Benefits of Nostalgia, New Rules for Teams, Serengeti Rules

Benefits and Trappings of Nostalgia (20:27) Krystine Batcho, Ph.D., is a professor of psychology at Le Moyne College and is a licensed psychologist.  She began researching nostalgia in 1995. Her research includes nostalgia, memory, emotion and the influence of social media.   All of us are guilty at one point or another of thinking about the “good ‘ole days.”  Often, thinking about simpler times can give us a nice break from whatever is going on at the moment.  But, can nostalgia be dangerous?  Krystine Batcho explains why nostalgia can be both good and bad.  One Mission: How Leaders Build a Team of Teams (46:21) Chris Fussell spent 15 years as a US Navy SEAL. His work took him throughout the world, to places like Kosovo, Iraq, Afghanistan, the Arabian Peninsula, and North Africa. He served as aide-de-camp to General Stanley McChrystal while McChrystal commanded a Joint Special Operations Task Force fighting Al Qaeda.  All types of leaders feel the challenges of unifying their organization--from CEO’s of major companies to managers of fast-food franchises. Military organizations are known for strict discipline and tight protocols, but they also work consistently to develop unity within their teams. In 2004, the US Navy SEAL’s organization needed a way to unify themselves against the threat of Al Qaeda. They infused the agility, cohesion, and adaptability of their smaller teams into the entire SEAL organization. The new organization they created set a standard on how to unify a “team of teams.” The model can be applied to any non-military organization. Chris Fussell shares his book, One Mission: How Leaders Build a Team of Teams and explains how the SEAL’s transformed their organization. Serengeti Rules (1:37:56) Sean B. Carroll, Ph.D., award-winning scientist, writer, educator, and executive producer. He is vice president for science education at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute and the Allan Wilson Professor of Molecular Biology and Genetics at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. Have you ever wondered how there seem to be just the right amount of fish in the sea or just the right number of cells in our bodies? Has it ever crossed your mind how miraculous it all is? Is it chance or is there some sort of regulation behind it all?  These seem like such simple, fundamental questions, but they have a huge impact on our lives. Dr. Carrol joins us to discuss his book, The Serengeti Rules, and tell us how the discoveries of these profoundly important questions matter for our health and the health of the planet we depend upon.