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4 Ways to Find Your Creative Outlet
By: Deanna Rogers
Tags: Creativity, Creative, Creativity Tips

Sure, you can spend all the time you want staring at the screens in your life, hanging out with friends or plain chillin’. Why not? You work, you deal with the kids, you manage life’s greatest annoyances. You deserve a little time on the tube, the net or lying around.

You’re better off making room for a creative outlet.

Creative Outlets

Creativity shouldn’t be set aside to find relief from stress. Creativity is healthy. It fills voids. Health benefits include lowered blood pressure, minimized risk of depression and even better body mass index.

Creativity is important to our mental well-being. An outlet sheds negativity and builds self-esteem through accomplishment. It provides self-discovery and, through focus and relaxation, offers opportunity to organize your innermost feelings and thoughts.

Get Started

Creativity has nothing to do with talent. It’s about doing something you enjoy. Sit down with crayons and a coloring book, or pick up a needle and yarn. What brings you joy? What activity doesn’t feel like work? What will challenge your creativity? Join a class or workshop. Schedule time for yourself!

Give Yourself Permission to Enjoy Your Time

It’s okay to be the best, but use your creative outlet to just have fun. Your gain should be adventurousness, spontaneity, even silliness. Write children stories or finger paint. Don’t overstress results. Be whimsical and free with creativity!

Remain Calm

Your creative outlet will become important and you’ll strive to improve. Make sure to give yourself time to get better. Don’t let the outlet overwhelm you. If creation creates frustration, your outlet becomes a chore. You feel cheated. You stop enjoying the endeavor and quit. If you move on, let it be because the outlet isn’t right for you, not because you hate the process.

Keep it Close to the Vest

A creative outlet entails knowing your interests and talents. Collages, poetry, origami, knitting, the goal is to find a way to free your spirit through learning, patience and enjoyment.

Creative outlets are about you and your style, preference and talent. It’s self-expression and releasing energy that puts everything else on the backburner. There is no wrong way to be creative and doing it right requires you enjoy the experience.

This article was originally published on deanna-rogers.net.
Does success stories inspire you?!This will too…
By: Trina Rudra
Tags: Digital Marketing, Blogging, Life, Creative, Success Story

Trina’s Rudra’s vision 2025

Trina Rudra

If ever there was an utterly amazing and inspiring digital marketing success story it’s Trina’s. Trina Rudra is one of the best Digital and an Internet marketer. She has worked in many fields like website designing, marketing, branding, business strategies in various companies in only five years of her career. She started as a freelance social media specialist and now helps other digital marketers improve their branding and social media reach. In today’s time her strength is social media marketing and freelancing and she shares the best techniques for uplifting branding, selling on social media, brand development, and much more, with her audience of lakhs of followers.

During her initial days of her career she was not too into fitness and yoga but with time realized how important yoga and meditation is for concentration and a successful life and does yoga without fail everyday. Although she is a big foodie and every year travels outside the country to try different cuisines.

Trina is inspiring hard working and a superstar in the digital world. She has worked with top companies and has been awarded in 2025 for creating a mark in the social media world in only five years’ time. However, Her biggest joy was when she received the Social Media Specialist Award from the same school where she has faced the most negative attitude and comments from teachers and friends as she wasn’t a good student back then.

Trina wrote her first blog during her internship program in digital Deepak internship program and now her blogs receive lakhs of views. Whether writing blogs, content marketing, or branding, Trina knows how to convey an idea clearly, concisely and on point.

She believes in contributing a wee bit towards the dreams of many aspiring digital marketers hence, has started an interaction program on YOUTUBE where top Digital Marketers every week comes live and shares their success story and answers all relevant questions to inspire the ones that want to be a digital marketer but lack motivation. This is a true sign of a digital marketing expert and true human being. She has also conducted over 20+digital marketing training for leading corporate like….

That’s Trina for you: she(as a social media marketer),has set an example you will surely be aspiring to reach.
Peace with the Pieces, Mess from the Message… yeah, yeah, but how?
Tags: Self Improvement, Self Actualization, Creative, Chronic Illness, Process

I used to tell myself that I stretched myself too thin from searching… chasing happiness in any direction, looking for any mentor, guide, pathway that seemed to make sense.

Turns out, none of them did. Even worse? They probably never could.

I’ve heard the concept “soul contract” since or … “hell is meeting the person you could have been at the end of your life”.

Nobody can tell you what your soul craves.

It’s a paralyzing thought, staring into the abyss of possibilities — leaning to a-void and… through all this I thought of procrasturbation… like.. if you masturbate by procrastinating right? Now, I’ve heard that both masturbation and procrastination are the same since you end up only fucking yourself… but… does that make it a sexy doubleteam?

And these thought streams are why I excuse bad behaviour.

… or excused.

Unfortunately with the state of the universe and all I have learned means that I actually have to see my part in the cosmos and do my best to fulfill my goals… for myself.

