If you are in the process of reimagining your next chapter, as an organization or individually, then my encouragement for you today is this: put yourself in situations where flashes of insight are likely to hit you.
This advice is not “try to get hit by lightning.” And it is more than “be prepared” or “do your homework.” It’s more like “hang out where fresh perspectives live in high density.”
Continue reading “Stand in the way of insight”Ever since the release of Google’s Project Aristotle, we’ve known that diverse, psychologically safe teams perform best. But we haven’t always known precisely why or across which fields, and I’ve appreciated watching that evidence base grow.
So I was fascinated by a radio interview last week, featuring new Canadian medical research that demonstrates that patients have measurably better outcomes when the surgical team in their operating room comprises at least 35% women.
Continue reading “The ‘Safe Enough’ Number”In last week’s Wiser by Choice book club, it was the first time I compared three books with identical titles (and three others not far off). The unifying theme was “friction” and it’s really gotten me thinking. As Roger Dooley writes in his book Friction, once you put on your “friction goggles” it’s hard not to see examples of friction everywhere. (My parking experience at the Toronto airport at 4:30 a.m. this morning was not pretty…)
Continue reading “Friction Goggles”I’ve just returned from two weeks in Spain.
Europe is far more densely populated than Canada, and so it was even more remarkable to us how much space is devoted to public enjoyment there. Gardens, boulevards, boardwalks, parks, playgrounds, cathedrals — all in urban spaces that would be far more likely given over to concrete and commerce where I live.
Continue reading “Beauty and Spaciousness”When I was in tenth grade, I attended a leadership camp where we played a game called “Win As Much As You Can.” I love games, and I still remember this one because it had a punchline (spoiler alert): the meaning of “you” was ambiguous — was it intended to be understood as plural or singular? Your interpretation would affect how you played the game and what you understood as a win.
Continue reading “Know the Game You’re Playing”
