http://www.keitademming.com/disruptiveconversations
Sometimes I do in-person interviews, but they are usually online.]]>enBusinessCopyright Keita Demminghttps://d3wo5wojvuv7l.cloudfront.net/t_rss_itunes_square_1400/images.spreaker.com/original/9e1f546c87202388e3788a767b2fe000.jpghttp://www.keitademming.com/disruptiveconversationsTue, 19 Jul 2022 22:45:10 +0000Keita DemmingKeita Demmingkeitademming@gmail.comDisruptive conversations is a blog series where I record conversations with people who are working to transform or disrupt a sector or system. Sometimes I do in-person interviews, but they are usually online.
Sometimes I do in-person interviews, but they are usually online.]]>yesepisodichttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/ep-101-rethinking-everything-you-thought-you-knew-about-facilitation-a-disruptive-conversation-with-adam-kahane--46486847
In the conversation, several things stood out for me. Here are a few

What does it mean to be a facilitator? 

Many years ago, when I first received training, I thought about this question a lot. Since then, I have taken its meaning for granted. Adam got me to take a second look at the word and its purpose. For Adam, his work is about facilitating collaboration with groups from different organizations and sectors who may not agree with, like, or trust each other but think they need to work together. 

In this book, he is trying to upgrade the meaning of facilitator so that anyone can be a facilitator. Secondly, it is a way of helping groups of people collaborate. 

The facilitator as a partner. 

In this part of the conversation, we refer to the insider/outsider tension that often pops us in change work. Adam reminds us of the notion first pointed to him by Bill Tolbert. It is not that if you're not part of the solution, you're part of the problem. Instead, and more interestingly, is the idea that if you're not part of the problem, you can't be part of the solution. Your capacity to help a situation is limited if you cannot see how you are part of the problem - even if it is a small part. Otherwise, you are trying to bring about change by force. 

To facilitate effectively, you must move between an outsider and insider stance with whomever you work with. Adam calls this partnering. 

The role of polarities 

Facilitation does not involve choosing between one approach to facilitation over the other. It is knowing when to use a particular strategy rather than another direction. Adam reminds us to lean into tensions and avoiding the tendency to collapse polarities rather than hold their tensions. 

Perhaps most insightful about both the conversation with Adam and his book is the new casting of facilitation. 

He argues that there are only five dimensions of facilitation. These five dimensions involve ten moves. 

Dimensions



Moves




How do we see our situation?



Inquiring and Advocating




How do we define success?



Advancing and Concluding




How do we get from here to there?



Discovering and Mapping




How do we decide who does what?



Accompanying and Directing




How do we understand our role?



Standing Inside and Standing Outside]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/46486847Wed, 15 Sep 2021 13:30:08 +0000Keita DemmingIn this episode, I speak with Adam Kahane about his new book, Facilitating Breakthrough, Facilitating Breakthrough: How to Remove Obstacles, Bridge Differences, and Move Forward Together.  In the conversation, several things stood out for me. Here...
In the conversation, several things stood out for me. Here are a few

What does it mean to be a facilitator? 

Many years ago, when I first received training, I thought about this question a lot. Since then, I have taken its meaning for granted. Adam got me to take a second look at the word and its purpose. For Adam, his work is about facilitating collaboration with groups from different organizations and sectors who may not agree with, like, or trust each other but think they need to work together. 

In this book, he is trying to upgrade the meaning of facilitator so that anyone can be a facilitator. Secondly, it is a way of helping groups of people collaborate. 

The facilitator as a partner. 

In this part of the conversation, we refer to the insider/outsider tension that often pops us in change work. Adam reminds us of the notion first pointed to him by Bill Tolbert. It is not that if you're not part of the solution, you're part of the problem. Instead, and more interestingly, is the idea that if you're not part of the problem, you can't be part of the solution. Your capacity to help a situation is limited if you cannot see how you are part of the problem - even if it is a small part. Otherwise, you are trying to bring about change by force. 

To facilitate effectively, you must move between an outsider and insider stance with whomever you work with. Adam calls this partnering. 

The role of polarities 

Facilitation does not involve choosing between one approach to facilitation over the other. It is knowing when to use a particular strategy rather than another direction. Adam reminds us to lean into tensions and avoiding the tendency to collapse polarities rather than hold their tensions. 

Perhaps most insightful about both the conversation with Adam and his book is the new casting of facilitation. 

He argues that there are only five dimensions of facilitation. These five dimensions involve ten moves. 

Dimensions



Moves




How do we see our situation?



Inquiring and Advocating




How do we define success?



Advancing and Concluding




How do we get from here to there?



Discovering and Mapping




How do we decide who does what?



Accompanying and Directing




How do we understand our role?



Standing Inside and Standing Outside]]>1767change,collaboration,complexity,facilitation,justiceclean3fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/ep-100-creating-a-flywheel-a-disruptive-conversation-with-paul-desmarais-iii--44346430
What is Disruption?

Naturally, this podcast has explored the word Disruption and what it means. Paul describes it as adding more people into the majority. He even said it was like growth. This idea that Disruption is about breaking things needs to change. The idea that we are going to dismantle entire industries is not helpful. It should be about creating value and pausing patterns that no longer work for us. Exploring Disruption is fruitful.

Playing the long game.

As a coach, I often work with my clients to help them raise the level of their gaze. Help them play a long-term game. Paul Desmarais III is part of one of the most successful families in Canadian business. One of the things he points out in this episode is that one of the benefits of being part of a family-owned group is taking a long-term view. For those of us who can play the long game, it can genuinely change our destiny.

Families in Business

Paul reminds us that they are not a family business. They are family in business, and that is an important nuance. As Paul notes, being in a family business ties you to a specific company, industry or business. When you are a family in the connection is to values and a particular philosophy. A family’s goal is to transfer the entrepreneurial and philosophical approach to the next generation so that each generation can reinvent themselves. When family businesses can avoid the shirtsleeve-to-shirtsleeve pattern, they can truly build something great. The specifics of the business matter less than the entrepreneurial spirit.

Focus on what you can impact.

Particularly this year, I have been coaching my clients to draw three columns: Complete Control, Partial Control, and No Control. What you need to do is move as many things as possible into the complete control box as possible. Paul told a story about dining with David Rockefeller. David told him at the dinner to only worry about what you can impact. To worry about the things you can have no impact on is a waste of time and energy. Instead, the goal is to focus only on what you can impact. Over time, you succeed at what you are doing. Concentrate on the things you can have no impact on can be harmful to the here and now. Focus on what can I do not to impact my current reality?

The power of infrastructures of service

One of the conclusions I have come to is that it is tough to disrupt infrastructure businesses. For example, it is challenging to disrupt whoever owns all the fiberoptic cables of the internet. They own the infrastructure. As a strategy for Disruption, what if you take a page out of Pauls book. He describes how the entire world of financial services was going to change in the years ahead. He also notes that most companies are playing a zero-sum game. With a small amount of capital, you could create a delightful experience in today’s world and could change how consumers interact with financial services. So instead, what if you focused on an adjacent area and find profit pools there?

Creating a flywheel.

I have always thought about innovation as affecting the way we live. With Paul’s Flywheel notion, he suggests that by partnering with marketing defining companies, they can create prosperity in the communities in which they invest. For example, in Canada, they want to make many jobs and a lot of wealth. They are creating a flywheel so that those entrepreneurs can create wealth, philanthropy and employment. So in their goal to create five unicorns companies, they are making a flywheel of prosperity.

What is your superpower?

Paul described his superpower as networking. He tries to deploy his network for good. Recently Paul co-founded the Black Wealth Club to leverage his superpower. He asked himself, how do you build a network with a group of people with who you have had very little interaction? Then, how you leverage your network to help a new group of people access new things. In this approach, it is essential to note that he is defining wealth as more than money. Wealth is about intellectual capital, human capital and relationship capital.

Your most valuable asset is your people.

In thinking about his own companies, Paul is making sure that he attracts the best talent. He wants his teams to behave lives that are in balance. He commented that “your most valuable assets walk in and out of the door every day.” His jobs, as he sees it, is to build a platform that makes them their best. He believes that nurturing talent means investing in talent. Not investing in people puts you at a competitive disadvantage.

We approach every conversation with a bias.

The question of imposter syndrome or doubt has been popping up for me more and more. Here you have one of the wealthiest men in Canada admitting that he has Imposter Syndrome. Sometimes his internal talk, when he walks into the room, is that people are thinking, “here is someone who has never done anything.” “Here is a rich kid playing with a cute idea.” We all have imposter syndrome. Well, maybe not all of us but at least those of us who love our work. After you get into the room, you then need to overcome the hurdle of internal doubt. Are you good enough? Are you worthy? None of us is alone with these thoughts.

Seek to understand the drivers of your people.

By default, we judge people as generalizations and not as individuals. Each of us needs to work hard to dismantle these trends. These stigmas permeate society, and it is horrible that people are often judged by generalizations.

Fear of failure often cripples people.

Paul admitted that he has learned to check his fear of failure and try things that are out of his comfort zone in our conversation. For him, fear is nothing but a lack of preparation. He likes to say that all of his success in life has come through luck. He tries to be prepared and positioned for luck. He is working on not fearing looking stupid for having taken a risk. He is also trying to ignore what people are going to think if he makes a mistake.

Paying attention to the adjacent profit pools.

There are substantial adjacent profit pools that we often ignore. Instead of a focus on each other, focus on a world of abundance. A lot of conflicts are about mindsets of scarcity. We can rethink how we build things. How do you help bring opportunity? Change the world view. Go where others are not willing to go.

If you would like to learn more about Paul Desmarais III. Visit his website: https://www.sagardholdings.com/]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/44346430Thu, 15 Apr 2021 15:38:49 +0000Keita DemmingIn this conversation with Paul Desmarais III, we talk a lot about Disruption. In this episode, he shared many unique insights. Here are a few that stood out for me. What is Disruption? Naturally, this podcast has explored the word Disruption and...
What is Disruption?

Naturally, this podcast has explored the word Disruption and what it means. Paul describes it as adding more people into the majority. He even said it was like growth. This idea that Disruption is about breaking things needs to change. The idea that we are going to dismantle entire industries is not helpful. It should be about creating value and pausing patterns that no longer work for us. Exploring Disruption is fruitful.

Playing the long game.

As a coach, I often work with my clients to help them raise the level of their gaze. Help them play a long-term game. Paul Desmarais III is part of one of the most successful families in Canadian business. One of the things he points out in this episode is that one of the benefits of being part of a family-owned group is taking a long-term view. For those of us who can play the long game, it can genuinely change our destiny.

Families in Business

Paul reminds us that they are not a family business. They are family in business, and that is an important nuance. As Paul notes, being in a family business ties you to a specific company, industry or business. When you are a family in the connection is to values and a particular philosophy. A family’s goal is to transfer the entrepreneurial and philosophical approach to the next generation so that each generation can reinvent themselves. When family businesses can avoid the shirtsleeve-to-shirtsleeve pattern, they can truly build something great. The specifics of the business matter less than the entrepreneurial spirit.

Focus on what you can impact.

Particularly this year, I have been coaching my clients to draw three columns: Complete Control, Partial Control, and No Control. What you need to do is move as many things as possible into the complete control box as possible. Paul told a story about dining with David Rockefeller. David told him at the dinner to only worry about what you can impact. To worry about the things you can have no impact on is a waste of time and energy. Instead, the goal is to focus only on what you can impact. Over time, you succeed at what you are doing. Concentrate on the things you can have no impact on can be harmful to the here and now. Focus on what can I do not to impact my current reality?

The power of infrastructures of service

One of the conclusions I have come to is that it is tough to disrupt infrastructure businesses. For example, it is challenging to disrupt whoever owns all the fiberoptic cables of the internet. They own the infrastructure. As a strategy for Disruption, what if you take a page out of Pauls book. He describes how the entire world of financial services was going to change in the years ahead. He also notes that most companies are playing a zero-sum game. With a small amount of capital, you could create a delightful experience in today’s world and could change how consumers interact with financial services. So instead, what if you focused on an adjacent area and find profit pools there?

Creating a flywheel.

I have always thought about innovation as affecting the way we live. With Paul’s Flywheel notion, he suggests that by partnering with marketing defining companies, they can create prosperity in the communities in which they invest. For example, in Canada, they want to make many jobs and a lot of wealth. They are creating a flywheel so that those entrepreneurs can create wealth, philanthropy and employment. So in their goal to create five unicorns companies, they are making a flywheel of prosperity.

What is your superpower?

Paul described his superpower as networking. He tries to deploy his network for good. Recently Paul co-founded the...]]>2670business,disruption,family,values,ventureclean3fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/s3-ep-99-why-we-need-philosophers-in-the-board-room-a-disruptive-conversation-with-christian-madsbjerg--44139139
In this conversation, we explore perspectives on the role of social science in business. Here are some of the things that stood out for me.

Design systems, products and services for humans?

This might sound obvious or, as Christian described, banal. Yet, much of the thinking around organization has come from management science. In many ways, management science attempted to bring the rigour of science to the business world. As a result, the field has been influenced by disciplines like economics, engineering and Mathematics. Social Science has much to contribute to the study of human arrangements. The proposal is simple. Reduce risk by using social sciences to produce new products and services in the business world.

Do not pass judgement too quickly.

Understanding people is about waiting, careful observation and not passing judgement too quickly. To find insight, we have to observe humans slowly, intentionally, and patiently. We need to be open to the first judgement not being true. Building your capacity to suspend judgement is the core to finding good insight.

Seeing things work.

When you see things work, it can be transformative. Using slow observation, you can find frugal, novel or simple insights that can be transformative.

Disappointment is a better source of innovation than wonder.

Where do people find inspiration in their search for innovation? It is an interesting provocation to ask the question, what disappoints you? What are you disappointed in, and how can you change it? Think for a second about where you find your inspiration.

Where are the philosophers?

The technologies of tomorrow will transform our future in ways we cannot imagine. What if we had philosophers at the decision-making tables? For example, what if there were philosophers in the room when we first launched Facebook? What questions might they have asked to help curtail some of the unintended consequences of technologies like social media?

Insights can spread like wildfire.

When an organization can find beneficial insight, it can spread throughout the organization. Insights can be fuel for transformation.

Who is too comfortable in their power?

Christian gave the example of what happens when Finance and Technology are too comfortable in their power. When one of these becomes too comfortable, it does not end well. This might be true of any domain. When people are too comfortable, especially too comfortable in their power, it can increase their blind spots. How do you notice when you are too comfortable in your power?

Be interested in humans.

We often find comfort in abstractions, models, or systems when we need to be focused on humans. When need to be interested in the things humans do, feel and say every day. We live in a world that has placed enormous trust in abstractions that don’t often get us as far as we thought.

You are probably wrong.

Christian tells a beautiful story about working with Samsung. At the time, he thought it was a terrible idea to put a camera on the phone. What he learned is that it is better to go with observation and analysis than intuition.

Tap into talent as it is globally.

It cannot be that the best people in the world all come from the same country as you. It does not work that you tap into talent globally. Learn to tap into global talent.

Questions can change your world.

Christian shared a story about working with Adidas. They asked the question, “Is Yoga a sport?” That question took the company on a journey to explore sports that are not about winning. Today, 60% of their revenue comes from sports that are about winning.

What is like to be?

The central message from Christian is to observe. His favourite quote is, look, don’t think. As I understand it, he is on a quest to understand why people do what they do? When we observe the everyday activities of real people, we gain real insight. We need to start with observing everyday human interactions. Questions bring perspective. They often can lead to insight or something new.

To learn more about Christian Madsbjerg, visit:

https://www.redassociates.com/]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/44139139Fri, 02 Apr 2021 01:36:23 +0000Keita DemmingChristian Madsbjerg is a professor at the New School for Social Research in New York City, where he teaches German and French philosophy from the 20th century. He has also founded a company called Red Associates. Red Associates is a Social...
In this conversation, we explore perspectives on the role of social science in business. Here are some of the things that stood out for me.

Design systems, products and services for humans?

This might sound obvious or, as Christian described, banal. Yet, much of the thinking around organization has come from management science. In many ways, management science attempted to bring the rigour of science to the business world. As a result, the field has been influenced by disciplines like economics, engineering and Mathematics. Social Science has much to contribute to the study of human arrangements. The proposal is simple. Reduce risk by using social sciences to produce new products and services in the business world.

Do not pass judgement too quickly.

Understanding people is about waiting, careful observation and not passing judgement too quickly. To find insight, we have to observe humans slowly, intentionally, and patiently. We need to be open to the first judgement not being true. Building your capacity to suspend judgement is the core to finding good insight.

Seeing things work.

When you see things work, it can be transformative. Using slow observation, you can find frugal, novel or simple insights that can be transformative.

Disappointment is a better source of innovation than wonder.

Where do people find inspiration in their search for innovation? It is an interesting provocation to ask the question, what disappoints you? What are you disappointed in, and how can you change it? Think for a second about where you find your inspiration.

Where are the philosophers?

The technologies of tomorrow will transform our future in ways we cannot imagine. What if we had philosophers at the decision-making tables? For example, what if there were philosophers in the room when we first launched Facebook? What questions might they have asked to help curtail some of the unintended consequences of technologies like social media?

Insights can spread like wildfire.

When an organization can find beneficial insight, it can spread throughout the organization. Insights can be fuel for transformation.

Who is too comfortable in their power?

Christian gave the example of what happens when Finance and Technology are too comfortable in their power. When one of these becomes too comfortable, it does not end well. This might be true of any domain. When people are too comfortable, especially too comfortable in their power, it can increase their blind spots. How do you notice when you are too comfortable in your power?

Be interested in humans.

We often find comfort in abstractions, models, or systems when we need to be focused on humans. When need to be interested in the things humans do, feel and say every day. We live in a world that has placed enormous trust in abstractions that don’t often get us as far as we thought.

You are probably wrong.

Christian tells a beautiful story about working with Samsung. At the time, he thought it was a terrible idea to put a camera on the phone. What he learned is that it is better to go with observation and analysis than intuition.

Tap into talent as it is globally.

It cannot be that the best people in the world all come from the same country as you. It does not work that you tap into talent globally. Learn to tap into global talent.

Questions can change...]]>2805anthropology,business,change,innovation,researchclean3fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/s3-ep-98-conversations-create-a-new-way-of-seeing-a-disruptive-conversation-with-paul-pangaro--43905513
In this conversation, talk about how conversations help us make sense of the world. Several things stood out for me, and here are just a few of them.

Conversations are not just between human beings.

In referencing Gordan Pask, Paul makes the argument that conversations are not just between us as individuals. We can have conversations with objects in our space. We can have conversations with ourselves. One school of thought can have a conversation with another. It is these conversations that make us human.

Without conversation we cannot learn from one another.

The thing that distinguishes human beings as an animal from other animals is our capacity for language. Language gives us the capacity to create agreements, actually to agree and to collaborate. For him, conversation is the essence of all things human.

If you wish to accomplish something design the conversation.

What is the action you take when you want to accomplish something? For most people, the default is to assemble a team. Here Paul puts forward what might seem like an obvious provocation. What if you started with designing the conversation? What if you thought about the cadence of the conversations you need to have. Everything we ever hope to accomplish is done through conversations. So why not pay attention to how you design your conversations. In doing so, you increase your capacity to act. We need to think about the goals, means and classes of conversations.

What do we need to learn or what did we learn?

What if you ended each conversation in your organization with what we need to learn or what did we learn? Do we or did we have the right people in the room? New conversations and language help you see things in completely need ways. Conversations can help you rethinking distinctions, relationships, and values. Business gets better at doing the same thing better and better. They thus do not see what the new is.

We ask the wrong people to come up with innovation.

When we ask people who are operational to thinking about the new way forward, we ask the wrong people. These people are two caught in the existing paradigm. Getting people to think in new ways is to remove the conflict of their day to day activity with the future you hope to bring forward.

Language helps us create new language.

We need to use conversation to create what we do not know we are going to create.

Find your misfits.

We cannot expect the people who invested in the current paradigm to help you imagine the new world. To do this, you need to find your tribe of misfits. Our self-interest always drives us.

There is a distinction between choice and options.

Paul references a quote by Heinz von Foerster, which says, “I shall always act to increase the total number of choices.” Paul points out that the quote is really ethical imperative. Where we help people make real choices in a world that generally gives us options.

No matter the change you wish to make, it should be couched in your values.

If you are always honouring your values, you will still have your values no matter what you do in the world.

A great quote referenced in the episode by Heinz von Foerster, “Person A is better off when person B is better off.”

For more information about Paul Pangaro

Visit his website: https://www.pangaro.com/]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/43905513Tue, 16 Mar 2021 00:21:34 +0000Keita DemmingPaul Pangaro has a deep interest in the relationship between machines and people. He describes himself as an interaction designer, pragmatist and practitioner. He thinks, like me, believes if you have a good theory, you can then make progress....
In this conversation, talk about how conversations help us make sense of the world. Several things stood out for me, and here are just a few of them.

Conversations are not just between human beings.

In referencing Gordan Pask, Paul makes the argument that conversations are not just between us as individuals. We can have conversations with objects in our space. We can have conversations with ourselves. One school of thought can have a conversation with another. It is these conversations that make us human.

Without conversation we cannot learn from one another.

The thing that distinguishes human beings as an animal from other animals is our capacity for language. Language gives us the capacity to create agreements, actually to agree and to collaborate. For him, conversation is the essence of all things human.

If you wish to accomplish something design the conversation.

What is the action you take when you want to accomplish something? For most people, the default is to assemble a team. Here Paul puts forward what might seem like an obvious provocation. What if you started with designing the conversation? What if you thought about the cadence of the conversations you need to have. Everything we ever hope to accomplish is done through conversations. So why not pay attention to how you design your conversations. In doing so, you increase your capacity to act. We need to think about the goals, means and classes of conversations.

What do we need to learn or what did we learn?

What if you ended each conversation in your organization with what we need to learn or what did we learn? Do we or did we have the right people in the room? New conversations and language help you see things in completely need ways. Conversations can help you rethinking distinctions, relationships, and values. Business gets better at doing the same thing better and better. They thus do not see what the new is.

We ask the wrong people to come up with innovation.

When we ask people who are operational to thinking about the new way forward, we ask the wrong people. These people are two caught in the existing paradigm. Getting people to think in new ways is to remove the conflict of their day to day activity with the future you hope to bring forward.

Language helps us create new language.

We need to use conversation to create what we do not know we are going to create.

Find your misfits.

We cannot expect the people who invested in the current paradigm to help you imagine the new world. To do this, you need to find your tribe of misfits. Our self-interest always drives us.

There is a distinction between choice and options.

Paul references a quote by Heinz von Foerster, which says, “I shall always act to increase the total number of choices.” Paul points out that the quote is really ethical imperative. Where we help people make real choices in a world that generally gives us options.

No matter the change you wish to make, it should be couched in your values.

If you are always honouring your values, you will still have your values no matter what you do in the world.

A great quote referenced in the episode by Heinz von Foerster, “Person A is better off when person B is better off.”

For more information about Paul Pangaro

Visit his website: https://www.pangaro.com/]]>2732change,conversations,cybernetics,design,organziationsclean3fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/s3-ep-97-be-a-billionaire-of-influencing-positive-outcomes-a-disruptive-conversation-with-joel-solomon--43695361
In this episode, we explore many a wide range of topics. Here are some of the things that stood out for me.

How do we make money a force for good?

The question can seem so simple. It is loaded. In our conversation, Joel and I discuss the notion that money as a force for good should be the status quo. For example, his company invests in clean food, nontoxic households and climate. I love that he is walking the walk and trying to bring others with him. On his journey, he spends time ensuring that as many people as possible can do things that matter, something they genuinely care about and invest in businesses or organizations that do things that matter.

It all starts with his story of origin.

When I asked Joel how he got into the work, he talked about early life experiences. He admitted that early childhood experiences of seeing African-American’s hosed in Chattanooga, Tennessee. He also referenced the Vietnam war and hoped for a career in creating a kinder and gentler world.

The Golden rule vs The Platinum Rule.

Joel and I talked about how his life has been informed by “do onto others as they would like have done onto them”. We discussed the Platinum Rule, do onto others as they would like done onto them. These rules have informed both our lives.

The prospect of death can give us great perspective

Joel told the story of how he was diagnosed with a genetic kidney disease. The diagnosis was, he could die soon, or he could live long. And there’s not a lot that he could do about it. Having to live with that from an early age greatly influenced him. Joel described how it caused a certain kind of awakening in him. He was keenly aware that time was limited. A question he posed was who you would like to have been? Ib considering that question, it became salient for him that death was around the corner. I ask the silly question, what it was like to be living in a way where death was always imminent. Joel reminded me that it was true for all of us. We just live “as if” it could not happen to us. When death becomes salient, it becomes influences our choice and our perspective of the world.

The inner work is the most critical.

Joel admitted that he works with four different professionals who help him do inner work, reflection, and seek insight. For him, some of the most critical work is to be questioned by experienced, intelligent people who work to support him. The goal for him is to move from challenge-based seeking help to anticipatory practice. For many of us, we seek help when trauma, fear or other challenges arise. It is an important question to ask, what if you instead worked from an anticipatory lens?

How did I get to be who I am and how I am?

I thought this was simply a wonderful question to consider.

What is the role of purpose and vision in capitalism?

Joel describes himself as a financial activist. He believes that capitalism can bring out humans’ very worst aspects without a clear motivation and purpose. For him, the goal of merely accumulating money without a clear purpose is an empty choice. We all die someday, and we cannot take all with us. In my own words, I understood his comments to mean that some questions require deeper or continuous reflection. Questions like, how much is enough? Why am I here? Are not questions that can be answered quantitatively. For Joel, he prefers to have influence, especially to influence positive outcomes in the world.

We are ancestors of what’s coming.

His fundamental belief is that we can do better. The goal for him is to choose a path he can be proud of on his deathbed. A few question he posed in our conversation were, “How do I want to be thought of, felt, and known when I die? How did I impact the world? How did I first find myself? Joel considers his job to be a good ancestor. The test for him is when he walks into a room, how does the room respond? In this is grounded in his belief in the inner work.

The tragedy of the under-examined human species.

When we have not taken the time to examine ourselves, we are driven by emotions, reactions, responses, and interpretations of the world that generate unhappiness, poor health, poor relationships, and harmful practices. How do you work on yourself, so you become proactive about how you respond to the world

Disrupting by being.

I found this idea to be powerful. One quote that stood out for me was, “the inner work leads to the ability to, first of all, choose what must be disrupted and then ultimately not even to choose it, to just be it.”

For Joel, he has come to the stage of his life where he would prefer to be disruptive in subtler and gentler ways. Ways in which the advances and success we make, make us inherently disruptive.

Learn more about Joel you can visit his company website and his personal website:

https://joelsolomon.org/

https://www.renewalfunds.com/]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/43695361Mon, 01 Mar 2021 23:54:46 +0000Keita DemmingJoel Solomon is a financial activist and co-founder of a mission venture capital firm called Renewal Funds. He is also the author of The Clean Money Revolution: Reinventing Power, Purpose, and Capitalism. In this episode, we explore many a wide...
In this episode, we explore many a wide range of topics. Here are some of the things that stood out for me.

How do we make money a force for good?

The question can seem so simple. It is loaded. In our conversation, Joel and I discuss the notion that money as a force for good should be the status quo. For example, his company invests in clean food, nontoxic households and climate. I love that he is walking the walk and trying to bring others with him. On his journey, he spends time ensuring that as many people as possible can do things that matter, something they genuinely care about and invest in businesses or organizations that do things that matter.

It all starts with his story of origin.

When I asked Joel how he got into the work, he talked about early life experiences. He admitted that early childhood experiences of seeing African-American’s hosed in Chattanooga, Tennessee. He also referenced the Vietnam war and hoped for a career in creating a kinder and gentler world.

The Golden rule vs The Platinum Rule.

Joel and I talked about how his life has been informed by “do onto others as they would like have done onto them”. We discussed the Platinum Rule, do onto others as they would like done onto them. These rules have informed both our lives.

The prospect of death can give us great perspective

Joel told the story of how he was diagnosed with a genetic kidney disease. The diagnosis was, he could die soon, or he could live long. And there’s not a lot that he could do about it. Having to live with that from an early age greatly influenced him. Joel described how it caused a certain kind of awakening in him. He was keenly aware that time was limited. A question he posed was who you would like to have been? Ib considering that question, it became salient for him that death was around the corner. I ask the silly question, what it was like to be living in a way where death was always imminent. Joel reminded me that it was true for all of us. We just live “as if” it could not happen to us. When death becomes salient, it becomes influences our choice and our perspective of the world.

The inner work is the most critical.

Joel admitted that he works with four different professionals who help him do inner work, reflection, and seek insight. For him, some of the most critical work is to be questioned by experienced, intelligent people who work to support him. The goal for him is to move from challenge-based seeking help to anticipatory practice. For many of us, we seek help when trauma, fear or other challenges arise. It is an important question to ask, what if you instead worked from an anticipatory lens?

How did I get to be who I am and how I am?

I thought this was simply a wonderful question to consider.

What is the role of purpose and vision in capitalism?

Joel describes himself as a financial activist. He believes that capitalism can bring out humans’ very worst aspects without a clear motivation and purpose. For him, the goal of merely accumulating money without a clear purpose is an empty choice. We all die someday, and we cannot take all with us. In my own words, I understood his comments to mean that some questions require deeper or continuous reflection. Questions like, how much is enough? Why am I here? Are not questions that can be answered quantitatively. For Joel, he prefers to have influence, especially to influence positive outcomes in the world.

We are ancestors of what’s coming.

His fundamental belief is that we can do better. The goal for him is to choose a path he can be proud of on his deathbed. A few question...]]>2585finance,impact,investing,sustainablityclean3fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/s3-ep-96-we-build-our-world-conversation-by-conversation-a-disruptive-conversations-with-elizabeth-stokoe--43448613
Here are some of the highlights from our conversation.

We build our world through social interactions.

This may seem obvious, yet so few of us pay attention to the things we do and say daily. I have come to believe that the things we say and do build our future. In this conversation, Elizabeth and I tune into the conversations play in shaping our interactions.

Revel in working with people who are better than you.

When I asked Elizabeth about the best lesson, she ever learned she told a beautiful story about her dad. Her dad was a teacher. He taught woodwork. Elizabeth explained that he would revel in working with students who were or would one day be better than he was. I found this to be such a glorious insight. Her dad wanted his students to be better than he was. He wanted his students to pursue and treat woodwork in the same way they would treat traditional professions. Perhaps most insightful for me here is that we then get scared or intimidated by the competition. How would your life be different if you found really talented people and worked to support them?

People show you what matter to them.

We had a nerdy conversation about research, but I love that Elizabeth used a research lesson to demonstrate the impact of what she does. For example, she pointed out that people show you what they care about in the words they use. Someone might say, “oh, you know, there were three girls, sorry, women”. This self-policing demonstrates what people care about. Her research uses examples to show how gender is constructed and how our interactions build our gendered constructs.

Communication science is likely the most important thing to understand in the 21st Century.

I often refer to this as the debate between big data and thick data. Thick data is qualitative research that goes deep. Elizabeth’s work is a great example of how thick data can be so informative. She uses thick data to bust very compelling myths about conversation and communication. For example, there is an extensive belief that communication is largely done through our bodies. It is based on a study that did not actually find that. If however, that was true, we would not be able to communicate in the dark. We would not be able to talk on the phone. Researchers like Elizabeth helps understand the world just a little better so we can bust these very compelling myths.

Conversations are organized and messy.

In our conversation, Elizabeth also described talk as being full of idiosyncrasy, yet massively systematic. She gave a great metaphor for thinking about it. “Imagine you are in a helicopter or a hot air balloon high above a field. You can see from above what the path is. Now imagine that you’re looking down on that field and you can see a dog walker and their dog. The dog is on one of those long leads that extend and retracts. When you look down in one field, you see the dog walker and the dog. They’re basically moving across that field in a fairly predictable way along the path without much variation. They transverse the field. When you look down again, there’s another dog walker and their dog. This time the dog is absolutely all over the place and the dog walkers got to keep going back and get them out of the field and come off the path. But you also know from above that you can see where they’re going to end up because that’s kind of where everyone ends up.” This is what a conversation looks like. We often end up in a predictable place.

What is effective communication?

Effective communication is when you sort of get from one point to another. We hope we can minimize friction, misunderstandings, and having to do it again. We want to smooth out the journey

Just because you talk, it doesn’t mean you understand communication, scientifically.

In our conversation, we talk about how people have strong feelings about conversations. People have conversations every day and as a result, feel they understand communication. Understanding communication scientifically is very different.

We build our world conversation by conversation.

Perhaps my favourite insight in my quest to understand conversations is that we build our world conversation by conversation. This quote sums up much of what I have been exploring when we think about organizations as conversations.

Hope you enjoy this episode with Elizabeth Stokoe.

You find her at https://www.carmtraining.org/ and on Twitter as @LizStokoe.

Hope you enjoy this episode.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/43448613Mon, 15 Feb 2021 12:20:18 +0000Keita DemmingElizabeth Stokoe is a conversational analyst. This means she studies conversation in the wild. She looks at real-life conversations works to understand how talk works. Her work focuses on social interactions. What are people doing as they interact?...
Here are some of the highlights from our conversation.

We build our world through social interactions.

This may seem obvious, yet so few of us pay attention to the things we do and say daily. I have come to believe that the things we say and do build our future. In this conversation, Elizabeth and I tune into the conversations play in shaping our interactions.

Revel in working with people who are better than you.

When I asked Elizabeth about the best lesson, she ever learned she told a beautiful story about her dad. Her dad was a teacher. He taught woodwork. Elizabeth explained that he would revel in working with students who were or would one day be better than he was. I found this to be such a glorious insight. Her dad wanted his students to be better than he was. He wanted his students to pursue and treat woodwork in the same way they would treat traditional professions. Perhaps most insightful for me here is that we then get scared or intimidated by the competition. How would your life be different if you found really talented people and worked to support them?

People show you what matter to them.

We had a nerdy conversation about research, but I love that Elizabeth used a research lesson to demonstrate the impact of what she does. For example, she pointed out that people show you what they care about in the words they use. Someone might say, “oh, you know, there were three girls, sorry, women”. This self-policing demonstrates what people care about. Her research uses examples to show how gender is constructed and how our interactions build our gendered constructs.

Communication science is likely the most important thing to understand in the 21st Century.

I often refer to this as the debate between big data and thick data. Thick data is qualitative research that goes deep. Elizabeth’s work is a great example of how thick data can be so informative. She uses thick data to bust very compelling myths about conversation and communication. For example, there is an extensive belief that communication is largely done through our bodies. It is based on a study that did not actually find that. If however, that was true, we would not be able to communicate in the dark. We would not be able to talk on the phone. Researchers like Elizabeth helps understand the world just a little better so we can bust these very compelling myths.

Conversations are organized and messy.

In our conversation, Elizabeth also described talk as being full of idiosyncrasy, yet massively systematic. She gave a great metaphor for thinking about it. “Imagine you are in a helicopter or a hot air balloon high above a field. You can see from above what the path is. Now imagine that you’re looking down on that field and you can see a dog walker and their dog. The dog is on one of those long leads that extend and retracts. When you look down in one field, you see the dog walker and the dog. They’re basically moving across that field in a fairly predictable way along the path without much variation. They transverse the field. When you look down again, there’s another dog walker and their dog. This time the dog is absolutely all over the place and the dog walkers got to keep going back and get them out of the field and come off the path. But you also know from above that you can see where they’re going to end up because that’s kind of where everyone ends up.” This is what a conversation looks like. We often end up in a predictable place.

What is effective communication?

Effective communication is when you sort of get from one point to another. We hope we can minimize friction,...]]>2459communication,conflict,conversations,debate,dialgoueclean3fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/s3-ep-95-bringing-out-the-best-in-others-is-not-a-logical-endeavour-a-disruptive-conversations-with-dr-larry-richard--43217766
Scepticism being the most dominant. The challenge is that although these traits help with performance as a lawyer, they are often less helpful in things like Leadership. In today’s world, for Lawyers to be successful, they also need to develop skills for which a larger portion do not score well.

Here are some of the other insights that stood out for me.

Leadership is about admitting you do not know the way forward.

Having worked with many Leaders, very few are willing to admit that they do not know. Richard commented, “leadership demands that you ask your constituents to trust you as a way of getting them to follow you.” For him, “Leadership isn’t necessary when things are stable. Leadership only needs to emerge when things are changing and uncertain. So leaders can never say, I guarantee this is the right path, which means they always have to say to their constituents, I think this is the right path. Follow me, please trust me.” His point is that because Lawyers are so high in scepticism, it is difficult for them to trust others and ask for trust. Lawyers then are immediately in a dilemma. Asking for and gaining trust from a group of people predisposed to be, and trained to be sceptics, is hard at the best of times. Additionally, in my experience, most people think leaders need to know it all.

When should you choose emotion over logic?

When you are trying to get people to do teamwork, logic can be helpful. Emotions, however, can get you there faster and easier. Logic is a great tool for finding solutions. When it comes to implementing solutions, however, we need to leverage emotions.

Bringing out the best in others is not a logical endeavor.

People are multifaceted. In our conversation, we talk about how, for some people, their talents may not be valuable, until a particular context arises. People are complex and multifaceted. Bringing out the best in others is not a logical endeavour.

Boost performance by helping people find satisfaction and productivity.

In our conversation, we share some of our insights on workplace performance. One conversation that stood out for me is that insight that productivity and satisfaction feed each other. This really resonated with me. Effectively doing things with less friction and better results can be the holy grail of many people’s performance. Workplace engagement has a satisfaction component and an engagement component. When you can connect the two, you increase performance.

Avoiding the hedonic treadmill.

For so many of us, we spend our lives chasing the next goal. In our conversation, we talk about how lawyers are prone to get stuck on the hedonic treadmill. They chase the next thing. I will be happy when I become a partner. I will be happy when I get that new house. When we met those goals, we set new ones. This is the hedonic treadmill. In my own work, we help people work from a lens of consciousness. We help people be intentional about how they spend their time. Doing things today that give them what they want in the future.

Sometimes people are their own worst enemy.

We have a conversation about we often get in our own way. When we look at the things we want to achieve, often the biggest barrier is ourselves.

Predictive tools vs. Heuristic Tools

In our conversation, we talk about how we should think about psychometrics tools. The distinction we discuss is that some of these tools are better predictive tools, (help us predict the future) while others should be thought of as heuristic tools (help us think about and imagine the future). This distinction is important in several additional domains. For example, strategic planning is often thought of as a predictive exercise. The truth is close to it being a heuristic tool.

Quote:

I loved the quote Dr. Richard shared.

Absence diminished mediocre passions and increases great ones, as the wind extinguishes candles and kindles fire. – Francois de La Rochefoucauld

For more information, about Dr. Richard visit: https://www.lawyerbrain.com/]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/43217766Mon, 01 Feb 2021 11:00:19 +0000Keita DemmingDr Larry Richard is a former Lawyer, who now works to understand what makes Lawyers tick. In our conversation, he shares his findings from his work with lawyers. His major insight is that skills and tools that make Lawyers good at law do not...
Scepticism being the most dominant. The challenge is that although these traits help with performance as a lawyer, they are often less helpful in things like Leadership. In today’s world, for Lawyers to be successful, they also need to develop skills for which a larger portion do not score well.

Here are some of the other insights that stood out for me.

Leadership is about admitting you do not know the way forward.

Having worked with many Leaders, very few are willing to admit that they do not know. Richard commented, “leadership demands that you ask your constituents to trust you as a way of getting them to follow you.” For him, “Leadership isn’t necessary when things are stable. Leadership only needs to emerge when things are changing and uncertain. So leaders can never say, I guarantee this is the right path, which means they always have to say to their constituents, I think this is the right path. Follow me, please trust me.” His point is that because Lawyers are so high in scepticism, it is difficult for them to trust others and ask for trust. Lawyers then are immediately in a dilemma. Asking for and gaining trust from a group of people predisposed to be, and trained to be sceptics, is hard at the best of times. Additionally, in my experience, most people think leaders need to know it all.

When should you choose emotion over logic?

When you are trying to get people to do teamwork, logic can be helpful. Emotions, however, can get you there faster and easier. Logic is a great tool for finding solutions. When it comes to implementing solutions, however, we need to leverage emotions.

Bringing out the best in others is not a logical endeavor.

People are multifaceted. In our conversation, we talk about how, for some people, their talents may not be valuable, until a particular context arises. People are complex and multifaceted. Bringing out the best in others is not a logical endeavour.

Boost performance by helping people find satisfaction and productivity.

In our conversation, we share some of our insights on workplace performance. One conversation that stood out for me is that insight that productivity and satisfaction feed each other. This really resonated with me. Effectively doing things with less friction and better results can be the holy grail of many people’s performance. Workplace engagement has a satisfaction component and an engagement component. When you can connect the two, you increase performance.

Avoiding the hedonic treadmill.

For so many of us, we spend our lives chasing the next goal. In our conversation, we talk about how lawyers are prone to get stuck on the hedonic treadmill. They chase the next thing. I will be happy when I become a partner. I will be happy when I get that new house. When we met those goals, we set new ones. This is the hedonic treadmill. In my own work, we help people work from a lens of consciousness. We help people be intentional about how they spend their time. Doing things today that give them what they want in the future.

Sometimes people are their own worst enemy.

We have a conversation about we often get in our own way. When we look at the things we want to achieve, often the biggest barrier is...]]>2303business,coaching,leadership,performance,teamingclean3fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/s3-ep-94-what-is-the-default-setting-for-your-conversations-a-disruptive-conversations-with-daniel-stillman--42945640
Here are some of the things that stood out for me in this conversation.

We are designing conversations all the time.

If you have ever asked a friend to read an email, you are about to send. If you thought to yourself “how should I say this?” If you have ever done anything similar to that, you were designing a conversation. We design conversations all the time. The challenge is that we are not often intentional about designing our conversations. In this conversation, Daniel gives some great tips on how you should approach designing conversations. In his words, “We’re all designed in conversations to try and titrate and clarify our intent in hopes of achieving our goals.” You should also visit his website: The Conversation Factory to read his book and download some great material.

We have conversations all the time, yet we spend very little time thinking about them.

Daniel spends a lot of time thinking about and designing conversations. We communicate every day, yet very few of us thinking about this action we take that builds our future. One of the ways to design a conversation is to be as specific as possible.

Conversations have structure.

Spaces influence the conversations we have. This space can be physical, or it can be the space between words. All our conversations have a structure. Most of the times, we are not aware of the structure. Space is just one example of the elements that influence our conversations. In his book, Daniel outlines what he calls the Nine Elements of the Conversation Operation System. The elements are:

People
Invitation
Power
Turn-Taking
Interface
Cadence
Threading
Goals
Error and Repair.
I strongly suggest reading his book. It is both a great introduction to conversations and an excellent summary of help frameworks for designing conversations.

What are you tuning into in a conversation?

In conversation, we tune into things. Sometimes we are intentional about what we tune into. However, most of the time, we are unintentional. There is considerable value in paying attention to what you are attending to in your conversations.

Design your conversations

We set up our spaces to have conversations. The spaces in which we have conversation speak to the kinds of conversations we can have. One of the things that Daniel has helped me do is to double down on my belief that people should be designing their conversations. He helps people do it for a living. In the same way that we work on other skills, we should strive to have better conversations.

Designing the conversations starts before the conversation.

In the podcast, we talk about designing conversations within a facilitation setting. This principle, however, is one that I believe should apply to any important conversation. If you have a conversation that matters, try designing it before you enter the conversation.

There is value in silence.

One of the easiest ways to design your conversations is by leveraging silence. There is, however, a caveat, most of us respond after about two hundred milliseconds. In conversations, if we take longer than that to respond, our brains interpret that as trouble ahead. So ask permission to think for a bit. Having said that, silence can give you tremendous control in conversations. Use it wisely. Before we segue off of this point, here is something to think about. We can think at 4000 words per minute, yet we speak at 125 words per minute. What does this mean? It mainly means that you are getting only a small portion of what they are thinking when someone is speaking. Silence can transform conversations.

