It's obvious these people have spent months preparing for Comic-Con, obsessively planning every detail of their outfits. The post The Best Cosplay at Comic-Con, From Spock to Furiosa appeared first on WIRED.

Early on in my career I took my first business trip to North Carolina where I participated in a ‘higher education’ conference. No, the conference wasn’t on the airplane although we were ‘higher’. Because it was North Carolina there was even a pig roast. Sadly, I couldn’t find an apple. To get from Vancouver to Winston-Salem, I took planes interconnected by the Star Alliance family - Air Canada and United Airlines - and since that trip I very rarely diverge from the family. I’m a loyal customer racking up (according to a recent personalized infographic sent to me by Air Canada’s loyalty program) over 2 million miles of business. Suffice to say that I’ve had a few apples in various lounges unlike Miss Piggy in North Carolina from above. I fly a lot with Air Canada, a little bit with United Airlines and when Europe or Asia beckons I hitch on to the Star Alliance family. That’s another way of saying I am well versed with the boarding drill as well. When it comes to Air Canada I have memorized (in both official languages) the recorded message that plays before boarding the plane. It’s no badge of honour; ask the goats. But this past week I clued into something that alarms me on several levels. Whilst getting ready to board a flight, standing at the front of the queue as I always do waiting for Air Canada Elite members to be called, I noticed a gal in a wheelchair to the right of the desk. She was inching her way to the agent’s desk desparately trying to part the sea of able bodied humans in her quest to board the plane. As I waited — watching the situation unfold — the Air Canada attendant summoned me to the desk so I could present my boarding pass and passport. "Elites, let’s go," he said motioning towards me and the queue of 20 odd people behind me. Now, what normally happens on an Air Canada flight is a call out for those needing assistance — like our wheelchair friend, parents with kids, other requirements — before the ‘Elites’ parade down the boardwalk. I wasn’t paying attention to the message that had just finished playing. I’d heard it a thousand times before. I responded to the Air Canada agent rather foolishly and asked, "What about the woman in the wheelchair over there," pointing to her as she approached the desk to his left. "They changed everything a month ago," remarked our clearly disengaged agent. "Elites now go first, then assisted help and then everyone else," he concluded. I was stunned. Mostly because I would never put myself ahead of anyone needing assistance but in the moment curiosity got the best of me. "Were you consulted on the decision," I asked while fumbling (on purpose) with my passport and boarding pass. "Do you think ‘they‘ would ask us first?" replied our now agitated agent. "We would never have suggested such a change." "We should let her through," I retorted. "You clearly believe she should have that right — as do I — so let’s defy management’s orders." "Sir," our agent said rather morosely, "I just can’t do it. It’s not my call." So, I had to submit my passport and boarding pass and enter the plane. As the ‘Elites’ planted themselves in the first 12 rows of the plane … only then did our wheelchair friend board. Of course it took another agent to literally carry (you might call it dragging) this woman to her seat. The process took about 5 minutes. As she passed me I said, "Sorry you weren’t able to board first." Perking up with a smile that stretched from seat A to seat F she said, "Thanks, but it’s not a big deal. At least we’re on time." What character. Why does this scenario irk me so? I obviously only have one piece of evidence; the agent’s assertion that Air Canada management made a decision without the involvement of frontline customer facing employees. Perhaps there is more to the story. But if it’s true, it’s another classic example of fiefdom based management decision making without the input, ideas and innovation of its most important asset … its people. I don’t mind the privileges that come with being an Elite member of the Star Alliance family but boarding a plane before those that need assistance is deplorable. It reeks of hierarchy and elitism and it’s plain wrong. Dear Air Canada, how about you start collaborating as a unified team and avoid culture crushing and employee disengagement acts (not to mention public relations nightmares) like the one depicted above? At a minimum, go back to the previous boarding announcements and boarding process. Next time I fly with you I’ll even offer to be the announcer. PS. I published this at 35,000 feet while on one of your competitors aircraft. 2,354 total views, 11 views today Dan's Related Posts:Omni Hotels & Resorts in Dallas Demonstrate Great Customer ServiceAn Infographic Depicting Learning & Collaboration in ActionDid I Just Spam My Entire LinkedIn Network?Here’s to the Crazy OnesWhy Don’t We Tip Flight Attendants?

