Three Problem Solving Traits of Indiana Jones
Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny is struggling to make money in movie theatres around the world because it's fine, not awesome. The film follows Harrison Ford's iconic, world-saving, colonially/neo-colonially-problematic, whip-slinging, problem solving character...
Six Lifelong Learning Lessons from The Intern Movie
Last week I published a piece on lifelong learning lessons from the perfectly fine Google recruitment video and/or raucous, adventurous workplace comedy, The Internship. This week I will focus on another perfectly fine (except for the last 20 minutes, but this isn’t a...
Say No to Meetings
That have no agenda. That are not organized. When you have no control over the outcome, content, and/or dialogue. That overlap with existing commitments. When you know they will suck your energy and wellbeing. That have the phrase "pick your brain" in the invite. When...
How We Will Realize Our Potential in 2020
Happy New Year! It’s the first day of 2020, which means that our team at The Potentiality is ready to engage in our tradition of publicly declaring bold goals for the year. Godfrey, Michael, Kurt and I are keen to grow as professionals, parents, partners, and human...
Build your Giving Muscles
It’s Christmas Day, which is a holiday that is supposed to be synonymous with giving. More likely, if you’re celebrating Christmas today you will be experiencing something that Organizational Psychologist Adam Grant calls “matching” – this is when people give and take...
Sustainable Holiday Gift Ideas from The Potentiality
The holiday season is here and our team at The Potentiality is thrilled to share a couple of gift ideas, which is something that we do at this time of year, that inform and inspire your community building choices. Here are some sustainable holiday gift ideas from The...
Career Longevity Lessons from The Irishman
Martin Scorseses lengthy epic film, The Irishman, tells the story of truck driver Frank Sheeran, played by Robert De Niro, and his life as a mid-level enforcer for Russell Buffolino, played by Joe Pesci, and his Pennsylvania crime family. As Sheeran climbs the ranks...
Four Things to Do When You Don’t Get that Job
It’s going to happen to you more often than not. You’ll spend hours prepping for the interview and days obsessing about how your life might change should you be the successful applicant. And then you get the email or (if you are lucky) phone call letting you know you...
Five Management Lessons from Coaching Youth Soccer
For the last few months I’ve been coaching my oldest son’s soccer team. He’s five years old and his teammates are around the same age. As you can imagine, the experience combines adorableness and fun with chaos and frustration. Weirdly enough, some of my learnings are...
Five Performance Tips from the Wiggles
Last night I took my youngest son to The Wiggles concert in Vancouver. It was an absolute blast. There was dancing, crowd-work, acrobatics, costumed-creatures, and many smiling kids (adults too!). It was the kind of showmanship and execution audiences expect from one...
Professional lessons from the Loudest Voice
The Loudest Voice is an HBO mini-series that charts the rise and fall of Roger Ailes, chairman of Fox News. Played by Russell Crowe in heavy makeup, Ailes is depicted as a ruthless, creepy and strategically brilliant predator. The show is built around several pivotal...
Five Ideas for Your Learning Strategy
According to experts, the future of work will require learning and adaptability. Organizations around the world are investing heavily in learning management systems, content platforms, design tools, and the capability of their learning teams. Making learning a key...
Three Leadership Lessons from Succession
HBO’s hit drama Succession follows the Roy family as they squabble (and backstab) their way to the top of their father’s media empire Waystar Royco. Based loosely on the Murdoch family (with plenty of other business scion source material mixed in), Succession yields a...