awareness

Anthony Tilke, at The WordFish Group in Switzerland, wrote an insightful and thoughtful review of my book The Future of the Workplace. Anthony stressed several points that I think are worth highlighting here:

First, I agree with his statement that “It is time all corporations listened to the advice in this book. There is much talk about innovation and change, and unfortunately, there is too much talk. Silos and self-serving goals still exist despite the seemingly meaningful rhetoric.”

Anthony shares more observations and themes from the book that relate to his own experience. He ends the review with the following comment:

“What I see is many people talking and having resonating and powerful messages. The important thing now is to get the right people to listen and act. Bill Fox’s exhaustive transcriptions and insights provide the reader with this opportunity.”

Dan Creswell is someone I recently started following on Twitter. He regularly tweets nuggets of wisdom. Here’s a recent tweet that caught my attention:

“Everybody has different assumptions. Time after time I see folks acting otherwise to the detriment of conversation, understanding, progress etc. Many of our assumptions about others are based on what we (would) do, we aren’t all the same…#

This great question showed up in my LinkedIn feed and comes from Vanessa Jane Smith. Vanessa prompts with this opening: “A question that can reframe and redirect your business’ purpose, re-energizing it from its very centre.”

My own experience has been one of asking myself (and others) new questions that have increasingly moved my work and business to play a more creative role in society.

Roy Williams is a bit of an eccentric ad writer and marketing genius. However, he covers a lot more than those two topics in his weekly newsletter. I’ve been receiving his Monday Morning Memo email newsletter for well over ten years. I think that says something.

I’ve always had a soft spot for kids who are selling something. I remember the challenges and satisfaction I received when I was a kid. I frequently go out of my way to buy from a kid even when I don’t like the product. Roy helps us see that we can take this same attitude to all our relationships with this sage advice:

“People need your encouragement more than they need your advice. A little encouragement at a pivotal time makes all the difference.“

Several of the leaders interviewed in The Future of the Workplace book have contributed articles to the Apress blog.

The latest article by Jon Mertz helps us see why communities provide meaningful ways of creating and engaging people in better ways. If you’re not familiar with Jon’s story, in my interview with him, he shares the story of how a serendipitous encounter with a grove of Aspen trees helped him appreciate the value of community. 

Read the full interview with Jon in The Future of the Workplace book or catch the highlights in 13 Key Insights on Holistic Leadership.

I recently discovered The Power of Pull, which I am now reading. I found the idea of Pull intriguing because it relates directly to my work at Exploring Forward Thinking Workplaces and what I seek to accomplish. 

The authors contrast the views of Push vs. Pull when by saying, “Push knows better than you do, and it’s not afraid to say, ‘Do this, not that!” I think that’s a world many of us have experienced and are now working to change.

The authors go on to discuss various levels of Pull, but I think what’s most relevant for this conversation is the third level of Pull that they describe: 

“In a world of mounting pressure and unforeseen opportunities, we need to cultivate a third level of pull—the ability to pull from within ourselves the insight and performance required to more effectively achieve our potential.“