Putting Our Differences to Work by Debbe Kennedy tag:typepad.com,2003:weblog-1570540 2009-11-09T16:07:14-08:00 An ongoing conversation with Debbe Kennedy, author, Putting Our Differences to work with insight, lessons learned, and inspiration from leaders and innovators across the world that have discovered the fastest way to innovation, leadership, and high performance through people. www.puttingourdifferencestowork.com TypePad ALWAYS ON THE AIR: What and how we say it tag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00d83452237c69e20128756532ab970c 2009-11-09T16:07:14-08:00 2009-11-09T16:13:50-08:00 How and when and where leaders communicate continues to be in the midst of transformation. It seems we're always on the air in some way. Have you noticed? It is evolving as the whole landscape for leadership changes ---involving all of us. Learn about enabling rich communications, the importance of social media, mistakes leaders make and... Debbe Kennedy

IStock_000007629279XSmall-MICsm How and when and where leaders communicate continues to be in the midst of transformation. It seems we're always on the air in some way. Have you noticed? It is evolving as the whole landscape for leadership changes ---involving all of us; stretching across cultures and many dimensions of difference at a breakneck speed. Each of us, regardless of position or station, is being touched with opportunities to lead in ways not thought about in the past. Today leadership is as local as any of us holding our cellphones to communicate on Twitter or Facebook, MySpace, LinkedIn, YouTube, email, blog or ++++++. It is also as global and collaborative as time, distance, difference, and technology can take  us.

Notably, many traditional principles of communicating as a leader, passed on to this generation, remain good and true. But with social media being clearly and increasingly in the mix of business everywhere, the idea of leaders at any level brushing it off as "I'm not that into it,"is surely a 21st Century symptom of becoming obsolete and perhaps, at some point, irrelevant. It still surprises me to hear the best, and sometimes the brightest, make such statements. At a gathering over this past weekend, I heard a group complaining about all the buzz about social media and the problems it was causing. With great demands for a leader to be skilled at enabling rich communication wherever they land in the world, both physically and virtually, it calls for bolstering up your skills with a few new added considerations and higher level of consciousness about the impact of what and how you do things and say things.

Enabling rich communication
First, what's meant by the idea of "enabling rich communication." In my book, Putting Our Differences to Work: The Fastest Way to Innovation, Leadership, and High Performance, Enabling Rich Communication is one of Five Distinctive Qualities for Leaders identified as essential for the global marketplace, workplace and community. This quality defies the notion of unilateral streams of thought by leaders in the past. It also helps to close the gap between layers of hierarchy within organizations of every kind that often destroy opportunities for INNOVATION. It relies on approaching dialogue and problems with a “beginner’s mind”—even as an expert. It reaches beyond asking questions or inviting input, when the record shows little is heard or acted upon. It places a new level of value on what others have to say, while upping the ante on responsibility and openness to listen with a new consciousness --- one that is always mining for the better idea.

"Diversity is a kind of energy---a power which generates the new, the unique, the INNOVATIVE, the excellent....because one of those ideas may, indeed, be the piece which sparks the next great INNOVATION."
--- Dr. Shirley Ann Jackson
President, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

Enabling rich communication dramatically broadens the notion of open, honest two-way communications of the past. How about mastering three-way, four-way, across-the-world communication? It adds a requirement of trusting ourselves, and each other, enough to engage in action-directed dialogue, across disciplines—welcoming outsiders—in new and different forms that accelerate change and boost productivity in solving problems and generating new thinking and great ideas.

Common Mistakes Leaders Make
What we say and how we say it matters!
All leaders want to be great! Don’t you? Organizations, and everyone in them, needs you to be great. To complement your unique approach to enabling rich communication, here are three common mistakes leaders make in their desire to connect with people. How do you stack up?

1.  Leaders often talk at people versus with them
Many of us seem fearful about sounding too personal or human, as if it were a weakness. Instead of saying, “I’ve been looking forward to talking with you about our new company strategy,” the leader has a one-way talk about “the company’s strategic imperative to engage employees in their new direction,” forgetting how it feels to learn that leadership is out to engage you.

2. Leaders say what they want without considering what employees need to hear.
Those statistics are impressive. The strategy models are right on --- but most employees are longing to find out more about the your vision, how they fit into it, how much you need and value their contributions. Most listen, hanging on every word you say or type, hoping for a glimmer of acknowledgment or belief in what they are working so hard to accomplish for you.

3. Leaders often use too much head talk and not enough heart talk.
Buzz words, shop talk, B-school jargon, or the latest trendy metaphors are often shelters to hide behind for many leaders. Using them is safe territory; they have no emotional connection, and mean little to almost everybody listening. Speak from your own passions --- about what you love and see in the important work you are doing. Passion is catching.

"A leader must earnestly pursue the question, "How can I improve my human qualities?"
--- Kazuo Inamori
Founder, Kyocera Corporation, one of Japan's most admired entrepreneurs

Family Heirlooms to Pass Along
One time early in my own leadership career at IBM, I heard a presentation about Winston Churchill, one of the twentieth century’s great leadership communicators, given by James Humes, a well-known presidential speech writer and author. His wisdom has stayed with me and with practice became a reliable yardstick for measuring meaningful messages for myself and helping other leaders over the years. Churchill’s five elements for great oratory are:

1. A strong beginning
2. One theme
3. Simple language
4. Use of analogy
5. Appeal to the human side of a person.

If your message ever misses having the impact you wish it would, one of these elements is missing. You’ll be surprised how these work! Even as we communicate in myriad of new ways across the world, they remain a valuable yardstick to consider with something as simple as the tweets we share---a meaningful combination of words, links, and good intentions come across in 140 characters too!

Warmest regards to all that stop by. I welcome your thoughts.

Debbe

 

Debbe Kennedy
founder, President and CEO Global Dialogue Center  
and Leadership Solutions Companies
Twitter  @debbekennedy

9781576754993-med-sm author, Putting Our Differences to Work
The Fastest Way to Innovation, Leadership,
and High Performance (Berrett-Koehler 2008)
Buy a Copy at Amazon.com

Reader Reviews

Downloadable DISCUSSION GUIDE
for teams, training, reading groups

 


 

 http://globaldialoguecenter.blogs.com/differences/2009/11/talking-with-people-common-mistakes-leaders-make.html INNOVATING: An ACT of FAITH tag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00d83452237c69e20120a67c3fb6970c 2009-10-27T10:57:46-07:00 2009-10-27T11:09:29-07:00 INNOVATION always calls for thinking in a new and different way. No matter what the INNOVATION call, opening new paths always draws out a strong belief in what is possible: An act of faith. A small group of HP innovators demonstrate (story from Putting Our Differences to Work (Berrett-Koehler 2008). Debbe Kennedy

10-27-2009 8-48-33 AMINNOVATION always calls for thinking in a new and different way. R. Buckminster Fuller challenged us to meet this call: "People should think things out fresh and not just accept conventional terms and the conventional way of doing things."

I was blessed with a "pioneering spirit" and consequently, my journey has been one that continues to collide with other "innovative spirits." In each case, no matter what the INNOVATION call, opening new paths always draws out a strong belief in what is possible:  An act of faith.

In my book, Putting Our Differences to Work: The Fastest Way to Innovation, Leadership, and High Performance (Berrett-Koehler 2008), one story in particular highlights the power in this essential act of faith. The great thing about stories is you can revisit them over and over again to learn something new. This is, in part, an excerpt from my book, mingled with some new thoughts in reflection...

HP Common Thread 2.0
The following story shows how organizing was an act of faith for a small team of people-focused innovators at HP. It was the ultimate putting our differences to work project. The initial aim was to forge a new virtual path across the company, in record time, with big ambitions of creating an influential Web-subscriber-based vehicle to connect employees at all levels in a personal way to HP’s leadership team, their culture of innovation worldwide, and their commitment to diversity and inclusion throughout the world.

The HP Common Thread core team for the mission was tiny—three, to be exact. It was headed by then Director, Diversity Awareness Solutions, joined by HP's Director, Culture and Engagement, and a Diversity Project Manager. I had the privilege of being invited to team up as a creative partner, bringing my outside perspective from building the Global Dialogue Center community. Together there was an intentional blend of inside and outside differences with unique knowledge, know-how, and strengths that everyone brought to the table. The HP Director described it this way: “We were able to bring an idea to life, because we ultimately respected the differentset of talents that each brought,” reflected Barbara Hopland. “We learned differences can cause initial conflict and sometimes misunderstanding in the midst of a lot of creative drive, especially when the pressure is on. What made it work well was that we all had the courage and conviction to mission to keep our focus on achieving results, for and through the people of HP. This brought out the best in all of us.”

It was true that none of us knew exactly how the work would unfold or even how to classify what it was at first so that sponsors, leaders, and employees would grasp its value and find it personally meaningful. So for lack of a different term, we initially called it a “news digest." As we worked in partnership with HP employees around the world, they helped everyone see it was much more than it's original idea.Through their willingness to participate and share their ideas and stories, it became a:

• virtual peer-to-peer global development experience;
• professional and leadership development resource;
• place for ongoing dialogue with senior leaders and HP innovators;
• “town hall” for sharing best practices, insight, and opinion;
• resource for outside perspectives and innovative new thinking;
• vehicle tapping into creative ideas for responding to a dynamic marketplace;
• virtual stage with an open mike;
• giant blog with many contributing authors;
• virtual gathering place.

