Traci Fenton of Worldblu wrote to remind us all that:
We’re now about six weeks away from the launch of THE WORLDBLU FORUM in Washington, DC, October 26-29th!
The theme
Rewriting the Rules of Business for a Democratic Age
The big idea
Organizational democracy and freedom-centered leadership and what it means to YOU
The take-aways
HOW organizational democracy can recharge your company
WHY freedom-centered leadership matters
WHAT tools and skills you need to outsmart your competition and get in front of the business shift
The speakers
Everyone from CEOs to best-selling authors, technology gurus to high-stake revolutionaries, former prime ministers to movie producers (see list)
The audience
Dynamic thought-leaders from around the world
The setting
Washington, DC?s only five-star hotel, the stunning Mandarin Oriental. Situated in the heart of Washington DC?s monuments and museums, the hotel offers breathtaking views overlooking the Potomac Tidal Basin, Jefferson Memorial and Washington Monument. This urban resort features elegantly hip guest rooms, a 10,400-square-foot spa and fitness facility with indoor pool, and the award-winning CityZen and Caf? MoZU restaurant. (I just had lunch at Caf? MoZU last week; it was outstanding.)
It’s in DC on October 26-29, and the participants will all be leaders under 40. Organizational democracy is one of the most crucial concepts organizations must learn to suceed in the future. The current trend clearly shows, that organizations that get this live, thrive and develop. Not to mention the fact that the people who work there have a lot more fun :o)
Among the speakers are:
Mart Laar – former prime minister of Estonia and a man who knows intimately what democracy is about
Peter Block – author of two of my favourite business books
Mads Kjaer – CEO of Denmarks best workplace
Alexander Kjerulf – Hey, that’s me
Earlier this year I spoke at the WorldBlu Freedom at Work Summit in Miami. I’ve been to every single one of their events and they are the best and most inspiring business conferences I’ve ever been to.
I talked about being a rebel and saying no at work – because there is no freedom without the freedom to say no.
Now they’ve just released videos of several of the talks from this year’s event. They are all AWESOME – seriously, just go watch them all – but here are my 5 favorites.
Rich Sheridan on how to hire democratically:
Carrie Brandes on how to set bonuses democratically:
Garry Ridge, the CEO WD-40 gave this excellent talk:
Our good friend Steve Shapiro did actual magic on stage:
And of course the founder of WorldBlu, Traci Fenton, talked about freedom at work:
By the way – if you have half a chance, you should absolutely go to this conference. I’ve been to every single one of the WorldBlu events and they are the best business conferences I know of anywhere in the world.
They’re about creating workplaces that are based on freedom instead of control and the speakers always blow my mind. Also, the other participants are incredibly interesting and inspiring people.
I just got one of my favorite kinds of emails – from a company who is doing something to create a happier workplace.
Dean Stainton who is the Director of Client Services and People Systems at NRI Distribution in Canada wrote:
I wanted to reach out to you and let you know about a couple of things.
I had the fun of meeting you at the Worldblu Live Conference in Denver and attending your session on workplace happiness. As a result of that experience I decided to try something when I got back to our work environment.
I am very fortunate that I have accountabilities on both the HR and the Client Services side, knowing that getting 12 customer service reps onside with workplace happiness would be far more difficult than 4 HR people I decided to give it a try and tackle Workplace Happiness with the 12.
I bought copies of the book for everyone (Happy Hour is 9 – 5) and everyone took some time to read it on their own. After reading the book we discussed it in our weekly meeting (which has been named Happy Hour!) and each Client Services Rep and myself were left with three questions to answer:
What can you do to make NRI a happier place to be?
What can we do as a team to make NRI a happier place to be?
What is stopping you/us from doing the answers to the above?
Those are some great questions and Dean’s group came up with plenty of ideas and have implemented two already.
Dean’s team
One is a Praise Window at Dean’s office (erasable markers are available at the window and coworkers write down good things about each other for everyone to see). Dean writes:
No matter what people have written they are doing it with a smile on their face and typically a little giggle. Everyone who comes by stops to have a read and all either smile or laugh too….it is really contagious (but you already knew that). It has gotten to the point now where people in the warehouse are talking about doing the “praise window”. It has been particularly neat to see this coming from the Client Services side, as people have typically expected things like this from our HR team.
