September 16, 2020
Great Quotes on Leadership

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"If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader." - John Quincy Adams

"Management is doing things right; leadership is doing the right things." - Peter Drucker

"To lead people, walk beside them. As for the best leaders, the people do not notice their existence. When the best leader's work is done, the people say, 'We did it ourselves!'" - Lao Tzu

"Leadership is about making others better as a result of your presence, and making sure that impact lasts in your absence."- Sheryl Sandberg

"Average leaders raise the bar for themselves; good leaders raise the bar for others; great leaders inspire others to raise their own bar." - Orrin Woodward

"Example is not the main thing in influencing others. It is the only thing." - Albert Schweitzer

"A leader takes people where they want to go. A great leader takes people where they don't necessarily want to go, but ought to be." - Rosalynn Carter

"Successful leaders see the opportunities in every difficulty rather than the difficulty in every opportunity." - Reed Markham

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"Leadership is a potent combination of strategy and character. But if you must be without one, be without the strategy." - Norman Schwarzkopf

"Leadership is the capacity to translate vision into reality." - Warren Bennis

"I have learned over the years that when one's mind is made up, this diminishes fear; knowing what must be done does away with fear." - Rosa Parks

"All of the great leaders have had one characteristic in common: it was the willingness to confront unequivocally the major anxiety of their people in their time. This, and not much else, is the essence of leadership." - John Kenneth Galbraith

"Ninety percent of leadership is the ability to communicate something people want." - Dianne Feinstein

"Leadership consists of nothing but taking responsibility for everything that goes wrong and giving your subordinates credit for everything that goes well." - Dwight Eisenhower

"A leader is a dealer in hope." - Napoleon Bonaparte

"Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man's character, give him power." - Abraham Lincoln

"True leaders understand that leadership is not about them but about those they serve. It is not about exalting themselves but about lifting others up." - Sheri Dew

"A good objective of leadership is to help those who are doing poorly to do well and to help those who are doing well to do even better." - Jim Rohn

"What you do has far greater impact than what you say." - Stephen Covey

"To be a leader, you have to make people want to follow you, and nobody wants to follow someone who doesn't know where he is going." - Joe Namath

"Great leaders are almost always great simplifiers who can cut through argument, debate. and doubt to offer a solution everybody can understand." - Colin Powell

"The greatest leader is not necessarily the one who does the greatest things. He is the one that gets the people to do the greatest things." - Ronald Reagan

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"Leadership is the ability to guide others without force into a direction or decision that leaves them still feeling empowered and accomplished." - Lisa Cash Hanson

"You don't have to hold a position in order to be a leader." - Henry Ford

"To have long term success as a coach or in any position of leadership, you have to be obsessed in some way." - Pat Riley

"Our emerging workforce is not interested in command and control leadership. They don't want to do things because I said so, they want to do things because they want to do them."- Irene Rosenfield

"The pessimist complains about the wind. The optimist expects it to change. The leader adjusts the sails." - John Maxwell

"Outstanding leaders go out of the way to boost the self-esteem of their personnel. If people believe in themselves, it's amazing what they can accomplish." - Sam Walton

PS: Great leaders take the time to reflect on what it really means to be a leader. They turn theory into action. Towards that end, choose a quote above that you most resonate with and ask yourself how you can embody its particular wisdom on the job.

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September 14, 2020
The Poop Revolution!

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September 13, 2020
AL SIRAAT COLLEGE: Team Leadership Training Testimonials

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What follows is a sampling of testimonials from some of the 33 graduates of Idea Champions' Team Leadership Training, delivered to Al Siraat College, in Epping, Australia in 2020.

SHORT AND SWEET

"This is the best professional training I have ever done in my life. I wish I'd done it many years ago, so I could have incorporated its excellent ideas and practices earlier in my professional and personal life." -- Wayne Semmens

"An extraordinary experience." -- Rahat Arain

"Invaluable to my professional development. Will definitely be carried throughout my life." -- Gulcan Ayvaz

"Amazing. Gave me a different perspective on my role as a leader. I enjoyed the creativity of the program and how huge concepts were unpacked in a simplified manner." -- Shahidah Osman

"Fantastic. A great way to interact with other Team Leaders, share ideas, and learn from each other's experiences." - Misbah Aqeel

"Delivered in a very simple and unique way, making it easy to apply in my daily life. Helped me develop confidence in my leadership." - Maryam Omer

"Never a dull moment. A very enjoyable and relaxing experience that helped keep our minds open and look for creative ideas to improve ourselves and our teams." - Daniel Saleh

