I’ve Been Everywhere, Man.
It has been a while since I last wrote a blog. The reason is, at some point, I had to work. Since the start of the new year, I have taught senior leaders in healthcare, and provincial and federal police; made three presentations to three different Rotary Clubs; produced a Ted Talk; was a keynote speaker for a conference in Jasper, a veterinarians’ association, and a Future Leader’s program; had some work presented at the national ASQ (largest quality organization in the world) conference; and had other work presented at a sport management conference, and a conference in Naples, Italy. Whew!...
Read MoreJail Theory of Leadership: Watch Marvin’s TedxUalberta talk now
What do Nelson Mandela, Martin Luther King Jr, and Adolf Hilter all share in common? First, they all spent time in prison; second, they all wrote while in prison. In this riveting talk, Dr. Marvin Washington expands on how leaders must solve problems by “leaning in” against the grain of common thought, and how we can lean in like Mandela, King, or Hitler – without going to jail ourselves. ...
Read MoreAssignment 2016: What is your platform?
As 2016 starts, many of us are thinking about our goals for the year. There are so many jokes and memes about New Year’s Resolutions that it is easy to think that making resolutions is a bad thing, but it’s not. It is very healthy to spend some time actually thinking intentionally about what you want, and spend even more time thinking about how to get what you want. I suggest one more step. Think about what is your platform? More about this later. I think by now we understand the terms mission or purpose, vision or goals, and values. Purpose answers the questions why am I here and what am I...
Read MoreWhat are you investing for?
Often when I work with a new or potential client, I hear this question: What is the return on the investment for this training? Asked another way: What savings we will realize if we pay you to come talk to us. While I totally understand these are fair questions, I think they are misguided questions, and regardless of which question is asked, my response is the same: It depends on why are you investing. I know that may sound like I am trying to side step the question, but think about it. If you do not really know why you are doing something, then it is really hard to see or obtain the value....
Read MoreFocus on You
Recently, I was presenting to a group of city managers at a conference. The conference was about the challenges managing cities in today’s environment of everyone thinking they can get more for less, whenever they want. While I have no expertise in how to manage cities, I was asked to provide some thoughts on how to lead in a fast-paced, ever-changing environment. My answer might shock you: focus on you. Why do I suggest you focus on you? Because, in the end, that is all you can control. What I often see in organizations is that the company has gotten clearer on its goals while the workers...
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