Post written by Christa Avampato. You can follow Christa on Twitter and read more about what she’s up to on her blog.

The biggest risk that companies face today is not the work of their competitors; it’s the loss of employee engagement and loyalty.

The cultures of many large companies are literally rotting from the inside out. Cultures that took decades to create have descended into ruins in a matter of 18 months. CEOs need to look inward at who’s still around in their corridors; they need to make re-building trust and loyalty among their people their number 1 priority if they are to survive in this new economy.

It’s through the lens of these corporate survivors that I considered the Rotman School Design Thinking Experts Series, hosted by Thomson Reuters. My former boss, Bob, invited me because of my interest in innovation and change makers. Tim Brown, CEO of IDEO, Bruce Nussbaum, Design and Innovation Columnist at Business Week, Roger Martin, Dean of the Rotman School, and Will Setlief, VP of Marketing at Target, were panelists and shared their experience with design thinking and their outlook on the future of business.

I took away 5 main points from the talk that have been racing around in my mind ever since. As I was on vacation, I thought a lot about how I can take these five principle and encourage them in the large corporation where I currently work.

Here they are as food for thought:

1.)   The scientific method is about deductive reasoning. Design thinking is about expansive thinking. In companies, people need to receive training in design thinking, regardless of whether or not they are designers. Everything is subject to design and creativity. In our education system, children need to have the opportunity to create something new, not just analyze what’s already known.

2.)   See what’s really around us. Don’t think, strategize, and plan in your cubicle or conference room. There are no answers in your own four walls. The answers are walking around, living. Go out into the world, talk to customers, and watch them. Genius is in the doing.

3.)   Culture is derivative. You cannot change culture. You can change behavior, language, communications, and space. By creating new rituals, you can transform culture.

4.)   A well-crafted question is as valuable as a solution. Tim Brown talked about the black hole of design think – “where do the questions come from?” He advocates for spending most of our time on asking questions in many different ways. Every problem has its own solution baked in and it takes a lot of time, effort, and patience, to peel away a question’s layers to get to the solution.

5.)   Design thinking is never done. It is a process, not a goal or destination. It is a tool. Use it often.

Extra Reading For The Curious:

- To learn more, check out Tim Brown’s book Change by Design and Roger Martin’s book The Design of Business.

- Download IDEO’s Human Center Design toolkit and field guide free of charge at http://www.ideo.com/work/item/human-centered-design-toolkit/

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Post written by Christa Avampato. You can follow Christa on Twitter.

“Bore, n.: A person who talks when you wish him to listen.” ~ Ambrose Bierce, journalist, satirist, as quoted from his “Devil’s Dictionary”

We know these people – those who talk for the sake of hearing themselves talk, who have no self-awareness, who spend 59 minutes of an hour long conversation talking about themselves and 1 minute hearing what others have to say.

A friend of mine was recently dating a guy who is the epitome of a bore – she is always out doing interesting things while he sits around in coffee shops thinking about doing interesting things without following through on them. I’m glad to report she’s moved on.

But what if you can’t move on from the bore in your life just yet?

Perhaps the bore is your boss, or a family member, of a neighbor whom you need to live next to for the next 11 months of your 1-year lease.

I’m glad to let you know that you don’t need to suffer in silence. Here are some thoughts and tips from my own experience:

6 Ways To Deal With Bores  (p.s. you might even learn something from them)

1.)   Ask questions, lots of clarifying questions. Bores love controlling the entire conversation, often giving obscure quotes and spouting off ideas that are not at all grounded in reality. Push them further than their own surface knowledge on the topics they choose. This will make them think twice before approaching you again on these topics. As a rule, bores avoid those with anything beyond surface knowledge.

2.) Offer to put them in touch with someone that is an expert on the topics they bring up in conversations. Or provide them with websites or book recommendations that relate to their comments. Again, real knowledge scares them and they’ll probably take the avoidance tact with you.

3.) Never look idle in their presence. They try to seek out those that they think aren’t that busy – it’s easier to use up someone’s time if they aren’t actively engaged in another activity. And using up someone’s time is what bores are all about.

4.) Be honest about whether or not you’re really interested in what they’re saying. Feigning interest will just get you more of the bore. You can still be polite, and by polite I mean figure out how to politely excuse yourself from their presence once they are on a boring rant.

5.) See if you can learn something. Let’s say you’re stuck with the bore – no way out at a particular moment. See if there might be something you can learn from the topic the bore is stuck on at this moment. Or take it as a lesson in human behavior. Everyone has something to teach us, and if we’re stuck with someone, we might as well try to salvage something from the conversation.

