I used to live at the corner of Robson Street and Howe Street in downtown Vancouver. It was a splendid rooftop, corner suite flat facing Northwest with a view overlooking the Vancouver Art Gallery, itself a wonderful piece of architecture. Well, it was a splendid flat until we started having offspring — who now outnumber Denise and I in a household that is now a helpless facsimile of zone defence gone mad — so we eventually moved to the once über hippie neighbourhood of Kitsilano. Below the flat was a rather large bookstore. Denise and I treated it like a library. Instead of taking out the books as you would in a library we’d bring our own bookmarks, hide the books we were reading, fetch them when we returned while continuing on to sip extra hot lattes in superbly comfortable beanbag chairs. It was a blissful, carefree life until the goats took over our ‘dual income no kids‘ rodeo. Anyway, in this bookstore (ahem, library) I witnessed a remarkable leadership action occur on more than one occasion. Bookstore management (aka. leadership) actually asked the various staff members working in the shop for their opinion. Amazing, isn’t it? The manager would huddle together with the employees and begin a short discussion with them about issues like book displays or signage or even the location of chairs and bean bags. The manager was in fact ‘connecting‘ with his or her team to solicit feedback and ideas on how best to operate the bookstore. (connecting, of course, is the first stage in the Flat Army ‘Collaborative Leader Action Model’) Amazing, isn’t it? How do you think the team felt? Were they inclined to be more engaged, stay the same or would they become disengaged? The simple act of connecting first with your team to surface ideas, options and alternate views to your own (as the leader) is such a simple behaviour to establish at an organization — as an enterprise-wide norm — it shocks me that it’s still not done more pervasively today. How hard is it to connect first and consider options before creating the end result? Gallup finds global employee engagement in 2013 sits at a paltry 13%. AON Hewitt report 40% of employees are actively or passively disengaged. BlessingWhite believes only 40% of global employees are actually engaged. Whichever organization that is studying employee engagement you fancy, the data doesn’t lie. Employees are not at a level of engagement that is conducive to feeling good about their place of work and thus organizations are left with productivity losses, attrition/absence issues as well as stagnating business growth. Let’s not get into whether or not the employee is recommending his or her friends to utilize said service or to even contemplate working at the firm. My theory? The simple act (the first step) is to ‘connect’ with your team members and ask them to be involved in the operation of your team, your business and your organization. The employees may not be involved in the final decision, but at least they are involved, at least you are connecting with them … and to me, that is the very essence of being ‘engaged’. Dan's Related Posts:That Decision Is Above My Pay-GradeEmployee Engagement is Still Poor but it Does Drive Bottom Line ResultsThe Social C-SuiteWhat is Engagement Anyway?The Harmonic Leader: Stage 5 of 5 in the Leadership Tonic Scale

Last month we had a great show at Adobe Learning Summit 2014 in Bellagio, Las Vegas where Adobe community experts, industry luminaries, experienced learning professionals, and Captivate engineering team got together and talked about the latest and upcoming eLearning technologies. Missed attending it? We recorded some of the sessions for you.

Looking to create and/or deploy courses as HTML5 or Apps in your organization? We have a bunch of FREE resources to help you get started in HTML5, Javascript, Android App Basics and Swift (iOS) Basics. These courses are designed for the beginner. No prior coding or programming experience required. Learn HTML Basics Learn Javascript Basics Learn Android Basics Learn […]

Here’s an old story about three different stonemasons from a bygone era. We’ll call them Mario, Paladino and Antonio. They each are working on the construction of a new building. Technically they’re on the same team, but it’s their attitudes that I’m interested in. When we ask Mario what he’s working on, he frowns and says with a hint of sarcasm: "My job is to take these bloody awful stones, chip them down so they fit into the open slots on that wall over there, and hope like Hell they don’t fall on someone. I’m just doing what my boss tells me to." Paladino chimes in rather bluntly: "I’m a stonemason. I’m building that wall over there." But Antonio is a wee bit different. He takes a sip of water from his canteen, wipes his lips and then a smile begins to develop from ear to ear across  his five o’clock shadow face. With vigor and passion, Antonio asserts: "I am part of a team that is building a fantastic place of worship for the masses to enjoy for all eternity. We know this Cathedral will become a symbol of community and as each stone gets laid, we get closer to our goal of  bringing people together." And it begs the questions, which type of stonemason are you? Dan's Related Posts:Five Essential Tips to Effectively Work from HomeFlexible Working WorksDear Mr. Pontefract - I Need a Connected Learning PlatformFriday Fun: The Difference b/t Apple & Microsoft Is …The Link Between Leadership, Learning & Organizational Performance

Check out this new course on Adobe Captivate Drag and Drop Interactions with me on Lynda.com. This course dives into the drag-and-drop feature of Adobe Captivate 8, focusing on creating interactive elements that are interesting and fun. You will learn how to build your first interaction, turn interactions into questions and practice activities, apply effects, […]

