Race Cars and Rock Stars

When I was a kid, I could entertain myself for hours; sometimes entire days, with my books, music, and toys. I had a good childhood. Then I met my first love which was hockey. I was hooked for the next decade and a half reading books about it, playing whenever and wherever I could. And despite my mother's disappointment, I was never going to be the starting goaltender for the Toronto Maple Leafs.

We were middle middle-class. My folks probably lived paycheck to paycheck most of the time. But they always found a way to put food on the table, pay the bills, and get my sister and I cool gifts at Christmas. Nothing about my life is a story for the ages.

Fender Telecaster and a set of Pilot Sport Cup 2s

There is something strange that humans possess which no other beings experience and that is a yearning for more. Our cat doesn't spend her days wishing she was a panther. She is a content companion who thinks we are awesome because we give her food a few times a day and a comfy place to nap all afternoon.

Sometimes I watch super car channels on YouTube and imagine owning a Bugatti Chiron, but I don't then spend the next two hours being depressed I will never have one. I don't listen to music wishing I was the rock star either. If we're unhappy, money in the bank, adoring fans, and a $3 million hyper car in the garage won't help.

The reason for our unhappiness is often because we can't define what will make us happy instead of looking at what is good in our lives that already brings happiness.

But I will take the Chiron in navy blue, thanks.

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Forward Steps Back

I was thinking about a situation that happened a couple of years ago that sucked. Life moved on but I still think about it. I've asked numerous people if they have events they relive in their heads over and over again. The answer is almost always yes because most of us do. But why is that?

I'm not suggesting we don't relive happy memories, but the challenges seem to cut deeper for some reason. Is it perhaps because we are still learning a lesson? I know this, the more we try and not think about those events, the more we think about them. If I was to ask you to not think about an orange elephant riding a motorcycle – good luck getting that image out of your head!

Beware of the Lizard Brain

I'd consider myself a fairly smart dude, so why can't I just tell myself to stop letting something that has already happened, which I cannot change, continue to bug me? It has to do with the part of the limbic system in our brains that is in charge of fight, flight, feed, fear, or freeze. It is our survival mechanism which decides what we do next if we are experiencing stress. It's why we can't seem to get started on the project even though we know the deadline looms.

If we have a situation, current or past, real or imagined, it will react immediately. If we are experiencing or have experienced pain, it will focus solely on that moment. When I think of that event, it's as if I am reliving it over and over again. 

Negative vs Positive

Perhaps this is more prevalent in Western culture, but we seem to do it more often when remembering negative situations over joyous ones. Do we think we don't deserve joy and need to pay for pain? I'm obviously not a psychologist but I think there's something to that. Our frontal lobe is in charge of reasoning, motor skills, higher level cognition, and expressive language. So our complicated brain starts to fight with itself. 

I've started an exercise and like most when you begin, I'm terrible at it, but I'm trying to think of five positive things in my life or events that have happened whenever a negative thought or memory crosses my mind. When I can do it successfully, it actually works. So perhaps you can try it if you can't seem to get past a negative event in your past.

I wonder how the elephant balances on that motorcycle? 

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Advice for Leaders

Flexibility will garner better results. You don’t need to make every decision.
Show grace under pressure. If people call you sensitive, thank them.

It's better than being insensitive.

Turn your wounds into wisdom.
Oprah Winfrey

Don't let job titles get in your way. Trust your gut.
Don't play favorites.

Resist the temptation to take all the credit.
Fall seven times, stand up eight. (Proverb)

A short no is often preferred over a long maybe.
Bury the past. Laugh at least once a day.

We acquire the strength we have overcome.
Ralph Waldo Emerson

Don’t hesitate this time. Be honest about your efforts.
No is a perfectly acceptable response.

Respect is how to treat everyone, not just those you want to impress.
Richard Branson

Balance confidence with competence.
Self-doubt serves no one. Own your decisions.

The purpose of our lives is to be happy.
Dalai Lama

Imagine. Create. Share. Lead.
__________________________________________________________________

Count the I's

Involve - We've heard the tired cliche countless times; "There’s no “I” in team”. I disagree and here's why.

Imagine - We travel in packs, so it’s safe to say you more often work in a team environment. A group of people all wandering in different directions can be extremely dangerous. When we can share ideas with each other, magic can happen.

