Three Strategies for Effective Brainstorming
Creating an Awesome Brainstorm I love brainstorming. Whether we’re planning a camping trip, riffing on hilarious “what if?!” scenarios, solving a complex technical problem or strategizing for the upcoming school year, the creative exercise of collecting ideas is one of…
Why We Should Strive to be Strange
I am not a normal person. It’s pretty awesome to be comfortable with my strangeness because, in a world of conformity, this is a differentiator. One of the best things about being a dad is noticing and experiencing how my…
Six Lessons About Being Cool from Pete the Cat
Having two kids under four means I have the privilege of reading Pete the Cat stories by literary genius James Dean. My wife appreciates that the characters are always kind to each other and that each story ends with a…
15 Positive Self-Talk Phrases that Will Build Your Confidence
The global pandemic is approximately one year old. Arguably the next few months will be the hardest because we are heading into the final stretch of this hellish marathon. So many of us are hitting walls in our work and…
The Five Ingredients of Healthy and Thriving Communities
Over the years I have developed deep expertise in building and leading teams that make work and life better for people. As a kid I had a knack for inclusion and always relished an opportunity to get strangers intermingling with…
How to Ask for (and Act on) Feedback
This article is about how to ask for (and act on) feedback. Because one of the best ways for people to realize their potential is to receive and act on feedback. Unfortunately, human beings are fairly terrible at accepting praise…
How to Suspend Judgment
The potential of dialogue Meaningful dialogue is an elusive thing in our communities. Having a respectful conversation with someone about something on which we do not agree isn’t common. Yelling opinions over someone else or building a newsfeed that reinforces…
Three Things that Need to be in an Employee Value Proposition
By 2020 the global war for talent will go to another level of competitiveness. Organizations of all kinds are riding the uncertain wave of global economic disruption that’s being driven by automation, climate change, migration, #MeToo, and other complex factors….
Eight Professional Lessons from the Movie Chef
Last week I re-watched Chef – written, directed and starring Jon Favreau – on Netflix. The film is about Carl Casper, the head chef at a high-end Los Angeles restaurant who loses his cool, loses his job, loses a lot…
Three Things That Make Cooperatives Different
The cooperative business model advances economic, social, and environmental progress and demonstrates versatility and resilient. Even though nearly two billion people around the world are members and/or directly impacted by cooperative enterprises across virtually every sector, the value of the…