When the student is ready, the teacher appears-- Buddhist Proverb

I consider myself a life-long  learner. I TRULY enjoy the process of learning about new   ideas, concepts, recipes, languages, cultures, and ways of being. As a person with a portfolio career, who has worked/continues to work in different arenas, I have learned the power of informal and formal education.

My father often says, that he received his degrees from  U.C.L.A > The University of the Corner of Lenox Avenue in Harlem.  A great deal of his education came from growing up in Harlem.  The "lesson plans" were not always structured, planned, or even safe, but they were life lessons taught by people, situations, and life experiences. They were lessons that have shaped my father, and in turn me and my sisters.  The important early childhood message of valuing informal education is one for which I am very grateful.

I have been fortunate to experience a very good "formal education." I also have been able to be a participant in wonderful professional development sessions that have spanned topics areas including coaching, "difficult conversations," educational reform, human trafficking, project management, the art of Zen cooking, among others.  I attend film festivals, university lectures, and discussion groups. These structured programs and workshops have truly enriched my personal and professional life.

And yet, I am a firm believer in the teachers and teaching situations that present themselves to us on a daily basis as we life or mobile lives on planes, trains, in coffee shops, in the nail salons, and on the "corners" of streets around the world.

The skill for many of us, involves being open to hearing "life lessons" from people who may look and sound different, and as my father says "may not have a lot of letters after their name." 
 
We can go many places with this conversation. We can focus on organizational structures that may only value certain voices; we can acknowledge that many of us have been taught to value specific social capital; we might even be able to venture into the area of multi-tasking, where we are often texting, tweeting, updating our status, or talking on our mobile  phones - -keeping ourselves busy, and not available to connect with people. Or, we can focus on gratitude, and being grateful for the opportunity to meet so many different people who in their different lives bring richness to our learning and day-to-day living.

It has happened more than once, that I have been going about my day, and have come in contact with someone who has helped me see something differently, shared their story with me, or simply showed a sense of warmth and sincerity that can be a treasure in our fast paced world.

I once titled a piece that I wrote "the Sheroes and Heroes Among Us."  I think many of us have heard of stories from people that are our neighbors, colleagues, etc. that are powerful.  Sometimes, the stories are not BIG, or even about heroism.  Sometimes, the stories are very simple, and the learning just as important.

Some recent stories and teachers for me:

• Engaging in conversations and learning from the taxi driver in Washington, D.C. who has been driving in a city for over 30 years, who has experienced the issues of gentrification, race relations, and the changing of political parties as an insider;

• Learning about the current substance abuse counseling work of the car service driver that worked in the fire department in downtown Manhattan on September 11th;

• Hearing the fascinating story of the woman in the nail salon that came to the U.S. for a better life, and took the dangerous journey familiar to many immigrants;

It can mean reflecting on the life of the young soldier on the plane, who was heading back to base, after coming home to bury a friend.

Their stories, sense of humor, and commitment to what they do, are part of my ongoing learning.

Questions to ponder:
-    How do you value our informal education?
-    Where are your "corners" of learning in the world?
-    Do we value some voices over others?


Photo Credit: Jeff

"Every now and then go away, have a little relaxation, for when you come back to your work your judgment will be surer. Go some distance away because then the work appears smaller and more of it can be taken in at a glance and a lack of harmony and proportion is more readily seen."

Leonardo da Vinci

This makes perfect sense for a painter who is an arm's length away from his work most of the day.  Its only once he climbs off his scaffold and glances at a full view of his work that he can see clearly the areas that need improvement.  I feel like a painter sometimes.

Why can't we take this same approach for the projects we are working on.  Often, we get so mired in the day to day stuff that it becomes increasingly diificult for us to remember what the whole picture looks like and to get creative with its direction.


(Shot at Mont Saint Michel, France)

How do you get a clear picture of your business projects?  

Like many of you, my work consists of traveling in planes, trains, and cars, and staying in hotels of different varieties.

Some of the locations are stunning, and the landscapes are postcard perfect.  Other trips involve projects where I may not get to see the outside of the hotel, or client office space.
The research about the future of work presents us with a picture of an increasingly mobile workforce, working as "nodes on a network," and working on different projects, with different people, at an increasing faster pace.

A recent IBM report has been creating quite a buzz, has people thinking about the future of work and what will be important. The report states that "chief executives believe that -- more than rigor, management discipline, integrity or even vision -- successfully navigating an increasing complex world will require creativity."