In March 2006, HP’s Common Thread was launched in partnership with HP’s employees across the world, joining together to tell their stories and transfer knowledge business to business in ways never imagined. There was meaning behind the name Common Thread that resonated across the world: “The name symbolizes our undeniable link across businesses, cultures, differences, and distance. Together, we make up HP’s global team. Each one of us plays an important role in our success.”

Ct-blue[1] In its first year, over seventy senior leaders and members of the executive team contributed personal features and offered their sponsorship and encouragement. Scores of HP employee contributors showed up, excited to share their best practices, success stories, as well as editorials on key topics, like the need to “think globally.” They also coached, mentored, and worked together in virtual town halls, offering their expertise and global perspectives on a wide range of business issues. In the spirit of mutualism, the Global Dialogue Center’s thought leaders brought in outside perspectives via mini podcasts, self-learning exhibits, and tips for “learning on the go” to complement Common Thread’s business-focused themes, such as the power of collaboration, discovering meaning in your work, and the culture of innovation.

RESULTS ACHIEVED
Common Thread today, like all of us, has had to adapt and change, as we envisioned. The goal for it from the start was to create enduring content that would morph itself with the changing needs and challenges of HP and employees across the world. After the initial experience, we know the possibilities are truly limitless.

Our ACT OF FAITH was celebrated at HP Common Thread’s one-year anniversary was celebrated with more than 160,000 subscribers. I have a memento that hangs in my office of that glorious moment in time that all INNOVATOR's know. Barbara Hopland described the victory this way:

"I will always remember the feeling of opening up the letter from California that the team created to celebrate our first year—and seeing in print the words “HP Common Thread—Results Achieved!” on a small laminated sign. It hangs in my office and is a symbol and reminder that anything is possible when you believe in your idea, have a talented team, and execute with precision."

What ACTS of FAITH are calling you?
What lessons can you take with you from this Common Thread story keep you motivated?

Warmest regards to all that stop by. I welcome your thoughts.

Debbe

Debbe Kennedy
founder, President and CEO Global Dialogue Center  
and Leadership Solutions Companies

9781576754993-med-sm author, Putting Our Differences to Work
The Fastest Way to Innovation, Leadership,
and High Performance (Berrett-Koehler 2008)
Buy a Copy at Amazon.com

Downloadable DISCUSSION GUIDE
for teams, training, reading groups

 



 

 http://globaldialoguecenter.blogs.com/differences/2009/10/innovating-an-act-of-faith.html Revisiting CHARACTER and ETHICS tag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00d83452237c69e20120a6306911970c 2009-10-11T15:30:42-07:00 2009-10-11T15:26:27-07:00 A few weeks ago, I received a quite remarkable comment about a previous post I had written, Differences, Words, and Deeds. What was most meaningful about is that in its wisdom, we are reminded of the basics of character and ethics that come from the lessons we learned as young children. Interestingly, in a kind of perfect timing --- everything around us, in almost any direction we look, seems demonstrate that we have strayed away from these values, the absence of which has been the source of our most pressing problems today... and I would add, it restates the universal truths that that create an environment where "putting our differences to work" yields "the fastest way to innovation, leadership, and high performance." Check it out... Debbe Kennedy

DiverseKIDS-istock-dkennedy A few weeks ago, I received a quite remarkable comment about a previous post I had written, Differences, Words, and Deeds. It came in from Steve Nguyen, Diversity Trainer, University of North Texas. What was most meaningful about his commentary is that in its wisdom, we are reminded of the basics of character and ethics that come from the lessons we learned as young children. Interestingly, in a kind of perfect timing -- everything around us, in almost any direction we look, seems to demonstrate that we have strayed away from these values, the absence of which has been the source of our most pressing problems today. Steve's message also speaks to the importance of honoring differences --- and I would add, it restates the universal truths that create an environment where putting our differences to work yields the fastest way to innovation, leadership, and high performance. They are are fundamental to the Five Distinctive Qualities of Leadership for the 21st Century discussed in my book. For these reasons, I share Steve Nguyen's commentary below.

A BACKDROP for Your Thinking
Peter F. Drucker, the well-know father of modern management, established a timeless framework for revisiting the notions of character and business ethics. He poses a question that serves as a backdrop for considering the basic truths that Steve Nguyen brings up for our thinking and questioning:

"The fundamental axiom on which the Western tradition of ethics has always been based is: There is only one code of ethics, that of individual behavior, for prince and pauper, for rich and poor, for the mighty and the meek alike. ...There is only one ethics, one set of rules of morality, one code, that of individual behavior in which the same rules apply to everyone alike. Business ethics assumes that for some reason the ordinary rules of ethics do not apply to business. What is Business Ethics then?" 
--- Peter F. Drucker, The Daily Drucker

Commentary by Steve Nguyen
"I've always believed that many of the things we do as adults can and should be learned from children and the process by which we educate them. When we talk about honoring each other's differences and watching our words and actions, I think that children are our best teachers. For instance, I contend that character education (teaching children how to be better, more honorable world citizens by treating one another with respect) is also a great way to teach adults and business leaders.

Imagine teaching character education as a business ethics course! Here are six qualities/pillars of character that can be taught: http://charactercounts.org/sixpillars.html

Trustworthiness
Be honest • Don’t deceive, cheat or steal • Be reliable — do what you say you’ll do • Have the courage to do the right thing • Build a good reputation • Be loyal — stand by your family, friends and country

Respect
Treat others with respect; follow the Golden Rule • Be tolerant of differences • Use good manners, not bad language • Be considerate of the feelings of others • Don’t threaten, hit or hurt anyone • Deal peacefully with anger, insults and disagreements

Responsibility
Do what you are supposed to do • Persevere: keep on trying! • Always do your best • Use self-control • Be self-disciplined • Think before you act — consider the consequences • Be accountable for your choices

Fairness
Play by the rules • Take turns and share • Be open-minded; listen to others • Don’t take advantage of others • Don’t blame others carelessly

Caring
Be kind • Be compassionate and show you care • Express gratitude • Forgive others • Help people in need

Citizenship
Do your share to make your school and community better • Cooperate • Get involved in community affairs • Stay informed; vote • Be a good neighbor • Obey laws and rules • Respect authority • Protect the environment

Taking any one of these, we can easily apply its lesson to our lives as adults and to our workplaces. For example, under "Respect", we have "Be tolerant of differences • Use good manners, not bad language • Be considerate of the feelings of others" and under "Responsibility", we learn to "Always do your best • Use self-control • Be self-disciplined • Think before you act — consider the consequences."

Somewhere along the way towards adulthood, we have forgotten these valuable lessons taught to us (hopefully) as children. I think it's important that we each reach deep within to learn again (or for the first time) these principles of humanity (compassion, decency, honor, respect, and citizenship)."

Taking a TIME-OUT to Think and Question
On YouTube.com, there are some creative videos illustrating each of the six pillars. I offer this one to listen to as you pause a moment to think through how you demonstrate these character qualities in your day-to-day business, work, and life. It was created by a 2008 Finalist for the Josephson Institute Character Counts Contest,Chipotle Pictures. Great job!  I leave you doing the same.

Warmest regards to all that stop by. I welcome your thoughts.

Debbe

Debbe Kennedy
founder, President and CEO Global Dialogue Center  
and Leadership Solutions Companies

9781576754993-med-sm author, Putting Our Differences to Work
The Fastest Way to Innovation, Leadership,
and High Performance (Berrett-Koehler 2008)
Buy a Copy at Amazon.com

Downloadable DISCUSSION GUIDE
for teams, training, reading groups

 

 http://globaldialoguecenter.blogs.com/differences/2009/10/a-few-weeks-ago-i-received-a-quite-remarkable-comment-about-a-previous-post-i-had-written-differences-words-and-deeds.html NEW IDEAS: How do you get others to accept them??? tag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00d83452237c69e20120a5fbb4db970c 2009-09-28T11:18:34-07:00 2009-09-28T11:23:26-07:00 If we traced the path of great ideas in the finest of organizations, we would probably all be astounded at the rate at which great ideas were unintentionally squelched, squashed, smashed, stifled, smothered, misunderstood, ridiculed or just ignored. Ever had this experience? The Acceptance is the most critical --- and most often overlooked success factor for new ideas. Join us for a new ONLINE CLASS... Debbe Kennedy
If we traced the path of great ideas in the finest of organizations, we would probably all be astounded at the rate at which great ideas were unintentionally squelched, squashed, smashed, stifled, smothered, misunderstood, ridiculed or just ignored. Ever had this experience?

IStock_000006348547XSmall[1]-70fingers

You remember that one where you were awake nights crafting that perfect solution to one of the key problems ailing your organization. You boldly wrote the five-page email, describing the issue and your idea in great detail, complete with supporting graphs and charts to prove your point. You checked your facts and discovered that a simple change in design, process or perspective would save the company more than you originally expected and build competitive advantage faster than the speed of light. After thoughtfully building a distribution list to include your manager, and every other top executive you believed would want to be in on the innovation, you courageously pushed send. Then came the shocker. There was no response. One day went by. Two days. No response. Then your boss called you to his office, wanting to know why you sent the email to so many people. It’s clear your idea wasn’t even reviewed. The tone of voice said it all. Don’t do this again. Slightly bruised and demoralized, you go back to work. Idea lost.

Perhaps, your mistakes have been subtler than this example, but I am certain that the journey of any good change leader is riddled with a few memorable wrong moves. Aristotle obviously knew this when he said, “The things we need to learn, we learn by doing.” So it goes for learning how to present an innovative idea, seed a new program or initiative, gain sponsorship, get endorsement for the charter of your organization or any other change you are leading.

