Next time you're talking to a client remember this:

Words represent 7% of what influences human behaviour.

Voice qualities represent 38% of what influences another human being; HOW you use your voice will affect someone more than WHAT you say.

Physiology represents 55%. Your body language represents the majority of what influences people when you communicate.

Just sharing,

Ruth

Rules of Thumb - # 19

Some great insights for leaders from Alan Webber's Rules of Thumb. His basic premise - More signal and less noise. According to Webber, your people need 3 things:

1. Clarity about Purpose
2. Honesty about values
3. Focus about metrics

1. Clarity about Purpose

- Your people need to see what you see.

- Your people need to understand how you connect-the-dots so they can see the pattern you see.

- They need to see and understand your template to guide their actions.

2. Honesty about values

- Your people want to know what you feel.

- Tell them what the company stands for.

- Make an uncompromising statement of the code of conduct that guides your organization.

- Then live by it yourself and hold them to it.

- They’ll rally to this kind of leadership.

3. Focus about metrics

- They want to track what YOU measure.

- Tell them the few things that really matter when it comes to measuring performance – as few as possible.

- Too many things to measure and you’re adding NOISE, not SIGNAL.

Successful Leaders are Very Creative

- They live by the mantra, “None of us is as smart as ALL of us.”

- They see life as an adventure and each new challenge as something to look forward to with eagerness.

- They are secure with themselves.

- Leaders get involved; they get involved with people and learn about them so they can leverage their successes and learn from their failures.

- Leaders are flexible, not only with accepting change but ANTICIPATING it.

Webber reminds us that in Good to Great, Collins explains that every company that made the leap from good to great had a leader who could express the company's purpose in a single short sentence. It’s not breadth of vision that defines good-to-great leaders but clarity of focus.

Happy leading!

Ruth

"Up"

I recently had the pleasure of seeing the Disney-Pixar movie "Up" and I loved it. I have read a few reviews that had some minor criticisms but let's face it, even a not-so-great Disney-Pixar movie is superb!

I've always been a huge fan of their work and here's why:

§ The innovation that goes into this type of animation blows my mind. There are milliseconds where I can't tell that it's animated and that's trippy!

§ The imagination and writing skill involved in creating the story lines are in a league of their own – so impressive in fact that you can suspend what you KNOW to be true and buy into the magic of what’s unfolding before you (a rat that is a chef in Paris, a old bugger that uses balloons to lift his house to escape from a limiting situation).

§ The humour they capture delights me and it’s always insightful and some brilliant commentary about the foils that plague the human condition. We need to laugh at ourselves more and Disney-Pixar nails it.

§ The values they espouse always touch me – sticking together, being a team, doing what’s right even when it’s not easy, admitting you’re wrong and doing what it takes to make things right, lasting love and meaningful relationships.

I love that I can watch these movies with my family again and again and we can laugh together in real time and then draw on this material for belly laughs together afterwards. Well done Disney-Pixar. Thanks for another great 96 minutes!

Here’s a great clip. Enjoy!
Ruth

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HxoWHeoYU3g

Great quote

"The open hands of gratitude are always filled."

Start believing this and watch what happens...

Ruth

10,000 hours!!!

Have been working hard at getting the coaching company up and running and we recently secured a contract with BMW/MINI Oakville.

Our coaching company is always trying to set itself apart by reading, attending workshops, connecting with other successful coaches and entrepreneurs, and finding out what we can leverage to be preeminent in the industry. Well, according to Malcolm Gladwell, you just have to do the time; 10,000 hours or so!!!

In Outliers, Malcolm Gladwell makes a compelling case and explains that it takes 10,000 hours of experience and practise before you can become exceptional at anything. Gladwell quotes neurologist Daniel Levitin: "The emerging picture from such studies is that ten thousand hours of practice is required to achieve the level of mastery associated with being a world-class expert -- in anything."

The list of people Gladwell cites as examples to support this claim is impressive: Wayne Gretzky, Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, Bill Joy...and there are more but you really should read the book for yourself.

