Eclectic Change

Stay in Touch – Literally – Read the Paper

For the past few years, I tend to skim the headlines online every few days.  I usually feel rushed and unfocused.  However, for the past three weeks, I have had the greatest luxury (privilege?) to be able to sit down in the morning and read two newspapers from the previous day. My partner has been bringing them home from work for me.  With most people coming back to work in a few days and my own demands, I am not sure that this opportunity will last. I had forgotten how satisfying ...

Favourite Quotes

Have you noticed that each week I post a new quote?  You can find it in the upper right hand column.  I also record the old quotes under the "Quote" tab above if you are interested. I am also looking for short quotes related to the theme of this blog.  Please feel free to add them below.

Rethinking Leadership

The first follower is an underestimated leader. To be a leader - you may have to be the first follower. The populous believes that you can't be a leader without having followers.  I hate this premise - even if I don't have a good argument to dismiss it. While watching people trying to figure out how to get home in spite of all the airplanes not flying due to volcanic ash, it was clear there was no leader of the pack. Nor was it any individual frenzy.  Everyone took personal responsibility f...

Are your a futurist?

I was very fortunate to be be able to attend the Lift10 Conference for the past three days.   Lift is a series of events built around a community of pioneers who get together in Europe and Asia to explore the social implications of new technologies. Each conference is a chance to turn innovation into opportunities by anticipating the major shifts ahead, and meet the people who drive them. It was extremely eclectic in topic choices and workshops.  What was exciting for me was not to listen...

Rethinking Collaboration

What happens when the objective is clear but the resources and time frames keep shifting?  That is exactly what many of us experienced when we ended up in one location and due to the volcanic ash hovering over most of Europe, we could not travel home or to our next meeting. The news kept reporting how calm everyone was.  I know this to be true.  When I first arrived at the airport early Thursday morning - it was so eerie how quiet it was.  Everyone stood at the departure sign expecting the ca...

Rethinking The Stories We Tell Ourselves

Being in Prague and unable to get home for four days provided me with two wonderful opportunities: a chance to visit the city and take an unexpected mini vacation time to reflect on life, business, priorities and blessings I plan to write about some of my observations over the next couple of weeks. Some of the topics will be: rethinking teams rethinking engagement rethinking collaboration rethinking leadership Today, I want to share with you what I discovered about what is ...

The slippery slope of eccentricity (A personal work in progress)

This will be posted over Easter when I am off with the family on a journey to visit some German Castles and Legoland. It seems right to take a little time to pontificate on how my life has changed.  A small story of how I have chosen to remain a work in progress and reassemble the pieces of myself.  Too bad it is not as easy as Play-mobile or Lego. When I was in my 30's I use to say that I was in training to be eccentric.  I felt that any eccentricity before the age of 60 was merely being "fl...

Staying open – the danger of assumption; the possibility of creation

“There are only 3 colors, 10 digits, and 7 notes; its what we do with them that’s important.” (Jim Rohn) This is an unbelievably profound statement and each time I ponder it, I am amazed at all the beauty and art that is created as a result of these three simple facts.  Now it is true that we have splintered and sliced and diced colors, digits and notes but it leads me to truly accept that there is "nothing new under the sun".  I have never been "accused" of being particularly artistic but I do...

The Opposite of a Closed Mind – Video

Welcome to my very first Flip Cam Video.  I experimented a couple of years ago but the quality was pretty bad.  This is an unedited version that is under 2 minutes. Most of us wouldn't describe ourselves as having a closed mind but unfortunately every day we display the characteristics of one.  It is easier than we may care to admit how often we: Operate on habits without thinking (Often this is a good thing!) Not question the assumptions we have made about a situation or person See ...

We need more “helpers” not heroes: A tribute to Miep Gies

Miep Gies passed away on January 11th at the age of 100.  Her claim to fame was being known as a "helper" of Anne Frank.  I read the obituary of all places on the news channel on my Wii.  There was this quote from Gies that I find one of the most profound things that I have read in a while: "I am afraid that if people feel that I am a very special person, a sort of heroine, they may doubt whether they will do the same I once did. Not many consider themself very talented or courageous and thus w...