What do we mean by design?

In my view, design usually starts with a question. In the best cases, it is focusing question. In our conversation, four conversational design questions stood out for me:

Daniel talked about how design asks you to notice the choices that you are making. What are the implications of the choices that you are making?
What if versus what is? Are you thinking about who is attached to which question? Are you thinking about who has a vested interest in exploring one question over the other?
Are we having the same conversation?
How adaptable are you? A question inspired by the Tendayi Viki who appeared on episode 61.
I am going to continue to think about these questions.

Midwifery and Palliative care

For regular listeners, you may notice that theme of Palliative care and Midwifery has appeared again. Daniel talks about it within the context of grief and that people need to grieve the loss of whatever is changing. There are three parts in all change contexts: what is being midwifed into existence, what needs palliative care, and the bridge between the two. It is also important to think about or visit the Berkner to Loop model which Daniel also references in his book

Are we having the same conversation?

Daniel used a nice metaphor to talk about what designed conversation does. From our perspectives, designed conversations give us more clarity and focus. They help ensure we are having the same conversation and not speaking past each other. Take some time and imagine you were to open a door and I am trying to close the door from the other side. What happens to the door? Whoever is stronger gets their way. If, however, we’re both trying to open the door together or close the door together, then we’re going to be working together. The door will open or close with more force, with more acceleration. I love this metaphor, and it reminds me of my conversation with John Robinson and his sailboat approach to change and disruption Check out episode 69 here.

Speed and cocreation are more durable.

This notion is something that really resonated with me. I cannot count the number of times people have not had the patience for co-creation, yet cocreation produces much better results. If we are going to have something owned by everyone, it is going to take more time. We are addicted to the expert, and although Daniel does not say this, I think it has to do with our perceived notion that an expert can get us there faster and our addiction to silver bullets.

Light touches make it hard to demonstrate your value.

Something I often struggle with is as a coach, is that I believe that when you are doing your best work, the client feels like they did it themselves. This always poses a question to the value you bring, but it is an important way to continue working.

To learn more about Daniel Stillman visit:

The Conversation Factory: https://theconversationfactory.com/]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/42945640Fri, 15 Jan 2021 10:15:10 +0000Keita DemmingIn this conversation with Daniel, you hear from two people who are really fascinated with understanding conversations. We take a practical and philosophical journey thinking about and exploring our current thoughts on conversations. Here are some of...
Here are some of the things that stood out for me in this conversation.

We are designing conversations all the time.

If you have ever asked a friend to read an email, you are about to send. If you thought to yourself “how should I say this?” If you have ever done anything similar to that, you were designing a conversation. We design conversations all the time. The challenge is that we are not often intentional about designing our conversations. In this conversation, Daniel gives some great tips on how you should approach designing conversations. In his words, “We’re all designed in conversations to try and titrate and clarify our intent in hopes of achieving our goals.” You should also visit his website: The Conversation Factory to read his book and download some great material.

We have conversations all the time, yet we spend very little time thinking about them.

Daniel spends a lot of time thinking about and designing conversations. We communicate every day, yet very few of us thinking about this action we take that builds our future. One of the ways to design a conversation is to be as specific as possible.

Conversations have structure.

Spaces influence the conversations we have. This space can be physical, or it can be the space between words. All our conversations have a structure. Most of the times, we are not aware of the structure. Space is just one example of the elements that influence our conversations. In his book, Daniel outlines what he calls the Nine Elements of the Conversation Operation System. The elements are:

People
Invitation
Power
Turn-Taking
Interface
Cadence
Threading
Goals
Error and Repair.
I strongly suggest reading his book. It is both a great introduction to conversations and an excellent summary of help frameworks for designing conversations.

What are you tuning into in a conversation?

In conversation, we tune into things. Sometimes we are intentional about what we tune into. However, most of the time, we are unintentional. There is considerable value in paying attention to what you are attending to in your conversations.

Design your conversations

We set up our spaces to have conversations. The spaces in which we have conversation speak to the kinds of conversations we can have. One of the things that Daniel has helped me do is to double down on my belief that people should be designing their conversations. He helps people do it for a living. In the same way that we work on other skills, we should strive to have better conversations.

Designing the conversations starts before the conversation.

In the podcast, we talk about designing conversations within a facilitation setting. This principle, however, is one that I believe should apply to any important conversation. If you have a conversation that matters, try designing it before you enter the conversation.

There is value in silence.

One of the easiest ways to design your conversations is by leveraging silence. There is, however, a caveat, most of us respond after about two hundred milliseconds. In conversations, if we take longer than that to respond, our brains interpret that as trouble ahead. So ask permission to think for a bit. Having said that, silence can give you tremendous control in conversations. Use it wisely. Before we segue off of this point, here is something to think about. We can think at 4000 words per minute, yet we speak at 125 words per minute. What does this mean? It mainly means that you are getting only a small portion of what they are thinking when someone is speaking....]]>2715change,conversations,culture,design,organizationsclean3fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/s3-ep-93-is-it-okay-to-be-you-in-the-world-a-disruptive-conversations-with-dan-doty--42250688
This conversation with Dan was an inspiring one. Here are a few of the things that stood out for me.

It stops with me.

Perhaps the most powerful thing I took away from this conversation is that more and more men are saying no. They are saying that no exploring the full spectrum of masculinity stops with me. This is a powerful statement and undercurrent to notice. I love this as a potential movement that we may see in the world.

Society has gap in it defines and prescribe masculinity.

The make experience ought not to be defined or prescribed too narrowly. Masculinity should explore the full spectrum of human emotions. What does it mean to be a man? Although there seem to be many groups grappling with this question. Dan’s work seems to be one of gaining significant traction. We explore how so few men had fathers who were present during their childhood. We talk about what it means to be a good husband. The time has come for men to explore the full spectrum of the human experience. Talk about ‘girly’ stuff. To broaden the definition of what it means to be a man.

A different way is possible.

In this episode, Dan tells the story of attending his first men’s group. Past podcast guests have described similar experiences of being introduced into another world. It makes me wonder about the role of experience in our journey. How not knowing there was another way limits the choices we make. I love that he and I explore this question throughout the episode.

Meditation and outdoors

When I asked Dan about the best lessons he ever learned, he talked about mediation and being outdoors. I could not help be see the obvious connection. Using being outdoors as a time to do active mediation. As someone sceptical about the role of meditation. It leaves me with questions. For example, what is the value of intentionally allowing your mind to rest?

We can find sanctuary wherever we are.

Dan describes how finding the men’s group gave him a similar experience to being outdoors. The idea that he did not have to get outdoors to find sanctuary. This is powerful. It reminds us that we can use the resources we have access to. This may sound like a simple insight, but it is profound.

What does it mean to be married to a mother?

Since becoming a father, the question, “What does it mean to be married to a mother?”, has sat with me. In response, a friend asked, “What is like for your wife to be married to a father?” The mirror question had not crossed my mind. So, “What does it mean to be married to a father?” In one action, my identify changed, and so too did my wife’s. I had been so focused on supporting my family. I had not thought about how my needs. How have my needs changed since becoming a father? What does this new me want? What are his hopes, dreams, and desires? These are all new questions for me to sit with and explore.

What would we notice if masculinity was healthier?

Dan pointed out to me that men who had supportive families are rare. He also noticed that perhaps adults who had parents who were happily married are also rare. So what would it be like to live in a world where neither of these was rare? I loved this question as a place to land in my conversation with Dan. I have no answers. I do enjoy that I get to sit with these questions.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/42250688Tue, 01 Dec 2020 12:00:03 +0000Keita DemmingDan Doty describes himself as a father, husband, entrepreneur and outdoorsman. He is the co-founder of Everyman. A global organization that brings men together to learn and practice emotional skill sets. Men too can learn to be in touch with the...
This conversation with Dan was an inspiring one. Here are a few of the things that stood out for me.

It stops with me.

Perhaps the most powerful thing I took away from this conversation is that more and more men are saying no. They are saying that no exploring the full spectrum of masculinity stops with me. This is a powerful statement and undercurrent to notice. I love this as a potential movement that we may see in the world.

Society has gap in it defines and prescribe masculinity.

The make experience ought not to be defined or prescribed too narrowly. Masculinity should explore the full spectrum of human emotions. What does it mean to be a man? Although there seem to be many groups grappling with this question. Dan’s work seems to be one of gaining significant traction. We explore how so few men had fathers who were present during their childhood. We talk about what it means to be a good husband. The time has come for men to explore the full spectrum of the human experience. Talk about ‘girly’ stuff. To broaden the definition of what it means to be a man.

A different way is possible.

In this episode, Dan tells the story of attending his first men’s group. Past podcast guests have described similar experiences of being introduced into another world. It makes me wonder about the role of experience in our journey. How not knowing there was another way limits the choices we make. I love that he and I explore this question throughout the episode.

Meditation and outdoors

When I asked Dan about the best lessons he ever learned, he talked about mediation and being outdoors. I could not help be see the obvious connection. Using being outdoors as a time to do active mediation. As someone sceptical about the role of meditation. It leaves me with questions. For example, what is the value of intentionally allowing your mind to rest?

We can find sanctuary wherever we are.

Dan describes how finding the men’s group gave him a similar experience to being outdoors. The idea that he did not have to get outdoors to find sanctuary. This is powerful. It reminds us that we can use the resources we have access to. This may sound like a simple insight, but it is profound.

What does it mean to be married to a mother?

Since becoming a father, the question, “What does it mean to be married to a mother?”, has sat with me. In response, a friend asked, “What is like for your wife to be married to a father?” The mirror question had not crossed my mind. So, “What does it mean to be married to a father?” In one action, my identify changed, and so too did my wife’s. I had been so focused on supporting my family. I had not thought about how my needs. How have my needs changed since becoming a father? What does this new me want? What are his hopes, dreams, and desires? These are all new questions for me to sit with and explore.

What would we notice if masculinity was healthier?

Dan pointed out to me that men who had supportive families are rare. He also noticed that perhaps adults who had parents who were happily married are also rare. So what would it be like to live in a world where neither of these was rare? I loved this question as a place to land in my conversation with Dan. I have no answers. I do enjoy that I get to sit with these questions.]]>2798feminity,gender,health,masculinity,wellnessclean3fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/s3-ep-92-to-change-your-life-you-need-to-change-something-you-do-every-day-a-disruptive-conversation-with-liz-elam--41992715
Here are a few of the insights I found helpful.

To change your life, you have to change something you do every day.

Later in the episode, Liz shares that it took her some time to come to terms with the word alcoholic. She is now 11 years sober. When she said, “to change your life, you need to change something you do every day,” she was talking about things like exercise habits or losing weight. Later in the episode when she talked about AA meetings, it put this comment into perspective. It seems simple, yet it is so profound. She changed something she was regularly doing, and it changed her life. What is something you can change today that will change your life tomorrow?

Where work needs to be design for wellness.

A major theme in this episode is that work environments are not often designed for people to thrive. Take air quality as an example. Do you know how good the air in your building is? Is your physical work environment designed to help you thrive daily? Chances are it is not. Yet, we spend a lot of our time working in unhealthy spaces. This idea again seems simple but is so disruptive.

Work is also about community.

Loneliness is an epidemic in our society. One of the ways we can combat loneliness is by building communities in the workplace. Coworking offers a great avenue for addresses workplaces needs and community needs. It could be how we begin to address the epidemic of loneliness.

People have choices or should have choices.

COVID-19 has demonstrated that we can work differently. People can have choices. For example, some people may prefer to have to visit regularly. Others may prefer to work at home. Still, others might prefer to work in a coworking space. The future of work will likely include choices and companies who able to offer their employees choices will likely thrive in the long-term.

Mr CEO, your biggest changes are going to be talent attraction and retention.

To attract and retain the best people, companies are going to have to think about the environments in which their best people work. One way to both attract and retain the best talent is to give them a choice in how they work. In today’s world, this is not a difficult proposition. The future of work will likely include choices for companies who manage to attract and retain the most talented.

There are many other insights in this episode. To dive deeper into this episode, take a listen below. Also visit:

Global Coworking Unconference Conference (GCUC) https://gcuc.co/]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/41992715Mon, 16 Nov 2020 01:05:57 +0000Keita DemmingIn this episode of Disruptive Conversations, we hear from Liz Elam, founder of the largest coworking conference in the world know as the Global Coworking Unconference Conference (GCUC). There are a number of great takeaways. Here are a few of the...
Here are a few of the insights I found helpful.

To change your life, you have to change something you do every day.

Later in the episode, Liz shares that it took her some time to come to terms with the word alcoholic. She is now 11 years sober. When she said, “to change your life, you need to change something you do every day,” she was talking about things like exercise habits or losing weight. Later in the episode when she talked about AA meetings, it put this comment into perspective. It seems simple, yet it is so profound. She changed something she was regularly doing, and it changed her life. What is something you can change today that will change your life tomorrow?

Where work needs to be design for wellness.

A major theme in this episode is that work environments are not often designed for people to thrive. Take air quality as an example. Do you know how good the air in your building is? Is your physical work environment designed to help you thrive daily? Chances are it is not. Yet, we spend a lot of our time working in unhealthy spaces. This idea again seems simple but is so disruptive.

Work is also about community.

Loneliness is an epidemic in our society. One of the ways we can combat loneliness is by building communities in the workplace. Coworking offers a great avenue for addresses workplaces needs and community needs. It could be how we begin to address the epidemic of loneliness.

People have choices or should have choices.

COVID-19 has demonstrated that we can work differently. People can have choices. For example, some people may prefer to have to visit regularly. Others may prefer to work at home. Still, others might prefer to work in a coworking space. The future of work will likely include choices and companies who able to offer their employees choices will likely thrive in the long-term.

Mr CEO, your biggest changes are going to be talent attraction and retention.

To attract and retain the best people, companies are going to have to think about the environments in which their best people work. One way to both attract and retain the best talent is to give them a choice in how they work. In today’s world, this is not a difficult proposition. The future of work will likely include choices for companies who manage to attract and retain the most talented.

There are many other insights in this episode. To dive deeper into this episode, take a listen below. Also visit:

Global Coworking Unconference Conference (GCUC) https://gcuc.co/]]>2038clean3fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/s3-ep-91-disrupting-robust-discrepancies-a-disruptive-conversations-with-isobel-stevenson--41743861
Some of the things that stood out for me in this interview were:

How and where should leadership meet coaching?
I am of the view that in today’s world leadership should adopt more of a coaching approach than what is traditionally thought of as leadership. In my view, leaders should be having more coaching-like conversations. In our conversation, Isobel and I discuss the idea that leaders need to develop the skill of challenging peoples thinking through conversations. In my view, we use conversations as the mechanism by which we get people to gain insight and a new perspective.

Evaluations are pretty much worthless.
I have always questioned the value of evaluations. Isobel, on the other hand, goes as far as saying they are worthless and gives some clear example of how they lack utility. Particular concerning their stated purpose. One way I understood the conversation was that they are useful but just not in the way they were intended or how we purport to find utility in them. What Isobel argues, and I happen to agree, is that evaluations are the best way to get people to become defensive. It is the best way to stunt their growth. We put them in a defensive frame which is not a place of growth.

Show up and focus on the process.
When I asked Isobel about the best lesson she ever learned, she talks about interviewing a very experienced coach who said show up. For her, this simple prompt got her to think about showing up for people and being of service to them. It moved her away from focusing on the end. Instead, it got her to focus on how she showed up for people. What I got from this is that it is vital to show up and be present for the people you serve. In short, focus on process and not the outcome.

What is the focus?
In our conversation, we talked about the tendency for people to focus on feeling better or feeling good. Isobel says in our conversation, she is not convinced that is the goal. Instead, let us think for a moment where people gain a sense of identity, pride or dignity. For many, it comes from feeling a sense of competence. Things have changed. Suddenly we are no longer feel that sense of competence. So not only are we feeling less competent. We are also managing loss and change. That is a lot to handle. One question that came up for me was, instead of working to feel good or better. What if the focus was on regaining a sense of power and control?


Problematizing the tendency to be positive.
We have a tendency, that is as far as I can tell, finds its roots in self-help books. We are obsessed with putting things in the affirmative or the positive. Here Isobel and I dive into this a little. For example, if one thinks of good as going smoothly or well, then we need to have a conversation about what that means. The goal could be things like learning. In my language, we instead ask people to notice the progress they have been making. Often, we need to reframe how we think about the goal because if we only wish to frame things in the positive, then we may be focusing on the wrong things. We have a very dive deeper into this conversation in the episode.

Robust Discrepancies
I love this framing. What are the robust discrepancies that we are noticing? I was delighted to be reminded to pay attention to the robust discrepancies that occur in systems. For Isobel, as an educator, they are opportunity, experience and outcomes among student groups. We all exist in systems that produce robust discrepancies, and two things came up for me. Firstly, how then do we notice these discrepancies? Secondly, how do we address these discrepancies? Take for example, as Isobel points out, “if we are looking at a situation where the students who identify as white are outperforming the students who identify as Black or Latino. If the white students are outperforming students of color by, in some cases 20 plus percentage points, that’s a pretty big discrepancy. And it’s not just about the test that they take that reveals that discrepancy. It’s also about what classes those students have the opportunity to enrol in while they are in school. And what you know, what that experience looks like.” I think it is so important to pay attention to these robust discrepancies.

We are all affected by the optimism bias.
This conversation reminded me of the planning fallacy, which is the that people tend to underestimate how long it will take them to accomplish or complete a task. This bias is deeply connected to another common bias known as the optimism bias. This is important because it disrupts people at the individual and organizational or group level. If we tend to underestimate how long things will take then when things take longer it affects us at several levels. The quote that I think should not be missed is that “the plan itself does not produce the outcome we desire.” For Isobel, many leaders attain their roles because they focus on potential and not problems. This means that they are sometimes blind to problems and have an optimism bias. They too can miss the issues.

Changing beliefs without changing people’s capacity
I enjoyed this quote. It is something I have struggled with on many occasions. In my work, I have contemplated the ethics of changing beliefs without providing people with the capacity to enact or respond to those new beliefs. I enjoyed this part of the conversation with Isobel.

Doing evaluation better.
One of my favorite questions in thinking about organizations is, are we doing what claim to be doing? Isobel’s provocation, as I understand it is that “we should probably stop claiming that evaluation is a mechanism by which people get better.” The idea is that an evaluation will improve people is unfounded.

Rank Introduces a level of scepticism
Isobel makes the point that there is a phenomenon where people who have less power have a bias towards scepticism for people with power. If leaders understood this, it could change how they approach conversations with the people they serve. People are less willing to give the benefit of the doubt. As a result, leaders need to think about communicating better.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/41743861Sun, 01 Nov 2020 14:30:20 +0000Keita DemmingIn this episode of Disruptive Conversations, I interview Isobel Stevenson, Director of Organizational Learning at the Connecticut Center for School Change. The Center is a nonprofit based in Hartford, Connecticut. In this conversation, we discuss a...
Some of the things that stood out for me in this interview were:

How and where should leadership meet coaching?
I am of the view that in today’s world leadership should adopt more of a coaching approach than what is traditionally thought of as leadership. In my view, leaders should be having more coaching-like conversations. In our conversation, Isobel and I discuss the idea that leaders need to develop the skill of challenging peoples thinking through conversations. In my view, we use conversations as the mechanism by which we get people to gain insight and a new perspective.

Evaluations are pretty much worthless.
I have always questioned the value of evaluations. Isobel, on the other hand, goes as far as saying they are worthless and gives some clear example of how they lack utility. Particular concerning their stated purpose. One way I understood the conversation was that they are useful but just not in the way they were intended or how we purport to find utility in them. What Isobel argues, and I happen to agree, is that evaluations are the best way to get people to become defensive. It is the best way to stunt their growth. We put them in a defensive frame which is not a place of growth.

Show up and focus on the process.
When I asked Isobel about the best lesson she ever learned, she talks about interviewing a very experienced coach who said show up. For her, this simple prompt got her to think about showing up for people and being of service to them. It moved her away from focusing on the end. Instead, it got her to focus on how she showed up for people. What I got from this is that it is vital to show up and be present for the people you serve. In short, focus on process and not the outcome.

What is the focus?
In our conversation, we talked about the tendency for people to focus on feeling better or feeling good. Isobel says in our conversation, she is not convinced that is the goal. Instead, let us think for a moment where people gain a sense of identity, pride or dignity. For many, it comes from feeling a sense of competence. Things have changed. Suddenly we are no longer feel that sense of competence. So not only are we feeling less competent. We are also managing loss and change. That is a lot to handle. One question that came up for me was, instead of working to feel good or better. What if the focus was on regaining a sense of power and control?


Problematizing the tendency to be positive.
We have a tendency, that is as far as I can tell, finds its roots in self-help books. We are obsessed with putting things in the affirmative or the positive. Here Isobel and I dive into this a little. For example, if one thinks of good as going smoothly or well, then we need to have a conversation about what that means. The goal could be things like learning. In my language, we instead ask people to notice the progress they have been making. Often, we need to reframe how we think about the goal because if we only wish to frame things in the positive, then we may be focusing on the wrong things. We have a very dive deeper into this conversation in the episode.

Robust Discrepancies
I love this framing. What are the robust discrepancies that we are noticing? I was delighted to be reminded to pay attention to the robust discrepancies that occur in systems. For Isobel, as an educator, they are opportunity, experience and outcomes among student groups. We all exist in systems that produce...]]>2945change,coaching,education,evaluation,learningclean3fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/s3-ep-90-are-you-being-a-thought-partner-a-disruptive-conversation-with-hubert-saint-onge--41479349
Hold back your precocious advice giving.

When I asked Hubert about the best lessons he has ever learned, he responded, it is about listening for what is being said? A key part of conversations is listening. Over the years, I have come to understand that listening is probably one of the best leadership skills one can work to cultivate. In this episode, Hubert reminds us to start with listening.

There is no finished work.

This simple phrase is a great reminder that we are all a work in progress. When we work within organizations, there is always room for improvement. There is no finished work. So much of the dominant discourse assumes a linear finite world that ends at some point. For example, if someone asks you when we will finish the strategy? It is a clear sign that they believe that strategy work ends. In the same way that we should think about strategy as a temporary holding position, we should also hold onto the idea that there is no finished work. I enjoyed this reminder and think it is something we can all benefit from.

Work with people to help the organization realize their full potential.

This notion is given a lot of lip service in organizations, yet so few organizations genuinely embody this simple idea. When we invest in people, they enact the full potential of the organization.

Most of us are not prone to learning agility.

Hubert cited some work he sponsored in one of his previous roles. His researchers found that 10% of people are active learners. These people are constantly willing to learn, change and adapt. 60% of people are passive learners and need to be hit across the face before they change. They are reactive learners. Finally, 30% of people are block learners who take refuge in past success. The play and act the part while their world is falling apart.

Inner Agility

Hubert and I have had many conversations about inner agility, and you can listen to a webinar where we deep dive on the topic by following this link. In short, inner agility refers to how we respond to problems. Our brains instinctively seek stability. The challenge with our brains seeking stability is that in an uncertain world, it can lead to paralysis. Instead, we need to move ourselves to a creative space where we confront the uncertainty of the world. Some of the questions Hubert presents are, how do we relax at the edge of uncertainty? How do we pay attention to the clues that we see? How do we learn from them? The goal is to avoid becoming blind to the clues that present themselves so we can adapt the new set of circumstances that are emerging and do it in a healthy way.

We need to build our ability to question our own beliefs.

Hubert discusses the idea that throughout our lifetime, we gather a set of beliefs that inform how we see and understand the world. When we encounter challenges in the world, we then draw on experience to try to address these challenges. What we need to do is develop our capacity for questioning these mindsets that once made us successful yet will no longer make us successful. The challenge is that they are difficult to identify on their own, which is why you need someone who can point them out for you.

Where am I causal?

Hubert reframes one of my favourite questions. How are you contributing to the problem? I love this way of framing the question. I love asking instead, how am I causal

This is what I need to do here to contribute positively to this situation.

In our conversation, Hubert and I talk about organizations mired in entitlement. In the conversation, we arrive at an interesting destination. Something I think many of us can relate to. Organizations that are based on entitlement; in other words, there is a culture where people believe that by being present, they don’t need to be engaged. Their presence means they are owed things. In these organizations, it isn’t easy to transform and get results. In these organizations, instead of owning their performance or learning and working to craft their future, people believe that through their presences, they have earned a reward. This part of the conversation really resonated for me and encapsulated so much of my work.

Respect the other persons view as valid.

Recently, I have been exploring this notion as I shift to the idea of better conversations. It is a challenging notion to understand. Here is the essence of the idea. Someone can have a valid view, and it may not be correct. In this conversation, Hubert and I explore our tendency to personalize things. We ask questions like, what if we started by putting issues in the middle of the table? What if we move to an inquiry mode? What if we were to embrace our own ignorance? For many of us, we tend to be declarative where the opportunity lies in moving to an inquiry mode.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/41479349Thu, 15 Oct 2020 18:05:43 +0000Keita DemmingIn this conversation with Hubert Saint-Onge we explore a number of big ideas. Below are some of the ideas that stood out for me. Hold back your precocious advice giving. When I asked Hubert about the best lessons he has ever learned, he responded,...
Hold back your precocious advice giving.

When I asked Hubert about the best lessons he has ever learned, he responded, it is about listening for what is being said? A key part of conversations is listening. Over the years, I have come to understand that listening is probably one of the best leadership skills one can work to cultivate. In this episode, Hubert reminds us to start with listening.

There is no finished work.

This simple phrase is a great reminder that we are all a work in progress. When we work within organizations, there is always room for improvement. There is no finished work. So much of the dominant discourse assumes a linear finite world that ends at some point. For example, if someone asks you when we will finish the strategy? It is a clear sign that they believe that strategy work ends. In the same way that we should think about strategy as a temporary holding position, we should also hold onto the idea that there is no finished work. I enjoyed this reminder and think it is something we can all benefit from.

Work with people to help the organization realize their full potential.

This notion is given a lot of lip service in organizations, yet so few organizations genuinely embody this simple idea. When we invest in people, they enact the full potential of the organization.

Most of us are not prone to learning agility.

Hubert cited some work he sponsored in one of his previous roles. His researchers found that 10% of people are active learners. These people are constantly willing to learn, change and adapt. 60% of people are passive learners and need to be hit across the face before they change. They are reactive learners. Finally, 30% of people are block learners who take refuge in past success. The play and act the part while their world is falling apart.

Inner Agility

Hubert and I have had many conversations about inner agility, and you can listen to a webinar where we deep dive on the topic by following this link. In short, inner agility refers to how we respond to problems. Our brains instinctively seek stability. The challenge with our brains seeking stability is that in an uncertain world, it can lead to paralysis. Instead, we need to move ourselves to a creative space where we confront the uncertainty of the world. Some of the questions Hubert presents are, how do we relax at the edge of uncertainty? How do we pay attention to the clues that we see? How do we learn from them? The goal is to avoid becoming blind to the clues that present themselves so we can adapt the new set of circumstances that are emerging and do it in a healthy way.

We need to build our ability to question our own beliefs.

Hubert discusses the idea that throughout our lifetime, we gather a set of beliefs that inform how we see and understand the world. When we encounter challenges in the world, we then draw on experience to try to address these challenges. What we need to do is develop our capacity for questioning these mindsets that once made us successful yet will no longer make us successful. The challenge is that they are difficult to identify on their own, which is why you need someone who can point them out for you.

Where am I causal?

Hubert reframes one of my favourite questions. How are you contributing to the problem? I love this way of framing the question. I love asking instead, how am I causal

This is what I need to do here to contribute positively to this situation.

In our conversation, Hubert and I talk about organizations mired in entitlement. In the conversation, we arrive at an interesting destination. Something I think many of us can relate to. Organizations that are based on entitlement; in other words, there...]]>2299coaching,leadership,performance,teaming,teamworkclean3fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/s3-ep-89-disinfect-at-the-source-a-disruptive-conversation-with-david-burkus--41162420
In general, he asks, what do we think we know about work? Now that we have some ideas around that, what does the research or evidence say about what we think we know?

In really enjoyed my conversations with David. Here are a few things that stood out for me.

Getting teams aligned and motivated.

Recently, I have been questioning this term alignment in organizations because in many ways it assumes a certain level of homogeneity in organizations that simply does not exist. What I liked about my conversation with David is that he spoke about the role of purpose in getting trams aligned and motivated. He used the phrase, “speaking the same language”. Whose job is it to get the team to align and speak the same language. What does that mean in practice? His notion is that we need to pick a fight. People need to know what they are fighting for. It has little to do with who they are fighting against. People, for David, need a crusade. They want to work on something that is bigger than themselves. This is how you drive motivation.

Lessons from terrorists.

I have always been a fan of learning lessons from people we disagree with. Most notably, white supremacy groups have been very good at building a movement. What can we learn from them? One of the things David points out is that terrorist movements give people two things the rest of the world is not giving them:

A sense of sacred values. Things that are worth defending.
A larger group identity.
One of the things he reminds us about is often when you give groups task that require collaboration for them to complete, they often put aside their difference to achieve the task. See episodes:

Mindfulness can be found in places other than Yoga.

I love this part of our conversation. I am not the biggest fan of the mindfulness movement. I do, however, acknowledge its value. There is tremendous value in working on presence, focus, and intention. The challenge is that many mindfulness programs over promise and under deliver. These are my words but what David and I talk about is the possibility of finding mindfulness in soccer, martial arts, or work. There is value in mindfulness in many places other than in temples and retreats.

Avoiding the pull towards self-similarity.

In his book, Friend of a Friend . . .: Understanding the Hidden Networks That Can Transform Your Life and Your Career, one of the arguments he makes is that we have a tendency towards self-similarity. Network have a tendency to serve you self-similar people. We have network problem. When you recruit from the same clusters, you get the same kinds of people. To grow and diversify your network you need to avoid the tendency for networks to move towards similarity.

Disinfect at the source.

We know that emotional contagion spreads like a virus. David tells the story of his wife who is medical doctor and how they have developed procedures for disinfecting the car and her clothes before she enters the house. His point is that work is often a source of stress, negative energy, frustrating bosses, disengagement or toxic work cultures. The challenge is that when people get home, they do not leave this negative energy at the door, instead, it spills into the family life. We laugh at the show the Office because it mirrors certain aspects of our lives. If we are going to stop parents bringing negative energy into their homes, we need to disinfect at the source. We need to create beautiful workplaces.

Lean into conflict.

There is a big distinction between task conflict and versus people conflict. Conflict around ideas can yield tremendous reward for organizations. We can also avoid conversations by assuming we know the other persons motivations because we can only speculate. There are ways to avoid conflict and speculating about other people’s motivations is a major one.

There are a few tricks:

Give the other person the most generous assumption.
Ask people, what would need to be true for X to happen?
Focus on challenging the idea and not people.
Pick a crusade worth fighting for.
For more information on David visit: https://davidburkus.com/]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/41162420Thu, 01 Oct 2020 10:50:05 +0000Keita DemmingDavid Burkus has focused much of work, writing and research on how to not make work suck. A common joke in the world of organizational psychologists. He written books on creativity, networking, teams, teamwork and more recently remote work. In...
In general, he asks, what do we think we know about work? Now that we have some ideas around that, what does the research or evidence say about what we think we know?

In really enjoyed my conversations with David. Here are a few things that stood out for me.

Getting teams aligned and motivated.

Recently, I have been questioning this term alignment in organizations because in many ways it assumes a certain level of homogeneity in organizations that simply does not exist. What I liked about my conversation with David is that he spoke about the role of purpose in getting trams aligned and motivated. He used the phrase, “speaking the same language”. Whose job is it to get the team to align and speak the same language. What does that mean in practice? His notion is that we need to pick a fight. People need to know what they are fighting for. It has little to do with who they are fighting against. People, for David, need a crusade. They want to work on something that is bigger than themselves. This is how you drive motivation.

Lessons from terrorists.

I have always been a fan of learning lessons from people we disagree with. Most notably, white supremacy groups have been very good at building a movement. What can we learn from them? One of the things David points out is that terrorist movements give people two things the rest of the world is not giving them:

A sense of sacred values. Things that are worth defending.
A larger group identity.
One of the things he reminds us about is often when you give groups task that require collaboration for them to complete, they often put aside their difference to achieve the task. See episodes:

Mindfulness can be found in places other than Yoga.

I love this part of our conversation. I am not the biggest fan of the mindfulness movement. I do, however, acknowledge its value. There is tremendous value in working on presence, focus, and intention. The challenge is that many mindfulness programs over promise and under deliver. These are my words but what David and I talk about is the possibility of finding mindfulness in soccer, martial arts, or work. There is value in mindfulness in many places other than in temples and retreats.

Avoiding the pull towards self-similarity.

In his book, Friend of a Friend . . .: Understanding the Hidden Networks That Can Transform Your Life and Your Career, one of the arguments he makes is that we have a tendency towards self-similarity. Network have a tendency to serve you self-similar people. We have network problem. When you recruit from the same clusters, you get the same kinds of people. To grow and diversify your network you need to avoid the tendency for networks to move towards similarity.

Disinfect at the source.

We know that emotional contagion spreads like a virus. David tells the story of his wife who is medical doctor and how they have developed procedures for disinfecting the car and her clothes before she enters the house. His point is that work is often a source of stress, negative energy, frustrating bosses, disengagement or toxic work cultures. The challenge is that when people get home, they do not leave this negative energy at the door, instead, it spills into the family life. We laugh at the show the Office because it mirrors certain aspects of our lives. If we are going to stop parents bringing negative energy into their homes, we need to disinfect at the source. We need to create beautiful workplaces.

Lean into conflict.

There is a big distinction between task conflict and versus people conflict. Conflict around ideas can yield...]]>3081coaching,innovation,networking,teaming,teamsclean3fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/ep-31-rebroadcast-don-t-confuse-invention-and-innovation-a-conversation-with-john-ruffolo--40923896
John describes his work as providing the fuel for the rocket, while entrepreneurs work to build their ventures. In this interview, we share many insights from John and his years of experience advising some of the world’s most innovative companies. John and his team are on the search for the most disruptive companies.

This podcast was recorded over Skype. Both speakers were in different locations.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/40923896Wed, 16 Sep 2020 01:54:43 +0000Keita DemmingIn this episode, I interview John Ruffolo former Chief Executive Officer of OMERS Ventures. We explore how many of the entrepreneurs they invest in have a passion for solving a problem. He tells the story of Shopify. One of Canada’s great...
John describes his work as providing the fuel for the rocket, while entrepreneurs work to build their ventures. In this interview, we share many insights from John and his years of experience advising some of the world’s most innovative companies. John and his team are on the search for the most disruptive companies.

This podcast was recorded over Skype. Both speakers were in different locations.]]>1922business,innovation,pensions,purpose,ventureclean3fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/s3-ep-88-maintaining-a-stance-of-curiosity-a-disruptive-conversation-with-peter-de-jong--40613449
Where do we have power and influence in conversations?

Peter reminded me of the power we all have in conversation. He uses an example of how someone can complain about the political views of a friend and say something like, “and I do, however, enjoy playing tennis with them.” We tend to focus on the complaint. What if instead, we focused on learning more about what they enjoy about playing tennis with their friend. We all have considerable power in our conversations. Often we fail to exercise that power.

A conversation is an interaction.

This may sound simple, but the idea that we can improve our everyday interactions seems powerful to me. I am curious about how we can leverage conversations to improve our daily interactions. So this notion that conversations are interactions in anything by trivial and can reframe our everyday experiences.

Breaking away from a reductionist world.

Like many social sciences, psychology has imported practices from the natural sciences and tried to apply it to human interactions. Part of what has made the science so successful is a reductionist view of the world. The idea that we can break things down into its component parts and understand how they work. Within the dominant discourse, science is often considered to be more credible than the social sciences. As a result, many social sciences have worked hard to prove that they are a science. This reductionist approach has worked well in engineering but does not always translate to human relational systems. Our social interactions are not reducible to cause and effect relationships in that same way that we can identify cause and effect in the natural sciences. I love that Peter so casually challenges years of dominant discourse to propose a stance of not knowing and not needing to know. He also offers a viewpoint where the coach, therapist or helper does not require a diagnosis to be helpful. They do not need to understand the other person’s problem to be helpful.

Assume that people have good reasons for their behavior.

I find it challenging to hold that stance that people have good reasons for their behavior. Peter offers us a very simple gift. What if your intervention was one of curiosity? What if, you instead said something like, “John I am sure you had good reasons for your behavior, can you tell me some of those good reasons?” Now imagine a parent whose instinct is to yell at a child. What if instead, they asked, “can you tell me some of those good reasons for your behavior?” It is such an elegant way to generate a productive conversation.

Get whomever you are trying to help to refocus their attention.

Peter tells a beautiful story about some clients he worked with who got into a food fight. His intervention was to ask them to do something different. In this case, the wife decided to throw food at her husband, and it resulted in a massive food fight. It disrupted the previously unhealthy pattern of them getting into fights and instead allowed them bond over cleaning up the mess. What stands out here is that Peter could have never thought of this as an approach to addressing the issue yet the simple prompt – do something different – produced a novel approach to addressing their conflict. Instead of yelling as she usually did, the wife threw food at her husband. This novel action made all the difference in the world. The notion of getting your conversation partner to focus on something different is so powerful and frees the client to discover their own solutions.

Get out of the client’s way.

In western culture, we tend to focus our work around the practitioner. Peter proposes what I think is a radical idea. What if we accepted the notion that clients can make progress without the help of the practitioner? Instead, the job of the practitioner is to help the client discover or uncover solutions by asking questions. The task at hand is to guide the client towards finding and making progress. Even more insightful, is that client can often make progress without know why or how they made progress.

In this episode, Peter also references two quotes that I find to be extremely powerful.

Ludwik Fleck- “he is a poor observer indeed who does not notice that a stimulating conversation between two persons soon creates a condition, in which, each utters thoughts he would not have been able to produce by himself or in different company.”

John Weakland – “Influence is inherent in all human interaction. We are bound to influence our clients and they are bound to influence us. The only choice is between doing so without reflection or even with attempted denial and doing so deliberately and responsibly.”

Resources cited in the episode:

http://www.microanalysis.ca/
You can email Peter at pdejongsft@gmail.com]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/40613449Tue, 01 Sep 2020 11:35:08 +0000Keita DemmingIn this conversation, Peter and I explore how solution-focused conversation has helped to shape his view of the world. This conversation is full of beautiful insights, stories, metaphors and quotable quotes. Here are some of the things that stood out...
Where do we have power and influence in conversations?

Peter reminded me of the power we all have in conversation. He uses an example of how someone can complain about the political views of a friend and say something like, “and I do, however, enjoy playing tennis with them.” We tend to focus on the complaint. What if instead, we focused on learning more about what they enjoy about playing tennis with their friend. We all have considerable power in our conversations. Often we fail to exercise that power.

A conversation is an interaction.

This may sound simple, but the idea that we can improve our everyday interactions seems powerful to me. I am curious about how we can leverage conversations to improve our daily interactions. So this notion that conversations are interactions in anything by trivial and can reframe our everyday experiences.

Breaking away from a reductionist world.

Like many social sciences, psychology has imported practices from the natural sciences and tried to apply it to human interactions. Part of what has made the science so successful is a reductionist view of the world. The idea that we can break things down into its component parts and understand how they work. Within the dominant discourse, science is often considered to be more credible than the social sciences. As a result, many social sciences have worked hard to prove that they are a science. This reductionist approach has worked well in engineering but does not always translate to human relational systems. Our social interactions are not reducible to cause and effect relationships in that same way that we can identify cause and effect in the natural sciences. I love that Peter so casually challenges years of dominant discourse to propose a stance of not knowing and not needing to know. He also offers a viewpoint where the coach, therapist or helper does not require a diagnosis to be helpful. They do not need to understand the other person’s problem to be helpful.

Assume that people have good reasons for their behavior.

I find it challenging to hold that stance that people have good reasons for their behavior. Peter offers us a very simple gift. What if your intervention was one of curiosity? What if, you instead said something like, “John I am sure you had good reasons for your behavior, can you tell me some of those good reasons?” Now imagine a parent whose instinct is to yell at a child. What if instead, they asked, “can you tell me some of those good reasons for your behavior?” It is such an elegant way to generate a productive conversation.

Get whomever you are trying to help to refocus their attention.

Peter tells a beautiful story about some clients he worked with who got into a food fight. His intervention was to ask them to do something different. In this case, the wife decided to throw food at her husband, and it resulted in a massive food fight. It disrupted the previously unhealthy pattern of them getting into fights and instead allowed them bond over cleaning up the mess. What stands out here is that Peter could have never thought of this as an approach to addressing the issue yet the simple prompt – do something different – produced a novel approach to addressing their conflict. Instead of yelling as she usually did, the wife threw food at her husband. This novel action made all the difference in the world. The notion of getting your conversation partner to focus on something different is so powerful and frees the client to discover their own solutions.

Get out of the client’s way.

In western culture, we tend to...]]>2838coaching,conversation,leadership,solutionfocused,therapyclean3fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/s3-ep-87-change-your-world-a-disruptive-conversation-with-michael-ungar--40346046
Below are some of the things that stood out for me in this episode.

What makes someone successful?

When you as people this question directly, they usually attribute it to something related to their mindset or grit. Their own self-determination. What Michael and other researchers have discovered is that if you study what makes people successful, access to resources and being in a supportive environment significantly contributes to their success, yet people tend to either understate or credit their success to more internal factors. In the podcast, he talks about interviewing Renaldo (I am assuming CR7 I forgot to ask) and learning that despite Renaldo’s tendency to attribute his success to notions like having a positive mindset his research demonstrates that the world around contributes to your success. See episode 70 with Kate Sutherland for more insights.

Asking a different question.

Many years ago, Michael began to ask a slightly different question that focuses on how a resourced life contributes to success. This reframe has given him tremendous insight into helping us think about and understand how we build resilience. For him, he heard one too many stories in which one sibling was successful, and the other was not. Often the children would attribute the difference being that the successful child had skills or interests that the environment supported. This led Michael to focus on social and environmental factors that contribute to resilience.

The miseducation of mindfulness.

This is not going to be a popular conclusion, but Michael’s research that most mindfulness programs are successful in the short run but less successful in the long term. Additionally, what he is really pointing to is a straightforward idea. If your environment is not supportive, no amount of mindfulness is going to help you become successful.

An interesting implication

If Michael’s research is correct, then our entire culture of rugged individualism is put into question. This idea that we determine our destiny versus things that external to us profoundly challenges many of our long-held beliefs.

Differential Impact

There is a research concept called “differential susceptibility”. The idea is that in genetics determine how susceptible we are to a variety of things like addictions, disease, stress etc… what if we thought about that a little differently and thought about “differential impact”. What this refers to is the idea that the same program can have a different impact on different people. For example, a program that focuses on adult mentors with people who have experienced sexual abuse may have an undesirable effect on participants. That same program, however, could have a desirable impact on people who have been physically or emotionally abused. It is very similar to the idea that there is no silver bullet from episode 42 with Amanda Hache

We need to stop blaming the individual

Michael has found that when we blame people for the situation, they are in, often if we change the environment, it can make a significant difference. We need to stop blaming people and start looking at systems. Sarah Kaplan makes a similar point in episode 85.

Bounce back, adapt or transform

I learned from a mentor, Brenda Zimmerman that systems have a tendency to bounce back. Often when we speak of resilience, we talk about returning to how things were. What if we instead looked at three types of change, incremental, adaptative and transformative change. These are all very different kinds of outcome to the change. Admittedly, Michael does not talk about incremental change, yet these four categories can be beneficial in thinking about change. Michael gives an example, so instead of asking employees to meditate and do yoga, you make the work less stressful. You transform the environment to change the individual. For example, if you want to improve children’s education, you don’t focus on the children, you focus on the teachers. You resource the teachers, and they will take care of the children.