The big goal of INNOVATION is getting acceptance for our great ideas. Acceptance is the most critical --- and most often overlooked success factor for new ideas. In the last three INNOVATING in HARD TIMES webinars that futurist Joel Barker and I conducted this year, how to get buy-in for new ideas has been a top issue all around the world, regardless of organization, sector, type of organization, or role of the innovator/leader. This is a problem we all are faced with day-to-day.

JAB-sm1

Futurist Joel Barker explains why:

"When you have an innovation, it is a 50-50 proposition. 50% is the idea. 50% is in how you present it. If you blow the second 50%, you can have a great idea that never gets accepted."

Joel and I spent the summer developing a ONLINE professional development CLASS to address this need. He described the work this way at our last webinar:

"Our October 15 webinar is designed to give provide detailed guidelines and detailed examples that demonstrate how to get your ideas accepted. It is high-value content for those of you that are internally or externally working in your organizations to get acceptance for a new idea (e.g, new strategy, new product, new service, new offering, new organization, or a change initiative). Both, Debbe and I have dealt with this issue for the last decade helping organizations and individuals spread the good news for their new innovations and we are excited to share what we've learned."

BUY-IN

ONLINE Professional Development Class
HOW TO GET BUY-IN for NEW IDEAS
October 15 - 1:00 pm - 2:30 p.m. EDT
Executive Instructors:  Joel Barker and Debbe Kennedy

Tuition is significantly discounted for everyone registering before October 1, as well as discounts for groups, seniors, and students. To learn more about the class and to register or go to http://tinyurl.com/y984hn2 

Hope you can join us for this special ONLINE professional development class. We'll be putting all our differences to work and know what you will learn can significantly improve your effectiveness in presenting new ideas.

Best...

Debbe

Debbe Kennedy
founder, President and CEO Global Dialogue Center  
and Leadership Solutions Companies

9781576754993-med-sm author, Putting Our Differences to Work
The Fastest Way to Innovation, Leadership,
and High Performance (Berrett-Koehler 2008)
Buy a Copy at Amazon.com

 

 

 




 

 http://globaldialoguecenter.blogs.com/differences/2009/09/if-we-traced-the-path-of-great-ideas-in-the-finest-of-organizations-we-would-probably-all-be-astounded-at-the-rate-at-which.html GLOBAL Common Ground: Reaching Our Customers tag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00d83452237c69e20120a5e3bba7970c 2009-09-23T12:22:26-07:00 2009-09-23T12:30:45-07:00 The global economic crisis and the increasing use social media have created a powerful duo in changing how we reach and communicate with each other and our customers. Recently, we asked: What is your BIGGEST CHALLENGE today in connecting with customers? Over 200+ leaders, business owners, and innovators from all over the U.S. and 10+ countries TOLD US... Debbe Kennedy

Connecting-smThe global economic crisis and the increasing use social media have created a powerful duo in changing how we reach and communicate with each other and our customers. It is helping us discover the common ground upon which we walk across the world when it comes to pioneering the new global marketplaces, workplaces, and communities we share. Recently, I had an opportunity to see first-hand by asking this question:  What is your BIGGEST CHALLENGE today in connecting with customers? Over 200+ leaders, business owners, and innovators from all over the U.S. and 10+ countries TOLD US! 

What was surprising --- and perhaps not so surprising --- was how similar the issues were across industries, sectors, cultures, countries, and kinds of organizations. They were also similar between small, medium, and large businesses, schools, churches, and government organizations --- and not so different from the experiences, frustrations, and issues individuals expressed regardless of their station.  

BIGGESTCHALLENGE

At our "The Future of Connecting with Customers," an online exploration of how social media changing the possibilities and making it essential for us to find the right combination of tools to reach our customers, answering this question certainly identified that we do walk on global common ground. Today, through social media and web 2.0 technologies, we can be in dialogue together in an instant --- learn from one another --- benefit from even the comforting fact that our issues are not isolated. We are all pioneering an new customer frontier and writing the new rules for how we connect and communicate in new ways that are meaningful to the clients we serve.

See if you agree? 
Check THE BIGGEST CHALLENGES in REACHING CUSTOMERS [PDF]

Futurist and filmmaker Joel Barker joined me for the session as part of our ongoing INNOVATING in HARD TIMES Series, along with our special executive guest: Jim Blasingame, one of the world's foremost thought-leaders on small business and entrepreneurship, to explore the future of connecting with customers.

The experience of discovering this notion of "global common ground" affirmed truths I discussed in  Chapter 12 - The Power of the Virtual Gathering Place of my book, Putting Our Differences to Work:

  • You don’t have to sit “knee to knee” or even see or hear others to appreciate their differences and see our points of unity and shared challenges. Virtual space is creating new possibilities for all of us to have this experience.
  • When you put your differences to work to co-create, a sense of shared ownership and personal responsibility emerges that brings out everyone’s ability to step up to take the lead.

One participant summed up the experience...

"The diverse dialogue was valuable. The online dialogue connected people worldwide. Exploring "common ground" allowed us to move forward."

Learn more in our ONLINE DIALOGUE Library and add your name to our ONLINE DIALOGUE invitation listto join us next time. Also, see our recorded program with Jane Scandurra, former senior marketing manager for IBM called  "Connecting for Success: How do you get smart about social networking?"
It's excellent with some great tools.

Write me. Let me know what YOU think!

Best...

Debbe

Debbe Kennedy
founder, President and CEO Global Dialogue Center  
and Leadership Solutions Companies

9781576754993-med-sm author, Putting Our Differences to Work
The Fastest Way to Innovation, Leadership,
and High Performance (Berrett-Koehler 2008)
Buy a Copy at Amazon.com

 

 

 

http://globaldialoguecenter.blogs.com/differences/2009/09/global-common-ground-reaching-our-customers.html Survival is in Our HANDS: Ready? tag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00d83452237c69e20120a5c057d9970c 2009-09-13T09:44:42-07:00 2009-09-13T09:44:42-07:00 It seems that in every direction we look, there are opportunities for us to demonstrate our leadership. The economic meltdown in the United States is bringing this to life again. As mystic, Persian poet, Rumi told us over 2000 years ago, "the world is reeling" and needs us to work for good. Whether we are talking about our organizations longing for innovation and renewal or our communities, nations or the world, there is a call-to-action for every leader at this time in history. Future is trulyours to create. However, it's not uncommon to hear people say, "What difference can I make?" Learn how. Debbe Kennedy

IStock_000006351727XSmall-smallest It seems that in every direction we look, there are opportunities for us to demonstrate our leadership. The economic meltdown in the United States continues to bring this to life again. As mystic, Persian poet, Rumi told us over 2000 years ago, "the world is reeling" and needs us to work for good. Whether we are talking about our organizations longing for innovation and renewal or our communities, nations or the world, there is a call-to-action for every leader at this time in history. Future is truly ours to create. However, it's not uncommon to hear people say, "What difference can I make?"

Some years ago, I was moved by a now classic book by Peter Block called STEWARDSHIP: Choosing Service Over Self-Interest. At the time I read this book, I was working to help transform my company as a leader, trying to figure out what it meant to be be empowered myself. One paragraph in the book got highlighted and bookmarked. I've opened up to it many times to refresh my mind with its wisdom or turned to it to share with out leaders:

SURVIVAL IN OUR OWN HANDS:
"For each of us as individuals, empowerment means placing ourselves in the position of being the creators of the organization to which we belong. Empowerment is embodied in the act of standing on our own ground, discovering our own voice, making our own choices, regardless of the level of power and privilege we hold. It stems from our choice of the mindset that tells us that we have within ourselves the authority to act and to speak and to serve clients and those around us. We do not need permission to feel or to take what matters into our own hands."

There is something uplifting about empowering yourself to use your gifts of leadership to shape the future. Frances Hesselbein, Chairman of the Board of Governors of Leader to Leader Institute and Recipient of the U.S. Presidential Medal of Freedom, wrote in the foreword of my book, ACTION DIALOGUES: Meaningful Conversations to Accelerate Change. "As we reshape the world as we have know it, this is a time of remarkable opportunity for innovation. The individual efforts of thousands of leaders, in millions of organizations, will begin to transform the vision into a new reality of the diverse and inclusive community."

I would like to live there, wouldn't you?

Our Call-to-ACTION:
It is clear, as I discuss in my book in the Chapter, "The New Business Essentials," we have fundamental change how we think, behave, and operate; not throwing out what we know, but enhancing what we know with a people-focused shift with employees and our customers too. I wrote, offering these key points:

People are the number one source of new thinking and new ideas needed for change and the betterment of business and society. Putting our differences to work means learning to work more effectively in ways that accelerate our capacity to innovate, influence, and bring value to the marketplace, workplace, and society. It is our intention and behavior that breathe life into the words and give them meaning.

It’s time for individuals and organizations to reach for a new stage of growth, where we come together in novel and different combinations to open the way for innovations leading to new technology, new music and art, new businesses, new friendships, new cultures, and new opportunities to grow. Futurist Joel Barker tells us, "Diversity has measurable benefits; it produces new kinds of wealth—the wealth of sustainability, reduced risk, predictability, innovation, and economic wealth" [http://www.wealthinnovationanddiversity.com/ - video preview]

What difference will you make?
What can you do to empower yourself and others in your span of influence in your work?
How will you change to meet the demands of a more people-focused connection to people?

Dk-jab-dialogues RELATED ONLINE DIALOGUE:  SEPT  17 Join us to explore the "Future of Connecting with Customers" author Debbe Kennedy and futurist Joel Barker CO-HOST with special guest: Jim Blasingame. Learn more and register:  http://tinyurl.com/krwhfc No Fees

Hope you can be with us!

