I’m resistant to change and I don’t like to be told what to do. I don’t think I’m unusual in this way. And so when my wife, Julie, told me I “needed” to move my clothes from bins in our bedroom to a dresser in another room, I resisted and quietly did nothing! About a week later, as I was complaining about not being able to reach my clothes without…
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Counter Intuitive Creativity
I almost always find myself in a creative mood when I fly. As much as I travel, there’s still something counter-intuitive to me about being suspended in the air 30,000 feet in a metal machine that weighs tons. This sense of vulnerability brought on by doing something counter-intuitive makes me a little emotional and my emotions are the fuel for my creative thoughts and actions. Knowing that I’m going to…
Coffee & Creativity
That’s the mystique and challenge of creating. There are no guarantees, no promise of return on investment, only the hope that we’ll stumble upon something magical, or at least something that works quite well!
Out of the Box Team Building
Michelangelo replied that he simply chiseled away what wasn’t the sculpture to reveal the work inside – in it’s purest sense, getting rid of what blocks our view of the simple solution that already exists.
Team Building and Hierarchy
I often tell prospective clients one of the benefits of our team building program is that it breaks down established hierarchy and enables co-workers, employees at different levels, and participants from the C-suite to interact on equal footing, without inhibition. I often see a CEO getting a gentle ribbing as a group crafts a lyric about policy or behavior and I often see real results as the interaction enables everyone…
Waxing Melancholy
And by waxing melancholy, I don’t mean getting my old car waxed. Although if an old car has poignant memories for you, you could wax melancholy. I’m thinking about my dog Martha. Martha passed away this week. She was fourteen years old and had been the best family pet anyone could ever want. Losing Martha put me in a melancholy place and brought back fourteen years of memories; not just…
Recent Team Building Through Song
NORANDA ALUMINUM shared one hundred of their top management with us, including their CFO & CEO. My cheeks hurt after laughing for about an hour straight. Along the way everyone learned more about their colleagues, their company and themselves. LEADERSHIP RUTHERFORD County kicked off their year long leadership training with Team Building Through Song. Thanks for trusting us to break the ice! WE’RE IN THE NEWS and we’re so happy….
When Cookies Mean Cookies
I FOLLOW my daughter on Twitter now. And the other day she tweeted the following: #cookies. That was the entire tweet. My mind immediately went through the strategic process a business person’s mind would go – Hmm, I thought to myself… what’s the angle, what’s the strategy? How can this get my daughter more followers or help her promote her message? What does she mean and what does she want? So…
PCMA Education Conference
As a supplier, (someone who sells services to event planners), I often view conferences as a sales opportunity with little thought about the educational value of attending. Quite often, I’ll judge my ROI by who I’ve met and what potential I’ve created for additional work. But my recent trip to Montreal for the PCMA Education Conference has changed my view of these trips. Yes, I made great contacts with lots…
Choosing the right words
So many coaches use the expression, doing a 360, when they’re talking about change. I read a great article today, by Dan O’Sullivan, that reminds me how important language is. As a songwriter, I try to stay in deep with word use, pondering the best way to express something and playing with alternatives. In my work as a facilitator, I’ve found that good word choice can greatly accelerate the impact…
Back To School
Back to school time brings back memories and stirs emotions; a potent mix of summer heat, recent summer adventures and the promise of fall with new beginnings. As I plan to head up to New York soon I’m reminded of the past, and excited about what’s in store for the future. My daughter is beginning college in NYC and I’m getting ready to visit some wonderful clients there who are…