The influence of a compelling story

“We are not this kind of people who allow three-year-olds to die on beaches.” Many of us remember the photo of Alan Kudri. The Syrian boy whose body washed onshore in Turkey. I will never forget the image of the red shirt and blue pants. This story galvanized the world around the Syrian refugee crisis. Similarly, so to how the video of George Floyd catalyzed the world around Black Lives Matter. In research, N usually refers to the sample size, and when we can tell a story of one person and the difference we make, it can catalyze people to act. In the episode, Michael talks about the photo of Alan Kurdi influenced the Canadian elections. One party was proposing a prolonged approach to allowing Syrian refugees into Canada while another party was suggesting much larger numbers and a faster rate of immigration. When that photo was released, it tapped into the psyche of the country, “we are not this kind of people who allow three-year-olds to die on beaches.” As a result, the party that had much more favorable policies to Syrian refugees was the party that was thrust into power.

To learn more about Michael work visit: https://www.michaelungar.com/]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/40346046Sat, 15 Aug 2020 18:54:45 +0000Keita DemmingMichael Unger is a professor of social work and is currently the Canada Research Chair in Child, Family and Community Resilience at Dalhousie University in Halifax, Canada. Although he began his career as a family therapist, today he is a researcher...
Below are some of the things that stood out for me in this episode.

What makes someone successful?

When you as people this question directly, they usually attribute it to something related to their mindset or grit. Their own self-determination. What Michael and other researchers have discovered is that if you study what makes people successful, access to resources and being in a supportive environment significantly contributes to their success, yet people tend to either understate or credit their success to more internal factors. In the podcast, he talks about interviewing Renaldo (I am assuming CR7 I forgot to ask) and learning that despite Renaldo’s tendency to attribute his success to notions like having a positive mindset his research demonstrates that the world around contributes to your success. See episode 70 with Kate Sutherland for more insights.

Asking a different question.

Many years ago, Michael began to ask a slightly different question that focuses on how a resourced life contributes to success. This reframe has given him tremendous insight into helping us think about and understand how we build resilience. For him, he heard one too many stories in which one sibling was successful, and the other was not. Often the children would attribute the difference being that the successful child had skills or interests that the environment supported. This led Michael to focus on social and environmental factors that contribute to resilience.

The miseducation of mindfulness.

This is not going to be a popular conclusion, but Michael’s research that most mindfulness programs are successful in the short run but less successful in the long term. Additionally, what he is really pointing to is a straightforward idea. If your environment is not supportive, no amount of mindfulness is going to help you become successful.

An interesting implication

If Michael’s research is correct, then our entire culture of rugged individualism is put into question. This idea that we determine our destiny versus things that external to us profoundly challenges many of our long-held beliefs.

Differential Impact

There is a research concept called “differential susceptibility”. The idea is that in genetics determine how susceptible we are to a variety of things like addictions, disease, stress etc… what if we thought about that a little differently and thought about “differential impact”. What this refers to is the idea that the same program can have a different impact on different people. For example, a program that focuses on adult mentors with people who have experienced sexual abuse may have an undesirable effect on participants. That same program, however, could have a desirable impact on people who have been physically or emotionally abused. It is very similar to the idea that there is no silver bullet from episode 42 with Amanda Hache

We need to stop blaming the individual

Michael has found that when we blame people for the situation, they are in, often if we change the environment, it can make a significant difference. We need to stop blaming people and start looking at systems. Sarah Kaplan makes a similar point in episode 85.

Bounce back, adapt or transform

I learned from a mentor, Brenda Zimmerman that systems have a tendency to bounce back. Often when we speak of resilience, we talk about returning to how things were. What if we instead looked at three types of...]]>3114behavior,design,innovation,psychology,resilienceclean3fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/s3-ep-86-disruption-starts-with-inside-of-the-house-expertise-a-disruptive-conversation-with-aneil-gokhale--40068128
In a blink of an eye, you can be 40 years old and your life has passed by but you may not have lived.

Aneil took a risk by leaving a very comfortable job at General Electric and ventured into the NonProfit world. As a Top Salesperson, he was able to transfer his skills into fundraising. What I love about this conversation is that Aneil full acknowledges that he had a safety blanket that allowed him to pivot. He responded to an internal conversation that said, the work you are doing is not currently aligned with your values. So he decided to make the pivot. With all his success he has managed to do so with grace and humility. Aneil worked his way into a sector that was more values aligned. Not everyone is brave enough or as he acknowledges, privileged enough to be in a position to make that kind of pivot. I respect this part of the Aneil’s journey and his venture into the unknown.

Build your network

Aneil and I have had many conversations about relationship building. I appreciate that he articulated the role networking has played in his career. For example, the thought he puts into thinking about how he introduces people is one to admire. He always asks the person if it is okay to connect them with whomever he would like to introduce. One of the lessons from this conversation is you can use networking to build trust in a sector where you may be an outsider.

The battle with Imposter Syndrome.

As a person of colour, I have often found myself in rooms asking myself what am I doing in here. The story I am often telling myself is, “when they find out more about me, they are going politely ask me to leave.” I love that Aneil was vulnerable enough to share similar moments where he did not feel like he belonged. In this episode, we both talk about how we struggled with imposter syndrome, admittedly he does not call it imposter syndrome, and how the secret is that everyone struggles with feeling either out of place or like they do not belong.

The importance of data

Toronto Foundation has really drilled this detail into my mind. 66% of all charitable donations go to 1% of organizations in Canada. The inequity of giving in Canada is enormous. In my mind, it falls into the camp of things we should deem unacceptable. What I appreciate about the way Aneil talks about the implications of this statistic is that we need to disrupt the patterns of giving, if we are going to influence the pattern of 66% of all donations going to 1% of organizations. This is a conversation we need to have more of in Canada and around the world. Additionally, one of the most innovative initiatives I have seen in the interest of creating a better world is Toronto Foundations Vital Signs Report. If you interested in a data-driven approach to philanthropy, see link here: https://torontofoundation.ca/vitalsigns/

Start with values and the cause

One of the major insights I took away from this conversation is to start thinking about the cause you would like to support versus the organization you would like to support. A mentor and friend of mine often say where there is a difference there is a need for distinction. We need to make a distinction between giving to a cause and giving to an organization. For me, this really revolves around asking people to think about their why. Why are you doing this in the first place? What would you like to be different as a result of your actions? The answer to these questions takes us to a very different place than thinking about what organization you would like to give to?

Disrupting Philanthropy

There is one section of our conversation that really stood out for me. Aneil talked about getting people to think differently about philanthropy on three fronts:

1. Getting organizations and people to think differently about operational funding and or core funding. Let organizations decide what is most important to them and where they can create the most impact.

2. Multi-year commitments so organizations are not caught in a race to find funding annually. Instead, they know they have money they can count on. Doing this will greatly improve organizations capacity to plan.

3. Valuing qualitative data just as much as quantitative data. Qualitative data or “thick data” as I like to call it, tells you so much more about an organization and its impact than numbers. Perhaps we can have a world that places more weight on qualitative data.

I hope you enjoy this podcast.

Links related to this episode:

1.Toronto Foundations Vital Signs report: https://torontofoundation.ca/vitalsigns/

2. Connect with Aneil on Twitter: https://twitter.com/a_goks

3. Learn more about Toronto Foundation: https://torontofoundation.ca/]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/40068128Thu, 30 Jul 2020 12:00:00 +0000Keita DemmingAneil Gokhale is the Director of Philanthropy at the Toronto Foundation. In this conversation, he and I cover a range of topics related to Philanthropy and the charitable sector. At the Foundation, he and his colleagues are trying to get people to...
In a blink of an eye, you can be 40 years old and your life has passed by but you may not have lived.

Aneil took a risk by leaving a very comfortable job at General Electric and ventured into the NonProfit world. As a Top Salesperson, he was able to transfer his skills into fundraising. What I love about this conversation is that Aneil full acknowledges that he had a safety blanket that allowed him to pivot. He responded to an internal conversation that said, the work you are doing is not currently aligned with your values. So he decided to make the pivot. With all his success he has managed to do so with grace and humility. Aneil worked his way into a sector that was more values aligned. Not everyone is brave enough or as he acknowledges, privileged enough to be in a position to make that kind of pivot. I respect this part of the Aneil’s journey and his venture into the unknown.

Build your network

Aneil and I have had many conversations about relationship building. I appreciate that he articulated the role networking has played in his career. For example, the thought he puts into thinking about how he introduces people is one to admire. He always asks the person if it is okay to connect them with whomever he would like to introduce. One of the lessons from this conversation is you can use networking to build trust in a sector where you may be an outsider.

The battle with Imposter Syndrome.

As a person of colour, I have often found myself in rooms asking myself what am I doing in here. The story I am often telling myself is, “when they find out more about me, they are going politely ask me to leave.” I love that Aneil was vulnerable enough to share similar moments where he did not feel like he belonged. In this episode, we both talk about how we struggled with imposter syndrome, admittedly he does not call it imposter syndrome, and how the secret is that everyone struggles with feeling either out of place or like they do not belong.

The importance of data

Toronto Foundation has really drilled this detail into my mind. 66% of all charitable donations go to 1% of organizations in Canada. The inequity of giving in Canada is enormous. In my mind, it falls into the camp of things we should deem unacceptable. What I appreciate about the way Aneil talks about the implications of this statistic is that we need to disrupt the patterns of giving, if we are going to influence the pattern of 66% of all donations going to 1% of organizations. This is a conversation we need to have more of in Canada and around the world. Additionally, one of the most innovative initiatives I have seen in the interest of creating a better world is Toronto Foundations Vital Signs Report. If you interested in a data-driven approach to philanthropy, see link here: https://torontofoundation.ca/vitalsigns/

Start with values and the cause

One of the major insights I took away from this conversation is to start thinking about the cause you would like to support versus the organization you would like to support. A mentor and friend of mine often say where there is a difference there is a need for distinction. We need to make a distinction between giving to a cause and giving to an organization. For me, this really revolves around asking people to think about their why. Why are you doing this in the first place? What would you like to be different as a result of your...]]>3990charity,donations,fundraising,giving,philanthropyclean3fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/s3-ep-85-business-models-for-a-better-world-a-disruptive-conversation-with-sarah-kaplan--39788570
Here are some of my many takeaways from this conversations.

Transformation is not something you can do on the side.

For many years Sarah thought of her innovation/academic work was her day job while her concerns for gender equity and other social issues was something she did on the side. One day she woke up and realized she had been told the story that the Women’s Liberation Movement had fixed everything. Women would not face barriers brought about by patriarchy. Yet, when she looked around the world, her students and women around her were still facing the same issues that the Women’s Liberation Movement was supposed to have addressed. She realized that 30 years later, the conversation had not changed. It was in this “ah moment” she decided that her two worlds needed to collide. Her transformational work was no longer something she could do part-time. Words echoed by Zaid Hassan a past guest on the podcast you can listen to him in episode 34, The Tragedy of Strategic Planning.

Change the conversation.

The thesis for this podcast has always been, if we are to transform organizations, we need to change the conversation. It is always wonderful to hear your guest make similar comments. For Sarah, the conversation about gender equity has focused on approaches like unconscious bias training. These approaches focus on the individual and not the systems that maintain the status quo. For example, many of the dominant approaches focus notions like women do not negotiate or do not negotiate well. These ideas ignore that women who negotiate are often thought to be selfish, unreasonable or generally unpleasant. People do not receive negotiations from men in the same way they receive them from women. To change the status quo, we need to transform the conversations. As a result, Sarah’s work focuses not on changing the individual, but on changing the context.

We ignore the social wake companies create.

It is always interesting to me to learn my guest’s point of entry into the work they do. As a business and innovation scholar who has also been interested in the rise and fall of empires, it is not surprising that she came to the conclusion that we are not going to change the world if we do not transform business. For Sarah, if we are to create a fair and equitable world, we need to transform businesses from within. In this episode, we had an insightful discussion on the idea that we shouldn’t need a term like social entrepreneur. All businesses are social or create social outcomes. What we tend to do is ignore the social wake that companies create. Sarah’s book, The 360˚ Corporation, explores the tradeoffs companies make. In the book, she makes a compelling case for how companies need to approach these tradeoffs. The point that stood out for me is that companies often need to change their business model if they are going to reduce the wake they create in the world. This is not an easy proposition, yet Sarah’s does make a compelling argument by juxtaposing two very different companies, Walmart and Nike. One of the surprising things about her book is the way in which she is able to help the reader understand the tensions these companies face and how their business models can often constrain their choices.

Focusing on the individual has a recoil effect.

I recently had a conversation with a very senior executive who wanted to implement mandatory anti-blackness training. In this episode, Sarah highlights what the research says about these types of mandatory programs and how they tend to have a recoil or backlash effect. For example, when people are mandated to attend these programs, they tend to harden or double down on their views. Additionally, these kinds of programs can also make people hyper-aware of marginalized groups. Often their response can be to tokenize or other the very groups we are trying to help. These approaches although well-intentioned can have ill effects when not well thought out.

Two tangible ideas from the episode:

Stop focusing on the individual if your goal is to create change. Get rid of the mindset that we have to fix individuals.
Identify the social structures and systems that create the outcomes you wish to change.
Transformation is about changing ourselves and the environment.

So much of the self-help literature focuses on changing yourself. Ralph Stacey, one of my favorite scholars in writing about transformation, says “entities are forming patterns of interactions and at the same time, that they are being formed by these patterns of interactions”. When we focus on the individual, we focus on the first part of his quote and ignore that “entities are being formed by these patterns of interactions”. Much of the dominant discourse focuses too much on the individual and ignores the structures. Perhaps if you take anything from this episode, it is that although there are times when paying attention to the individual can make a difference, it is perhaps my fruitful to pay attention to the structures and systems in which that individual resides. Regardless of how much the individual changes, the change will not happen until the context in which they reside also changes. For more similar ideas listen to Episode 70 with Kate Sutherland, Dismantling the myth of the lone wolf.

For more information about Sarah Kaplan’s (PhD) work you can visit the sites below:

GATE website: www.gendereconomy.org
GATE explainers: https://www.gendereconomy.org/explainers/
Sarah Kaplan’s website: https://sarahkaplan.info]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/39788570Wed, 15 Jul 2020 11:24:00 +0000Keita DemmingIn this episode of Disruptive Conversations, I speak with Sarah Kaplan (PhD). Sarah is an innovation scholar at the University of Toronto’s Rotman School of Management. She has recently written the book The 360˚ Corporation. Today, Sarah works to...
Here are some of my many takeaways from this conversations.

Transformation is not something you can do on the side.

For many years Sarah thought of her innovation/academic work was her day job while her concerns for gender equity and other social issues was something she did on the side. One day she woke up and realized she had been told the story that the Women’s Liberation Movement had fixed everything. Women would not face barriers brought about by patriarchy. Yet, when she looked around the world, her students and women around her were still facing the same issues that the Women’s Liberation Movement was supposed to have addressed. She realized that 30 years later, the conversation had not changed. It was in this “ah moment” she decided that her two worlds needed to collide. Her transformational work was no longer something she could do part-time. Words echoed by Zaid Hassan a past guest on the podcast you can listen to him in episode 34, The Tragedy of Strategic Planning.

Change the conversation.

The thesis for this podcast has always been, if we are to transform organizations, we need to change the conversation. It is always wonderful to hear your guest make similar comments. For Sarah, the conversation about gender equity has focused on approaches like unconscious bias training. These approaches focus on the individual and not the systems that maintain the status quo. For example, many of the dominant approaches focus notions like women do not negotiate or do not negotiate well. These ideas ignore that women who negotiate are often thought to be selfish, unreasonable or generally unpleasant. People do not receive negotiations from men in the same way they receive them from women. To change the status quo, we need to transform the conversations. As a result, Sarah’s work focuses not on changing the individual, but on changing the context.

We ignore the social wake companies create.

It is always interesting to me to learn my guest’s point of entry into the work they do. As a business and innovation scholar who has also been interested in the rise and fall of empires, it is not surprising that she came to the conclusion that we are not going to change the world if we do not transform business. For Sarah, if we are to create a fair and equitable world, we need to transform businesses from within. In this episode, we had an insightful discussion on the idea that we shouldn’t need a term like social entrepreneur. All businesses are social or create social outcomes. What we tend to do is ignore the social wake that companies create. Sarah’s book, The 360˚ Corporation, explores the tradeoffs companies make. In the book, she makes a compelling case for how companies need to approach these tradeoffs. The point that stood out for me is that companies often need to change their business model if they are going to reduce the wake they create in the world. This is not an easy proposition, yet Sarah’s does make a compelling argument by juxtaposing two very different companies, Walmart and Nike. One of the surprising things about her book is the way in which she is able to help the reader understand the tensions these companies face and how their business models can often constrain their choices.

Focusing on the individual has a recoil effect.

I recently had a conversation with a very senior executive who wanted to implement mandatory anti-blackness...]]>3122business,entrepreunership,gender,innovation,sustainablityclean3fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/s3-ep-84-an-approach-to-better-conversations-a-disruptive-conversation-with-haesun-moon--34983196
This is the simple premise of Haesun’s work. Admittedly, we share similar perspectives on the role conversations play and their potential to help people thrive.

So often, we blame other people for not communicating well. When we are in fact not listening. Conversations, although we have them every day, are complex. If we are to improve our conversations, we need to be more intentional in how we enter dialogue. Haesun asks us to pause and be intentional about our interactions.

We create patterns.

Many of us can think of someone with whom we would like to have a better conversation. For many of us, it is probably a sibling or an ex. Instead of living with these terrible conversations, what if we asked, what would we like to be different about our conversation? Rarely do we ask questions like this. It has probably never occurred to us to ask what do wish our conversation were like? We are too often caught in the existing pattern or are emotional about the conversation in which are involved.

Haesun has developed a framework for helping us identify when we are in an unhealthy conversation so can work toward what we hope to get out of the conversation. It is a way of breaking patterns so our conversations could be just a little bit better.

Conditions of possibility

The idea of creating the conditions of possibility is one of my favorite ideas. Using Haesun’s Dialogic Orientation Quadrant can help us open get closer to cocreating conditions of possibility. In this podcast, she tells a story of how her mother always encouraged her to dream. Encouraged her to believe that anything was possible. I hope that most of us know that anything is not possible but the culture of creating a sense of hope is one that we can all probably benefit from.

For so many of us, we focus on faults. What is not going well, what did not go well, and why things will not work. In this conversation with Haesun she provides, at least in my eyes, a sense of pragmatic hope. A hope that draws on the future you wish to bring forth and the times in the past where you have done well at using the resources to overcome challenges.

Where you orient your attention that is where you move towards.

I have played sports all my life. Over and over, I have been taught, the ball will go in the direction you are looking. If you look down, the ball will go down. If you look up, the ball will go up. In a race, keep your eyes on the finish line. Do not look left or right, ever! Run your race.

In life, it is very easy to pay attention to all the things that are not going well and not look at the things you want more of. The conversation with Haesun is a reminder that we all need a nudge to orient ourselves to things we want more of.

Change is visible. Change is audible.

I have taken classes with Haesun and she often encourages her learners to record their conversations. Look at what you do does. A simple provocation with profound implications. I see it as an invitation to be reflective. We all have a habit of mouth and a habit of mind. The way connect the two can be very intentional should we choose to do so. How do we improve our habits so our conversations are better?

There is a lot of cover in this episode. Including a story about dying with dignity but to learn more, I encourage you to listen to the episode.

Links in the podcast:

To follow Haesun’s work visit: https://www.briefcoaching.ca/

To learn more about her quadrant follow this link: https://www.briefcoaching.ca/blog/dialogic-orientation-quadrant]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/34983196Wed, 01 Jul 2020 11:35:07 +0000Keita DemmingCan we change the way people have dialogue? Can we make their interactions better? This is the simple premise of Haesun’s work. Admittedly, we share similar perspectives on the role conversations play and their potential to help people thrive. So...
This is the simple premise of Haesun’s work. Admittedly, we share similar perspectives on the role conversations play and their potential to help people thrive.

So often, we blame other people for not communicating well. When we are in fact not listening. Conversations, although we have them every day, are complex. If we are to improve our conversations, we need to be more intentional in how we enter dialogue. Haesun asks us to pause and be intentional about our interactions.

We create patterns.

Many of us can think of someone with whom we would like to have a better conversation. For many of us, it is probably a sibling or an ex. Instead of living with these terrible conversations, what if we asked, what would we like to be different about our conversation? Rarely do we ask questions like this. It has probably never occurred to us to ask what do wish our conversation were like? We are too often caught in the existing pattern or are emotional about the conversation in which are involved.

Haesun has developed a framework for helping us identify when we are in an unhealthy conversation so can work toward what we hope to get out of the conversation. It is a way of breaking patterns so our conversations could be just a little bit better.

Conditions of possibility

The idea of creating the conditions of possibility is one of my favorite ideas. Using Haesun’s Dialogic Orientation Quadrant can help us open get closer to cocreating conditions of possibility. In this podcast, she tells a story of how her mother always encouraged her to dream. Encouraged her to believe that anything was possible. I hope that most of us know that anything is not possible but the culture of creating a sense of hope is one that we can all probably benefit from.

For so many of us, we focus on faults. What is not going well, what did not go well, and why things will not work. In this conversation with Haesun she provides, at least in my eyes, a sense of pragmatic hope. A hope that draws on the future you wish to bring forth and the times in the past where you have done well at using the resources to overcome challenges.

Where you orient your attention that is where you move towards.

I have played sports all my life. Over and over, I have been taught, the ball will go in the direction you are looking. If you look down, the ball will go down. If you look up, the ball will go up. In a race, keep your eyes on the finish line. Do not look left or right, ever! Run your race.

In life, it is very easy to pay attention to all the things that are not going well and not look at the things you want more of. The conversation with Haesun is a reminder that we all need a nudge to orient ourselves to things we want more of.

Change is visible. Change is audible.

I have taken classes with Haesun and she often encourages her learners to record their conversations. Look at what you do does. A simple provocation with profound implications. I see it as an invitation to be reflective. We all have a habit of mouth and a habit of mind. The way connect the two can be very intentional should we choose to do so. How do we improve our habits so our conversations are better?

There is a lot of cover in this episode. Including a story about dying with dignity but to learn more, I encourage you to listen to the episode.

Links in the podcast:

To follow Haesun’s work visit: https://www.briefcoaching.ca/

To learn more about her quadrant follow this link: https://www.briefcoaching.ca/blog/dialogic-orientation-quadrant]]>2484coaching,conversations,dialogue,performance,teamsclean3fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/s3-ep-83-disrupting-performative-diversity-and-inclusion-initiatives-featuring-stefan-kollenber3--30732882
I really struggled to summarize this conversation but some of the things that stood out for me were:

Using existing platforms to deliver a novel solution.
Crescendo uses Slack to deliver micro-learning within organizations. I love this idea because it reminds me a past episode with Nick Scott, where he talked about trojan mice. Getting into large well secured spaces through tiny cracks instead of trying to get a trojan horse through the front gate. Their technology solution is so simple and leverages their other existing technology.

Personal Learning Journey’s
The ability to personalize learning is so important. When it comes to diversity, so many people are simply afraid to ask questions. Afraid to feel silly or look ignorant so they do not ask. In this platform, not only can people get customized learning journey’s they can do it over time. I am a big believer that change happens slowly, slowly and then suddenly. A long time frame of micro-learning versus one off workshops seems more lasting to me than what I have seen.

Be vulnerable with your journey
I admire Stefan’s willingness to talk about his struggles with addictions. It is important that we start to have these conversations in public. Stefan owns it and I admire that. He references something he calls radical ownership. In the conversation, I introduce two of my own favorite questions: How are you contributing to the problem? How are you contributing to the solution?

Avoiding unproductive Conflict
Like so many people Stefan has experienced toxic work cultures and has never wanted to go through that again. Part of his mission is to create spaces were people feel like they belong. Teams that are inclusive are a major part of the and his companies purpose is create more spaces were people belong.

Disruption Metaphor
Perhaps my favorite thing in this episode is Stefan’s metaphor for disruption. He describes disruption “like trying to change the current within a set of rapids. So you need to understand how the water flows and then set up interventions to create a path that is easier to take than the existing.” So simple, so visual and so great.

It is all in the narrative
Stefan referenced the work of Marshall Ganz from whom he learned a framework for storytelling. He describes it as follows:
•Start of first with a story of self. Answer the question, why me? Why do you care about the cause or the work you do? Why do you care about the people you seek to serve.
•Next follows the story of us. Why should we care about this issue as a group? How are we implicated? How would we benefit from solving the challenge or following the mission?
•Finally, why now? Why is this relevant to do right now?
In my own work we use a similar framework and I do like this some aspects of this framework.

I posted a video of Mashall Ganz I was able to find here: https://youtu.be/g7CW_10C7lQ]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/30732882Mon, 15 Jun 2020 12:35:19 +0000Keita DemmingStefan Kollenberg is a Co-Founder of Crescendo. Crescendo delivers tailored microlearning for every employee inside of Slack. In our conversation, we discuss a number of themes. I really struggled to summarize this conversation but some of the...
I really struggled to summarize this conversation but some of the things that stood out for me were:

Using existing platforms to deliver a novel solution.
Crescendo uses Slack to deliver micro-learning within organizations. I love this idea because it reminds me a past episode with Nick Scott, where he talked about trojan mice. Getting into large well secured spaces through tiny cracks instead of trying to get a trojan horse through the front gate. Their technology solution is so simple and leverages their other existing technology.

Personal Learning Journey’s
The ability to personalize learning is so important. When it comes to diversity, so many people are simply afraid to ask questions. Afraid to feel silly or look ignorant so they do not ask. In this platform, not only can people get customized learning journey’s they can do it over time. I am a big believer that change happens slowly, slowly and then suddenly. A long time frame of micro-learning versus one off workshops seems more lasting to me than what I have seen.

Be vulnerable with your journey
I admire Stefan’s willingness to talk about his struggles with addictions. It is important that we start to have these conversations in public. Stefan owns it and I admire that. He references something he calls radical ownership. In the conversation, I introduce two of my own favorite questions: How are you contributing to the problem? How are you contributing to the solution?

Avoiding unproductive Conflict
Like so many people Stefan has experienced toxic work cultures and has never wanted to go through that again. Part of his mission is to create spaces were people feel like they belong. Teams that are inclusive are a major part of the and his companies purpose is create more spaces were people belong.

Disruption Metaphor
Perhaps my favorite thing in this episode is Stefan’s metaphor for disruption. He describes disruption “like trying to change the current within a set of rapids. So you need to understand how the water flows and then set up interventions to create a path that is easier to take than the existing.” So simple, so visual and so great.

It is all in the narrative
Stefan referenced the work of Marshall Ganz from whom he learned a framework for storytelling. He describes it as follows:
•Start of first with a story of self. Answer the question, why me? Why do you care about the cause or the work you do? Why do you care about the people you seek to serve.
•Next follows the story of us. Why should we care about this issue as a group? How are we implicated? How would we benefit from solving the challenge or following the mission?
•Finally, why now? Why is this relevant to do right now?
In my own work we use a similar framework and I do like this some aspects of this framework.

I posted a video of Mashall Ganz I was able to find here: https://youtu.be/g7CW_10C7lQ]]>1784diversity,equity,inclusion,perfomance,teamsclean3fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/s3-ep-82-successful-conversations-are-not-free-of-negative-feelings-featuring-misha-glouberman--28706463
A few of the key things that stood out for me are:

So often conflict blinds us to how what we are fighting for is actually working against our own goals and objectives.

At the start of the conversation, Misha tells a fascinating story that can be teased apart in many different ways. He tells the story of how a group of neighbours were fighting very hard to close a bar and, in the end, if they got what they wanted, they would have been worse off. In that story, he also highlights that conflict is not necessarily a bad thing. In fact, it is just a part of life and we can use conversation to improve our experience of conversations.

How much do you caught up in your own story?

So many of us hold on to the story we tell ourselves without question our own conclusions to the story. So often, the stories we tell ourselves prevents us from helping the conversation move forward. Can we take a “yes and” frame for the conversation?

Language and framing are important.

In this episode, we explore different framings of the story he introduces in the beginning. Sometimes when we get into a fight with someone, the truth is, even if we win, we lose. Can we be intentional about how we contribute unproductive conversations?

It is important to acknowledge that a successful conversation is not free of bad or negative feelings.

We spend some time talking about the importance of seeing what are trying to say. In many conversations, we do not actually say what we wanted to say. Some of this is that we try to smooth things over and we put aside the things that are important to us. What is the easy thing for us to say?

How can I get better at having my mind changed?

For most of us, our goal is to change the mind of another person. What if the goal was to get better at changing our own mind? I find this to be a profound provocation and to sit deeply with this question takes a lot of work. Even deeper to try to turn this into a conversational practice is even more difficult but a worthy pursuit.

Very often it is against your interest to make things antagonistic.

For most of us, we get so caught up in what we want. So, we focus on ensuring that the person hears the point we think they are missing. We tell them that thing we have always wanted to tell them. In the end, our approach to the conversation is self-serving and not generative. What if instead you tried to understand what they wanted and worked to ensure what you both get more of what you want. Part of the goal of this podcast is to find ways to improve conversations.

Conversations sit within a social context.

One of the biggest insights from this conversation came for me when Misha reminded me that many of our beliefs are largely influenced by our social context. It is difficult to hold a belief that contradicts the dominant beliefs in that culture. The views we hold can alienate or provide us with belonging. The social context plays into the beliefs we hold.

Change others mind by changing what you do.

A good reminder for me was that, if the goal is to change the mind of another person, then we are both caught in a gridlock. Instead of trying to change their mind, we can manage what we are in control of. Our own behaviour.

How do you get people to do x, do x?

If I want to get people to be more collaborative, I need to be more collaborative. We get people to change by changing the way we do things.

Conclusion

This episode was a rich and deep dive into the nuance of conversation and it was wonderful to be in conversation with Misha.

Learn more about Misha Glouberman by visiting his website: http://www.mishaglouberman.com/]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/28706463Mon, 01 Jun 2020 10:25:03 +0000Keita DemmingIn this episode, I talk with Misha Glouberman and I explore the nuance of a conversation. Admittedly, this was not my best interview. There was a moment in the interview where I was so caught up in being understood that Misha and I got in a silly...
A few of the key things that stood out for me are:

So often conflict blinds us to how what we are fighting for is actually working against our own goals and objectives.

At the start of the conversation, Misha tells a fascinating story that can be teased apart in many different ways. He tells the story of how a group of neighbours were fighting very hard to close a bar and, in the end, if they got what they wanted, they would have been worse off. In that story, he also highlights that conflict is not necessarily a bad thing. In fact, it is just a part of life and we can use conversation to improve our experience of conversations.

How much do you caught up in your own story?

So many of us hold on to the story we tell ourselves without question our own conclusions to the story. So often, the stories we tell ourselves prevents us from helping the conversation move forward. Can we take a “yes and” frame for the conversation?

Language and framing are important.

In this episode, we explore different framings of the story he introduces in the beginning. Sometimes when we get into a fight with someone, the truth is, even if we win, we lose. Can we be intentional about how we contribute unproductive conversations?

It is important to acknowledge that a successful conversation is not free of bad or negative feelings.

We spend some time talking about the importance of seeing what are trying to say. In many conversations, we do not actually say what we wanted to say. Some of this is that we try to smooth things over and we put aside the things that are important to us. What is the easy thing for us to say?

How can I get better at having my mind changed?

For most of us, our goal is to change the mind of another person. What if the goal was to get better at changing our own mind? I find this to be a profound provocation and to sit deeply with this question takes a lot of work. Even deeper to try to turn this into a conversational practice is even more difficult but a worthy pursuit.

Very often it is against your interest to make things antagonistic.

For most of us, we get so caught up in what we want. So, we focus on ensuring that the person hears the point we think they are missing. We tell them that thing we have always wanted to tell them. In the end, our approach to the conversation is self-serving and not generative. What if instead you tried to understand what they wanted and worked to ensure what you both get more of what you want. Part of the goal of this podcast is to find ways to improve conversations.

Conversations sit within a social context.

One of the biggest insights from this conversation came for me when Misha reminded me that many of our beliefs are largely influenced by our social context. It is difficult to hold a belief that contradicts the dominant beliefs in that culture. The views we hold can alienate or provide us with belonging. The social context plays into the beliefs we hold.

Change others mind by changing what you do.

A good reminder for me was that, if the goal is to change the mind of another person, then we are both caught in a gridlock. Instead of trying to change their mind, we can manage what we are in control of. Our own behaviour.

How do you get people to do x, do x?

If I want to get people to be more collaborative, I need to be more collaborative. We get people to change by changing the way...]]>4169communication,conflict,conversation,debate,dialgoueclean3fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/s3-ep-81-find-the-nudge-by-being-a-tourist-in-the-world-you-wish-to-change-featuring-sille-krukow--27575968
Her insight was that if we are to impact the world, we need a different set of skills than what we are currently taught in design schools and traditional education.

Her disruptive internal conversation was that she realized something was missing in the way we thinking about behavior change. Providing information or telling people about the importance of change or why they should change was not working and does not work. We need more. Consequently, she has honed her expertise as a Nudge Behavioral Designer.


We need to change the way we think that we change behavior
A good friend and mentor of mine says, we need to change change. For Sille, she draws the insight from Nobel Prize winning work of Daniel Kahneman and Amos Tversky. She reminds us that the brain is divided into two basic systems. System one, the fast-reactive portion of the brain. While System two is the slow reflective portion of our brain. Additionally, when we draw on System two it takes a lot of energy and drains our blood sugars. For most of us, we are under the illusion that our behavior is driven by the thoughtful side of our brain. The truth is more likely that most of our behavior is driven by the fast-reactive side of the brain.

Behavior design is contextual and specific.
The first challenge in designing behavioral change is understanding the context in which we seek to create change. The second task is getting very specific about what change we seek to create.

This is where Sille looks for missing nudges. After understanding the missing cues, she then works to design nudges that will create the change she seeks to create. Sille and her team draw on a library of behavior change principles. Using these behavioral change principles, they then build culturally specific behavioral cues or nudges that then create the changes they seek to create.

What is a nudge?
A nudge is an intervention in our surroundings that makes the right decisions, the easy ones. The challenge for Sille is in implementing. Especially at broad scale. For example, she and her team explored the perception of the toilet hygiene in a train. People generally perceived the hygiene as fairly poor. One of their solutions was to change the colour of the toilet paper from white to bright blue. And by making this small change, they increased the perception of the hygiene in the toilets by 51 percent. That challenge was the blue toilet paper was more expensive and difficult to implement.

Change lies in the small things.

Sille explains the very novel solution known as the fly in the urinal. The fly in the urinal was used by one architect to improve hygiene in male toilets. He used a technique anthropologist Mary Douglas calls matter out of place. The architect placed a small fly in the urinal. The fly was a matter out of place element of design and bumped men out of System one when they need to pay attention. This small intervention reduced the amount of urine on the floor by 80 percent.

Be a tourist in your own organization.
When Sille talked about this, it reminded me of the Buddhist notion of seeing like a 4-year-old. Seeing things “as if” you are seeing them for the first time. Sille understands change as an “in the world activity”. We need to begin by understanding what people are actually doing within the context we seek to create change and then design nudges that fill-in what is missing.

Important Links from the Episode:

Sille and her team have created open-source COVID19 nudges that you can download here: https://www.krukow.net/covid-19nudges

To learn more about her work visit her website: https://www.krukow.net/]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/27575968Fri, 15 May 2020 13:51:00 +0000Keita DemmingSille Krukow is a Nudge Behavioral Design expert. She describes her work as using applied behavioral science to work to change behavior in a variety of industries. She stumbled into the field out of a desire to create an impact in the world. In her...
Her insight was that if we are to impact the world, we need a different set of skills than what we are currently taught in design schools and traditional education.

Her disruptive internal conversation was that she realized something was missing in the way we thinking about behavior change. Providing information or telling people about the importance of change or why they should change was not working and does not work. We need more. Consequently, she has honed her expertise as a Nudge Behavioral Designer.


We need to change the way we think that we change behavior
A good friend and mentor of mine says, we need to change change. For Sille, she draws the insight from Nobel Prize winning work of Daniel Kahneman and Amos Tversky. She reminds us that the brain is divided into two basic systems. System one, the fast-reactive portion of the brain. While System two is the slow reflective portion of our brain. Additionally, when we draw on System two it takes a lot of energy and drains our blood sugars. For most of us, we are under the illusion that our behavior is driven by the thoughtful side of our brain. The truth is more likely that most of our behavior is driven by the fast-reactive side of the brain.

Behavior design is contextual and specific.
The first challenge in designing behavioral change is understanding the context in which we seek to create change. The second task is getting very specific about what change we seek to create.

This is where Sille looks for missing nudges. After understanding the missing cues, she then works to design nudges that will create the change she seeks to create. Sille and her team draw on a library of behavior change principles. Using these behavioral change principles, they then build culturally specific behavioral cues or nudges that then create the changes they seek to create.

What is a nudge?
A nudge is an intervention in our surroundings that makes the right decisions, the easy ones. The challenge for Sille is in implementing. Especially at broad scale. For example, she and her team explored the perception of the toilet hygiene in a train. People generally perceived the hygiene as fairly poor. One of their solutions was to change the colour of the toilet paper from white to bright blue. And by making this small change, they increased the perception of the hygiene in the toilets by 51 percent. That challenge was the blue toilet paper was more expensive and difficult to implement.

Change lies in the small things.

Sille explains the very novel solution known as the fly in the urinal. The fly in the urinal was used by one architect to improve hygiene in male toilets. He used a technique anthropologist Mary Douglas calls matter out of place. The architect placed a small fly in the urinal. The fly was a matter out of place element of design and bumped men out of System one when they need to pay attention. This small intervention reduced the amount of urine on the floor by 80 percent.

Be a tourist in your own organization.
When Sille talked about this, it reminded me of the Buddhist notion of seeing like a 4-year-old. Seeing things “as if” you are seeing them for the first time. Sille understands change as an “in the world activity”. We need to begin by understanding what people are actually doing within the context we seek to create change and then design nudges that fill-in what is missing.

Important Links from the Episode:

Sille and her team have created...]]>1850behavioral,cognitive,design,nudge,psychologyclean3fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/s2-ep-80-the-job-of-the-disruptor-is-to-harness-self-interest-a-disruptive-conversation-with-tonya-surman--17928893
The goal of the work is to understand how to better support people.

A major theme in this episode was about how do we support people? How do we help communities thrive? We discuss a number of ways in which Tonya’s work has always centred around helping other people thrive in community.

Polarizations are not helpful.

Both Tonya and I are fed up with polarized conversations. They do not give us energy. I would argue they are not even helpful. In fact, they detract from our energy. How do we have conversations that focus on the evidence in front of us and bias us towards solutions?

What goes in a life?

Tonya has a theory around what goes in a life. It starts by understanding we can only control our response to things that happen in the world. We then need three ingredients: joy, belonging, and meaning. So many people struggle to these three things. We are usually missing one of them. I am might be putting words in her mouth by saying that the combination of all three makes for a full life.

The job of the disruptor is to bring order to the messiness.

Tonya described the job of an entrepreneur. I am using the language of the disruptor because this is my podcast. The person who wants to change a sector or system is what I refer to as a disruptor. For Tonya, we need to acknowledge that life is messy. Messiness is the land of opportunity. Tonya uses an amazing metaphor in which she compares the banks of the river with the structure that disruptors provide. The banks give the river structure. It determines where the river flows and directs energy in the system.

I love this metaphor and cannot help but think of what happens at the edges of rivers. How watering holes become congregations of wilder beasts and other animals. There are a lot of things to think about here. The banks of the river carry water, which then fuels other life forces. This is the role of the disruptor the person trying to redefine an existing sector or even create an entirely new sector. Even when you provide that structure, remember, like Quincy Jones said, “leave 20% for the lord to enter the music.”

Social Innovation is about three things.

There are four entry points for social innovation. Policy, Education, Culture, and Market Transformation. We need to work at all three levels and work with each approach instead of trying to compete, it is about developing a Portfolio approach.

The Power of Social Capital

Social Capital appears nowhere on your balance sheet, yet it is the most important measure of your success. Tonya makes the point that she has been able to turn social capital into financial capital. She has turned that into several properties that she uses for to create community. She stewards a purpose-driven community and leverages all of the types of capital to help her community thrive. We make big change by fostering relationships. We need to focus on people.

Never underestimate the role of self-interest

The first task is to align everyone’s self-interests. The job of the disruptor is to start with finding the common ground that aligns the self-interests of more people. As entrepreneurs mature and narrow their scope, they begin to be open to partnerships and collaboration. The challenge of being able to hold the space for self-interest.

How much space do I give the next generation?

Today, Tonya is struggling with the question of how much space she gives to the next generation. This is a question that most people who are thinking about succession struggle with. How do we deal with failure? How do we let go? This is such a juicy question.

I hope you enjoy the insights of this episodes. To learn more about Tonya you can follow find her at:

Her website: https://socialinnovation.org/
Twitter: @tonyasurman]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/17928893Wed, 15 May 2019 10:00:14 +0000Keita DemmingTonya Surman is the CEO of the Center for Social Innovation. One of the largest purpose driven coworking spaces, likely in the world. In this conversation, we explore a number of lessons that she has learned over the years. A few that stood out for me...
The goal of the work is to understand how to better support people.

A major theme in this episode was about how do we support people? How do we help communities thrive? We discuss a number of ways in which Tonya’s work has always centred around helping other people thrive in community.

Polarizations are not helpful.

Both Tonya and I are fed up with polarized conversations. They do not give us energy. I would argue they are not even helpful. In fact, they detract from our energy. How do we have conversations that focus on the evidence in front of us and bias us towards solutions?

What goes in a life?

Tonya has a theory around what goes in a life. It starts by understanding we can only control our response to things that happen in the world. We then need three ingredients: joy, belonging, and meaning. So many people struggle to these three things. We are usually missing one of them. I am might be putting words in her mouth by saying that the combination of all three makes for a full life.

The job of the disruptor is to bring order to the messiness.

Tonya described the job of an entrepreneur. I am using the language of the disruptor because this is my podcast. The person who wants to change a sector or system is what I refer to as a disruptor. For Tonya, we need to acknowledge that life is messy. Messiness is the land of opportunity. Tonya uses an amazing metaphor in which she compares the banks of the river with the structure that disruptors provide. The banks give the river structure. It determines where the river flows and directs energy in the system.

I love this metaphor and cannot help but think of what happens at the edges of rivers. How watering holes become congregations of wilder beasts and other animals. There are a lot of things to think about here. The banks of the river carry water, which then fuels other life forces. This is the role of the disruptor the person trying to redefine an existing sector or even create an entirely new sector. Even when you provide that structure, remember, like Quincy Jones said, “leave 20% for the lord to enter the music.”

Social Innovation is about three things.

There are four entry points for social innovation. Policy, Education, Culture, and Market Transformation. We need to work at all three levels and work with each approach instead of trying to compete, it is about developing a Portfolio approach.

The Power of Social Capital

Social Capital appears nowhere on your balance sheet, yet it is the most important measure of your success. Tonya makes the point that she has been able to turn social capital into financial capital. She has turned that into several properties that she uses for to create community. She stewards a purpose-driven community and leverages all of the types of capital to help her community thrive. We make big change by fostering relationships. We need to focus on people.

Never underestimate the role of self-interest

The first task is to align everyone’s self-interests. The job of the disruptor is to start with finding the common ground that aligns the self-interests of more people. As entrepreneurs mature and narrow their scope, they begin to be open to partnerships and collaboration. The challenge of being able to hold the space for self-interest.

How much space do I give the next generation?

Today, Tonya is struggling with the question of how much space she gives to the next generation. This is a question that most people who are thinking about succession struggle with. How do we deal with failure? How do we let go? This is...]]>3226coworking,disruption,innovation,placemaking,profitclean3fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/s2-ep-79-being-intentional-with-your-language-a-disruptive-conversations-with-jon-shell--17799864
Focus your energy on changing one small thing.
I almost missed this insight, but it is the one that stood out the most for me. Jon and his team, at the time of the recording, were focusing on one thing that they change. I think it is such a good insight and reminds me of setting priorities. If you have one priority it is hard to get distracted. It is hard to suffer from mission drift.