Most of the work we do now, and into the future, requires us to think creatively, come up with new ideas, and work with new groups of people.

The challenge can often be --- how can we be creative, or stimulate our creativity if we are constantly moving, working, creating, and "on the road?"

I have found that travel can in fact spark creativity, and reflection. I have learned that long plane rides do not need to always be filled with a good book, or my carefully created playlists. TIME TO THINK can be gift.  I have found myself coming up with a new strategy idea for a client, or a new perspective about a personal challenge while thousands of feet in the air.
Social psychologists have discovered that creativity is not only a characteristic of the individual, but may also change depending on the situation and context.

For those of us who are "road warriors, virtual nomads," or have travel as part of our work, this is a reminder that in fact our lives can be great catalysts for the nurturing of creativity.  Many of us change the "situation and context" of our lives numerous times a week. Our mini-journeys although often challenging, can help us flex and develop our creative muscle.
Here are some suggestions for nurturing, finding, or strengthening your creativity while on the road.

A different seat, a change in plans, a different view: I have found that changing my preferred seat on a plane, or going down to hotel restaurant if I usually order room service, can literally change my view --- and maybe the way I see things. We create habits and routines, even on the road - and yet a change in our surroundings, can often spark new ideas. As often as I can, I try to walk around a city or town, and if possible get to a gallery or museum where I can see how others have viewed the world. (The Antoni Gaudi architecture in Barcelona Spain vividly comes to mind. On my first trip to Barcelona, I remember thinking "this is what can be created, if you do not allow things to constrain our thoughts." WOW.)

Creativity Toolkit: Blogs, Twitter, and TED Talks: I am a convert to the wonders of social media. Information, Inspiration, and virtual communities are part of benefits of social media. I have been far away from my "home base," and able to experience the benefits of a twitter friend's blog, blog radio, or webinar. I have been able to "tune in" to TED Talks, and feel like I have a front row seat to world class learning. ALL while "on the road."

YOUR notebook (Thank you Daniel Pink): One of the tips that has been most helpful for many of the students in my classes, has been the suggestion to carry a creativity notebook. Ideas, thoughts, "teachers," can come to us at many different times, in many places. A small creativity notebook allows us time to jot down our thoughts, or insights, and keep moving.

Mindfulness: The practice of mindfulness is one that encourages awareness  and focus. One of the most different experiences of my adult life, has been my participation in a Mindfulness retreat with Thich Nhat Hanh. I learned about the incredible power of deep breathing, meditation and mindfulness. This could be an article in itself...and could be in the future. There are many, many resources on mindfulness. I might suggest the work Thich Nhat Hang, and Jon Kabat Zinn.

"The World House" (Thank you Dr. King): I would not feel complete, if I did not mention the core of what I do for a living ...other people...different people...diverse people can also spark our creativity. Meeting different people, learning about their culture, country and history can bring our own level of learning and awareness to new heights.

Many of us ARE our "product," and out being able to think clearly, and be creative, is what we are expected to do. 

I challenge you to change your seat, take some quiet time, learn from someone else, and celebrate the creativity teachers that is in and around the spaces and places in our lives.

What do you think?


Photo Credit: Capt Piper

Two business researchers have a study coming out that suggests that many workers are afraid to speak out lest they be mocked by their peers and bosses. According to an HBR blog post, "we relentlessly work to avoid 'image risks,' ... In an analysis of responses from 425 employees in a variety of U.S. businesses, Yuan and Woodman found that worries about image risk significantly diminish employees' innovativeness."

In other words, people think shutting up is smarter than speaking out. And, in their workplaces, they may be right--which underscores the need for a broad culture shift to ignite innovation.

Can workshifters form the vanguard of this new movement?

This isn't an idle question. I was working on my own long before workshifting was a word and telecommuting was an acceptable business practice. I've found that workshifters innovate every day by trial and error, from testing new markets to tweaking our bookkeeping systems to something as mundane (but critically important) as figuring out the best way to recharge multiple devices on the go.

And we have one more big thing in common: we dare to be different.

Does workshifting make you fearless? If so, why?


Photo Credit: Man's Pic

"Disturb us, Lord, when we are too pleased with ourselves, when our dreams have come true because we dreamed too little,when we arrived safely because we sailed too close to the shore." - Sir Francis Drake, 1577

"Should we be spending millions of dollars getting to Mars during a down economy?"  Recently a friend of mine tweeted out this question.  I answered in the affirmative, and was immediately challenged by good friend of mine in New York.  This tumulted into a regular 'ole 140 character style debate.  In summary, he appealed to the fact that so many in our country are unemployed and un-insured or under-insured.  This conversation got me thinking about the importance of poetry.  And particularly the importance of poetry in business.

