“All too often the act of the innovator, that stroke of genius, is in spite of the company system, not because of the company system.” – Craig Wynett, Chief Innovation Officer, Procter & Gamble Alan Murray blogged today in the Wall Street Journal that management is dead. Within hours Tom Peters tweeted: “Guarantee: Hierarchy will […]
It’s not that I’m so smart, it’s just that I stay with problems longer. – Einstein Theresa Amabile, of Harvard, and her colleagues conducted a study in which they tried to capture creativity in the wilds of teams and companies by asking participants to reveal their activities in Daily Questionnaires. These surveys were aimed at […]
We recently had the honor to learn from some of Australia’s leading thinkers, authors and executives, all offering unique insights on leadership, on the challenges of change initiatives, on the power of socially responsible efforts, and even the positive effects of waking up each day with a smile. Nick Kugenthiran, CEO of Fuji Xerox Australia, […]
My last post argued for recognizing and adopting the innovative practices of positive deviance. Now I’m suggesting you can become one. Identifying and adopting the strategies of positive deviants can be a powerful accelerant in your work, your play. I’m talking about being a Change Artist – creating new, unique change in positive and pro-social […]
On December 1, 1955 in Montgomery, Alabama, Rosa Parks, at age 42, refused to obey bus driver James Blake’s order that she give up her seat to make room for a white passenger. In her own words, she was “tired of giving in.” As a popular Zen Buddhist story goes: Two monks were returning to […]
Thomas Jefferson, Teddy Roosevelt, Issac Newton, Albert Einstein all included long walks as part of their daily routine. Charles Darwin had a favorite “Sand Walk” that has since become famous and popular for tourists to walk. Teddy Roosevelt, who greatly expanded our National Parks, was such an avid outdoor enthusiast that after his Presidency, he […]
Everyone has an internal running dialogue in their head – that mental input that feeds our thinking, and ultimately our own output, our behaviors and decisions. Our internal narrative might be opinionated, “I can’t believe how slow these people are to respond!” or life commentary, “Wow, what a beautiful piece of music,” or perhaps our […]
“Play that is directed by the child, not the parent, is the key to cultivating curiosity.” – Todd Kashdan This evening I was treated to my 7 year old son playing the piano – not the pounding childish make-noise kind, but nor the rote practice kind assigned by music teachers. And I take nothing from […]
“The culture defines the outcome.” – Eric Schmidt, CEO Google I recently had an interview with Nick Kugenthiran, CEO of Fuji Xerox Australia who poses five expectations of his managers. But before the big five, everyone needs to be on the same page. Nick first creates a sense of shared vision with a short collaborative […]
When you do what you love, you never work again. – Confucius Mihály Csíkszentmihályi calls it being in Flow. Ken Robinson calls it being in your Element. It’s a wonderful state to be “in the pocket” (musicians) or “in the zone” (athletes). The historical model of business competitive advantage dictates that a few wield the […]