One encounter can change the course of your life.
Jon tells the story of how he met Bill Young, the founder of Social Capital Partners. He went to that meeting for one thing and at the end of the meeting Bill offered him a job. That one meeting changed what he was doing from that day forward.

There is no future of work it is already here.
Jon and I talk about how work has been changing for many years. The conversations about the future of work and the role of automation are already happening to people in all parts of the workforce. What Jon is most interested in, at the moment, is getting people to talk about how our systems are designed around permanent work. As a result, people are self-employed have to do things that that other people do not have to do. It should not take a self-employed person three times as long to file taxes. Yet, our system is designed with the assumption that most people are permanent employees. Jon is trying to change that narrative.

We should check our assumptions.
Be smarter than a pigeon. You going to need to listen to the episode to get this one, but so many systems are built on a set of assumptions and the assumptions are never revisited. If you put a pigeon in a cage with two feeders and only put food in one feeder, the bird will periodically check to see if there is food in the second feeder. The pigeon has an ingrained system to check assumption but the systems we build do not.

There are levels of complexity in any system you are trying to change.
Jon highlight three levels of complexity that I reframe as follows:
1.Equality of opportunity.
2.The system usually has successful examples in it.
3.We need to be intentional about the platforms we build and not take the ones that presented to us by the most powerful players in the system.

I hope you enjoy this episode.

You can learn more about Jon and his work at:
http://socialcapitalpartners.ca/]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/17799864Wed, 01 May 2019 11:20:04 +0000Keita DemmingIn this conversation with Jon Shell, we talk about the a range of topics loosely connected to Impact Investing. Jon, throughout this episode, problematized a lot of the language people use. For example, instead of talking about the Future of Work, he...
Focus your energy on changing one small thing.
I almost missed this insight, but it is the one that stood out the most for me. Jon and his team, at the time of the recording, were focusing on one thing that they change. I think it is such a good insight and reminds me of setting priorities. If you have one priority it is hard to get distracted. It is hard to suffer from mission drift.

One encounter can change the course of your life.
Jon tells the story of how he met Bill Young, the founder of Social Capital Partners. He went to that meeting for one thing and at the end of the meeting Bill offered him a job. That one meeting changed what he was doing from that day forward.

There is no future of work it is already here.
Jon and I talk about how work has been changing for many years. The conversations about the future of work and the role of automation are already happening to people in all parts of the workforce. What Jon is most interested in, at the moment, is getting people to talk about how our systems are designed around permanent work. As a result, people are self-employed have to do things that that other people do not have to do. It should not take a self-employed person three times as long to file taxes. Yet, our system is designed with the assumption that most people are permanent employees. Jon is trying to change that narrative.

We should check our assumptions.
Be smarter than a pigeon. You going to need to listen to the episode to get this one, but so many systems are built on a set of assumptions and the assumptions are never revisited. If you put a pigeon in a cage with two feeders and only put food in one feeder, the bird will periodically check to see if there is food in the second feeder. The pigeon has an ingrained system to check assumption but the systems we build do not.

There are levels of complexity in any system you are trying to change.
Jon highlight three levels of complexity that I reframe as follows:
1.Equality of opportunity.
2.The system usually has successful examples in it.
3.We need to be intentional about the platforms we build and not take the ones that presented to us by the most powerful players in the system.

I hope you enjoy this episode.

You can learn more about Jon and his work at:
http://socialcapitalpartners.ca/]]>3004automation,business,freelance,impact,workclean3fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/s2-ep-78-learn-to-be-wrong-with-grace-a-disruptive-conversation-with-andrea-reimer--17640409
Here are a few themes that stood out for me.

Sports can teach you a lot about disruption.

Andrea is an avid soccer player. She attributes some of her best lessons to the game of soccer. For example, you don’t get anything done alone. You need to build your team. You have to learn when to pass the ball and when to keep the ball. You have to know to whom you should pass the bal. Sports teaches you when to strike and when to wait. It also teaches you that slumps are just part of the game and you have to learn how to pull the team together to overcome slumps.

You have to learn how to be wrong with grace.

As an extension of her lessons from soccer, Andrea describes learning to be wrong with grace as a significant lesson that she has taken with her. She started her career by choosing the issues she felt she was right about. She was trying to help people have a voice on those issues. When she got elected, she could no longer choose her issues. Suddenly she needed to have an opinion on a casino proposal, gang shootings or snowstorms. Topics she may not have wanted to speak on in the past. She had to learn how to sit and listen. She had to learn to admit when she was wrong. She had to know when to change her stance and do that with grace.

Assume other people are reasonable.

This is a tough lesson that many of the guests on this podcast have spoken about. It is better to assume that that people are reasonable. They often have reasons for their beliefs. Although it is challenging to give people the benefit of the doubt, it is important to remember that people usually have the opinions they do for a reason. Having a stance that people are generally reasonable can often lead to a better outcome.

The stories we tell can cripple us.

A point that stood out for me was the idea that we need a common story to rally around. We all tell ourselves stories and these stories can be limiting, or they can be enabling. When we try to mobilize people, we have to remember that the public is not monolithic. We all have our own stories. The challenge is getting people to coalesce around a common story.

Be patiently relentless.

My favorite phrase is being patiently urgent. It is a term I learned from Ric Young, a friend and mentor. Andrea describes herself as being patiently relentless. I love these two phrases, and I think there is power in being patiently urgent and patiently relentless. Patiently relentless implies that we are doggedly persistent and are willing to keep trying until it works. Patiently urgent implies that although we need some things to change faster than they are happening, we are willing to be patient in waiting for the right time. We are willing to wait for the window of opportunity.

Changing sectors and systems involves gameplay.

Gameplay has become one of my favorite ways to understand how people disrupt sectors and systems. For example, in a game, the field is not always level. People enter the game with different skill levels and fitness. People have different specialities and are better suited to some positions than others. Disruption can often be understood through the analogy of a game. Rules often govern games and sometimes you are trying to change the rules, other times you are trying to use the rules to help you achieve an outcome. Finally, in most games, you have to go back to go forward. It is not uncommon for teams to move backwards, regroup, and then try to another line of attack. In the game of disruption, you are making moves. Some of them may work and some of them may not. Each move you make is similar to the moves you make is an attempt to move something forward and sometimes you have to move back to go forward.

Sometimes the disruption is in killing the market.

Status quo solutions are not the domain of disruptors. For Andrea, when it comes to climate change, you have to change the entire system. Our entire system is causing climate change, and when she put a motion forward to make Vancouver 100% renewable dependent, not only was she using a pebble to start a wave, she was interested in killing the market for nonrenewable energy. She put forward a 300-word motion that got Vancouver to commit to being 100% dependent on renewable energy. Since then, 200 cities and towns have followed this path and Vancouver is now 3.9 tons per thousand people which is the lowest in the Americas.

It is about next practices, not best practices.

Andrea made the point that humans tend to bell curve things. We are relativists. We usually derive best practices from the right of the bell curve but next practices are the practices we will need to be successful in a new paradigm. This is an idea that is transformational, and very important for people working to disrupt a sector or a system.

I really enjoyed this episode. One of Andrea’s favorite quotes is from Charles Darwin, “it is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent that survives. It is the one that is most adaptable to change.” Ask yourself, how are you are adapting to the future?]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/17640409Mon, 15 Apr 2019 10:15:20 +0000Keita DemmingAndrea Reimer is known for her disruptive public policy initiatives. She attributes her knack for disruption to her belief in fairness and justice. When she sees things that are unfair on unjust, she feels like she has to embark on transformative...
Here are a few themes that stood out for me.

Sports can teach you a lot about disruption.

Andrea is an avid soccer player. She attributes some of her best lessons to the game of soccer. For example, you don’t get anything done alone. You need to build your team. You have to learn when to pass the ball and when to keep the ball. You have to know to whom you should pass the bal. Sports teaches you when to strike and when to wait. It also teaches you that slumps are just part of the game and you have to learn how to pull the team together to overcome slumps.

You have to learn how to be wrong with grace.

As an extension of her lessons from soccer, Andrea describes learning to be wrong with grace as a significant lesson that she has taken with her. She started her career by choosing the issues she felt she was right about. She was trying to help people have a voice on those issues. When she got elected, she could no longer choose her issues. Suddenly she needed to have an opinion on a casino proposal, gang shootings or snowstorms. Topics she may not have wanted to speak on in the past. She had to learn how to sit and listen. She had to learn to admit when she was wrong. She had to know when to change her stance and do that with grace.

Assume other people are reasonable.

This is a tough lesson that many of the guests on this podcast have spoken about. It is better to assume that that people are reasonable. They often have reasons for their beliefs. Although it is challenging to give people the benefit of the doubt, it is important to remember that people usually have the opinions they do for a reason. Having a stance that people are generally reasonable can often lead to a better outcome.

The stories we tell can cripple us.

A point that stood out for me was the idea that we need a common story to rally around. We all tell ourselves stories and these stories can be limiting, or they can be enabling. When we try to mobilize people, we have to remember that the public is not monolithic. We all have our own stories. The challenge is getting people to coalesce around a common story.

Be patiently relentless.

My favorite phrase is being patiently urgent. It is a term I learned from Ric Young, a friend and mentor. Andrea describes herself as being patiently relentless. I love these two phrases, and I think there is power in being patiently urgent and patiently relentless. Patiently relentless implies that we are doggedly persistent and are willing to keep trying until it works. Patiently urgent implies that although we need some things to change faster than they are happening, we are willing to be patient in waiting for the right time. We are willing to wait for the window of opportunity.

Changing sectors and systems involves gameplay.

Gameplay has become one of my favorite ways to understand how people disrupt sectors and systems. For example, in a game, the field is not always level. People enter the game with different skill levels and fitness. People have different specialities and are better suited to some positions than others. Disruption can often be understood through the analogy of a game. Rules often govern games and sometimes you are trying to change the rules, other times you are trying to use the rules to help you achieve an outcome. Finally, in most games, you have to go back to go forward. It is not uncommon for teams to move backwards, regroup, and then try to another line of attack. In the game of disruption,...]]>2449change,climate,disruption,politics,wisdomclean3fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/s2-ep-77-stop-doing-the-wrong-things-righter-a-disruptive-conversation-with-cameron-norman--17483958Cameron Norman is a psychologist and designer who brings together the science of systems, program evaluation, and design to help people create impact and innovation. In this conversation, he and I explore a number of themes related to change and innovation. Here I highlight some of themes that stood out for me.

Pay attention to what is front of us.
So often we are so busy trying to make a difference we forget to pay attention to what is in front of us. We forget to pause. We forget to breath. Cameron talked about how he uses mindfulness in his work and how he has found it very effective in getting people to pay attention to what is in front of them. It stood out for me because in today’s social media world where our gadgets hijack our attention and so few of us are listening to the other side. I really apricated Cameron highlighting the skills of paying attention and listening.

What are we not paying attention to?
In this episode, I was talking about how I love the question, “what are we not paying attention to?” Where Cameron took the conversation surprised me. I mentioned that I first learned about that concept in a photography class and the teacher reminded us that what is most important is what is out of focus or what is not in the frame. Cameron picked up on the theme of “the frame”. For him the frame is important. He reminded us that frames are of their time. We all frame ourselves in a positive light. We see ourselves as being on the side of the angles and ignore the things we fear the most. The truth is we have motivations that are self-serving, we are attracted to things we like, and we avoid things we do not like. Sometimes the biggest insights can come from rethinking the frame.

Too many people pick the low diving board.
This is a theme that has come up in other episodes, but so often people do not do those things that are most daring. We play it safe. As a result, sometimes we end up doing the wrong things righter. I loved this insight because do think so many times we choose to do 10 things on the low diving board because if we fail on the high board, the consequences could be so big. To me really disruptive things live on the high diving board. The question is are we ready to jump

Do you really want this?
This is perhaps my favorite part of this episode. Cameron explained that he was working with an organization that said we want to be client centered, but when you look at everything they did, they were self-serving. This is where I see the most opportunity for disruption. If organizations just looked in the mirror and asked, are we doing what we set out do? If the answer is no, then we need t change. The challenge is that if often requires substantial change and not many people are ready or willing to do that. What often happens is that people know what is expected of them socially, so they say and perform to those social norms. For example, an organization might say we are working towards being more client centered. They know, politically, this is what they need to say, so they perform to the social expectations. The do not want to change. The do not really want this because it would mean too much change. I loved this insight. It is a recurring them and many organizations.

I hope you enjoy this episode as much as I did.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/17483958Mon, 01 Apr 2019 11:40:12 +0000Keita DemmingKeita Demming • Disruptive Conversations • Cameron Norman.mp3 Cameron Norman is a psychologist and designer who brings together the science of systems, program evaluation, and design to help people create impact and innovation. In this conversation,...Cameron Norman is a psychologist and designer who brings together the science of systems, program evaluation, and design to help people create impact and innovation. In this conversation, he and I explore a number of themes related to change and innovation. Here I highlight some of themes that stood out for me.

Pay attention to what is front of us.
So often we are so busy trying to make a difference we forget to pay attention to what is in front of us. We forget to pause. We forget to breath. Cameron talked about how he uses mindfulness in his work and how he has found it very effective in getting people to pay attention to what is in front of them. It stood out for me because in today’s social media world where our gadgets hijack our attention and so few of us are listening to the other side. I really apricated Cameron highlighting the skills of paying attention and listening.

What are we not paying attention to?
In this episode, I was talking about how I love the question, “what are we not paying attention to?” Where Cameron took the conversation surprised me. I mentioned that I first learned about that concept in a photography class and the teacher reminded us that what is most important is what is out of focus or what is not in the frame. Cameron picked up on the theme of “the frame”. For him the frame is important. He reminded us that frames are of their time. We all frame ourselves in a positive light. We see ourselves as being on the side of the angles and ignore the things we fear the most. The truth is we have motivations that are self-serving, we are attracted to things we like, and we avoid things we do not like. Sometimes the biggest insights can come from rethinking the frame.

Too many people pick the low diving board.
This is a theme that has come up in other episodes, but so often people do not do those things that are most daring. We play it safe. As a result, sometimes we end up doing the wrong things righter. I loved this insight because do think so many times we choose to do 10 things on the low diving board because if we fail on the high board, the consequences could be so big. To me really disruptive things live on the high diving board. The question is are we ready to jump

Do you really want this?
This is perhaps my favorite part of this episode. Cameron explained that he was working with an organization that said we want to be client centered, but when you look at everything they did, they were self-serving. This is where I see the most opportunity for disruption. If organizations just looked in the mirror and asked, are we doing what we set out do? If the answer is no, then we need t change. The challenge is that if often requires substantial change and not many people are ready or willing to do that. What often happens is that people know what is expected of them socially, so they say and perform to those social norms. For example, an organization might say we are working towards being more client centered. They know, politically, this is what they need to say, so they perform to the social expectations. The do not want to change. The do not really want this because it would mean too much change. I loved this insight. It is a recurring them and many organizations.

I hope you enjoy this episode as much as I did.]]>2518data,design,evaluation,health,innovationclean3fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/s2-ep-76-a-church-without-god-no-seriously-a-disruptive-conversations-with-ashley-proctor--17310172
Build something for community larger than you. Build something for people.
Ashley points out that she is driven to build things for people. Essentially, that is the difference between coworking the industry and coworking the movement. The industry focuses on the Real Estate play while the movement focus on the people. For the movement, it is not about the space, it about the people. What drives Ashley is building something bigger than herself and building something for people. Building something for a larger community.

Work towards dismantling loneliness, accelerating serendipity, and making meaningful human connections.
For Ashley, Coworking firstly a verb. It is a shared office space for people who work independently or remotely. It is about having the freedom to choose where and when you working. Ashley gets a lot of meaning from her work because its not about subdividing space, it is about people. Focus on the mission or purpose of what you are doing, and it will help you build great things. She things of building spaces like planting a flag where people can meet connect and build the future.

Surround yourself with people who care about you have your success in mind.
At the heart of building coworking spaces is building a community where you surround yourself with people want you do well, people want you to be the best, they want you to be strong.

Instead of saying no, show people what you are building.
I asked Ashley about how they say no, when curating communities. Ashley pointed out that sometimes you do not need to say no. Let people self-select. Show them the space, explain what you are trying to build and if it works for them, they will opt-in.

You build big things one tiny step at a time.
When you are trying to build something that people think is impossible you do it one step at time. Focus on putting one tiny piece after another and rally more people together. Bring people together to build the future with you.

When bad things happen to you separate what happened from your identity.
An event or misfortune does not thing does not define you.
I found this to be a very profound reminder and I have seen many people struggle to not let bad things define them. It is a very privileged things to say but it is important that we not let misfortune consume us and define who we are.

You can reach Ashley and learn more about all of her projects (including COHIP and GCUC Canada) by visiting her website www.CreativeBlueprint.ca
You can learn more about the 312 Main project by visiting www.312Main.ca]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/17310172Fri, 15 Mar 2019 11:00:10 +0000Keita DemmingIn this conversation, Ashley Proctor and I we talk about the difference between the coworking industry and the coworking movement. There are a number of things that stood out for me in this episode. Build something for community larger than you....
Build something for community larger than you. Build something for people.
Ashley points out that she is driven to build things for people. Essentially, that is the difference between coworking the industry and coworking the movement. The industry focuses on the Real Estate play while the movement focus on the people. For the movement, it is not about the space, it about the people. What drives Ashley is building something bigger than herself and building something for people. Building something for a larger community.

Work towards dismantling loneliness, accelerating serendipity, and making meaningful human connections.
For Ashley, Coworking firstly a verb. It is a shared office space for people who work independently or remotely. It is about having the freedom to choose where and when you working. Ashley gets a lot of meaning from her work because its not about subdividing space, it is about people. Focus on the mission or purpose of what you are doing, and it will help you build great things. She things of building spaces like planting a flag where people can meet connect and build the future.

Surround yourself with people who care about you have your success in mind.
At the heart of building coworking spaces is building a community where you surround yourself with people want you do well, people want you to be the best, they want you to be strong.

Instead of saying no, show people what you are building.
I asked Ashley about how they say no, when curating communities. Ashley pointed out that sometimes you do not need to say no. Let people self-select. Show them the space, explain what you are trying to build and if it works for them, they will opt-in.

You build big things one tiny step at a time.
When you are trying to build something that people think is impossible you do it one step at time. Focus on putting one tiny piece after another and rally more people together. Bring people together to build the future with you.

When bad things happen to you separate what happened from your identity.
An event or misfortune does not thing does not define you.
I found this to be a very profound reminder and I have seen many people struggle to not let bad things define them. It is a very privileged things to say but it is important that we not let misfortune consume us and define who we are.

You can reach Ashley and learn more about all of her projects (including COHIP and GCUC Canada) by visiting her website www.CreativeBlueprint.ca
You can learn more about the 312 Main project by visiting www.312Main.ca]]>1369collaboration,coworking,innovation,sharedeconomy,workingclean3fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/s2-ep-75-the-myth-of-hacking-growth-a-disruptive-conversation-with-sarah-stockdale--17214435


Sarah decided to take the road less traveled and instead of taking a job
with a major company she opted to take a job at Startup. In the basement of a house.
She was interested in where could she learn the most and where could she learn
the fastest?



Keep making
changes to your life until it’s the life you want or the life you deserve.



The above quote is Sarah’s favorite. When I heard this quote, it made me
think that it predisposes her to have what I call disruptive internal
conversations. Although she attributes it to her friend, Drew Dudley. This quote,
“Keep making changes to your life until it’s the life you want or the life you
deserve” primes the person who is thinking about it to make continuous course
adjustments. Using inner conversation self access if your life is the one you
want or the one you deserve, and if it is not change it.



Learn to see the person and not the stereotype.



Sarah and I had a beautiful conversation about learning when to compete
and when to collaborate. She learned, “if you compete against other people
you're never going to learn, and you're never going to be a true part of a team
or get anything legitimate accomplished.” There were times in her career when
she felt like she was being asked to educate her future boss. Today, she thinks
her life would have been easier had she been more generous. She had to learn to
see the person and not the stereotype. She admits she is still learning to meet
people where they are at, but it is a good reminder to see the human in people.
See their fallibility.  



Team versus
Family.



One thing I learned from Sarah was that although you should not think of
you work team like family, they are like family in one particular way, you do not
always get to choose who is on your team. I do however think that it is the
same on teams. The coach decides who is playing and who is not. The important thing
to remember from our conversation is that teams, always have the best players
on the field. Some people may not be on the team, but they can still be part of
the family.



There is no
such thing as hacking growth.



Sarah reminds us that there are no silver bullets. That growth is as she
put it, an exercise in being
stubborn and resilient and trying things until they work”. It is not this cool
thing you see in the movies it is hard and sometime difficult work



Imposter Syndrome is common.



We had a great conversation
about how some of the most impressive people have Imposter Syndrome and we need
to recognize that doubt is part of us focusing on relentless improvement.



I hope you enjoy my conversation with Sarah because there are lots of nuggets in this episode.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/17214435Mon, 04 Mar 2019 03:36:45 +0000Keita DemmingStart your career where you can grow. Sarah decided to take the road less traveled and instead of taking a job with a major company she opted to take a job at Startup. In the basement of a house. She was interested in where could she learn the...


Sarah decided to take the road less traveled and instead of taking a job
with a major company she opted to take a job at Startup. In the basement of a house.
She was interested in where could she learn the most and where could she learn
the fastest?



Keep making
changes to your life until it’s the life you want or the life you deserve.



The above quote is Sarah’s favorite. When I heard this quote, it made me
think that it predisposes her to have what I call disruptive internal
conversations. Although she attributes it to her friend, Drew Dudley. This quote,
“Keep making changes to your life until it’s the life you want or the life you
deserve” primes the person who is thinking about it to make continuous course
adjustments. Using inner conversation self access if your life is the one you
want or the one you deserve, and if it is not change it.



Learn to see the person and not the stereotype.



Sarah and I had a beautiful conversation about learning when to compete
and when to collaborate. She learned, “if you compete against other people
you're never going to learn, and you're never going to be a true part of a team
or get anything legitimate accomplished.” There were times in her career when
she felt like she was being asked to educate her future boss. Today, she thinks
her life would have been easier had she been more generous. She had to learn to
see the person and not the stereotype. She admits she is still learning to meet
people where they are at, but it is a good reminder to see the human in people.
See their fallibility.  



Team versus
Family.



One thing I learned from Sarah was that although you should not think of
you work team like family, they are like family in one particular way, you do not
always get to choose who is on your team. I do however think that it is the
same on teams. The coach decides who is playing and who is not. The important thing
to remember from our conversation is that teams, always have the best players
on the field. Some people may not be on the team, but they can still be part of
the family.



There is no
such thing as hacking growth.



Sarah reminds us that there are no silver bullets. That growth is as she
put it, an exercise in being
stubborn and resilient and trying things until they work”. It is not this cool
thing you see in the movies it is hard and sometime difficult work



Imposter Syndrome is common.



We had a great conversation
about how some of the most impressive people have Imposter Syndrome and we need
to recognize that doubt is part of us focusing on relentless improvement.



I hope you enjoy my conversation with Sarah because there are lots of nuggets in this episode.]]>2508diversity,gender,growth,startup,technologyclean3fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/s2-ep-74-embracing-detached-action-a-disruptive-conversations-with-kofi-hope--17075181
The most important journey we can go on is to find the fearless honestly within ourselves.

Kofi reminds us that we do not control much in the world. One of the most important journeys we embark on is that of understanding who we are. Understanding who you are your own personal history. The journey of understand is unfinished work, it is difficult work, and is the most important work you will do. The fearless honestly with ourselves and avoiding our projections of self. but time well spent.

We have to embrace detached action.

This is a nuanced point. It refers to recognizing that we are all part of something bigger than ourselves. Something that we cannot control. The notion that we control the outcome of events and that the world is ours to be manage is a strong dominant narrative in society. Kofi reminds us to release ourselves from the that we have control over the ultimate outcome. Nothing is preordained. What we can control, the intention, integrity, and the value we put into the work we do. Lack of control can be mitigated by being mindful in the way we approach our work. We have inherited a legacy from those who have come before us. All that can expected, is that we do our best and do not get too caught up with the results.

Cause and effect are not always closely coupled.

In response to Kofi’s comments, I draw on complexity theory to describe that idea that systems often have a delay in them. We live in a world that overvalues quantitative short-term data. We undervalue long-term qualitative data or thick data. When we measure prematurely, we stifle innovation. Most approaches to measuring assume a linear predictable world. One that we can forecast, and things unfold as we forecasted. Kofi and I both challenge this notion.

We coexist in mutual struggle and collective responsibility.

Kofi is challenging the idea that people in privileged positions get to reach down and tell those who are marginalized, here are some crumbs to redefine your future. We have to ask larger questions. Why are people poor? Why are those folks in prison? He is asking that we see ourselves in a mutual struggle instead of those people are struggling. My interpretation is that he is asking, if I am benefiting from a system, and they are not, how can we work to change it? He sums his point by saying, “that if you want to even the playing field if you want to bring in people on the margins and let them have a place at the table…it takes investment, it takes time, and it takes intentionality”. Investment in people means investing a the system in a way that changes the patterns of that system.

We need to avoid flavor of the month funding.

Kofi makes that point that funding priorities change and resources begin to follow in the direction of the new priorities. For example, “Youth-Lead” programming. What happens is while this flavor his hot we build up organizations that support a “Youth-Lead” model. When the cracks show up and the is no longer appealing, funding priorities change and you now have all this infrastructure that needs to change. Too many of our third sector organizations are chronically under resourced.

I worked hard for all that I have, is a myth.

Kofi reminds us that a dominant troupe of our society is that hard work gets your riches and spoils. If you work hard enough you can have it all. Kofi is challenging the idea that people get to where they are because of hard work. I would concede that people do get to where they are because of hard work, but they also get there because of privilege. The challenge is that when they tell their story, it focuses on the hard work side and pretty much ignores the privilege that increased your chances that hard work would pay off. No one does it alone. We all get help along the way.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/17075181Mon, 18 Feb 2019 15:14:17 +0000Keita DemmingThis interview with Kofi Hope was thought-provoking on many levels. In this episode, we explored his work as an activist and an academic. Hope you enjoy the many insights we uncover in this episode. Here are some of the things that stood out for me....
The most important journey we can go on is to find the fearless honestly within ourselves.

Kofi reminds us that we do not control much in the world. One of the most important journeys we embark on is that of understanding who we are. Understanding who you are your own personal history. The journey of understand is unfinished work, it is difficult work, and is the most important work you will do. The fearless honestly with ourselves and avoiding our projections of self. but time well spent.

We have to embrace detached action.

This is a nuanced point. It refers to recognizing that we are all part of something bigger than ourselves. Something that we cannot control. The notion that we control the outcome of events and that the world is ours to be manage is a strong dominant narrative in society. Kofi reminds us to release ourselves from the that we have control over the ultimate outcome. Nothing is preordained. What we can control, the intention, integrity, and the value we put into the work we do. Lack of control can be mitigated by being mindful in the way we approach our work. We have inherited a legacy from those who have come before us. All that can expected, is that we do our best and do not get too caught up with the results.

Cause and effect are not always closely coupled.

In response to Kofi’s comments, I draw on complexity theory to describe that idea that systems often have a delay in them. We live in a world that overvalues quantitative short-term data. We undervalue long-term qualitative data or thick data. When we measure prematurely, we stifle innovation. Most approaches to measuring assume a linear predictable world. One that we can forecast, and things unfold as we forecasted. Kofi and I both challenge this notion.

We coexist in mutual struggle and collective responsibility.

Kofi is challenging the idea that people in privileged positions get to reach down and tell those who are marginalized, here are some crumbs to redefine your future. We have to ask larger questions. Why are people poor? Why are those folks in prison? He is asking that we see ourselves in a mutual struggle instead of those people are struggling. My interpretation is that he is asking, if I am benefiting from a system, and they are not, how can we work to change it? He sums his point by saying, “that if you want to even the playing field if you want to bring in people on the margins and let them have a place at the table…it takes investment, it takes time, and it takes intentionality”. Investment in people means investing a the system in a way that changes the patterns of that system.

We need to avoid flavor of the month funding.

Kofi makes that point that funding priorities change and resources begin to follow in the direction of the new priorities. For example, “Youth-Lead” programming. What happens is while this flavor his hot we build up organizations that support a “Youth-Lead” model. When the cracks show up and the is no longer appealing, funding priorities change and you now have all this infrastructure that needs to change. Too many of our third sector organizations are chronically under resourced.

I worked hard for all that I have, is a myth.

Kofi reminds us that a dominant troupe of our society is that hard work gets your riches and spoils. If you work hard enough you can have it all. Kofi is challenging the idea that people get to where they are because of hard work. I would concede that people do get to where they are because of hard work, but they also get there because of privilege. The challenge is that when they tell their story, it focuses on the...]]>3310activism,charity,dignity,intentionality,solidarityclean3fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/s2-ep-73-the-life-you-live-is-determined-by-your-intentions-a-disruptive-conversation-with-adrian-crook--16926676There are few ideas that stood out for me in this conversation:
Single-family homes are the least sustainable form of using. Adrian makes the point that for the last 50-70 years, the single-family house in the suburb has been the most popular form of housing. He argues that we are going to need to give up on the dream of white picket fences, with a yard, and two cars. It is the most expensive way to live. This approach to living, also called sprawl, is inefficient for municipalities and residents. We need to focus more on density.
Housing and transportation and inextricably linked. From his own experience, he has seen that changing the size of your home has cost implications. Driving to and from the suburbs makes for poor quality of life and expensive travel costs. Time spent in your car, time spent on gas, and maintenance of your car all add up. It does not help in providing a good quality of life.
A lower standard of life does not have to mean a lower quality of life. Adrian made the point that the way trends are moving, successive generations are likely to have lower standards of living than their parents. For him, this does not then have to translate into a lower quality of life. If you make the right decision, you can live in an urban environment and not sacrifice quality of life.
The life you live is determined by the intentions and data you bring to it. Adrian made an intentional decision to raise five kids in a condo. He asked himself, why was he is doing what he is doing? Why was he living the way he was living? For him, he asked why and came to the conclusion that it made more sense to live in an urban environment than it did to live in the suburbs. The intention to live in an urban environment has shaped his everyday life and he has chosen to have a high quality of life above everything else.
The life of a rebel is actually mundane. Despite having a popular blog and being someone who deeply challenges existing beliefs around how we should all live, Adrian reminds us that his life is still relatively mundane. He takes his children to school, cleans his house, and then he writes or does the things he is passionate about. To him it is nothing too exciting, most of what he is doing is the everyday stuff of life.
People make irrational decisions in the face of fear and an unchallenged status quo. Adrian had an experience where someone reported that his children were on the bus unsupervised. He had taken the time to teach them how to take the bus. His children were all accompanied by their older siblings, yet someone complained that he was being an irresponsible parent. The Child Protective Services determined that he did everything reasonably expected and his children would be safe. Yah! He was a responsible parent. Somehow they still decided that his children under 10 could not ride bus unaccompanied by an adult. They suggested he move or drop his children to school. You would need to listen to the episode to follow how silly the whole thing was. His argument was the statistically, buses are the safest form of transport but it was still decided that his children could not ride the bus unaccompanied.
Look for stuff in the margins. Look for different ways of doing things that would make you happy instead of assuming that what makes other people happy will also work for you. Adrian found that when he is able to sit back and question the status quo, it brings out the best in him. He had fallen for the dream of a family and house in the suburbs. He learnt that he was happiest when he is able to question what he was doing, question what other people were doing or what society was telling him to do. Taking the time to step back and question the taken for granted, helped him think about the small mundane decisions that really drive larger decisions and his quality of life. Adrian has found that his best thinking is slow thinking.
Disruption is not always positive. Often the people who lose are the people who are already disenfranchised. For example, UBER’s algorithms work to drive wages down and the price up in favour or the company. Airbnb is taking away housing from the rental market and driving the rental prices up. What this often means, is that those who are already disenfranchised are the ones who might be losing the most.
Some decisions should be expert based while others should be crowd-based. This was really my point, but the idea that we should vote on decisions that are better done by experts is one that has irked me recently. For example, Brexit is a trade decision and is probably best left to people who understand the implications of trade. Transportation is a nuanced field and experts know that wide roads cause more traffic but the average person would likely vote for wider roads. There are just some decisions that are better left to experts and we should be clear on those.
I really enjoyed my conversation with Adrian. There is a lot to learn from this episode. Hope you enjoy the episode.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/16926676Fri, 01 Feb 2019 23:53:31 +0000Keita DemmingAdrian Crook is an entrepreneur and housing activist. He is probably best known for his blog 5 Kids 1 Condo. Additionally, Adrian runs a successful game design company. Somehow, with five kids and as a fulltime entrepreneur, he manages to find time to...There are few ideas that stood out for me in this conversation:
Single-family homes are the least sustainable form of using. Adrian makes the point that for the last 50-70 years, the single-family house in the suburb has been the most popular form of housing. He argues that we are going to need to give up on the dream of white picket fences, with a yard, and two cars. It is the most expensive way to live. This approach to living, also called sprawl, is inefficient for municipalities and residents. We need to focus more on density.
Housing and transportation and inextricably linked. From his own experience, he has seen that changing the size of your home has cost implications. Driving to and from the suburbs makes for poor quality of life and expensive travel costs. Time spent in your car, time spent on gas, and maintenance of your car all add up. It does not help in providing a good quality of life.
A lower standard of life does not have to mean a lower quality of life. Adrian made the point that the way trends are moving, successive generations are likely to have lower standards of living than their parents. For him, this does not then have to translate into a lower quality of life. If you make the right decision, you can live in an urban environment and not sacrifice quality of life.
The life you live is determined by the intentions and data you bring to it. Adrian made an intentional decision to raise five kids in a condo. He asked himself, why was he is doing what he is doing? Why was he living the way he was living? For him, he asked why and came to the conclusion that it made more sense to live in an urban environment than it did to live in the suburbs. The intention to live in an urban environment has shaped his everyday life and he has chosen to have a high quality of life above everything else.
The life of a rebel is actually mundane. Despite having a popular blog and being someone who deeply challenges existing beliefs around how we should all live, Adrian reminds us that his life is still relatively mundane. He takes his children to school, cleans his house, and then he writes or does the things he is passionate about. To him it is nothing too exciting, most of what he is doing is the everyday stuff of life.
People make irrational decisions in the face of fear and an unchallenged status quo. Adrian had an experience where someone reported that his children were on the bus unsupervised. He had taken the time to teach them how to take the bus. His children were all accompanied by their older siblings, yet someone complained that he was being an irresponsible parent. The Child Protective Services determined that he did everything reasonably expected and his children would be safe. Yah! He was a responsible parent. Somehow they still decided that his children under 10 could not ride bus unaccompanied by an adult. They suggested he move or drop his children to school. You would need to listen to the episode to follow how silly the whole thing was. His argument was the statistically, buses are the safest form of transport but it was still decided that his children could not ride the bus unaccompanied.
Look for stuff in the margins. Look for different ways of doing things that would make you happy instead of assuming that what makes other people happy will also work for you. Adrian found that when he is able to sit back and question the status quo, it brings out the best in him. He had fallen for the dream of a family and house in the suburbs. He learnt that he was happiest when he is able to question what he was doing,...]]>3679city,density,placemaking,sprawl,urbanclean3fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/s2-ep-72-how-would-you-disrupt-your-own-business-a-disruptive-conversations-with-maarten-ectors--16722860
There are few ideas that stood out for me in this conversation:

If people are sleeping in the streets for the competitor’s product, you might need to rethink your offering. Maarten made this point in an almost a dismissive fashion. He was describing when he worked at Nokia and people could not understand why people were willing to sleep in the street for an inferior product. People sleeping in the road for the competitors offering should have been a warning sign that iPhone and Android were onto something that Nokia had missed.
Build a future that looks enticing for your children. Maarten made the point that we should always strive to balance our professional and personal life. He then raised the bar by asking a compelling question: Does the future you are building look enticing for your children? When working on innovation, our moral compass must always point towards making a better future for your kids. Building a better future for your kids can be unpacked in many ways, but it is an excellent compass for us to have in mind. It is a subtle point, but it is something that I think both Maarten and I agree should be essential components of innovation.
In a digital age, the rules are entirely different. I loved this observation. I see it very often with incumbents. In my experience, incumbents are usually playing by the rules of an old game. If the rules of the game have changed and you are playing by the old rules you are going to be left behind.
Additionally, if your competitors have a better or cheaper product, you are in trouble. If they have both, you need to think about disrupting yourself. Otherwise, you are likely watching the other companies iPhone moment.
Do digital experiments to find Aha moments. Maarten made the point that the problem with digital disruption is that you need to need to find solutions to the issues that customers do not know they have or have not yet expressed. The challenge is being able to do this in a way that the cost of failure is low. It is easy for us to say this, but changing the engine while your and flying and still having to keep an eye on what your customers don’t yet know they want is no easy task.
Find a way to address the emotion of experiencing failure. It is one thing to say we need to put an incomplete idea in front of the customer. It is another thing to feel comfortable doing it. One way to address the comfort level of company leaders, Maarten suggests, is to do a quick video of the prototype. Do not do a spreadsheet or PowerPoint. Show them the idea in action in as minimal a form as possible. Do not build the complete model. Build the minimum working model you can. Keep in mind the value of doing a demo is etting feedback.
I really enjoyed my conversation with Maarten. There is a lot to learn from this episode. One of the questions Maarten asks, is how would I disrupt your business? It is an interesting question to hold in mind while listening to this episode. For a moment, think about how you would disrupt your own sector? It is what I call a holding question. A holding question is a question you hold in your mind while you do your own work. As you continue to disrupt sectors and systems ask yourself, how you would disrupt my own sector or business? Hope you enjoy this episode.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/16722860Tue, 15 Jan 2019 22:21:52 +0000Keita DemmingMaarten Ectors is the Chief Innovation Office at Legal and General. He has helped companies like Amazon launch new services and disrupt markets. At the time of the interview, he was focused on disrupting insurance from the inside. In this...
There are few ideas that stood out for me in this conversation:

If people are sleeping in the streets for the competitor’s product, you might need to rethink your offering. Maarten made this point in an almost a dismissive fashion. He was describing when he worked at Nokia and people could not understand why people were willing to sleep in the street for an inferior product. People sleeping in the road for the competitors offering should have been a warning sign that iPhone and Android were onto something that Nokia had missed.
Build a future that looks enticing for your children. Maarten made the point that we should always strive to balance our professional and personal life. He then raised the bar by asking a compelling question: Does the future you are building look enticing for your children? When working on innovation, our moral compass must always point towards making a better future for your kids. Building a better future for your kids can be unpacked in many ways, but it is an excellent compass for us to have in mind. It is a subtle point, but it is something that I think both Maarten and I agree should be essential components of innovation.
In a digital age, the rules are entirely different. I loved this observation. I see it very often with incumbents. In my experience, incumbents are usually playing by the rules of an old game. If the rules of the game have changed and you are playing by the old rules you are going to be left behind.
Additionally, if your competitors have a better or cheaper product, you are in trouble. If they have both, you need to think about disrupting yourself. Otherwise, you are likely watching the other companies iPhone moment.
Do digital experiments to find Aha moments. Maarten made the point that the problem with digital disruption is that you need to need to find solutions to the issues that customers do not know they have or have not yet expressed. The challenge is being able to do this in a way that the cost of failure is low. It is easy for us to say this, but changing the engine while your and flying and still having to keep an eye on what your customers don’t yet know they want is no easy task.
Find a way to address the emotion of experiencing failure. It is one thing to say we need to put an incomplete idea in front of the customer. It is another thing to feel comfortable doing it. One way to address the comfort level of company leaders, Maarten suggests, is to do a quick video of the prototype. Do not do a spreadsheet or PowerPoint. Show them the idea in action in as minimal a form as possible. Do not build the complete model. Build the minimum working model you can. Keep in mind the value of doing a demo is etting feedback.
I really enjoyed my conversation with Maarten. There is a lot to learn from this episode. One of the questions Maarten asks, is how would I disrupt your business? It is an interesting question to hold in mind while listening to this episode. For a moment, think about how you would disrupt your own sector? It is what I call a holding question. A holding question is a question you hold in your mind while you do your own work. As you continue to disrupt sectors and systems ask yourself, how you would disrupt my own sector or business? Hope you enjoy this episode.]]>1642business,infrastructure,innovation,software,technologyclean3fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/s2-ep-71-we-all-need-to-feel-loved-by-our-first-tribe-a-disruptive-conversation-with-alyson-schafer--16359168
The core message I took away from our conversation is that we should focus on teaching children rather than rewarding or punishing them. Children have motivations just as adults have motivations. Children need to feel like they are accepted and that they belong. They need to feel like they are part of a tribe or a community. They need to feel like they are loved by their first tribe.

Another lesson I took away from the conversation is that we all need to have the courage to be imperfect. Having this courage to be imperfect allows us to try things are not good at so we can ride through failures and mistakes.

In our conversation, Alyson took me back to my background in psychology and reminded me of the work Alfred Adler and he focused on teaching humans to cooperate instead of competing for to concur or oppress the other person. Much of Alyson’s framing is informed by the Adlerian tradition. For her, one of her biggest insights is the notion of the usefulness of behaviour. Our behaviour, from the Adlerian tradition, is thought to be goal driven. She uses the example of a child getting out of bed much to a parent’s dismay. In that scenario what is the usefulness of getting out of bed? It might be that it provides the child with attention and stimulation. Our behaviours serve a purpose, so asking the question, what is the usefulness of that behaviour?

Alyson is trying to disrupt parenting. The extent to which we, as a society, pathologize children’s behaviour is particularly troubling for her. From her perspective, children are gravely misunderstood. One of the big ideas put forward by Alyson is that children should have a voice on a policy level. Additionally, if we do prenatal classes or breastfeeding classes, why don’t we have parenting classes. Instead of celebrating people for outing fires, why not celebrate people preventing fires.

Books mentioned in this episode:

The books “the Carpenter versus the Gardner”
Tipping point – Malcolm Gladwell
Links mentioned in the episode:

https://alysonschafer.com/
https://twitter.com/alysonschafer]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/16359168Sat, 01 Dec 2018 16:20:35 +0000Keita DemmingAlyson Schafer considers herself to be a modern-day parenting expert. Her general message is that a lot of what we think is common, may not necessarily be right. One of the most interesting things about Alyson is that she is the third generation of...
The core message I took away from our conversation is that we should focus on teaching children rather than rewarding or punishing them. Children have motivations just as adults have motivations. Children need to feel like they are accepted and that they belong. They need to feel like they are part of a tribe or a community. They need to feel like they are loved by their first tribe.

Another lesson I took away from the conversation is that we all need to have the courage to be imperfect. Having this courage to be imperfect allows us to try things are not good at so we can ride through failures and mistakes.

In our conversation, Alyson took me back to my background in psychology and reminded me of the work Alfred Adler and he focused on teaching humans to cooperate instead of competing for to concur or oppress the other person. Much of Alyson’s framing is informed by the Adlerian tradition. For her, one of her biggest insights is the notion of the usefulness of behaviour. Our behaviour, from the Adlerian tradition, is thought to be goal driven. She uses the example of a child getting out of bed much to a parent’s dismay. In that scenario what is the usefulness of getting out of bed? It might be that it provides the child with attention and stimulation. Our behaviours serve a purpose, so asking the question, what is the usefulness of that behaviour?

Alyson is trying to disrupt parenting. The extent to which we, as a society, pathologize children’s behaviour is particularly troubling for her. From her perspective, children are gravely misunderstood. One of the big ideas put forward by Alyson is that children should have a voice on a policy level. Additionally, if we do prenatal classes or breastfeeding classes, why don’t we have parenting classes. Instead of celebrating people for outing fires, why not celebrate people preventing fires.