Someone else suggested “sharing the love,” writing:
I know that every now and then I get an email from a client who is super stoked about something. Most of the time I’m just happy that they’re happy and delete the email. Recently I forwarded one of these emails to Ops to SHOW them that the client was happy with the work they had done. This is praise coming directly from the client, and not just boring old me who says “yay! Thanks!” all the time. I think it was awesome for them to see, and made them feel good about their work! I know this isn’t something that happens often, but when it does…..share it!
Dean sums the whole thing up like this:
The ideas and enthusiasm have been amazing and once realizing that they didn’t need anyone’s “permission” to do cool, fun things it has been contagious.
And this is the team doing it, not the Manager asking them to do it!
We are very early in our journey but wanted to let you know the impact that your insight and passion have had on our team. I anticipate that the next time I send you an email it will have expanded past the Client Services Team. Thanks Alex!
What I really like about this is two things:
That Dean gave his team a chance to talk about what they could do to create a happier workplace
And of course that they then did it
If I’ve said it once I’ve said it a thousand times: Happiness at work is something we do.
I suggest you find a way to ask some of the same questions in your workplace and if you come up with something cool, please tell me about it :o)
Next week I am giving speeches in New York and Boston that are open to the public. Usually when I speak it’s at a conference or at a company where only conference goers or employees can attend so this is a rare chance. Even better, both events are free :o)
Here are the details.
Monday March 25: NYC
Time: 6 – 8 PM
Location: Aamanns restaurant, 13 Laight Street, New York
There are two great events coming up in my region that I’ll be keynoting at.
The first one is WorldBlu Live Copenhagen, a local follow-up to last month’s Excellent WorldBlu Live conference in San Francisco.
The theme is democratic workplaces. Research shows that engaged employees are more productive, more profitable and more customer-focused. In the best organisations, spreading freedom at work is more than a human resources initiative – it is a strategic foundation for the way they do business.
WorldBlu LIVE Copenhagen showcases democratic innovation and radical thinking which will leave you inspired, full of fresh ideas, and connected with a world-class community of leaders!
The WorldBlu LIVE Copenhagen experience will enable you to:
Connect with cutting edge speakers who are industry leaders and rule-breakers, rewriting the way we do business.
Learn about leading technologies and tools that help implement and reinforce democracy and full engagement in the workplace.
Engage in truly meaningful conversations in an intimate setting with some of the most remarkable and enlightened people from all over the world.
Leave with inspiration to “next” practices and tangible steps that you can immediately apply in your workplace.
Get inspired and energised by learning about how freedom and democracy can propel your organisation forward, attract top talent, and boost your bottomline.
Even though it is a Copenhagen event, we’re having the whole day in Danish and bringing in some great international speakers, including:
Will McInness, the co-founder and Managing Director of NixonMcInnes, a leading social media consultancy in the UK.
Mark Dowds, the co-founder and CEO of Brainpark in San Francisco.
Traci Fenton, the Founder and CEO of WorldBlu, Inc.
The other conference I want to mention is 360 Entrepreneurship, a conference in Malmö, Sweden for female entrepreneurs. From the web site:
Don’t miss this European conference for women entrepreneurs and business owners and make the most of your potential in business!
You will have access to a Mastermind group of internationally renown, inspiring keynote and workshop presenters delivering leading edge strategies, tools and resources to strengthen your business results! Get the answers to your questions and walk away with the strategies and the tool kit you need to accelerate your business. Take advantage of the opportunities to build valuable international connections and promote your business in the 360 Business Expo.
Whether you already run a successful company or just started out, give yourself and your business the boost you deserve. Join the 360Entrepreneurship Summit in Sweden as we celebrate the potential and success of women entrepreneurs!
“I can’t believe it – a newsletter actually worth reading!” – Subscriber
Over 6,000 people subscribe to our newsletter with tons of tips about happiness at work.
Get our books
“It’s very, very good. It’s incredibly well written, full of insights, and there are exercises to improve your own happiness at work. You can’t ask for more than that!” – David Maister, author of Practice What You Preach
“What an inspiring book. Every leader should read it. This type of leadership has been integral to our success and I know it will boost your results too.“ – Garry Ridge, CEO WD-40 Company
Get Our Free Newsletter
Over 6,000 people already get our free newsletter with useful tips, videos, links and articles about happiness at work. Subscribe to our newsletter here.
The Chief Happiness Officer Academy is our most in-depth 3-day training where we share everything we know about creating happier workplaces. Get an in-depth background in happiness at work, hear about the latest research in the field and learn how to use this in your own business.