Inspire - One of the coolest television shows ever was Long Way Down featuring actor Ewan McGregor along with his best mate and fellow actor Charley Boorman. This was the follow-up to their original trip entitled Long Way Around which began in April 2004. The goal was to take the long way around the earth - on motorcycles.

Instigate - Charley, Ewan and their crew left from London, crossed over to mainland Europe then rode to France, Belgium, Germany, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Ukraine, Russia, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Siberia, Alaska, Canada, into the U.S. and finally arrived in NYC. You don’t just wake up one more morning and try this. It takes a lot of preparation and a lot of people.

Integrate - In January 2004 the boys began intense physical training which included weights, boxing, and cardio. In between workouts, they joined the rest of the team for intense road planning research. They also had to educate themselves on issues such as possible bear attacks, language barriers, passports, every possible weather condition, medicine, proper supplies and just for fun there was a television crew filming everything from day one.

Improve - They also had to be trained to deal with survival issues, possible hostile environments and of course first-aid. Nutritionists, GPS experts and seasoned outdoor travelers were consulted. This was all to prepare for their mammoth trip.

Implement - Three years later, they wanted to do another trip. This time, Scotland to South Africa. The same detail had to go in to this trip as with the last. They ran in to some passport issues and Ewan broke his leg which delayed things. But when you see them riding their bikes around the Great Pyramid of Giza or stopping to bungee jump over Victoria Falls, it's proof the prep was well worth it. Long Way Around was 115 days covering 15,000 miles. Long Way Down covered more than 20,000 miles in 85 days.

Initiate - You may not have the desire to spend twelve months of your life training and riding motorcycles but the elements are the same. Working in a team environment takes many moving parts and many talented people who can take thoughts and turn them into actions and results.

You have to imagine the idea; inspire the rest of the team to get moving; integrate everyone involved; then implement the plan.

Count the I's in your team.
__________________________________________________________________

Schools and Wishes

As I prepared for my TEDx talk, which happened last week and I'll post the video when it's online, I watched a lot of TEDTalks and presentations. The difference between TED and others is the personal side. It wasn't easy to share my story and experience but it's what I love about TED.

If you ever get the chance, do it; it was a remarkable experience.

One of the talks I went to first was this one from the brilliant Dave Eggers from TED 2008 who shared his wish - along with the hundreds who have joined him since - of education and the creation of The 826 Valencia Writing Center in San Francisco.

If you haven't seen this, you need to, click play.


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Imagine

If we ask our parents what we were like as kids, they may tell us about a person we may no longer even know. My mom tells me about the hours I’d spend as a kid reading by myself, or playing with my toys while creating worlds and scenarios.

I've always had the ability to live in my own head, spend a lot of time on my own, and entertain myself with books or websites or music. That's not always a good thing because those ideas can often get stuck in my head without action. Ideas are critical but without movement, they are theory.

The work I'm doing on my first book has given me a chance to move ideas from my head to my keyboard. The process has been more enlightening than I ever thought. It remains a work in progress.

Provide the Solution

We are encouraged to use our imagination to solve business problems, develop collaborative cultures, provide clear leadership, create new products and ideas, and navigate the complexities of life.

In its purest sense, what happens to our innate ability to widen the scope beyond reality to include all possibilities and be that kid again who can create ideas void of budgets or constraints, politics or ridicule?

If we could do that, we may literally change the world.
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As a passionate leader, Kneale Mann has extensive experience in project management, leadership development, business, marketing, media, and talent coaching in numerous industries and organizations including; radio, digital marketing, corporate training, real estate, financial services, healthcare and more. He is always open to meeting companies and organizations who want to become even greater.

Dylan Mahalingam Changed the World

I can't do him justice. He will blow you away. Here's the blurb they wrote about him on the website Mother Nature Network.

At the ripe age of 9, Dylan Mahalingam co-founded Lil' MDGs, a nonprofit international development and youth empowerment organization and an initiative of Jayme's Fund. Lil' MDGs mission is to leverage the power of the digital media to engage children in the United Nations Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

His organization has mobilized more than 3 million children around the globe to work on a variety of issues, with more than 24,000 regular volunteers hailing from 41 countries. Dylan is a youth speaker for the United Nations as well as a chief strategist and project ambassador for Under the Acacia. The recipient of numerous international and national honors.