Books mentioned in this episode:

The books “the Carpenter versus the Gardner”
Tipping point – Malcolm Gladwell
Links mentioned in the episode:

https://alysonschafer.com/
https://twitter.com/alysonschafer]]>2596adler,children,parenting,positive,psychologyclean3fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/s2-ep-70-dismantling-the-myth-of-the-lone-wolf-a-disruptive-conversation-with-kate-sutherland--16217681
For some people, words like intention, perception, intuition, and consciousness may seem too soft or fluffy but this the domain where Kate spends her time. This is the kind of work that she gets changemakers to sit with. That uncomfortable stuff that comes from within and eventually bubbles to the surface.

One of the things that stood out for me with my conversation with Kate is something that has become so central to my own work. She makes the point that so many of the times when she is working on a problem a good place to start is by asking the classic systems thinking question: How am I contributing to the problem? How am I part of the problem? She acknowledges that sometimes the problem can be both internal and external, but a good place in all aspects of her life is by acknowledging that she is part of the problem. So many of the people I interview talk about the role this reflective exercise plays in their work. A subset of the people I interview have come to the conclusion that when they started to work on change, they saw the problem as being out there. A problem to be solved that was external to themselves. As they got more experience, they learned that they needed to start by acknowledging that they were part of the problem.

Another powerful insight from Kate was her idea that the root of all our problems is disconnection. Many of us are in some way disconnected from self, nature, or social ills. We see these things as disconnected from us, external to us. When the truth is that it is all connected. She uses the term antibody to describe the approach to change where we are trying to fix the thing that is external to us. When we do that the system treats us like an antibody. It attacks us. Admittedly, Kate does not go as far as saying the system attacks us but that is how I understood her insight. Instead, that language she uses is that we need to work in solidarity with the system. The words we use matter so much and her choice to say we need to work in solidarity with the system is deeply insightful. 

Similarly, when she states that consciousness matters most I understand that to be a frame for the perspective she is coming from. For her, she is trying to disrupt Western cultures devotion to the lone wolf mentality. Most descriptions of leadership and change are filled with this individualism. We celebrate and reinforce the lone wolf or the hero in spaces like Leadership and Entrepreneurship. What Kate is challenging is something that is so taken for granted in our society. She is working to disrupt the dominant approach that accepts individualism and rationality exclusive of other ways of knowing and doing. 

In the end, Kate is true to her word. Her favourite quote is on that is attributed to Albert Einstein

“The intuitive mind is a sacred gift and the rational mind is a faithful servant. We have created a society that honours the servant and has forgotten the gift".]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/16217681Thu, 15 Nov 2018 12:00:12 +0000Keita DemmingIn order to walk, you need two feet. For Kate Sunderland in order to achieve your Big Hairy Audacious Goal, you need both the rational mind and the intuitive mind. Her goal is to make inner work as universal as cooking pots. So much of our world...
For some people, words like intention, perception, intuition, and consciousness may seem too soft or fluffy but this the domain where Kate spends her time. This is the kind of work that she gets changemakers to sit with. That uncomfortable stuff that comes from within and eventually bubbles to the surface.

One of the things that stood out for me with my conversation with Kate is something that has become so central to my own work. She makes the point that so many of the times when she is working on a problem a good place to start is by asking the classic systems thinking question: How am I contributing to the problem? How am I part of the problem? She acknowledges that sometimes the problem can be both internal and external, but a good place in all aspects of her life is by acknowledging that she is part of the problem. So many of the people I interview talk about the role this reflective exercise plays in their work. A subset of the people I interview have come to the conclusion that when they started to work on change, they saw the problem as being out there. A problem to be solved that was external to themselves. As they got more experience, they learned that they needed to start by acknowledging that they were part of the problem.

Another powerful insight from Kate was her idea that the root of all our problems is disconnection. Many of us are in some way disconnected from self, nature, or social ills. We see these things as disconnected from us, external to us. When the truth is that it is all connected. She uses the term antibody to describe the approach to change where we are trying to fix the thing that is external to us. When we do that the system treats us like an antibody. It attacks us. Admittedly, Kate does not go as far as saying the system attacks us but that is how I understood her insight. Instead, that language she uses is that we need to work in solidarity with the system. The words we use matter so much and her choice to say we need to work in solidarity with the system is deeply insightful. 

Similarly, when she states that consciousness matters most I understand that to be a frame for the perspective she is coming from. For her, she is trying to disrupt Western cultures devotion to the lone wolf mentality. Most descriptions of leadership and change are filled with this individualism. We celebrate and reinforce the lone wolf or the hero in spaces like Leadership and Entrepreneurship. What Kate is challenging is something that is so taken for granted in our society. She is working to disrupt the dominant approach that accepts individualism and rationality exclusive of other ways of knowing and doing. 

In the end, Kate is true to her word. Her favourite quote is on that is attributed to Albert Einstein

“The intuitive mind is a sacred gift and the rational mind is a faithful servant. We have created a society that honours the servant and has forgotten the gift".]]>1993change,consciousness,culture,leadership,systemsclean3fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/s2-ep-69-business-needs-to-go-all-in-on-sustainability-a-disruptive-conversation-with-david-grayson--15960113
In this episode, he referenced a quote from Peter Drucker in which he said, “every global problem and social issue is a business opportunity in disguise”. That David describes as an aha moment for him. For him, he sees the Sustainable Development Goals as a purchase order from the future. The Business and Development Commission has argued that the SDG’s represent a 12 Trillion dollar opportunity.

For him, referencing the work of Don Tapscott, businesses are going to have to get naked and when they do they will need to be buff. We are entering into an era of ultra-transparency. Companies will have to improve the standards of ethical and sustainable impact. For businesses who wish to generate returns for their shareholders, they are going to need to also think about their stakeholders.

In his most recent book All In The Future of Business Leadership, he makes the case that business has a growing role to play in sustainable development. They can no longer be halfhearted in their efforts around sustainability. They can no longer be diffident. Business needs to go All In around five critical interlinking attributes:

They need a purpose:
Businesses need to demonstrate how they create value for themselves and for society.

They need a comprehensive plan:
A plan that includes the entirety of their business. For example, their employees, their value chain and all the stakeholders within their ecosystem.

Sustainable culture:
They need to develop a culture that engages its employees, is open to ideas from all parts of the business ecosystem. Their culture needs to forefront innovation.

They need to be able to collaborate with others business and other parts of society.
Businesses in today’s world need to learn how to work with, or collaborate with, people they would not usually collaborate with. They need to cross the aisle and think about innovative partnerships that meet the needs of SDG's.

Speaking out and Speaking up.
Businesses need to speak up for issues that are unfair and unjust. No longer can they remain neutral on these issues.

I hope you enjoyed this episode of disruptive conversations with David Grayson.

You can find David at: https://davidgrayson.net/]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/15960113Thu, 01 Nov 2018 11:00:08 +0000Keita DemmingDavid Grayson has worked in Corporate Responsibility before there was a term for it. As a former Proctor and Gamble employee, he has taken his skills from that world and applied to the third sector. Today he is an author, educator, and consultant. In...
In this episode, he referenced a quote from Peter Drucker in which he said, “every global problem and social issue is a business opportunity in disguise”. That David describes as an aha moment for him. For him, he sees the Sustainable Development Goals as a purchase order from the future. The Business and Development Commission has argued that the SDG’s represent a 12 Trillion dollar opportunity.

For him, referencing the work of Don Tapscott, businesses are going to have to get naked and when they do they will need to be buff. We are entering into an era of ultra-transparency. Companies will have to improve the standards of ethical and sustainable impact. For businesses who wish to generate returns for their shareholders, they are going to need to also think about their stakeholders.

In his most recent book All In The Future of Business Leadership, he makes the case that business has a growing role to play in sustainable development. They can no longer be halfhearted in their efforts around sustainability. They can no longer be diffident. Business needs to go All In around five critical interlinking attributes:

They need a purpose:
Businesses need to demonstrate how they create value for themselves and for society.

They need a comprehensive plan:
A plan that includes the entirety of their business. For example, their employees, their value chain and all the stakeholders within their ecosystem.

Sustainable culture:
They need to develop a culture that engages its employees, is open to ideas from all parts of the business ecosystem. Their culture needs to forefront innovation.

They need to be able to collaborate with others business and other parts of society.
Businesses in today’s world need to learn how to work with, or collaborate with, people they would not usually collaborate with. They need to cross the aisle and think about innovative partnerships that meet the needs of SDG's.

Speaking out and Speaking up.
Businesses need to speak up for issues that are unfair and unjust. No longer can they remain neutral on these issues.

I hope you enjoyed this episode of disruptive conversations with David Grayson.

You can find David at: https://davidgrayson.net/]]>2428business,disruption,innovation,sustainablity,valueclean3fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/s2-ep-68-a-sailboat-approach-to-disruption-a-disruptive-conversation-with-john-robinson--15959664
For John, the big challenges in sustainability are not technical or economic. Although they may appear so, his experience has taught him that many of the barriers to sustainability are actually institutionally mixed with some attitudinal. For him, it is about getting deep into the organizations and institutions and changing their internal ways of operating. What I would call their practices.

A point that stood out for me was when John made the case for transformational change. He pointed out that if the world is indeed complex, then there is no way for us to predict the future. Our solutions need to a portfolio of adaptive interventions. They need to take an approach that responds well to emergence. He went to further argue that there is no such thing as incremental change. All future we can imagine are transformational and as a result, we need to identify adaptive solutions.

He went on to use a beautiful metaphor that makes a distinction between the sailboat and the speedboat. The speedboat just powers across the water and creates ripples as it moves along. The sailboat, on the other hand, needs to wait for the right conditions. We are using the energy of the system without degrading it. The approach is to use energies in the system like culture and wind energy to navigate through the world. I found it to be a very powerful metaphor within the context of change and disruption.

In his framing, John sees leadership as enabling people throughout the system to build a bigger brighter future. Most interestingly, John has five metaphors for change:

Needle in the groove.
Many of our systems are path dependent, they are like a needle moving along a groove. If we are to change things, we need a new path. You need to lift the needle and put it on a new path while being fully aware that it can fall back onto its old path. Brenda Zimmerman would call this snapback. So if you are going to move the needle, after you move it, you need to hold it there.

Plate spinning
When John worked at the University of British Columbia, they were trying to build a sustainable building. He noticed that there were nine offices on campus who could stop the project. None of them could make the project happen, but any one of them could stop it from happening. They could not make it happen because that was not their job, but it was their job to stop it from happening so they had to visit each office and keep them onboard. He had to keep the plates spinning.  

Bricklaying
When working with groups you need to show progress is being made. You need to show folks the new bricks that have been laid. At each meeting, you need to demonstrate progress.

Mosaic
When working on these kinds of projects you are often working with people who have never worked together before. You need to be very the glue that brings it all together. Show everyone how they are part of a larger picture. You have to get them to communicate in a way that creates a mosaic.

Wallflower
This metaphor refers to the people who are standing on the wall. Those people who support and like the idea but are standing on the edge, standing against the wall looking in at the dance. You have to get these people onto the dancefloor pull up their sleeves and get to work.

Perhaps the most powerful reminder from John is that it is amazing how much you can get done if you don’t care who gets the credit. Hope you enjoy this episode of the podcast.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/15959664Mon, 15 Oct 2018 11:00:16 +0000Keita DemmingJohn Robinson is a sustainability professor at the University of Toronto and the Copenhagen Business School. In this episode, he and explore his perspectives on sustainability and the wonderful insight has gained after a lifetime of trying to disrupt...
For John, the big challenges in sustainability are not technical or economic. Although they may appear so, his experience has taught him that many of the barriers to sustainability are actually institutionally mixed with some attitudinal. For him, it is about getting deep into the organizations and institutions and changing their internal ways of operating. What I would call their practices.

A point that stood out for me was when John made the case for transformational change. He pointed out that if the world is indeed complex, then there is no way for us to predict the future. Our solutions need to a portfolio of adaptive interventions. They need to take an approach that responds well to emergence. He went to further argue that there is no such thing as incremental change. All future we can imagine are transformational and as a result, we need to identify adaptive solutions.

He went on to use a beautiful metaphor that makes a distinction between the sailboat and the speedboat. The speedboat just powers across the water and creates ripples as it moves along. The sailboat, on the other hand, needs to wait for the right conditions. We are using the energy of the system without degrading it. The approach is to use energies in the system like culture and wind energy to navigate through the world. I found it to be a very powerful metaphor within the context of change and disruption.

In his framing, John sees leadership as enabling people throughout the system to build a bigger brighter future. Most interestingly, John has five metaphors for change:

Needle in the groove.
Many of our systems are path dependent, they are like a needle moving along a groove. If we are to change things, we need a new path. You need to lift the needle and put it on a new path while being fully aware that it can fall back onto its old path. Brenda Zimmerman would call this snapback. So if you are going to move the needle, after you move it, you need to hold it there.

Plate spinning
When John worked at the University of British Columbia, they were trying to build a sustainable building. He noticed that there were nine offices on campus who could stop the project. None of them could make the project happen, but any one of them could stop it from happening. They could not make it happen because that was not their job, but it was their job to stop it from happening so they had to visit each office and keep them onboard. He had to keep the plates spinning.  

Bricklaying
When working with groups you need to show progress is being made. You need to show folks the new bricks that have been laid. At each meeting, you need to demonstrate progress.

Mosaic
When working on these kinds of projects you are often working with people who have never worked together before. You need to be very the glue that brings it all together. Show everyone how they are part of a larger picture. You have to get them to communicate in a way that creates a mosaic.

Wallflower
This metaphor refers to the people who are standing on the wall. Those people who support and like the idea but are standing on the edge, standing against the wall looking in at the dance. You have to get these people onto the dancefloor pull up their sleeves and get to work.

Perhaps the most powerful reminder from John is that it is amazing how much you can get done if you don’t care who gets the credit. Hope you enjoy this episode of the podcast.]]>2232business,environment,innovation,organizations,sustainablityclean3fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/s2-ep-67-overnight-change-takes-decades-of-preparation-a-disruptive-conversation-with-travis-kimmel--15860212
GitPrime's hope to add some objectivity to team conversations so they move out of the realm of opinions. They are very careful to acknowledge that it is the combination of data and soft skills that help teams jump into the zone of high productivity and performance. The primary thing a team needs to do is make good decisions and GitPrime is helping software teams make better decisions.

Travis and his partner, Ben Thompson, noticed that there was an industry-wide problem. They had both experienced the problem. They are now working to be part of the infrastructure for the software industry. They are solving a problem they had. At the time of the interview, Travis felt like he was building a very strong team. He credits that to focusing on people strengths. Let people do what they are really good at.

More recently he and his team have been focusing on doing a better job of onboarding. He describes onboarding like trying to climb on top of the car from a motorbike. In the early days, they would put people in positions and tell them to figure it out. Now that they are more established, they have solved more problems and try to onboard team members much better.

For Travis and his team, they recognize that being explicit is very important for high performing teams and data is a subset of that. Data is one path to being explicit. This approach to being explicit even translates into how Travis and his partner Ben run their company. From the beginning, they have always been very open/explicit with each other. Putting issues on the table in a kind and respectful way and not letting it fester. Travis sees this as a very important to maintain the long-term relationship between him and his co-founder.

The three takeaways a glean from my conversation with Travis are:

When you start a company with someone, you are signing up to be in the foxhole with that person for about 10 years. As a result, you need to be very open. You need to be very explicit. You need to protect the dynamic that made you go into business together.
You need to understand that an idea is only a small part of it all and it is mostly execution.
If your user doesn’t understand the software is not their fault. It is your design.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/15860212Mon, 01 Oct 2018 13:05:00 +0000Keita DemmingTravis Kimmel is the CEO and one of the co-founders of GitPrime. A company that provides data to help software engineering teams measure and improve productivity. Said another way, if a developer is stuck, it is often difficult to tell if they are...
GitPrime's hope to add some objectivity to team conversations so they move out of the realm of opinions. They are very careful to acknowledge that it is the combination of data and soft skills that help teams jump into the zone of high productivity and performance. The primary thing a team needs to do is make good decisions and GitPrime is helping software teams make better decisions.

Travis and his partner, Ben Thompson, noticed that there was an industry-wide problem. They had both experienced the problem. They are now working to be part of the infrastructure for the software industry. They are solving a problem they had. At the time of the interview, Travis felt like he was building a very strong team. He credits that to focusing on people strengths. Let people do what they are really good at.

More recently he and his team have been focusing on doing a better job of onboarding. He describes onboarding like trying to climb on top of the car from a motorbike. In the early days, they would put people in positions and tell them to figure it out. Now that they are more established, they have solved more problems and try to onboard team members much better.

For Travis and his team, they recognize that being explicit is very important for high performing teams and data is a subset of that. Data is one path to being explicit. This approach to being explicit even translates into how Travis and his partner Ben run their company. From the beginning, they have always been very open/explicit with each other. Putting issues on the table in a kind and respectful way and not letting it fester. Travis sees this as a very important to maintain the long-term relationship between him and his co-founder.

The three takeaways a glean from my conversation with Travis are:

When you start a company with someone, you are signing up to be in the foxhole with that person for about 10 years. As a result, you need to be very open. You need to be very explicit. You need to protect the dynamic that made you go into business together.
You need to understand that an idea is only a small part of it all and it is mostly execution.
If your user doesn’t understand the software is not their fault. It is your design.]]>2086disruption,peformance,software,startup,teamclean3fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/s2-ep-66-stop-caring-about-people-buying-your-product-a-disruptive-conversation-with-seyi-fabode--15725655
In my conversation with Seyi, he attributes a major part of his success to bringing his whole self into all that he does. In his experience, he found that by being honest with himself and in showing up completely and fully, he has greatly transformed his personal and professional life. He loves writing and has been able to use writing to transform his life and career.

Seyi cut his teeth at the intersection of utilities, technology, and consumers. At one point he had a great interest in the automotive industry, but his first job out of school was within the power industry. This experience was surprisingly meaningful since he grew up in a country where it was not uncommon to lose power. So many of us take power for granted. Seyi has spent a considerable amount of thinking about how to ensure everyone in a city always has power.

One of the things that stood out for me in our conversation was his approach to understanding the power sector. In my own experience, I have found that questions can greatly improve the quality of our interactions and perspectives. One of the questions that have helped to make Seyi one of LinkedIn’s ToVoices is: Are we really satisfying the folk on the other end of the switch? Although there are many fields that take a similar approach to understanding the end user. Seyi’s habit of putting the needs of the end consumer first changes his gaze. For example, a question that emerged from our conversation was, how is this product meeting a fundamental need of the end consumer? In the episode, he uses a personal example to illustrate his point. He has a fundamental need or desire for power but he wants that power to have as little impact on the planet as possible. Most of us have similar needs or desires and Elon Musk has used Tesla to make a beautiful package that plays toward this fundamental need or desire. In many ways, Elon Musk is not doing anything all the unique. Many other people in the industry have been doing this before Elon Musk, but Musk does better than most. His packaging appeals to our fundamental needs and desires. In doing so, Musk appeals to our emotions and is able to build a brand that so many covet.

When I asked Seyi what sector or system he was trying to disrupt, he said consulting. Seyi argued that from his perspective, and I happen to agree, too many companies hire consultants to tell them what they want to hear. Additionally, many of these companies charge exorbitant rates for work that does can be done at a much lower cost. For him, the game in the consulting world is not about asking new beautiful questions or adding value, it is about keeping a client on billable hours for as long as possible.

Seyi finds that he is good at hearing, listening, and responding to what is emerging. One of his frustrations is that many people take too long to act on the insights they receive. For example, when proposes new trends to a client, it is not uncommon for the client to return a few years later saying that he had warned them of these changes. For him, companies do not need validation for their existing beliefs, they need insight into future trends so they can align their business model to meet the demands of an emerging future.

When something is working, it takes a huge leap of foolishness to change what we are doing.

Seyi offers five very important pieces of advice for people who trying to disrupt sector and systems.

Be open to being wrong.
Discover the answer to the question, what are the drivers of the industry you are in?
Context is king, but focus is best.
Your innovation should be additive and not subtractive.
Understand the drivers of your sector or industry.
This last piece of advice is very informative. For many of us who work to disrupt a sector or system, our impatience or frustration leads us to skip the step of understanding why things are the way they are. When I ask the question, what is your least favourite word or phrase? The most common answer is “that’s just the way it is.” Seyi reminds us that it is important to ask why are things the way they are? His advice is to make sure you understand the drivers of your industry. It is a good reminder that sometimes we need to return to the basics. He reminds us that sometimes, things are the way they are because the core premises that the system was built upon greatly influence the dynamics of the system. If we try to change some of those things that were the foundations on which the system was built, we can actually erode the integrity of the system. There are some fundamental principles that if we violate, it compromises the entire system. At times, innovation should be additive and not subtractive.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/15725655Sat, 15 Sep 2018 16:47:35 +0000Keita DemmingSeyi Fabode is one of LinkedIn’s TopVoice in Technology. In this episode of Disruptive Conversations, we talk about many of his perspectives on disrupting sectors and systems. In my conversation with Seyi, he attributes a major part of his success to...
In my conversation with Seyi, he attributes a major part of his success to bringing his whole self into all that he does. In his experience, he found that by being honest with himself and in showing up completely and fully, he has greatly transformed his personal and professional life. He loves writing and has been able to use writing to transform his life and career.

Seyi cut his teeth at the intersection of utilities, technology, and consumers. At one point he had a great interest in the automotive industry, but his first job out of school was within the power industry. This experience was surprisingly meaningful since he grew up in a country where it was not uncommon to lose power. So many of us take power for granted. Seyi has spent a considerable amount of thinking about how to ensure everyone in a city always has power.

One of the things that stood out for me in our conversation was his approach to understanding the power sector. In my own experience, I have found that questions can greatly improve the quality of our interactions and perspectives. One of the questions that have helped to make Seyi one of LinkedIn’s ToVoices is: Are we really satisfying the folk on the other end of the switch? Although there are many fields that take a similar approach to understanding the end user. Seyi’s habit of putting the needs of the end consumer first changes his gaze. For example, a question that emerged from our conversation was, how is this product meeting a fundamental need of the end consumer? In the episode, he uses a personal example to illustrate his point. He has a fundamental need or desire for power but he wants that power to have as little impact on the planet as possible. Most of us have similar needs or desires and Elon Musk has used Tesla to make a beautiful package that plays toward this fundamental need or desire. In many ways, Elon Musk is not doing anything all the unique. Many other people in the industry have been doing this before Elon Musk, but Musk does better than most. His packaging appeals to our fundamental needs and desires. In doing so, Musk appeals to our emotions and is able to build a brand that so many covet.

When I asked Seyi what sector or system he was trying to disrupt, he said consulting. Seyi argued that from his perspective, and I happen to agree, too many companies hire consultants to tell them what they want to hear. Additionally, many of these companies charge exorbitant rates for work that does can be done at a much lower cost. For him, the game in the consulting world is not about asking new beautiful questions or adding value, it is about keeping a client on billable hours for as long as possible.

Seyi finds that he is good at hearing, listening, and responding to what is emerging. One of his frustrations is that many people take too long to act on the insights they receive. For example, when proposes new trends to a client, it is not uncommon for the client to return a few years later saying that he had warned them of these changes. For him, companies do not need validation for their existing beliefs, they need insight into future trends so they can align their business model to meet the demands of an emerging future.

When something is working, it takes a huge leap of foolishness to change what we are doing.

Seyi offers five very important pieces of advice for people who trying to disrupt sector and systems.

Be open to being wrong.
Discover the answer to the question, what are the drivers of the industry you are in?
Context is king, but focus is best.
Your innovation should be additive and not subtractive.
Understand the drivers of your sector or industry.
This last piece of advice is very...]]>2870business,disruption,innovation,technology,teslaclean3fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/s2-ep-65-when-the-rain-comes-the-flowers-will-bloom-a-disruptive-conversation-with-marc-winn--15622133
Firstly, Marc is bringing his mission to life one coffee meeting at a time. He calls it making change at coffee scale. An approach that resonates with my own approach that assumes that changes happens by changing the conversation. Coffee is one of the hallmark spaces for great conversations. 

During this episode, Marc makes the observations that as a society we are getting wealthier and wealthier. Yet with increasing wealth, we see increases in poverty and mental health challenges. For him, something is wrong with a world where a few people are getting more and more wealthy, while others struggle to find a place to thrive. For him, setting the western model as the north star, the destination to be followed, is problematic. He is trying to reimagine the way we think about development. 

When I asked him what sector or system he is trying to disrupt, he reminded me that he does not use the word disrupt because it scares people off. Marc is not trying to disrupt, instead he is trying to reimagine his community. His thesis is that because he is on an island, it will only take a few people doing brave new things to bring forth a new future. Additionally, he sees many of the problems on islands as being cross-sector. If you compare that to how problems are solved in larger communities, there is a tendency to silo problems. For Marc, one of the major advantages of being on island is that the problems are cross siloed. Islands, from his perspective, have the potential to set an example for how we problem can solve problems.  

Take educations for example. For March, within education, there is an implicit assumption that better grades are likely to increase your chances of making more money. For Marc, both the destination and the journey are problematic. Instead, he asks, what if you designed the school system so that people are healthy and happy instead of designing a system that focuses on getting good grades. How might we reimagine education? 

One of the biggest lessons Marc has had is that people take very rational approaches to change and get irrational responses. We need to learn to serve people when they are ready to be served. Change is not about being in control, it is about learning to follow what is emerging. He compares his approach to building the future by contrasting Boxing and Martial Arts. One is a more confrontational sport, he argues, while the other he describes as subtle, where you use the other person's energy against them.  For him, when we think about building the future, when we think about making massive change, we need to keep in mind that when the desert is barren, it is hard to believe that when the rain comes the flowers will bloom.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/15622133Sat, 01 Sep 2018 23:04:44 +0000Keita DemmingMarc Winn is on a mission to make Guernsey, a small island in the English Channel between France and the United Kingdom, the best place to live by 2020. His goal is audacious, but his lessons and approach are powerful.  Firstly, Marc is bringing his...
Firstly, Marc is bringing his mission to life one coffee meeting at a time. He calls it making change at coffee scale. An approach that resonates with my own approach that assumes that changes happens by changing the conversation. Coffee is one of the hallmark spaces for great conversations. 

During this episode, Marc makes the observations that as a society we are getting wealthier and wealthier. Yet with increasing wealth, we see increases in poverty and mental health challenges. For him, something is wrong with a world where a few people are getting more and more wealthy, while others struggle to find a place to thrive. For him, setting the western model as the north star, the destination to be followed, is problematic. He is trying to reimagine the way we think about development. 

When I asked him what sector or system he is trying to disrupt, he reminded me that he does not use the word disrupt because it scares people off. Marc is not trying to disrupt, instead he is trying to reimagine his community. His thesis is that because he is on an island, it will only take a few people doing brave new things to bring forth a new future. Additionally, he sees many of the problems on islands as being cross-sector. If you compare that to how problems are solved in larger communities, there is a tendency to silo problems. For Marc, one of the major advantages of being on island is that the problems are cross siloed. Islands, from his perspective, have the potential to set an example for how we problem can solve problems.  

Take educations for example. For March, within education, there is an implicit assumption that better grades are likely to increase your chances of making more money. For Marc, both the destination and the journey are problematic. Instead, he asks, what if you designed the school system so that people are healthy and happy instead of designing a system that focuses on getting good grades. How might we reimagine education? 

One of the biggest lessons Marc has had is that people take very rational approaches to change and get irrational responses. We need to learn to serve people when they are ready to be served. Change is not about being in control, it is about learning to follow what is emerging. He compares his approach to building the future by contrasting Boxing and Martial Arts. One is a more confrontational sport, he argues, while the other he describes as subtle, where you use the other person's energy against them.  For him, when we think about building the future, when we think about making massive change, we need to keep in mind that when the desert is barren, it is hard to believe that when the rain comes the flowers will bloom.]]>2049complexity,development,education,innovation,leadershipclean3fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/s2-ep-64-if-the-fight-is-worth-fighting-for-do-so-relentlessly-a-disruptive-conversation-with-chris-hooper--15489289
Chris noticed that just as the innovation of the double entry accounting had revolutionized Accounting, there were new trends that were also about to disrupt the field of accounting. His company Accodex, his striving to be a platform to support the future accounting. Although it is often described as Uber for accounting, the analogy does not fit well. If Uber gave you the same driver each time, and spent time ensuring that you trusted the driver, then that would be Accodex.

The company Chris is building is based on the insights he gained while studying the history of Accounting during his MBA. He noticed four trends that were changing the future of Accounting:

Changing labour force dynamics and expectations
Technological change
Globalizations
Changing expectations of owners and entrepreneurs
Driven by the entrepreneurial bug, he set himself on a journey to build a company that met his needs as an accountant. He built a company to satisfy his own needs.

One of my favourite insights from Chris was his use of the analogy of sailing a ship. You can build a ship but if the winds are not blowing, or the weather is not right, it is hard to get the ship moving. What I love about this analogy is that it acknowledges the uncertainty involved in building a business. It acknowledges that we all have limited control as we try to build the future.



Chris is ambitious and wants to build a company that last well beyond his lifetime. Very few companies make it past forty years. What I admire about him, is that once he noticed that there was incongruence between what he was doing and what he wanted to be doing, he took the time to fundamentally shift his course. This is a common theme among people I interview on Disruptive Conversations.

Being an entrepreneur is hard work, and Chris suggests that entrepreneurs need to believe that the fight is worth fighting for. They need to be so committed to it that they're almost willing to die for it. If you believe that fight is worth fighting for, then fight relentlessly. Chris believes in hard work. His favourite quote is, “the elevator to success is out of order, but the stairs are always available”.

To learn more about what Chris means by the accounting Apocalypse you can check out his video here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mO2Iy0yvdEY

Learn more about Accodex here:

https://www.accodex.com/]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/15489289Wed, 15 Aug 2018 11:55:03 +0000Keita DemmingIn this episode, you meet Chris Hooper. Early in his life, Chris began to see accounting as the language of business and despite having had success as an accountant, he realized that his business could not scale beyond him. The company he is building...
Chris noticed that just as the innovation of the double entry accounting had revolutionized Accounting, there were new trends that were also about to disrupt the field of accounting. His company Accodex, his striving to be a platform to support the future accounting. Although it is often described as Uber for accounting, the analogy does not fit well. If Uber gave you the same driver each time, and spent time ensuring that you trusted the driver, then that would be Accodex.

The company Chris is building is based on the insights he gained while studying the history of Accounting during his MBA. He noticed four trends that were changing the future of Accounting:

Changing labour force dynamics and expectations
Technological change
Globalizations
Changing expectations of owners and entrepreneurs
Driven by the entrepreneurial bug, he set himself on a journey to build a company that met his needs as an accountant. He built a company to satisfy his own needs.

One of my favourite insights from Chris was his use of the analogy of sailing a ship. You can build a ship but if the winds are not blowing, or the weather is not right, it is hard to get the ship moving. What I love about this analogy is that it acknowledges the uncertainty involved in building a business. It acknowledges that we all have limited control as we try to build the future.



Chris is ambitious and wants to build a company that last well beyond his lifetime. Very few companies make it past forty years. What I admire about him, is that once he noticed that there was incongruence between what he was doing and what he wanted to be doing, he took the time to fundamentally shift his course. This is a common theme among people I interview on Disruptive Conversations.

Being an entrepreneur is hard work, and Chris suggests that entrepreneurs need to believe that the fight is worth fighting for. They need to be so committed to it that they're almost willing to die for it. If you believe that fight is worth fighting for, then fight relentlessly. Chris believes in hard work. His favourite quote is, “the elevator to success is out of order, but the stairs are always available”.

To learn more about what Chris means by the accounting Apocalypse you can check out his video here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mO2Iy0yvdEY

Learn more about Accodex here:

https://www.accodex.com/]]>2202accounting,business,entrepreunership,innovation,moneyclean3fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/s2-ep-62-confessions-of-a-corporate-insurgent-a-disruptive-conversation-with-gib-bulloch--15352248
How was he going to sell the idea?

Most people walk into their bosses office to ask for raise. Gib went into his bosses office and asked him for a salary cut. He wanted to convince his boss that Accenture should take on non-commercial clients in underdeveloped markets. Gib decided to write a fake press release, two years into the future. The release read, “Accenture launches a new business.”

Gib created a business model that allowed consultants from one of the largest consulting firms in the world to work with non-profit organizations. He created a talent magnet for Accenture. The organization found that its most talented employees were the most eager to take a salary cut, they had found a way to bake purpose into their business model.

Today, Gib sees the intractable problems of the developing world as business opportunities in disguise. His experience creating what he calls a “Not for Loss” business model has convinced him that doing good is not dichotomous from doing well. Gib has recently published a book,“The Intrapreneur: Confessions of a Corporate Insurgent”, that details his journey. In this episode, we hear part of his story and many of his insights after a career of disruptive conversations.

His experience volunteering gave him a sense of purpose

Investment from employees.
Investment from the employer.
Investment form the NGO.
In life following that voice that is pointing you in the opposite direction of the heard is scaring and can be off-putting, but following that voice can take you to in the right direction.

Life is defined by the ordinary.

How would the UN build a Tesla? Look for solutions rather than pilots and projects. Purpose and social outcomes are the names of the game. Purpose-driven employees will understand the need.

One of the ways to ensure that your best talent stays is by bringing purpose to the forefront. Often it is the best innovators and most talented that leave as they seek more purpose-driven opportunities. When you get something that is purposeful it is a lightening rode for talent.

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How was he going to sell the idea?

Most people walk into their bosses office to ask for raise. Gib went into his bosses office and asked him for a salary cut. He wanted to convince his boss that Accenture should take on non-commercial clients in underdeveloped markets. Gib decided to write a fake press release, two years into the future. The release read, “Accenture launches a new business.”

Gib created a business model that allowed consultants from one of the largest consulting firms in the world to work with non-profit organizations. He created a talent magnet for Accenture. The organization found that its most talented employees were the most eager to take a salary cut, they had found a way to bake purpose into their business model.

Today, Gib sees the intractable problems of the developing world as business opportunities in disguise. His experience creating what he calls a “Not for Loss” business model has convinced him that doing good is not dichotomous from doing well. Gib has recently published a book,“The Intrapreneur: Confessions of a Corporate Insurgent”, that details his journey. In this episode, we hear part of his story and many of his insights after a career of disruptive conversations.

His experience volunteering gave him a sense of purpose

Investment from employees.
Investment from the employer.
Investment form the NGO.
In life following that voice that is pointing you in the opposite direction of the heard is scaring and can be off-putting, but following that voice can take you to in the right direction.

Life is defined by the ordinary.

How would the UN build a Tesla? Look for solutions rather than pilots and projects. Purpose and social outcomes are the names of the game. Purpose-driven employees will understand the need.

One of the ways to ensure that your best talent stays is by bringing purpose to the forefront. Often it is the best innovators and most talented that leave as they seek more purpose-driven opportunities. When you get something that is purposeful it is a lightening rode for talent.

[spreaker type=player resource="episode_id=15352248" width="100%" height="350px" theme="light" playlist="show" playlist-continuous="true" autoplay="false" live-autoplay="false" chapters-image="true" hide-logo="false" hide-likes="false" hide-comments="false" hide-sharing="false" ]]]>2109consulting,intrapreneur,intrapreneurship,purpose,talentclean3fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/s2-ep-61-the-moment-you-start-winning-you-start-losing-a-disruptive-conversation-with-tendayi-viki--15249476
It is insights like these that make Tendayi one of my favourite innovation thinkers.

Another example is his observation that disruptors are not rebels without a cause. They are people who set out to create value in a specific way, and along the journey, they learned that in order to create the value they wish to create, they need to change the sector or system. Disruption is never really the main goal. It is a consequence of trying to change the world.

Tendayi spends his days supporting disruptors. The fundamental questions that seem to guide him how might we:

Create the right environment to support innovation?
What are the right tools for supporting innovation?
How do we make the right investment?
What is the right decision making frameworks?
How can managers ask the right questions at the right time?
I love questions. If people were better at asking questions we would see more innovation. Too often our organizational structures stifle innovation and pull disruptors way from the things they should be focused on if they are to generate innovation.

Throughout this episode, we explore several aspects of disruption and disruptive conversations. One example that stood out for me was the challenge of creating a sense of urgency among managers. Especially among managers who are well paid and sit in the leading positions of successful companies. For Tendayi, innovation is about doing finding new things to succeed at. Convincing managers that the bridge is burning before it starts burning is a difficult task. It is what I call a disruptive conversation and it takes great skill to navigate these conversations. Managers need to help create the conditions for innovation.  

Tendayi offers another insightful when he explains that he does not make a distinction between an entrepreneur and intrapreneur. For him, innovation and disruption succeed when you create value and there are people out there in the world who are willing to pay for that value. This value creation can come from an entrepreneur or an intrapreneur. The goal is to create value for others.  

I hope you enjoy this episode with Tendayi Viki.

Links:
http://www.tendayiviki.com/]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/15249476Sun, 15 Jul 2018 11:25:04 +0000Keita DemmingTendayi Viki is one of my favourite innovation thinkers, authors, and educators. In this episodes, we hear his wonderful insights on innovation and strategy. One of the comments that stood out for me in this episodes was, “it is that it is better to...
It is insights like these that make Tendayi one of my favourite innovation thinkers.

Another example is his observation that disruptors are not rebels without a cause. They are people who set out to create value in a specific way, and along the journey, they learned that in order to create the value they wish to create, they need to change the sector or system. Disruption is never really the main goal. It is a consequence of trying to change the world.

Tendayi spends his days supporting disruptors. The fundamental questions that seem to guide him how might we:

Create the right environment to support innovation?
What are the right tools for supporting innovation?
How do we make the right investment?
What is the right decision making frameworks?
How can managers ask the right questions at the right time?
I love questions. If people were better at asking questions we would see more innovation. Too often our organizational structures stifle innovation and pull disruptors way from the things they should be focused on if they are to generate innovation.

Throughout this episode, we explore several aspects of disruption and disruptive conversations. One example that stood out for me was the challenge of creating a sense of urgency among managers. Especially among managers who are well paid and sit in the leading positions of successful companies. For Tendayi, innovation is about doing finding new things to succeed at. Convincing managers that the bridge is burning before it starts burning is a difficult task. It is what I call a disruptive conversation and it takes great skill to navigate these conversations. Managers need to help create the conditions for innovation.  

Tendayi offers another insightful when he explains that he does not make a distinction between an entrepreneur and intrapreneur. For him, innovation and disruption succeed when you create value and there are people out there in the world who are willing to pay for that value. This value creation can come from an entrepreneur or an intrapreneur. The goal is to create value for others.  

I hope you enjoy this episode with Tendayi Viki.

Links:
http://www.tendayiviki.com/]]>1917disruption,disruptive,innovation,startup,strategyclean3fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/bonus-ep-60-insights-on-the-future-of-work-a-disruptive-conversations-from-the-urban-worker-project--14961607
Organizations and Apps mentioned in the episode. 

Dave helps people facing income volatility: https://www.dave.com/
And Co is an App for invoicing: https://www.and.co/
An example of platform community: https://enspiral.com/
Urban Workers project: http://www.urbanworker.ca/ 
Free Lancers Unions: https://www.freelancersunion.org/
Green Taxi - an alternative to UBER: http://www.mygreen.taxi/
UpAndGo - for home cleaner professionals: https://www.upandgo.coop/
National Domestic Workers Alliance is the largest network for domestic workers: https://www.domesticworkers.org/
Coworking Movement: http://coworking.com/ 
CommonWealth in Canada is high-quality retirement plan for independent workers: https://www.cwretirement.com/
Tradey is a company in Spain - an App helps freelancers prove trust to banks and traditional institutions. Uses your online data to help you go to a bank to prove you can be trusted. 
Bread Funds started in the Netherlands and was a group of people who created their own disability insurance: http://breadfunds.uk/
Coworking Toronto is community members in Toronto: http://coworkingtoronto.ca/
A coworking space in Vancouver: http://312main.ca/
GCUC is the largest coworking conference series in the world:  https://gcuc.co/
One of Toronto's first Coworking communities: http://foundery.is/
Perco Lab is an international co-creation and co-design firm: http://www.percolab.com/en/
Smart Eu is a cooperative dedicated to the needs of all freelancers. http://smart-eu.org/]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/14961607Sun, 03 Jun 2018 23:37:32 +0000Keita DemmingIn this episode, you will learn about some of the challenges of the future of work. This episode has a lot of great content and is hard to summarize. The future of work is full of possibility and there are new ways of collaborating that can be...
Organizations and Apps mentioned in the episode. 

Dave helps people facing income volatility: https://www.dave.com/
And Co is an App for invoicing: https://www.and.co/
An example of platform community: https://enspiral.com/
Urban Workers project: http://www.urbanworker.ca/ 
Free Lancers Unions: https://www.freelancersunion.org/
Green Taxi - an alternative to UBER: http://www.mygreen.taxi/
UpAndGo - for home cleaner professionals: https://www.upandgo.coop/
National Domestic Workers Alliance is the largest network for domestic workers: https://www.domesticworkers.org/
Coworking Movement: http://coworking.com/ 
CommonWealth in Canada is high-quality retirement plan for independent workers: https://www.cwretirement.com/
Tradey is a company in Spain - an App helps freelancers prove trust to banks and traditional institutions. Uses your online data to help you go to a bank to prove you can be trusted. 
Bread Funds started in the Netherlands and was a group of people who created their own disability insurance: http://breadfunds.uk/
Coworking Toronto is community members in Toronto: http://coworkingtoronto.ca/
A coworking space in Vancouver: http://312main.ca/
GCUC is the largest coworking conference series in the world:  https://gcuc.co/
One of Toronto's first Coworking communities: http://foundery.is/
Perco Lab is an international co-creation and co-design firm: http://www.percolab.com/en/
Smart Eu is a cooperative dedicated to the needs of all freelancers. http://smart-eu.org/]]>3912collaboration,coworking,design,future,platformsclean3fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/bonus-ep-59-put-lots-of-cookies-in-your-backpack-a-disruptive-conversation-with-mary-gordon--14795766
If you have never heard of Roots of Empathy, it is a nonprofit organization whose long-term goal is to build the capacity of the next generation for responsible citizenship and responsive parenting. In the short term, Roots of Empathy focuses on raising levels of empathy, resulting in more respectful and caring relationships and reduced levels of bullying and aggression.

In this episode of Disruptive Conversations, I dive into conversation with Mary Gordon. We have a candid conversation about the Art of the Disruptive Conversation. One of the many things that stood out to me was when I asked Mary to describe her most disruptive internal conversation, her answer had to do with finding herself. Her most disruptive internal conversation centred around the question who is Mary Gordon. This stood out to me for a number of reasons, for one thing, I am publishing this podcast the day after it was announced that Mary was awarded the 2018 Governor General's Innovation Award. It is a reminder that no matter how successful we are, we all seek to be comforted in knowing who we are and that we belong. It is a fundamental part of being human.

What I heard in that comment, was someone stepping into their whole humanity. Through her work, Mary’s question to the world, as I understand it, is why don’t we educate the whole child? Why do we focus on academic scores and scores in scales of humanity? Even a woman with accolades, like the Governor General's Innovation Award, can express publicly, on a podcast, that she sometimes searches for herself.

She too can be vulnerable.

I think we can all agree that empathy, vulnerability, and belonging are all integral to the human experience. If we agree with this, then how is it that teaching empathy in a classroom can be considered a radical idea? To learn more, tune into this episode of Disruptive Conversations with Mary Gordon, founder of the Roots of Empathy program.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/14795766Tue, 15 May 2018 04:34:07 +0000Keita DemmingWhat does it mean to live in a world where we struggle to find funding for programs that help children find their humanity? After my Disruptive Conversation with Mary Gordon, founder of Roots of Empathy, this is the question I was left with. If you...
If you have never heard of Roots of Empathy, it is a nonprofit organization whose long-term goal is to build the capacity of the next generation for responsible citizenship and responsive parenting. In the short term, Roots of Empathy focuses on raising levels of empathy, resulting in more respectful and caring relationships and reduced levels of bullying and aggression.

