Bill Roedy did the 5th Anniversary and graduation speech for the Berlin School.

AMAZING!

Not that I was hearing anything new but it was great to hear these ideas from another voice.

Tips to success from Bill the cable guy.

1. The most important lesson is the need to creatively adapt!

2. Passion is what you need to have.

3. Go global go local you have to be there.

4. Take risks and break the rules.

5. Innovation comes from risk.

6. Failure teaches .

7. Don’t be afraid.

8. First on the battle field last to leave or quick to take blame and slow to take credit.

9. Bureaucracy is a killer of innovation.

10. Hard work trumps talent.

11. Stand up for tolerance and diversity.

12. Never accept no for an answer.

13. MASTER DIGITAL with a heart.

14. Have fun.

15. Make  a difference

These are very valuable tips that all too often we forget.

Every student looked at me, blank.

One student said she didn’t have a dream!

And today I stumbled, again, upon the idea of using Icebergs as a viable water source.

This is not a new idea but it sure is a great dream and that dream is becoming closer to reality.

Disney was right, again!

What I love about crazy, far flung, ideas is that there is always an abundance of passion in and around them.

Crazy ideas create new parameters for solutions because crazy ideas never work within the current realm of thought.

And crazy ideas generate opposition which builds more passion and even more far flung solutions because there is an element of, “I will show you”, generated around the whole idea.

Check out the video at the end of this post.

First it is simply great photography.

Second it is testament to sticking with an idea and working it through.

Too often we reach a roadblock and get frustrated because people do not see what we see.

Time, time, time, if you work on something long enough others will see what you see and the solution will be found.

1. you need passion

2. you need to break the problem into small parts that others, and yourself, can realize

3. ignore time

4. tell a great story

5. rework your plan as new ideas and variables become present

6. go with your gut

7. it does not matter what others think in the short-term because you are in it fore the long haul

All of that comes from this video.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=opChLhLMFmU[/youtube]

Last night I had a chance to catch up with Dr. Naif, he did an amazing talk at TEDxDubai, and as usual was amazed!

The message from Dr. Naif is simple, follow your passion and hold onto what you believe with both hands.

Have a listen to the conversation.

Dr. Naif Al Mutawa on the latest with the 99!

Nightline a Conversation

I am inspired!

It is not how big the thing is you do it is simply doing what you are passionate about.

Great things follow commitment and passion!

You might say that the great things could be a disaster, and you are right, then again they could be amazing also.

Dream-Do-BE and DARE!

There are a lot of stereotypes out there about Arab Woman.

We in the West see what we want to see.

And many Arabs perpetrate the stereotypes they have been raised into like, women raise the kids men go out and work.

But every now and then you meet someone who makes you sit back and say WOW.

Maryam Darwish is one of those people!

A leader.

Inspirational.

Determined.

Humble.

A proud Emirati.

Maryam was married at 12 years of age and at 13 became a mother!

Today Maryam is the mother of 4 children and a grandmother!

Maryam took on her role as mother without a regret!

Years later Maryam took her passion for cars to the extreme and became a mechanic and today she is also back at school getting her high school diploma!

All this in the midst of passing on the traditions of Emirati culture to her children!

An amazing story that is inspiration to anyone who has a dream and thinks it is impossible!

Maryam Darwish’s story of leadership and dreams.

John brought the whole conversation down to 5 principles!

1. you need to have clarity of purpose

2. believe in you

3. be committed

4. be consistent

5. have courage

John Kanary speaking to James Piecowye on Nightline in Dubai.

As John said we all need to ask where do we really want to be?

We talk about innovation, leadership, ideas and we then talk some more.

But when the chips are down you like me have to admit that we have really failed!

YES I am suggesting that we have failed to innovate.

Failed to lead.

Failed to work as a team.

And the reason I say this is because there are so many events or things that we call a crisis going on YET we are unable to do anything about them.

And I suspect you do not even care!

So our education has failed.

Our leadership has failed.

Our community networks have failed.

And in light of that failure we continue to sit on our hands!

Listen to my conversation on Zimbabwe and the situation and tell me that I am wrong!

What are we doing? And why are we not doing anything? Why are we not doing more?

Zimbabwe the crisis conversation.