As part of my membership with Ipswich Little Theatre, I am delivering two, weekend theatre workshops, in June (1st and 8th) at the City Council libraries in Ipswich and Springfield. I plan on answering everything you wanted to know about theatre but were afraid to ask. Why not come along and unleash your inner actor … Continue reading Theatre Workshops – Come One, Come All!
Show Empathy – Even when you’re stuck – Part 2
When he arrives he sees the car is in fact stuck on the traffic island. All four (4) wheels are off the ground. The engine is running. There is only one person in the car and he is driving!
Show Empathy – Even when you’re stuck – Part 1
When he arrives he sees the car is in fact stuck on the traffic island. All four (4) wheels are off the ground. The engine is running. There is only one person in the car and he is driving!
A change of direction…sort of
By far the biggest change I have has seen is in leadership and culture. Individuals and organisation alike have been in the constant daze of cultural and leadership metamorphosis but it is still the one thing that lies at the heart of us all. It’s the ethos, the spirit, the vibe that keeps us together.
The Land of the Free and the Home of the Afraid
Fear is only ever a concept. It is a concept coined by humans to pigeon-hole feelings of loss of control, of strength, of purpose. But fear is the antithesis to security. When you feel secure you are secure. When you feel afraid you are afraid.
Thank you, Mr Watkins
Poetry, beauty, romance and love are all about the heart. True creativity comes from the heart. Its about feeling. When you feel, you know. You get the shivers. Mr Watkins gave me the shivers, because every time I walked into his classroom, I new it was going to be a great adventure.
Creativity versus Innovation?
For all the definitions of creativity and innovation that abound, from an organic perspective, creativity is the art of conception. Innovation is the art of successful gestation. Scott Berkun goes on to suggest that the best definition of innovation is significant positive change. When we create we are looking for the original, the new. When we innovate we want to put these new and original ideas into place.
Creativity leads to Mastery
We have the opportunity to change the way we learn. We can be creative in the way in which we learn. We have time on our side and we can dictate the curriculum. It is this very creativity that enables us to ultimately become masters at our craft, masters of our own direction. Creativity unlocks the potential for mastery.
Learning Culture
True learning and true education forces us to take long-term approaches. To realise and accept that learning is long haul. Results do not come over night, but when they do, the long-term results are so much greater than simply the sum of their parts (which is the classic short-term strategy).
Culture is Feeling
Organisations fool themselves into believing that they want to be transformative, innovative and adaptive. They also fool themselves into believing that by changing the top-down message, the mandate from the executive, that innovation will flow like the ancient Saharan rivers of gold. Unfortunately, corporate culture is focused on operational excellence and efficiency. This is the very antithesis of the collective hearts, minds and habits of the organisation's people and their mutual perception of 'this is how we do things'. Top-down mandates can only ever command compliance, they can never influence confidence, belief, enthusiasm or creativity.
