Sarah Bernhardt once said, “Life begets life. Energy creates energy. It is by spending oneself that one becomes rich.” And creativity spawns creativity. We are in what some are calling a “creativity crisis.” One of the best talks I’ve heard around this topic was a TED talk by Sir Ken Robinson, “How Schools Kill Creativity.” […]
Listening As Strategy – The Speech
Brian Copeland: So this guy plays in real estate because he loves us, and he’s going to show you his heart today in his session, and I want you to give a very warm welcome to one of my favorite speakers in America, Mr. Jeff Turner. Jeff Turner: So what do you do after that? […]
Values Are Illuminated By Crisis: Remembering A 9/11 Hero
I don’t often cry openly on an airplane in front of strangers. On a December 12, 2006 JetBlue flight to New York, I did. That day, on the History Channel, I came face to face with a man who walked the talk of his stated values and lived them so clearly that it brought me to […]
Link Baiting Hits A New Low
I went to bed angry last night. My final tweet of the night was this, “Congratulations, @WashingtonPost, you’ve taken link baiting to a new low.” I tossed and turned as I thought about the state of the fourth estate. I went to bed fuming about media’s unbridled desire to sensationalize headlines with little regard for the […]
You Don’t Need To Be The General To Have Go To War Values
In every organization, regardless of size, values take root from the top down. It rarely, if ever, works the other way. Grass roots movements to shift a company culture, to align the values of the leaders of the company with the values of it’s employees, can only go so far. Even attempts to get leaders […]
What Are Your “Go To War” Values?
Everybody loves a touchy-feely statement of values. Sites like Pinterest are littered with beautifully designed values pieces. An industry has been built around selling motivational posters based on popular, ethical values. They’re inspirational and aspirational. They make us feel good. Often, however, they don’t represent reality. Too many companies have values that are not in line […]