Dylan is now 15 years old and a sophomore at Pinkerton Academy in New Hampshire. Here is his 2010 TEDTalk.

Watch, get inspired, then let's get to work.


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Kneale Mann | People + Priority = Profit
New Book out in 2016 – Details soon!

TED 2014 – Year in Review

Invest 8 minutes and watch this.


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Kneale Mann | People + Priority = Profit

TED

The Power of Imagination

If we ask our parents what we were like as kids, they may tell us about a person we may no longer even know. My mom tells me about the hours I’d spend as a kid reading by myself, or playing with my toys while creating worlds and scenarios. I've always had the ability to live in my own head, spend a lot of time on my own, and entertain myself with books or websites or music.

That's not always a good thing because those ideas can often get stuck in my head without action. Ideas are critical but without movement, they are theory.

Provide the Solution

We are encouraged to use our imagination to solve business problems, develop collaborative cultures, provide clear leadership, create new products and ideas, and navigate the complexities of life.

In its purest sense, what happens to our innate ability to widen the scope beyond reality to include all possibilities and be that kid again who can create ideas void of budgets or constraints, politics or ridicule?

If we could do that, we may literally change the world.
__________________________________________________________________
Kneale Mann | People + Priority = Profit

collegefashion

Ideas and Action

I was sifting through some older pieces this week as I prepare drafts for my first book and saw this post that reminded me of a lot of things going on in my life – perhaps in yours too.

Money and time have been the hurdles to pushing through that big idea you've had for far too long. Imagine for a moment both evaporate and you are free to act.

Every time you want to say "not", imagine for a moment you change it to "why not". Imagine for a moment the story you've been telling yourself for years was simply because it was easier than trying. And you take the first step. Imagine for a moment you take one item on your wish list and get it done.

If we stop ourselves, we steal our own energy. If we allow others to stop us, we surrender our energy. Get quiet, think deep, and get to the core of what you want. Then get to it. The past has passed, we have far too much to get done.

Let's get back to work.
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Kneale Mann | Leadership and management consultant helping leaders, teams, and companies get clear on their goals and results.

mostlymuskegon

Learning and Other Bright Ideas

A couple of years ago, I began posting quotes, ideas, and thoughts on Twitter each morning that could be silly, life changing, or anything in between.

Some from December 2013

Flexibility will garner better results. You don’t need to make every decision.

Show grace under pressure.

If people call you sensitive, thank them.
It's better than being insensitive.

Turn your wounds into wisdom.
Oprah Winfrey

Don't let job titles get in your way.
Trust your gut.

Resist the temptation to take all the credit.
Fall seven times, stand up eight. (Proverb)

A short no is often preferred over a long maybe.
Bury the past. Laugh at least once a day.

We acquire the strength we have overcome.
Ralph Waldo Emerson

Don’t hesitate this time. Be honest about your efforts.
No is a perfectly acceptable response.

Respect is how to treat everyone, not just those you want to impress.
Richard Branson

Balance confidence with competence.
Self-doubt serves no one.

Lower the bar and your best people will leave.
The culture begins with you. Own your decisions.

The purpose of our lives is to be happy.
Dalai Lama

Imagine. Create. Share. Lead.
__________________________________________________________________
Kneale Mann | Leadership Strategist, consultant, writer, speaker, executive coach facilitating performance growth with leaders, management, and teams.

Your Gut is Your Best Guide

I like to share a daily thought, idea, quote, or quip on Twitter.

Here are some highlights from June 2013

Imagine the possibilities. You can choose or someone will choose for you. It’s not how big your share is, it’s how much you can share. Eddi Reader

There is a chasm between confidence and arrogance. If you want your team to make you a priority, you must make them a priority.

The most effective way to do it is to do it. Amelia Earhart

Attempting shortcuts can often lengthen the process. Our perspective and reality can sometimes be a coincidence. Never underestimate yourself. Ever.

Keeping an open mind can open up a lot of doors. Never underestimate the wonderment of children.