Can humanism replace capitalism? Can capitalism be fought back by a new sense of purpose? No. Not in my lifetime. It’s sad. Really, it is. Can humanism — the concept of value, meaning and purpose — be interwoven in parallel with capitalism? That *may* have a fighting chance. We first need to revisit the terms business, company, corporation and capitalism. The word capitalism — the concept of accumulating capital — arrived on the scene in 1854, but of course there has always been the vortex of capitalism. Whether the serfs, aristocrats, feudal land owners, or early mercantiles/merchants … the concept of capitalism has a solid 500+ year history. But when did we lose the plot? When did capitalism replace the business, company or corporation? When did capitalism become society’s new purpose? (at least the purpose of those pulling the strings) A business — the original act of being busy — is perhaps a clue. Or perhaps the word company lends us a hand in our quest. After all, a company is to be in ‘company’ with others, no? And what of the corporation? What say you, a word with negative connotations in this the 21st century of uncertainty? From the Latin ‘corporationem‘ it truly means "persons united in a body for some purpose". So let’s recap. To be in business is to keep busy in good company with persons united in a body for some purpose. In my humble estimation, capitalism has replaced the business, the company and the corporation. And we’ve lost our purpose. Our purpose has ever so swiftly shifted to the accumulation of share; the holder of share, you might say. We ought to — we must — harken back to a time of the business, the company and the corporation as they are defined for us today and relinquish the magnetic draw that is capitalism and by extension shareholder value. We are all to blame though. Partially at least. Capitalism is the ugly, older step-sister to the triplets known as materialism, consumerism and individualism. We feed the beast by our unadulterated need for stuff. In 1933, America instituted the "New Deal", a series of economic programs to assist the working class get back on its feet after the Great Depression. It revolved around what was referred to as the "3 Rs": Relief, Recovery, and Reform. That is Relief for the unemployed and poor; Recovery of the economy to normal levels; and Reform of the financial system to prevent a repeat depression. We either need a new New Deal — a new definition for a new world order — or workers are going to begin thinking they are in a "Raw Deal". John Maynard Keynes wrote in 1930: "Now it is true that the needs of human beings may seem to be insatiable. But they fall into two classes — those needs which are absolute in the sense that we feel them whatever the situation of our fellow human beings may be, and those which are relative in the sense that we feel them only if their satisfaction lifts us above, makes us feel superior to, our fellows." Truer words could not have been written today in 2014. We suffer in part because we have no idea what workplace or financial happiness ought to look like. Shareholder value has become the new normal. Paul Polman, CEO of Unilever — one of the world’s leading suppliers of consumer goods be it foods, home care or personal care — believes the time has come for corporate sanity. In an interview with The Guardian newspaper, Polman stated: "The very essence of capitalism is under threat as business is now seen as a personal wealth accumulator. We have to bring this world back to sanity and put the greater good ahead of self-interest. We need to fight very hard to create an environment out there that is more long term focussed and move away from short termism." (The Guardian, Jo Confino, Thursday 21 June 2012) Paul is spot on. You may have asked the question "what is the purpose of these corporations from society’s point of view?" The bigger question is "what will be the new purpose of these corporations?" Dan's Related Posts:Flat Army Book Excerpt: Organizational Learned HelplessnessCoaching Should Be An Expectation Of All Connected LeadersThe TED of all Leadership Management Conferences - A Review of the Drucker Forum…Who Am I? Who I Am.Instead of Inbox Zero, How About Outbox Zero

Dylan Benson, whose wife Robyn is now on life-support, said he intends to name their son Iver Cohen Benson. (Dylan Benson/YouCaring.com) Dear Dylan (aka Mister Benson), You are the definition of class. To experience what you have — finding your wife prone, unconscious in the bathroom due to an irreparable cerebral hemorrhage — is heartbreaking. It is, perhaps, without words. But you are the definition of class. Recently married is one thing, but to know your wife is carrying your first child — a son, Iver — might be argued as cruelty against humanity. Cruelty against you, your wife and your son, of course. But due to the work of astute healthcare professionals and technology innovation — not to mention the unending love your wife displays for Iver — your son incubates in relative safety awaiting his first breath. Who could imagine such a scenario? But you are the definition of class. First, you didn’t cower or hide behind such unimaginable pain. No, you started a blog. A blog. And with your first post — The Day After My Life Changed — you demonstrated humility, honesty and fear with deftness … with courage. Second, you continued to write. From the update on your wife’s options, to the taxi driver story about lasagna, to the update about a 900 gram viewing of Iver … your resiliency is unteachable, your empathy innate. Third, you not only write on your blog — and continue to write, openly and with veracity — you agreed to mainstream media interviews through print, radio and television. The CBC interview is one of the most demonstrable displays of humanity I have ever witnessed. And lastly, by being public and through such unwavering sincerity, you agreed to establish the Baby Iver Fund to benefit your son into the future. That one act moves things to a whole other level of selflessness, such that you are able to provide for Iver in the years to come. Stunning. You are the definition of class. I too have a rock and am lucky to have met her. Robyn will be with you and with Iver forever. I know you will continue to be that rock for Iver going forward. He is lucky to have such a strong mother and obviously a compassionate, caring and loving father. Never forget Mister Benson — and as hard as things may seem now and into the near future — you are the definition of class. We’re not here to see through each other; we’re here to see each other through. Sincerely, Dan PS. I donated. If you’re not Dylan and are reading this, please consider donating as well. Dan's Related Posts:Dear Mr. Pontefract - I Need a Connected Learning PlatformOur Three Young Children Blog … Here’s WhyThe Iconic Leader: Stage 4 of 5 in the Leadership Tonic ScaleIn 2014, I Will …You Will Never Be Promoted