It took three years and 350 lighters to construct a single photo depicting the garbage on the shores of Hong Kong. The post It Took 350 Lighters and Three Years to Make This Photo appeared first on WIRED.

I used to be one of those educators. There was a time when I wanted singular focus — an unadulterated fixation on my scintillating sermon — from every set of eyeballs when I was on stage in the classroom. I was raised to believe the educator was the ‘sage on the stage’. Maybe you were too? Maybe you still are? If I were a high school teacher or a higher education professor today though, I’d be thinking twice about that philosophy. If I were a corporate trainer (I really do hate that term) or a Chief Learning Officer (wait a minute) I’d also be thinking if my approach might need to be altered. Do educators of any stripe really believe learning solely happens through the lecture? Sure, there are times where said ‘sage’ should be pontificating from the pulpit to the pupils, but this doesn’t have to be the sole means of instruction. But, let’s keep calm and carry on with the lecture in the classroom for a moment. I don’t believe the lecture should be completely abandoned — and I do think we still need to tear down the walls of the classroom — but I do believe there is one issue that needs to be remedied once and for all. Teachers, principals, professors, trainers, facilitators and lecturers alike … let’s N-Screen the classroom once and for all. There was a time not too long ago when you might have attended a corporate training event and the facilitator made you drop off your mobile device at the back of the room. There was a non-descriptive box found at the back table and there may even have been a sign that read, "Park Cell Phones Here Please". That same facilitator explained she needed your undivided attention because the forbidden fruit of your cell phone was ultimately going to cause you to perform a sin so you might as well separate yourself from the temptation. Unless of course there was a priest in your class, but that’s just a weird anomaly. You know it’s true. What about the various (and many) school boards who continue to ban cell phones, tablets or laptops from the classroom by students who are simply trying to enact their own BYOD — bring your own device — policy for themselves? Picture the following. Jasmin and Kuldeep show up on their first day at the new school. At the old school in a different part of the country they were able to bring their iPad’s into the classroom because their (then) forward thinking teacher and administration said it complemented their ‘pervasive learning‘ strategy. What happened on day one of the new school? Both Jasmin and Kuldeep were informed by the school principal that they need not bring in their iPad’s because "computer class happens every Day 3 on the schedule." You know it’s true. Teachers, principals, professors, trainers, facilitators and lecturers alike … let’s N-Screen the classroom once and for all. Let’s first acknowledge that although you may be a subject matter expert in your domain — whatever the domain — you still don’t know everything in your sphere of competence. Get over it. So, if you agree that you don’t know everything, why not let your students ‘plug in’ to complement what you’re saying or to reinforce the exercises or discussions you’ve put on the docket. Let your students use a device that is connected to the internet to not only help their own acumen but yours and the rest of the group. That’s an example of N-Screen. The group will undoubtedly be listening to you while you’re speaking and dancing around with your flipcharts and slides, but you will create a classroom environment that is both fluid and connected. It’s not a distraction, it’s simply another tentacle. It’s a reinforcement. Second, as a teacher, principal, professor, trainer, facilitator or lecturer, perhaps you can begin utilizing the N-Screen directly into your material. When I’m at a conference — whether as a speaker or an attendee — I love when there is an opportunity to engage through polling/quiz devices. That makes me feel a part of the process whether I’m the speaker or a bum in a seat. If I’m actually teaching, I might alter my delivery to incorporate said mobile devices … presuming there is internet connectivity. Online scavenger hunt? Why not. A race to find three additional facts about the content you’re currently plowing through? Sure. The use of the web to complement an in-session group activity? You better believe it. Free surf time on the lecture at hand? Is it any different from allowing a smoke break and people talking about the class or content? When I’m speaking, I’ve been known to tweet from the stage — while speaking — or give away free copies of Flat Army to those that have used a device to connect with others through the event hashtag. I scan the stream before I go on and head out into the audience at some point during my talk to drop off the book to the unsuspecting Twitter handle/peep. These are examples of an N-Screen in the classroom. To my brethren in the overarching teaching space; the digital device train has left the station long ago. No, not everyone has a device, but we’re getting close. And yes, etiquette, exemplary practice along do’s and don’ts might have to be taught and/or communicated. The question that remains is whether you are prepared to not only incorporate an N-Screen into your classroom but whether you are also going to modify the way you actually teach. Are you ready to N-Screen the classroom? 2,243 total views, 8 views today Dan's Related Posts:"Since the way we run universities now is such a train wreck, what’s a better way?"ABC - The 21st Century Learning ModelThe Wolf Pack and LearningLearning by OsmosisI Have Never Worn a Watch

