Took a McGregor Party Tour of the sites and sounds of St. John’s, Newfoundland…
arriving at Petty Harbour just moments after a large tuna was put on the scale.
September 18, 2021
Ten Ways To Foster Innovation
In order to compete effectively, we must look for new and better ways to accomplish our mission. We must find creative methods to delight our customers. And we must find innovative strategies for getting more done with fewer resources.
With things changing as rapidly as they are, doing things the old way won’t be profitable for very long. To grow, we must be constantly innovating.
An innovative company attracts and keeps better employees. People want to be part of something creative. It’s stimulating and it’s fun.
Here are ten things you can do to foster a culture of innovation and creativity.
#1. Live in the possibility. Stand in the belief that you and your team can find a better way to do anything to which you put your minds. Practice CANI — Constant and Never-Ending Improvement.
#2. Always question what you do and why you do it. All too often, tasks and projects creep into our processes that are no longer in keeping with our mission and purpose. Make sure everything you do is in alignment and produces the results intended.
#3. Challenge long-held beliefs. Just because something’s always been done a certain way doesn’t mean that it’s still the best way. As Anthony D’Angelo said, “Just because something is tradition doesn’t make it right.”
#4. Don’t accept the first solution right away. There are many possible solutions to every problem. Most people go with the first plausible one that comes up, and they miss the value of taking the time to think longer and of finding more effective and elegant answers.
#5. Read. You can’t learn less. The more you know about something, the more you find you don’t know. By adding to your knowledge base, you find more and more associations. And making associations is where seemingly magical things happen.
#6. Have fun. Coming up with ideas on how to do things faster, easier, with fewer resources, really is fun. And things that are fun to do get done more often. Schedule regular brainstorming sessions and practice greenlight thinking. Order pizza for lunch and focus on a problem or process and generate as many ideas as you can.
#7. Get around people in different industries. By stepping out of your familiar territory, you open the door to new and different viewpoints you can use to your advantage.
#8. Challenge your team to look deeper. When Henry Ford asked his engineers to design the V-8 engine, they said it couldn’t be done. He said it will be done — and eventually, they did it.
#9. Make sure you have adequate “moodling” time – time to do nothing. When we’re constantly engaged in doing things, we don’t provide the fertile ground for ideas to take root.
#10. Charge your subconscious. Give your mind something to work on while you sleep. Select a problem you want solved, a process you would like improved or a new product you want to create before going to bed. Then forget about it. Tell yourself you want at least three elegant ideas by the next day and then expect to receive them. Trust me, it works.
Michael E. Angier,
founder of SuccessNet.org
September 18, 2020
Good morning.
In football, when you’re on fourth down and you don’t plan on going for a first down, you punt the football. That is the equivalent of the what the Federal Reserve did on Wednesday. They modified their language on inflation, but it doesn’t appear to be enough to placate stock investors. We’ll see in the coming week if the bulls can stave off the bears, but right now, the options market keeps adding downside protection.
“I can’t say everything happens for a reason, but I can say that pain, hardship, and suffering are the gifts that help us grow, and learn, and become who we are meant to be.” —Dr. Edith Eger
Now here’s the rest of it:
“Don’t lose heart if you’re not good yet, just keep getting back up.” –Erin Benzakein
September 18, 2019
There will be times when your idea or opinion is different from that of other people, and they will strongly insist on what they believe in.
How to Make People Doubt and Change Beliefs
All people have a distinct set of beliefs and values that have been ingrained into their subconscious since they were little. They consider their beliefs as true undeniable; hence, they will hold on to their beliefs even if there’s no strong proof or evidence supporting them.