"An eye opener. Empowering. Helped me look at things from different perspectives and find new ways to improve things." - Suffian Mohammed Amin

"I now feel we have a process that will be followed by all stakeholders." - Leah Hamel

"Relevant, engaging, and fun. If we are able to implement even half of what we learned, we will become a different organization." - Fazeel Arain

"I got almost immediate, desired results!" - Sitki Esenyel

"It was a blessing to have the opportunity to go inward, outward, and onward. Each session was targeted and practical. The design and delivery were always engaging and stimulating." - Evla Han

"Generated many creative ideas to improve our teams and the school." - Noori Ahmad

"As a result of the training, my team is now working more collaboratively and sharing ideas. Trust has built over time." - Elif Boz

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A DEEPER DIVE INTO THE TESTIMONIALS

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"This is the best professional training I have ever done in my life. The breadth of topics was better than anything I have done before. The experience was both inspiring and practical. It was so good, in fact, that I wish I'd done this training many years ago, so I could have incorporated its excellent ideas and practices earlier in my professional and personal life." -- Wayne Semmens

"Being in the Team Leadership Training has been an extraordinary experience. We have learned through listening and peer-to-peer dialogue. It was supportive, with no rahat.jpgjudgements, a variety of tools to extend our thinking, and no homework! What more could we have asked for? I do believe I'm starting to understand and appreciate people a little more. You have modeled, for us, a beautiful way to acknowledge others in a way that will help us build good relationships with our teams." -- Rahat Arain

"Thank you very much for the wonderful training sessions! The time I spent in the Team Leadership Training has been invaluable daniel.jpgto my professional development and will definitely be carried throughout my life. I have been equipped with skills that assist my parenting of teenagers too, which was an unexpected bonus. I look forward to implementing the knowledge and tips you taught me and passing them onto others who will benefit, too." -- Gulcan Ayvaz

"The Team Leadership Training has given me an opportunity to develop my leadership skills to a different level than before. It helped me be reflective and embrace my challenges with grace and resilience. Mitch is an inspirational trainer who gives shahidah.jpghis utmost energy with passion and engagement throughout the training. He amazed me in the way he presented his uplifting and thought-provoking creative ideas and succinct content. The training gave me a different perspective on my role as a leader. I learned, immensely, about ways to improve myself and the practicality of different leadership strategies. I enjoyed the creativity of the program and how huge concepts were unpacked in a simplified manner." -- Shahidah Osam

"I was blessed to take the Team fazeel.jpgLeadership Training. I found the training was very much targeted to develop my skills in many areas because it was delivered in a very simple and unique way, making it easy to apply in my daily life. The program helped me develop confidence in my leadership." -- Maryam Omer

"The Team Leadership Training is great way to interact with other Team Leaders, to share ideas, and to learn from their experiences. Mitch is a fantastic facilitator and, during each session, not once did I think of the time or when it would end! misbah.jpg I have benefited a lot from this training, have definitely learned to run meetings better, gel my team together, and clarify our roles and responsibilities." -- Misbah Aqeel

"Mitch is a very enthusiastic facilitator, with great character, and makes everyone feel welcome. Even though there were many people in the sessions, he always made time to give people one-on-one feedback. I liked the way he infused each topic with storytelling to help get the message across. I also liked the suffian.jpg
way he got people out of their comfort zone. There was never a dull moment. All in all, it was a very enjoyable and relaxing experience that helped us keep our minds open and looking for new and creative ideas to improve ourselves and our teams." -- Daniel Saleh

"The Team Leadership Training is an eye opener and empowering. It helped me look at things from a different perspectives and to always find ways to improve things. I appreciated the time taken to unpack all the learnings and the practical examples shared by Mitch. As a result of this program, our team meetings leah.jpgehave changed for the better. Efficiency has improved." -- Suffian Mohammed Amin

"The Team Leader training allowed me to follow a set procedure in regard to implementing any new process within my team and with external teams. It assisted me in with dealing with others, particularly those in more senior positions than myself, since they have also been through the training. I now feel as though we have a process that will be followed by all stakeholders." -- Leah Hamel

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"The Team Leadership Training was a relevant and practical dive-in to improve ourselves and our teams. If we are able to implement even half of what we have learned, we will be a different organization than what we are now. The training was relevant, engaging, and fun." -- Fazeel Arain

"My team leadership has definitely improved because I valued the content of the training and saw its inherent value. And then, when I went to implement the theory and turn it into practice, I got almost immediate, desired results! elif.jpgIf I could graph my progress, it would resemble an upward trajectory." -- Sitki Esenyel