UPDATE: The update for Adobe Captivate 7 is now available. As we shared in late October, Adobe Captivate 7 is not yet compatible with the OS X Mavericks update to the Mac operating system. We are actively testing an update for Captivate 7 that will fix compatibility issues with the new Mavericks Operating System. The […]

NASA said it was giving Instagram an hour-long head start on the first image, posting it to the social media service before officially releasing it on its public website. The post NASA Teams Up with Instagram To Debut Pluto Surface Photo appeared first on WIRED.

I’m not entirely certain what to make of this. I got wind of a news report from Channel NewsAsia entitled, "MBA for Children" where three to six-year olds are enrolling into a pseudo MBA program for toddlers. Over 100,000 children have graduated from this program in Shanghai alone at a cost of roughly $590 USD per student. Watch the clip below: Early on in the clip, a 6 year-old says, "I like to spend money when I was younger. Now I don’t." Wow. What to make of this? It seems this MBA for Children program in Shanghai is a derivative of a company based in Colorado, USA called FasTracKids who claim "that a significant number of three to six-year-old children enrolled in FasTracKids improved their vocabulary and social skills at a rate 100% to 150% times faster than their peers not enrolled in the program." They might need help on their use of graphs as their Y Axis looks a wee bit bare. See below. That aside, I was personally shocked to view the clip above. 100,000 young Chinese toddlers are being (allegedly) fast-tracked towards the components of an MBA? It seems criminal. And what of this parent company in Colorado? I’m sure Nancy Faunce, President and CEO of FasTracKids International knows what she is doing but I’m always a wee bit leery when I hear of programs (whether Nancy has a part in this or not) that are promoting the fast-tracking of young toddlers into MBA-like objectives. It’s just so wrong on so many levels. What do you think?   2,444 total views, 16 views today Dan's Related Posts:The Flat Army Interview with Dan Pontefract’s Three Young ChildrenThe Star Wars Mentoring ProgramOur Three Young Children Blog … Here’s WhyABC - The 21st Century Learning ModelWhose Your Brian Reid?

Guest Blog Post by By Shawn Scivally (eLearning Brothers) Brother Shawn is the co-founder of eLearning Brothers. Along with my brother Andrew, we create awesome eLearning stuff. Specializing in eLearning Templates, games, page layouts, cutout people pictures, interactions, quizzes and much more. Having much success, and now being a trusted brand in the eLearning industry—we […]