Adobe Captivate is a powerful eLearning authoring tool which allows you to create several types of engaging and interactive eLearning courses. To make the most of this tool, here are the top 5 productivity tips I’ve followed over the years. Go ahead and use them if you like. 1. Take my advice — Always begin […]

To those that are beginning to utilize LinkedIn like Facebook, my apologies in advance, but I’ve been removing you from my network list. To me, LinkedIn is a professional network / contact management arena and if you are using it to supply graphics of "what word do you see first" or "enter your email in the comment box and your direct contact list will grow by 100x", well … you’ve lost the plot on the importance of what a business network is all about. Harsh? Perhaps. But it’s also what I might refer to as a ‘digital discipline’ strategy of mine. Evidence below. PS. If you’re going to post a graphic (or get sucked into the idiotic hope of a larger email network by playing along) you might want to try a function known as ‘spell check’. Dan's Related Posts:My 1800+ LinkedIn Network Graphically MappedI Unfriended You On Facebook. Are We Still Friends?LinkedIn Skills - Useful or Useless?Favourite Posts of 2013 That I Wrote & PublishedDid I Just Spam My Entire LinkedIn Network?

In case you missed it, the Adobe & ASCD eSeminar on STEM and eLearning content creation is now available on demand. Here’s a brief description of the event. In this webinar, join senior Adobe eLearning evangelist, Dr. Allen Partridge, as he walks you through some of the essentials that can help you quickly create eLearning […]

Three years ago, I asked a couple of questions in this space about communications: Ask yourself this question. How many times during a given week do you ignore a phone call coming into your mobile device even though you know exactly who is calling with your fancy photo-generated call display. How many times during the week do you simply collect voicemails and then decide how to respond? (ie. treating voicemails like email, often responding with a text or email itself) Ask yourself this next question. How often do you utilize texting, email, direct messages in Facebook and Twitter or posts to public or private collaboration sites to reach your intended audience, be it one-to-one or one-to-many? During the second night of Jimmy Fallon hosting The Tonight Show from New York City, Jerry Seinfeld lampoons — and sheds light — on what I was getting at in a hilarious five minutes of entertainment. Enjoy. Dan's Related Posts:Do We Need Textpectations?I’m Not Scared of Email; I Developed a System called DADDIOAre We Addicted to the Notification of Notifications?Five Essential Tips to Effectively Work from HomeI Have Never Worn a Watch

How many you ask? It’s over one billion. When you put the word ’team’ into a Google search box, you’re presented with over one billion results. I ventured over to Bing and repeated the exercise. Over 600 million results this time. I’ve no idea why there is a gap of 400 million search terms between Google and Microsoft, but either way there are a lot of opinions and there is a lot of content out there related to the term ’team’. Oxford Dictionaries defines the word team as "two or more people working together." It’s succinct and I love it. But when you think about it — when you really think about it — the word team itself is both interesting and loaded. You can use it as a verb (eg. I teamed up with Denise to buy a new car) or you can use it as a noun. (eg. The team I support is Manchester United - please don’t judge me.) Inside an organization we’re constantly striving to find ways in which to improve a team. The holy grail of such improvement is when a team becomes what Tavistock Institute coined in the 1950’s a "high performing team." We’re continuously ranked, evaluated, prodded and quizzed on our level of team engagement, team satisfaction, and team morale. There are ad infinitum learning programs and options to help us become better team members, team leaders, and team contributors. You might say we’re teeming with team development. C’mon, you had that one coming. What types of teams are we trying to improve? There are project teams, emergency teams, process teams, learning teams, business unit teams, customer teams, executive teams, partner teams, community teams and even teams of teams. Quite frankly, the term ‘team’ is omnipresent. It’s everywhere. And for the vegetarians out there, it’s an anagram for meat. I’ve been mulling over the term for years. Why do some teams fail whilst others knock it out of the park right away? Why can you feel completely connected on one team and that very same day — in another team that you are a part of — you feel disengaged and apathetic? Why are some teams more rigid than others? Why do some teams feel they can’t accomplish anything whereas others instantly have the rapport to come up with a new way in which to slice bread by the end of the first meeting? I don’t really know. I don’t think anyone has the definitive answer. But when you think about the word team, it might help to use it as an acronym to then define key traits and behaviors that could make up a high performing team: Thoughtful We all have bad days. We all have families. We all have interests. We all despise Brussel Sprouts. (ok, maybe that’s just me) To be thoughtful is to take interest in the other members of your team, whatever the team situation may be. Take account of those precious anecdotes that others may serve up. Better yet, why not be thoughtful and ask how things are going. Educating Instead of hoarding information, why not consider sharing it with team members? Sharing is a form of educating. It’s incumbent upon every team member — regardless of title or rank — to share, give back and to educate others within the team. By doing so, you not only are connecting one another to each other’s knowledge, information and data, you’re also building relationships within the team that will help serve your overarching goals. Aligned No one likes a rogue team member. Nobody wants to encounter duplicate actions or objectives. If everyone is proactive and team members are completely in the loop on all individual AND team goals, the team is aligned and can more easily operate as a high performing and collaborative group. If the team adopts a method in which to always connect and consider options with one another before creating the end result, it becomes an aligned team from the onset. (I call it the CLAM - Collaborative Leader Action Model) Measured For a team to be high performing it should set its sights on a series of measurements that map back to the aligned (and thoughtful) goals and actions of the team itself. No one wants to be on a team that is unclear when objectives are due or to what level of quality or quota. By establishing measured goals and actions, the chances of developing a high performing team increases substantially. If a team is thoughtful, educating, aligned and measured (ie. TEAM) it stands a far better chance of being successful than blindly hoping some form of magic will surface. After all, shouldn’t we want to ‘take one for the TEAM’? Dan's Related Posts:Do You Surround Yourself With No?Maybe We Should Be More Like a Fridge at Workthe FLAT ARMY cheat sheetHas the Economic Meltdown & 9/11 Impacted our Definition of Teams?The Simple Act of Trusting

