Workplayce

- - - | written by Jason on 9/19/2021 | - - -

Step Right Up: You are the Leader We’ve Been Waiting For

Going alone is usually faster. But it's rarely better.Last week, I talked about my family's trek up the Lanikai Pillbox Trail and the pep talk I gave them beforehand. I mentioned how I initially took a solo scouting mission to make sure it wouldn't be more than our littlest ones could handle.It was faster, but probably too fast. The problem is, I rushed it. I wanted to reach the summit as quickly as possible in order to attain the information I craved. So instead of taking the clear path, I looked for shortcuts. I kept a brisk pace, pushing myself to make record time. I knew what I …

- - - | written by Jason on 7/11/2021 | - - -

Do You Know the Real Reason They Made Stonehenge?

I remember the painting critiques back in art school. After spending several weeks working on our masterpieces, we’d all sit in a circle and explain what our paintings were about. Someone would inevitably say their piece was a postmodern reaction to the phycological impact of the industrial revolution that caused existential dread. To me it looked like a canvas with some paint sloppily applied. It did seem like the students who were better at making “serious" art got better grades. (Or perhaps they were just better at explaining why their art was serious.) Perhaps this is why, after making …

- - - | written by Jason on 7/4/2021 | - - -

More Cowbell Please

Somehow, the television show Saturday Night Live took a lowly old cowbell and turned it into a pop culture phenomenon.The famous skit imagines a studio session with the band Blue Oyster Cult recording their hit song “(Don’t Fear) The Reaper.” Christopher Walken, as “rock legend” Bruce Dickinson (“the cock of the walk, baby!”), singles out the little-used percussion instrument, played by Will Ferrell. Hilarity ensues as Dickinson urges the band to highlight the cowbell in the song. Now the script was funny, and Walken and the other actors nailed their performances. But what is most …

- - - | written by Jason on 3/7/2021 | - - -

Safety First?

Wash your hands. Wear a mask. (Better make that two!) Keep your distance. Sanitize everything that moves (and everything that doesn't) every sixteen seconds. Stay home for two weeks two months a year to flatten the curve.Sometimes you have to laugh at your circumstances to keep yourself from crying.We've had a rough year, but I am optimistic that the war against this unwelcome virus is nearing an end. I am especially encouraged by the leaders who know we don't live in a one-variable world and have been looking at the whole picture.During a pandemic, when it comes to public safety, it's better …

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- - - | written by Jason on 2/14/2021 | - - -

Time for New Shoes and Wineskins

My Grandma on my mom's side used to tell us stories about her childhood. I remember a tale about her shoes. When the soles wore out, instead of buying new shoes, her father would re-sole them with rubber from old tires. She and her sister were mortified to kneel down at the communion rail at church for fear that their classmates would be able to read Goodyear on the bottom of their shoes.(I can't help but think how much the bottoms of modern-day sneakers look like tire treads, with brand logos stamped upon them. Perhaps my grandmother and her sister were just ahead of their time?)I can …

- - - | written by Jason on 4/26/2020 | - - -

Why I Hope Things Don’t Get Back to Normal

It seems we are all yearning for a return to normal. I know what people mean when they say it – I say it myself, and what we have, right now, is not normal. But in truth, I really don’t want to return to normal.As we inch slowly closer to a resolution of this crisis, it might be worth asking a question that was posed when the shelter-in-place guidelines began: What is essential? We’ve been given a gift. This pause has been an unprecedented (anyone up for making that the official word of 2020?) opportunity to examine our lives and our society with a new perspective.For example, are all of …

- - - | written by Jason on 12/19/2019 | - - -

Awesome Boss, Ugly Cake

Tina Oldham is the Principal of Cowden-Herrick Elementary School in Illinois. After attending a program I did for educators earlier this year, in which I talked about the beauty of ugly cakes, Tina's teachers were inspired to create this Boss's Day cake for her. Nice work huh? (I like the toothbrush, which I imagine came in handy after finishing said cake.) And I especially liked the quote in Tina's email signature: "Show Up, Work Hard, Be Kind." A good strategy for whatever you do in life! …

- - - | written by Jason on 12/2/2019 | - - -

Sticky Concepts that Stifle Stress and Burnout

I believe the mark of an effective presenter is the level of impact that lingers long after the speech is over. Although I love creating a funny, inspiring and insightful experience, I am most delighted to hear the ways people and organizations keep the message alive years after my presentation. One of the ways I do this is by providing sticky concepts and unique terminology that anchor the principles I share in people’s minds. Perhaps the clearest example of this is my introduction of Adultitis, which represents a bully that is eager to facilitate burnout, sow discord, and stifle …

- - - | written by Jason on 11/1/2019 | - - -

Insight Springs Forth From Ugliness

Things got pretty ugly at one of my recent speaking programs. I was invited to help the staff at one of Madison's most treasured landmarks adopt a mindset of creativity and innovation. As part of the workshop, the attendees got an opportunity to decorate cookies together. But the goal wasn’t to make Martha Stewart jealous. The goal was to make them as ugly as possible, as a callback to a story I often tell. Mission accomplished. Underneath this seemingly innocuous activity, a number of powerful elements were at play. Chief among them was, well, play. It’s not every day that …

- - - | written by Jason on 10/27/2019 | - - -

The Easiest Way Leave a Powerful Legacy

Mr. Olsen had written a series of math problems across several chalkboards. The avalanche of white scribbles was overwhelming, but not impossible. “Anyone who gets them all correct,” he told his fifth grade class, “will get a sucker.” Sheryl was one of five students who were up to the task. Unfortunately, the teacher said he only had four suckers, and was forced to ask if anyone would be willing to give up theirs. Sheryl said she would. Mr. Olsen thanked her, and proceeded with the rest of the school day.Before the students were dismissed that afternoon, Mr. Olsen asked Sheryl to stay after …