabling the dreams of others, make his form of leadership unique. I believe that I can apply the head fake approach in my education, expressly, by focusing on the end goal, my education’s fruits rather than the struggle in between. That way, I shall not lose my vision of the goals that I have set for myself. Similarly, I believe that enabling other people’s dreams is a vital part of life because we grow by growing others. The other virtues and practices described by Pausch are also very significant, and together with the two techniques discussed, my life and career will take a turn for the better.
Works cited
Pausch, R., & Zaslow, J. (2016). The last lecture (1st ed., pp. 1–206). Hyperion.