  Photo courtesy of Forbes / Steve Denning Steve Denning — one of those I look up to — was kind enough to include my book Flat Army: Creating a Connected and Engaged Organization as an example of recent literature that is helping to redefine leadership and management in the organization in his Forbes piece entitled, "The Management Revolution That’s Already Happening". Alongside 17 other books, Steve deftly explains the management revolution is underway, and that the Creative Economy is becoming a reality. (at least for some organizations) As he says, "<a> coherent constellation of fundamentally different principles in leadership and management has emerged." Well, at least some of us are writing about it. Flat Army contains a set of five frameworks for leaders AND the organization and when used in conjunction it’s my (biased) belief they can enable "an unobstructed flow of corporate commonality." It’s shifting from a ‘culture of fears’ to a ‘culture of peers’. One of the best paragraphs from Steve’s article (and review) is as follows: The books are inspired by the idea that management must embody truth, both in what is said and how it is said. Clichés about the manipulation of systems and efficiency and incremental fixes will not do. The truth of our organizations, bitter and disheartening as it is, must be faced with honesty and imagination. These books do so with a force and a clarity that have not often been heard in management before. I hope you have the chance to read the entire piece by Steve. The books he is sourcing — including Flat Army — are as follows: Fixing the Game (Roger Martin), What Matters Now (Gary Hamel), Reorganize for Resilience (Ranjay Gulati), The Power of Pull (John Hagel, John Seely Brown, Lang Davison), The Innovator’s Prescription (Clayton Christensen et al), The Leader’s Guide To Radical Management (Stephen Denning), The Leader’s Dilemma (Franz Röösli et al), Conscious Capitalism (John Mackey and Raj Sikodia), Peak (Chip Conley), The Lean Startup (Eric Ries), The Ultimate Question 2.0 (Fred Reichheld et al) and Leadership in a Wiki World (Rod Collins), The Elastic Organization (2012) by Nicholas Vitalari and Haydn Shaughnessy; The End of Competitive Advantage (2013) by Rita McGrath; Flat Army (2013) by Dan Pontefract: The Connected Organization (2013) by Dave Gray; Enterprise Software Delivery (2013) by Alan Brown and Reinventing Giants (2013) Bill Fischer et al. 7,260 total views, 19 views today Dan's Related Posts:Future of Work: Add Open Leadership, Enterprise 2.0, Connected Learning and MixIt’s Time to Revolutionize Corporate Learning10 Free Copies of Flat Army … Participate to WinAnnouncing the Full Book Cover Jacket of Flat ArmyWHY I Wrote Flat Army: The Flat Army Golden Circle

Lightyear.fm simulates what you'd hear if tuning into terrestrial radio from different parts of the cosmos. The post Stunning Sim Shows How Far Hit Songs Have Traveled in Space appeared first on WIRED.

Adobe’s award winning Presenter Video Creator has been enhanced with new tools designed to put interaction right into educational videos. Trainers and Educators alike are rapidly adopting Adobe Presenter thanks to it’s amazingly simple, show-and-tell video tool. Innovations in the video tool have been delighting users for more than a year now. Given the immediate […]

When I travel on business there are a few hotel conditions I live by: Don’t pick a hotel that was once a brothel Stay away from hotels that charge "by the hour" Ensure there are windows Hotels that offer ‘Happy Hour’ (but from 6pm - 2am) are generally to be avoided I was in Dallas, Texas recently and as I was speaking at the ASTD International Convention and Exhibition Conference I chose to stay at the Omni Hotels & Resorts Dallas hotel - located adjacent to the Dallas Convention Center. It’s a splendid hotel devoid of any of the bullets above. (it’s also devoid of bullets) My flight back to Vancouver was slated for 7am. Naturally, being the time management nutbar that I am, I was in bed at 10pm with a wake-up call set for 5:15am so I could shower and head off to the airport to catch the flight. At 2am the orchestral movement in the dark of high-pitched hyena-like laughing began from the room next door. My semi-catatonic // semi-conscious state presumed it was a dream but it ensued for the next 10 minutes. That’s when I took action. Yup, I began hitting the hotel wall presuming my thuds would be an inclination of displeasure. It wasn’t. I’m pretty sure they were snorting cocaine. So, after another 10 minutes of Canadian patience I called down to the front-desk and explained the situation. I don’t recall the woman’s name I spoke with but she said not to worry and that it would be handled. I found some earplugs from my bag, put them in to soften the hyena yelping down to a lower pitch, and I tried to go back to sleep. When the phone rang at 5:15am, I got up, had my shower and with my trusty bag already packed, proceeded to exit the room on to a waiting taxi for the ride to the airport. But what did I see under the hotel room door? The graphic below explains things rather nicely: To Kyle - the night manager of Omni Hotels and Resorts in Dallas - you (and your team) should be recognized for the reassuring way in which you handled the situation (I presume you didn’t shoot the hyenas next door) as well as your Customers First approach to make me feel better about the inconvenience. It wasn’t your fault, but you took responsibility which is certainly above and beyond the call of duty. Thank you for an exemplary case study of customer service leadership. 2,090 total views, 5 views today Dan's Related Posts:Friday Fun: The Difference b/t Apple & Microsoft Is …Air Canada Isn’t Collaborating With Its EmployeesWhy Don’t We Tip Flight Attendants?Review: SharePoint Conference 2011Flexible Working Works