Topic: Top 5 time saving mLearning secrets! Description: Have you always felt that creating mobile learning courses is time consuming? Interested in learning some time saving tricks? Join Dr. Pooja Jaisingh and learn about productivity enhancement tips to create instructionally sound mobile learning courses using Adobe Captivate 8. She will help you get started quickly […]

Today I wear pink. In British Columbia where I have the fortune of living, it’s Pink Shirt Day. The CKNW Orphans’ Fund has been sponsoring and promoting Pink Shirt Day for a few years now. On their website, they state: "Bullying is a major problem in our schools, workplaces, homes, and over the Internet." I couldn’t agree more. If I turn my attention squarely on ‘workplace bullying‘, to me it rests on a couple of factors: Incivility in the workplace — employees simply being rude to one another can lead to forms of bullying Title power trips — bosses/managers abusing their title to force others into action is definitive bullying Employee ignorance — purposely forgetting about someone and not including them in team action is another form of bullying I would argue that workplace bullying has a direct effect on levels of employee engagement as well. Today I wear pink. You don’t have to actually wear pink, but I ask that you think about how you might ‘act pink’ and prevent bullying from occurring in your place of work. PS. Kudos to my friend Jen Schaeffers for continually leading the charge against all forms of bullying. Dan's Related Posts:Puppetry of the MeanestIt’s About Leadership: Ryder Hesjedal & the Giro d’Italia WinSelling Yourself & Your Ideas is the New 20 Percent TimeI Have Never Worn a WatchFive Essential Tips to Effectively Work from Home

If I ever have to switch careers, I want to become a full-time writer. I know, on average it pays less than what I currently earn — at least according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics — where the average salary is $55,940 and there is an increase of only 3% more writer roles expected to be posted by 2022. But I don’t care. Why a writer? Well, I love it. I may not be good at it, but I truly love it. Secondly, I love reading. Be it books, articles, poems … and yes, even research reports. When combining all that reading with my true passion for writing, it’s a purpose-match made in heaven. This got me thinking. I hate writing and reading emails. Weird, I know. But I truly hate it. The reasons are plentiful, but I’d like to suggest something for all of us. Why don’t we try for Outbox Zero as opposed to Inbox Zero. Originally suggested by Merlin Mann, Inbox Zero is as it sounds; an empty email inbox. Of Inbox Zero, Mann states: "Clearly, the problem of email overload is taking a toll on all our time, productivity, and sanity, mainly because most of us lack a cohesive system for processing our messages and converting them into appropriate actions as quickly as possible." Yes. Email has a choke hold over our productivity, our days and our sanity. Remember that point above about me loving to read? Each year, I find myself sourcing the latest on email statistics, data and forecasts from The Radicati Group. The report they put together in 2013 was, well … astounding. A few highlights: the majority of email traffic comes from business email, which accounts for over 100 billion emails sent and received per day (egads) business email will account for over 132 billion emails sent and received per day by the end of 2017 (oh joy) total number of worldwide email accounts is expected to increase from nearly 3.9 billion accounts in 2013 to over 4.9 billion accounts by the end of 2017 (good grief) It doesn’t get better. A McKinsey and Company research report suggested 28% of time by all workers/employees is consumed … in the inbox, reading and answering emails. That’s about a day and a half a week. Soul crushing. If I have to become a full-time writer, I promise not to write (and send) unnecessary emails. My target will be one per day. (because I will be writing so many books and articles, how will I have time to write emails?) As I continue, however, in my current career path, I’m going to more consciously think about the number of emails I am actually sending. I am going to try to achieve Outbox Zero. (or as close to it as possible) The quest shouldn’t be Inbox Zero. That’s looking at things the wrong way, backwards even. Inbox Zero is simply pushing water uphill with a pitchfork. The quest should be that each of us — as peers in the digital agora — subscribe to Outbox Zero and lessen the load on each others inbox. Outbox Zero is my next personal challenge. Maybe you can try it too? PS. To help combat the onslaught of email, I did devise a system called DADDIO that may interest you as might a story I wrote called, "Email, A Love Story". Dan's Related Posts:I’m Not Scared of Email; I Developed a System called DADDIOEmail, A Love StoryDo We Need Textpectations?Are We Addicted to the Notification of Notifications?5 Ways to Become Less Collaborative at Work