In this episode of Disruptive Conversations, I dive into conversation with Mary Gordon. We have a candid conversation about the Art of the Disruptive Conversation. One of the many things that stood out to me was when I asked Mary to describe her most disruptive internal conversation, her answer had to do with finding herself. Her most disruptive internal conversation centred around the question who is Mary Gordon. This stood out to me for a number of reasons, for one thing, I am publishing this podcast the day after it was announced that Mary was awarded the 2018 Governor General's Innovation Award. It is a reminder that no matter how successful we are, we all seek to be comforted in knowing who we are and that we belong. It is a fundamental part of being human.

What I heard in that comment, was someone stepping into their whole humanity. Through her work, Mary’s question to the world, as I understand it, is why don’t we educate the whole child? Why do we focus on academic scores and scores in scales of humanity? Even a woman with accolades, like the Governor General's Innovation Award, can express publicly, on a podcast, that she sometimes searches for herself.

She too can be vulnerable.

I think we can all agree that empathy, vulnerability, and belonging are all integral to the human experience. If we agree with this, then how is it that teaching empathy in a classroom can be considered a radical idea? To learn more, tune into this episode of Disruptive Conversations with Mary Gordon, founder of the Roots of Empathy program.]]>2995childcare,children,education,empathy,schoolclean3fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/ep-58-mini-series-chap-5-disrupting-healthcare-using-patient-generated-data-a-disruptive-conversations-mini-series--14679399
Patient-generated health data refers to data that is collected by a patient. A patient can collect this data in a number of ways, they can record data throughout the day, they can use wearable devices or data can be passively collected through a number of different kinds of technology.

In this mini-series, we explore how one team, Reos Partners, helped facilitate Disruptive Conversations in three examples. Each example explores how innovators are rethinking, reimaging, and repurposing traditional ways of working.

In these episodes, you will learn how data is being used as a medium through which patients and providers can collaborate on decisions that improve health outcomes. This new approach is not without its challenges. For example, many providers have concerns about the validity of the data. Other approaches place too much burden on the patient. Too much responsibility for them to collect data without being clear on if and how that data will be used. Perhaps most concerning of all is how can the data be used or misused?

I this mini-series, we explore many of these concerns. In each episode, we reveal how the patient can be an innovator when thinking of solutions in healthcare. We explore unlikely players and partnerships to demonstrate how some providers are inventing novel solutions to common healthcare problems.

This mini-series was funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the United States’ largest philanthropy dedicated solely to health. The foundation is focused on building a national “culture of health” that looks beyond the healthcare system to the wide range of powerful personal, cultural, and socioeconomic factors that influence health.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/14679399Wed, 02 May 2018 00:00:44 +0000Keita Demming(Chapter 5) In this mini-series, we explore how patient-generated data is being used to redefine the patient experience. This mini-series if funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and is a partnership between Reos Partners and Disruptive...
Patient-generated health data refers to data that is collected by a patient. A patient can collect this data in a number of ways, they can record data throughout the day, they can use wearable devices or data can be passively collected through a number of different kinds of technology.

In this mini-series, we explore how one team, Reos Partners, helped facilitate Disruptive Conversations in three examples. Each example explores how innovators are rethinking, reimaging, and repurposing traditional ways of working.

In these episodes, you will learn how data is being used as a medium through which patients and providers can collaborate on decisions that improve health outcomes. This new approach is not without its challenges. For example, many providers have concerns about the validity of the data. Other approaches place too much burden on the patient. Too much responsibility for them to collect data without being clear on if and how that data will be used. Perhaps most concerning of all is how can the data be used or misused?

I this mini-series, we explore many of these concerns. In each episode, we reveal how the patient can be an innovator when thinking of solutions in healthcare. We explore unlikely players and partnerships to demonstrate how some providers are inventing novel solutions to common healthcare problems.

This mini-series was funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the United States’ largest philanthropy dedicated solely to health. The foundation is focused on building a national “culture of health” that looks beyond the healthcare system to the wide range of powerful personal, cultural, and socioeconomic factors that influence health.]]>1657data,disruption,healthcare,innovation,privacyclean3fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/ep-58-mini-series-chap-4-disrupting-healthcare-using-patient-generated-data-a-disruptive-conversations-mini-series--14679378
Patient-generated health data refers to data that is collected by a patient. A patient can collect this data in a number of ways, they can record data throughout the day, they can use wearable devices or data can be passively collected through a number of different kinds of technology.

In this mini-series, we explore how one team, Reos Partners, helped facilitate Disruptive Conversations in three examples. Each example explores how innovators are rethinking, reimaging, and repurposing traditional ways of working.

In these episodes, you will learn how data is being used as a medium through which patients and providers can collaborate on decisions that improve health outcomes. This new approach is not without its challenges. For example, many providers have concerns about the validity of the data. Other approaches place too much burden on the patient. Too much responsibility for them to collect data without being clear on if and how that data will be used. Perhaps most concerning of all is how can the data be used or misused?

I this mini-series, we explore many of these concerns. In each episode, we reveal how the patient can be an innovator when thinking of solutions in healthcare. We explore unlikely players and partnerships to demonstrate how some providers are inventing novel solutions to common healthcare problems.

This mini-series was funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the United States’ largest philanthropy dedicated solely to health. The foundation is focused on building a national “culture of health” that looks beyond the healthcare system to the wide range of powerful personal, cultural, and socioeconomic factors that influence health.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/14679378Tue, 01 May 2018 23:59:49 +0000Keita Demming(Chapter 4) In this mini-series, we explore how patient-generated data is being used to redefine the patient experience. This mini-series if funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and is a partnership between Reos Partners and Disruptive...
Patient-generated health data refers to data that is collected by a patient. A patient can collect this data in a number of ways, they can record data throughout the day, they can use wearable devices or data can be passively collected through a number of different kinds of technology.

In this mini-series, we explore how one team, Reos Partners, helped facilitate Disruptive Conversations in three examples. Each example explores how innovators are rethinking, reimaging, and repurposing traditional ways of working.

In these episodes, you will learn how data is being used as a medium through which patients and providers can collaborate on decisions that improve health outcomes. This new approach is not without its challenges. For example, many providers have concerns about the validity of the data. Other approaches place too much burden on the patient. Too much responsibility for them to collect data without being clear on if and how that data will be used. Perhaps most concerning of all is how can the data be used or misused?

I this mini-series, we explore many of these concerns. In each episode, we reveal how the patient can be an innovator when thinking of solutions in healthcare. We explore unlikely players and partnerships to demonstrate how some providers are inventing novel solutions to common healthcare problems.

This mini-series was funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the United States’ largest philanthropy dedicated solely to health. The foundation is focused on building a national “culture of health” that looks beyond the healthcare system to the wide range of powerful personal, cultural, and socioeconomic factors that influence health.]]>2634data,disruption,healthcare,innovation,privacyclean3fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/ep-58-mini-series-chap-3-disrupting-healthcare-using-patient-generated-data-a-disruptive-conversations-mini-series--14679361
Patient-generated health data refers to data that is collected by a patient. A patient can collect this data in a number of ways, they can record data throughout the day, they can use wearable devices or data can be passively collected through a number of different kinds of technology.

In this mini-series, we explore how one team, Reos Partners, helped facilitate Disruptive Conversations in three examples. Each example explores how innovators are rethinking, reimaging, and repurposing traditional ways of working.

In these episodes, you will learn how data is being used as a medium through which patients and providers can collaborate on decisions that improve health outcomes. This new approach is not without its challenges. For example, many providers have concerns about the validity of the data. Other approaches place too much burden on the patient. Too much responsibility for them to collect data without being clear on if and how that data will be used. Perhaps most concerning of all is how can the data be used or misused?

I this mini-series, we explore many of these concerns. In each episode, we reveal how the patient can be an innovator when thinking of solutions in healthcare. We explore unlikely players and partnerships to demonstrate how some providers are inventing novel solutions to common healthcare problems.

This mini-series was funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the United States’ largest philanthropy dedicated solely to health. The foundation is focused on building a national “culture of health” that looks beyond the healthcare system to the wide range of powerful personal, cultural, and socioeconomic factors that influence health.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/14679361Tue, 01 May 2018 23:57:13 +0000Keita Demming(Chapter 3) In this mini-series, we explore how patient-generated data is being used to redefine the patient experience. This mini-series if funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and is a partnership between Reos Partners and Disruptive...
Patient-generated health data refers to data that is collected by a patient. A patient can collect this data in a number of ways, they can record data throughout the day, they can use wearable devices or data can be passively collected through a number of different kinds of technology.

In this mini-series, we explore how one team, Reos Partners, helped facilitate Disruptive Conversations in three examples. Each example explores how innovators are rethinking, reimaging, and repurposing traditional ways of working.

In these episodes, you will learn how data is being used as a medium through which patients and providers can collaborate on decisions that improve health outcomes. This new approach is not without its challenges. For example, many providers have concerns about the validity of the data. Other approaches place too much burden on the patient. Too much responsibility for them to collect data without being clear on if and how that data will be used. Perhaps most concerning of all is how can the data be used or misused?

I this mini-series, we explore many of these concerns. In each episode, we reveal how the patient can be an innovator when thinking of solutions in healthcare. We explore unlikely players and partnerships to demonstrate how some providers are inventing novel solutions to common healthcare problems.

This mini-series was funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the United States’ largest philanthropy dedicated solely to health. The foundation is focused on building a national “culture of health” that looks beyond the healthcare system to the wide range of powerful personal, cultural, and socioeconomic factors that influence health.]]>1840data,disruption,healthcare,innovation,patientclean3fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/ep-58-mini-series-chap-2-disrupting-healthcare-using-patient-generated-data-a-disruptive-conversations-mini-series--14679347
Patient-generated health data refers to data that is collected by a patient. A patient can collect this data in a number of ways, they can record data throughout the day, they can use wearable devices or data can be passively collected through a number of different kinds of technology.

In this mini-series, we explore how one team, Reos Partners, helped facilitate Disruptive Conversations in three examples. Each example explores how innovators are rethinking, reimaging, and repurposing traditional ways of working.

In these episodes, you will learn how data is being used as a medium through which patients and providers can collaborate on decisions that improve health outcomes. This new approach is not without its challenges. For example, many providers have concerns about the validity of the data. Other approaches place too much burden on the patient. Too much responsibility for them to collect data without being clear on if and how that data will be used. Perhaps most concerning of all is how can the data be used or misused?

I this mini-series, we explore many of these concerns. In each episode, we reveal how the patient can be an innovator when thinking of solutions in healthcare. We explore unlikely players and partnerships to demonstrate how some providers are inventing novel solutions to common healthcare problems.

This mini-series was funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the United States’ largest philanthropy dedicated solely to health. The foundation is focused on building a national “culture of health” that looks beyond the healthcare system to the wide range of powerful personal, cultural, and socioeconomic factors that influence health.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/14679347Tue, 01 May 2018 23:55:54 +0000Keita Demming(Chapter 2) In this mini-series, we explore how patient-generated data is being used to redefine the patient experience. This mini-series if funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and is a partnership between Reos Partners and Disruptive...
Patient-generated health data refers to data that is collected by a patient. A patient can collect this data in a number of ways, they can record data throughout the day, they can use wearable devices or data can be passively collected through a number of different kinds of technology.

In this mini-series, we explore how one team, Reos Partners, helped facilitate Disruptive Conversations in three examples. Each example explores how innovators are rethinking, reimaging, and repurposing traditional ways of working.

In these episodes, you will learn how data is being used as a medium through which patients and providers can collaborate on decisions that improve health outcomes. This new approach is not without its challenges. For example, many providers have concerns about the validity of the data. Other approaches place too much burden on the patient. Too much responsibility for them to collect data without being clear on if and how that data will be used. Perhaps most concerning of all is how can the data be used or misused?

I this mini-series, we explore many of these concerns. In each episode, we reveal how the patient can be an innovator when thinking of solutions in healthcare. We explore unlikely players and partnerships to demonstrate how some providers are inventing novel solutions to common healthcare problems.

This mini-series was funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the United States’ largest philanthropy dedicated solely to health. The foundation is focused on building a national “culture of health” that looks beyond the healthcare system to the wide range of powerful personal, cultural, and socioeconomic factors that influence health.]]>1827data,disruption,healthcare,innovation,patientclean3fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/ep-58-mini-series-chap-1-disrupting-healthcare-using-patient-generated-data-a-disruptive-conversations-mini-series--14679336
Patient-generated health data refers to data that is collected by a patient. A patient can collect this data in a number of ways, they can record data throughout the day, they can use wearable devices or data can be passively collected through a number of different kinds of technology.

In this mini-series, we explore how one team, Reos Partners, helped facilitate Disruptive Conversations in three examples. Each example explores how innovators are rethinking, reimaging, and repurposing traditional ways of working.

In these episodes, you will learn how data is being used as a medium through which patients and providers can collaborate on decisions that improve health outcomes. This new approach is not without its challenges. For example, many providers have concerns about the validity of the data. Other approaches place too much burden on the patient. Too much responsibility for them to collect data without being clear on if and how that data will be used. Perhaps most concerning of all is how can the data be used or misused?

I this mini-series, we explore many of these concerns. In each episode, we reveal how the patient can be an innovator when thinking of solutions in healthcare. We explore unlikely players and partnerships to demonstrate how some providers are inventing novel solutions to common healthcare problems.

This mini-series was funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the United States’ largest philanthropy dedicated solely to health. The foundation is focused on building a national “culture of health” that looks beyond the healthcare system to the wide range of powerful personal, cultural, and socioeconomic factors that influence health.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/14679336Tue, 01 May 2018 23:52:07 +0000Keita DemmingIn this mini-series, we explore how patient-generated data is being used to redefine the patient experience. This mini-series if funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and is a partnership between Reos Partners and Disruptive Conversations. In...
Patient-generated health data refers to data that is collected by a patient. A patient can collect this data in a number of ways, they can record data throughout the day, they can use wearable devices or data can be passively collected through a number of different kinds of technology.

In this mini-series, we explore how one team, Reos Partners, helped facilitate Disruptive Conversations in three examples. Each example explores how innovators are rethinking, reimaging, and repurposing traditional ways of working.

In these episodes, you will learn how data is being used as a medium through which patients and providers can collaborate on decisions that improve health outcomes. This new approach is not without its challenges. For example, many providers have concerns about the validity of the data. Other approaches place too much burden on the patient. Too much responsibility for them to collect data without being clear on if and how that data will be used. Perhaps most concerning of all is how can the data be used or misused?

I this mini-series, we explore many of these concerns. In each episode, we reveal how the patient can be an innovator when thinking of solutions in healthcare. We explore unlikely players and partnerships to demonstrate how some providers are inventing novel solutions to common healthcare problems.

This mini-series was funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the United States’ largest philanthropy dedicated solely to health. The foundation is focused on building a national “culture of health” that looks beyond the healthcare system to the wide range of powerful personal, cultural, and socioeconomic factors that influence health.]]>1744data,disruption,healthcare,innovation,privacyclean3fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/bonus-ep-57-it-is-possible-to-help-people-and-become-a-successful-entrepreneur-a-disruptive-conversation-with-andrea-demichelis--14663985
Although I could not see this project as not being in competition with Google, one of the world’s largest companies, Andreas reframed this for me. He point out that he only needs to get 1 million people to use his platform and he could be doing a water project each week. That is less than 0.06 percent of the Googles current searches. Additionally, what they are doing is collaborating with existing technology and are an official partner with Bing, the second larest search engine in the world. So they have partnered with people like Microsoft.

The motivation for Andreas is that he wanted to make something that did more than just make money. He wanted to make a difference. The insight for Elliot for water came little by little, bit by bit. He sees the challenge like working out, he will only grow and get stronger from the process. Whatever happens he will be learning.

For Andreas, his life is a continuous series of aha moments. He is always learning. What he really want to change is the idea that doing humanitarian work is or has to be disconnected form entrepreneurship. It shouldn’t be that if you want to help other people you have to be poor, but if you want to serve yourself you can be wealthy.

His goal is to give people the best service possible. His biggest challenge is that Google is verb. People do not search the internet they Google. From his experience people do not make a distinction between the internet, search engines, and a browser, they see it all as one thing.

His advice to other people working to disrupt a sector or system is to be patient. Things do not happen overnight. Enjoy the process and learn from it. Each mistake you make is a chance to learn and grow. Perhaps most importantly, you are exactly where you are supposed to be, you are right on time.

Links mentioned in the podcast:
http://www.elliotforwater.com/
https://twitter.com/Andrea_e4w
https://twitter.com/elliotforwater
https://elliotsway.com/


Bitcoin explained: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s4g1XFU8Gto]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/14663985Sun, 29 Apr 2018 23:51:19 +0000Keita DemmingAndreas Demichelis is as an entrepreneur as you can find. Simply put, he is going up against Google. He is trying to use a search engine as a way of funding water projects in the developing world. The idea is simple, each time you use his search...
Although I could not see this project as not being in competition with Google, one of the world’s largest companies, Andreas reframed this for me. He point out that he only needs to get 1 million people to use his platform and he could be doing a water project each week. That is less than 0.06 percent of the Googles current searches. Additionally, what they are doing is collaborating with existing technology and are an official partner with Bing, the second larest search engine in the world. So they have partnered with people like Microsoft.

The motivation for Andreas is that he wanted to make something that did more than just make money. He wanted to make a difference. The insight for Elliot for water came little by little, bit by bit. He sees the challenge like working out, he will only grow and get stronger from the process. Whatever happens he will be learning.

For Andreas, his life is a continuous series of aha moments. He is always learning. What he really want to change is the idea that doing humanitarian work is or has to be disconnected form entrepreneurship. It shouldn’t be that if you want to help other people you have to be poor, but if you want to serve yourself you can be wealthy.

His goal is to give people the best service possible. His biggest challenge is that Google is verb. People do not search the internet they Google. From his experience people do not make a distinction between the internet, search engines, and a browser, they see it all as one thing.

His advice to other people working to disrupt a sector or system is to be patient. Things do not happen overnight. Enjoy the process and learn from it. Each mistake you make is a chance to learn and grow. Perhaps most importantly, you are exactly where you are supposed to be, you are right on time.

Links mentioned in the podcast:
http://www.elliotforwater.com/
https://twitter.com/Andrea_e4w
https://twitter.com/elliotforwater
https://elliotsway.com/


Bitcoin explained: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s4g1XFU8Gto]]>2194data,enrepreunership,google,innovation,waterclean2fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/bonus-ep-56-how-do-you-own-your-data-a-disruptive-conversation-with-mitzi-laszlo--14434109
Most of us do not think about the data we produce, but as we walk the world with our phones in our pockets, we are leaving behind a trail of data. This data is an asset. It is valuable and we need to have a conversation about who owns that data and how can they use? In this episode of Disruptive Conversation with Mitzi László, we unpack why owning your data is so important. I argue that data and data rights will be one of the most Disruptive Conversations we will have in the upcoming years. Mitzi and her colleagues are building technology to make owning your data as easy possible. You can check out her white paper at: www.personaldatatrading.com.

You can support her ongoing Indiegogo campaign at this link: https://igg.me/at/ownit/x/17652744.

You can also visit her website: https://www.ownyourdata.xyz/]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/14434109Sun, 01 Apr 2018 10:37:48 +0000Keita DemmingIf you own technology, you produce data, and that data is very valuable. OWN is working to help you take control of that data. Mitzi László and her colleagues are working to help you own your data. This conversation is particularly relevant in a week...
Most of us do not think about the data we produce, but as we walk the world with our phones in our pockets, we are leaving behind a trail of data. This data is an asset. It is valuable and we need to have a conversation about who owns that data and how can they use? In this episode of Disruptive Conversation with Mitzi László, we unpack why owning your data is so important. I argue that data and data rights will be one of the most Disruptive Conversations we will have in the upcoming years. Mitzi and her colleagues are building technology to make owning your data as easy possible. You can check out her white paper at: www.personaldatatrading.com.

You can support her ongoing Indiegogo campaign at this link: https://igg.me/at/ownit/x/17652744.

You can also visit her website: https://www.ownyourdata.xyz/]]>2515cambridge,data,facebook,privacy,technologyclean2fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/bonus-ep-55-why-a-truly-disruptive-conversation-should-make-you-rethink-everything-you-thought-you-knew--14316744
In a past life, Shannon ran a digital marketing agency. She found that she was always connected, always online. Through a series of events, she found that the source of her creativity came from offline or analog experiences. Embroidery became a source of creativity and generation for Shannon and since then she has been building a movement centred around politically engaged embroidery.

One of the most interesting insights in this episode is that Shannon as a 20/80 rule. For her 20% is good enough. What I took away from Shannon was that she values progress over perfection. For her perfection can be paralyzing.

Currently, Shannon is very interested in understanding how we build networks and community. She acknowledges that you can’t do anything by yourself and the stronger the network, the greater your chances of success. Her advice is for people to get into the world and just do it. Do great things. Put your half-baked ideas into the world. Make the most of the time you have on this planet. For now, Shannon is working to disrupt the patriarchy and for her, that means being able to buy a car without experience sexism. One of the big questions for me in this episodes is what are the experiences that make you rethink everything you thought you knew.

Related links mentioned in this episode:

https://www.badassherstory.com/

https://projectfirechi.com/]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/14316744Sat, 17 Mar 2018 21:59:02 +0000Keita DemmingWhen most people think of the word disruption, they think about software. Some of the most of interesting innovations are what I refer to as analog innovations. These are innovations that are not connected to software but have to do with process and...
In a past life, Shannon ran a digital marketing agency. She found that she was always connected, always online. Through a series of events, she found that the source of her creativity came from offline or analog experiences. Embroidery became a source of creativity and generation for Shannon and since then she has been building a movement centred around politically engaged embroidery.

One of the most interesting insights in this episode is that Shannon as a 20/80 rule. For her 20% is good enough. What I took away from Shannon was that she values progress over perfection. For her perfection can be paralyzing.

Currently, Shannon is very interested in understanding how we build networks and community. She acknowledges that you can’t do anything by yourself and the stronger the network, the greater your chances of success. Her advice is for people to get into the world and just do it. Do great things. Put your half-baked ideas into the world. Make the most of the time you have on this planet. For now, Shannon is working to disrupt the patriarchy and for her, that means being able to buy a car without experience sexism. One of the big questions for me in this episodes is what are the experiences that make you rethink everything you thought you knew.

Related links mentioned in this episode:

https://www.badassherstory.com/

https://projectfirechi.com/]]>2516cross,guns,oprah,stitch,womenclean2fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/bonus-ep-54-what-you-need-to-know-about-how-the-why-is-more-important-than-the-what-a-disruptive-conversation-with-kishau-rogers--14065667
For her, the why is more important than the what. She encourages her clients to ask why because often the first solution we come up with is likely not the best we can do. Asking why helps us develop clarity around the problem we are trying to address. She argues, that too many times, we hide behind technology. When we attack problems with code, we might be building our existing problems into new software. Simply taking an analog problem and making it a digital problem.

Kishau, like me, is a fan of structured thinking. She is an advocate of using tools and frameworks to help us think about how we are going to address the problems we face. This episode is a really a clarion call for better-thinking tools. Hope you enjoy this episode of Disruptive Conversations. 

Related links mentioned in the episode:
http://bigthinking.io/
http://www.bstudioproject.com/
http://thesidelab.com/]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/14065667Fri, 16 Feb 2018 03:31:57 +0000Keita DemmingIn this episode of Disruptive Conversations, I interview Kishau Rogers, founder of Big Think and many other software related companies. In this episode, Kishau and I geek out on systems thinking and find many overlaps in our own work. As a...
For her, the why is more important than the what. She encourages her clients to ask why because often the first solution we come up with is likely not the best we can do. Asking why helps us develop clarity around the problem we are trying to address. She argues, that too many times, we hide behind technology. When we attack problems with code, we might be building our existing problems into new software. Simply taking an analog problem and making it a digital problem.

Kishau, like me, is a fan of structured thinking. She is an advocate of using tools and frameworks to help us think about how we are going to address the problems we face. This episode is a really a clarion call for better-thinking tools. Hope you enjoy this episode of Disruptive Conversations. 

Related links mentioned in the episode:
http://bigthinking.io/
http://www.bstudioproject.com/
http://thesidelab.com/]]>2659business,code,problems,software,systemsclean2fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/bonus-ep-53-what-does-a-good-quality-of-death-look-like-a-disruptive-conversation-with-sun-drews--13822427
At each stage in the journey, people are forced to retell their story to service providers who have never spoken to each other or have not worked together. This places many challenges on the people going through the experience. Her goal is to ensure people have a better idea of what to expect as they navigate this challenging time. Death is a natural part of our lives, yet so few of us talk about it. Few of us plan for death or know what to expect or what we might do if a loved one were to pass away.

In our conversation, Sun and I flirted with the idea of death doula’s but she pointed out that we tend to create professionals or experts for roles that previously existed within communities or within families. It is an important observation to consider, and it made me think about the possibility that many of the solutions to our problems may lie in how we think about and construct community living or family life. With the rise of isolation, there is a drive to revisit communities and spaces like churches. We have distanced ourselves from these types of communities and in the process, we  have alienated ourselves from common experiences like death and birth. What if we spent some time familiarizing ourselves with these common activities? What if we were more open about death, dying and grieving?

The most disruptive thing with Sun’s work is just using the word death and being able to call it death instead of using euphemisms. She often finds herself correcting people when they say, “if I die”. She is often reminding people that it is about when you die. We will all die, and Sun is asking us to have an honest conversation about something that is normal, natural and common. Her quest to have these honest conversations about death and dying will hopefully impact our norms, practices and habits.

Sun’s favourite quote: What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us.

Find Sun on Twitter: @sunoutloud]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/13822427Wed, 17 Jan 2018 12:52:10 +0000Keita DemmingSun Drews is a Funeral Director who is rethinking that way we approach end of life care. Although she is at the start of her journey, her experience as a Funeral Director has convinced her that we need a cultural shift around death and dying. For many...
At each stage in the journey, people are forced to retell their story to service providers who have never spoken to each other or have not worked together. This places many challenges on the people going through the experience. Her goal is to ensure people have a better idea of what to expect as they navigate this challenging time. Death is a natural part of our lives, yet so few of us talk about it. Few of us plan for death or know what to expect or what we might do if a loved one were to pass away.

In our conversation, Sun and I flirted with the idea of death doula’s but she pointed out that we tend to create professionals or experts for roles that previously existed within communities or within families. It is an important observation to consider, and it made me think about the possibility that many of the solutions to our problems may lie in how we think about and construct community living or family life. With the rise of isolation, there is a drive to revisit communities and spaces like churches. We have distanced ourselves from these types of communities and in the process, we  have alienated ourselves from common experiences like death and birth. What if we spent some time familiarizing ourselves with these common activities? What if we were more open about death, dying and grieving?

The most disruptive thing with Sun’s work is just using the word death and being able to call it death instead of using euphemisms. She often finds herself correcting people when they say, “if I die”. She is often reminding people that it is about when you die. We will all die, and Sun is asking us to have an honest conversation about something that is normal, natural and common. Her quest to have these honest conversations about death and dying will hopefully impact our norms, practices and habits.

Sun’s favourite quote: What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us.

Find Sun on Twitter: @sunoutloud]]>2022death,dying,experience,health,lifeclean2fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/bonus-ep-52-disruption-at-the-edge-of-regulated-and-unregulated-markets-a-disruptive-conversation-with-mark-zekulin--13598175
His story is yet another example of disruptors seeing opportunity where others see risk. His bet to buy an old chocolate factory and tell the world that they were growing marijuana has paid off. Along his journey, he has had many disruptive conversations and continues to have them. Contrary to what I thought, it is not the big regulatory changes that will have an impact on his business, but it is the small ones. In this episode, we explore how small regulatory changes can have an impact on his business model.

Mark welcomes the day when you can order your wine and your marijuana beverage on your way home from work. In this new and untested market, there are many opportunities and uncertainties. As perceptions and policy around marijuana change, it opens Mark and his company up to learn their way into many unknowns. As they have in the past they will continue to play the long game by focusing on infrastructure and building out a stronger customer base. For Mark, “there is never a dull day in the cannabis business”. Hope you enjoy listening to this episode.

Links mentioned in the podcast: 

Canopy Growth: https://www.canopygrowth.com/ 

Tweed: https://www.tweedmainstreet.com/]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/13598175Fri, 15 Dec 2017 20:55:46 +0000Keita DemmingMark Zekulin is disrupting what used to be an illicit market and is now a regulated market. He is the president of the largest cannabis company in the world, Canopy Growth Company. It is valued on the Toronto Stock Exchange at about three and a half...
His story is yet another example of disruptors seeing opportunity where others see risk. His bet to buy an old chocolate factory and tell the world that they were growing marijuana has paid off. Along his journey, he has had many disruptive conversations and continues to have them. Contrary to what I thought, it is not the big regulatory changes that will have an impact on his business, but it is the small ones. In this episode, we explore how small regulatory changes can have an impact on his business model.

Mark welcomes the day when you can order your wine and your marijuana beverage on your way home from work. In this new and untested market, there are many opportunities and uncertainties. As perceptions and policy around marijuana change, it opens Mark and his company up to learn their way into many unknowns. As they have in the past they will continue to play the long game by focusing on infrastructure and building out a stronger customer base. For Mark, “there is never a dull day in the cannabis business”. Hope you enjoy listening to this episode.

Links mentioned in the podcast: 

Canopy Growth: https://www.canopygrowth.com/ 

Tweed: https://www.tweedmainstreet.com/]]>1345disruption,health,marijuana,wellnessclean2fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/bonus-ep-51-your-enemies-can-be-your-greatest-teacher-a-disruptive-conversation-with-adam-kahane--13317799
Adam is a full-time disruptor, he spends his time completely dedicated to helping people address their most important and intractable challenges. Adam is a pioneer in the in the lab space and has written several books related to systems change. He argues that we spend a lot of time focusing on what other people should or ought to be doing. For him, this kind of thinking is a complete waste of time.

In this episode, Adam and I discuss martial arts and dialogue. You would need to listen to the episode to understand how these two concepts connect. One of the powerful moments in our conversation came when we talked about power, self-development and love. In the episode, he references Martin Luther King and makes that point that in our society we place so much emphasis on love and unity, that we “risk being sentimental and anaemic actually sentimental and anaemic at best and at worst cynically reproducing of the status quo.”

I truly enjoyed my conversation with Adam and it was a pleasure to talk to someone who has spent so much time thinking about who we disrupt sectors and systems. The final point I leave you with is that he reminds us that so often we are quick to blame or tell other people what to do, how things should be done or we conclude that they need to change. Drawing on the work of Edgar Schein and is the notion of humble inquiry is a lot more powerful or transformative approach to start from a place of asking questions. I hope you enjoy this episode of Disruptive Conversations.  ]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/13317799Wed, 15 Nov 2017 03:52:32 +0000Keita DemmingIn this episode, I speak with Adam Kahane, author of the book, Collaborating with the Enemy: How to Work with People You Don't Agree with or Like or Trust. Adam is a full-time disruptor, he spends his time completely dedicated to helping people...
Adam is a full-time disruptor, he spends his time completely dedicated to helping people address their most important and intractable challenges. Adam is a pioneer in the in the lab space and has written several books related to systems change. He argues that we spend a lot of time focusing on what other people should or ought to be doing. For him, this kind of thinking is a complete waste of time.

In this episode, Adam and I discuss martial arts and dialogue. You would need to listen to the episode to understand how these two concepts connect. One of the powerful moments in our conversation came when we talked about power, self-development and love. In the episode, he references Martin Luther King and makes that point that in our society we place so much emphasis on love and unity, that we “risk being sentimental and anaemic actually sentimental and anaemic at best and at worst cynically reproducing of the status quo.”

I truly enjoyed my conversation with Adam and it was a pleasure to talk to someone who has spent so much time thinking about who we disrupt sectors and systems. The final point I leave you with is that he reminds us that so often we are quick to blame or tell other people what to do, how things should be done or we conclude that they need to change. Drawing on the work of Edgar Schein and is the notion of humble inquiry is a lot more powerful or transformative approach to start from a place of asking questions. I hope you enjoy this episode of Disruptive Conversations.  ]]>2394change,collaboration,innovation,inquiry,transformationclean2fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/season-1-wrap-up-pay-attention-to-what-s-urgent-but-not-important-a-disruptive-conversation-with-keita-demming-featuring-chuck-marohn--13087395
In this episode, I share for the first time, why I started the podcast and the concept behind Disruptive Conversations. In brief, Disruptive Conversations refer to conversations that change the narrative within an organization. The dominant understanding of organizations within the management literature draws on scientific thinking. Disruptive conversations as a concept, draws on complexity thinking and assumes that organizations are conversations. If we are going to transform organizations, we need to transform things we say and do on a daily basis. By disrupting the conversations within the organization we transform the way we work.

Organizations are social arrangements and we need to think of them like that. In this episode, I share some of my own insights on how we generate organizational change. Hope you enjoy.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/13087395Sun, 22 Oct 2017 10:55:03 +0000Keita DemmingCharles (Chuck) Mahron of the Strong Towns interviews me on this episode of Disruptive Conversations. In this episode, I open myself up to the audience for the first time thanks to some comments from listeners. A few listeners emailed and asked me to...
In this episode, I share for the first time, why I started the podcast and the concept behind Disruptive Conversations. In brief, Disruptive Conversations refer to conversations that change the narrative within an organization. The dominant understanding of organizations within the management literature draws on scientific thinking. Disruptive conversations as a concept, draws on complexity thinking and assumes that organizations are conversations. If we are going to transform organizations, we need to transform things we say and do on a daily basis. By disrupting the conversations within the organization we transform the way we work.

Organizations are social arrangements and we need to think of them like that. In this episode, I share some of my own insights on how we generate organizational change. Hope you enjoy.]]>3399change,complexity,learning,management,strategyclean1fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/ep-50-part-2-taming-complexity-lessons-from-a-horse-whisperer-a-disruptive-conversation-with-letizia-reato--13015242
Letizia Reato or Zia trains wild or feral horses. In this conversation, she demonstrates the complexity of addressing the problem of feral horses in the United States. As much as she loves horses, she understands that the solutions to these problems are full of paradoxes. She has come to understand that to save these horses she must take their freedom. Although she loves horses, she thinks that part of the solution could be that some horses would need to be euthanized while others can be put to work in practical ways.

Throughout this conversation, Zia explains the complex problem of feral horses in the United States. Her work sits at the intersection of these polarized groups. From her account, there approximately 49000 feral horses that are held holding pens. Some people want to manage the horse numbers by killing them, while animal lovers want to save all the horses. Zia thinks that both these approaches are part of the solution. She would love to save all the horses but thinks there are too many. One of the ideas she puts forward in our conversation is to rethink the ways in which these horses can be used throughout the United States. In her work, she trains horses so they can be used in a variety of ways. For example, feral horses could be used by police and other government agencies. Not only is her argument that we need to rethink what type of horses we use throughout the United States.

Zia hopes to reduce the number of horses in holding facilitates and my conversation with her was very informative. She is passionate about what she does and has an admirable passion for a unique problem in the world. Hope you enjoy this episode of Disruptive Conversation with Zia.

Zia’s website: http://www.speak-horse.com/

Healing with horses in Trinidad and Tobago: http://www.healing-with-horses.org/]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/13015242Sun, 15 Oct 2017 11:35:03 +0000Keita DemmingThis is part 2 of my conversation with Letizia Reato. Letizia Reato or Zia trains wild or feral horses. In this conversation, she demonstrates the complexity of addressing the problem of feral horses in the United States. As much as she loves...
Letizia Reato or Zia trains wild or feral horses. In this conversation, she demonstrates the complexity of addressing the problem of feral horses in the United States. As much as she loves horses, she understands that the solutions to these problems are full of paradoxes. She has come to understand that to save these horses she must take their freedom. Although she loves horses, she thinks that part of the solution could be that some horses would need to be euthanized while others can be put to work in practical ways.

Throughout this conversation, Zia explains the complex problem of feral horses in the United States. Her work sits at the intersection of these polarized groups. From her account, there approximately 49000 feral horses that are held holding pens. Some people want to manage the horse numbers by killing them, while animal lovers want to save all the horses. Zia thinks that both these approaches are part of the solution. She would love to save all the horses but thinks there are too many. One of the ideas she puts forward in our conversation is to rethink the ways in which these horses can be used throughout the United States. In her work, she trains horses so they can be used in a variety of ways. For example, feral horses could be used by police and other government agencies. Not only is her argument that we need to rethink what type of horses we use throughout the United States.

Zia hopes to reduce the number of horses in holding facilitates and my conversation with her was very informative. She is passionate about what she does and has an admirable passion for a unique problem in the world. Hope you enjoy this episode of Disruptive Conversation with Zia.

Zia’s website: http://www.speak-horse.com/

Healing with horses in Trinidad and Tobago: http://www.healing-with-horses.org/]]>1590animal,complexity,horses,love,strategyclean1fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/ep-50-part-1-taming-complexity-lessons-from-a-horse-whisperer-a-disruptive-conversation-with-letizia-reato--12987519
Throughout this conversation, Zia explains the complex problem of feral horses in the United States. Her work sits at the intersection of these polarized groups. From her account, there approximately 49000 feral horses that are held holding pens. Some people want to manage the horse numbers by killing them, while animal lovers want to save all the horses. Zia thinks that both these approaches are part of the solution. She would love to save all the horses, but thinks there are too many. One of the ideas she puts forward in our conversation is to rethink the ways in which these horses can be used throughout the United States. In her work, she trains horses so they can be used in a variety of ways. For example, feral horses could be used by police and other government agencies. Not only is her argument that we need to rethink what type of horses we use throughout the United States.

Zia hopes to reduce the number of horses in holding facilitates and my conversation with her was very informative. She is passionate about what she does and has an admirable passion for a unique problem in the world. Hope you enjoy this episode of Disruptive Conversation with Zia.


Zia’s website: http://www.speak-horse.com/
Healing with horses in Trinidad and Tobago: http://www.healing-with-horses.org/]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/12987519Sun, 08 Oct 2017 11:45:44 +0000Keita DemmingLetizia Reato or Zia trains wild or feral horses. In this conversation, she demonstrates the complexity of addressing the problem of feral horses in the United States. As much as she loves horses, she understands that the solutions to these problems...
Throughout this conversation, Zia explains the complex problem of feral horses in the United States. Her work sits at the intersection of these polarized groups. From her account, there approximately 49000 feral horses that are held holding pens. Some people want to manage the horse numbers by killing them, while animal lovers want to save all the horses. Zia thinks that both these approaches are part of the solution. She would love to save all the horses, but thinks there are too many. One of the ideas she puts forward in our conversation is to rethink the ways in which these horses can be used throughout the United States. In her work, she trains horses so they can be used in a variety of ways. For example, feral horses could be used by police and other government agencies. Not only is her argument that we need to rethink what type of horses we use throughout the United States.

Zia hopes to reduce the number of horses in holding facilitates and my conversation with her was very informative. She is passionate about what she does and has an admirable passion for a unique problem in the world. Hope you enjoy this episode of Disruptive Conversation with Zia.


Zia’s website: http://www.speak-horse.com/
Healing with horses in Trinidad and Tobago: http://www.healing-with-horses.org/]]>2052animal,complexity,horses,love,passionclean1fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/ep-49-disrupting-the-american-dream-a-disruptive-conversation-with-courtney-martin--12872757
In our disruptive conversation, we covered a variety of topics. The most salient conversations revolved around Courtney’s most recent book, The New Better Off: Reinventing the American Dream. The theme that most stood out for me in our conversation, is also the premise of her book. The American Dream is changing and as it changes people of all ages, races, and social classes experience a sense of discomfort and disruption. As should be expected when any longstanding, deeply held cultural norm begins to unravel we begin to redefine yesterdays normal. The American Dream is evolving into a new norm.

In our conversation, we both shared some of the struggles around finding space for intentional living. Courtney shared some of her strategies for trying to use her power as a way of creating power for others. A way of open doors for other people. I shared my own struggles with filtering out distractions in an increasingly connected world.

My powerful moment in our conversation was when Courtney said, “sometimes the most powerful thing white people can do is shut up.” The key word there is sometimes. My own interpretation of the point she was trying to make was that the first step in our journey to liberation should be learning to listen and then thinking about how we act. At a deeper level, it reminded me that we all need to learn from the those embedded in the context while simultaneously being genuinely open to disrupting our own preconceived notions of how things are, or how we think things are.

At the end of our conversation, I concluded that we were both struggling to live our truths in a complex world. There were many powerful moments in this episode, and I felt like our conversation could continue for a lifetime.

Before you listen here are my moments of insights:

Courtney’s favourite quote: “there isn’t anyone you couldn’t love. Once you heard their story. (Minute 45:07)
That moment when Courtney was very candid that her biggest struggle is being a working mother. (Minute 28:41)
When I learned that we both liked the same quote by Oliver Wendell Holmes – “I would not give a fig for the simplicity this side of complexity, but I would give my life for the simplicity on the other side of complexity.” (minute 43:32) Sign up for my newsletter or email me to learn more about the chasm of complexity. I am working on a piece explaining the chasm of complexity.
The bigger the team, the greater the chance you have of making a difference. (minute 40:03).
With complex problems, you can never really pick a winner, but you can make everyone smarter about the choices, they think are working and identifying where is not working. (minute 34:54)
For writers listening and reading this podcast, write what you know. Get out there and write.

Links mentioned in the podcast:

http://www.courtneyemartin.com/
https://www.solutionsjournalism.org/
http://www.freshspeakers.com/
http://www.valentimartin.com/]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/12872757Sun, 24 Sep 2017 00:53:24 +0000Keita DemmingCourtney Martin is an author, cultural critic and storyteller. She describes her publications as books she felt like she needed to read. Her articles for the Onbeing publication are also a breath of insight and fresh air. Within the context of...
In our disruptive conversation, we covered a variety of topics. The most salient conversations revolved around Courtney’s most recent book, The New Better Off: Reinventing the American Dream. The theme that most stood out for me in our conversation, is also the premise of her book. The American Dream is changing and as it changes people of all ages, races, and social classes experience a sense of discomfort and disruption. As should be expected when any longstanding, deeply held cultural norm begins to unravel we begin to redefine yesterdays normal. The American Dream is evolving into a new norm.

In our conversation, we both shared some of the struggles around finding space for intentional living. Courtney shared some of her strategies for trying to use her power as a way of creating power for others. A way of open doors for other people. I shared my own struggles with filtering out distractions in an increasingly connected world.

My powerful moment in our conversation was when Courtney said, “sometimes the most powerful thing white people can do is shut up.” The key word there is sometimes. My own interpretation of the point she was trying to make was that the first step in our journey to liberation should be learning to listen and then thinking about how we act. At a deeper level, it reminded me that we all need to learn from the those embedded in the context while simultaneously being genuinely open to disrupting our own preconceived notions of how things are, or how we think things are.

At the end of our conversation, I concluded that we were both struggling to live our truths in a complex world. There were many powerful moments in this episode, and I felt like our conversation could continue for a lifetime.

Before you listen here are my moments of insights:

Courtney’s favourite quote: “there isn’t anyone you couldn’t love. Once you heard their story. (Minute 45:07)
That moment when Courtney was very candid that her biggest struggle is being a working mother. (Minute 28:41)
When I learned that we both liked the same quote by Oliver Wendell Holmes – “I would not give a fig for the simplicity this side of complexity, but I would give my life for the simplicity on the other side of complexity.” (minute 43:32) Sign up for my newsletter or email me to learn more about the chasm of complexity. I am working on a piece explaining the chasm of complexity.
The bigger the team, the greater the chance you have of making a difference. (minute 40:03).
With complex problems, you can never really pick a winner, but you can make everyone smarter about the choices, they think are working and identifying where is not working. (minute 34:54)
For writers listening and reading this podcast, write what you know. Get out there and write.