The good news from what I can gather is that you don't have to be THE BEST in order to be successful; you only have to be good enough and it's up to you to know your industry, market and business well enough to know what "good enough" means.

So, I know what I've been doing in my formal training to become an exceptional professional coach but my hunch is that I've already spent thousands of hours preparing for this role - it's just that the hours have felt so natural and effortless that I wasn't even aware that I was doing it.

Reminds me of what Captain "Sully" Sullenberger said about making the emergency landing in the Hudson River. "Everything I had done as a pilot had prepared me for that moment."

Buy Outliers and read it this summer. Also, read the part about keeping your children's minds active through the summer months and what Gladwell has to say about that!

With continued curiosity,

Ruth

I'm reading Alan Webber's Rules of Thumb: 52 Truths for Winning at Business Without Losing Yourself and so far, so good.

This really is a different kind of business book. Webber translates his 52 Rules through stories that yield a message.

Rule #1: WHEN THE GOING GETS TOUGH, THE TOUGH RELAX.

Webber writes, "Anytime you approach a task with fear you are at least a double loser. First, you colour the work with fear and increase the chances of failure. Second, you guarantee that you won't enjoy the experience."

So here's to making sure that I (and you, perhaps?) take a second and remember that I asked for all this. I'm smiling as I type this. I'm enjoying the trip!

Ruth

The good old hockey game

I love play-off hockey. Even though there is no Canadian team this year, the calibre of play is better, faster, and the stakes are HUGE.

I find myself rooting for Pittsburgh so the Canadian boy-wonder from Eastern Passage can live the dream. What's not to love???

I'm watching them now decisively beat the 'Canes 6 -2.

Until Tuesday night when they meet again!

Ruth

Thank you BF

Over the last while I have been extremely distracted and busy building my coaching practice and I just wanted to send out a big thank you to BF! You are the best thing that ever happened to me.

Lots of love and gratitude,

Catney

Happy Mother's Day again!!!

Cusomize this video and send it to a great mother you know. It's very clever!


http://news.cnnbcvideo.com/taf.html?id=ID&nid=YqlUA4SZlvF_j4POxNlMozQ3MzEyOTA-&p=moveon


Annie sent it to me an I was so delighted. Share it...you'll be glad you did.

Once again, Happy Mother's Day!

Happy Mother's Day!

Back in 2006 Salary.com,Inc., the compensation experts, announced their valuation of a Stay at Home Mom's job and for the first time addressed the question of what a Working Mom's job is worth.

Salary.com consulted with Stay at Home and Working Moms and determined the top 10 jobs that make up a mom's job description. If paid, Stay at Home Moms would earn $134,121 annually (up from 2005's salary of $131,471).

Working Moms would earn $85,876 annually for the "mom job" portion of their work, in addition to their actual "work job" salary.

Salary.com found the job titles that best matched a mom's definition of her work to be (in order of hours spent per week): housekeeper, day care center teacher, cook, computer operator, laundry machine operator, janitor, facilities manager, van driver, CEO and psychologist. New job titles that made the list in 2006 include psychologist, laundry machine operator, computer operator, and facilities manager. The job title of nurse fell out of the top 10 this year.

"People recognize that both Stay at Home Moms and Working Moms carry a heavy load of responsibility and work long hours," said Bill Coleman, senior vice president of compensation at Salary.com. "It is an eye-opener for many people when they see the real market value of the work moms perform. This year, by adding information about the compensation for Working Moms, we hope to expand the recognition of just how hard all moms are working and of the economic value they bring to society."

Happy Mother's Day to all you Moms who choose to either stay home and be the "glue" for your families OR go into the paid workforce to make a difference that way. I hope that either way, you get recognized for the enormous contribution you make! The world is a better place because of you.

Catney

A Quote

"The price of discipline is always less than the pain of regret."

- Nido Qubein

I'm counting on this one being true.