(Let me just say, irrespective of your political thoughts on this issue, I assure you, my point is a philosophical one and not a political one.)

He's right.  Things are bad right now.  Maybe we should just shut down the whole freaking space program.  It's all a bunch of dweeby math geniuses with "Peter Pan" syndrome living out their Star Wars inspired childhood fantasies.  Isn't it?  I mean in times like these, there seems to be no pragmatic rationale that would lead us to look to the stars.  We have to fix the problems we have, we don't have time for that stuff. 

See what I did right there.  We always seem to relegate the idea of adventuring and pioneering and exploring to a subservient status.  They always have a seat somewhere, it's just never at the grown ups table.  But c'mon, they're noisy, they're messy, they're annoying, they're kinda weird and they don't understand the serious, the "real" issues.  The dreamers, the inventors, the explorers, the crazies...the poets... they still get to sit down of course, it's just at the clown shaped, water-colored kiddie table in the corner.  Until, that is, they discover America or turn on a light bulb or make men fly or help us easily connect with loved ones across the world in one click.

There is this false sense of maturity in business.  We can analyze, but we can't dream up something new, because that's a waste of time.  Especially during hard times.  During hard times, we're told to "hunker down" and "keep our nose to the grindstone" as if that will make it better.  As if focusing on the same problems will ever get us where we want to go.  As if the practicality of removing our eyes from the glitter of the horizon is somehow more sound and logical.  Someone has to keep dreaming, dammit!  Especially during the hard times.  I am completely cognizant that sometimes a storm may befall us and shift more of our focus on problems that need to be fixed now.  But if that's all we do, then we will never actually get anywhere.

No matter how tight your margins are now, no matter how close you get to missing your rent payment, no matter how slammed your back is against the wall NEVER underestimate the importance of conceptualizing new frameworks, anticipating new trends, exploring new methods, of dreaming and adventuring and pressing into the unknown and uncomfortable.  As workshifters, we have unique challenges, but in many ways, we are also pioneers.  We thought, "hmmm, maybe there is a different way to do this working thing", "maybe everyone else has been doing it wrong".  Keep doing that.  Keep questioning.  Keep challenging paradigms.  Yep, even in the hard times.

Recently, someone I desperately admire said, "this is business, there's no room for romance".  That is both incredibly disheartening and one of the dumbest things I have heard in all my life on this earth.  Business is not played in a vacuum, it isn't so damn special that it gets its own silo.  Exploring, adventuring, dreaming - that's all a part of life, and for most of us, its the part that makes it worth living.  Poetry is not only an element of business, it is the most important element.  

Since the beginning of time, the pragmatists have always laughed at the dreamers, at the poets, but for the most part, its the poets that inspire us and its the poets we remember.  Yes, we have to keep dreaming about Mars. Why? Because it's next.

Do you spend enough thinking about new ways to do old things?  Thinking about what the world will look like in 5 years, 2 years, 6 months and how you can prepare and capitalize on that?

Photo by: Diana Kimball

Innovation is the offspring of necessity.

I've had the great privilege to visit many African countries, and I'll tell you what, there is no greater sense of innovation that I have witnessed than on this continent.  Most people are shocked whenever I say that, but it's actually congruent with our experience in the developed world.  The greatest innovations are usually created and architecting from inception with little or no capital.  The coolest apps typically commence as the visionary exploits of a few nerds that are broke, locking themselves in their basements, gleefully coding their life away fueled by diet coke and twinkies.

Typically, when people think of this continent, they think of the need.  There is indeed a lot of that.  However, its in the chamber of this need that creativity is no longer an option but a necessity.  What does this have to do with workshifting you ask?  Everything! Workshifters are notoriously dealing with tight budgets, razor thin margins and aggressive schedules.  If there is one lesson I have absorbed from the time I spent in Tanzania it is this, in order to extract the most of our creativity, in order to truly innovate, it is imperative that we challenge our concept of problem solving.

Here I share my thoughts while I was workshifting from Tanzania a couple weeks ago.  If you can't view this video, you can check it out on my Vimeo channel.


When a problem, issue or opportunity arises in the next week, ask yourself: 'How would I approach this if I had no capital?

Photo by: Wayan Vota