Links mentioned in the podcast:

http://www.courtneyemartin.com/
https://www.solutionsjournalism.org/
http://www.freshspeakers.com/
http://www.valentimartin.com/]]>2879culture,feminism,inequality,journalism,transformationclean1fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/ep-48-disrupt-by-knowing-your-market-inside-out-a-disruptive-conversation-with-sheeza-shah--12822817
Sheeza is leveraging technology to provide support for social enterprises. As a Muslim woman she finds that her faith grounds her in her work. She attributes her faith to her desire to prioritize creating value for people before creating value for herself. Sheeza is very critical of companies who claim to be doing good, but do not have the metrics to back that up. What she looks for in the companies she supports is what data are they using to know that they are changing the world. The look at the
1.The strength of the entrepreneur and their team.
2.The impact metrics they are using
3.What is their business model
Companies that do not meet these criteria do not make it on to the platform. She wants to ensure that these companies are in the best position to succeed. One of the key things she emphasizes is that no one should be able to beat you in terms of knowledge in the business you are building. Entrepreneurs need to understand their clients and build their business around that understanding. Their habits, the problems they face, and the needs they have.

Her goal is to inspire and support entrepreneurs in their goal to come forward with solutions and to take those ideas to market so they can disrupt these various marketplaces. Building a company is not easy. Sheeza points out that although she has experienced many failures she sees these failures are learning opportunities. For her knowing that it is okay to restart your business model has been an important lesion for her.

Links in the podcast:
https://www.theupeffect.com/
https://twitter.com/theupeffect/
https://twitter.com/Sheezaahmad
https://www.samasource.org/team]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/12822817Sun, 17 Sep 2017 15:25:52 +0000Keita DemmingSheeza Shah goal is to improve lives and improve the environment. She founded a crowdfunding company called UpEffect. UpEffect works to support sustainable, high impact revolutionary products that are making a difference in people's lives. Her...
Sheeza is leveraging technology to provide support for social enterprises. As a Muslim woman she finds that her faith grounds her in her work. She attributes her faith to her desire to prioritize creating value for people before creating value for herself. Sheeza is very critical of companies who claim to be doing good, but do not have the metrics to back that up. What she looks for in the companies she supports is what data are they using to know that they are changing the world. The look at the
1.The strength of the entrepreneur and their team.
2.The impact metrics they are using
3.What is their business model
Companies that do not meet these criteria do not make it on to the platform. She wants to ensure that these companies are in the best position to succeed. One of the key things she emphasizes is that no one should be able to beat you in terms of knowledge in the business you are building. Entrepreneurs need to understand their clients and build their business around that understanding. Their habits, the problems they face, and the needs they have.

Her goal is to inspire and support entrepreneurs in their goal to come forward with solutions and to take those ideas to market so they can disrupt these various marketplaces. Building a company is not easy. Sheeza points out that although she has experienced many failures she sees these failures are learning opportunities. For her knowing that it is okay to restart your business model has been an important lesion for her.

Links in the podcast:
https://www.theupeffect.com/
https://twitter.com/theupeffect/
https://twitter.com/Sheezaahmad
https://www.samasource.org/team]]>2084crowdfunding,crowdsouce,entrepreneurship,impact,impactfundingclean1fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/ep-47-is-authenticity-a-principle-of-being-disruptive-a-disruptive-conversation-with-ritu-bhasin--12766961
Ritu’s story is powerful. She started her career as lawyer, but found that her lack of being able to be authentic in that space made her profoundly unhappy. In her forthcoming book, she describes how as human beings, we crave belonging. We long to be part of communities. In our quest to belong to communities, we conform to what we think society the world would like us to be which is hard work. What she proposes, is a radical commitment to authenticity. She is challenging the world to be authentic in as many moments as possible.

In the episode, we talk about how her notion of the authenticity principle might be received in the business world. We talk about how some people may see it as flaky but for Ritu, it is an integral part transforming the business world. She is committed to building a world where people feel safe enough to bring their authentic selves into whatever space there are participating in. She asks the question:
•How do we create a world where we can embrace not only who we are as individuals but encourage other people around us to bring their differences to bear?

The answer to that question is complicated and we explore it more in the show, but part of the answer is that our world pushes conformity. As a result, when peoples emotional and physical energy is spent confirming, they are not fully engaged in their work. As a result, people are disenfranchised, disempowered, disconnected and disengaged from sections of our society where they could make a greater contribution if they were allowed to show up as their authentic selves.

If I were to distill the main message of this podcast episode, it would be around Ritu’s three selves model. She argues that each of us has three selves:
•The Authentic Self
•The Performing Self
•The Adaptive Self.

The authentic self is who you really are. The person that you would be in the world if you felt there were no consequences for being authentically you. Then there is the performing self. This is the mask we project into the world. The self we think we need to be if we are to move forward in the world. Finally, there is the adapted self. This is middle ground, the self who consciously chooses to adapt their authentic self to meet the needs of society. Her point is that you do not need to choose between being completely authentic and completely inauthentic, but there is a middle ground that can help you thrive in a world that encourages conformity. For more on her three selves model I would listen to the podcast and dive into her book.

Finally, Ritu has two pieces of advice for anyone who wishes to disrupt a sector or system.
•Be authentic. Be the change you wish to see in the world.
•Be relentless. Know that change is slow hard work, but never give up. Embrace the inner Jack Russell in you in you and be relentless.
Hope you enjoy this episode.

Links mentioned in the podcasts:
https://ritubhasin.com/
https://twitter.com/Ritu_Bhasin]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/12766961Sun, 10 Sep 2017 14:34:52 +0000Keita DemmingRitu Bhasin is on a mission to create a more empowered and inclusive world. As an inclusion professional, advisor, public speaker, and now author. She works with senior leaders from around the world to help them improve their approaches to talent...
Ritu’s story is powerful. She started her career as lawyer, but found that her lack of being able to be authentic in that space made her profoundly unhappy. In her forthcoming book, she describes how as human beings, we crave belonging. We long to be part of communities. In our quest to belong to communities, we conform to what we think society the world would like us to be which is hard work. What she proposes, is a radical commitment to authenticity. She is challenging the world to be authentic in as many moments as possible.

In the episode, we talk about how her notion of the authenticity principle might be received in the business world. We talk about how some people may see it as flaky but for Ritu, it is an integral part transforming the business world. She is committed to building a world where people feel safe enough to bring their authentic selves into whatever space there are participating in. She asks the question:
•How do we create a world where we can embrace not only who we are as individuals but encourage other people around us to bring their differences to bear?

The answer to that question is complicated and we explore it more in the show, but part of the answer is that our world pushes conformity. As a result, when peoples emotional and physical energy is spent confirming, they are not fully engaged in their work. As a result, people are disenfranchised, disempowered, disconnected and disengaged from sections of our society where they could make a greater contribution if they were allowed to show up as their authentic selves.

If I were to distill the main message of this podcast episode, it would be around Ritu’s three selves model. She argues that each of us has three selves:
•The Authentic Self
•The Performing Self
•The Adaptive Self.

The authentic self is who you really are. The person that you would be in the world if you felt there were no consequences for being authentically you. Then there is the performing self. This is the mask we project into the world. The self we think we need to be if we are to move forward in the world. Finally, there is the adapted self. This is middle ground, the self who consciously chooses to adapt their authentic self to meet the needs of society. Her point is that you do not need to choose between being completely authentic and completely inauthentic, but there is a middle ground that can help you thrive in a world that encourages conformity. For more on her three selves model I would listen to the podcast and dive into her book.

Finally, Ritu has two pieces of advice for anyone who wishes to disrupt a sector or system.
•Be authentic. Be the change you wish to see in the world.
•Be relentless. Know that change is slow hard work, but never give up. Embrace the inner Jack Russell in you in you and be relentless.
Hope you enjoy this episode.

Links mentioned in the podcasts:
https://ritubhasin.com/
https://twitter.com/Ritu_Bhasin]]>2165authenticity,diversity,leadership,management,talentclean1fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/ep-46-think-big-start-small-and-work-together-a-disruptive-conversation-with-nick-scott--12716392
Nick and I explore how we are learning more about innovation within in big bureaucratic organizations. He makes that point that innovation is changing and that the cost of not innovating is too high for us not be boldly creating the conditions that foster innovation.

He argues that if innovation is  to be successful in the public sector, it will need to improving the currency of trust with citizens. His goal is to change the quality of the relationships between governments and citizens so we can improve overall quality of life. He explains that innovation does not occur within organization or institution but as a result of the flow of information across and between organizations. There is no one organization that has the capacity to respond any of these complex challenges alone. There needs to be a change in culture and teams need to operate in a way that reflects the way you want the organization to work. We need to collaborate generously and share more innovation. The more we share innovation, the more value we can create. Change comes through hard work and reflection and it may take some time, but we are the ones who need to do the work.

Hope you enjoy this wonderfully thoughtful episode.

Note: Open Government is based on three principles - participation, transparency, and collaboration.

Links mentioned in the podcast:

Selling social change: https://ssir.org/articles/entry/selling_social_change

Wheeling in the Trojan Mice: https://ssir.org/articles/entry/wheeling_in_the_trojan_mice

In praise of maintenance: http://freakonomics.com/podcast/in-praise-of-maintenance-2/

Link to Beith Noveck: http://www.thegovlab.org/beth-noveck.html ]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/12716392Sun, 03 Sep 2017 11:53:51 +0000Keita DemmingIn this thoughtful episode, I speak with Nick Scott the Director of Open Government and Innovation in New Brunswick, Canada. In this episode, referencing Zaid Hassan, Nick makes the point that the original sin of complex challenges is the belief that...
Nick and I explore how we are learning more about innovation within in big bureaucratic organizations. He makes that point that innovation is changing and that the cost of not innovating is too high for us not be boldly creating the conditions that foster innovation.

He argues that if innovation is  to be successful in the public sector, it will need to improving the currency of trust with citizens. His goal is to change the quality of the relationships between governments and citizens so we can improve overall quality of life. He explains that innovation does not occur within organization or institution but as a result of the flow of information across and between organizations. There is no one organization that has the capacity to respond any of these complex challenges alone. There needs to be a change in culture and teams need to operate in a way that reflects the way you want the organization to work. We need to collaborate generously and share more innovation. The more we share innovation, the more value we can create. Change comes through hard work and reflection and it may take some time, but we are the ones who need to do the work.

Hope you enjoy this wonderfully thoughtful episode.

Note: Open Government is based on three principles - participation, transparency, and collaboration.

Links mentioned in the podcast:

Selling social change: https://ssir.org/articles/entry/selling_social_change

Wheeling in the Trojan Mice: https://ssir.org/articles/entry/wheeling_in_the_trojan_mice

In praise of maintenance: http://freakonomics.com/podcast/in-praise-of-maintenance-2/

Link to Beith Noveck: http://www.thegovlab.org/beth-noveck.html ]]>2508government,innovation,open,public,sectorclean1fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/ep-45-can-we-avoid-going-to-the-last-resource-first-a-disruptive-conversation-with-huda-idrees--12663859
Today, Huda is a taking a bold step to redefine healthcare in Canada. She is the founder of Dot Health and she is making a big bet that Toronto has the best preexisting conditions to demonstrate to the world a radically new approach to integrative healthcare. You will need to listen to the episode to learn more about her big bet by listening to the episode.

This is a wonderfully insightful disruptive conversation with an entrepreneur who is daring to radically improve Canada’s healthcare system. She is daring to build the tools that contribute to ensuring that people get better care in a short time period. She is working to help citizens can be in control of managing their own health and the own data.

In this conversation, we touch on many things like from informal care to data hording. Hope you enjoy this disruptive conversation with Huda Idrees as she shares her thinking on how she plans to unleashes the latent potential within the healthcare.


You can find Huda at the link below:
http://www.hudaidrees.com/

Links mentioned in the podcast:
Cheryl Rose - http://www.sigeneration.ca/disruptive-conversations/
Elon Musk: https://www.ted.com/talks/elon_musk_the_future_we_re_building_and_boring]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/12663859Sun, 27 Aug 2017 16:20:21 +0000Keita DemmingHuda Idrees describes herself as a writer, entrepreneur, engineer and product designer. In this episode, Huda describes how path to entrepreneurship started when she was twelve years old. In the story she shares, she describes how this early...
Today, Huda is a taking a bold step to redefine healthcare in Canada. She is the founder of Dot Health and she is making a big bet that Toronto has the best preexisting conditions to demonstrate to the world a radically new approach to integrative healthcare. You will need to listen to the episode to learn more about her big bet by listening to the episode.

This is a wonderfully insightful disruptive conversation with an entrepreneur who is daring to radically improve Canada’s healthcare system. She is daring to build the tools that contribute to ensuring that people get better care in a short time period. She is working to help citizens can be in control of managing their own health and the own data.

In this conversation, we touch on many things like from informal care to data hording. Hope you enjoy this disruptive conversation with Huda Idrees as she shares her thinking on how she plans to unleashes the latent potential within the healthcare.


You can find Huda at the link below:
http://www.hudaidrees.com/

Links mentioned in the podcast:
Cheryl Rose - http://www.sigeneration.ca/disruptive-conversations/
Elon Musk: https://www.ted.com/talks/elon_musk_the_future_we_re_building_and_boring]]>2320engineer,entrepreneur,healthcare,programming,technologyclean1fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/ep-44-how-do-we-scale-and-improve-decision-making-a-disruptive-conversation-with-john-richardson--12613090•How do we improve large group decision making?
•How do we improve governance?

In this episode, John argues that although many of us rightly assume technology will help us address many of the most challenge issues of our time, there is another powerful approach that will also play a role in addressing these complex problems. He argues that many of our problems are decision-making problems. He and is team have built Ethelo to help the world improve the way we make group decisions.

In our conversation, John makes the wonderfully insightful point that many people focus on outcomes rather than the intention which they bring to bear on their work. He makes the case that by focusing on the quality of the effort you bring to bear on the problem you are building your resilience around managing the unanticipated things that will emerge. For him, paying attention to what might happen can really limit your potential.

If John and his team are able to disrupt the way make decision, it could really redefine the kinds of outcomes we see in the world.

Links in the podcast:
http://ethelo.com/]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/12613090Sun, 20 Aug 2017 18:27:23 +0000Keita DemmingJohn Richardson is a very bold entrepreneur. John is working to disrupt or rethink decision-making. He is building technology, Ethelo, that helps large groups improve the way they make decisions. At the heart of his work, he is asking two key...•How do we improve large group decision making?
•How do we improve governance?

In this episode, John argues that although many of us rightly assume technology will help us address many of the most challenge issues of our time, there is another powerful approach that will also play a role in addressing these complex problems. He argues that many of our problems are decision-making problems. He and is team have built Ethelo to help the world improve the way we make group decisions.

In our conversation, John makes the wonderfully insightful point that many people focus on outcomes rather than the intention which they bring to bear on their work. He makes the case that by focusing on the quality of the effort you bring to bear on the problem you are building your resilience around managing the unanticipated things that will emerge. For him, paying attention to what might happen can really limit your potential.

If John and his team are able to disrupt the way make decision, it could really redefine the kinds of outcomes we see in the world.

Links in the podcast:
http://ethelo.com/]]>2102decisions,democracy,environment,ethelo,wisdomclean1fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/ep-43-the-future-is-financed-and-implemented-by-the-present-a-disruptive-conversation-with-daniel-egger--12562210
Daniel has a slightly different take on how we generate innovation. For him, innovation, foresight and strategy should start from the perspective of human emotions. One of his most interesting arguments, revealed in this episode, is that change comes with opposition, but this despite this opposition, it is also an opportunity.

One of the many insights to take away from that episode is that a human-centred approach means that we need to remember that people values are in a constant state of change. If you are trying to launch a product in a two or three years, we need to pay attention to how consumers values may change while we are building and launching the new product.

Additionally, Daniel argues that humans will always have emotions that transcend age, gender and race. Over time, it is important to focus on people and their perspectives. In taking a human-centered approach to disruption and innovation, it is helpful to focus on all dimensions of clients’ life and the things that influence their emotional states.

Going blindly into the future leaves organizations vulnerable to disruptions rather than being resilient to the changes that are going to come. Daniel has very refreshing perspectives of disruption and innovation that we unpack in this episode of Disruptive Conversations.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/12562210Sun, 13 Aug 2017 11:00:04 +0000Keita DemmingIn this episode, Daniel Egger and I discuss how many organization want to disrupt because they have not sufficiently prepared for the future. Daniel is a Human Centered Disruptive Innovation consultant and is the author of the book Future Value...
Daniel has a slightly different take on how we generate innovation. For him, innovation, foresight and strategy should start from the perspective of human emotions. One of his most interesting arguments, revealed in this episode, is that change comes with opposition, but this despite this opposition, it is also an opportunity.

One of the many insights to take away from that episode is that a human-centred approach means that we need to remember that people values are in a constant state of change. If you are trying to launch a product in a two or three years, we need to pay attention to how consumers values may change while we are building and launching the new product.

Additionally, Daniel argues that humans will always have emotions that transcend age, gender and race. Over time, it is important to focus on people and their perspectives. In taking a human-centered approach to disruption and innovation, it is helpful to focus on all dimensions of clients’ life and the things that influence their emotional states.

Going blindly into the future leaves organizations vulnerable to disruptions rather than being resilient to the changes that are going to come. Daniel has very refreshing perspectives of disruption and innovation that we unpack in this episode of Disruptive Conversations.]]>2698design,disruption,foresight,innovation,strategyclean1fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/ep-42-what-does-it-mean-to-be-anti-silver-bullet-a-disruptive-conversation-with-amanda-hachey--12407882
She is working to help people see problems form many different perspectives. Quoting Peter Senge, she remind us that we have a tendency to see the system from our perspective. Much of her work is about helping people look at problems form a different perspective. She is working to help a city rethink how the solve problems. As a way of helping people rethink their perspective two powerful questions emerged.

•What is the work that you trying to do?
•What is the work you are doing?

Perhaps my favorite thing about this episode is Amanda’s favorite word Lagom. Lagom is the Swedish word for “just the right amount.” We did not talk about it much in the show, but it is such a powerful concept. Another powerful concept in this episode was Amanda’s favorite quote was by Anne Frank.

“How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world.”

In reflecting on this Anne Frank’s quote, we are reminded that there are no magic bullets and that this work is about learning together.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/12407882Sun, 06 Aug 2017 06:00:15 +0000Keita DemmingFor many people who grow up in small towns, it is almost a race to try to get out and move to a big city. For Amanda, her experiences abroad gave her insight into the tremendous potential that New Brunswick had to offer. She is the Director at NouLAB...
She is working to help people see problems form many different perspectives. Quoting Peter Senge, she remind us that we have a tendency to see the system from our perspective. Much of her work is about helping people look at problems form a different perspective. She is working to help a city rethink how the solve problems. As a way of helping people rethink their perspective two powerful questions emerged.

•What is the work that you trying to do?
•What is the work you are doing?

Perhaps my favorite thing about this episode is Amanda’s favorite word Lagom. Lagom is the Swedish word for “just the right amount.” We did not talk about it much in the show, but it is such a powerful concept. Another powerful concept in this episode was Amanda’s favorite quote was by Anne Frank.

“How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world.”

In reflecting on this Anne Frank’s quote, we are reminded that there are no magic bullets and that this work is about learning together.]]>2344cities,labs,placemaking,policy,strategyclean1fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/part-2-ep-41-no-more-faster-horses-focus-on-changing-the-culture-a-disruptive-conversation-with-chuck-marohn--12401702
In the first episode, we talk about how change should come from neighborhood disruptors and not bureaucrats. In this conversation, we dive deeper into how we involve the average citizen in the building the world they want to live in. We do not have create or invent many new things. Many of the solutions to our problems are already in the system, but we are blinded by their desire for what we already know. Henry Ford famously said, “if I had asked people what they wanted, they would have said faster horses.” In this conversation, we build on this by exploring how and why people ask for faster horses. A lot of it, is core to Chucks work. For example, if we slow down traffic, people get to their destinations faster. This counter intuitive notion is part of the faster horse’s metaphor because people’s paradigms and understandings of the world assume that going faster will give us the outcome we desire.

For Chuck and his colleagues, their goal is to work them self out of jobs.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/12401702Sun, 30 Jul 2017 11:40:16 +0000Keita DemmingIn part two of my conversation with Chuck Marohn we diver deeper into how he and his team are building a movement of one million people who care. We even explore a very interesting concept called temporal discounting, where we highly value things that...
In the first episode, we talk about how change should come from neighborhood disruptors and not bureaucrats. In this conversation, we dive deeper into how we involve the average citizen in the building the world they want to live in. We do not have create or invent many new things. Many of the solutions to our problems are already in the system, but we are blinded by their desire for what we already know. Henry Ford famously said, “if I had asked people what they wanted, they would have said faster horses.” In this conversation, we build on this by exploring how and why people ask for faster horses. A lot of it, is core to Chucks work. For example, if we slow down traffic, people get to their destinations faster. This counter intuitive notion is part of the faster horse’s metaphor because people’s paradigms and understandings of the world assume that going faster will give us the outcome we desire.

For Chuck and his colleagues, their goal is to work them self out of jobs.]]>2262architect,city,engineer,planners,trafficclean1fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/ep-41-no-more-faster-horses-focus-on-changing-the-culture-a-disruptive-conversation-with-chuck-marohn--12401661•Strong cities, towns and neighborhoods cannot happen without strong citizens (people who care).
•Local government is a platform for strong citizens to collaboratively build a prosperous place.
•Financial solvency is a prerequisite for long term prosperity.
•Land is the base resource from which community prosperity is built and sustained. It must not be squandered.
•A transportation system is a means of creating prosperity in a community, not an end unto itself.
•Job creation and economic growth are the results of a healthy local economy, not substitutes for on
In this conversation with Chuck we explore his journey in building a movement around the concept of Strong Towns. In this episode, he shares many lessons he has learned along the way and it is full of lots of insight. A few major questions stood out for me:
•How do you become someone who has less answers and more questions?
•How do we acknowledge that everyone has imperfections?
•How do we learn to change shared relationship approach to how we build cities?

One of the telling changes that stood out for me was that there are things we take as normal, that were once considered to be absurd ideas. Chuck describes how the notion that people living in the city would one day live in corn fields that were only accessible by cars, it would have been thought to be a crazy idea. Yet, that is what America has built. We call it the suburbs and there are body of assumptions that make living in the suburb inaccessible for poor people. This is just one example of how we can rethink the way we build villages and cities that work for more people.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/12401661Fri, 21 Jul 2017 11:30:06 +0000Keita DemmingIn part one of this very deep conversation with Charles (Chuck) Marohn, we explore his the deep insight has had from is media outlet Strong Town. Strong Town’s mission is to support a model of development that allows America’s cities, towns and...•Strong cities, towns and neighborhoods cannot happen without strong citizens (people who care).
•Local government is a platform for strong citizens to collaboratively build a prosperous place.
•Financial solvency is a prerequisite for long term prosperity.
•Land is the base resource from which community prosperity is built and sustained. It must not be squandered.
•A transportation system is a means of creating prosperity in a community, not an end unto itself.
•Job creation and economic growth are the results of a healthy local economy, not substitutes for on
In this conversation with Chuck we explore his journey in building a movement around the concept of Strong Towns. In this episode, he shares many lessons he has learned along the way and it is full of lots of insight. A few major questions stood out for me:
•How do you become someone who has less answers and more questions?
•How do we acknowledge that everyone has imperfections?
•How do we learn to change shared relationship approach to how we build cities?

One of the telling changes that stood out for me was that there are things we take as normal, that were once considered to be absurd ideas. Chuck describes how the notion that people living in the city would one day live in corn fields that were only accessible by cars, it would have been thought to be a crazy idea. Yet, that is what America has built. We call it the suburbs and there are body of assumptions that make living in the suburb inaccessible for poor people. This is just one example of how we can rethink the way we build villages and cities that work for more people.]]>1813architects,city,engineers,infrastructure,plannersclean1fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/ep-40-to-be-disruptive-build-bridges-to-the-industry-a-disruptive-conversations-with-tim-attia--12367759
In the second half of the podcast, Tim shares his theory on how you disrupt a sector or system. His theory involves three steps. First disrupt in open field. Instead of competing with incumbents do what others are no willing to do. Second, start with a blank slate. Do not rely on previous ways of doing things to do something different. Reimagine the model to meet the new model you are building. Finally, reimagine the experience of the user to be as simple and seamless as possible]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/12367759Mon, 17 Jul 2017 00:41:06 +0000Keita DemmingWithin the rise of the shared economy, there is increasing need for an approach to insurance that meets these emerging ways of working. Tim Attia and his colleagues have built a product for the shared economy. In this episode, we discuss how they...
In the second half of the podcast, Tim shares his theory on how you disrupt a sector or system. His theory involves three steps. First disrupt in open field. Instead of competing with incumbents do what others are no willing to do. Second, start with a blank slate. Do not rely on previous ways of doing things to do something different. Reimagine the model to meet the new model you are building. Finally, reimagine the experience of the user to be as simple and seamless as possible]]>2624business,economy,finance,insurance,investmentsclean1fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/ep-39-to-have-what-you-have-never-had-do-what-you-have-never-done-a-disruptive-conversation-with-sharon-avery--12315268
When we began to talk about having Disruptive Conversations, we discuss the challenge of getting your colleagues to work differently. Many of us have the experience of going to training or a workshop that inspires us to try new things at work. For most of us implementing these new ideas in our workplace can be a struggle. Throughout the show we talk about how her career has been peppered with challenging established norms to produce tangible outcomes.

At Toronto Foundation, her new challenge is thinking about how she can bring innovative thinking to the organization. In this episode, she shares how she has learned to that by simplifying the message, focusing on learning and limiting choices she was able to get more engagement. From the interview, you can tell that Sharon is bold with her ideas, intentional and collaborative in the way she works. In being disruptive, she likes to bring people along with her on the journey. Before bringing ideas to life, she engages in a lot of inquiry before she dives into her initiatives. For her, it is important to take the time to find ready partners.

Although she is new to her position, Sharon has an opportunity to disrupt affluence and unearth philanthropic dollars in new ways. It will be exciting to see Sharon develop in her role and I look forward to seeing how Toronto Foundations develops in the next few years.



Links in the podcast:

Toronto Foundation website: https://torontofoundation.ca/

Toronto Foundation on Twitter: https://twitter.com/TorontoFdn

Follow Sharon Avery on Twitter: https://twitter.com/s2avery]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/12315268Sun, 09 Jul 2017 16:50:37 +0000Keita DemmingIn this podcast episode, I talk with Sharon Avery the CEO of Toronto Foundation. Sharon is excited about being at the heart of philanthropy. In the show we talk about how she got into philanthropy. She tells the story of headed off to university...
When we began to talk about having Disruptive Conversations, we discuss the challenge of getting your colleagues to work differently. Many of us have the experience of going to training or a workshop that inspires us to try new things at work. For most of us implementing these new ideas in our workplace can be a struggle. Throughout the show we talk about how her career has been peppered with challenging established norms to produce tangible outcomes.

At Toronto Foundation, her new challenge is thinking about how she can bring innovative thinking to the organization. In this episode, she shares how she has learned to that by simplifying the message, focusing on learning and limiting choices she was able to get more engagement. From the interview, you can tell that Sharon is bold with her ideas, intentional and collaborative in the way she works. In being disruptive, she likes to bring people along with her on the journey. Before bringing ideas to life, she engages in a lot of inquiry before she dives into her initiatives. For her, it is important to take the time to find ready partners.

Although she is new to her position, Sharon has an opportunity to disrupt affluence and unearth philanthropic dollars in new ways. It will be exciting to see Sharon develop in her role and I look forward to seeing how Toronto Foundations develops in the next few years.



Links in the podcast:

Toronto Foundation website: https://torontofoundation.ca/

Toronto Foundation on Twitter: https://twitter.com/TorontoFdn

Follow Sharon Avery on Twitter: https://twitter.com/s2avery]]>2854community,foundations,leadership,philanthrophy,socialchangeclean1fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/ep-38-is-compassion-and-empathy-at-the-heart-of-ideological-change-a-disruptive-conversation-with-christian-picciolini--12267824
After the interview with Christian, three things stood out for me. Christian explains that we are all born with compassion and somewhere along our journey some of us lose that. The second thing that stood out for me, Christian described his favourite quote as being “find a way or make one”. The third came when I asked him what was his guiding compass and he responded, treat others better than we want to be treated. These moments in the show are a testament to people’s capacity to change. When the former leader of a neo-Nazi group speaks with great optimism and hope or uses words like empathy and compassion, it demonstrates just how much people can change.

Christian has written a book, Romantic Violence: Memoirs of an American Skinhead and has cofounded a nonprofit called Life After Hate. The nonprofit is wholly run by former extremists who work with members of white power extremist groups to help them transition away from these hate groups. Their approach is to two-pronged. First, they are all former members of these extremist groups. Second, they take an approach of listening first. They do not to try to talk about ideology. The thinking behind their approach is that most people join these groups because they are insecure, lonely or marginalised I some way. They address those needs first, and in addressing those primary needs, they can then begin to address different ideologies.

Later in the show, Christian tells a powerful story of how he introduces a man who hates Muslims to an Imam. In their first meeting they have a three-hour conversation and have continued to meet up regularly. Christian has disruptive conversations every day and the story of how this former leader of a neo-Nazi group became an advocate for peace and diversity is a powerful testament to people’s capacity for change.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/12267824Sun, 02 Jul 2017 15:17:26 +0000Keita DemmingThis episode explores how the leader of America’s deadliest neo-Nazi gang, Christian Picciolini, became the co-founder of a nonprofit, Life After Hate. His nonprofit is dedicated to peace, inclusion, and racial diversity. In this show, we talk about...
After the interview with Christian, three things stood out for me. Christian explains that we are all born with compassion and somewhere along our journey some of us lose that. The second thing that stood out for me, Christian described his favourite quote as being “find a way or make one”. The third came when I asked him what was his guiding compass and he responded, treat others better than we want to be treated. These moments in the show are a testament to people’s capacity to change. When the former leader of a neo-Nazi group speaks with great optimism and hope or uses words like empathy and compassion, it demonstrates just how much people can change.

Christian has written a book, Romantic Violence: Memoirs of an American Skinhead and has cofounded a nonprofit called Life After Hate. The nonprofit is wholly run by former extremists who work with members of white power extremist groups to help them transition away from these hate groups. Their approach is to two-pronged. First, they are all former members of these extremist groups. Second, they take an approach of listening first. They do not to try to talk about ideology. The thinking behind their approach is that most people join these groups because they are insecure, lonely or marginalised I some way. They address those needs first, and in addressing those primary needs, they can then begin to address different ideologies.

Later in the show, Christian tells a powerful story of how he introduces a man who hates Muslims to an Imam. In their first meeting they have a three-hour conversation and have continued to meet up regularly. Christian has disruptive conversations every day and the story of how this former leader of a neo-Nazi group became an advocate for peace and diversity is a powerful testament to people’s capacity for change.]]>1675change,compassion,empathy,extremist,terrorismclean1fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/ep-37-stop-driving-with-your-emergency-brakes-on-a-disruptive-conversation-with-jeff-leitner--12208696
For Jeff and his colleagues, the key to the scale is social norms. They break the scale down into six notes:

Actors - people related to the problem. People who have a first or second-degree relationship to the problem.
History - all the stories people tell about the problem
Limits - formal rules related to a problem.
Future - our presumptions about how the problem will unfold.
Configuration - how the elements of the problem are arranged
Parthood - every problem is part of larger more complex problems.

Jeff and his colleagues argue that through these six notes, you can play any song in norms. In their approach, they identify and infuse deviance into systems rather than trying to reduce problems into identifiable projects. Jeff and is team are trying to disrupt how we address a complex problem.

He and his team, really struggle with getting people away from inspiration and into the zone of problem-solving. For them, we have an inspiration crisis. They hold the view that most people are stopping short, at Design Thinking and inspiration. He acknowledges that people are doing the best they can with the tools they have been given. He and his team are working to change the story or tell a better story.

Jeff has found that often in his work, he is often pushing people to think well beyond where they think they can. He argues that the best thinking happens when you move four dials.

Passion - turn it down to low.
Focus - turn it low and look for patterns versus details.
Presumption - turn it down. Presumption refers to all the assumptions you bring into the work.
Agency - you need to believe that you are the only person in the world that can solve this problem.
Links relative to the podcast: 

The Greenhouse Model: https://www.amazon.com/dp/0692888055

SDG's in ranked order: http://ghouse.org/2016/06/15/social-stability-model/]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/12208696Sun, 25 Jun 2017 11:40:47 +0000Keita DemmingIn the same way that some people might dismantle a washing machine, Jeff dismantles social systems. He describes himself has having a pathology for dismantling social systems. Jeff argues that social norms, the unwritten rules of how people behave,...
For Jeff and his colleagues, the key to the scale is social norms. They break the scale down into six notes:

Actors - people related to the problem. People who have a first or second-degree relationship to the problem.
History - all the stories people tell about the problem
Limits - formal rules related to a problem.
Future - our presumptions about how the problem will unfold.
Configuration - how the elements of the problem are arranged
Parthood - every problem is part of larger more complex problems.

Jeff and his colleagues argue that through these six notes, you can play any song in norms. In their approach, they identify and infuse deviance into systems rather than trying to reduce problems into identifiable projects. Jeff and is team are trying to disrupt how we address a complex problem.

He and his team, really struggle with getting people away from inspiration and into the zone of problem-solving. For them, we have an inspiration crisis. They hold the view that most people are stopping short, at Design Thinking and inspiration. He acknowledges that people are doing the best they can with the tools they have been given. He and his team are working to change the story or tell a better story.

Jeff has found that often in his work, he is often pushing people to think well beyond where they think they can. He argues that the best thinking happens when you move four dials.

Passion - turn it down to low.
Focus - turn it low and look for patterns versus details.
Presumption - turn it down. Presumption refers to all the assumptions you bring into the work.
Agency - you need to believe that you are the only person in the world that can solve this problem.
Links relative to the podcast: 

The Greenhouse Model: https://www.amazon.com/dp/0692888055

SDG's in ranked order: http://ghouse.org/2016/06/15/social-stability-model/]]>2408business,change,deviance,disruption,greenhouseclean1fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/ep-36-walking-the-path-with-your-enemy-a-disruptive-conversation-with-zak-ebrahim--12147189
In his TEDTalk titled, I am the son of a terrorist, here’s how I chose peace, Zak Ebrahim outlines his experience growing up with a father who taught him to hate.  His book, The Terrorist's Son: A Story of Choice takes a deeper dive into his story of becoming a peace activist. In this Disruptive Conversation, Zak and I explore several powerful lessons he has learned along his journey. He places considerable currency on the need for perseverance. In this conversation, he argues that it is an important part of the journey in learning to have a conversation with people who do not share your perspective.

In our conversation, he talks about how few of us think about the many ways that extremism affects the families of the extremist. Much emphasis is placed on the family of victims but rarely do we thinking about the children of terrorist and how they are affected when their parents are arrested. For Zak, he found growing up with a father who espoused views of hate to be confusing. He was taught to think that people who did not share these extremist views were evil. In the show, we have a very interesting conversation about the similarities between alt-right movements and extremist Islamic movements.

Zak hopes that his work can one influence how we think about American foreign policy and continues to work as a peace activist.

Links referenced in the podcast:

Follow Zak’s work on his website: http://www.zakebrahim.com/

Zak’s book, , The Terrorist's Son: A Story of Choice https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/1476784809/?tag=teco05-20

Zak’s TEDTalk: The Terrorist's Son: A Story of Choice: https://www.ted.com/talks/zak_ebrahim_i_am_the_son_of_a_terrorist_here_s_how_i_chose_peace

Nimah Muwakil-Zakuri’s TEDxTalk

http://tedxportofspain.com/portfolio/nimah-muwakil-zakuri/]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/12147189Sun, 18 Jun 2017 13:01:16 +0000Keita DemmingEvery person takes the limits of their own field of vision for the limits of the world - Arthur Schopenhauer In his TEDTalk titled, I am the son of a terrorist, here’s how I chose peace, Zak Ebrahim outlines his experience growing up with a father...
In his TEDTalk titled, I am the son of a terrorist, here’s how I chose peace, Zak Ebrahim outlines his experience growing up with a father who taught him to hate.  His book, The Terrorist's Son: A Story of Choice takes a deeper dive into his story of becoming a peace activist. In this Disruptive Conversation, Zak and I explore several powerful lessons he has learned along his journey. He places considerable currency on the need for perseverance. In this conversation, he argues that it is an important part of the journey in learning to have a conversation with people who do not share your perspective.

In our conversation, he talks about how few of us think about the many ways that extremism affects the families of the extremist. Much emphasis is placed on the family of victims but rarely do we thinking about the children of terrorist and how they are affected when their parents are arrested. For Zak, he found growing up with a father who espoused views of hate to be confusing. He was taught to think that people who did not share these extremist views were evil. In the show, we have a very interesting conversation about the similarities between alt-right movements and extremist Islamic movements.

Zak hopes that his work can one influence how we think about American foreign policy and continues to work as a peace activist.

Links referenced in the podcast:

Follow Zak’s work on his website: http://www.zakebrahim.com/

Zak’s book, , The Terrorist's Son: A Story of Choice https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/1476784809/?tag=teco05-20

Zak’s TEDTalk: The Terrorist's Son: A Story of Choice: https://www.ted.com/talks/zak_ebrahim_i_am_the_son_of_a_terrorist_here_s_how_i_chose_peace

Nimah Muwakil-Zakuri’s TEDxTalk

http://tedxportofspain.com/portfolio/nimah-muwakil-zakuri/]]>1415extermism,peace,politics,terroism,violenceclean1fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/ep-35-are-you-waiting-on-other-people-to-be-the-change-you-want-to-see-in-the-world-a-disruptive-conversation-with-jonathan-levy--12084461
Jonathan is not an advocate for repeal and replace approaches to change. He argues that we cannot expect people to make radical modify their behaviour. For him, small changes can have massive impacts and he gives some very practical examples in the show. In his work, he takes an incremental approach to creating change and in the show we discuss the merits of a small change approach versus a go big or go home perspective. We also discuss the what he described as waiting for other people to be the change they want to see in the world. For him, we need to take a multi-prong approach in how we make change part of the mainstream. This muti-prong approach awakens various parts of the system. In this rich episode, we dive into a number of practical insights that Jonathan shares.

Learn more about Jonathan and his work here: https://zerowasteguy.com/

You can find him on Instagram also: https://www.instagram.com/zerowasteguy/

You can also find him on Twitter: @zerowasteguy1]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/12084461Sun, 11 Jun 2017 12:17:30 +0000Keita DemmingJonathan Levy describes himself as the Zero Waste Guy. In this episode, we explore his perspectives on how he helps organizations reduce their waste. When he first started consulting he called his business Disruptive Consulting and quickly learned...
Jonathan is not an advocate for repeal and replace approaches to change. He argues that we cannot expect people to make radical modify their behaviour. For him, small changes can have massive impacts and he gives some very practical examples in the show. In his work, he takes an incremental approach to creating change and in the show we discuss the merits of a small change approach versus a go big or go home perspective. We also discuss the what he described as waiting for other people to be the change they want to see in the world. For him, we need to take a multi-prong approach in how we make change part of the mainstream. This muti-prong approach awakens various parts of the system. In this rich episode, we dive into a number of practical insights that Jonathan shares.

Learn more about Jonathan and his work here: https://zerowasteguy.com/

You can find him on Instagram also: https://www.instagram.com/zerowasteguy/

You can also find him on Twitter: @zerowasteguy1]]>2105business,environment,recycle,trash,wasteclean1fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/ep-34-the-tragedy-of-strategic-planning-a-disruptive-conversation-with-zaid-hassan--12030387
We explore how many of us are learning our way into working with complexity. In that learning, it is important to acknowledge that the field is young, and most of us are still learning about how to address complex challenges. At the heart of our conversation, was a discussion about developing a new practice of strategy and strategic problem-solving. Although we talk about many things, we explore the notion of learning to fail forward, and better.

At some point in this conversation, we both acknowledge, that in trying to address this dominant culture, we are sometimes in a position where we have to have very difficult conversations with people who are very invested and passionate about their work, but chances are they will not see the outcome they are hoping to generate. At the end of our conversation, I was left with the question, how might we embrace an experimental approach to problem-solving when the dominant discourse or culture centers around a planned strategic approach to problem-solving?

If our systems are not fit for purpose, then it would seem obvious that we need to change them. We live in a project world where things are tactical, and it is assumed that these problems are linear. If so, then how might we genuinely embrace a complexity approach? I guess for now our thesis is that we need to cook or dance our way into it, but to understand what I mean you will need to listen to the episode. One clue might be Zaid’s favourite quote at the time of this recording:

"If progress, planning & reason have led to the failed systems that litter our landscapes, might speculation & dreaming be our only way forward?"- Victor Papanek]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/12030387Sun, 04 Jun 2017 11:28:26 +0000Keita DemmingIn this episode of Disruptive Conversations, I talk to Zaid Hassan, the author of the book, "The Social Labs Revolution: A new approach to solving our most complex challenges" (Berret-Koehler, 2014). In this episode, we explore the notion that our...
We explore how many of us are learning our way into working with complexity. In that learning, it is important to acknowledge that the field is young, and most of us are still learning about how to address complex challenges. At the heart of our conversation, was a discussion about developing a new practice of strategy and strategic problem-solving. Although we talk about many things, we explore the notion of learning to fail forward, and better.

At some point in this conversation, we both acknowledge, that in trying to address this dominant culture, we are sometimes in a position where we have to have very difficult conversations with people who are very invested and passionate about their work, but chances are they will not see the outcome they are hoping to generate. At the end of our conversation, I was left with the question, how might we embrace an experimental approach to problem-solving when the dominant discourse or culture centers around a planned strategic approach to problem-solving?

If our systems are not fit for purpose, then it would seem obvious that we need to change them. We live in a project world where things are tactical, and it is assumed that these problems are linear. If so, then how might we genuinely embrace a complexity approach? I guess for now our thesis is that we need to cook or dance our way into it, but to understand what I mean you will need to listen to the episode. One clue might be Zaid’s favourite quote at the time of this recording:

"If progress, planning & reason have led to the failed systems that litter our landscapes, might speculation & dreaming be our only way forward?"- Victor Papanek]]>1713complexity,labs,learning,problems,strategyclean1fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/ep-33-why-are-you-the-right-person-to-bring-this-idea-to-the-world-a-disruptive-conversation-with-cheryl-rose--11976227
Having been a mentor and coach to many disruptors, she reminds us to hold a systems lens or a complexity lens when thinking about generating change. For her, generating change is about accepting the honest complexity of our world. What are the implications of confronting honest complexity? With this question, she reminds us that change takes a long time and takes significant investments of resources. In the conversation, she stresses that resources are not just related to money, but are also connected to the social capital we invest in the problems we seek to solve. She warns us to stay away from shiny attractive ideas and to think about how these interventions can impact the system you seek to change.

For her, real systems entrepreneurs, in her experience, practice humility as a genuine asset in the work that they do. She asks listeners to think about who is the best person to implement an idea? So you have come up with an idea, take some time to consider, are you the person who has the skills and is well positioned to bring this idea into the world. Cheryl shares a number of insights that should make us pause, and think. What are the implications of confronting honest complexity? Hope you enjoy this episode.

Hope you enjoy this episode.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/11976227Sun, 28 May 2017 19:37:16 +0000Keita DemmingThis episode, features SiG Director, Cheryl Rose. Cheryl is a Senior Fellow with The J.W. McConnell Family Foundation and has spent many years working to support social change agents through education and training that helps them to have more impact....
Having been a mentor and coach to many disruptors, she reminds us to hold a systems lens or a complexity lens when thinking about generating change. For her, generating change is about accepting the honest complexity of our world. What are the implications of confronting honest complexity? With this question, she reminds us that change takes a long time and takes significant investments of resources. In the conversation, she stresses that resources are not just related to money, but are also connected to the social capital we invest in the problems we seek to solve. She warns us to stay away from shiny attractive ideas and to think about how these interventions can impact the system you seek to change.