Ruth

Simple Abundance

Back in 1999 I was reading Sarah Ban Breathnach's Simple Abundance and it was bringing me such comfort and peace. Every calendar day there was an entry that eloquently reminded me of how abundant and rich my life was. My great health, my family, the sound of wind in the trees, my morning coffee, the sound of birds outside my window, friends laughing, a home cooked meal, or making a child smile. That was the year I met my husband & I believe he came to me because I was in a grateful place and when you are grateful, you open yourself to receiving even more greatness.

Yesterday I took this book off the shelf to keep it on my nightstand again. I have been so busy DOING in the last couple months that I have lost touch with staying present and acknowleding how rich my life is. Every night I will now read an entry to be gently reminded about how abundant my life really is. I have every thing I ever wanted and so much more.

Hope you know you have everything you need too.

Catney

Bring it On!

What an exciting time! I've started accepting clients and it is such an honour to be able to work with people to help them meet important personal and professional goals! And it's just getting better! We're in discussions with 3 corporations right now to bring professional coaching to middle management and their sales force!

This is just the beginning!

Here's something to help set you up this month.

Brian Tracy, author of Flight Plan – The Real Secret of Success contributed an article to Costco Connection magazine back in 2008. In it, Tracy states that all successful people do 4 things:

1. They set clear goals
2. They take risks beyond their comfort zone
3. They accept feedback
4. They self correct

Using the analogy of air travel, Tracy offers these steps to success:

Choose your destination.
Decide in advance exactly what goals you want to achieve in each area of your life

Review your flight operations.
Gather information to determine all of the various ways you could achieve a particular goal

Write your flight plan.
Only 3 % of adults have written goals, and they earn 10 times as much as people who live day-to-day

Prepare for your journey.
Take the time to get everything done before your journey

Take off at full throttle.
Be prepared to work wholeheartedly, with all of your energy and determination, for a long time before your achieve any worthwhile goal

Plan for turbulence.
Expect setbacks, disappointment and reversals as a normal part of achieving anything worthwhile

Make course corrections.
If something doesn’t work, try something else, and then something else again

Accelerate learning and progress.
Learn from every experience. Look into every setback as an opportunity to grow. Seek valuable lessons contained in your roadblocks and obstacles.

Avoid shortcuts and other mirages.
Be prepared to pay the full price of success, in advance. Forget easy money and get-rich schemes. There aren’t any.

Master your fears.
Develop the habit of courage by confronting your fears rather than avoiding them.

Persist until you succeed.
Resolve in advance that you will never give up until you achieve your goal.

May is here. Make it count!

Catney!

Anti Aging Checklist

So now that the nicer weather is returning I'm planning to get back out running and cycling outdoors again. Here's a great checklist of things we should be doing every day for diet, exercise, and vitamins. The "1 glass of red wine every day" on the list puts a smile on my face! Really.

Here's the link if you want to print a copy out for yourself!

atic.oprah.com/download/pdfs/health/oz/oz_antiaging_checklist.pdf

Ruth

The Coaches Training Institute: Process

I'm on Day 2 of my Process Coaching module and they do a very clever thing - they get you to work through your own crap B4 they let you become a coach!

Today I learned the importance of working through my own baggage and unresolved issues in order to be able to best serve clients and hold THEIR agenda and not my own.

And you know, while it wasn't easy in the moment to dig deep and be "comfortable with being uncomfortable", it really is a liberating experience to let go of limiting beliefs that are created from negative life experiences. No two situations are identical. There is nuance, minutia of detail, and shades and I now know that for sure.

And so, the judgement truly dissipates. I am ready to coach now more than ever!

ruth@forbesmktg.com

Seth Godin

Have been working hard on a presentation for a pharmaceutical contact and was directed to Seth Godin's blog about the topic. Here's what he has to say about presentations:

The hierarchy of presentations

• A presentation is a precious opportunity. It's a powerful arrangement... one speaker, an attentive audience, all in their seats, all paying attention (at least at first). Don't waste it.



• The purpose of a presentation is to change minds. That's the only reason I can think of to spend the time and resources. If your goal isn't to change minds, perhaps you should consider a different approach.



• The best presentation is no presentation at all. If you can get by with a memo, send a memo. I can read it faster than you can present it and we'll both enjoy it more.



