On The Job
JANUARY 5, 2009
"Excuse me, Brianna, but I was reviewing this report and it looks like there's an error in the numbers. I need you to look them over and see what you can find so I can go ahead and submit this to the client today." "Gee, Jennifer, I doubt there are errors, but I'll look it over. I know that you can't add more than two numbers together unless you've got a calculator nearby.
Lateral Action
JANUARY 30, 2009
Photo by kasrak. Seth Godin posted some interesting thoughts on creativity this week: What does it mean to be creative? You could watch the most non-creative, linear-thinking, do-it-by-the-book cop work to solve a crime and you'd be amazed at how creative her solutions seem to be. Creative for you, because you've never been in that territory before, it's all new, it's all at the edges.
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On The Job
JANUARY 29, 2009
Many of us are more comfortable sending e-mails or memos at work, never having to directly face other human beings who — gasp! — want to ask us questions. But sometimes you have to speak with people face-to-face, and sometimes it can get uncomfortable. Like when you're required to make off-the-cuff remarks or answer difficult questions. “Why are you late with that project?
On The Job
JANUARY 23, 2009
There have been many requests for a piece of the bailout pie from lots of companies, including Hustler magazine and the guy from "Girls Gone Wild." Exactly who is going to finally get some of the TARP (Trouble Asset Relief Program) money remains to be seen, but here are 8 signs your company may have received a bit of that bailout pie: 1. The boss arrives for work in a plane piloted by Tom Cruise.
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On The Job
JANUARY 20, 2009
As Barak Obama begins his first days in office, he'll be surrounded by trusted advisers. Before he makes a decision, he's likely to consult members of his Cabinet. He'll probably ask their opinions on everything from foreign policy to domestic issues. In the end, of course, the final decision will be his. But he will make that decision based on input he's received from people he trusts and respects.
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On The Job
JANUARY 12, 2009
Recently, I posed this question on Twitter : "What was the name of your favorite teacher and what did he/she teach?" I immediately got nearly a dozen responses, and the enthusiasm was palpable. English, history, economics, drums and literature teachers were lauded by fellow Twitterers who noted how the favored teacher was "encouraging," "brilliant," had "patience" or a sense of humor.
On The Job
JANUARY 8, 2009
Is your definition of success a fatal mistake? For some, success is defined in terms of the dollar amount on a paycheck. For others, it's the title on their business card. Others may define success in terms of the accolades and awards they have won. But the problem with how people define success these days is that when they're forced to change it, they can't.
Lateral Action
JANUARY 26, 2009
Photo by jurvetson. Richard Huntington, Director of Strategy for Saatchi & Saatchi in the UK, has a pathological hatred of brainstorming : I hate brainstorms. I hate running them, I hate contributing to them and I hate using them to solve problems. They waste huge amounts of time and talent and they are no f **g good at delivering decent ideas.
Lateral Action
JANUARY 23, 2009
Cartoon by Hugh MacLeod. It's time to spread the link love by highlighting some great examples of Lateral Activity elsewhere on the web. You can tell the economy is in a bad way when we cautious Brits are seized with entrepreneurial fever. According to Money Market UK , job losses are spurring 'a new breed of UK entrepreneurs': The growing number of talented high earners losing their jobs across Britain is spurring a revolution and new generation of entrepreneurs.
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Whether you’re shopping for your very first learning management system (LMS) or looking to upgrade, the process can be overwhelming. With so many vendor options, each with its own multitude of features and pricing structures, even the most seasoned educators, trainers, and business leaders can feel lost in a sea of choices! Finding the LMS that’s best suited for your organization requires a planned, strategic approach.
Lateral Action
JANUARY 19, 2009
When the HMS Beagle sailed into Falmouth, England on 2 October 1836, after a five-year voyage around the world, she carried a new scientific celebrity. The ship's naturalist Charles Darwin had left Britain a virtual unknown - but the quality and quantity of specimens he had shipped back to London meant he returned with a considerable reputation. But Darwin was not content to be a mere collector - he was determined to solve the problem of how evolution took place.
Lateral Action
JANUARY 14, 2009
Photo by Vibragiel. In the first article in this series, I asked the question How Did Darwin Get His Big Idea? I considered a popular theory, based on Edward de Bono's lateral thinking, as to why Darwin, unlike his learned contemporaries, was the one who devised the theory of evolution by natural selection. According to this view, Darwin was a creative thinker of genius who looked at the facts unhampered by the blinkers of professional education and preconceived notions.
Lateral Action
JANUARY 7, 2009
Family Guy. It’s crude, rude, and, according to its detractors… badly drawn. But the show has a rabid fan base that’s brought it back from the dead not once, but twice. And it’s the basis of a $2 billion empire for creator Seth McFarlane. Whether you like the show or not, you can learn a lot about the business of creativity from peeking behind the scenes.
Lateral Action
JANUARY 5, 2009
Photo by alexsey.const. Happy New Year everyone! The Lateral Action team would like to wish you all a creative, productive and fulfilling 2009. To help you kick start your enthusiasm for the challenges ahead, here's a free e-book for you: How to Motivate Creative People (Including Yourself). It began life as a series on my Wishful Thinking blog, and is primarily aimed at leaders, managers and others responsible for getting the best out of creative people.
Speaker: Tim Buteyn, President of ThinkingKap Learning Solutions
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Lateral Action
JANUARY 28, 2009
Monday's post on whether brainstorming is a waste of time provoked an excellent debate in the comments. In this post I want to highlight one of the threads in the discussion, as it touched upon a fundamental question about creativity -- is it something we all have, which should be encouraged in everyone, or is 'serious' creativity best left to experienced professionals?
On The Job
JANUARY 26, 2009
I feel for managers these days, I really do. Or, at least I feel for the good managers. The evil troll managers I don't really think about too much, because they're going to get theirs one day no matter what I think about them. But the good managers -- those men and women who are trying to hold it together when it feels like the entire workplace is a huge Titanic without Leonardo DiCaprio to at least provide a distraction from the looming iceberg -- I feel for what they're going through.
Lateral Action
JANUARY 9, 2009
Photo by interrupt. Earlier this week I switched on the TV halfway through a documentary about the late, great Stanley Kubrick. Presenter Jon Ronson was obviously a huge Kubrick fan, and was thrilled at being invited to the director's home by his family and chief assistant. What did he find when he got there? Cardboard boxes. Thousands of them. Big ones, small ones, scruffy ones, neat ones.
Lateral Action
JANUARY 12, 2009
If you had an idea that was going to outrage society, would you keep it to yourself? This question is at the heart of the Natural History Museum's Darwin Big Idea Exhibition , currently running in London to celebrate the 200th anniversary of Charles Darwin's birth. It's a superb exhibition, well worth a visit for the sheer interest of the momentous discovery it describes, as well as the human story of Darwin's quest for understanding.
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