Last week I took a look at Five Common Mistakes in mLearning. This hour long eSeminar is available on demand here: http://adobe.ly/1MSKwpW The session focused on mobile learning and helping you get started with creating your first courses for mobile devices. For those who like the slide deck either before or in lieu of the […]

Over at TELUS - where my day job as Chief Envisioner of TELUS Transformation Office keeps me equal parts flourishing and busy - I have the luxury of being a mobile worker. Being a mobile worker means I can work from the road, a TELUS office, hotels, the odd coffee shop … and yes even at home. Several years ago TELUS introduced a concept called Work Styles where 70 per cent of its team members will work 100 per cent of the time from home or - like me - will work from various locations, including their home. I’ve been a mobile worker ever since I joined the organization in November of 2008. I don’t have an office at any of the TELUS buildings, a permanent desk or an executive assistant. There is no coffee mug that says "Dan" in any of the TELUS lunchrooms or café’s. I perform my duties wherever the wind takes me but roughly half the time that wind gently breezes through the windows of my home. Harris / Decima conducted a survey entitled "Evaluating Attitudes about Flexible Work" and there were some statistics that really resonated with me as a mobile worker. For example: 81 per cent of respondents agreed that an organization offering a flexible work program positively differentiates one company from another. 67 per cent of those surveyed noted they would be more loyal to companies that provided them with the option of flexible work. 87 per cent of employees who have ever worked remotely responded that they are just as productive, if not more, when working out of the office. 56 per cent said that having a flexible work option would motivate them to work harder. In my books, this is completely true. I believe it is differentiating TELUS, I’m personally more loyal, I get more done (like this post) and I’m motivated to work harder. Unlike recent decisions by Yahoo and Best Buy - who mandated employees back to the office - it seems executives and leaders are in fact beginning to see the benefit of flexible work styles in their workplace. In Ireland, for example, consulting firm Regus polled said executives and leaders finding "nearly three quarters believe flexible working improves staff retention and seven in ten consider flexibility a key measure in attracting new talent." Regus also discovered that 74 per cent of respondents believe flexible work styles makes employees more loyal and that 55 per cent think workers wouldn’t accept a position if the flexibility weren’t offered. I have roughly six years of experience as a mobile worker, including the ability to work from home. I believe society is only at the beginning of such a workplace evolution, and thus I’d like to share five key tips for being as effective as possible when working from home. Establish Personal Norms Be Present with your Presence Wear Shoes Walk Around Spaced Out Establish Personal Norms When will you work? What time of the day will you start and stop working? Do you have some days where you might work a few hours at night, and others where you might watch your daughter’s school play? These - and a hundred other questions - are the types of questions you should be asking yourself, as you define and establish personal norms when you work from home. For example, I make my meetings 45 minutes in length (not 60) so I have 15 minutes to answer emails, phone calls or participate in social spaces. I block off 30 minutes before I take my first meeting of the day and 30 minutes after my last to plan, prepare, catch up, etc. Whatever your norms are, it’s best to align them to a time management plan of some sort … and stick to it. Oh, and DO NOT multitask on conference calls. You will get caught. Be Present with your Presence Ideally, your organization has some form of instant messaging and/or collaboration technology. In the case of IM, turn it on! You’ll be alone 99% of the time when working from home devoid of face-to-face colleagues, thus by ensuring your IM tool is on (and your status is aligned to your calendar) others will know if you’re busy, free, in a meeting, delivering a presentation or itching to chat. If your organization possesses collaboration technologies, either block out time to participate in company chatter or manufacture ways to continue being present with your presence. Send a kudo, comment on a blog, answer a question in a micro-blog or post a video or photo. The water cooler has turned virtual and your job is to remain "present with your presence" despite there being no physical water cooler chatting about last night’s episode of Seinfeld anymore. Wear Shoes It may seem silly, but I wear shoes every day when working from home. In fact, most days I wear dress shoes. Now, I’m not so dogged that I’ll wear dress clothes - like a suit - when working from home, but I definitely advocate wearing shoes. There are a couple of reasons. First of all, when you don’t wear shoes (and are barefoot, in socks or wearing slippers), I believe you slip into a relaxed mindset. Think of working from home like working from the office. Are you barefoot there? Second, when you put on shoes, you’re going to work. When you put on slippers (or as stated, are in socks or barefoot) you aren’t at work. You’re at home. If you wear shoes, you should mentally associate yourself with being at work, even if you are working from home. If you have a "I don’t wear shoes in the house policy", buy a pair of indoor only shoes that you put on when you are working from home. Developing an at home working mindset is key, and shoes will help. Walk Around Business innovator Nilofer Merchant nailed it with her TED Talk, Got a Meeting? Take a Walk. When working from home, I suggest you employ the same tactic only slightly modified. It’s likely you will be on a conference call at some point when working from home. If you’re like me, you’re on multiple conference calls almost the entire day. Whether you have a landline or a mobile phone at home, get yourself a headset. (buy two if you have both types of phones) If you’re on a conference call, try to walk around your home once in a while with the headset. It could be indoors or, if you have a front yard or backyard (or a quiet street), think about going outside. The fresh air will do you good. (learn how to use your mute button effectively too) When you take a break - and you should schedule in multiple breaks to your day - think about walking around again, or exercising at the gym, go for a run, bike ride, or do yoga. Whilst technically not ‘walking around’, the point is to be active and not be sedentary as you might cocoon to a ‘working from home’ mindset. Spaced Out It’s not what you think. To properly ‘space out’ is to ensure you set yourself up for success in the physical spaces where you will actually work from home. I highly suggest you forego placing a desk in your bedroom. If at all possible, avoid this scenario. You will feel as though work is unending. Who wants to wake up in the same place where work is being done? Find somewhere else, anywhere else. I have a dedicated office, but I will also work from other areas on occasion like the dining room table. The temptation to always be on will haunt you like potentially stealing treats from your children’s Halloween bag. In this case, being ‘spaced out’ means you have to instill a personal discipline to separate work from your home life. Whether you’re single, in a relationship or in a marriage with children, you need to effectively space yourself from a 24×7 work mentality when working from home. Guard your white space. Protect your free time. Don’t let work be your only priority. I am a proponent of life-work balance, not work-life balance because I believe life always come first. In Summary I wouldn’t trade a thing with my workplace setup at TELUS. I’m engaged and love the balance it brings. I know there are thousands of other team members who enjoy this sublime perquisite of Flexible Work Styles as well. The aforementioned are my five tips - and I know I could have written for many more paragraphs - but I’d be interested to hear if you have additional tips to help others as well. Dan's Related Posts:Flexible Working WorksI Am A Corporate FloaterGoing Forward to the Past: Management Yahooliganism & No Longer Working From HomeMy Next Role Is …Friday Fun: You Don’t Have an Office?