• The second best presentation is one on one. No slides, no microphone. You look me in the eye and change my mind.



• Third best? Live and fully interactive.



• PowerPoint or Keynote, but with no bullets, just emotional pictures and stories.



• And last best... well, if you really think you can change my mind by using tons of bullets and a droning presentation, I'm skeptical.



• A presentation isn't an obligation, it's a privilege.

I'm planning to check out his Purple Cow and Tribes books. If you've already read them, let me know what you thought of them.

Ruth

Funny Commercials

On this dark, cold, Spring day, laughter helps.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GHX2mvFVQMs

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tHir74eH6Sk

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3mNjTO0agJ0&feature=related

R.

Your Thoughts Become Your Reality

Back in 2008 I met a woman who has created a brilliant product line that the self-help, coaching industry will benefit from. The premise of her product line is "Your thoughts become your reality" so:

1. Choose your thoughts,

2. Find a place to keep your thoughts prominently in view (your bathroom mirror, your office wall, a corner of your laptop) and then,

3. See it, read it, think it...LIVE IT!!!

The decals she's had designed are so aesthetically pleasing, even the fonts are gorgeous and they come in themes or "Thought Packs" like, "New Mom, Little Reminders for Children, Positive Parenting, Create a Smile, Inspiration, Motivation, Relationships", and many others!

Go to http://www.thoughtspots.ca/ to check them out for yourself!

They would make a great Easter or Spring gift for people you know that are trying to meet some personal goals and make changes in their lives.

Let me know what you think! Its Canadian made!

Ruth

Sports-woman-ship!

Here's a great sports story about doing the right thing even when it's not the easiest thing.

As a side note, the team that helped Sara lost their playoff spot because of their ultimate gesture of sportmanship. They went on to win the "Best Moment" at the 2008 ESPY Awards!

Rumour has it, Sean Avery was behind this contrived, staged event! HA!

The video runs just over 6 minutes.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jocw-oD2pgo&feature=related

Ruth

Can I have your number??

Annie, this one's for you! I think of you every time I hear, "ridicalus"...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4D0555EtAZ4

Panique au village: Le Film (Teaser)

Got this clip from Chris. Thought it was uproariously funny.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=asaOUvOmlhw

The cat pic (not from Chris) is just funny.

Presentation Zen - great book!

I'm reading a great book that Angela turned me on to called Presentation Zen and if you have ever experienced "Death by Powerpoint" you need to read this book.


Garr Reynolds brings slideware into the Conceptual Age (remember Daniel Pink) by sharing his "amplification through simplification" approach. His solution: more subtlety, grace, and elegance in slides and no more than 6 words per slide. Oh, and also, no more than 6 slides per presentation! Garr tells us to make our impact with the images we choose and he says the best stock images around are from http://www.istockphoto.com/

Speak to your points instead of overwhelming your audience with text they won't even read. Then, be sure to provide them with a handout afterwards that contains all the stats, graphs, pie-charts, and minutia of your speaking points! Engage them with visuals and stories that are relevant and compelling. How refreshing!

His knack for "bottom-lining" is masterful and he gets you to think succinctly. "What is your point and why does it matter?" is what Garr wants you to CONSTANTLY ask yourself.

Dwight Shrute had it right, PowerPoint does suck BUT you can make it work for you and after reading Presentation Zen, you'll see how!

Happy presenting!

Ruth

SNL JT & Beyonce

This clip doesn't do justice to the actual Saturday Night Live skit and if you find the real one on You Tube, let me know.

The message for me - don't take yourself too seriously and give the guy credit - that Justin Timberlake is one funny bugger!


If you saw his last SNL contribution, "Dick in a box" you know what I'm talking about!


This ought to put a smile on your face!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AFmwnrryIKI



R.

Focused Energy Coaching

I'm doing some exciting work with two brilliant women and we've formed a coaching company called Focused Energy.

Here they are!

Angela Kontgen

Angela's worked in pharmaceutical sales for over 17 years and she's one of the most visionary, energetic and spirited people I've come across in the coaching industry! She's going to change the world. Stay tuned!