Danish studio Gjøde & Povlsgaard Arkitekter designed the bridge as part of Denmark’s annual Sculpture by the Sea exhibition. The post This Bridge Goes Nowhere, and That’s Just Fine by Us appeared first on WIRED.

A free update to Adobe Captivate 7, (Adobe Captivate 7.0.1) is now available for download and installation through the Adobe Update Manager. Users of Adobe Captivate 7 who are not using Mavericks may update from the help menu in Captivate. (Help: Update) Mavericks users may do so via the Adobe Update Manager or download the […]

Safe + Sound uses bone conduction to play tunes through wearers' cheekbones, instead of directly into their eardrums, so they can still detect ambient noise. The post Concept Headphones That Won’t Get You Killed While Biking appeared first on WIRED.

The Leadership Tonic Scale identifies and defines five types of leadership styles found in today’s organization. This is the first of those five types. Come back and visit each day during the week of June 3, 2013 to find out the next leadership type as depicted in the Leadership Tonic Scale. [divider] The Moronic Leader The ‘Moronic Leader’ is the bottom feeder of the Leadership Tonic Scale. He believes ruthless command and control tactics are the basis in which to lead. He insists on perfection and micro-manages the actions and deliverables of his team at all times with equal parts vigor and insanity. When errors occur, team members are reprimanded whether privately or publicly in front of colleagues. Actual lashings may be utilized. When efforts from the team exceed expectations or targets, the moronic leader takes credit for the result and forges a letter from a customer outlining how fabulous his actions were. He of course delivers the letter to the CEO. The Moronic Leader believes the only way to get results is to bully. "Cracking the Whip" doesn’t seem to be a simile; it’s the real deal. Workplace stress is encouraged, exacerbated by daily demands far exceeding the definition of humanity. The verbal and mental abuse a Moronic Leader invokes on what he refers to as "my subordinate minions" is the very definition of workplace hell. ‘Emotional Intelligence‘ is incomprehensible to the moronic leader. In fact, he thinks it’s the title of a Hollywood blockbuster movie starring Matt Damon or Tom Cruise. Knowing the likes, dislikes or hobbies of his team is as likely as him recognizing employees for a job well done. Recognition usually involves a mirror with the Moronic Leader being the only human (is he really human?) in the mirror itself. Being collaborative and using social tools to open up and/or connect with employees only occurs when North and South Korea military personnel agree to moonlight dancing in the DMZ. What More to Know: Run away Tap into your network and seek out a new job or role Pray someone in HR has figured out this goofball needs to be terminated and replaced with Watson, R2-D2 or iRobot The Moronic Leader is as set in his ways as is United Airlines’ quest to break guitars or whoever is in charge of your local Taylorism fan-club. It is irreversible. You need to find yourself a new career home. Instill some gumption into your DNA and take flight immediately. If you recognize a colleague or friend in this situation, do the right thing and help him or her get out of the role ASAP. [divider] NB: the Leadership Tonic Scale does get better from here. What’s the next stage? Although I didn’t include the Leadership Tonic Scale in my book Flat Army: Creating a Connected and Engaged Organization, you may be interested in Chapters 4-6 (The Connected Leader) and Chapter 7 (The Participative Leader Framework) in particular as they help to depict what I believe are the key ingredients to 21st century leadership. The entire Leadership Tonic Scale will be released on June 10th as a free downloadable paper. UPDATE: The Leadership Tonic Scale downloadable PDF is now available. 2,924 total views, 6 views today Dan's Related Posts:The Iconic Leader: Stage 4 of 5 in the Leadership Tonic ScaleThe Ironic Leader: Stage 2 of 5 in the Leadership Tonic ScaleThe Platonic Leader: Stage 3 of 5 in the Leadership Tonic ScaleThe Harmonic Leader: Stage 5 of 5 in the Leadership Tonic ScaleThe Leadership Tonic Scale - Free PDF Download