"The Team Leadership Training is much more than just professional development. I'm grateful to be part of a community that invests in people. In this process, some of the things I've learned is that there are emotional and cognitive barriers to receptivity and helping and that leadership and learning are seriously complex. It's a blessing to have the opportunity to go inward, outward, and onward. Each session was targeted and practical. The design and delivery was always engaging and stimulating." -- Evla Han

"As a result of the training, my team is now working more collaboratively and sharing ideas. Trust has built over time." -- Elif Boz

"I liked how the training brought all of our leaders under one roof and better understanding what everyone is going through, learning from each other. I also liked the way it was organized and how many creative ideas we came up with to improve our teams and the school." -- Noori Ahmad

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September 10, 2020
FREE THE GENIE Testimonials

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Free the Genie is a lightly facilitated online brainstorming session that enables anyone with a need, goal, or aspiration to make a quantum leap of thought and action. Bottom line, it's a GPS for the creative process -- a highly engaging way to close the gap between dream and reality. Ideal for committed individuals and small teams.

Short and Sweet Testimonials

"Priceless. A way to dream big, edit your dream, and then do!" -- MaryJane Fahey, Founder, Glorious Broads

"Free the Genie is like a fan blowing fog out of a room so you can see clearly. Highly recommended." - Douglas Robinson, Composer/Musician

"A user-friendly way to think creatively, originate bold ideas, and turn theory into action." -- Mohammed Azim, Head of English Department, Al Siraat College

"An exceptional experience. The atmosphere cultivated was one of collaboration, encouragement, and creativity. By the end of the session, not only had we generated innovative ideas, but we also had a clear roadmap for implementation. Mitch's expertise in unlocking creativity and fostering collaboration played a pivotal role in the success of our session." -- Paul Kwiecinski, Managing Partner, Face the Music

"This is precious. It's a treasure. I never would have thought of these ideas if I hadn't had this help -- not in a million years. I'm going to implement these ideas right away. Everyone could benefit from this. Two thumbs up!" -- Annick Baud, Artist

"Free the Genie puts you in touch with your intuition and gut feel. Provides clarity about what you really want and need." - Prentiss Uchida, Serial Entrepreneur and Business Coach

"I emerged from my Free the Genie session refreshed and refocused on the many possible futures that lay ahead for me." - Doug Stuke, Career Changer and Aspiring Author

"The process revealed all the different colors of my project and then, responsively, yet systematically, synthesized them into a singular beam I could focus on to achieve my desired outcome." -- Chris Mac Vittie, Singer/Songwriter

"Free the Genie anchored my idea to the ground and provided me with a pragmatic pathway and plan to follow." - Sitki Esenyel, Student Support Services, Al Siraat College.

"I was so inspired at the end of my hour Free the Genie session that I committed to restarting my memoir writing project -- one that had been in the closet for years." - Gretel Rogers, Travel Agent and Writer

"Lots of fun, interactive, and surprising." - Barbara Drausel, Artist

"As a result of our Free the Genie session, we have gained great clarity and motivation in setting a vision we are passionate about." - Shanaka Jakakody and Areeba Reusch

"Free the Genie helped me see my situation in a new light. I was empowered from within." -- Ellen Goldberg, Therapist, Author, Mystic

"An enriching experience of connection and deep exchanges." -- Rosa Morelli, Acting Coach, Artist

"I so appreciate you taking the time to assist me in clarifying my issues. Your method is a wonderful tool that will help many people achieve their goals." -- Michael Sudheer, Artist/Photographer

"I am so grateful for the generous spirit, astute perceptions, clear vision, and authenticity of my Free the Genie facilitator. Thanks for sharing your gifts with me, and inspiring me to open my own." - Joyce Gerber, Health Practitioner

A DEEPER DIVE INTO THE VALUE OF FREE THE GENIE

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"The Free the Genie session I experienced was priceless. That is the word to describe it. Why priceless? Because I have invested a few thousand into the execution of a dream that I have been pursuing for five years. And we have gotten far. But not far enough. My Free the Genie facilitator surpassed the coaches of my past with a simple method -- not an overwhelming method. A way of seeing my dream and seeing the excess of having too many dream plans at once and devising possibilities that can be reached. Dream BIG. EDIT your dream. And then -- do!" -- Maryjane Fahey, Founder, Glorious Broads

"I experienced my first Free the Genie session the week after I was laid off. I entered into the process disoriented and disheartened from my job loss and emerged refreshed and refocused on the many possible futures that lay ahead. The coaching I received and the overall process helped untangle my backward-looking thinking and ignited my passion in opportunities I had not considered as realistic previously. I recommend the process to anyone -- from business professionals to artists -- who really need a reset sparked with hope to transform potential into performance." -- Doug Stuke, Career Changer and Aspiring Author