Adobe Captivate 8 is a revolutionary tool, which helps you reimagine eLearning authoring for a multi-device world. If you’ve not joined the mLearning revolution yet, now is the right time as 75% of the learners acknowledge the benefits of mobile learning and 55% of organizations are creating or ready to create mobile learning.  Wouldn’t it […]

I’m a 42 year-old man and every day I wake up and get out of bed - with my infinitely better best mate - I walk into a sporting arena where I am forced to play zone defence. Not in the football or basketball sense, but in the family sense. The goats - that’s what we call our children - outnumber us three to two. Even when we attempt man-to-man defence, our opponent’s offence easily overpowers us. We’re quickly defeated, often wounded. Parental ego shattered. Oprah couch fodder. You know what often saves us though? The fridge. Our refrigerator is an unknowing and invisible ally. The front of the fridge contains photos, artwork, homework sheets, spelling tests - all magnetically affixed to the metal doors - bringing colour, results and goals to the forefront and for all to see. It portrays the culture of our family. Beside those artifacts are two important bits: a weekly calendar and a monthly calendar. The weekly one contains the most important aspects and actions of every day while the monthly one provides a snapshot of events and reminders. This part of the fridge provides order. Inside the fridge is what keeps us going. There is a water tap, milk, eggs, fruits, vegetables … even sweet delights from time to time. (not to mention occasional beers) The food and drink are what fuels the family to reach new heights. The contents of the fridge fuels the hunger to do better; to do more for others. What if we were more like a fridge at work? Not in the literal sense but as a metaphor aligned to my example above. What if we shared photos, ideas, comments, stories and results with one another - be it in person or though collaborative tools - would our organizational culture and employee engagement levels improve? What if we were more organized, were more punctual for meetings, shared calendars, were respectful of each other’s time and planned ahead more often? What if we were more proactive when it came to projects and deadlines? Would our organizational culture and employee engagement levels improve? And what if we took care of one another through better workplace habits, fueling each other’s desire for participation, inclusion and consideration? What if the nutrients of our organization came in the form of civility and humour? What if our teams worked better together - in the same unit - worrying less about who was a vegetable or fruit, but how each played the part of an important nutrient that helps nurture the end result? I was asked to attend a team meeting once where I was the guest. I entered the room early and was the first to arrive. When I sat down in what looked to be a comfortable chair the first team member entered the room. "You can’t sit there," she said with a look of horror careening across her face. "That’s where the boss sits." The ‘boss’ sauntered in ten minutes late - sat in ‘his chair’ that I had vacated - and proceeded to interrupt his colleague who had already started the meeting. Throughout the session I could smell an engagement rat. There was no culture. There clearly was no direction. There was rudeness. There was hierarchy for the sake of hierarchy. And there certainly weren’t any nutrients fueling a high performing team. It’s a situation, I’m afraid, that is played over and over again in organizations and teams across the planet. Maybe it’s time we be more like a fridge. Dan's Related Posts:How to ‘Take One for the Team’Q&A on the Future of Social, Mobile and eLearningYou Will Never Be PromotedAutotelic: The Word of 2013A Review of "How To Be Interesting" While Sitting Beside a Drunk on an…

Last month, during the Learning Solutions 2015 conference, I showcased a location-aware course for Downtown Disney at the LS DemoFest show. With this just-in-time and just-in-place learning app, anyone who visits Downtown Disney can learn and benefit from it. The conference attendees loved this app and voted it as the best mobile solution app! Inquisitive […]