Carolyn Hidalgo




Carolyn is a connector. She brings people together like no one I've ever seen in action B4 IN MY ENTIRE LIFE! She survived twins 7 years ago and never looked back. Expect greatness from her. You won't be disappointed!






Stay tuned! We're doing some exciting work with pharma companies, physicians, and MINI COOPER!

With continued curiosity,

Ruth

Need to Get Unstuck??????

Ruth Catney, now coaching!

As you may know, over the last year I have been completing my training to become a Professional Coach and I’m at the point in my training where I’m now accepting clients.

Warning: this could be a blast of rich self-learning and personal growth, accelerated goal- reaching, and - FUN!!!

What is coaching?

Coaching is a professional, confidential partnership.
Because it is so systematic and no-nonsense, coaching empowers you to reach your goals by holding you accountable every two weeks to meet agreed-upon actions. If you’re looking to get “unstuck”, make lifestyle changes, or need some motivational coaching, I can help.
As your coach, I will collaborate with you to help define your future vision and goals in the areas of your life that require attention -
(Significant Relationships, Health, Career, Financial, Family/Friends).

Let me be your dedicated thinking partner and we’ll collaborate our way to your best self!

Coaching Works!

Clients report that working with a coach helped them to stay focused, motivated, on track and accelerated the achievement of their goals. They also reported enjoying the process of self-discovery.

How We’ll Work Together

Every 2 weeks we’ll teleconference (by phone or Skype) for 1 hour. During this time, we’ll discuss successes, review actions that have been taken from our prior call, create additional actions you want to commit to for sustained momentum, discuss support you might need and any barriers that might exist that could prevent you from getting what you want. As well, you will have access to me via e mail and also brief phone conversations in-between scheduled sessions. I will also ask for a commitment of 3 months*.
*Studies indicate that 3-month coaching commitments work best to ensure positive and sustainable changes.

Contact me today to accelerate your personal and professional growth!

Ruth Catney, MA, Cognitive Science
Professional Coach
ruth@forbesmktg.com

Gloria Steinem turns 75 today!

Here's to a woman who has done much to improve the lives of women and men. "Be the change you want to see in the world" is what she has done superbly and I love what she represents. I have always been impressed by her articulation of argument and her knack for persuasion.

Here's a quick link about her work for the women's movement and her contribution to the Ms. Foundation. It's just over 10 minutes.

http://www.womensvoicesforchange.org/2009/03/gloria-steinem-is-75-outrageous.html

Thanks to you Ms. Steinem. My adoration and gratitude to you is profound.
Ruth

The Coaches Training Institute: Balance

Today I'll be completing another course for my

co active coaching practise (Balance) and I'm learning a lot about the discipline of shifting perspectives to serve my greater good. I'm learning about how we can have limiting beliefs about our situations and I'm getting the skills to help people shift those perspectives, think of other options, and then commit to taking actions to make changes. Big stuff indeed.

My love for learning and personal growth is being sated in this course but the group I am with is amplifying the enjoyment of the experience exponentially! It's such a safe place so the learning is deeper and more robust and that much more profound.

So, I'm planning to start taking clients soon. Exciting frontier for Catney! Start thinking about the limiting perspectives you hold on to that are keeping you in an undesirable situation and please, never forget that you have OPTIONS. Things WILL NOT change overnight, but small, sustained changes over time will give you a sense of accomplishment and the changes you dreamed of will begin to unfold, right before your eyes.

Coaching really does make the world a better place!

Arizona and Ian Percy

Just back from Arizona and it was superb. The warm, dry air was good for my soul. During my visit I met up with Ian Percy, the keynote speaker and Infinite Possibilities founder. He's doing some ground-breaking work on the subconscious mind as it relates to performance and success and I have to say, I want to know more.