I have always struggled. I have ADD/ADHD, likely female autistm, fibromyalgia, tibial torsion, (yet to be confirmed) Ehler’s Danlos Syndrome, IBS, migraines, asthma, chronic pain, chronic fatigue… and I’m probably missing some. My favourite part? Not much of this is something you can see on the outside besides some of the symptoms they present.

But boy do they ever affect my life.

Funny thing was that I assumed that everyone struggled the same way that I did. I just assumed I kinda… just sucked at it. I thought I was crazy, lazy and dumb. Because I adopted stories from what I heard, what I felt, the experiences I had and the social interactions that left me in patterns that… turns out never served me justice.

Luckily, I still have time, I have grown awareness, and I went down.. really down first… so the upswing? Oh, there’s so much room to go up!

I’ve done a good deal of research, I’m ready to take action, and I’m absolutely over what it looked like before.

I’m excited to document this process, the struggles, the gains, the learnings and the amazing people that I get to work with and profile in my adventure.

Just like the tarot archetypes, 0, The Fool…

I want to sumbit myself to the Midnight Society~ I hope that this helps anyone else find their path faster so they don’t have to experience the same sort of dissonance with the universe that I did.

You belong here, you deserve to experience the fullest extent of what your existence offers. Good people need to take up good space. We need new sci-fi writers to imagine a future for us again. We need to show up, every day for ourselves… knowing that you being elevated elevates the web of beautiful creatures around you… and if you were missing… so many people would be sad in your absence.

We need you.

Thanks for all you do.
Will it Matter in 10 Years?
By: Declan Wilson
Tags: Creativity, Life, Creative, Art, Self

When was the last time you watched the Numa Numa Guy?

How many times in the past week did you come across Gangnam Style in your social feeds?

I’m willing to bet you haven’t thought about either in at least a few years.

In their heyday, these viral videos were all anyone could talk about. Now they’re met with, “Oh yeah, I forgot about that.”

As a creative today, the path to achieving Gangnam-level success is much simpler. Download TikTok, record a dance, become famous.

It’s 1849 all over again. So many people rushing to strike gold without even considering: is this worth my time and energy?

That’s what I ask myself when I create things. Is it worth it?

Does it add value? Will it enrich people’s lives in ten, twenty, and fifty years?

Or is it just some silly distraction?
The Race to Irrelevance
By: Abb-D Choudhury
Tags: Purpose Driven Business, Creative, Social Media, Entrepreneurship, Business

Through social media we love and engage with others that offer an inspiring perspective. Whether it be a unique artistic expression, the peak of a certain profession, or highly stylised pictures of foreign lands. As a creative business, the amount of agencies and creatives on Instagram are a dime a dozen.

Companies big and small showcasing beautiful pictures of work done for brands you may or may not care about. You may find inspiration, but does a gorgeous product design snapshot offer you real value? Does it teach you to design at a higher standard? Does it give you a level of insight you previously didn’t have? Value is in the eye of the beholder, and we’ve been missing the mark at creating value that feels true to us, and the community we care about.

Reflecting on your business can help define your worldview, and ultimately who you should be speaking to and why. We’re thinking more deeply about the relationship between our output and the beholder who defines real value. It’s an unconventional and likely arduous route — but we’re leaving social media in search of a community of like minded advocates, and saying goodbye to the preset audience dictated by the algorithm.

We’re aware of the benefits and power of social media. Today most entrepreneurs, businesses and independents set up an account and start building their audience with almost immediate results. But who really benefits from these results? We’ve taken a step back to ask ourselves what social media really is… an ecosystem with questionable results.

Social media has created a stage for many businesses, connecting them with their community and ultimately their customers. If this sounds like your business, no need to read on — but if you question the ROI of your social media efforts, continue.

By now we’re all aware of how social media works, from prior knowledge or from documentaries like The Social Dilemma. How we are the product and the largely divided opinion that you’re either totally fine about Facebook using your data, or you’ve already deleted your account.

For business, it’s been almost forced upon us as a necessity from experts, marketing strategies, articles and so forth. I’m here to tell you otherwise. It works for many, but not for everyone… unless you have the time and budget.
The Best Creative Games for Kids on the Nintendo Switch (2020)
By: Ade M. Campbell
Tags: Creative, Nintendo, Gaming, Games, Nintendo Switch

Find out what they are…..

Christmas is less than a month away, so it’s time to get to grips with some decent gifts, like the following ideas for kids who love video games — too much — on the Nintendo Switch.

You can feel less guilty, since these games can really bring out their creative or imaginative side. They can also promote more social skills, since kids get to share their creations, discuss them with their friends, and even go online and either explore or build something together. As a bonus, it can also improve their language and reading skills.
You Can’t Accomplish everything you set out to do today:
By: Tyler Zimmerman
Tags: Ideas, Motivation, Creative, Inspiration

And why you don’t want to

Photo by Kelly Sikkema at UnSplash

I had a moment today where I felt like I was running out of time. I had this long list of things I was going to get done today. It involved all of my creative endeavors. I was going to get some local photos, I was going to write in my journal and on medium. I was going to create some video clips as well as put together a photo shoot of my lego Porsche that I have been dreaming up for some time. It was gonna be a great Sunday and I was going to explore all these things thatI had been thinking about for hours and even weeks.

Well I have been able to complete only a few of these items today. I was able to write in my journal, and now write on medium. Everything else will have to continue to wait because I had to participate in work today. Something came up that needed my attention and I have to get that done now because, well, it pays the bills.

This happens often to me. I conjure up the most grandiose plans of all the things I am going to do and then, not even close. Well I was able to have a good conversation with myself today and I came to the conclusion that this is an acceptable outcome. The main idea that I came up with is to make sure I write down all of my ideas on paper or in my notes on my IPhone. I have been doing that for the last week so that when things come to me, which they most often do I am in the middle of something else. Just like every other human i tend to forget by the time I am ready to do “said” thing. It has been a life changing for me as I begin to put together a portfolio of creative work. In fact it is the reason I am able to take a break from the other work to bring you this piece. I had it written down and some quick notes as to what I wanted to discuss or write about and use the quick reference to draw my brain back to this idea that I had.
It Costs Nothing to be Creative
By: Firman Pravikasah
Tags: Writing, Creative, Motivation, Ideas, Psychology

Amélie Murichon at Unsplash

Stuck in a very stressful situation and can’t emerge any brand new idea is the most extreme condition I think. This could be terrifying for someone who’s in a limited time to make decisions or create innovation. This also happens when someone start writing articles and recording podcasts. Have you ever been in that situation? Being creative isn’t just about emerging an idea. Well, you don’t have to work and dig deeper your mind to find something new to tell about. Inspiration comes from a close and relatable story of our life. Its might sound theoretical and confusing to understand description I gave, but let’s take a minute to answer these questions:

Have you explored anything close to you to emerge an idea?

If you had already done, what would’ve occur?

When I started making podcasts I realize that I need to fulfill my listeners demand as I adapt with their background both education and geographical position. Soon I understand I just need to share what I’ve been doing so far, and that’s interesting. So these are steps how to emerge an idea:

Ask yourself. Explore anything seems possible to be taken and expand it. Give a try. You don’t even know until you try it. If it doesn’t work, don’t give up. Look something unique from it.

By doing these 3 steps above, you just don’t need to exhaust your energy and waste your precious time. I’ve been doing this for times, then I just took less than 10 minutes to write something impressive. Good luck!
The Essay
By: Beyond Literary
Tags: Poem, Writing, Creative, Conversations, Poetry

Did you go to the party? I

Heard Brian was there. Mr. Marx is

Collecting the essays he assigned last

Week. Everyone

Was there. Even Sarah?

I’m so glad it’s almost break. Are you ready

For the game on Friday? The

Cheer team has to

Wear leg covers since it’s getting

So cold now. Mr. Marx is a joke.

Did you see the video? She’s

Actually showing her face. I

Just bought these sneakers.

Oh my God, look at her face! I

Didn’t know someone

Could drink that much. Dude,

I’m not ready for this Anatomy exam.

Gross!

Did you see the way she’s

Looking at

Him?

What a great night! That’s what

Brian said, too.

Hey Sarah, looking good.

I forgot about the Essay.
Create Like Leonardo da Vinci: Top 4 Tips From His Personal Notebooks
By: Han Mai
Tags: Creativity, Creative, Artist, Art, Tips

1. Copy, copy, copy

Want to learn how to write a bestseller? Or draw like Leonardo himself? Then learn from the great masters before you. There’s a reason why artists always credit their influences. Successful artists learn from other people’s successes. And don’t you dare be afraid of other people’s successes because their success is a road map for your own.

Art isn’t just floating around in the world to be merely consumed. In the same vein, artists aren’t just working solitarily in a basement with no contact with the real world. Good artists are always influenced by the great works they see all around them.

Art is out there so that it can teach you a lesson.

Leonardo was a massive proponent of copying. He wrote that a good painter must first copy drawings by good masters. He says that this will help the novice to emulate the techniques and hand movements from a good master himself.

In time, the novice will not only learn to copy but also create his own ideas.

“First draw from drawings by good masters done from works of art and from nature[…]”

“The artist ought first to exercise his hand by copying drawings from the hand of a good master.”

Takeaways: Learn from successful examples. When you read a good book, for example, ask yourself why you enjoyed it, and apply it to your novel.
Tycho Burwell; The Creative Director for the Underground and Mainstream Artists of NY.
By: New Music First
Tags: Music Video, Tycho Burwell, Creative, Underground Rap, Photography

Tycho Burwell, a creative director from New York City, has built a brand on working with artists who have well established careers and discovering smaller artists who have untapped talent.

