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.

In early April, I was in Singapore to keynote the Government Leadership Forum. My talk focused on how to use digital transformation to drive emotional transformation, enhancing the overall contentment and lifestyle enrichment of societies.

During the recent Celebrate Innovation Week, I was interviewed by Michael Libbie, host of Business News Hour. The topic of our fun conversation revolved around the concept of Customer Infatuation.

How about this for an example of continuous re-invention and looking at life as a journey not as destinations? At the recently held U.S. Track and Field Masters Indoor Championships, Julia “Hurricane” Hawkins, who is 102, set a world record for the 60-meter dash in the women’s 100+ category.

I spent the first week of March in Des Moines, Iowa for Celebrate Innovation Week. During my visit, I had the opportunity to get to know the other presenters, be exposed to all kinds of fascinating topics, and learn about the numerous ways they are re-imagining boundaries in their respective fields. In celebration, I am introducing them to you here, so you too can be inspired: