Bobsledding – brake or steer? You can’t do both
Posted by Lee-Anne Ragan | Filed under Change management & wellness, Conflict resolution
As the sun sets on the biggest celebration Vancouver’s ever seen my thoughts are returning to the Olympic bobsled competition I watched recently in Whistler. Run like hell for up to 50 meters, hop in, head down and then, if you’re the guy in back, you’re only role is to brake. The person whose back you’re […]
Tags: 2010, bobsled, bobsleigh, change management, control, learning, olympics, vancouver, whistler, winter olympics
Beating the dual drums of familiarity & excitement
Posted by Lee-Anne Ragan | Filed under Change management & wellness, Conflict resolution
I was reading an article on stewarding online communities the other day and it talked about balancing comfort and familiarity with newness and excitement. I think we all need comfort and we all need excitement. What varies is our individual ratios of one to the other. Some of us like to eat the same thing […]
Tags: adventure, change management & wellness, comfort, excitement, familiarity, routine
Curious definition of stress
Posted by Lee-Anne Ragan | Filed under Change management & wellness, Conflict resolution
I went to a talk at my kids’ school the other night about drug abuse prevention. Interesting material and great presenter. One of the things that caught my attention was the presenter’s definition of stress. Before I tell you what it was, what’s yours? Definition of stress that is. The dictionary calls it “a state […]
Tags: change management, drug abuse, emotion, learning, strain, stress, tension
Fail forward
Posted by Lee-Anne Ragan | Filed under Change management & wellness, Communication, Conflict resolution
When Albert Einstein was asked what the best source of invention was he replied ‘mistakes’ (as heard on Terry O’Reilly’s Age of Persuasion). The only time we don’t make mistakes is when we’re sleeping (found on an IKEA postcard). Why then do we deny mistakes? Cover them up? Hide from them? Are embarrassed by them? […]
Tags: age of persuasion, albert einstein, cbc, cbc radio, change management, ikea, invention, learning, mess, mistakes, perspective, terry o'reilly, training & development
Best case scenario
Posted by Lee-Anne Ragan | Filed under Conflict resolution, Creativity & innovation
“Your mind will automatically go to the worst case scenario. So practice the best case scenario.” Wise words from my massage therapist. I love when my attention is caught and held by something that shakes up my preconceptions. That highlights patterns of thinking that I wasn’t aware of. When my synapses sparkle. With all due […]
Tags: amygdala, awfulizing, best case scenario, change management, creativity & innovation, jill bolte taylor, learning, lizard brain, seth godin, stroke of insight, worst case scenario
Cookie dough & the delicate balance of today & tomorrow
Posted by Lee-Anne Ragan | Filed under Communication, Conflict resolution, Humor & comedy
Before I can blink, with a shake of his shaggy head, my teen inhales food. All the food. All the time. Hence I hoard. (Much to his shock, horror and dismay.) “Moooooooooooooooom!” (drawing out the vowel as only a kid can do) “Where is the cookie dough?” (Confession time; I love to make cookies however […]
Tags: cookie, cookie dough, future, present, teenage, teens
Dancing with Dichotomy
Posted by Lee-Anne Ragan | Filed under Communication, Conflict resolution
How do we live with the ying and the yang that lives inside all of us? The disparate parts of ourselves. The parts that conflict. The puzzle pieces that don’t fit together because they’re from different puzzles. I like boxes. Little ones. Wooden ones. Carved ones. The ones that fancy jewelry used to come in. […]
Tags: change management, dancing, dichotomy, floating time, learning, training & development, ying yang
Destination passion
Posted by Lee-Anne Ragan | Filed under Communication, Conflict resolution, Diversity & culture, Social Responsibility
On this first day of 2010 I’m thinking about destinations. Specifically where we’re headed with hard work. Where our passion’s home port is. Where the fuel that fires us up leads us towards. With a bit of luck, a lot of hard work we get to find our passion, our element as Sir Ken Robinson […]
Tags: change management, choices, creativity & innovation, element, evil, good, ken robinson, learning, passion, privilege, questions, terrorism, Umar Farouk AbdulMutallab, wild time, wonder woman
Perspective & the Problems of Privilege part 2
Posted by Lee-Anne Ragan | Filed under Conflict resolution, Travel
Never doubt that there are spirits alternately laughing at and with you, supporting you, egging you on, helping you walk on eggs and sometimes throwing egg in your face. After my last post about feeling the angsty-post-Christmas blues I simply had to laugh at this over the top take on privilege in the form of […]
Tags: bbq, blues, change management, Christmas, invitation, perspective, privilege, problems, uganda
YMCA Power of Peace Awards
Posted by Lee-Anne Ragan | Filed under Conflict resolution, Travel
I was recently honoured by being nominated for and becoming a finalist for the International category of the YMCA Power of Peace awards. See a YMCA Power of Peace clip here. Nazanin Afshin-Jam, who has a name like liquid poetry, was the captivating keynote speaker and winner in the emerging leaders category. Nazanin is a […]
Tags: african drumming, awards, joe given, kunka youth marimba, miynada, nazanin afshin-jam, peace, power of peace, stop child executions, ymca