Tycho Burwell Photo by @Jaylim1

After he started taking photography seriously in 2015, Tycho Burwell began posting his work to Instagram building up his page. Whether it was shooting for local magazines or businesses he started building up an impressive portfolio early on. In early 2018 Tycho Burwell started working in the rap industry with artists who were just starting music. Working with the likes of Lil Tecca, Journey Gz, Pasto Flocco, Lil Benny, and others.

When asked about how he first started making connections Tycho Burwell said “I started out going to free shows and showcases. At these shows I would be taking photos of everyone, no matter how large of a following they seemed to have. Then at the end of the show I would go around and get everyone’s Instagram, later I would post all the photos. That was my initial way of getting my name out there and starting a following.”

Fast forward two years and he has artists and their teams coming to him directly to work. At 18 years old he’s worked with artists like Lil Uzi Vert, Juice Wrld, Lil Tecca, and he’s directed for companies such as Sprite in early 2020.

Tycho Burwell (Left), SoFaygo (Center) Pasto Flocco (Right), Photo by SageWolf

His most recent endeavors in the video scene have been with Pasto Flocco & SoFaygo on the music video to their collaboration track ‘Energy’. He also teamed up with Autumn! and Nitetive on the ‘Big Stepper’ music video.

Tycho Burwell (Left), Pasto Flocco (Center), SoFaygo (Right) Photo by Keith Boerner (@646kb)

He’s worked with Pasto Flocco since 2018 when they met through Lil Tecca at a studio session.

Since then Tycho’s work expanded into the world of videography and he went on to work with Pasto Flocco on several music videos now, some of which are unreleased at the time of writing this article.

To watch through a few recent music videos directed by Tycho Burwell scroll down.

“Big Stepper” Directed by Tycho Burwell

“Energy” Directed by Tycho Burwell
New Constellations
By: Samantha Lazar
Tags: Science Fiction, Winter Solstice, Creative, Poetry, Samhain

New Constellations

Photo by Mariam Soliman on Unsplash

in the twilight of the year,

we step lightly

as to not disturb

the hibernating,

but we are busy

for as we gather the darkness,

pack our knapsacks for

the long haul,

prepare spices

to stir up solstice,

it is the stars

we’re after

writing lessons of myth

of the new constellations

burning into

the future collective

consciousness
IF YOU CAN DREAM IT, YOU CAN CREATE IT ✨ DAILY SPARK
By: Liesbeth Bakker
Tags: Creatives, Entrepreneurship, Startup, Inspiration, Founders

IF YOU CAN DREAM IT, YOU CAN CREATE IT ✨ DAILY SPARK Liesbeth Bakker ·Dec 4, 2020

“The first couple of years that we’re making stuff, the stuff that we’re making is not that great. — — What you’re making, is sort of a disappointment to you.”

~Ira Glass

SPARK OF THE DAY

Set your bar high and don’t get discouraged by your own mediocrity… if you can dream it, you can create it!

I wish you a wonderful weekend ✨
Time
By: Beyond Literary
Tags: Writing, Creative, Fiction, Flash Fiction, Time

I keep my secrets to myself. Jumping, skipping, hopping all around, the knowing grin curling my chapped and cracked lips. Soft, melodic notes reverberate against my vocal cords; all is right in the world, but I know.

I know I can only keep the charade going for so long. What I release on those lined pages of the leather-bound notebook, tucked away beneath my pillows are far worse than the monsters under my bed.
How to create a YouTube channel in 2021
By: John Allen
Tags: Creative, YouTube, Youtube Creators, Youtube Channel

Photo by NordWood Themes on Unsplash

If you’re looking to start a YouTube channel this year it is an incredibly easy process to get your channel up and running.

Below are the steps you will follow to get your channel setup and optimize some of your settings:

1. Create a Gmail account if you do not have one yet

2. Go to www.youtube.com

3. Click on the Sign In on the top right side of your screen

4. Once you’re signed in, click on the little profile photo or initial symbol on the top right of the screen

5. Click on “Create a Channel”

6. Here you can choose to either use your Gmail name or create a new unique name for your channel

7. Upload a profile photo

8. Add a channel description that people can read when they go to your profile

9. Add any social media/medium links

10. Click on “Customize Channel”

11. Click on Branding

12. Upload a banner for your channel — make sure this is appropriately arranged for viewing on all devices

13. Add a watermark if you would like

14. Click “Publish” to save your changes

15. Click on “Settings” on the bottom left

16. Go to “Channel”

17. Enter any of your default channel information

18. Enter keywords that YouTube’s search engine can use to help direct people to your channel. Use a comma to separate tags

19. Mark whether you want your channel to be “kid friendly” or leave it at the default to ask for each video

20. Click on “Upload Defaults”

21. Add all of your affiliate links, disclosures, etc. that you want on every video under the description box

22. Select the appropriate video privacy setting for default uploads. I like to do Private so I can edit the thumbnail, etc. before making the video public.

23. Add any tags that you would want all of your videos to have. These tags will help with search engine optimization and really help you to get your channel noticed once you start producing videos

24. Start making videos

I hope this was helpful for you to be able to streamline some of your YouTube processes and get a channel going!
I Held The World In My Hands
Tags: Poem, Creative, Hope, World, Poetry

Do you know how it feels to feel like the world belongs to you?

I do.

You see, I held the world in my hands once.

It was great but too much responsibility

Its hard making sure that no one sinks into the abyss we call space

When I held the world

it wasnt too heavy because outer space defys gravity

so, really, it weighed nothing.

It was a little large but I managed.

I held it with two hands then one

I became stronger and stronger

I floated and danced in space

You may think thats absurd

I think your mind is too small

I held the world in my hands!

The whole, entire world.

I held your life and I decided not to let you sink

I decided to let everyone live.

I had all the power and did not abuse it.

You`re welcome.

I felt the oceans,

I smelt pollution

I could hear hurricanes

it was fantastic and I am in awe

I did not create it all

but ive held it

Ive held it in my hands.

I wish I could do it again.

Someday maybe

when the time is right

I will let myself float away

I will grab the earth with two hands

and once again,

the world will be mine.
LiFE Metamorphosis 2021 by ATMATVA
By: Anil Grovor
Tags: Life, Mental Health, Leadership Coaching, Organizational Culture, Metamorphosis

LiFE Metamorphosis 2021 by ATMATVA

LiFE means Living From Essence. Metamorphosis means Sustainable Transformation Journey. ATMATVA means Essence as well as non-duality of Spirit and Matter. LiFE Metamorphosis is a 9 month journey pioneered by Anil Grovor, Founder & CEO of ATMATVA. This is a journey of Self Mastery based on confluence of Biography Work, Existential Mapping, Polarity Thinking, Executive Coaching and Experiential Learning.

ATMATVA is a global network of experienced practitioners channeling their wisdom in creative collaborations through the Non-Profit (Atmatva Foundation) and Consulting (InHarmony Services) in India. The mission is to be the trusted partners for individuals, leaders, organisations and communities to transcend limiting patterns.

The team includes coaches and facilitators in Hyderabad, Bengaluru, New Delhi, Mumbai, Pune, Chennai, Kolkata in INDIA; UK/Europe and USA. The Primary Offerings of ATMATVA are Systemic Coaching (Anchored by Anil Grovor, anil@atmatva.com), Integral Wellbeing (Anchored by Meenal Rastogi, meenal@atmatva.com), LiFE Metamorphosis (Anchored by Sudha Prabhu, sudhap@atmatva.com).

Jan 2021 starts with a gift economy offer of a 3 week journey at no cost for mapping your life journey from Birth to Now in the seven year life phases. The purpose is to apply the art and science of human evolution to see the patterns and interconnections of one’s life. The need is to thrive in home and work contexts changed forever by the pandemic of 2020.
Fitting A Large Box Into A Small Box
By: Ian Golightly
Tags: Creativity, Innovation, Thought Leadership, Change, Organizational Culture

One of the most important principles I learned in 2020.

The composition of cardboard are layers of kraft paper. Non-stretchable and can be ripped if it maximizes its capacity size.

What happens when you force a large box into a small box? The sides will rip, and what was once a box may not be useable. The underlining question is, how many small boxes and rolls of duck tape will it take a person to accept the fact that it’s not going to work?

You probably think that it should only take one.

So why do large teams/departments/organizations work themselves in such a small box?

Patty McCord, who introduced the NetFlix slide deck, shared ‘restrictions stop innovations’

If you believe tech industry concepts do not apply across other verticals, you’ll miss some critical breakthroughs.

In the healthcare field, they eat, breathe, and sleep standard of procedures (SOPs). Procedures are excellent because they are a guideline, and it helps with consistency.

Should it be the golden-rules for organizations?

It can be if that’s the culture of the work environment. Understand that there are more downsides to going that route versus creating a flexible work environment.

One of the biggest challenges is identifying if the operations are working in a small box frameset.

If you are invested with your organization and never considered questioning any operation processes, you most likely never thought about this idea before. It’s okay because millions of other hard-working citizens are in the same boat. One of the quickest ways of finding out is to stress test with a simple question:

‘Is it possible to consider ___________?’

If you get a response within these lines or something similar:

· That’s not how we do it here

· According to our SOP

· We’ve always done it this way

There is a high chance that a small box framework is in place.

When leaders start scratching their heads about increasing efficiency, thinking of ideas on how they can stay competitive or even outrun competitors, do them a favor by handing them the smallest box you can find. Smile and then walk away with no other dialogue exchanged. Most likely, they’ll be confused for the rest of the day and somewhat puzzled.

Photo by Andrew George on Unsplash

Now you know how forward-thinking leaders feel when they see the small box framework being utilized.
Making Meaning From Change
By: Ray Rood The Genysys Group
Tags: Consulting Strategy, Change Management, Consulting, Change, Organizational Culture

Photo by Mika Baumeister on Unsplash

November 2020

​

Last month I had the opportunity to take my first business-related airplane trip of the year. I didn’t enjoy the extended hours of wearing a face mask followed by walking a half-mile with my luggage to pick up my rental car. On the other hand, it was great not having to wait in a long security line as well as picking up a car that had been sanitized, complete with a sticker covering where the car door opened.