There is much to learn from sport. Whether you play or support or do both, we have the luxury of peering into the leadership habits of athletes, managers and teams with an arms length magnifying glass to gain a great deal of insight. You don’t have to like football (soccer) but what has transpired this past year at Manchester United Football Club is a fascinating case study when it comes to leadership. You may know of Manchester United due to its brand ubiquity. Indeed, Forbes values the club at $3.2 billion, second only to Spanish club Real Madrid United earns almost a billion dollars in merchandise per annum so it’s likely you’ve seen the Red Devils logo adorned to somebody somewhere on the planet. You may know of Manchester United due to its actual sporting success over the past quarter century. Under the tutelage of Sir Alex Ferguson — the team manager between 1986 and 2013 — as well as key chief executives Peter Kenyon and David Gill, the club amassed 38 trophies including thirteen league titles and two European championships. Of course you may have heard about Manchester United because one David Beckham used to effortlessly swirl free kicks and crosses at the home grounds — Old Trafford — for a period of time. However you have come into contact with the club, your impression is likely one of success. Since the retirement of Sir Alex Ferguson and the departure of David Gill in 2013, the club has fallen into a tailspin of epic proportions. In fact, it is on the verge of becoming a Harvard Business case study, and not one of the good ones. A new manager to replace Sir Alex was chosen, but not much has gone right for David Moyes to date. The club sits seventh in Barclay Premier League, a shocking 18 points behind front runners Chelsea. This from the same team that won the league just a few months prior by 11 points over its nearest competitor. Wayne Rooney — their star striker — was embroiled in a debate for much of the season on whether he should remain at the club or move on, causing unnecessary distractions. Critics and analysts suggest Moyes has suffered first year jitters — managing such a prolific club for the first time — but so too those same individuals have stated he has made calamitous tactical mistakes, misguided judgments of the player transfer market, and naïvety in handling (might I suggest leading) the squad. A new chief executive to replace David Gill was promoted (Ed Woodward) but there isn’t much to report going well on the business side either. The club is publicly traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol MANU On May 2, 2013, the stock traded at $19.04 but by February 19, 2014, the stock had dipped to $14.47, a loss of 24 per cent. It has recently gained back a small fraction of those losses but you can be assured many observers (and investors) are looking at the on-field and off-field leadership actions and its implications to United’s market capitalization and shareholder value growth. The most incredulous aspect of the situation at Manchester United is what I believe is the culmination of a rapid leadership collapse. Take for instance the most recent match where the club entertained their most hated rival — Liverpool Football Club — at their home stadium. Manchester United player Ryan Giggs once stated the Liverpool versus Manchester United fixture is "probably the most famous fixture in English football." The final result was 3-0 in favour of Liverpool, as humiliating a defeat if there ever was if you’re in the United camp. If you watched the match — and I did — there were signs of the overarching leadership collapse everywhere. United players were rolling their eyes at one another. Others were giving halfhearted efforts on the pitch. Some were publicly yelling (and blaming) one another. The manager — David Moyes — displayed the body language of defeatism. As the camera panned the crowd and caught ex-manager Sir Alex Ferguson in his seat, the hottest of candles could not have thawed the ice transfixed to his facial expression. The fans themselves looked flummoxed. This was only one match but the leadership collapse at Manchester United Football Club has been in motion and more than obvious since last summer. What’s the verdict? What might we learn? Never rest on your laurels; competitors are always trying to nip at your heels. Be ferocious with the status quo; don’t accept it … ever. Leadership ought to be collaborative; the forced divide between management & employee is antiquated. Transparency is key; excuses and stories get you nowhere. You’re only as good as an engaged team; apathy & disengagement lead to bad results. Leadership requires vision, strategy and execution; you can’t have one without the other. Full disclosure: my Grand-Mum gave me a Manchester United Umbro jersey kit when I was five years old. I’ve been supporting the club ever since … even through this jarring leadership crisis. Dan's Related Posts:The Moronic Leader: Stage 1 of 5 in the Leadership Tonic ScaleClowning Around - An Important Leadership AttributeCan Humanism Replace Capitalism?How to ‘Take One for the Team’What If We Rented Tablets?

