For those of you who know me well – my passion (and strength) is my love of learning.  In 1995 when I began my career in this field I created the following personal Mission statement (I update it every few years).  Twenty years later, it still feels right.

“I use my extraordinary energy to make a contribution: to be the best for the world.  I do this through my BEING . . . loving, a learning, laughter, lucid, lively, luminous, a listener, light – a leader in learning!  I use my storytelling to express my BEING. Openness and honesty are my magnetic north on my joyful and adventurous journey.“

The following are just a few of the videos that gave me pleasure, insights and challenged me to reframe my mindset.  Thank you to all who contributed in the making of these videos.

Blame by Professor Brene Brown.

This three minute video is my favourite.  Brene Brown studies shame and vulnerability and this short RSA (Royal School of the Arts) graphic video captures the essence of how much we blame, why we blame and the impact that this has on others and our ability to empathize.  Show this at your next meeting and begin a dialogue around this topic.

Empathy Vs Sympathy by Professor Brene Brown.

This three minute video is a runner up on my favourite list. The description for the video – What is the best way to ease someone’s pain and suffering? In this beautifully animated RSA Short, Dr Brené Brown reminds us that we can only create a genuine empathic connection if we are brave enough to really get in touch with our own fragilities.

Dr. Alan Watkins on Why You Feel What You Feel

I find Alan Watkins to be funny, insightful, brilliant in taking complexity and simplifying it through stories.  The description on Youtube is: Understanding why you feel what you feel is one of the most important aspects of human development. After understanding comes control. When you control your emotions through vertical development, you can be more successful and happy.

Jane Magruder Watkins on Appreciative Leadership by Joep de Jong

I have been blessed to have a wonderful mentor for the last twenty years – Jane Magruder Watkins.  Jane was an early adaptor in the field of Appreciative Inquiry and worked with Dr. David Cooperrider from the time he was a doctoral student in the early 1980s until recently. She brought Appreciative Inquiry to more than 70 countries and this five minute video is a segment from an interview that Joep de Jong had with 78 year old Jane Magruder Watkins in the summer of 2015.

From a Burning Platform to Burning Ambition (3 minutes) by Dr. Peter Fuda.

When I was first introduced to organizational effectiveness and change management in 1995, the organization I worked with used the Burning Platform metaphor to drive a significant global change.  It didn’t work, it was fear based and caused pain and was not sustainable! I left in 1998 to find a more human focused approach to change. It was then that I discovered creative problem solving (the foundation of design thinking), the philosophy and methodology of Appreciative Inquiry, Open Space and other change processes that are now part of what is now called Dialogic Organizational Development. I weave in the research and practical approaches of positive psychology into all my work – I feel blessed to have discovered these life giving, positively energizing ways to work with my clients and colleagues.

Where Good Ideas Come From by Brian Johnson.

At Innovation Works we believe that our job is to help our clients create & innovative working climates.  Innovation is about taking common ideas and reframing them and playing with hunches.  These hunches need to collide with other hunches to create innovative ideas. That is one reason we love our tag line of “Colliding ideas .. sparking action”. We want to create a safe space for people to play and innovate together. Enjoy this 4 minute video.

Enjoy, share your comments on these videos and tell us about  your favourite short videos.