​

During my trip, I participated in a shareholder’s meeting for a family business client that conducted via Zoom because of Covid. This experience was the first and, at times, awkward Zoom call in which the majority of these shareholders had ever participated for any reason. What made it significant is that the success of this experience now allows for much more flexibility, efficiency, and ultimately effectiveness in communication and participation by a key group of individuals. Communication is more important than ever as the company goes through a leadership transition process that involves passing the leadership from the third generation to the fourth generation.

​

As I reflect on the new, different, and challenging experiences that many of us are being confronted with these days, I am reminded that there are two sides to any change. Many times, if the change is not one that I choose, then I feel and focus on the loss or negative side.

​

If I am initiating the change, then it is the gain or positive side that I almost exclusively focus on. Often, it takes time to realize the significance of what we have gained despite or even because of our loss. On the other hand, the significance of our losses, some good and some not so good, may only emerge over time as well.

​

I am reminded of a phrase that I heard years ago, “nothing is totally as it appears to be.” This suggests that there may be much more to be considered in any change, initiated or not, before coming to any conclusion about its long-term significance and value.

​

Here are two questions that might help in evaluating any change that we are either experiencing

or considering in this most unusual of years:

​
A Path Through Polarization
By: Ray Rood The Genysys Group
Tags: Consulting, Organizational Culture, Polarization, Ending Polarization

​December 2020

Recently I was approached by an HR professional who was curious about how the vision work that we do in Genysys might address the polarization of relationships in the workplace. The environment of polarization continues to escalate in today’s world. His question reminded me of a comment of a participant in an envisioning workshop that I facilitated almost ten years ago. This workshop was for members of a historical society that was deeply divided over what to do with a very unique asset. They had been given a castle in the middle of the local community. A majority of the society members didn’t want to have anything to do with the castle.

​

After the workshop one of the participants, who represented the majority of those who wanted nothing to do with the castle, came up to me and after thanking me for being willing to facilitate this workshop in such a contentious environment, made the following comment: “The common vision that we were able to develop today about the future of the castle has brought needed healing to our society.”​

​

Upon reflection, I believe that the key to developing some healing and common ground was first to identify the common questions that all of the participants had about the future of the castle beyond the present reality. As they thought beyond five years, which is where we in Genysys begin, it was amazing the common ground in interests, hopes, and concerns that began to emerge. When the results of the visioning exercise around the questions of the long-term future of the castle began to be shared the participants began to see that they often had much more in common about the future than they ever thought possible. As one participant indicated, “Eighty percent of what we shared today is common and/or complementary, our problem was that we had, up to now, no forum or way to discover our common ground.”

​

Here are two questions that might help in discovering common ground in an environment of polarized differences:

​

What common questions do we, in any group of which we are a part (work, family, community, church, etc.), have about our future beyond five years? How does each participant answer these questions as they look to that year of focus beyond five years?

​

The common and complementary responses to those answers can provide a bridge of hope for a common and positive future for those involved as it was for the historical society and its castle.
ทำไมเราถึงปากหนัก ไม่กล้าแสดงความคิดเห็นในที่ทำงาน?
By: Niran Banleurat
Tags: Openness, Corporate Culture, Organizational Culture, Psychological Safety, Workplace Culture

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#JustStart your Goals
By: Danish Aziz Awan
Tags: Organizational Change, Organizational Culture, Office Culture

Getting what excites you is probably one of the best feelings in the world.

For this, I have chosen one of my smart goals i.e. Organizational trainer.

After my last 2 weeks session, I could already relate a lot things with my job. I saw an opportunity to use, “leadership without Authority.” The ultimate outcome would be beneficial for both my organization and for me personally as well as for my future goal.

I started by discussing about feedback with my colleague, I was so shocked by the outcome of it that I started to add more colleagues in discussion. To my surprise everyone took it very positively, mostly because they could now relate things themselves as well. I guess, “Great minds do think alike.”

Anyway, so I started my formal sessions with the sales and marketing team. Since I have only been working for 3 months at this place, the first big challenge was to break the ice and make everyone believe in my abilities.

So I started by introducing myself and I showed all my past achievements, share my vision and mission, aligned it with our office’s vision. At this point, most were convinced that my actions are not only for me, but for the organization overall well being and I started to see happy faces.

Next challenge was to convey my message, as I had no formal presentation, I started using my Amal’s notes. 10 mins into the discussion, I had everyone involved. We discussed how Amal’s principles can eventually help us attain our short and long term goals. how we can grow individually and as a team.

We did this for 2 more days, and I have series of topics lined up for next week. This action is literally making me do more and more. Interestingly the results are way too fast.

I would say I have learned that, if you take a positive stand and take responsibility, success starts to follow you. Your learning curve starts to hit the exponential part.