Debbe

Debbe Kennedy
founder, President and CEO Global Dialogue Center  
and Leadership Solutions Companies

9781576754993-med-sm author,Putting Our Differences to Work
The Fastest Way to Innovation, Leadership,
and High Performance (Berrett-Koehler 2008)
Buy a Copy at Amazon.com

 

 

 

http://globaldialoguecenter.blogs.com/differences/2009/09/survival-is-in-our-hands.html When things are broken... tag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00d83452237c69e20120a54c2432970b 2009-09-05T19:04:07-07:00 2009-09-05T19:03:56-07:00 The hatred and disrespect surfacing in the debate about health care reform and education and other discussions in recent days has gone wild. Much of it isn't about these topics, but something more disturbing --- a real contempt for others --- an unwillingness to consider anything new and different. I had a revelation... Debbe Kennedy

Poppy-imageThe hatred and disrespect surfacing in the debate about health care reform and education and other discussions in recent days has gone wild. Much of it isn't about these topics, but something more disturbing --- a real contempt for others --- an unwillingness to consider anything new and different. 

I keep wondering how our children will be influenced by watching the adults, serving as their role models, as they invest in passions that result in spewing hate and disrespect. After all, our children do look to all of us for LEADERSHIP, yes?

However, as I worried about this on a morning walk, I came across these poppies sprouting from a crack in my driveway. An over-powering cypress tree broke it. As I looked at them and snapped a photo, I had this revelation...

When things are broken, sometimes it makes way for something beautiful to emerge. d.k.

Being the CHANGE
Changing all that's broken isn't easy. It involves listening more, thinking through, re-evaluating, and starting with an openness that only comes with a "beginner's mind." As I wrote in my book, being asked to fundamentally change the rules in how we think, act, and operate as leaders may seem to be a tall order for many of us. At the same time, there is something familiar about being called to change ourselves in order to lead the way. In times of both crisis and opportunity, leaders are often asked to reinvent themselves; to redirect their attention in some significant way in order for them to champion a transformation of some kind. This is one of those times we’re being called on to put our differences to work to forge a new path.

In my own leadership life, I recall another poignant time in history when I was reminded that it is the role of leadership to pioneer new trails, so others will feel safe to follow. I'm still moved by what a senior leader at IBM said to me about why I was one of those being called to lead the way. “You have been invited here at this time in our history—because of all you’ve enjoyed.” 

It seems the needs for change are calling us in a similar way, because of all we've enjoyed. We are the ones—the leaders, the innovators, the aspiring leaders, and individual contributors that will plant the seeds that will mend the broken places to make way for the beautiful results of change to emerge for the good of all.

Best...

Debbe

Debbe Kennedy
founder, President and CEO Global Dialogue Center  
and Leadership Solutions Companies

9781576754993-med-sm author, Putting Our Differences to Work
The Fastest Way to Innovation, Leadership,
and High Performance (Berrett-Koehler 2008)
Buy a Copy at Amazon.com

Join me and futurist Joel Barker on
September 17 No fees. Learn more
"The Future of Connecting with
Customers"

http://globaldialoguecenter.blogs.com/differences/2009/09/our-struggle-to-get-along.html Online DIALOGUE: SEPT17 Innovating in HARD TIMES with co-host futurist Joel Barker | Guest: Jim Blasingame tag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00d83452237c69e20120a538888b970b 2009-08-31T12:20:04-07:00 2009-08-31T12:20:04-07:00 Our INNOVATING in Hard Times ONLINE Dialogue Series begins its Fall Season at the Global Dialogue Center CONFERENCE CENTER [No fees] Futurist and filmaker Joel Barker joins me, along with our special executive guest: Jim Blasingame, one of the world's foremost thought-leaders on small business and entrepeneurship, to explore the future of connecting with customers. Debbe Kennedy

GDC-DK-JAB-Conference Our INNOVATING in Hard Times ONLINE Dialogue Series begins its Fall Season at the Global Dialogue Center CONFERENCE CENTER   Futurist and filmaker Joel Barker joins me, along with our special executive guest: Jim Blasingame, one of the world's foremost thought-leaders on small business and entrepeneurship, to explore the future of connecting with customers. See online dialogue INVITATION for more details: http://tinyurl.com/SEPT17invitation  

We all have CUSTOMERS!  Many changes are emerging. Learn from others. Join in our global dialogue. Share your perspective. Discover new possibilities!

"THE FUTURE of CONNECTING with CUSTOMERS" 
** What we're learning that everyone should consider ?
** How social media is changing the rules for everyone ?
** How can small/big business or in not-for-profits to lead the way ?
** How you apply what you learn to distinguishing yourself and/or your business in new innovative ways ?

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 2009
1:00 p.m. - 2:30 p.m. EDT - Eastern Daylight Time
(10:00 a.m. - 11:30 a.m. PDT - Pacific Daylight Time)
Note: A 30 minute "Virtual Break" follows for informal conversation.
ONLINE at the Global Dialogue Center ONLINE Conference Center

LEARN MORE and REGISTER HERE: http://tinyurl.com/d7xw9g
No Fees; registration required so we can send login and audio information.
Allow a few seconds for the link to open.

Hope you can be with us as we put our differences to work to help everyone lead the way in connecting with customers.

Debbe

Debbe Kennedy
founder, President and CEO Global Dialogue Center  
and Leadership Solutions Companies

9781576754993-med-sm author, Putting Our Differences to Work
The Fastest Way to Innovation, Leadership,
and High Performance (Berrett-Koehler 2008)
Buy a Copy at Amazon.com

YouTube Book Review by futurist Joel A. Barker



 

 http://globaldialoguecenter.blogs.com/differences/2009/08/online-dialogue-sept17-innovating-in-hard-times-with-cohost-futurist-joel-barker-guest-jim-blasingam.html DIFFERENCES, WORDS and DEEDS tag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00d83452237c69e20120a5342963970b 2009-08-30T17:46:18-07:00 2009-08-30T18:06:12-07:00 As we continue the difficult work of economic recovery, increasingly bitter debates on health care and other contentious issues, as well as the challenges we all face related to securing peace vs war, well-being of our global citizens, and sustainability of our planet on many fronts, these two messages above have come back to me... Debbe Kennedy

IStock_000005521931XSmall[1]-85 "When we allow for difference we allow for growth...for new possibilities. Imagine a world where we were not tested to explore the new—where everything was 'like us'." This was written by Maureen Simon on our Women in the LEAD INSPIRATION blog some time ago. She also offered this insight from Eugene Borrowitz:

“Only by directly confronting our deepest differences can we come to know one another fully."

As we continue the difficult work of economic recovery, increasingly bitter debates on health care and other contentious issues, as well as the challenges we all face related to securing peace vs war, well-being of our global citizens, and sustainability of our planet on many fronts, these two messages above have come back to me.

Perhaps, at the core of our most pressing problems lies our many dimensions of DIFFERENCE. As I recount in my book in compelling first-person stories, individuals and organizations throughout the world now recognize that finding the goodness in one another on many levels, holds the greatest promise and opportunity for the future in the marketplaces, workplaces, and communities throughout the world, because it generates the fuel for the well-known "engine of growth" - INNOVATION. It is after all relationship that ultimately helps us more fully understand one another, so we can, in turn, put all our creative differences to work to produce the GREAT IDEAS so badly needed to resolve our most pressing problems. 

However, as I consider the two expressions about our differences above, it begs a question about words. What if we recast the insight of Eugene Borrowitz for a new time, substituting the word appreciate for the word confront, would it change the outcome? Would it improve the effectiveness of our relationships and in turn, the results achieved? Would our more thoughtful language have rippling influences on our very existence?

Our words are powerful.
Consider the MEANING and DIFFERENCE between these two words offered up in this discussion:

[con.front]To meet face to face with hostile or argumentative intent; face up to and deal with (a problem or situation).

[ap.pre.ci.ate] To recognize the full worth of; be grateful for; understand fully.

Somehow these words seem to be polar opposites in intention, don't you think?

It is difficult watching the world around us in such turmoil ... and in almost every neighborhood or workplace, or just down the street, we see so much violence in our words and deeds. We throw words and actions around carelessly. It isn't just what we see on TV and read on the Internet. Violence takes many forms---some are more subtle or camouflaged with hype and self-righteousness. There are struggles and inhuman behavior by all sides, one neighbor to another; one politician against another; one cause against another; one business against another. Sometimes it seems that we are so very lost as a human family. Distracted. Off our course. We are breaking the rules.

Across the ages, if we would just listen, there is timeless wisdom continuing its conversation with us ---- the how-to-do-it is clear. Just a small sampling, sets our direction, reflects the beauty of our differences, and affirms the common ground upon which we walk. Hold this vision...

Baha'i:
Blessed is he who preferreth his brother before himself.

Christianity:
Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. ...Love thy neighbor. -- The Bible

Islam:
"Whosoever of you sees an evil action, let him change it with his hand; and if he is not able to do so, then with his tongue; and if he is not able to do so, then with his heart..."-- The Holy Qur'an

Taoism
"Regard your neighbor's gain as your own gain and your neighbor's loss as your own loss." -- T'ai Shang Kan Ying P'ien

Judaism:
What is hateful to you, do not do to your fellow man. That is the entire Law; all the rest is commentary." ----The Talmud

Confucianism:
"Surely it is the maxim of loving kindness: Do not unto others that your would not have them do unto you." ----The Analects 15, 23

Hinduism:
"This is the sum of duty: Do naught unto others which would cause you pain if done to you."
The Mahabharata

Buddhism:
Hurt not others in ways that you yourself would find hurtful."
----The Udana-Varga, 5, 18

Zoroastrianism:
"That nature alone is good which refrains from doing unto another whatsoever is not good for itself."
Dadistan-I-Dinik, 94, 5

Renewing Our Vision
It is easy to see we fall short. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. reminds us from another time that the human struggle is for the "reign of justice and a rule of LOVE." Imagine such a place ---- imagine a nation, a world, a city, a neighborhood, a corporation, and all our businesses living in such a way.