So how do you get them to doubt — and therefore change — their beliefs? Here are five suggestions:
Use the power of social proof. People get cues from their surroundings and tend to get influenced by other peoples ideas, decisions, and yes… beliefs. Their desire to “fit in” would cause them to shift from their existing belief to that of the group. If you want someone to switch from their belief to your own, team up with one or more individuals having the same belief as yours. Ask them to nod their heads in agreement, or say “That’s true” and perhaps explain why, so that the person you’re persuading would have some cause to doubt his/her previous beliefs.- Create a common goal. Some people insist that they are correct about certain information. If you’re not sure whether your own viewpoint is factual, it would help to say something like, “Seems like one of our sources gave us the wrong details. We had better find out which one is accurate, or we might suffer the consequences later on.” By saying this statement, you transfer the accountability of the inaccurate or wrong data to an external factor.
- Act like they’re not in touch with reality. If they insist that you should not pursue a certain endeavor, you could ignore it like it’s not a valid suggestion; or you could put on a bewildered look on your face (as if they don’t know what they’re talking about) and smile or laugh (as if you’re responding to a joke).
- Ask for a specific explanation. Some people believe in something simply because that’s what’s being said by their parents, friends, church, etc… even if it’s not based on facts or there’s no reliable proof. Often, simply asking one of the following questions will get them thinking, “How did you come to that conclusion?” or “From whom did you get the facts?” or “What proof do you have?”. Just remember to do it gently. Be careful not to sound like you’re disagreeing with them, because you’re not. You just want to be sure you get the facts right. If they can explain it in detail, simply accept and respect their views first, saying something like, “You got a good point there.” Then justify your own side by providing your own proof or evidence that subtly and clearly shows how weak or unfounded their belief is. To avoid any confrontation, use a third party. You could say that this was based on scientific research or an authority’s statement.
- Change the variables of the belief. There are times when you simply can’t alter people’s belief no matter how much you try. In this case, you can change the variables of their belief or appeal to their other beliefs. Example: If your dad refuses to give you a raise in allowance based on the fact that the economy is weak, you can say that since the economy is weak, all the more reason to circulate the money around and help local vendors make a buck. Of course, it’s very important that you don’t lie or make up stories that aren’t true.
Use the power of social proof. People get cues from their surroundings and tend to get influenced by other peoples ideas, decisions, and yes… beliefs. Their desire to “fit in” would cause them to shift from their existing belief to that of the group. If you want someone to switch from their belief to your own, team up with one or more individuals having the same belief as yours. Ask them to nod their heads in agreement, or say “That’s true” and perhaps explain why, so that the person you’re persuading would have some cause to doubt his/her previous beliefs.
Ask for a specific explanation. Some people believe in something simply because that’s what’s being said by their parents, friends, church, etc… even if it’s not based on facts or there’s no reliable proof. Often, simply asking one of the following questions will get them thinking, “How did you come to that conclusion?” or “From whom did you get the facts?” or “What proof do you have?”. Just remember to do it gently. Be careful not to sound like you’re disagreeing with them, because you’re not. You just want to be sure you get the facts right. If they can explain it in detail, simply accept and respect their views first, saying something like, “You got a good point there.” Then justify your own side by providing your own proof or evidence that subtly and clearly shows how weak or unfounded their belief is. To avoid any confrontation, use a third party. You could say that this was based on scientific research or an authority’s statement.“Man is made by his belief. As he believes, so he is.” —Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
Your chances of getting what you want just increased… 🙂
September 18, 2018
(zip)
September 18, 2017
My #1 deep secret is HOW MUCH I HAD NO CHOICE IN COMING to NEWFOUNDLAND and Labrador, and how much I hated to leave. Arnold Schwarzenegger, as ‘The Terminated’ said it best; “I’ll be back!”
Now that a lot of our family has been out-West … the East-coast is a great destination to congregate.
My NEXT BIG PLAN is to fly to Toronto; visit Niagara Falls, then fly to St. John’s [NFLD], where I plan to meet up with my wife; to then board a cruise ship that will take us down the Atlantic Coast, past New York, N.Y., to where we will disembark near Virginia
WOW … what a trip!
Here are just two more sights I captured in just a few short days!
Yes! “I come from a ways.”
REW