Next steps are easy, make better presentations, create an entire curriculum and get it done. Teach everyone what I have been able to absorb and practice this in real world situations.
The Burden of Multitasking
By: Synthia S.
Tags: Time Management, Mental Health, Organizational Culture, Multitasking, Psychology

Your Brain is Like an Air-Traffic Control Centre

Harking back to contemporary psychological research, psychologists have identified that the brain is typically not optimized to do two heavy-duty things simultaneously.

As time stretches onward, we will get tired and we will get fatigued.

Even if you don’t feel the effects now, you will likely feel them at another time, depending on your specific situation. The best way to conceptualize our tasks is to visualize an air-traffic control centre.

Photo by Mael BALLAND on Unsplash

When we are multitasking, we code and switch from one item to another, often in quick succession. This is what is called “juggling” and there is usually a cost associated with this constant code-switching.

Sometimes, this cost is time.

For example, let’s say task 1 is similar to task 2, and both require doing some kind of research and mathematical calculations. Task 1 requires 1 hour of your life. Task 2 also requires 1 hour of your life.

Without multitasking, perhaps you’re spending 2 hours at a minimum with a 10-minute break thrown in the middle, making it 2 hours and 10 minutes.

Instead, multitasking may cause you to get both parts done in 2 hours or more. On top of that:

You’re much more tired

There was no self-care break

You might have even wandered into timewasting activities

Overall, the next time you’re multitasking, just be mindful of your cognitive loads. It’s okay to sometimes do two things at once, such as talking to a friend while sorting boxes, but it’s not as appropriate to write two lab reports simultaneously.

In the wise words of Idries Shah,
How Not-My-Problem Virus Decays Organizations?
By: Pravin Patunkar
Tags: Organizational Change, Organizational Culture

Let me start with a story!

Once upon a time an old couple lived in a small house in a remote village. In the house also lived a mouse, a pigeon, a chicken, and a sheep. All of these animals were friends as they lived in the same house.

One evening the lady of the house returned from shopping with a bag full. The mouse, as inquisitive as he was, peeked from his hole to find out what all did the old lady bring. The old lady took out the usual groceries from the bag and there came out a mouse trap. The poor mouse panicked and was afraid for his life.

He ran to the pigeon and told the pigeon that the old lady had brought a mouse trap to catch him. Pigeon laughed at the misery of the mouse and told him to go away saying “It’s not-my-problem”. Poor mouse went to the chicken seeking help. Chicken laughed uncontrollably looking at the trembling mouse and told the mouse that it is not-my-problem. Finally the mouse went to the sheep seeking some advice as the sheep was the wisest among them. Sheep gave an enormous belly laugh when the mouse told the whole ordeal. After getting a break from laughter, Sheep asked the mouse to go back saying not-my-problem. Dejected and frightened mouse went back to his hole and didn’t dare to get out seeking food that night.

In the middle of the night, a snake got stuck in the mouse trap. The lady of the house thought that the mouse was caught so she carelessly put hand in the mouse trap to grab the mouse. Alas, the snake bit the hand and the lady fell sick immediately. The husband rushed to the informal doctor in the village. The doctor examined the lady and told husband to feed her pigeon soup immediately. The husband grabbed the pigeon from the nest and cooked soup for the lady. The pigeon soup indeed helped and the lady felt better the very next day.

Their relatives who got to know about the unfortunate incident came over to enquire about the incident. As there were many people for supper, the husband grabbed the chicken and made chicken curry for everyone. Husband invited the whole village for a feast after the lady recovered completely. Husband grabbed the sheep this time and cooked sheep meat curry for everyone.

Pigeon, chicken, and sheep could have been alive had they helped the mouse to solve his problem.

Now consider the house as an organization and of the animals living in the house as a functional department of the organization such as engineering, product management, sales, support, corporate functions etc. Way too often different organs of the organization are siloed and self-serving to an extent that the problem of one organ doesn’t bother others. This it’s-not-my-problem attitude does not only cause financial and talent loss but also degeneration of even the mightiest organization.

Help others solve their problem as if it’s your problem. Simple but not easy!

Still wondering what happened with the mouse? Mouse left the house as steady stream visitors and activity in the house didn’t suite him.

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this post are my personal opinions.
Foster a culture of sharing
By: Michael Martino
Tags: Business Transformation, Organizational Culture

Customer Experience and Digital Strategist. Martial Arts Enthusiast. Nothing ever got done on the couch
Makes a lot of sense — language does so much to enable and empower.
By: Jivika Rajani
Tags: Language, Psychological Safety, Moonshots, Writer, Organizational Culture

Makes a lot of sense — language does so much to enable and empower. Very applicable when thinking about building internal culture and creating the kind of psychological safety needed to talk about people’s emotional reactions to being “in the fog.” Yes, you can definitely get better at dealing with and even thriving through ambiguity (as I have), but it’s important to acknowledge that this might be more stressful for some than it is for others. Another reminder to think empathetically when collaborating to tackle the monkey first!