What can you do today to contribute to such a vision?

IMAGINE all of us one-by-one shifting our thinking and behavior toward this end.

Warm wishes to you all! Lead the way!
Debbe

Debbe Kennedy
founder, President and CEO Global Dialogue Center  
and Leadership Solutions Companies

9781576754993-med-sm author, Putting Our Differences to Work
The Fastest Way to Innovation, Leadership,
and High Performance (Berrett-Koehler 2008)
Buy a Copy at Amazon.com

YouTube Book Review by futurist Joel A. Barker

Let's get connected...
Facebook  http://profile.to/debbekennedy/
Twitter @onlinedialogues and @debbekennedy
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/debbekennedy 


FiledByAuthor:  http://www.filedby.com/author/debbe_kennedy/490939/

http://globaldialoguecenter.blogs.com/differences/2009/08/maureens-post-touched-me-she-called-out-to-us-when-we-allow-for-difference-we-allow-for-growth-new-possibilities-imagine-a.html FIT for LEADERSHIP: What's SUGAR got to do with it? tag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00d83452237c69e20120a51d3a8e970b 2009-08-26T05:00:00-07:00 2009-08-27T13:33:19-07:00 So what's SUGAR got to do with LEADERSHIP? Find out how SUGAR can impact our behavior, building community, the generation of new ideas, execution of strategies, and the capability to fuel the engine of growth: INNOVATION + what YOU CAN DO. Debbe Kennedy

Istock-dkennedy-sugarcubes-75 Health is the big topic today. Let's face it's essential to us all. The evidence shows we've gotten pretty sloppy in our own self-health care --- and it is clearly related to our leadership, innovation, high performance and contributions.  NPR reports: "Make room, salt and cholesterol, SUGAR is now an official bad guy for your heart," says the The American Heart Association. Why? We are eating as much as 22 teaspoons of sugar a day on average! Can you believe it? How can we be fit for all those looking to us for leadership, while under such excess influence? 

I remember being in a management development class at IBM years ago. One sentence from a Warren Bennis film has stayed with me. It came from former Superintendent of West Point, General David Palmer. He was describing the qualities needed to lead and develop "leader's of character" for the twenty-first century:

"You've got to be FIT for LEADERSHIP." -- General David Palmer

So what's SUGAR got to do with LEADERSHIP...? Look closely. It works against us. In excess, SUGAR can erode community and bring out the worst behaviors and actions that keep us from being "top of our game." In turn, SUGAR can impact the generation of new ideas, execution of strategies, development of new products and services, effective collaboration with customers and partners, and the capability to fuel the engine of growth: INNOVATION.

SUGAR Erodes Community: Insights from Linda Prout
Some years ago, I had the good fortune of meeting Linda Prout, nutritionist and author of Live in the Balance. We had a chance to explore how our LEADERSHIP EFFECTIVENESS is directly influenced by what we EAT. A while back, I shared a three part series on one of our blogs on the influence of FOOD on our LEADERSHIP with Linda Prout's insights. Below is the part about SUGAR's IMPACT. 

"Refined sugar-rich treats such as cookies and candy, are another additive that can undermine leaders and community. Sugar can exacerbate an angry disposition, plus rob you of energy and interfere with short-term memory. Research at Texas A & M University shows when sweets are cut from the diet, moods such as depression improve and energy levels go up. Studies also show a sugary snack, such as soft drinks, cookies, cake or candy, causes adrenaline levels to rise and blood sugar levels to plummet. With blood sugar levels low, one's energy, recall and ability to think rationally drops. The rise in adrenaline leaves a feeling of aggression: a formula for mistakes, foul moods and even crime.

Annemarie Colbin, in her book Food and Healing, points out that cultures with more refined sugars in their diets are more individualistic than socially oriented. She says eating excess refined white sugar leads us to feel "excessively individualistic," to the point of "alienation and criminality." My clients often tell me they need to nap or just be alone when they've eating too much sugar. They report new energy to take on projects and play a more active role in their community and families' lives when they get the sugar out of their diet. Eliminating sugar can also help ease PMS, including irritability, depression and mood swings. To calm your mood and increase the energy necessary to lead and build community, reduce your intake of alcohol and refined sugars. Replace "Frosted Mini-Wheats®", jam, Pop Tarts®, sweet rolls, donuts and other sugary foods at breakfast with protein-rich eggs, lox on toast, lean chicken sausage or oatmeal with skim milk and nuts. To ward off afternoon sugar cravings, have a large lunch rich with fish, chicken, beans or tofu and vegetables. Choose fruits for dessert or snacks.

Foods To Boost Energy and Calm Your Leadership Spirit
---Cooked leafy greens:
broccoli, spinach, kale, chard, collards, mustard greens, asparagus
---Fish
---Chicken
---Eggs
---Beans
---Soy Products

A diet rich in vegetables, beans, tofu, fish, poultry and lean meats with moderate amounts of whole grains, is generally the ideal diet for lifting energy as well as calming the spirit and reducing anger and agitation. Savoring such meals with friends, associates and family members not only builds health, it builds bonds that build community.

Learn more about Linda Prout's work at her website: http://www.lindaprout.com/  

A Call for the BEST from All of US
As I wrote my book, "In times of both crisis and opportunity, leaders are always asked to reinvent themselves; to redirect their attention in some significant way in order for them to champion transformation. This is one of those times we’re being called on to put our differences to work to forge a new paths." It's pretty hard for any of us to operate at our highest potential and contribution without a strong community, being alert, checking our moods, and getting along with others.

At this time in history, our organizations, our people and all those looking to us for leadership, call for the BEST from us all. We have to be the change we want to see as Gandhi told us. We have to set the example. How we eat and care for ourselves can make a difference in how we deliver it day-to-day.

I leave you recommitting myself to being a fit for leadership example for others.
How about YOU?

Warm wishes to you all! Lead the way!
Debbe

Debbe Kennedy
founder, President and CEO Global Dialogue Center  
and Leadership Solutions Companies

9781576754993-med-sm author, Putting Our Differences to Work
The Fastest Way to Innovation, Leadership,
and High Performance (Berrett-Koehler 2008)
Buy a Copy at Amazon.com

YouTube Book Review by futurist Joel A. Barker

Let's get connected...
Facebook  http://profile.to/debbekennedy/
Twitter @onlinedialogues and @debbekennedy
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/debbekennedy 


FiledByAuthor:  http://www.filedby.com/author/debbe_kennedy/490939/

http://globaldialoguecenter.blogs.com/differences/2009/08/fit-for-leadership-collaboration-and-innovation-1.html Leadership Qualities for Our Multi-Generational Workforce tag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00d83452237c69e20120a558cee7970c 2009-08-20T13:39:03-07:00 2009-08-20T14:05:33-07:00 These are difficult times for leaders at every level in business and society across the world. We are all reinventing our visions of the future as we work to forge the new paths in an environment of crisis, challenge, and opportunity. ...We need to be skilled in many things, particiularly the human dimensions of leadership. Why? ... Debbe Kennedy

Collage-dkennedy3 These are difficult times for leaders at every level in business and society across the world. We are all reinventing our visions of the future as we work to forge the new paths in an environment of crisis, challenge, and opportunity. We are also in need of re-evaluating everything about how we think, operate, and behave as leaders in this new age. We need to be skilled in many things, particularly the human dimensions of leadership. Why? These will be the differentiators that make it possible to efficiently and effectively lead distributed, diverse, multi-generational teams in a global economy. It is clear that sweeping change and many thoughtful refinements are essential for leaders to transcend the problems that brought us to this current reality.

LQ1-sm Leaders gathering across time, distance, difference, and culture
What happens when a group of leaders gather by-chance across time, distance, difference, and culture to think together about what's needed most? Every time I have a chance to find out, I'm amazed to discover that the experience is nothing less than REMARKABLE. It's not just about the discussion itself. It's about who and why people show up and the willingness they demonstrate in sharing from their experience, observations, and intellect. Most of all, I find it moving to see just how much can be accomplished in a very short time when we work in collaboration --- and technology and social networking tools continue to broaden the possibilities for us all. The remarkable part is exemplified in the notably richer quality of the RESULTS ACHIEVED --- it proves once again that what we can do together is far greater than one person could accomplish alone in the same period. The first-person accounts in my book, Putting Our Differences to Work, affirm this truth across industries and cultures over and over again. 

Interestingly, there remains substantial doubt that putting differences to work could possibly be the fastest way to innovation, leadership, and high performance or anything else! At one time, I might have sided with the skeptics. Results of many studies call such an idea into question, including some of the findings of the study by Robert D. Putnam on Diversity and Community in the 21st Century. Looking around might be enough. We don't need a study to show we have our problems getting along and working together. However, in the presence of BOLD, visionary leadership, things can be different.

"It always seems impossible until it is done." -- Nelson Mandela

8-20-2009 1-46-29 PM-1 Exploring needs for our multi-generational workforce
One of these remarkable experiences jumped into my path when I least expected it --- at a perfect time. It was a virtual meet-up with seven accomplished leaders on LinkedIN in an online discussion held within the ASTD National Group.The question up for discussion was: 

What LEADERSHIP QUALITIES do YOU think are most needed today to manage the HUMAN DIMENSION of change in a multi-generational, diverse, global workforce?