6.) There’s nothing worse than someone who uses everything you say as an opportunity to talk about themselves without any give and take. With the bore, the gloves are off. Feel free to interject with your own opinions and experiences during every possible moment. This annoys them, and sends them on their way with a taste of their own medicine. Who knows – maybe you can actually turn them into a better listener!

If you have other strategies for combating the bore, we’d love to hear them. Cheers to interesting conversations!

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Post written by Christa Avampato. You can follow Christa on Twitter.

“Some people are making such a thorough preparation for rainy days that they aren’t enjoying today’s sunshine.”

~ William Feather, publisher and author

This economy is beginning to scare me. I’m not worried about me and my financial situation. I’m worried for our world, and I’m worried about what this latest economic downturn is doing to our psyche and our creativity.

Everywhere you look everyone is telling us to be afraid, to be very afraid. “Put aside your dreams.” “You can’t plan for the long-term when your very survival is at risk.” “It will be 2013 before we see a recovery.” We are scared silly, whether we know it or not. The people I worry about the most are those who don’t even know they’re scared and have altered their behavior based on subconscious fear.

I’m not advocating for foolish investing, quitting your job that you hate without a way to survive, or going hog-wild this Christmas or at the next Barneys semi-annual sale. What I do want all of us to do is take a deep breathe, calm down, and consider very seriously how we want our lives to take shape, recession or no recession.

Easy for me to say, right? I have a job that pays well, cash in the bank to last me a good long while, no family that I have to care for financially, no mortgage, and no bad debt. Basically, I need to feed myself and keep a decent roof over my head. All other spending can go by the wayside. I’m lucky, and I know it, and I count my blessings every single day.

So I’m not just going to leave you here at this juncture. I’m going to tell you, “chin up, folks” or “hang in there” or “just don’t worry so much.” Those are crumby things that people say when they don’t know what else to say. Here’s what I’m doing to get myself to peak out over the gloomy horizon, what I’m doing to take in the sunshine wherever and whenever I can.

6 Ways I’m Staying Positive

1.)   I’m taking steps to open as many doors as possible for my future career. I’m exploring PhD programs that would allow me to teach, write, research, and consult. I’m beginning my yoga teacher certification in February. I’ll finish in May, be fully certified, and immediately be able to take on clients. Laura and I are working on our own business plan that we can do on the side as we keep our employment. The future is about multiple income streams. Welcome to the new economy. I want to use this time to make sure I have as many employment options as possible down the line.

2.)   The worst thing we can do right now is let this stress rob us of our health. I’ve been making special efforts to exercise, cook more often, spend time with friends and family, and relax. I’ve also reviewed my health plan for ways to save money while still maintaining the best quality care my plan offers. I recently switched all my prescriptions to generics and am now saving about $70 per month.

3.)   I’ve upped my volunteer time. I’m working with Citizen Schools starting in January. I signed up to be a book buddy with a 3^rd grader through an organization called Learning Leaders. This winter I’ll continue my volunteer teaching through Junior Achievement. I feel good giving back and it reminds me over and over again just how good I have it!

4.)   Get educated on the economy. Knowledge is power in this situation. I read a number of magazines – Business Week, Fast Company, and Inc. – to get a better handle on the economy. I also read the New York Times, Financial Times, and a number of blogs – Maria Bartiromo’s and Jean Chatzky’s are particularly good. And I love Suze Orman, too. I watch the news every day – sometimes several times a day – and I also read and contribute to the site Daily Worth. These sources not only give you a healthy dose of reality; they also show you that there is plenty in our economy to inspire optimism.

5.)   I watch Sesame Street. I’m not kidding. Go ahead and laugh. It’s okay – I’m cool with admitting this. Those little monsters make me laugh and they remind me what’s important in life – friends, family, my community, and learning. They take me back to a time of simplicity and they get my creative juices flowing despite that the show is meant for those who are 3 and not 33. No matter. I love them, and I get them on demand through my cable TV. Find something that serves this same purpose for you. Sometimes we just need to escape!

6.)   I write about hope. At the end of 2008 I was feeling pretty badly about a lot of things. I got to a point where I realized I was running out of hope and I needed to replenish the well. I decided to embark on a year-long blogging journey to write about something every day that makes me hopeful. By blogging these experience, I’m hoping to inspire hope in others, too.

About half-way through the year, I realized that I could take all these posts and compile them into an e-book that I could distribute for free in 2010. Is this crazy? Yes. If ever there was a year that didn’t have a whole lot of hope, it’s 2009. No matter. I am discovering that actively looking for hope dramatically increases our ability to find it. Stay tuned for the e-book – we’ll make sure to push it out through TJCC. In the meantime, take a peak at my hopeful discoveries at http://www.christainnewyork.blogspot.com

What’s Your Story?

Would love to hear how all of you are managing through this tough economy and what you’re doing to stay positive!

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