I remember reading about a study of the subconscious mind where they had participants play a "game" against a fictitious opponent in another room. Participants were seated at a table and either a briefcase OR backpack was put in the chair across from them. The researchers found that the briefcase made participants compete much harder compared to the backpack. They concluded that participants were making subconscious assumptions related to their opponent's success in life where the briefcase represented greater success than the backpack. To read more about this study and get more insights into the relationship between social instincts and the subconscious mind, click here:
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/31/health/psychology/31subl.html

Wouldn't it be trippy to figure out what your subconscious beliefs are and how they might be holding you back from gigantic success??? You should contact Ian if you want to know more. Empower yourself OR even your organization by harnessing the subconscious mind and you could just realize your infinite possibilities! I plan to!

http://www.ianpercy.com/ OR http://www.infinitepossibilitiesinitiative.com/

With continued curiosity,
Ruth

Your Economic Thoughts Become Your Reality

The house is silent and I am enjoying my morning coffee. Life is good. Have to admit, it has been scary with all the doom and gloom economic reports. I subscribe to numerous newsletters and Michel Neray sent one that landed.

"You are not the economy.
Yes, the economy is in rough shape right now. But don't let all the doom and gloom get inside your head. Those deflating stats and trends you hear on the news describe the macroeconomic world, not yours. When my coaching clients and Bull Pen members start groaning about the economy, this is what I tell them:

1. Yes, the economy is scary if you're General Motors, Walmart, Microsoft and every other company that relies on millions of customers. But if you're a consultant, speaker, trainer, advisor, coach or any other independent professional, chances are you only need a few clients to keep you busy and profitable. How many active clients do you need? How long will it take for you to find your next client(or replace the one you may have just lost due to the economy)? Where are you most likely to find your next client? When are you going to start looking?

2. Yes, a lot of people are losing their jobs. A lot of people's investments are getting hammered. And a lot of companies are cutting back on what they perceive as the non-essentials. That's why people and businesses are desperate for the smart solutions they haven't been getting from their past service providers. You can be the one to give it to them. What are you offering that's different, better and smarter than whatever they've been offered before?

3. Yes, the overall picture looks bad. But the overall picture is made up of a myriad of scenes; some of which tell a completely different story. Hyatt Hotels, FedEx, Burger King, CNN, Sports Illustrated and the advertising agency Leo Burnett Worlwide... these are all companies that started in economic downturns.Your Essential Message focuses on your strongest, most differentiating position in the market and communicates it in the most compelling way. That's one reason why it's like a Unique Selling Proposition on steroids -- regardless of the economy. Now repeat after me; 'I am not the economy, I am not the economy, I am not the econo...'"

You can subscribe to Michel's newsletter http://www.essentialmessage.com/.

Your thoughts become your reality so be deliberate about what you watch, read, and talk about these days. Keep informed and be resourceful. Reach out, even if it makes you uncomfortable. Be innovative and create a service or product offering that will make people wonder how they ever lived without it!

This too shall pass,
Ruth

He Responded!

What a class act! Daniel Pink wrote back already! Try to implement the 6 Aptitudes he suggests we need to bring us into the Conceptual Age. Your personal or professional life will thank you!

With continued curiosity...
Ruth

Daniel Pink...write back soon

Daniel Pink's A Whole New Mind: Why Right-Brainers will Rule the Future provides some brilliant insights that corporations should heed. I sent him an email last night to tell him how much I enjoyed his book. Hope to hear from him soon!

Here's a summary of what he proposes...

“The future belongs to a very different kind of person with a different kind of mind – creators and empathizers, pattern recognizers and meaning makers. These people – artists, inventors, designers, storytellers, caregivers, consolers, big picture thinkers – will now reap society’s richest rewards and share its greatest joys”
Daniel Pink, A Whole New Mind, p.1

It’s not often I come across a business book that resonates and reassures me that I’m heading in the right direction but that is EXACTLY what Daniel Pink’s A Whole New Mind: Why Right-Brainers Will Rule The Future has done for me.

An enjoyable and enlightening read, Pink notes how society has evolved from the Agricultural Age (Farmers) to the Industrial Age (Factories) to our current Information Age (Knowledge Workers). He takes a look at Western businesses that have a dependency on information technologies and cleverly identifies three major phenomenon in our economy that have forced adaptive changes: Abundance (affluence), Asia (technology), and Automation (globalization).