Reddit's chief engineer confirmed late Monday night that she would be leaving Reddit after just two months in the job. The post Reddit Still Can’t Stem the Bleed appeared first on WIRED.

The Leadership Tonic Scale identifies and defines five types of leadership styles found in today’s organization. This is the second of those five types. Come back and visit each day during the week of June 3, 2013 to find out the next leadership type as depicted in the Leadership Tonic Scale. [divider] The Ironic Leader The ‘Ironic Leader’ lives a leadership life of irony. Of course many people confuse coincidence with irony, but this is no coincidence. Ironical, isn’t it? Irony stems from the Greek word ‘eironeia’ which was defined as simulated ignorance. That about sums up the definition of the Ironic Leader; it’s someone who simultaneously ignores her team whilst conveying the exact opposite of what she is purporting. It’s like a dog owner is saying ‘sit’ to her dog yet the dog is deaf and the owner actually wants the dog to go for a walk. The Ironic Leader is an ATNA — all talk no action — where she talks up a good game to the team but never actually accomplishes anything or remembers what she said in the first place. You’ve heard of ‘paralysis by analysis’? This is the epitome of our Ironic Leader. She analyzes everything until everyone’s eyes start bleeding only to succumb to a time bomb going off that destroys the project. It reminds me of certain leaders at XEROX during the heyday of the PARC lab who sat on a goldmine with the invention of the mouse and the graphical user interface (GUI) only to see others (like Apple) swoop in and buy/steal the original idea. Ironic Leaders say one thing and do another. It’s a bit like Jay Leno. (ask Conan O’Brien) Imagine being told in 2004 that you would host The Tonight Show (as Conan was told) in 2009. Both Jeff Zucker (the NBC executive orchestrating the career development paths of Jay Leno and Conan O’Brien) and Jay Leno agreed to such a plan. Once Conan assumed the mantle of The Tonight Show, his tenure was about as long as the reign of King Edward VIII although only one of the two actually abdicated his role. (guess which one?) Both Zucker and Leno acted like Ironic Leaders; they both said one thing and when things didn’t go their way, immaturity, a coward DNA and gutlessness set in and O’Brien got the shaft. What More to Know: Their words are translucent; gain assurance from them on your deliverables, deadlines, etc. Set the tone, the agenda and the playbook. Be proactive and take charge. Dithering leaders need a carefully orchestrated punt in the backside; figure out how to deliver it without getting fired. Ironic Leaders are a step up from the Moronic Leader but they can be equally if not more frustrating. They mean well (unlike a Moronic Leader) but can’t figure out how to run to first base after cracking their bat. They may even get tossed from the batter’s box because they took too long to get ready. Wait, didn’t they say they hated baseball? How ironic! [divider] NB: the Leadership Tonic Scale does get better from here. What’s the next stage? Although I didn’t include the Leadership Tonic Scale in my book Flat Army: Creating a Connected and Engaged Organization, you may be interested in Chapters 4-6 (The Connected Leader) and Chapter 7 (The Participative Leader Framework) in particular as they help to depict what I believe are the key ingredients to 21st century leadership. The entire Leadership Tonic Scale will be released on June 10th as a free downloadable paper. UPDATE: The Leadership Tonic Scale downloadable PDF is now available. 1,790 total views, 3 views today Dan's Related Posts:The Iconic Leader: Stage 4 of 5 in the Leadership Tonic ScaleThe Moronic Leader: Stage 1 of 5 in the Leadership Tonic ScaleThe Platonic Leader: Stage 3 of 5 in the Leadership Tonic ScaleThe Leadership Tonic Scale - Free PDF DownloadThe Harmonic Leader: Stage 5 of 5 in the Leadership Tonic Scale

