HOW WHO YOU WERE IN HIGH SCHOOL STILL SHAPES YOU TODAY Really? Could it be true? On my recent vacation, I was the sag wagon following Julie on her way back from Sturgis on her Harley Davidson. Yes, you read that correctly. Sturgis = a Harley Meetup x 700,000 or so HOG obsessed people. In the long hours of trailing her back home, I heard an NPR interview  where they were discussing the research that shows who you are today can be traced back to who you were in high school and what you experienced there. FOR most adults, the adolescent years "occupy a privileged place in our memories, which to some degree is even quantifiable: Give a grown adult a series of random prompts and cues, and odds are he or she will recall a disproportionate number of memories from adolescence. This phenomenon even has a name—the “reminiscence bump”—and it’s been found over and over in large population samples, with most studies suggesting that memories from the ages of 15 to 25 are most vividly retained." Why?  Partly because in our development, we experience super high doses of dopamine (the feel good hormone) when good stuff happens; success in sports or scholastics or during those imbibing and bonding moments with friends. These experiences imprint on your brain, forever highlighted in NEON LIGHT, like a supernova in the vast constellation of experiences filed in your memory bank. On the flip side, those hormones also imprint those cutting, cruel comments as well.  Which is why there are things you never seem to be able to forget (or get over). Bummer. (Do some NLP for this!)* "High school is when you learn how to master social relationships—and to understand how, basically, to ‘play the game.' Or don’t," writes Gabriella Conti, economist and first writer in a research paper published last October by the National Bureau of Economic Research.  The study showed a compelling correlation between high-school popularity—measured by how many “friendship nominations” each kid received from their peers—and future earnings.  Evidently if you were a tall, popular boy in high school you stood a better chance of making more money than your shorter peers.  However, if you were a beauty queen, who was pampered and things were given to, in today's world you often are less likely to be able to assert your own ideas. This type often ends up getting married versus going into another form of work, then having kids and spending a great deal of time as a soccer Mom. (I'd be interested in knowing if they go back to school or into the workforce after their kids are grown and out of the house.) Another weird high school factoid: our favorite music to listen to? Oh yah, songs from that era. Forever Motown am I;-)  Listening to the program, I reflected on what I do for work today and how unbelievably accurate this high school = you theory is for me.  In high school, I was the pep commissioner! (big surprise) Every week I had to make posters for the athletic teams with my high school pals Lisa Aoto and Nancy Shigetomi - "Go Mustangs" and"Buck the Fulldogs" with super groovy fonts. WHAT DO I DO FOR A LIVING TODAY? Highly paid pep commissioner - aka "Corporate Change Agent", "Gamestormer" and poster maker or "Strategic Illustrator" and Graphic Storyteller. Super true that no matter where you go, there you are.  Thanks for that old take on the new me, NPR! Who were you in high school and how is that reflected in who you are and what you do today?   *Looks like you can't blame it on Mom & Dad anymore! WORLD PULSE DONATE TO THIS FANTASTIC ORG I was fortunate to be able to illustrate for this amazing group of women. World Pulse is like FB for women around the world. They are changing lives everyday. I turned around and gave part of my fee immediately back to them. FUND THEM. HOW TO CREATE A DYNAMIC WORKSHOPIN A BOX GET BETTER AT CREATING INTERACTIVE WORKSHOPS Need to up your creative genius in your HR or OD team?  This simple box kit can help you and your facilitation team get better results with clients, teams and internal business partners (and better facilitation scores). Let us design one for you! SHOUT OUT NIKE CHANGE TEAM ROCKING THE CHALK This team at Nike brought me out to help them learn how to graphic record. They were #awesome!  Special thanks to Kristen Hartwigsen for making it all happen.

Get Disruptive With Your Leadership & In Those Dull, Endless Meetings!

One of the ways to get better results is by getting disruptive with the heirarchy in your organization. You can "offer opportunities" to employees (or your family) all you want, but the real opportunity comes when you turn over the reins.  How do you do it?  By including everyone in the problem identification and decision making process.  Want to share the workload when you are lauching products or creating new programs?  Let others identify the problems, brainstorm solutions and determine the roadmap for how everyone to create success.

If you want to learn more about how to create positive combustion, why not take a workshop hosted by my colleagues Keith McCandless and Nancy White.  (I met these two disruptors when we graphic recorded for the Dalai Lama in Seattle.)  Their workshop, Liberating Structures Immersion Workshop: Leading by Including & Unleashing Everyone is August 16.  What is it about?    "In contrast to managing a project, Liberating Structures catalyzes a broad movement. Leaders responsibly let go of over-control in a way that invites more local action and momentum. Leadership is more distributed: waiting for someone else or gaming the system is replaced by more freedom, self-organization, and mutual accountability. Guided by must-do and must-not-do principles (aka Min Specs), a movement spreads without central control."

Now, how do you become an ANARCHIST in your meetings? Gamestorm them. Here's my newest most favorite game - it's called "Mood 'o Meter." Break participants into small groups (if it is more than 8 people), or push back their chairs, stand up and put down a piece of flip chart paper in the center of the table and turn it into a board (versus "bored") game.  Ask them to draw 3 concentric circles on the paper.  Around the outside circle have everyone write what they believe needs to get done in the meeting, putting a star next to the one with the highest priority (3 minutes to do this).  When you have agreed on the top 3 things that need to go first (2 minutes max deciding), move to the second circle.  Have them draw a picture of themselves on a post it note with a word that represents the strength they brought into the room and on the back, a word that represents their "shadow side"  or mixed mood they brought. (3 minutes max to create)  Have each person share their picture, strength and mood.  (5 min max)  Based on the strengths of the group, have the group self-select a facilitator, scribe and timekeeper.  Write their names in the center circle! Then, start that meeting!

For more super cool Gamestorming ideas, pick up a copy of Sunni Brown's book.  Disruption is QOM!

MY BIG ASK:  I'd love to feature more of your maps and stories of how you areDRAWING YOUR DREAMS INTO REALITY!  Send them to me!

If you need a kick start, tune in this Saturday at 1PM PSTon "Minding Your Business" with Robbing Block 1300KKOL mybmedia.com

Or call me for a individual mapping session or email me to sign up for one of my September Graphic Recording or Drawing Solutions workshops in Seattle.
Happy SUMMER!!!