Oh and also, I love love love the labels on that somewhat triggering journey map… I’m currently writing a book and alternating between wading through the dark swamp of despair (or the muck of suck as I guess I’ve been referring to it in my head) and realizing that the swamp doesn’t last forever. Makes it much easier to “see the light,” when you are beyond being self-conscious about looking or sounding stupid, and can broach taking about the hard stuff with friends or others you trust! Hard stuff in this case being, “Is my protagonist boring? Does this subplot aka the past 5,000 words even work?!”

Can’t wait to be square in the Hmm-Hey! phase and nearing that final Wow. I know it’s out there!!
Six practices to foster a more adaptive & human work environment
By: Kathya Acuña
Tags: Leadership, Organization Design, Organizational Culture

Work becomes more human when we anchor practices around our psychological needs — from reducing fear and increasing psychological capital and safety, to building and maintaining a healthy contract between employees and employers. These are the initiatives that enable work to become more adaptive and sustainable.

Here are six practices that foster a more adaptive and human environment:

Facilitate all meetings to ensure they are intentional and productive while allowing all meeting participants to express their opinions in a safe space. Seek out equal talk time. Build a coaching habit across the organization to cultivate curiosity and support individual growth while taming the advice monsters. Increase the transparency in communication to build trust in decision-making and leadership. Introduce play with purpose as microstructures that enable creativity and collaborative decision-making. Implement retrospectives to enable the team to reflect and learn together while identifying growth opportunities. Encourage experimentation to solve various problems or tackle new opportunities. Clearly defining parameters ensures that it’s safe-to-fail when experimenting and enables participants to learn by doing.

Before implementing any of these, make sure to ask for consent to try out these practices from all participants.
“When we choose humble, unassuming people as our leaders, the world around us becomes a better place.”
By: Harry Alford
Tags: Humility, Leadership, Humble, Innovation, Organizational Culture

That’s what award-winning leadership professor, margarita mayo, learned after examining research collected from over 200 companies. Humble leaders improve company performance, have a balanced view of themselves while being open to new ideas and feedback. Yet, many organizations seek leaders who exude charisma, hoping to drive large-scale transformation. Instead, the void is filled with competitive games between teams and innovation theater wrapped in organizational narcissism. “A leader’s humility can be contagious,” Mayo writes, and when leaders behave humbly, employees mirror their behavior fostering more collaborative environments.
The Strategy-Focused Organization: How Balanced Scorecard Companies Thrive in the New Business Environment
By: Deepak Bhatt
Tags: Strategy, Organizational Culture, Business

This book reviews a new approach that was created by the same people who created the revolutionary performance management tool — Balanced Scorecard. In this book, the authors Robert Kaplan and David Norton share results of detailed research with 200 companies that implemented Balanced Scorecard. The authors have also drawn from in-depth case studies that include CIGNA, Mobil, and AT&T Canada. They illustrate how the adopters have taken Balanced Scorecard tool to next level and created a new performance management framework.

Kaplan and Norton have also articulated the key principles that are required to build strategy-focused organizations. They provide an account of how many different organizations have achieved breakthrough performance through these tools.

The authors developed a Balanced Scorecard in the 1990s for solving measurement problems and later they learned that companies can adopt this to solve more important problems. The authors also understand cause and effect linkages between the mission of the company, its philosophy, core values, and its interpretation of the future. This results in a more innovative and dynamic organization in which the customers get a delightful experience.

All the methods mentioned here are applied to the largest organizations and dramatic results have been observed. The framework includes motivational constructs and rapid organizational change has been identified as the basic driver for building such a framework.
By When The End of Overwork to Account for Engagement?
By: Bianca Zagan
Tags: Leadership, Work Culture, Overwork, Organizational Culture, Productivity

By When Will Overwork Stop Being Accounted for Engagement?

I know overwork isn’t productive. But organizations seem to close their eyes to this.

In the years following 2008, the work environment was packed with meetings, calls, briefs to be delivered, presentations, budgets, estimations, and so on.

Some days were crazy. You diverted some work calls, ate a sandwich in front of your laptop, and left personal interaction for the time you spent commuting.

Now you have more time, right? No dressing up, no commute, no going out for lunch. Wrong.

I call friends, and sometimes they don’t have time to call back for days. They have back-to-back meetings all day, then work on the rest until 7 or 8 PM, without coffee breaks, chats by the water dispenser, commute, or dressing.

After 9 months, I wonder how much time is necessary until leaders understand that overwork is counterproductive?
Me parece el momento correcto de hacernos estas preguntas, sin embargo creo que existe más valor en…
By: David González
Tags: Future Of Work, New Normal, Organizational Culture, Free Agents

‎The Strategy Skills Podcast: Management Consulting | Strategy, Operations & Implementation |…

‎Welcome to episode 113 of the Strategy Skills podcast. An interview with McKinsey senior partner, Aaron de Smet…