"Free the Genie is a timely and welcoming tool that provided me with a worthy guide to realize my goals. It proved to be a very real way to reboot my thinking and increase my determination to realize my vision. I have done four Free the Genie sessions, so far, and am now addicted to it. Simply put, it's is a user-friendly way to think creatively, originate bold ideas, and turn theory into action." - Mohammed Azim, Head of English Department, Al Siraat College, Melbourne Australia

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"I had two Free the Genie sessions and it gave me clarity of what I really want and need -- right now. It feels right. It feels good. I like it. The process is simple, fun, sometimes confronting, but you are always making the choices of what direction to go from here. No taking notes, no learning new terminology, no memory/retention to pass a test, later. You are getting it as you go. You are feeling it as you go. It puts you in touch with your intuition and your gut feel. The challenge is to really get what you want -- the thing that will take you over the top. Free the Genie! It has taken me out of retirement!" - Prentiss Uchida, Un-retired

"Free the Genie allowed me to grab my vague and formless idea and give it a sense of composure and structure. Prior to the session, my idea was just a cloud in the sky. Free the Genie anchored it to the ground and provided me with a pragmatic pathway and plan to follow." -- Sitki Esenyel, Student Support Services, Al Siraat College, Melbourne, Australia

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"Thank you! You have created a creative tool that helps one create. I liken the experience of my Free the Genie session to a prism working in reverse. The process revealed all the different colors of my project and then, responsively, yet systematically, synthesized them into a singular beam I could focus on to achieve my desired outcome. Free the Genie put the ball back in my creative court -- right where it needs to be." -- Chris Mac Vittie, Singer/Songwriter

"Idea Champions provided excellent support to help me create superb ideas for my writing project. I was so inspired at the end of our hour session, that I committed to restarting my memoir writing project -- one that had been in the closet for years." - Gretel Rogers, Travel Agent and Memoir Writer, Miami

"Two weeks ago, I began the Free the Genie process. In my work as a creative advertiser/marketer, I've done lots of brainstorming sessions for clients in my life, but none that had to do with my personal development and trying to pin down what I wanted to do for the next 1-5 years of my life, so this was unique. I can't imagine a more relaxed, yet focused, guide than my Free the Genie facilitator. He took me through some pre-planned drills, but was able to stick with the program even as we veered into some very interesting flights of fancy and dialogue. His good humor made all the difference. He's easy to talk to, and so you find yourself doing exactly that. I don't know if everyone will have the results I've had in a such a short period of time, but even if you get half of the benefit I'm reaping from our sessions, you will be excited. My goal unfolded right before my very eyes and I've wasted no time putting together plans and starting work to achieve it. It was a like a fan blowing fog out of a room so I could see clearly. Highly recommended." - Douglas Robinson, Composer/Musician

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"I was quite impressed by what could be done in the one hour of Free the Genie just by you listening to my ideas about what I wanted to do with my art -- without knowing me personally. Your questions were very precise and didn't let me go astray. An important aspect of Free the Genie is that it's lots of fun, interactive, and surprising. After my session, I became a lot more clear about what I wanted to do and have already begun taking the steps to accomplish my goal." -- Barbara Drausal, Artist, Argentina

"Thank you for your tremendous care and gentle guidance with our Free the Geni session. Your facilitation was the perfect balance of engaging, yet allowing personal exploration. We have already gained great clarity and motivation in setting a vision that we are passionate about, and are committed to executing on." - Shanaka Jakakody and Areeba Reusch

"What I got from Free the Genie was my own ideas, elicited from me, and turned back to me, so that they felt both authentically mine, and yet fresh. I saw my situation in a new light. Everything I received came from inside myself. My ideas, niggling at the edge of consciousness, things I knew, but now know in a way that has set me free. I went past an interior hurdle that has been troubling me for over a year. I've taken action because it has lost its power over me. Another way to say this is: I was empowered from within." -- Ellen Goldberg, Therapist, Author, Mystic

"The Free the Genie session was a generous offer of open, focused, and non-judgmental listening. He provided back insights that have widened my perception of the issue, eliciting creative ways to deal with was seemed set in stone. An enriching experience of connection and deep exchanges." -- Rosa Morelli, Acting Coach, Artist

"We all have a powerful flame of life inside us. It takes someone really tuned into their own life-force to not only ignite that spark of creativity in others, but to ignite confidence in it. It is very powerful to be awakened to that force and to tenaciously follow and express it. I am so grateful for the generous spirit, astute perceptions, clear vision, and authenticity of my Free the Genie facilitator. Thanks for sharing your gifts with me, and inspiring me to open my own." - Joyce Gerber, Health Practitioner

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September 04, 2020
41 Ways Business Leaders Can Foster a Culture of Innovation

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Yes, we know you want your organization to be more innovative. And yes, we know you want to improve your organization's culture of innovation. The best place to start? With YOU.