What’s New Whenever software is updated I know I’m always eager to learn what is new and what is improved. I imagine that is the case for many people, so in that spirit I’ve compiled a list of the new and improved items included in the Adobe Captivate 7.0.1 update and I’ve added some context […]

The Leadership Tonic Scale identifies and defines five types of leadership styles found in today’s organization. This is the third of those five types. Come back and visit each day during the week of June 3, 2013 to find out the next leadership type as depicted in the Leadership Tonic Scale. [divider] The Platonic Leader I know, your first thought is, "wait … shouldn’t all leaders behave in platonic ways otherwise HR gets overburdened with harassment complaints and Finance has to start cutting an inordinate number of severance cheques?" Well ya, but my definition of a Platonic Leader is not about sex in the office. It’s about those leaders who are in fact pretty successful in their role but they shy away from — you might say shun — any trait whatsoever that demonstrates friendliness, compassion and/or caring for their team members. The Platonic Leader gets the job done but does so not necessarily caring about the feelings of those he has bull-dozed to accomplish the goal, be it his own employees or those from other parts of the organization. It’s a bit like Russia’s Vladimir Putin in his eternal quest to remain in power. Or better yet, (blasphemous as it may be) perhaps it’s like Steve Jobs who would publicly berate team members if products were not to his liking and who was alleged to have micro-managed a project to achieve his vision without a care for the hearts and minds he bowled over in his perfection journey. The Platonic Leader is a cardboard cut-out. Many senior leaders will look for the Platonic Leader to lead particular posts in an organization as they are often viewed to get the job done no matter the cost. They live by words such as, "we can do more with less" or "we’re eating our own dog food" or "it’s like putting lipstick on a pig" or "it’s not rocket science stupid." In other words, they’re a bit robotic but effective. What More to Know: They are good people, sadly they are a tad clueless when it comes to emotional intelligence Reach out to them and help them see what might transpire if they balanced a results driven personality with a sprinkling of compassion and employee engagement (suggest a coach) Begin some of your conversations asking about their weekend, current events or even bring up your own personal situation and see if you steer the leaders towards a lighter side Don’t have sex with the leader. (Do you remember Lewinsky?) That’s going a tad too far. Platonic leaders simply need a whack on the head to help them understand business intelligence is nothing unless there is personnel intelligence as well. They have to become less of a cardboard cut-out and more like the combination of Dorothy, the Cowardly Lion, the Tin Woodman and the Scarecrow - a well-rounded openly communicative and collaborative human being. [divider] NB: the Leadership Tonic Scale does get better from here. What’s the next stage? Although I didn’t include the Leadership Tonic Scale in my book Flat Army: Creating a Connected and Engaged Organization, you may be interested in Chapters 4-6 (The Connected Leader) and Chapter 7 (The Participative Leader Framework) in particular as they help to depict what I believe are the key ingredients to 21st century leadership. The entire Leadership Tonic Scale will be released on June 10th as a free downloadable paper. UPDATE: The Leadership Tonic Scale downloadable PDF is now available. 2,016 total views, 8 views today Dan's Related Posts:The Iconic Leader: Stage 4 of 5 in the Leadership Tonic ScaleThe Moronic Leader: Stage 1 of 5 in the Leadership Tonic ScaleThe Ironic Leader: Stage 2 of 5 in the Leadership Tonic ScaleThe Harmonic Leader: Stage 5 of 5 in the Leadership Tonic ScaleThe Leadership Tonic Scale - Free PDF Download

This morning, NASA released the first photos New Horizons was able to capture of Pluto's surface. The post New Horizons Returns First-Ever Photo of Pluto’s Surface appeared first on WIRED.

