Years ago, a friend of mine described herself as someone who specialized in being a generalist. While the comment made me laugh, it also made be realize it was a description I could apply to myself.

My work involves a lot of complex, often fragmented information that comes fast and furious. My job is to make sense of it, find possibility, synthesize, summarize, and use it to determine future direction and action.

Being a generalist who knows a little about a lot of different things, as… More Posted on 11-29-23

Can the Big Picture Make Change Easier?

Like many others these days, the complexity of the world we live in is wearing me down and I find myself craving simplicity. But, what if instead, the big picture actually made things less stressful?

When seeing the Earth from afar for the first time, many astronauts described a cognitive shift in their awareness. Now called the Overview Effect, their experience of seeing the reality of Earth suspended in space with national borders no longer visible, immediately resulted in them understanding the Earth as being tiny and fragile. Along with that came an… More Posted on 11-22-23

We Are So Much More Than a Non-Horse

     
   
As the result of years of experience and learnings gained working alongside brilliant colleagues and community leaders, working long hours, and dipping into savings, today I am the Founder and Principal Collaborator of Campus for Communities of the Future.

I should be proud. And yet, my reality is that I stumble whenever I talk or even write about it.

It’s complicated because my emphasis has been on social innovation and doing my darndest to make the world a better place, more so than it has been about… More Posted on 11-21-23

Laugh and Learn?

I honestly can’t remember the last time I laughed so hard or learned so much.

Wait. Laughing and learning at the same time? Can it be?  After all, I distinctly recall getting into trouble for assuming I could combine the two. Even my kindergarten teacher wrote on my report card that although I was a good student, I was inclined to be a bit too social.

While today there is a better understanding and acceptance that children learn through their play, we typically don’t equate fun and playfulness with adult learning. Perhaps we… More Posted on 11-17-23

They See Possibilities, Not Problems

I like hanging out with quirky and creative people. A high percentage of them are social entrepreneurs. Not only are they interesting, they are special because unlike a lot of people who see problems, they have a tendency to see possibilities. 

If you happen to be a social entrepreneur, you already know being one rarely means an easy path. For most, it likely isn’t even a conscious career choice as it’s more about an innate drive to respond to pressing social challenges, and, ideally make money while you’re doing it.
More Posted on 11-15-23

Talking Heads Aren’t Enough

This post had its beginnings during a live event presented as being about crucial conversations and collaborations for the future. While I know the intentions were good, the truth is I was bored out of my gourd.

It also appears I wasn’t the only one as I actually saw one of the participants nodding off less than 20 minutes into the event. I remember thinking if there was one more powerpoint or so-called ‘expert’ reading their prepared thoughts describing the wonders of their work, I might have to override my disease-to-please and overly developed… More Posted on 11-09-23

Sparking Innovation: It Takes a Village

Every successful small business starts with a spark of innovation and the desire to meet a need.  For many of us, the idea of being able to paddle one’s own canoe also has a certain allure. 

However, recent reports indicate the number of entrepreneurs in Canada is declining, which is impacting small business creation.

A report by the Business Development Bank of Canada found that the country has 100,000 fewer entrepreneurs than it did 20 years ago, despite the fact that the population has grown by more than 10 million over the… More Posted on 11-04-23