For her, real systems entrepreneurs, in her experience, practice humility as a genuine asset in the work that they do. She asks listeners to think about who is the best person to implement an idea? So you have come up with an idea, take some time to consider, are you the person who has the skills and is well positioned to bring this idea into the world. Cheryl shares a number of insights that should make us pause, and think. What are the implications of confronting honest complexity? Hope you enjoy this episode.

Hope you enjoy this episode.]]>2474change,complexity,education,intervention,systemsclean1fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/ep-32-the-secrets-we-keep-can-have-high-costs-a-disruptive-conversation-with-brielle-morgan--11919385
This episode gets very personal, honest, and intimate about disruption, death and cancer. In this show, we have an unexpected conversation about how our personal experiences affect our professional choices. A surprising theme that came out of the interview was the importance of how in trying to protect our loved ones we can actually cause more hurt. Brielle and I share some very intimate past experiences that have shaped our thinking. Through their startup media agency, Brielle and her colleagues are trying to rebuild public trust with journalist and news outlets. hoping to show was an approach to within the context of

As journalists, Brielle and her colleagues are trying to rebuild public trust through their startup media agency, Discourse Media. They are working to share stories that reflect solutions to some of the most complex challenges in the world.

Links in the show:

Curious City: http://curiouscity.wbez.org/

The listening project/Listening post: http://wwno.org/programs/listening-post

This podcast was recorded over Skype. Both speakers were in different locations.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/11919385Sun, 21 May 2017 15:21:58 +0000Keita DemmingThis disruptive conversations episode highlights how even with the best of intentions, we can sometimes betray ourselves and our loved ones when are not able to step into authenticity and vulnerability. This episode gets very personal, honest and...
This episode gets very personal, honest, and intimate about disruption, death and cancer. In this show, we have an unexpected conversation about how our personal experiences affect our professional choices. A surprising theme that came out of the interview was the importance of how in trying to protect our loved ones we can actually cause more hurt. Brielle and I share some very intimate past experiences that have shaped our thinking. Through their startup media agency, Brielle and her colleagues are trying to rebuild public trust with journalist and news outlets. hoping to show was an approach to within the context of

As journalists, Brielle and her colleagues are trying to rebuild public trust through their startup media agency, Discourse Media. They are working to share stories that reflect solutions to some of the most complex challenges in the world.

Links in the show:

Curious City: http://curiouscity.wbez.org/

The listening project/Listening post: http://wwno.org/programs/listening-post

This podcast was recorded over Skype. Both speakers were in different locations.]]>2121death,democracy,journalism,media,storiesclean1fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/ep-31-don-t-confuse-invention-and-innovation-a-conversation-with-john-ruffolo--11862020
John describes his work as providing the fuel for the rocket, while entrepreneurs work to build their ventures. In this interview, we share many insights from John and his years of experience advising some of the world's most innovative companies. John and his team are on the search for the most disruptive companies.

This podcast was recorded over Skype. Both speakers were in different locations.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/11862020Sun, 14 May 2017 12:30:10 +0000Keita DemmingIn this episode, I interview John Ruffolo Chief Executive Officer, OMERS Ventures. We explore how many of the entrepreneurs they invest in have a passion for solving a problem. He tells the story of Shopify. One of Canada's great entrepreneurial...
John describes his work as providing the fuel for the rocket, while entrepreneurs work to build their ventures. In this interview, we share many insights from John and his years of experience advising some of the world's most innovative companies. John and his team are on the search for the most disruptive companies.

This podcast was recorded over Skype. Both speakers were in different locations.]]>1788business,innovation,investment,shopify,ventureclean1fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/ep-30-when-the-bar-is-low-the-opportunity-for-disruption-is-high-a-conversation-with-greg-tehven--11811682
Greg is working to flip this stereotype on its head. He and his team are working to create a place where people want to live. In this podcast, we hear from someone who loves his community and is using the power of ideas to celebrate and build the future of Fargo. Greg is a great mix of thoughtful, daring and disruptive. In this podcast, he talks about self-care and drones. Greg is wired awake by the question, what is Fargo's moonshot? What can Fargo be world class at? Greg is a big dreamer and is not afraid to make big dreams a reality.

LINKS IN THE PODCAST:

To find Greg you can visit his website: http://gregfromfargo.com/projects/

To learn more about his Emerging Fargo group: https://www.emergingprairie.com/

This podcast was recorded via Skype both speakers were in different locations.

Music provided by Clint Harewood you contact him on these websites:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Tamo.T or
LinkedIn: https://www.facebook.com/Tamo.T]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/11811682Sun, 07 May 2017 16:43:05 +0000Keita DemmingGreg Tehvan is trying to reimage his hometown of Fargo, North Dakota. He describes Fargo as the last place someone visits when they try to visit every state in the United States. It is referred to as flyover country. For him, Fargo is a victim of...
Greg is working to flip this stereotype on its head. He and his team are working to create a place where people want to live. In this podcast, we hear from someone who loves his community and is using the power of ideas to celebrate and build the future of Fargo. Greg is a great mix of thoughtful, daring and disruptive. In this podcast, he talks about self-care and drones. Greg is wired awake by the question, what is Fargo's moonshot? What can Fargo be world class at? Greg is a big dreamer and is not afraid to make big dreams a reality.

LINKS IN THE PODCAST:

To find Greg you can visit his website: http://gregfromfargo.com/projects/

To learn more about his Emerging Fargo group: https://www.emergingprairie.com/

This podcast was recorded via Skype both speakers were in different locations.

Music provided by Clint Harewood you contact him on these websites:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Tamo.T or
LinkedIn: https://www.facebook.com/Tamo.T]]>1848business,city,conferences,innovation,speakersyes1fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/ep-29-responsibility-forgiveness-and-reconciliation-a-disruptive-conversation-with-thordis-elva--11751736
In this Disruptive Conversation, Thordis argues that violent acts, like rape, are not committed by monsters but by people. In our complex conversation, we explore a number of topics related to sexual violence and gender equality. Thordis is trying to disrupt the way we think about problems in society. In this talk, we go behind her recent TEDTalk and learn a little about what she was hoping to accomplish with her forthcoming book,

It is a disruptive notion for her to suggest that we have empathy with people who have done terrible things. In this Disruptive Conversation, we go behind her recent TEDTalk and learn a little about what she was hoping to accomplish with her forthcoming book, South of Forgiveness and much more.

LINKS IN THE PODCAST:

To watch the TEDTalk visit this link: https://www.ted.com/talks/thordis_elva_tom_stranger_our_story_of_rape_and_reconciliation

In the podcast, I reference Brian Stevenson's TEDtalk: https://www.ted.com/talks/bryan_stevenson_we_need_to_talk_about_an_injustice

This podcast was recorded via Skype both speakers were in different locations.

Music provided by Clint Harewood you contact him on these websites:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Tamo.T or
LinkedIn: https://www.facebook.com/Tamo.T]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/11751736Sun, 30 Apr 2017 11:54:26 +0000Keita DemmingThordis Elva is disrupting patriarchy. In her forthcoming book, South of Forgiveness, she and her coauthor are challenging the world to rethink our approaches and assumptions on how we address sexual violence and gender stereotypes. I first learnt...
In this Disruptive Conversation, Thordis argues that violent acts, like rape, are not committed by monsters but by people. In our complex conversation, we explore a number of topics related to sexual violence and gender equality. Thordis is trying to disrupt the way we think about problems in society. In this talk, we go behind her recent TEDTalk and learn a little about what she was hoping to accomplish with her forthcoming book,

It is a disruptive notion for her to suggest that we have empathy with people who have done terrible things. In this Disruptive Conversation, we go behind her recent TEDTalk and learn a little about what she was hoping to accomplish with her forthcoming book, South of Forgiveness and much more.

LINKS IN THE PODCAST:

To watch the TEDTalk visit this link: https://www.ted.com/talks/thordis_elva_tom_stranger_our_story_of_rape_and_reconciliation

In the podcast, I reference Brian Stevenson's TEDtalk: https://www.ted.com/talks/bryan_stevenson_we_need_to_talk_about_an_injustice

This podcast was recorded via Skype both speakers were in different locations.

Music provided by Clint Harewood you contact him on these websites:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Tamo.T or
LinkedIn: https://www.facebook.com/Tamo.T]]>3016equality,gender,patriarchy,rape,womenclean1fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/ep-28-turning-social-safety-nets-into-trampolines-a-conversation-with-sarah-schulman--11700588http://inwithforward.com/

This podcast was recorded via Skype both speakers were in different locations.
Music provided by Clint Harewood you contact him on these websites:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Tamo.T or
LinkedIn: https://www.facebook.com/Tamo.T]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/11700588Sun, 23 Apr 2017 13:55:08 +0000Keita DemmingSarah Schulman and her colleagues describe their work as turning social safety nets into trampolines. In the show, she describes her work as trying to disrupt the social welfare state. She and her team often find themselves working within the tensions...http://inwithforward.com/

This podcast was recorded via Skype both speakers were in different locations.
Music provided by Clint Harewood you contact him on these websites:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Tamo.T or
LinkedIn: https://www.facebook.com/Tamo.T]]>1684design,ethnography,labs,research,welfareclean1fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/ep-27-hate-parking-tickets-let-s-make-it-easy-for-everyone-a-disruptive-conversation-with-jim-gibbs-from-meterfeeder--11643169
Most of us hate receiving parking tickets. We also find paying for parking annoying and difficult. Jim Gibbs wants to improve the parking experience for everyone. It all started when a friend pulled out a stack of parking tickets, said to Jim and a friend, "if you can find a way to make it easier to pay for parking tickets, that would make my life a lot easier". After this conversation, Jim and business partner set out to build an App that makes it easier for you pay for parking and parking tickets. Their product helps you pay your parking tickets, pay for parking and makes it easier for attendants to give out tickets. They are quietly building what could be one of the largest Apps since Uber.

In this podcast, Jim shares many wonderful insights on how he is solving parking for everyone. He also talks about the role of software development in the future of jobs. Admittedly, we are both advocates of more use of software, we do share some other personal tidbits.

This podcast was recorded via Skype both speakers were in different locations.
Music provided by Clint Harewood you contact him on these websites:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Tamo.T or
LinkedIn: https://www.facebook.com/Tamo.T]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/11643169Sun, 16 Apr 2017 12:00:10 +0000Keita DemmingWhen I asked Jim Gibbs, co-founder of MeterFeeder, his favourite quote, he replied, "my dad always said, nothing beats a failure than a try". Jim and his business partner have built a disruptive App by focusing on the pain point of so many people...
Most of us hate receiving parking tickets. We also find paying for parking annoying and difficult. Jim Gibbs wants to improve the parking experience for everyone. It all started when a friend pulled out a stack of parking tickets, said to Jim and a friend, "if you can find a way to make it easier to pay for parking tickets, that would make my life a lot easier". After this conversation, Jim and business partner set out to build an App that makes it easier for you pay for parking and parking tickets. Their product helps you pay your parking tickets, pay for parking and makes it easier for attendants to give out tickets. They are quietly building what could be one of the largest Apps since Uber.

In this podcast, Jim shares many wonderful insights on how he is solving parking for everyone. He also talks about the role of software development in the future of jobs. Admittedly, we are both advocates of more use of software, we do share some other personal tidbits.

This podcast was recorded via Skype both speakers were in different locations.
Music provided by Clint Harewood you contact him on these websites:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Tamo.T or
LinkedIn: https://www.facebook.com/Tamo.T]]>2115business,coding,parking,software,taxesyes1fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/ep-26-when-it-comes-to-cybersecurity-let-s-disrupt-zero-sum-thinking-a-conversation-with-dr-ann-cavoukian--11589854
She argues that is easier to take a Privacy by Design approach than to try to achieve privacy after the fact. If we bake privacy into our design from the beginning, we can prevent many of the privacy breaches. Recently, Cybersecurity breaches have been on the rise. Companies can go bankrupt from the many class action lawsuits that have come about because of security breaches. A security breach can sink a once successful company.

In today world, privacy is our sleeping dragon. As a privacy champion, Dr. Cavoukian argues that we need to move away from thinking about privacy as a zero-sum game. We need to change the conversation from it being about either privacy or security.

In this podcast, Ann describes German notion of informational self-determination. Informational self-determination refers to the right of the individual to decide what information about him/herself should be communicated to others and under what circumstances. Ann is working to disrupt dualistic thinking around privacy. She wants to open doors so people can have privacy today and well into the future.
Links from the show.
International Council on Global Privacy and Security by Design: https://gpsbydesign.org/

This podcast was recorded via Skype both speakers were in different locations.
Music provided by Clint Harewood you contact him on these websites:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Tamo.T or
LinkedIn: https://www.facebook.com/Tamo.T]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/11589854Sun, 09 Apr 2017 13:29:47 +0000Keita DemmingPrivacy does not have to be a zero-sum game. Dr Ann Cavoukian is a three-term Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario, Canada. Dr Cavoukian does not think that we have to choose between privacy and everything else. We can have privacy and meet...
She argues that is easier to take a Privacy by Design approach than to try to achieve privacy after the fact. If we bake privacy into our design from the beginning, we can prevent many of the privacy breaches. Recently, Cybersecurity breaches have been on the rise. Companies can go bankrupt from the many class action lawsuits that have come about because of security breaches. A security breach can sink a once successful company.

In today world, privacy is our sleeping dragon. As a privacy champion, Dr. Cavoukian argues that we need to move away from thinking about privacy as a zero-sum game. We need to change the conversation from it being about either privacy or security.

In this podcast, Ann describes German notion of informational self-determination. Informational self-determination refers to the right of the individual to decide what information about him/herself should be communicated to others and under what circumstances. Ann is working to disrupt dualistic thinking around privacy. She wants to open doors so people can have privacy today and well into the future.
Links from the show.
International Council on Global Privacy and Security by Design: https://gpsbydesign.org/

This podcast was recorded via Skype both speakers were in different locations.
Music provided by Clint Harewood you contact him on these websites:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Tamo.T or
LinkedIn: https://www.facebook.com/Tamo.T]]>1348business,cybersecurity,data,digital,privacyclean1fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/ep-25-how-do-we-catalyze-change-for-public-good-a-conversation-with-claire-bure--11536441In this podcast I interview Claire Bure from MaRS Solutions Lab. MaRs Solutions Lab is a public and social innovation lab that helps to solve complex social and economic challenges. The lab brings together stakeholders from across society to help solve these problems collaboratively. They help governments to modernize their policies, to find new insights and work collaboratively, in order to equip people and organizations with tools and techniques to create change.
Claire Buré is a social scientist specializing in user research and process design. She loves bringing diverse groups of people together to uncover challenges and build solutions for concrete outcomes. Claire has conducted research with the International Development Research Centre and has consulted for the InfoDev World Bank program, the Open Data Barometer, and EDGE Lab at Ryerson University. Claire’s social entrepreneurial experience includes co-founding Commons11, and co-starting a Chilean business, both of which created user-driven technology solutions for human development.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/11536441Sun, 02 Apr 2017 11:51:53 +0000Keita DemmingWe live in an incredibly complex world and there are a group of people who are developing a process called Labs. Labs are an approach to solving complex public challenges. These labs are taking an intentional approach to addressing societies most...In this podcast I interview Claire Bure from MaRS Solutions Lab. MaRs Solutions Lab is a public and social innovation lab that helps to solve complex social and economic challenges. The lab brings together stakeholders from across society to help solve these problems collaboratively. They help governments to modernize their policies, to find new insights and work collaboratively, in order to equip people and organizations with tools and techniques to create change.
Claire Buré is a social scientist specializing in user research and process design. She loves bringing diverse groups of people together to uncover challenges and build solutions for concrete outcomes. Claire has conducted research with the International Development Research Centre and has consulted for the InfoDev World Bank program, the Open Data Barometer, and EDGE Lab at Ryerson University. Claire’s social entrepreneurial experience includes co-founding Commons11, and co-starting a Chilean business, both of which created user-driven technology solutions for human development.]]>1777change,design,disruption,innovation,labsclean1fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/ep-24-your-flaws-don-t-define-you-you-can-be-disruptive-despite-your-flaws-a-conversation-with-mark-brand--11482916
Links from the show.

Follow this link to learn more about Marks closed loop money system or token project: https://vimeo.com/173661086

Find Mark at his website: http://www.markbrandinc.com/

Hatch website: https://hatchexperience.org/

FailForward website: https://failforward.org/

Other episodes of Disruptive Conversations referenced in the show:

Yarrow Kraner Disruptive Conversation podcast episode #11: http://www.keitademming.com/podcast/ep-11-how-one-creative-alchemist-is-hatching-a-better-world-a-conversation-with-yarrow-kraner/

Ashley Good on Failing Forward: http://www.keitademming.com/podcast/ep-4-how-learning-from-failure-can-help-spur-innovation-a-conversation-with-ashley-good-of-failforward/

This podcast was recorded via Skype both speakers were in different locations.
Music provided by Clint Harewood you contact him on these websites:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Tamo.T or
LinkedIn: https://www.facebook.com/Tamo.T]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/11482916Sun, 26 Mar 2017 12:38:11 +0000Keita DemmingMark Brand is a serial entrepreneur who is also a social entrepreneur. In this podcast, we talk about a number of things that inform Mark's approach to building Beautiful Businesses. Mark has reframed being a restauranteur into a career of service. In...
Links from the show.

Follow this link to learn more about Marks closed loop money system or token project: https://vimeo.com/173661086

Find Mark at his website: http://www.markbrandinc.com/

Hatch website: https://hatchexperience.org/

FailForward website: https://failforward.org/

Other episodes of Disruptive Conversations referenced in the show:

Yarrow Kraner Disruptive Conversation podcast episode #11: http://www.keitademming.com/podcast/ep-11-how-one-creative-alchemist-is-hatching-a-better-world-a-conversation-with-yarrow-kraner/

Ashley Good on Failing Forward: http://www.keitademming.com/podcast/ep-4-how-learning-from-failure-can-help-spur-innovation-a-conversation-with-ashley-good-of-failforward/

This podcast was recorded via Skype both speakers were in different locations.
Music provided by Clint Harewood you contact him on these websites:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Tamo.T or
LinkedIn: https://www.facebook.com/Tamo.T]]>2911entrepreneur,food,impact,money,resturantyes1fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/ep-23-how-a-group-of-students-is-transforming-lives-in-some-of-the-harshest-conditions-on-the-planet-a-conversation-with-stefany-nieto--11427231
What Stefany Nieto and her team are doing in the North is similar to the Green Belt movement. On a practical level they are providing food for a community, but more importantly, they are providing a space that strengthens the social fabric of the communities they are working in. This is why I voted for them in the Google.org Impact Challenge. Not only has Stefany and her team found a way to grow food in one of the most inhospitable conditions on the planet. They helping to strengthen the social fabric of the community. When the community builds a greenhouse together or grows food all year together, they are strengthening the social fabric of their community. This is the disruption. Most people only think of the technological side of disruption, but for Growing North strengthening the social fabric is a major part of the solution and their approach.

The problem in the north of Canada is that perishable food is flown in and when it get to these communities is not only expensive but is often rotten. Stefany and her team are disrupting the supply chain and growing food in the north. Growing North’s mission is to sustainably provide fresh, locally grown produce to families living in Northern Canada, at a fraction of the current price, while positively contributing to the educational infrastructure and job market. The part I love the most about this project is not the elegant technological solution, but the social fabric that they are fostering around their technology. Stefany and her team have worked hard to help build a community around these igloo shaped greenhouses. They have developed coop programs so students can get credits while they learn how to grow food. They have focused on using their technology to bolster the social fabric in the community and that is why I voted for them in the Google.org Impact Challenge.

This podcast was recorded via Skype.
Music provided by Clint Harewood you contact him on these websites:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Tamo.T or
LinkedIn: https://www.facebook.com/Tamo.T]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/11427231Sun, 19 Mar 2017 16:48:06 +0000Keita DemmingGrowing North is a disruptive social venture. They are also a finalist in the Google.org Impact Challenge. Growing North has the seeds of disruption and reminds me of the work of Wangari Maathai. Wangari Maathai was the first African woman to win the...
What Stefany Nieto and her team are doing in the North is similar to the Green Belt movement. On a practical level they are providing food for a community, but more importantly, they are providing a space that strengthens the social fabric of the communities they are working in. This is why I voted for them in the Google.org Impact Challenge. Not only has Stefany and her team found a way to grow food in one of the most inhospitable conditions on the planet. They helping to strengthen the social fabric of the community. When the community builds a greenhouse together or grows food all year together, they are strengthening the social fabric of their community. This is the disruption. Most people only think of the technological side of disruption, but for Growing North strengthening the social fabric is a major part of the solution and their approach.

The problem in the north of Canada is that perishable food is flown in and when it get to these communities is not only expensive but is often rotten. Stefany and her team are disrupting the supply chain and growing food in the north. Growing North’s mission is to sustainably provide fresh, locally grown produce to families living in Northern Canada, at a fraction of the current price, while positively contributing to the educational infrastructure and job market. The part I love the most about this project is not the elegant technological solution, but the social fabric that they are fostering around their technology. Stefany and her team have worked hard to help build a community around these igloo shaped greenhouses. They have developed coop programs so students can get credits while they learn how to grow food. They have focused on using their technology to bolster the social fabric in the community and that is why I voted for them in the Google.org Impact Challenge.

This podcast was recorded via Skype.
Music provided by Clint Harewood you contact him on these websites:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Tamo.T or
LinkedIn: https://www.facebook.com/Tamo.T]]>1634business,greenhouse,social,solutions,sustainablityclean1fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/ep-22-what-if-i-told-you-walkabilty-was-a-disruptive-concept-a-conversation-with-jeff-speck--11372583
During the podcast, we focus a lot on how so of his work involves educating clients. Many of the approaches to improving walkability in cities is counter intuitive. There is considerable evidence that creating narrow roads actually reduces traffic in cities. We cover a lot in the podcast and mention many other City Planners who are doing very interesting. See the links below to for more information.

Links
Jeff Speck: http://jeffspeck.com/
The Congress for the New Urbanism (CNU): https://www.cnu.org/
Andrés Duany and Elizabeth Plater-Zyberk http://www.dpz.com/
Sea Side project: http://www.dpz.com/Projects/7903
Brent Toderian: http://www.toderianurbanworks.com/
Strong Towns podcast: https://www.strongtowns.org/podcast/
National Endowment for the Arts: https://www.arts.gov/
Mayors' Institute on City Design: http://www.micd.org/


This podcast was recorded via Skype.

Music provided by Clint Harewood you contact him on these websites:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Tamo.T or
LinkedIn: https://www.facebook.com/Tamo.T]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/11372583Sun, 12 Mar 2017 20:34:50 +0000Keita DemmingJeff Speck is an unlikely disruptor. He is an urban planner, which is probably also the least likely candidate for a conversation about disruption. In the podcast we explore three things he and others in his field are working to disrupt. No city has...
During the podcast, we focus a lot on how so of his work involves educating clients. Many of the approaches to improving walkability in cities is counter intuitive. There is considerable evidence that creating narrow roads actually reduces traffic in cities. We cover a lot in the podcast and mention many other City Planners who are doing very interesting. See the links below to for more information.

Links
Jeff Speck: http://jeffspeck.com/
The Congress for the New Urbanism (CNU): https://www.cnu.org/
Andrés Duany and Elizabeth Plater-Zyberk http://www.dpz.com/
Sea Side project: http://www.dpz.com/Projects/7903
Brent Toderian: http://www.toderianurbanworks.com/
Strong Towns podcast: https://www.strongtowns.org/podcast/
National Endowment for the Arts: https://www.arts.gov/
Mayors' Institute on City Design: http://www.micd.org/


This podcast was recorded via Skype.

Music provided by Clint Harewood you contact him on these websites:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Tamo.T or
LinkedIn: https://www.facebook.com/Tamo.T]]>2588cities,design,planning,urbanism,walkabilityclean1fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/ep-21-build-an-oragnizations-that-others-cannot-duplicate-a-conversation-with-dhani-oks--11315737
In this podcast, I interview Dhani Oks. Dhani cofounded the Academy of Lions which could be thought of as being just a CrossFit gym in Toronto, but for many of the members, it is a community. Dhani talks about how he was not trying to build a gym, he was trying to build a family. As a member of the Academy of Lions I have always been impressed with the community that was built around a gym that could easily be an exclusive masculine culture.

In this conversation, we talk about what it takes to build a business. We explore how Dhani thinks about building things that have never been built and the struggles that come along with striving for excellence.

This podcast was recorded over live at the Imperial Pub in Toronto.
Music provided by Clint Harewood you contact him on these websites:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Tamo.T or
LinkedIn: https://www.facebook.com/Tamo.T]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/11315737Sun, 05 Mar 2017 12:53:04 +0000Keita DemmingI attended Podcamp Toronto recently and did my first live recording. I usually do my podcasts via Skype and rarely do I get so personal in my show. Dhani and I shared a lot around walking on bridges that have never been built. We talk about the desire...
In this podcast, I interview Dhani Oks. Dhani cofounded the Academy of Lions which could be thought of as being just a CrossFit gym in Toronto, but for many of the members, it is a community. Dhani talks about how he was not trying to build a gym, he was trying to build a family. As a member of the Academy of Lions I have always been impressed with the community that was built around a gym that could easily be an exclusive masculine culture.

In this conversation, we talk about what it takes to build a business. We explore how Dhani thinks about building things that have never been built and the struggles that come along with striving for excellence.

This podcast was recorded over live at the Imperial Pub in Toronto.
Music provided by Clint Harewood you contact him on these websites:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Tamo.T or
LinkedIn: https://www.facebook.com/Tamo.T]]>2055community,crossfit,entreprenuership,failure,startupyes1fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/ep-20-how-can-we-disrupt-a-culture-of-punishment-a-conversation-with-piper-anderson--11174579
Mass incarceration disrupts lives, and we need to take an approach that is not compartmentalized. She believes that we need to spend more time talking to the people who have been most affected by mass incarceration.

Links:

Mass Story Lab: http://www.massstorylab.com/overview

Piper Anderson: http://piperanderson.com/

Mass Story Labs on Twitter: https://twitter.com/massstorylab

Misson Launch: http://www.mission-launch.org/
This podcast was recorded over Skype.
Music provided by Clint Harewood you contact him on these websites:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Tamo.T
or
LinkedIn: https://www.facebook.com/Tamo.T]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/11174579Sun, 26 Feb 2017 14:46:10 +0000Keita DemmingIn this podcast, I interview Piper Anderson from Mass Story Lab. Piper describes herself as a prison abolitionist. For her, the prison does not work and has never worked. She uses Mass Story Lab to imagine the world beyond prisons. She shares her...
Mass incarceration disrupts lives, and we need to take an approach that is not compartmentalized. She believes that we need to spend more time talking to the people who have been most affected by mass incarceration.

Links:

Mass Story Lab: http://www.massstorylab.com/overview

Piper Anderson: http://piperanderson.com/

Mass Story Labs on Twitter: https://twitter.com/massstorylab

Misson Launch: http://www.mission-launch.org/
This podcast was recorded over Skype.
Music provided by Clint Harewood you contact him on these websites:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Tamo.T
or
LinkedIn: https://www.facebook.com/Tamo.T]]>2056business,entrepreneurship,incarceration,prisons,storytellingclean1fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/ep-19-generate-disruption-by-being-action-biased-a-conversation-with-steve-garguilo--10935641www.actionsurge.com

For those of you who want to get a taste of the Action Surge content you can start with their Udemy course: https://www.udemy.com/make-your-ideas-happen-8-proven-steps-for-taking-action/

You can purchase their book on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Surge-Your-Guide-Idea-Action/dp/1619615363/

You can find Stevve at his website: www.stevegarguilo.com

We made a reference to the Giant Flamingo story. You can find out more at their website. giantflamingo.com

This podcast was recorded over Skype.
Music provided by Clint Harewood you contact him on these websites:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Tamo.T
or
LinkedIn: https://www.facebook.com/Tamo.T]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/10935641Sun, 19 Feb 2017 14:53:26 +0000Keita DemmingIdeas are a dime a dozen, but for Steve and his colleagues, having a bias towards action helps us make things happen in the world. In this podcast we talk about his new book, Surge: Your guide to put any idea into action. In their book, they outline...www.actionsurge.com

For those of you who want to get a taste of the Action Surge content you can start with their Udemy course: https://www.udemy.com/make-your-ideas-happen-8-proven-steps-for-taking-action/

You can purchase their book on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Surge-Your-Guide-Idea-Action/dp/1619615363/

You can find Stevve at his website: www.stevegarguilo.com

We made a reference to the Giant Flamingo story. You can find out more at their website. giantflamingo.com

This podcast was recorded over Skype.
Music provided by Clint Harewood you contact him on these websites:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Tamo.T
or
LinkedIn: https://www.facebook.com/Tamo.T]]>1708business,entrepreneurship,ideas,innovation,planningclean1fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/ep-18-what-if-quality-of-thought-was-at-the-core-of-our-education-system-a-conversation-with-maria-vamvalis--10754428
In this podcast, we explore how Maria puts her work into practice. She describes her job as creating meaningful, authentic learning experience for her students. In this podcast, she talks about how she works to develop authentic moments, experiences, and relationships within her classroom. In this podcast, we talk about how she places thinking at the core of her classroom experience. For Maria, we need to put thinking at the heart of learning if we are to improve what and how students learn.

You can learn more about the Critical Thinking at The Critical Thinking Consortium https://tc2.ca/

This podcast was recorded over Skype.
Music provided by Clint Harewood you contact him on these websites:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Tamo.T
or
LinkedIn: https://www.facebook.com/Tamo.T]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/10754428Sun, 12 Feb 2017 13:47:40 +0000Keita DemmingEducators and teachers do some of the most valuable work in society. As a teacher, Maria grapples with the question how might we create powerful learning environments? She then takes her insights and applies them in the classroom. Maria has also...
In this podcast, we explore how Maria puts her work into practice. She describes her job as creating meaningful, authentic learning experience for her students. In this podcast, she talks about how she works to develop authentic moments, experiences, and relationships within her classroom. In this podcast, we talk about how she places thinking at the core of her classroom experience. For Maria, we need to put thinking at the heart of learning if we are to improve what and how students learn.

You can learn more about the Critical Thinking at The Critical Thinking Consortium https://tc2.ca/

This podcast was recorded over Skype.
Music provided by Clint Harewood you contact him on these websites:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Tamo.T
or
LinkedIn: https://www.facebook.com/Tamo.T]]>1657authenticity,classroom,education,learning,meaningclean1fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/ep-17-who-is-behind-the-social-innovation-side-of-uber-a-conversation-with-bradley-tusk--10560349
This podcast was recorded over Skype.
Music provided by Clint Harewood you contact him on these websites:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Tamo.T
or
LinkedIn: https://www.facebook.com/Tamo.T]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/10560349Sun, 05 Feb 2017 12:53:36 +0000Keita DemmingIn this conversation how Bradley Tusk and his company, Tusk Strategies, helped UBER penetrate cities across the world. Bradley has several companies, and we learn about them in the podcast, but what is exceptionally good at is the socializing of...
This podcast was recorded over Skype.
Music provided by Clint Harewood you contact him on these websites:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Tamo.T
or
LinkedIn: https://www.facebook.com/Tamo.T]]>2301disruption,innovation,law,marketing,uberyes1fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/ep-16-are-ordinary-people-the-source-of-disruption-a-conversation-with-al-etmanski--10415030

This podcast was recorded over Skype.
Music provided by Clint Harewood you contact him on these websites:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Tamo.T
or
LinkedIn: https://www.facebook.com/Tamo.T]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/10415030Sun, 29 Jan 2017 14:11:30 +0000Keita DemmingIn this podcast, I interview Al Etmanski, social entrepreneur, and author of the book Impact: Six Patterns to Spread Your Social Innovation. In this podcast, Al shares many insights on his years of working to change the system of care for people with...

This podcast was recorded over Skype.
Music provided by Clint Harewood you contact him on these websites:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Tamo.T
or
LinkedIn: https://www.facebook.com/Tamo.T]]>1643ashoka,disability,entrepreneur,healthcare,innovationclean1fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/ep-15-finding-disruption-in-unexpected-places-a-conversation-with-kaitlin-mongentale-of-pulp-pantry--10360723
Hope you enjoy the podcast.

This podcast was recorded over Skype.
Music provided by Clint Harewood you contact him on these websites:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Tamo.T
or
LinkedIn: https://www.facebook.com/Tamo.T]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/10360723Sun, 22 Jan 2017 12:32:10 +0000Keita DemmingIn this podcast, I chat with Kaitlin Mongentale who founded her company after having an aha moment in the most unlikely place. She was watching a friend juice a carrot and was surprised by how much of the pulp is thrown away. In the podcast, she...
Hope you enjoy the podcast.

This podcast was recorded over Skype.
Music provided by Clint Harewood you contact him on these websites:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Tamo.T
or
LinkedIn: https://www.facebook.com/Tamo.T]]>2011entrepreneurship,food,health,upcylcing,wasteclean1fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/ep-14-disrupting-under-the-public-eye-a-conversation-with-jennifer-keesmatt-toronto-s-chief-planner--10310592
Hope you enjoy the podcast.

This podcast was recorded over the phone.
Music provided by Clint Harewood you contact him on these websites:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Tamo.T
or
LinkedIn: https://www.facebook.com/Tamo.T]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/10310592Sun, 15 Jan 2017 12:55:05 +0000Keita DemmingIn this podcast I talk with Toronto's chief city planner. How do you be disruptive under the public gaze, for public good and with public money. In this conversation Jennifer discusses her approach to building better cities. For her, if we want to...
Hope you enjoy the podcast.

This podcast was recorded over the phone.
Music provided by Clint Harewood you contact him on these websites:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Tamo.T
or
LinkedIn: https://www.facebook.com/Tamo.T]]>2331city,development,planning,space,transportclean1fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/ep-13-the-strange-wonderful-intersection-between-startup-organizations-and-peace-studies-a-conversation-with-paul-heidebrecht--10266354
Hope you enjoy the podcast.

This podcast was recorded on Skype.
Music provided by Clint Harewood you contact him on these websites:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Tamo.T
or
LinkedIn: https://www.facebook.com/Tamo.T]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/10266354Mon, 09 Jan 2017 00:44:01 +0000Keita DemmingIn this podcast, Paul Heidebrecht at the University of Waterloo discusses the strange, yet beautiful connection between Peace Building and Startup organisation. With his work, he is working to disrupt how universities foster innovation. The strange...
Hope you enjoy the podcast.

This podcast was recorded on Skype.
Music provided by Clint Harewood you contact him on these websites:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Tamo.T
or
LinkedIn: https://www.facebook.com/Tamo.T]]>1239education,entrepreunership,innovation,peace,startupclean1fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/ep-12-disrupting-complex-organizations-through-service-design-a-conversation-with-chris-ferguson-from-bridgeable--10179323
This podcast was recorded over Skype, both speakers were in different locations.

Music provided by Clint Harewood.
Email - clint.harewood@gmail.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Tamo.T
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/clint-harewood-42446342]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/10179323Sun, 25 Dec 2016 13:25:40 +0000Keita DemmingIn this podcast, Chris explains how Bridgeable uses Service Design to disrupt how people think about their organisations and where they focus. His company works with large institutions and organisations to help them manage change and stay competitive...
This podcast was recorded over Skype, both speakers were in different locations.

Music provided by Clint Harewood.
Email - clint.harewood@gmail.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Tamo.T
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/clint-harewood-42446342]]>1706business,consulting,design,empathy,serviceclean1fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/ep-11-how-a-community-of-creative-alchemist-is-hatching-a-better-world-a-conversation-with-yarrow-kraner--10134278
Hope you enjoy the podcast.

This podcast was recorded on Skype.
Music provided by Clint Harewood you contact him on these websites:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Tamo.T
or
LinkedIn: https://www.facebook.com/Tamo.T]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/10134278Sun, 18 Dec 2016 16:18:36 +0000Keita DemmingIn this podcast, I interview Yarrow Kraner. Yarrow started a social network of changemakers long before Facebook existed. Today, he is a filmmaker and full-time disruptor. He curates a similar community called HATCH. Where he and is community find...
Hope you enjoy the podcast.

This podcast was recorded on Skype.
Music provided by Clint Harewood you contact him on these websites:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Tamo.T
or
LinkedIn: https://www.facebook.com/Tamo.T]]>1096becauseofhatch,educator,entrepreneur,filmmaker,photographeryes1fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/ep-10-can-conflict-and-curiosity-be-a-path-to-breakthrough-a-conversation-with-crista-renner-of-velocity--10083320https://api.spreaker.com/episode/10083320Sun, 11 Dec 2016 14:24:51 +0000Keita DemmingIn this podcast, Crista shares her insights on the role of conflict and curiosity within the startup culture. She shares how helping people work through conflict can bring people to a place of breakthrough versus a place of breakdown. Crista works to...1358business,conflict,entrepreneurship,innovation,startupclean1fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/ep-9-designing-for-the-future-of-learning-today-a-conversation-with-chrisitan-long-from-wonder-by-design--10034352
This podcast was recorded on Skype.
Music provided by Clint Harewood you contact him via email, Facebook or LinkedIn.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/10034352Sun, 04 Dec 2016 16:06:29 +0000Keita DemmingIn this podcast, Christian asks the provocative question will there be a need for a building called "the school" in the future? As a partner in an educational design studio called Wonder, we hear the thoughts of someone who has thought about and...
This podcast was recorded on Skype.
Music provided by Clint Harewood you contact him via email, Facebook or LinkedIn.]]>1336architecture,design,educaiton,learning,schoolsclean1fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/ep-8-disrupting-the-food-system-a-conversation-with-diane-hatz-from-changefood-org--9978963
Follow Diane's work at www.changefood.org. Sign up for their mailing list, follow them on Twitter and Instagram.

During the podcast, we talked about Vertical Farms from MIT. Here is the link for those of you who want to know more: http://openag.media.mit.edu/

This podcast was recorded on Skype.
Music provided by Clint Harewood you contact him via email, Facebook or LinkedIn.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/9978963Sun, 27 Nov 2016 12:09:52 +0000Keita DemmingIn this podcast, we explore the challenges of trying to disrupt the food system. Diane points out that although we have made some of the gains, there is still a lot of work to do on improving the food system. Follow Diane's work at...
Follow Diane's work at www.changefood.org. Sign up for their mailing list, follow them on Twitter and Instagram.

During the podcast, we talked about Vertical Farms from MIT. Here is the link for those of you who want to know more: http://openag.media.mit.edu/

This podcast was recorded on Skype.
Music provided by Clint Harewood you contact him via email, Facebook or LinkedIn.]]>870food,green,health,healthy,organicclean1fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/ep-7-coaching-the-next-generation-of-disruptors-a-conversation-with-brendan-wylie-toal-from-green-house--9920947https://api.spreaker.com/episode/9920947Sun, 20 Nov 2016 14:33:42 +0000Keita DemmingBrendan is a Program Manager and Startup Coach at Green House incubator. Green House is a startup incubator at the University of Waterloo. At Green House, Brendan works to help students bring their ideas to life. In this podcast, we discuss a range of...1618coaching,education,entrepreneurship,procurement,startupclean1fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/ep-6-public-art-as-a-source-of-disruptive-innovation-a-conversation-with-anjuli-solanki--9864649
Anjuli works for the for the STEPS initiative a public art organization. STEPS biggest project to date has been their St. Clair Project. In the podcast, she mentioned PATCH - the public art on construction hoarding, and she also mentions the Pangea Sea project link

This podcast was recorded on Skype.
Music provided by Clint Harewood you contact him via email, Facebook or LinkedIn.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/9864649Sun, 13 Nov 2016 13:13:44 +0000Keita DemmingIn this podcast, Anjuli Solanki and I discuss how she and her organization use public art as a source of innovation at the city-level. Anjuli uses some very practical examples to explain how public art can be used to transform or build communities....
Anjuli works for the for the STEPS initiative a public art organization. STEPS biggest project to date has been their St. Clair Project. In the podcast, she mentioned PATCH - the public art on construction hoarding, and she also mentions the Pangea Sea project link

This podcast was recorded on Skype.
Music provided by Clint Harewood you contact him via email, Facebook or LinkedIn.]]>1349architecture,art,cities,construction,placemakingclean1fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/ep-5-how-an-old-idea-is-disrupting-the-financial-system-a-conversation-with-akhtar-mohammed--9815064
Akhtar Mohammed graduated from the University of British Columbia in 2011 with a B.A. majoring in Political Science and minoring in History. Upon graduation he lived in Singapore for a year where he completed the CIMA Diploma in Islamic Finance and continued his research in Islamic finance, banking, trade, and economics. He graduated with a Law degree from the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London; and is currently pursuing an LLM from Osgoode Hall Law School.

This podcast was recorded on Skype.
Music provided by Clint Harewood you contact him via email, Facebook or LinkedIn.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/9815064Mon, 07 Nov 2016 02:45:34 +0000Keita DemmingAkhtar Mohammed makes a case for a financial system in which the social good of society is seen as a basic requirement for the financial sector. His understanding of the financial sector, if taken seriously, could disrupt a trillion dollar industry....
Akhtar Mohammed graduated from the University of British Columbia in 2011 with a B.A. majoring in Political Science and minoring in History. Upon graduation he lived in Singapore for a year where he completed the CIMA Diploma in Islamic Finance and continued his research in Islamic finance, banking, trade, and economics. He graduated with a Law degree from the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London; and is currently pursuing an LLM from Osgoode Hall Law School.

This podcast was recorded on Skype.
Music provided by Clint Harewood you contact him via email, Facebook or LinkedIn.]]>1747banking,enterprise,finance,islamic,loansclean1fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/ep-4-how-learning-from-failure-can-help-spur-innovation-a-conversation-with-ashley-good-of-failforward--9758141
Maybe just my website - https://failforward.org/
and if you want another, then twitter - https://twitter.com/FailForward]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/9758141Sun, 30 Oct 2016 16:40:57 +0000Keita DemmingIn this podcast I chat with Ashley Good from FailFoward. Ashley works with organizations to help turn failure into success. In this conversation we explore that challenges of personal failure and how we are not used to confronting failure. Maybe...
Maybe just my website - https://failforward.org/
and if you want another, then twitter - https://twitter.com/FailForward]]>1271disruption,evaluation,failure,innovation,learningclean1fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/ep-3-immigrants-actually-make-your-country-safer-a-conversation-with-sheryl-winarick--9704256https://api.spreaker.com/episode/9704256Sun, 23 Oct 2016 14:41:36 +0000Keita DemmingIn this podcast, I chat with Sheryl Winarick. Sheryl is an immigration lawyer and argues that immigrants are creating more job for americans than taking jobs. She also argues that immigrants actually make america safer. Listen to how she is attempting...1284disruption,diversity,immigration,islam,securityclean1fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/ep-2-education-as-a-pathway-to-disruption-with-jennifer-mcrae--9649949https://api.spreaker.com/episode/9649949Sun, 16 Oct 2016 14:19:28 +0000Keita DemmingIn this podcast, Jennifer MacRae and I talk about how education can help foster the next generation of problem-solvers.1898education,innovation,learning,transformation,universityclean1fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/ep-1-profit-purpose-how-can-they-become-friends-a-conversation-with-phillip-haid--9597186https://api.spreaker.com/episode/9597186Sat, 08 Oct 2016 22:46:59 +0000Keita DemmingIn this podcast I discuss profit for purpose with Marketing expert Phillp Haid. Phillp is the cofounder for Public Inc a Marketing company that helps organizations merge profit and purpose1774business,csr,marketing,profit,purposeclean1full