Category Archives: Creativity & Innovation

Michael Kerr – The Workplace Energizer | Speaker

Michael Kerr - The Workplace Energizer - www.kmprod.com/michael-kerrMICHAEL KERR
Culture at Work is Everything, and Everything is Culture


Why choose between humour and content when you can have both? Mike Kerr is one of North America’s leading authorities on fostering innovative and inspiring workplace cultures. His presentations—known for introducing practical ideas that audiences can put to work immediately—are delivered in a truly unforgettable and hilarious fashion for maximum impact. Below, Mike explains why your workplace culture is so important

Michael Kerr - The Workplace Energergizer - www.kmprod.com/michael-kerrIt doesn’t matter what you do, whether you are in the government or private business: Culture drives success.

When I use the word “culture,” I’m referring to your workplace’s personality. Your DNA.  How you do the things you do.  I’m talking about an ecosystem, holistic, long term perspective of your workplace and recognizing that everything in work is interconnected to everything else.

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ERIK WAHL – This Entrepreneur Shows How to Paint a Picture of Success

Erik Wahl - The Art of VisionERIK WAHL
Showing Entrepreneurs How to Paint a Picture of Success



As the landscape for business continues to change, leaders need to be creative to stay ahead of the game to keep customers interested. Internationally recognized artist Erik Wahl shows how organizations can tap into creativity to achieve superior performance and differentiate themselves from the competition:

erik-wahl-monaWhen entrepreneurs embark on their journey, they start with a blank canvas: There is no manual for building their dream. Along the way, they’re bound to hit some bumps — and when they do, it’s important they visualize the picture of success. For Erik Wahl, he takes it one step further and actually paints his success.

As a business strategist and an artist, Wahl combines his two passions to demonstrate the journey for his entrepreneurship endeavor, while also providing motivation to others.

Taking the stage at Entrepreneur’s 2014 Growth Conference in New Orleans, he left the crowd captivated painting iconic pieces like the Statue of Liberty and Einstein in a matter of minutes.  Wahl not only takes people on his journey, while his paint strokes create a vibrant image but also inspires businesspeople to think about innovation, taking success to the next level and living the dream.

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Dr. Lance Secretan – Leadership Expert & Creating Inspiring Organizations

DR. LANCE SECRETAN
Strengths-based Leadership Theory Revisited


In my 1989 book, “The Way of the Tiger: Gentle Wisdom for Turbulent Times” (still going strong!) I introduced the concept of leading with strengths, since popularized by Gallup, among others, as “strengths-based leadership”. In the 25 years since I helped to found this movement, I have begun to rethink about the “strengths-emphasis” more.

Focusing only on our strengths and ignoring our weaknesses is like taking a Pollyanna approach to who we are, because, in truth, we are both our strengths and our weaknesses. The strengths-based movement also encourages stereotypical leadership: strong, powerful, charismatic and heroic. It would be nice if this was who we are all the time but, in reality, most of us aren’t.

If strengths, or being strong, is at one end of the continuum, then vulnerability (not weakness) is that the other. So this raises another opportunity: Could we be more effective as leaders if we became stronger with our strengths and more transparent with our vulnerabilities?

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Michael Kerr – The Workplace Energizer

Michael Kerr - The Workplace Energizer - www.kmprod.com/michael-kerrMICHAEL KERR
10 Reasons Why Humour Is A Key To Success At Work


Forbes.com cites the reasons “Workplace Energizer” Michael Kerr believes humour is a fundamental element for achieving success in the workplace:

Michael Kerr - The Workplace Energergizer - www.kmprod.com/michael-kerr

Tasteful humor is a key to success at work, but there’s a good chance your co-workers aren’t cracking jokes or packaging information with wit on a regular basis–and your office could probably stand to have a little more fun.

“Humor, by its nature, tends to have an edge to it, so people typically tone it down at work,” says Laura Vanderkam, author of What the Most Successful People Do at Work (Portfolio, 2013), and What the Most Successful People Do Before Breakfast (Portfolio, 2012). “It’s hard to do well and easy to do badly. Plus, we all have a tendency to take ourselves way too seriously.”

Michael Kerr, an international business speaker, president of Humor at Work, and author of the upcoming book, The Humor Advantage: Why Some Businesses are Laughing all the Way to the Bank (Dec. 2013), says the amount or type of humor you’ll find in any given workplace depends almost entirely on the culture. “In workplaces that encourage people to be themselves–that are less hierarchical and more innovative–people tend to be more open with their humor,” he says. “Even people who aren’t always comfortable sharing their humor tend to do so in more relaxed environments where the use of humor becomes second nature with everyone’s style.”

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JOSH LINKNER – Award-Winning Entrepreneur & Creativity Expert

josh_linkner_smJOSH LINKNER
Why the Best Leaders Embrace the Worst Ideas


Award-winning entrepreneur and creativity expert Josh Linkner wrote a recent piece for Forbes.com on why it’s important to welcome ideas from anyone–at all levels–in your company:

Modern leadership technique models all point to an “open door” style. With this practice, employees have the ability to approach their leader with questions at any time. This philosophy of openness makes perfect sense, but it doesn’t go far enough. The door should be open not only for questions, but also for ideas – even if that means an influx of terrible ones.

Whether it’s in a pop-in, impromptu chat or in a team brainstorming session or a formal board meeting, you (as a leader) should encourage people to bring forward their ideas – and then, you should embrace what they suggest… even if it’s awful.

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