In December 2017,  Jorgen Vig Knudstorp, Lego’s chief executive, stepped down after 12 years. When Knudstorp became CEO in 2004, he was the first CEO outside the family – and the company was hemorrhaging $1M a day. Knudstorp completely turned the company around. Starting with a creative research process, he refocused the company on its […]

Various surveys report that CEO’s believe creativity is a top skill needed for year in, year out success. When IBM interviewed 1,541 CEO’s from 33 industries and 60 countries, the CEO’s identified creativity as the most important leadership quality. “[M]ore than rigor, management discipline, integrity or even vision – successfully navigating an increasingly complex world […]

Whether you’re a corporation or a non-profit, being able to communicate ideas effectively is vital to your existence. And storytelling is key to good communications. Aristotle claimed that to persuade, one must employ three types of argument: ethical appeal (ethos), emotional appeal (pathos), and logical appeal (logos). Facts alone are not sufficient to persuade. They need to […]

As a facilitator, I love questions. They get people thinking and talking. So, I enjoyed this article, 100 Great Questions Business Leaders Should Ask in Inc. online.  The authors compiled the list by talking to entrepreneurs and management thinkers, scanning blogs, and examining their favorite business books. 13 concerns me slightly – but that’s only […]

Copywriting (and marketing) is powerful stuff. Done well, it connects people to higher ideals and changes lives and cultures. Take the Nike ad campaign, ‘Just Do It’, for example. ‘Just Do It’ gets it power from linking to Nike’s mission – to inspire people to participate in sport. Just Do It is powerful because it […]

Who better to learn about storytelling from than Pixar? And packaged in a great-looking slide deck as well. Simple but powerful graphics. Whether you’re brainstorming story ideas for corporate storytelling or non-profit storytelling, flipping through this deck will get your creative mojo going. Point #5 is one I make with people all the time – […]