As parents, we want to raise our kids to be kind and think of others. And not because of our lectures and nagging – we want them to genuinely care. But how do you teach that? Outside of collecting canned goods for food shelves, kids don’t have many opportunities to volunteer and get involved with…
Biomimicry: Geese, Termites, & Teams
Saskia van den Muijsenberg is a biomimicrist and TED speaker (watch her talk here). Biomimicry is an approach to problem solving that uses nature’s time-tested strategies. Here’s a familiar example – an idea that forever changed shoes and inspired the invention of moon boots. A man named George de Mestral was walking his dog. He noticed…
Finding your passion & purpose
Here’s two HUGE questions that I keep thinking about. Maybe you do, too: “What’s my purpose?” and “What am I passionate about?” There’s a lot of resources online for helping us to figure this out. Here’s some questions I’ve come across… When you go to a bookstore, what section do you go to? When you…
Giving to Change the World!
Make a greater impact… Giving is fun because even a small donation can make a huge difference. I know sometimes people struggle with who to donate to, so I thought I would share some of my gift list. The Changemakers from the pilot episodes of the podcast shared their stories, struggles, and passion for what they…
5 Expert Methods to Transform Habits
Whether breaking a bad habit or starting a new one, the routines that we choose to follow shape who we are and how we impact the world. According to Stephen Guise, bestselling author of Mini Habits, nothing is more important than our habits… “Habits form about 45% of your total behavior, according to Duke University. Not…
Harnessing Value: Organizations converting time & energy into something greater
When filling out an online form, we’ve all encountered a CAPTCHA: You know, the blurry, squiggly words confirming that you’re a human and not a bot. Although somewhat annoying, their purpose is to stop spam and prevent computer programs from making bulk transactions (e.g. purchasing thousands of concert tickets so they can be later sold at outrageous prices). It’s apparent…
Walking to The Real Place – Gemba Walk
A few years ago, I was a new patient at a small family medical practice. I observed a friendly staff, clean waiting room, and the practitioner was knowledgeable. All good things, however, when exiting the building I passed a room that looked like another exam room, with the door half open. Inside were stacks of…
Moments of clarity and how to find a great story
We know that stories are a great way to get people to listen. But, where do we find good stories to tell? Paul Smith, author of “Lead with a Story”, shared his advice on an episode of The Accidental Creative podcast. When we can find Moments of Clarity, we find a great story. Moments of clarity are times…
Your own, personal board of directors
You know how it sometimes takes time for an idea to click? Well, I want to share with you something that just clicked for me and it might be able to help you. Last year, I listened to a speech by Julie Gilbert Newrai, a former Best Buy exec that started an award-winning tech company, PreciousStatus….
Writing for radio (and meetings, presentations…)
“Short sentences are energetic. They have punch. Short sentences also offer clarity, one idea at a time.” -Rob Rosenthal I recently listened to How to Write for Radio, a podcast with radio writers and producers Rob Rosenthal and Alex Chadwick. While you may not be writing for radio, you likely prepare your thoughts before presentations, meetings, and important…