1. Give up needing to be the smartest person in the room.

2. Seek out people who think differently than you do.

3. Reward new thinking.

4. When you delegate, delegate.

5. Listen more, tell less.

6. Create an environment where no idea is considered dumb.
7. Be a learner, not a know-it-all.

8. Require that 30% of all budget proposals include innovative
products, processes, strategies, business models, or management
approaches.

9. Celebrate failures and learn from them.

10. Don't rush to resolve differences. Tolerate ambiguity while
gaining a deep understanding of the thought processes underlying
all positions.

11. Surface conflict and support minority positions.
12. Let go of your way of doing things.
13. Explore the territory before seeking a destination.
14. Reward people who disagree with you.

15. Protect the new from the old.

16. Get feedback to test whether what you think you communicated is what people actually heard.

17. Do whatever is necessary to deeply engage employees in the realm of the possible.

18. Do whatever is necessary to create widespread understanding and commitment to a shared vision of the future.

19. Reward teamwork and unselfish effort -- not individual heroics.
20. Accept as much of yourself as you can.
21. Recognize the talents of those around you and leverage them to the max.

22. Pave the way for your subordinate's success.
23. Develop all your reports to be your successor.
24. Provide very specific, timely, behavior-based positive feedback.
25. Begin your feedback with what you like about a new idea.

26. Make the path to considering, evaluating, and deciding on new ideas clear and easy to navigate.

27. Look behind "wild ideas" for potential new directions.

28. Never write anyone off. Try to understand where they are coming from before judging them.

29. Don't forget that everything you do is scrutinized for meaning.

30. Spend at least 20% of your time in two-way communication with people at all levels of your organization -- and spend most of this time listening, not explaining.

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31. Be intentional and deliberate. Be clear about what you are trying to achieve and test whether that is what you are getting.

32. Stick your neck out for what you believe in and value.

33. Acknowledge when you don't know -- and rely on others to help you figure it out.

34. Give the work back. Your job is to get the best that everyone has to give -- not come up with all the answers yourself.

35. Eliminate fear from the workplace. Foster excitement and commitment.

36. Acknowledge when you are wrong. Don't defend yourself. Just learn from your mistakes.

37. Engage others in the exploration of what is possible. (Don't create unnecessary limits).

38. Keep your organization in the zone of "productive disequilibrium." Resist efforts to revert to the "tried and true."

39. Increase freedom and accountability. Let employees experiment with whatever approaches they think are worth exploring while remaining accountable for results. Let them own the "how." You own the "what".

40. Provide timely feedback and data to everyone so they can identify what is working and what needs fixing.

41. Remember that the only person you can change is yourself.

-- Barry Gruenberg

Idea Champions
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Storytelling as a way to change culture

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Who Are We?

Idea Champions is a consulting and training company dedicated to awakening and nurturing the spirit of innovation. We help individuals, teams and entire organizations tap into their innate ability to create, develop and implement ideas that make a difference.

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Storytelling for the Revolution is Mitch Ditkoff's newly published book about the power of personal storytelling to elevate the conversation on planet Earth. Provocative. Evocative. And fun. YOU have stories to tell. This book will help you tell them.
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"The world is not made of atoms," wrote the poet, Muriel Rukeyser. "It's made of stories." Learn how to discover, honor, and unpack the stories of yours that show up "on the job" in Mitch Ditkoff's award-winning 2015 book, Storytelling at Work.
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Mitch Ditkoff, the Co-Founder and President of Idea Champions, has recently been voted a top 5 speaker in the field of innovation and creativity by Speakers Platform, a leading speaker's bureau.
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Highly engaging learning experiences that increase each participant's ability to become a creative force for positive change
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High impact certification training that teaches committed change agents how to lead groundbreaking ideation sessions
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Your "best and brightest" are the future leaders of your company, but unless they know how to foster a culture of innovation, their impact will be limited. A one-day workshop with us is all they need to begin this journey.
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Innovation is a team sport. Brilliant ideas go nowhere unless your people are aligned, collaborative, and team-oriented. That doesn't happen automatically, however. It takes intention, clarity, selflessness, and a new way of operating.
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