Your gut is often your best guide. The imagination is powerful. Einstein

Diligence is the architect of good luck. The reason why worry kills more people than work is that more people worry than work. Robert Frost

Live well. Share well. Care well. Be well.

If you truly want someone's opinion, be prepared to hear their opinion. All we have is now. Asking for help is a sign of strength.

Collaboration only thrives on a two-way street. If you want something new, you have to stop doing something old. Peter Drucker

Imagine. Create. Share. Repeat.
__________________________________________________________________
Kneale Mann | Leadership and Culture strategist, writer, speaker, executive coach engaging leaders, collaborative teams, and strong business results.

shutterstock

Does This Move You?

Three guys, forty-four days, eleven countries, eighteen flights, thirty-eight thousand miles, an exploding volcano, two cameras and almost a terabyte of footage. The guy in the shots is Andrew Lees, the other two on the crew are Rick Mereki and Tim White and music is by Kelsey James. These were commissioned by STA Travel Australia.

Some suggest these were filmed on green screen, others say it’s a hoax. How about it’s well done and brilliantly clever? Interesting how some feel compelled to tear down an idea when they didn’t think about it themselves.  

Watch these and get inspired







Eat. Move. Learn. Shall We?

Kneale Mann

visual credit: Andrew Lees | Tim White | Rick Mereki  

Counting the I’s in Your Team

Involve

Earlier this year, I was meeting with a client and we got into exchanging business clichés. When she used the “There’s no “I” in team”, I corrected her. I relayed a post I had written here a couple of years ago and it reminded me that most people don’t sift through the archives. This was originally published in January 2009.

Imagine

We travel in packs, so it’s safe to say you more often work in a team environment. A group of people all wandering in different directions can be extremely dangerous. When we can share ideas with each other, magic can happen.

Inspire

One of the coolest television shows ever was Long Way Down featuring actor Ewan McGregor along with his best mate and fellow actor Charley Boorman. This was the follow-up to their original trip entitled Long Way Around which began in April 2004. The goal was to take the long way around the earth - on motorcycles.

Instigate

Charley, Ewan and their crew left from London, crossed over to mainland Europe then rode to France, Belgium, Germany, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Ukraine, Russia, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Siberia, Alaska, Canada, into the U.S. and finally arrived in NYC. You don’t just wake up one more morning and try this. It takes a lot of preparation and a lot of people.

Integrate

In January 2004 the boys began intense physical training which included weights, boxing, and cardio. In between workouts, they joined the rest of the team for intense road planning research. They also had to educate themselves on issues such as possible bear attacks, language barriers, passports, every possible weather condition, medicine, proper supplies and just for fun there was a television crew filming everything from day one.

Improve

They also had to be trained to deal with survival issues, possible hostile environments and of course first-aid. Nutritionists, GPS experts and seasoned outdoor travelers were consulted. This was all to prepare for their mammoth trip.

Implement

Three years later, they wanted to do another trip. This time, Scotland to South Africa. The same detail had to go in to this trip as with the last. They ran in to some passport issues and Ewan broke his leg which delayed things. But when you see them riding their bikes around the Great Pyramid of Giza or stopping to bungee jump over Victoria Falls, it's proof the prep was well worth it. Long Way Around was 115 days covering 15,000 miles. Long Way Down covered more than 20,000 miles in 85 days.

Initiate

You may not have the desire to spend twelve months of your life training and riding motorcycles but the elements are the same. Working in a team environment takes many moving parts and many talented people who can take thoughts and turn them into actions and results.

You have to imagine the idea, inspire the rest of the team to get moving, integrate everyone involved and implement the plan.

Give some thought to the I's on your team.

Kneale Mann

image credit: birthplaceofhockey | original: jan 2009

Reframing Ideas to Create Magic

I showed this video to a colleague last week. It is inspiration of creativity, imagination, ingenuity and our ability to see around a seemingly impossible problem to find an even better solution.

Our impatience can stop us from crushing the box and starting over. The pressures of making revenue numbers are often the very catalysts to decimate creativity. And as you look around to your team, your colleagues, your friends and your customers, you may be surprised how close the solution can be if you pay closer attention.

Will you take the escalator or the stairs?


Kneale Mann

visual credit: anca4vlad

Our Ideas Need to Meet

Imagination is what separates us from any other species.

