The World Championships of Childhood Fun

2024, October, 04

outdoors, self-improvement, mindfulness, creativity, corporate culture

The World Championships of Childhood Fun

Rock skipping

One of the most endearing, timeless pastimes rooted in our childhood is stone skipping or skimming. It is also a fun, cross-generational activity that immerses us in nature and fosters bonding mindfulness. Which is why I have incorporated stone skipping into my leadership events and recommend it as a great way to reconnect with your childhood sense of adventure, creativity, and curiosity.

So, I was very pleased to learn of the World Stone Skimming Championships, which takes place on Easdale Island in Scotland every September since 1997. This year’s contest saw competitors from five continents and 27 countries, with the contestant limit of 350 selling out in less than 30 minutes.

Spectators and judges watched as challengers took turns at the "Skim of Destiny", the platform from which they unleashed their stones into a water-filled quarry. See more fun details about this seminal sporting event in the BBC article: https://www.bbc.com/travel/article/20240905-scotlands-offbeat-world-championship-of-stone-skimming

Why not seize the moment, and start training this weekend for next year’s competition?

#selfimprovement #mindfulness #creativity #culture #outdoors

Theatre of the absurd continued: Giant space umbrella
Following up on my story last week about GE’s big idea for using CO2 emissions, let’s continue with another seemingly wacky, repurposing concept again this week. How about a giant space umbrella to solve the problem of global warming?
The Un-Carrier: T-Mobile disrupts U.S. mobile telecom
An industry disruptor is one that shakes up an industry by challenging taken for granted assumptions and rules of competition. It is able to disrupt and reshape an industry by delivering tangible value focused on the needs of customers, while the incumbent industry players are focused on trying to outcompete each other.
Companies with the best sense of humor
At the start of this month was arguably the most important date of the annual corporate calendar. It was none other than April 1st, aka April Fools Day. Humor is one of the most universal manifestations of creativity, which is the central fuel for future-shaping companies. Not surprisingly, more and more organizations worldwide are embracing humor as a core cultural dimension, and we see an exponential, global proliferation from year to year of companies commemorating April Fools’ Day, the annual celebration of laughter and childlike fun. These organizations conceive of and bring to life farcical campaigns on April 1st, signaling to all internal and external constituents that they, as an organization, have a sense of humor and appreciate levity.
Kudos to Annie Lennox and Dave Stewart

Congratulations to Annie Lennox and Dave Stewart, who were inducted into The Songwriters Hall of Fame last month and will be inducted into The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in November, for their indelible contributions to pop music.

Dave and I connected when he was a guest on my radio show series, and I found him to be a fearless, cultural innovator. We shared a profound conversation around the thrill of continuously pursuing new frontiers and incessantly harnessing our childhood sense of creativity. There was also a funny moment when I called Dave at a scheduled time, and he was still talking with Mick Jagger on the other line.

My favorite quote from the conversation, which made it to the back cover of my Slingshot book:

“Slingshot is like looking at things through the other end of a telescope.” – Dave Stewart

#eurythmics #music #rock&roll #innovation #popculture #creativity
Children’s imagination building city of the future
Once, Thomas Edison was asked by a reporter: “Mr. Edison, you being the world’s greatest inventor, what you do you think is the greatest invention?” He replied without hesitation: “The greatest invention in the world is the mind of a child.”
On to the eternal city
I am pleased to be giving the opening keynote presentation at the upcoming PMI Congress in Rome, Italy on May 1st.
On to Kiev, with Sir Richard Branson
Yes, sir. We are on Kiev for another mega event. It promises to be epic, because such an event has never been held in Kiev before, and because the forum looks to re-energize the Ukrainian business community at a time of great uncertainty and hardship.
Uber and out?
It is definitely a sign of the times. Take a six-year old company that has spread globally to drive a traditional service industry into obsolescence. Then consider the company’s real ambitions, which are much bolder than that. Finally, take note that it is already facing severe challenges as the market space it created is rapidly evolving. There is no time to stand still.
Holocon 2022 - Leadership during Disruption

I am looking forward to speaking at Holocon 2022 @Holos Change next week, among a great assembly of leadership experts: https://adobe.ly/3hkfME7.

The theme of the conference is Leadership in a World of Disruption, and my topic will be ‘Mastering Creating Transformation – Finding Your Blue Waters’.

If you are a leadership development professional looking to be inspired, enhance your knowledge and be a part of a great conversation, I invite you to join us.

For more details: https://holoschange.com/events/holocon2022/

#holocon2022 #disruption #transformation #leadership #innovation #creativity
The bold start-up pouncing on banks’ turf
According to Ask.com, “Taula de la Ciutat was the first bank to record in Barcelona in 1401. Banking practices can be traced back to the Roman Empire.

The World Championships of Childhood Fun

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