Abundance
Pink makes the observation that our left brains have made us rich. Never before have we had the assortment of gadgets to choose from that are both high quality AND priced affordably.

Pink’s solution: Success in this noisy marketplace means creating products that are not only functional but also aesthetically pleasing.

Asia
India, Philippines and China are accepting outsourced services (computer programming, technical engineering, financial services) paying laborers a fraction of the cost that Western or European employers pay.

Pink’s solution: Pink suggests that to succeed, the use of Right-brain-directed abilities will have to prevail: “forging relationships rather than executing transactions, tackling novel challenges instead of solving routine problems, and synthesizing the big picture rather than analyzing a single component.” (p. 40).

Automation
Software programs have been created to assist with medical diagnosis by following a series of decision trees and basic legal forms can now be downloaded online.

Pink’s solution: These professions will need to balance out their practices with more “empathy, narrative medicine, counseling and court room storytelling” that depend on Right-Brain directed thinking. (p. 46).

Pink believes that because of Abundance, Asia & Automation we’re moving from the Knowledge Age into what he calls the Conceptual Age (creators, empathizers, pattern recognizers, and meaning makers). He offers that we can prepare ourselves for this Conceptual Age by enhancing our abilities around six aptitudes: Design, Story, Symphony, Empathy, Play, and Meaning.

APTITUDE 1: Design
Pink demonstrates the mainstreaming of design and how it’s no longer reserved for the elite. He reminds us that even our familiarity with computer fonts is an indication of how our awareness of design is commonplace. Pink asks readers to guess the names of three common computer fonts: Arial, Times New Roman, and Courier New. (Take the test yourself on p. 75

APTITUDE 2: Story
Pink cites numerous examples of how the use of story is becoming THE way companies are effectively sharing their intellectual capital – from training manuals at The World Bank to getting Xerox technicians up to speed by having them sit in company lounges sharing repair narratives! Also, his example of using narrative to sell homes instead of facts about price, features & square footage demonstrate some clever Conceptual Age marketing.
APTITUDE 3: Symphony
As Pink explains, symphony is “the ability to put together the pieces; synthesize rather than analyze; see relationships between seemingly unrelated fields...” (p.130). Metaphor fits under the umbrella of symphony and Pink reminds us of Georges de Mestral’s aptitude for metaphor when he reasoned that burrs stuck to his dog’s fur and came up with Velcro! Brilliant!

APTITUDE 4: Empathy
Pink makes the conclusion that the Conceptual Age requires androgynous minds. Pink states, “Sometimes we need detachment; many other times we need attunement. And the people who will thrive will be those who can toggle between the two.” (p. 174). So, start to bring YOUR androgynous mind to work – it will serve you and your organization well!

APTITUDE 5: Play
The aptitude of Play is a fun chapter to read. I learned about the existence of ‘laughter clubs’ in this chapter and I don’t mean Yuk-Yuk’s. Pink shares Southwest Airlines mission statement (they are one of the few airlines that continues to turn out profits in an extremely competitive industry) “People rarely succeed at anything unless they are having fun doing it.” Happy workers, healthy profits.


APTITUDE 6: Meaning
This was a section I also really enjoyed. Pink refers to research by Martin Seligman that finds that people who perform paid work that has personal meaning to them and is centered on their signature strengths experience greater authentic happiness. In her June 2008 Stanford speech Oprah Winfrey stated, “What you want is money and meaning. You want your work to be meaningful because meaning is what brings real richness to your life.”

A further note about Oprah’s honorary speech to Stanford’s graduating class of ’08 – she gave the gifts of literature to her audience that day; Tolle’s A New Earth and Pink’s A Whole New Mind. Making an Oprah list of books to give to Stanford graduates has GOT to have meaning! I love what Oprah does with her money and her endorsement of what Pink has to say about right-brain aptitudes is the greatest commendation an author could ever receive in our time.

Congratulations to you Daniel Pink. Well done.