Diverge Off The Problem Before You Converge On The Solution

To solve a difficult challenge, come up with as many solution ideas as possible.  Then “murder your darlings”.  Converge on the best idea.   Good ideas The story I most often tell myself about ideas is the one Steven Johnson articulates in his book, Where Do Good Ideas Come From: The Natural History of Innovation. “Good […]

Camp: The Professional Development Format of The Future

When I was kid, many summers would find me at camp.   Invariably camp was fun, challenging (new things, new people, different rules…), and always a learning experience.   What if today’s “professional development” experience was like camp? MuseumCamp 2014 Nina Simon is Executive Director of the Santa Cruz (California) Museum of Art & History.   […]

Cultural diversity in virtual conversations?

Last month, I did a cross-cultural conflict management workshop for the Inter-Cultural Association of Greater Victoria.  The participants were all immigrants.  Their time in Canada ranged from weeks to years.  The content focus was the workplace and employment. Culture and conversation patterns One of the concepts I touched on dealt on was cultural differences in […]

Oh Canada: Diversity in the workplace?

Yesterday, July 1, was Canada’s birthday.  “Officially”, we’re 146 years old.   O Canada is our national anthem. Canada has two official languages.  Most of us feel good about the diverse and multi-cultural nature of our country.  Yet, welcoming diversity, and people who are different from us, can be a challenge, in small and big ways. […]