The aim from the beginning was to explore the question together with the idea it would be shared in the ongoing Economic Conversation Series at the Global Dialogue Center to help leaders around the world at this time of crisis and opportunity. http://www.globaldialoguecenter.com/conferencecenter. What I didn't expect was that the conversation itself would enrich all of us in the process in ways we didn't appear to imagine when we started.

The graphic above [2nd paragraph, click on image to see larger size ] depicts a partial summary of the LEADERSHIP qualities, values, intentions, and behaviors we identified, as well as, some of the descriptors of the nature of the environment these qualities would create. What stood out was that each contributor looked at the question from a unique vantage point. We all saw something different. We passed on wisdom from experience, study, and respected mentors and teachers. Each insight added an idea that enhanced the rest or served to draw together the concepts that emerged to paint a vivid picture of this badly needed leader. This was all done in brief independent visits and without seeing each other or hearing a voice. One of the contributors described our discussion this way:

"Collaborative learning is exactly what has happened here, in this discussion thread, some raised a question and a group of people contributed in a reciprocal way." 

A compelling final question was raised as we considered the composite of qualities and what they might mean to changing current realities...a question to leave us thinking about possibilities:

"How different would our corporate cultures be if executives [and leaders at all levels] were hired and retained based on these leadership qualities and performance behaviors, rather than the typical criteria?

During the discussion, although we expressed it using different words, we all described a leader with human qualities and a high regard for others ---- a "servant leadership"nature. Names like Mahatma Gandhi, Mother Teresa, and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr were mentioned. 

Interestingly, over 50 years ago, at a time of great change and turmoil, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. talked about facing the challenge of a new era. His message is profound in how much it is a calling whispering to us today --- calling us to be part of a new generation of leadership that masters putting our differences to work through our thinking, actions, and behavior in public and when no one is watching --- to work to more consciously consider the human dimension of our leadership responsibility and what it asks of us personally. He said...

Youngmartin4 FACING THE CHALLENGE OF A NEW AGE (excerpt circa 1956)
"Those of us who live in the twenty-first century are privileged to live in one of the most momentous periods of human history. It is an exciting age filled with hope. It is an age in which a new social order is being born. We stand today between two worlds---the dying old and the emerging new. ...another thing that we must do in speeding up the coming of the new age is to develop intelligent, courageous and dedicated leadership. This is one of the pressing needs of the hour. In this period of transition and growing social change, there is a dire need for leaders who calm and yet positive leaders who avoid the extremes of "hot-headedness"... The urgency of the hour calls for:

  • leaders of wise judgment and sound integrity

  • leaders not in love with money, but in love with justice;

  • leaders not in love with publicity, but in love with humanity;
  • leaders who can subject their particular egos to the greatness of the cause."

What other ideas do you have to add to this discussion to help us all improve our human qualities to better lead in business and society more effectively?

What contribution will you make?

With gratitude for the meaningful discussion with Fred, Donna, Patrica, Steve, Dan, Michele, and Tomi, I leave you pondering these questions with a renewed consciousness myself.

Warm wishes to you all!
Debbe

Debbe Kennedy
founder, President and CEO Global Dialogue Center  
and Leadership Solutions Companies

9781576754993-med-sm author, Putting Our Differences to Work
The Fastest Way to Innovation, Leadership,
and High Performance (Berrett-Koehler 2008)
Buy a Copy at Amazon.com

YouTube Book Review by futurist Joel A. Barker

Let's get connected...
Facebook  http://profile.to/debbekennedy/
Twitter @onlinedialogues and @debbekennedy
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/debbekennedy 
FiledByAuthor:  http://www.filedby.com/author/debbe_kennedy/490939/

 http://globaldialoguecenter.blogs.com/differences/2009/08/dr-kings-challenge-to-us-today.html INNOVATION: The Power of the START tag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00d83452237c69e20120a553d6c5970c 2009-08-16T23:05:23-07:00 2009-08-17T08:25:08-07:00 The START is the primary action that opens the way for NEW IDEAS to take root. How do we begin making the big, sweeping changes needed in our organizations, in health care, with the environment, with energy, in education, in our communities and cities, or other places throughout the world that need our CREATIVITY and INNOVATIONS to solve our most pressing problems? We know more about how-to-do-it than we give ourselves credit for---we prove it all the time. Debbe Kennedy

Dkennedy-PODTW-Innovator-sm

The START is the primary action that opens the way for NEW IDEAS to take root. How do we begin making the big, sweeping changes needed in our organizations, in health care, with the environment, with energy, in education, in our communities and cities, or other places throughout the world that need our CREATIVITY and INNOVATIONS to solve our most pressing problems?

We know more about how-to-do-it than we give ourselves credit for---we prove it all the time. Think about the changes you've headed up or participated in. They all have the same beginning. You get up in the morning and you START. You believe in something bigger than yourself. You look UP and out with resolute FAITH. You PLAN a first important STEP in the right direction. You take a LEAP. You RISK. The START is a new beginning. Any IMPERFECTIONS will be stepping stones. You learn as you go, but MOST IMPORTANTLY, the way will be OPENED for other steps to follow.

"The things we need to learn, before we can do them, we learn by doing." -- Aristotle

9781576754993-med-sm The START is also the first bold action that unleashes IDEA  POWER of individuals. Great things are rarely done alone. They are dependent on others. By the time we take the first leap forward, many fingerprints are all over our new ideas. This truth was highlighted for me in a personal way when my book was published by miracle artisans and the production team at Berrett-Koehler Publishers. It was my goal that the idea of putting differences to work would be reflected in everything about the book. One day, I counted and discovered that there were 1200 fingerprints reflected in the creation of just front cover of my book. They came from distant places, including the contribution from Australia from a  women named Barbara that I didn't know, who submitted the winning subtitle for the book. Today, organizations and individuals across industries and the world are discovering and recognizing the power and value that people and their many dimensions of difference coming together have --- they are catalysts for generating new ideas --- they create the spark and generate the fuel for CREATIVITY and INNOVATION.

Ed Catmull, cofounder of Pixar and the president of Pixar and Disney Animation Studios, described it this way last year (HBR September 2008):

"The view that good ideas are rarer and more valuable than good people is rooted in a misconception of creativity. People tend to think of creativity as a mysterious solo act, and they typically reduce products to a single idea: This is a movie about toys, or dinosaurs, or love, they'll say. However, in filmmaking and many other kinds of complex product development, creativity involves a large number of people from different disciplines working effectively together to solve a great many problems."

PODTW-6StepModel-Action-debbekennedy THE START:
What It Means
What holds us back?
In my book, Putting Our Differences to Work: The Fastest Way to Innovation, Leadership, and High Performance, I introduce a six-step action process. There is a whole chapter on each step with best practice stories and strategies ideas, including a chapter on ACTION: Moving Forward. As I shared, it is a power step, because it mobilizes. It moves us from talk into ACTION, which challenges the best of us, because action itself is a paradox. On one hand, it is the hallmark that has preceded every innovation, act of leadership, and accomplishment since the beginning of time. Think about one of your own achievements, great or small. Remember that first important step forward. It was freeing, wasn’t it? It felt good to be in motion. Heading in the right direction. Doing, at last!

On the other hand, at times even the most  action-oriented find themselves temporarily paralyzed by the thought of taking action. Even very talented leaders sometimes get stuck. This happens many times after they have made a personal investment in taking a deep dive into the organization to assess where they are. It happens even after these skilled leaders miraculously pull off getting full sponsorship to proceed. Things come to a halt. A hesitation. A panic over the feeling of vulnerability and risk of actually moving out, knowing you are holding the accountability for results. At this common occurrence, the excuses we come up with are often wild and many. This might not be a reality we openly discuss with others—or admit even to ourselves out loud—but I’m sure you’ve felt it yourself. It’s that moment when your screen goes blank. The courage you bolstered up last week, convincing all your sponsors, disappears. The brilliance of the new people-focused strategy you designed and all those great ideas suddenly become suspect. The risk of mobilizing has great power over us and often helps us find a detour

Feet-thestart What is it that keeps us at the threshold of doing --- hesitating to put our personal power behind THE START --- when it has so many benefits? All indicators point to one answer:Taking action requires more of us. It often requires paving a new path. Risking. Doing something we know little about or that maybe has never been done. So we often shelter ourselves with talk and task forces. Because the longer we talk, analyze, work to crystallize the perfect words to describe our unique issues (the bigger sounding and more complex, the better!), the longer we avoid having to act—having to figure out what to do, whom to trust—and then risk doing it.

THE START: How to do it!
Albert Einstein described three of the most valuable tools leaders at all levels have to “cut the brush” for new INNOVATIONS. They are the tools to put into practice to propel your first LEAP --- your BOLD START. Leaders at all levels possess them:

“The only real valuable thing is intuition.”
“Logic will get you from A to B. Imagination will take you everywhere.”
“The only source of knowledge is experience.”

It is easy to procrastinate. I, too, have mastered the art of it. However, right now, we are being called to do more. We have to be courageous to reach beyond the traditional—take the best with us from all we have learned. We need to develop a new sense of curiosity and openness about what lies in the potential of people putting their differences to work to change the course of history in the marketplaces, workplaces, and communities across the world. We're all needed. We hold the responsibility to build a future---one where meaningful innovation in our respective products, services, and means of collaboration is governed by mutualism being the final arbiter --- the yardstick: Everyone benefits; no one is harmed. Imagine what we could do if leaders at all levels, in thousands of organizations, across the world, put their intuitions, imaginations, and experience to work at their full potential.
Now, there is a vision!