If you’ve been looking for a formal hands-on training course to learn how to use Adobe Captivate and Adobe Presenter, but can’t find a suitable classroom training for it, enroll for these live online courses organized by Guild Academy. Here are the details: Adobe Captivate 7 Basic This hands-on virtual training course will help you […]

The Leadership Tonic Scale identifies and defines five types of leadership styles found in today’s organization. This is the fourth of those five types. Come back and visit each day during the week of June 3, 2013 to find out the next leadership type as depicted in the Leadership Tonic Scale. [divider] The Iconic Leader The Iconic Leader is a gem, and one notch away from our final leader definition on the Leadership Tonic Scale. What is an icon? In this case we’re not referring to religious paintings as it was first defined. Typically in our modern day we think of icons as those who have demonstrated excellence over a period of time. There are sporting icons, author icons, acting icons … and of course there are leadership icons. Thus, if we want to achieve the final stage of the Leadership Tonic Scale, we must assess what makes leadership icons iconic. Iconic leadership is not about perfection. As Winston Churchill once said (an example of Iconic Leadership) "To improve is to change; to be perfect is to change often." It is about the repeatable and demonstrable act of delivering on your actions such that we mere mortals can learn from the consistent behaviour they have maintained. The aforementioned Churchill taught us about resiliency, Gandhi taught us compassion, Mother Theresa demonstrated humility, Steve Jobs was uber innovative (despite other flaws mentioned earlier) and Hillary Clinton was and is both patient and a tireless negotiator. What More to Know: Don’t set your sights on becoming an Iconic Leader - that’s something a Moronic Leader would do Start reading autobiographies and glean what you can from those that have changed the world but don’t limit yourself to a singular genre Cherry pick some of the traits, skills and behaviours that are suitable to your situation and career path and try to embed into your own leadership style over time An icon that changed the game of authoring — and in particular educating her audience, young children, to think differently — was Astrid Lindgren. Pippi Longstocking, the character she brought to life in 1945 with equal parts untidiness, cleverness, noisiness, independence and creativity encouraged children to think differently, to explore and to seek out adventure and freedom. Back in the day it was radical. But that’s what we should be drawing upon as we analyze (and mentally ingest) the characteristics of an Iconic Leader. [divider] NB: the Leadership Tonic Scale does get better from here. What’s the next stage? Although I didn’t include the Leadership Tonic Scale in my book Flat Army: Creating a Connected and Engaged Organization, you may be interested in Chapters 4-6 (The Connected Leader) and Chapter 7 (The Participative Leader Framework) in particular as they help to depict what I believe are the key ingredients to 21st century leadership. The entire Leadership Tonic Scale will be released on June 10th as a free downloadable paper. UPDATE: The Leadership Tonic Scale downloadable PDF is now available. 1,497 total views, 5 views today Dan's Related Posts:The Moronic Leader: Stage 1 of 5 in the Leadership Tonic ScaleThe Platonic Leader: Stage 3 of 5 in the Leadership Tonic ScaleThe Ironic Leader: Stage 2 of 5 in the Leadership Tonic ScaleThe Leadership Tonic Scale - Free PDF DownloadThe Harmonic Leader: Stage 5 of 5 in the Leadership Tonic Scale

Facebook’s new data center will run entirely on wind power. This means three of the five massive computing facilities that will drive the company’s worldwide social network in the years to come will run use only renewable energy. But Peter Freed, who helps oversee renewable energy efforts at Facebook, isn’t entirely pleased. Buying clean energy, […] The post Facebook Wants More Green Energy. But Red Tape Is in the Way appeared first on WIRED.