Randy Pausch Last Lecture: Achieving Your Childhood Dreams - Essay Example

The video titled “Randy Pausch Last Lecture: Achieving Your Childhood Dreams” is a lecture that was presented by Randy Pausch right after he was diagnosed with cancer (Pausch 1). There are various teachings in the lecture that are important for every single individual to learn and follow in their life. The main purpose of the lecture was to persuade the audience which most comprised of his close relatives, that it is essential for an individual to follow his/her own dreams that they experience during their childhood and how they can attain those dreams. Another point that he focused on was that one individual can help other individuals in attaining their dreams. One of the most important points that Pausch talked about was head fakes. The term head fakes refers to learning that takes place in an indirect manner (Pausch 1). He stated that parents send their children to learn football, but the real purpose of this is that they want their children to learn how they can become better teammates. Another essential point that Pausch talked about was the to-do list he developed as a child and these to-do lists comprised various things he wanted to achieve in his life. Another significant point that he talks about is that he had spent his life helping others in attaining their aims and objectives and for this reason, he gives an example of the virtual world that he and his students developed. Another important point he focused on was humility which refers to being humble to others.

Workplace Application

There are various lessons in the lecture provided by Pausch and these lessons can help managers in several ways in managing their subordinates. One of the most important concepts that Pausch talked about was head fakes in connection with football. Managers in organizations can use the example provided by Pausch to help develop better teams in his/her organization. A manager can arrange football matches for his/her subordinates. Playing football will help a manager’s subordinates in different ways. Football is a game that requires teams to play in a united manner and every member of the team is dependent on each other. This will help subordinates in learning the importance of team members and team members will develop trust for each other and better relationships with each other through these games. Secondly, Pausch stated that one needs to help others in attaining their aims and objectives of life. Managers can make their subordinates develop a to-do list that comprises all the things that subordinates want to achieve. This will help managers learn what things their subordinates value. After gaining this information, managers can help their subordinates in achieving those things and this will result in motivating the workforce. Lastly, managers even need to be humble towards their subordinates and do not need to think about their subordinates as lower in status as compared to them. This will help the manager in developing friendly relationships with their subordinates and will create an environment where people trust each other.