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"You are way too verbose," said my Grade 11 English teacher back in 1987. "Don’t ever pick a career as a writer," he added as the follow-up to that crushing blow to childhood ability. I never actually thought I’d become an author. I enjoyed writing, but didn’t seriously consider it as a vocation, as a job, or as a purpose. I used to write poetry and even songs when I was a wee lad. I grew up thinking I was going to be either a doctor or a physiotherapist. As far as I could tell, both professions had the penmanship of a cave dweller. My chicken scribe technique was on par and - according to my English teacher - so were my skills at writing. "No need to think about a life in journalism," I said to myself one day. Over the years, I found myself writing more and more. I even partook in several "What is your ideal career" surveys and assessments. Writing would always be in the top three. So, I began addressing this gravitational pull. First, I was writing to myself. Then, I began writing a few public pieces. Eventually I started up www.danpontefract.com and by the time New Year’s Day 2012 rolled around, I had committed to myself to write a trio of books. The first of those books, Flat Army, was published roughly one year ago in North America. And yes, it probably is "way too verbose". It is, after all, more than 90,000 words. According to UNESCO, there were approximately 2,200,000 books published in 2013 across the globe. Flat Army makes up 0.00045% of the titles in 2013. Not great odds for success. What have I learned over the past year? I love writing If you want to be an author - and I’ve talked to dozens of authors over the past two years - you better enjoy writing, otherwise you’re going to end up miserable. I love authors Those aforementioned conversations have been riveting, uniting and at times cathartic. There are so many people willing to share ideas and help. It’s very inspiring. Your publisher team is critical I signed with Wiley, however one month after the publication of Flat Army, the entire Canadian office was terminated due to ‘downsizing’ activities. I miss them dearly. PR Firm and Agency might help I wanted to believe a book would sell on its own merit, on its own accord. It doesn’t. I was wrong. I suspect this pigheadedness cost me heaps of potential sales. Amazon Author Central is depressing Amazon itself is the book industry agora or mecca. That point is irrefutable. If you visit your Author Central page too frequently however, it’s likely you will take greater pleasure downing shots of turpentine. Royalty statements are even more depressing If you want to make a difference in the world (hence, Flat Army) the bi-annual royalty statement is not for the faint of heart. 6,332 units sold as of Dec 31, 2013 not including Audible, EBSCO or Books 24×7. I really wish it had done better, not for the sake of profit, but for the sake of purposeful change in today’s organizations. I hope it still has a chance. Wow, I sold books? Despite my wish for greater sales, it is somewhat unbelievable to me that so many people bought the book. A year ago I didn’t have a book, and a year later … I have (I hope) touched more than 6,000 people. Thank you to those that did purchase the book. I’m grateful. Being Canadian I love my citizenship, but at times I have felt it to be a hindrance when it comes to the contents of the book. "How could this come from a Canadian?" "Why should we believe you?" "Don’t they only play hockey and eat doughnuts?" Signing books is cool When people ask to have the book signed, I go into a slight moment of panic. "Did she just ask ‘me’ to sign a book?" It is a humbling experience. For those that asked for a book to be signed, you have my sincere appreciation and gratitude. Book signings can be humiliating If you’re at a conference, and no one shows up for your ‘book signing’ … it may be a sign. Book reviews Some people actually took the time to write a review of Flat Army. There are ones found on Forbes, The Globe and Mail and individual ones found on Amazon. Thanks to those that did. What’s puzzling, however is that many individuals said they would write a review, and then didn’t. Perhaps the book wasn’t good enough to do so? Does speaking and other external writing help? I’m not sure. I would never give up speaking as it’s a natural extension of what I love to do. (for me, it’s a lot like teaching, oh … and eating Pecan Pie) And writing … well, that’s what I enjoy doing alongside my day job. But I can’t tell whatsoever if it has made a discernible difference in terms of the number of units sold, or more importantly, the changes I want to see in organizations across the globe. Proud beyond belief I am so proud. I love that there is a book out there, with my name on it. (what a coincidence) My grandfather wouldn’t allow my father to become an author or journalist. Instead, he became an electrical engineer. I was so proud to give a copy of Flat Army to my Dad so he could see his last name on a book. What an awesome moment. What’s next for the rookie author? I’m writing the next book and having a fun time doing so. Did I mention I love writing? I suppose I am no longer a rookie author. I’m discussing possibilities with book agents and PR firms. My relationship with Wiley is all but severed due to what happened to the Canadian office and I’m now in the process of seeking a new publisher for my next project, "It’s Work Not Jail: The Difference Between a Job and a Career with Purpose". I can’t say enough about how incredible Don Loney, Jennifer Smith and Terry Palmer have been to me with various pieces of advice and contacts while also providing a shoulder to lean on. If you’re interested - or know of someone who might be interested - this no-longer-rookie-author is all ears. Although I still might be verbose … but you knew that if you made it to the end of this post. Dan's Related Posts:Flat Army on the Back of a (Digital) NapkinAnnouncing the Full Book Cover Jacket of Flat ArmyInstead of Inbox Zero, How About Outbox ZeroOur Three Young Children Blog … Here’s WhyI Wrote a 90,000 Word Book Entirely in Evernote

Author Dan Pontefract with his much better half Denise Lamarche Flat Army was published about a year ago. It’s been an absolute honour to receive emails, tweets, phone calls, texts and (can you believe it) face-to-face notices of congratulations, thanks and kudos about the book. To those that have reached out in whatever form - you have my utmost respect and gratitude. To those that are implementing the concepts (in whole or in part) I am equally grateful. If you’re not yet on the Flat Army bandwagon — I’m not one to judge — this is your chance to win a free, signed copy. How to win? Enter a comment in the space below answering the following question: How do you define the word work? I’ve got six (signed) copies to give away. I am the sole judge. Contest closes Friday, March 25, 2014 at Midnight PT. I’ll announce the winners on Sunday March 27, 2014. It’s open to anyone, so long as you live on Earth. (although if Colonel Hadfield was still on the ISS, I might ship it to him) Dan's Related Posts:10 Free Copies of Flat Army … Participate to WinThe 10 Winners of Flat Army Copies Are …Lessons Learned From a First Time AuthorDid I Just Spam My Entire LinkedIn Network?Download Chapter 1 for Free - Flat Army: Creating a Connected and Engaged…