This past weekend marked the first anniversary of Social Capital Ottawa which was a resounding success. Big props to Lara Wellman, Vicky Bisson, Sara McConnell, Rebecca Stanisic, Andrea Tomkins and Karen Wilson. It was an outstanding event, great sponsors, fabulous content and they nailed every detail. And thanks to Dennis Van Staalduinen who rocked the joint during our session and if you get the chance, ask him if he's going to double down.

During my portion, I touched on this talk from British author and speaker Matt Ridley who has been studying and writing about genetics, society and evolution for decades. He outlines in this fascinating TEDTalk that trading ideas is essential to our survival.

Ridley's website is the Rational Optimist and this is his TEDTalk from 2010 where explains why our ideas have sex.



Kneale Mann

We Are All Makers

Whether you run a business, work for others or spend your weekends at your hobby or craft, you are a maker. We produce objects and content, we share ideas and create products. No matter what “job” you have, you create something.

Dale Dougherty co-founded O'Reilly Media and is a technical publisher and conference organizer. He and partner Tim O'Reilly first coined the phrase Web 2.0. He created Make Magazine and is founder of Make Faire which has annual events in New York, Detroit and San Francisco.

Here he explains his one simple theory. [video]


Kneale Mann

video credit: TED

Social Media: A Twelve-Step Program

Change Takes Time.

Our humanness can work against us. We make mistakes, none of is perfect yet we expect it of others.

We get a new thing and expect it to be perfect every time.

Amber Naslund wrote a great piece recently about how we are quick to complain while our desire grows for business to embrace the social web.

We ask that companies become more inclusive, interactive and social yet we are fast on the send button the moment there is a slip up. If the gadget we first heard about a week ago does not perform to our highest standards of excellence, we say it’s a failure.

And we do that to ourselves.

This has become even more prevalent in the social channels many of us spend time navigating. We look around and see confidence and we don’t know if we can live up to that scrutiny.

If you have gone through, going through or know someone going through a twelve-step program, you know it requires time, work and dedication.

Here are twelve steps to enhance our online experience...

• Ask a lot of questions.
• Recognize that our information is ours to protect and grow.
• Know that our voice is just as important as anyone else’s voice.
• Grasp that others' opinions are just their opinions.
• Have patience.
• Understand there is no one way of doing it.
• Accept we are all just trying to figure it out.
• Acknowledge that we have to work at it every day.
• Trust our instincts.
• Agree that our expertise is just as vital as anyone's expertise.
• Recognize it takes time for others to get to know us.
• Comprehend we are not too late to join the conversation or start a new one.

What would you add to the list?

knealemann
Let's create experiences not campaigns.

image credit: no12cirencester

Are You Experienced?

Hendrix wanted to know.

It's clear the legendary rocker was not speaking to HR managers, stakeholders, customers or clients.

But it's something we think about every time we meet someone in person or online.

You don’t really care how many framed documents appear on the doctor’s wall, you want her to fix your painful ankle injury.

Diplomas point to training but not everyone finished at the top of their class.

The mechanic peering under your hood better know what he’s doing because you’re paying him $110/hour to get rid of that clanging noise every time you start your car.

You expect the reputable renovation company to create your dream kitchen as they promised they could with all those pictures of previous renovations to prove it.

Whether you’re in medicine, automotive repair or restoring homes, you need to prove your experience. No matter the industry, there is usually never a shortage of people trying to sell solutions without proving their ability.

Are you asking them to prove they are experienced?

knealemann
Let's create experiences not campaigns.

image credit: soulculture

Do Your Ideas Procreate?

Imagination is what separates us from any other species.

British author and speaker Matt Ridley is a interesting guy who has been studying and writing about genetics, society and evolution for decades. He outlines in this fascinating TEDTalk that trading ideas is centuries older than farming. Idea sharing is essential to human life.

Matt's website - the Rational Optimist - has plenty to digest.

More from the TED site on Matt’s talk:

“It is our habit of trade, idea-sharing and specialization that has created the collective brain which set human living standards on a rising trend. This, he says, "holds out hope that the human race will prosper mightily in the years ahead - because ideas are having sex with each other as never before."

knealemann
Create experiences not campaigns.

image credit: TED