I welcome your perspective and look forward to hearing from you here, or on Facebook, LinkedIn or Twitter. See below!

Warm wishes to you all!
Debbe

Debbe Kennedy
founder, Global Dialogue Center  
and Leadership Solutions Companies

author, Putting Our Differences to Work
The Fastest Way to Innovation, Leadership,
and High Performance (Berrett-Koehler 2008)
Buy a Copy at Amazon.com

YouTube Book Review by futurist Joel A. Barker

Make a CONNECTION:
Facebook  http://profile.to/debbekennedy/
Twitter@onlinedialogues and @debbekennedy
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 http://globaldialoguecenter.blogs.com/differences/2009/08/innovation-the-power-of-the-start.html BUILDING CAPABILITY: Wisdom from Peter F. Drucker tag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00d83452237c69e20120a4e843a9970b 2009-08-12T08:12:29-07:00 2009-08-27T13:26:22-07:00 Regardless of stature and station, we are all standing at the intersection of a different new world. In order to accelerate our pace, reap the benefits, and share the leadership for opening the way, we need to first change our ways---bringing our the human dimension of our leadership in new ways. So where do we begin? 3 gems of wisdom from Peter Drucker. Debbe Kennedy

Drucker3.1 Regardless of stature and station, we are all standing at the intersection of a different new world. In order to accelerate our pace, reap the benefits, and share the leadership for opening the way, we need to first change our ways---bringing the human dimension of our leadership in new ways. It will involve recharging and refreshing all that you know, while incorporating a constant flow of refinements that allow you to adapt old habits, as well as, establishing new ones that reflect renewal in the way you think and operate. So where do we begin?

 
DRUCKER6 Personally, I've always found the best advice for new times by learning from those that first forged the  paths of leadership. For example, imagine all the people throughout the world that have been touched and influenced by the leadership and wisdom of Peter F. Drucker, well known as the "godfather of modern management." I am one.

During this time of challenge, crisis, and opportunity, Peter Drucker's wisdom has been very present in my work. His advice and counsel is timeless --- fresh, real, and relevant. When I was writing Putting Our Differences to Work, lessons I learned from Peter Drucker served as valuable bridges needed to link what we know with what we need to learn, to draw together four diverse elements of business and society. Elements that have traditionally been handled separately in our work and our thinking—if not by our words and processes, then certainly by our visible actions and practices. Together they are a powerful foursome that fuels new levels of contribution and business success: innovation, leadership, diversity, and inclusion. 

Podtw-book-cover Below are three Peter Drucker insights I shared in my book that create a framework for building capability for the human dimension of leadership essential to ignite the best in people --- the fastest way to leadership, innovation, and high performance.

Peter Drucker
BUILDING CAPABILITY INSIGHT 1:
The good news about building capability for putting our differences to work is that it doesn't require all new skills. To the contrary, it has much more to do with applying what we already know to this challenge, refocusing our attention and reshaping our habits. I discovered this truth from Peter Drucker.

In his book Post Capitalist Society, Drucker points out that most of us tend to classify what we know into specialized areas of knowledge, instead of applying the strengths of all our knowledge to different problems—looking at the problems we face and asking,“What do I know? What have I learned that I might apply to this task?”In a way, this says that we want to put the differences in all our areas of knowledge to work to solve problems. Drucker’s wisdom has been a central part of my ongoing work in helping individuals, teams, and organizations around the world put differences to work to create diverse, inclusive environments ever since. I have witnessed over and over again that what it takes to draw differences together is mainly utilizing what we already know about leading change, calling upon the strengths of our experience, with a little different twist.

Peter Drucker
BUILDING CAPABILITY INSIGHT 2:
Peter Drucker had a straight way of talking that left you feeling the true weight of responsibility one carries as a leader. If he were here to help you take on this higher calling of leadership required to develop the qualities a leader needs, he would surely get right to the point, stating clearly what he thought in plain talk, as he always did.

"The leaders who work most effectively, it seems to me, never say “I.” And that’s not because they have trained themselves not to say “I.” They don’t think “I.” They think “we”; they think “team.” They understand their job to be to make the team function. They accept responsibility and don’t sidestep it, but “we” gets the credit. . . . This is what creates trust, what enables you to get the task done."

Surely, he would also remind you of the competencies he felt would be most essential for you to change your leadership habits: listening, communicating, reengineering your mistakes, and subordinating your ego to the task at hand.

Peter Drucker
BUILDING CAPABILITY INSIGHT 3:
Another time, I was listening to Peter Drucker at one of the conferences put on by the Peter F. Drucker Foundation for Non-Profit Management (now Leader to Leader Institute). I remember one piece of advice he gave. Make your contribution. Everything else is a diversion. It serves as a reliable "yardstick" to measure your actions and behavior.

I had the honor of meeting Peter Drucker on his 90th birthday. I cherish this meeting and his enduring influences on my leadership and my life. Thanks, Peter, for showing up on my path. May your work live on in each of us as we apply your knowledge to the challenges and opportunities ahead.

Best...
Debbe

Debbe Kennedy
founder, Global Dialogue Center  
and Leadership Solutions Companies
author, Putting Our Differences to Work
The Fastest Way to Innovation, Leadership,
and High Performance (Berrett-Koehler 2008)

YouTube Book Review by futurist Joel A. Barker

Facebook  http://profile.to/debbekennedy/
Twitter@onlinedialogues and @debbekennedy
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/debbekennedy 
FiledByAuthor:  http://www.filedby.com/author/debbe_kennedy/490939/

http://globaldialoguecenter.blogs.com/differences/2009/08/building-capability-peter-f-drucker.html DIFFERENCES: We have MORE than you think! tag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00d83452237c69e20120a4df7690970b 2009-08-10T16:56:41-07:00 2009-08-10T17:16:30-07:00 We continue to discover that DIFFERENCES have taken on a new SIGNIFICANCE, have you noticed? I'm not talking about the strife that hits the headlines. I mean the overwhelming number of organizations and individiuals that are turning DIFFERENCES into notable achievements and business advantage. These distinctive leaders and innovators are proving again and again that....Did you notice these are important "renewable energies" that fuel the engine of growth: INNOVATION. Debbe Kennedy

DIFFERENCES-istock-dkennedy We continue to discover that DIFFERENCES have taken on a new SIGNIFICANCE, have you noticed? I'm not talking about the strife over race, political views, and reactions to change that hit the headlines. I mean the overwhelming number of organizations and individuals that are turning DIFFERENCES into notable achievements and business advantage all over the world. These distinctive leaders and innovators are proving again and again that putting our differences to work is the most powerful accelerator for generating new ideas, creating innovative solutions, executing organizational strategies, and engaging everyone in the process. Did you notice these are important "renewable energies" that fuel the engine of growth:  INNOVATION.

What's new? The undeniable RESULTS are helping us learn the importance of SEEING DIFFERENCES DIFFERENTLY --- to take a fresh look at our previous limiting beliefs about ourselves and others. The traditional labels we paste on one another and sometimes on ourselves, don't begin the tell the complete stories of who we are, where the value lies in what we know, what we've experienced, how we think, the view of our generational perspective, how we solve problems and make decisions, and much more.
DimensionsofDifferences-PODTW-dkennedy-sm
While writing my book, Putting Our Differences to Work, even after years of extensive work and practice across cultures with the aim of closing the gap between mainstream business practice and diversity and inclusion, a new picture of our many dimensions of difference became clear. It was different than the traditional side-by-side interlocking puzzle pieces or mosaic motifs we often use to name our various diversities --- or even the interwoven tapestry idea symbolizing our integrated and interdependent realities. 

What came to life was something complementary to these valued traditions --- let's call it a zoom-in view of the individual in the form of a wheel. This idea actually came with a sense of relief. As a business leader, I had always defied being pigeoned-holed into the one label of woman; especially when I knew many of the differences I brought to the table had just as much to do with leadership experience, thinking-style, how I solved problems, and the "culture" from which I was raised. Somehow I'm imagining most of you could tell a similar story of being labeled in some way.

We Are All DIFFERENT
Each of us has many facets to our knowledge and know-how. Frequently, we work to minimize what's different---- "Look at all we have in common." "We are more alike than unalike." "Let's put our differences aside." These remain valuable truths, but when we stop there, we diminish all that makes us unique and different ---- and we often MISS the most important qualities and skills we possess as a whole innovative package -- a whole, wonderfully unique person. It is our broad set of DIFFERENCES that holds the "pot of gold." It is at the intersection of our many dimensions of difference where possibilities are rich, ripe for INNOVATION to emerge. Futurist and filmmaker, Joel Barker affirms this truth in my book and also in his new film, Innovation at the Verge. In both our collaborative and independent research and practical experiments together for over a decade, we've witnessed it and history has recorded it. ...and there are advantages for everyone!

A Global Business Leader's View
Recently, I received an unexpected letter from Wendy Luhabe, Chancellor of the University of Johannesburg in South Africa. She wrote to express what she saw in concept of Dimensions of Difference presented in my book. Because her opinion comes from a unique vantage point, which includes academia, business, corporate, and entrepreneurial global business leadership, I share her impressions with you:

"Putting Our Differences to work illustrates beyond any measure of doubt that the world has completely misunderstood Diversity--- that we are all unique and different for a purpose; that it is not traditional thinking or a particular intelligence or logic that will rescue us from the current morass; that the world needs leaders who both recognise that and who have the ability to tap into these differences --- to bring their own humanity to activate the same in others." 

