Since 1987, I have been providing consulting and training services to a wide variety of forward thinking organizations who have recognized their need to raise the bar for creative thinking, innovation, and teamwork. An optimist, by nature, I have always assumed that the people attending my sessions had an innate ability to benefit from whatever it was I was teaching, conveying, or imparting. And while this optimistic point of view continues to be my default position, I have also understood that there are obstacles that often get in the way of people receiving the maximum value of what I (or a ..read more

Here is an inspiring Valentine's Day slide show for you. Includes 21 wonderful quotes on love and vocals by Daya Rawat ..read more

If you are on the cusp of a new venture that fills you with both excitement and doubt, welcome to the human race. Most aspiring innovators on the brink of a breakthrough assume they need to be in a doubt-free state if they are going to succeed and that anything less is a sure sign that they are either imposters, fools or losers-in-waiting. Not true. The experience of doubt (and it's twin cousins, fear and dread) comes with the territory of starting a new venture. What's needed, wrote Rollo May in his extraordinary book on the topic, is courage -- the courage to create. How will you develop th ..read more

"You can do anything, but not everything." -- David Allen Last year, I facilitate an online course whose purpose it was to help people transform their inspired ideas, dreams, and ventures into reality. It was ton of fun and very fulfilling -- my "calling", if you will (and even if you won't). Baked into the learning process were some simple ways to help participants become aware of the places inside themselves where they may be tangled or challenged in their approach. One tangle that has surprised me is how difficult it is for most people to ask for help. While it is true that the creative pr ..read more

Since 1987, I've asked 2,500 people where and when they get their best ideas. Less than 2% have said "the workplace." Based on my 33 years of working with a ton of innovation-seeking organizations, here's my take on WHY you don't get your best ideas at work: 1. Too much to do, not enough time. 2. Too many distractions and interruptions. 3. You work in a risk averse organization. 4. Sleep deprivation. 5. Mental clutter. 6. Fear that someone will steal your idea. 7. You don't think of yourself as creative. 8. Boring meetings that put you in a bad mood. 9. You're not measured for the quantity or ..read more

1. TWO HEADS ARE BETTER THAN ONE: No matter how creative you are, having the right person to brainstorm with -- at the right time and in the right way -- can often be the difference between success and failure. Human beings are social animals. We need to express ourselves. We need to be heard. We need connection, feedback, encouragement, fresh perspectives, and new ideas. This is not the time to be a lone wolf. You may be quarantined right now, but you are not in this alone! 2. YOU HAVE SOMETHING WONDERFUL TO CREATE: Yes, it's true! You are onto something. You are being called! You feel it i ..read more

Recently, I've discovered MEDIUM -- a blogging platform with more than 100 million viewers per month. Not all of them have made it to my Medium abode yet, but word is getting out. In case you haven't visited that part of cyberspace, now's your chance -- especially if you have been enjoying my writing over the years. Here are my ten most popular stories on Medium. When an Email at 2:00 a.m. Changes Everything Last Night I Googled Longing What Have You Accomplished? What I Learned in a Closet From My 3-Year Old Son On Being Visited By an Angel What It Really Means to Be a Friend Here's the Prob ..read more

I want you to imagine, for a moment, that I am your manager and, while passing you in the hallway on the way to yet another meeting. I catch your eye, take a step towards you and, in a halting voice, say "Umm... uh... hi... I'm wondering if you have some time later today for me... er... to share a bit of feedback with you." How are you feeling right now? I'm guessing not so good -- especially since the word, "feedback", in most organizations, has become synonymous with, "I'm just about to chop your head off." I'm not exactly sure what the origins of this phenomenon are, but if I were to hazar ..read more

"Mastery" is a fascinating phenomenon -- one that many people speak about, but few attain. Is it possible? Yes, it is. But what is it really? Ah... now that's the question, isn't it? The dictionary defines mastery as "possession or display of great skill or technique." OK. Good start. If you're fluent in French, for example, you have a mastery of the language. If you win every game of chess, you show a mastery of the game. Skill is necessary, of course, in order to be a Master, but it not sufficient. Something else, beyond skill, is also needed. What might that be? "One can have no smaller or ..read more

Here is one of the biggest challenges creative people face: finding the right balance between spontaneity and planning. Spontaneity, while a huge part of the creative process, can also be a huge curse. The intoxicating nature of spontaneity -- and the likelihood that it will lead to more projects -- has a tendency to sidetrack. It's sparkly. It's fascinating. And it's fun. But it can also be a massive distraction. The result? Many creative people have more projects "on the table" than they can execute. And while this often makes for good cocktail party conversation, it also makes for overwhel ..read more