9781576754993-med-sm Case In Point:
Concepts are best understood in practice and through the power of story. Sonia Melara crossed my path some years back. At the time, Sonia was executive director of the City and County of San Francisco, Department on the Status of Women. She had a powerful spirit and deep conviction to her mission. I spent a meaningful afternoon with her learning about her important work. What is most memorable about our time together was what I learned from her experience. She adds to this discussion through her story by putting the spotlight on why it is critical for us to learn to SEE DIFFERENCES DIFFERENTLY in each other. [Excerpt from Putting Our Differences to Work, Page 145]

"We are such a “melting pot”—and perhaps this is part of the problem of how we view ourselves. While we are a “melting pot” in terms of race, each of us is very unique as individuals, too. Sometimes, I think we forget that each person represents a distinctive part of our individual cultures. We are all different.

When I came here from El Salvador, I came with a belief I owed it to myself to succeed—and the best of all possible worlds here in the United States was where I could do it. In the process of pursuing my goals, other people from my own community would say, 'You don’t really know about prejudice. You don’t really see it.' Maybe I did experience it, and for a time I didn’t look at it. Over time, I have learned prejudice takes many unexpected forms. For example, when I was nineteen, I applied for the Teacher’s Corps to work with farmworkers’ children. I was interviewed and later received a letter that the reason they could not employ me was because I was not of Mexican descent and had no experience of the life of the farmworker. I remember thinking, 'What? I am a role model.' However isolated this example may seem, I think we might all be surprised to find we have common experiences similar to this, where we have been excluded by our own communities, regardless of our race."

DIFFERENCES-istock-dkennedy30 KEY TAKE-AWAYS for YOU
1.  Putting our differences to work is the most powerful accelerator for generating the "renewable energies" we need to fuel the engine of growth:  INNOVATION.

2. Perhaps we have long misunderstood diversity. Maybe seeing ourselves as a “melting pot” is part of our problem. When we see ourselves "melting" into sameness, we overlook that each person represents a distinctive part of our individual cultures and everything that makes us individually unique. The change we need today is to take a closer look at one another, valuing both our sameness and common ground, as well as, developing a curiosity that leads us to discover true value in our differences.

3. Mastering how to SEE DIFFERENCES DIFFERENTLY is the new collaborative advantage for leaders and innovators at all levels in the twenty-first century. Putting Our Differences to Work is both a personal and practical guide for leaders and aspiring leaders at every level. BOOK OVERVIEW [PDF]

Are you ready?
What do you see from your unique vantage point?
What insight or story can you share?

Best...
Debbe

6-24-2009 BLOG60Debbe Kennedy
founder, Global Dialogue Center  
and Leadership Solutions Companies
author, Putting Our Differences to Work
The Fastest Way to Innovation, Leadership,
and High Performance (Berrett-Koehler 2008)
YouTube Book Review by futurist Joel A. Barker

Buy a Copy of Putting Our Differences to Work

GDC-DK-JAB-Conference Ways to connect:


Want to join our next ONLINE DIALOGUE?
Sign-up for an INVITE




Other Resources... to support your work:Working Together
audio learning-on-the-go series

Facebook  http://profile.to/debbekennedy/
Twitter@onlinedialogues and @debbekennedy
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/debbekennedy 
FiledByAuthor:  http://www.filedby.com/author/debbe_kennedy/490939/

Also available in DIGITAL DOWNLOAD at Berrett-Koehler


 

 http://globaldialoguecenter.blogs.com/differences/2009/08/differencs-we-have-more-than-you-think.html THE RISK OF REACH: Be the Hero tag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00d83452237c69e20120a51eea86970c 2009-08-05T15:35:46-07:00 2009-08-05T15:31:36-07:00 The world had an opportunity to witness the power and remarkable results of putting many dimensions of difference to work as we watched the release and emotional return of American journalists of Euna Lee and Laura Ling. ...Diplomacy remarkable --- but also imagine all the individuals' efforts that executed both the tiny and the significant details that made the negotiations possible the release remarkable. How can we benefit from our own risks for reach --- be the hero. Debbe Kennedy

DREAMS-Man-sm

The world had an opportunity to witness the power and remarkable results of putting many dimensions of difference to work as we watched the release and emotional return of American journalists Euna Lee and Laura Ling when they arrived home from North Korea. The leadership diplomacy of former President Bill Clinton, former EunaLee-LauraLing-sm






Vice President Al Gore, the support of the Obama Administration, and all the other prominent contributors we hear on the news deserve our highest praise. But also imagine all the individuals' efforts that executed both the tiny and the significant details that made the negotiations possible --- and the mission of faith to North Korea to obtain the release remarkable. I can't help but imagine countless fingerprints are on this successful risk of reach that ensured this heroic moment of JOY of Euna Lee and Laura Ling being reunited with their families. It was a mutualistic win, win, win for all concerned with many potential positive rippling influences for good. New HOPE.

What about us?
At this time in our history, on every front, there is much important work to do and everyone has an important role in it. We are being called to change our ways, change our habits, change our thinking, change our jobs, change our organizations, change broken systems, and most of all, CHANGE OURSELVES. 

These big shifts in our lives and work that we are reaching for, during a period of deeply felt CRISIS, are bringing out the best in some of us. It is inspiring to watch. At the same time, the UNKNOWN ahead---the RISK of changing the status quo---is terrifying some...and we have our different ways of feeling it and demonstrating it. We also can't diminish the reality that some of us are plagued with terrible circumstances to overcome --- the CRISIS is at the center of their existence.

How can we transcend whatever situation we face to be the hero in our own rights every day regardless of our situations? 

This may seem an unfair question, when our personal circumstances are all so different. However, Viktor Frankl in his classic, Man's Search for Meaning, defined a standard for us in this piece of timeless wisdom: "Everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of human freedoms – to chose one’s attitudes in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way." This message has helped me many times through my own trials and tragedies---I'm imagining many of you may have been touched by his remarkable work. RELATED Viktor Frank online self-learning exhibits:  KNOWLEGE Gallery: Viktor Frankl's life, messages, and principles and at the WOMEN's Gallery: "Light in the Dark" A Tribute to Viktor Frankl [with reflection by Dr. Alex Pattakos author, Prisoners of Our Thoughts], now showing at the Global Dialogue Center.

Dreams-man-smller Risking the Reach to Be More
One of my favorite writings that applies to this discussion came from a book I found in my dad's treasures after he died. It is taken from a sermon written by the famed Scottish minister and former Chaplain of the U.S. Senate, Peter Marshall (circa 1940). He paints a vibrant picture of THE CALLING of our time:

The Risk of Reach by  Peter Marshall 
"You were put here for a purpose, and that purpose is not related to superficial pleasures.
The time for drifting
or sleeping
or wishful thinking
or daydreaming is over.
The state of our world today make that a very dangerous pastime.
This generation and all of you who are sensitive to what is going on around you,
are called to a supreme adventure.
There is a great stirring in society.
The upheavals of life and the revolutions of multitudes across the world in desperate motion are indications that our world can never be the same again.

...So do not ever underestimate what you can do.
You have the courage to cast off your acrophobia [fear of heights] and
to dream big and to aim high...

How can you Be The Hero?
In order for us to do our individual parts, big and small, we have to first claim a new vision of ourselves as individuals during these difficult times, change our thinking, and be willing to take risk the reach.

BeTheHeroCOVER I would like to suggest a NEW BOOK
from bestselling Berrett-Koehler author,
Noah Blumenthal
It think it has just the uplifting message needed right now. In the tradition of a great storyteller, Noah's book, BE THE HERO: Three Powerful Ways to Overcome Challenges in Work and Life is a great guide for meeting whatever challenge we face during this time of both crisis and opportunity --- the biggest one to overcome ourselves. One reader described it this way:  "Noah Blumenthal's 'Be the Hero' is a perfect read for the tough times we all are experiencing. It is a mental choice to be victim of our situations or to choose a more heroic mental frame. When we choose hope, gratitude and empathy it leads to greater happiness and well being. 'Be the Hero' helps to reminds us of the choices we can make to walk a more power-filled path." BUY A COPY

" My greatest hope for this book --- it changes people's lives. This book helps you answer the question, "How can I be the person I want to be? " --- Noah Blumenthal

Changing ourselves --- renewing our outlook on life --- can change everything. It also expands the value you bring to your work and opens up opportunities for us to more effectively put our differences to work--- which we continue to prove is the fastest way to the innovations, leadership, and exceptional performance and contribution. We've seen it. History records it every day. We need everyone do their part in their own unique ways.

What contribution will you make in thought, word and deed?
How will you risk the reach to be the hero in your own right?

Warm regards to all...
Debbe

6-24-2009 BLOG60Debbe Kennedy
founder, Global Dialogue Center  
and Leadership Solutions Companies
author, Putting Our Differences to Work
The Fastest Way to Innovation, Leadership, and High Performance
(Berrett-Koehler 2008)
YouTube Book Review by futurist Joel A. Barker

Buy a Copy of Putting Our Differences to Work

Other Resources:
Working Together - audio learning-on-the-go series

Ways to connect:
Want to join our next ONLINE DIALOGUE? Sign-up for an INVITE

Facebook  http://profile.to/debbekennedy/
Twitter@onlinedialogues and @debbekennedy
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/debbekennedy 

Also available in DIGITAL DOWNLOAD at Berrett-Koehler

 http://globaldialoguecenter.blogs.com/differences/2009/08/at-this-time-in-our-history-on-every-front-we-are-being-called-to-change-our-ways-change-our-habits-change-our-thinkin.html