Connection

April 7, 2013 — djgreer
David Greer and Wally Bock

David Greer and Wally Bock

Even after thirty-five years of business, I still get excited when I have the chance to meet someone in person that I’ve only met virtually before. In the old days, I would communicate by telex, fax, and telephone before meeting people for the first time. Today, it is often through this blog or Twitter than I interact with people.

Yesterday, I had a change to meet Wally Bock in Charlotte, NC where he lives. I’m pretty certain that Becky Robinson of Weaving Influence first introduced me to Wally via her Twitter feed. For more than two years I have been reading Wally’s blog posts. I’ve written about Wally in my earlier post Connecting People (where I talk about Becky too).

This blog is about Business, Communication, and Collaboration. Connecting with a thought leader like Wally brings together all three themes. Wally and I compared our extensive business careers, contrasting the numerous challenges that we have both overcome as we have moved our careers and life ahead. While I knew Wally reasonably well from his four times a week blog postings, it was nothing like having a face-to-face conversation for a few hours.

Charlotte Museum of Modern Art

After lunch together, Wally and I strolled the downtown streets of Charlotte in the early spring sunshine. While we live in very different cities, I felt connected as we walked by the cherry trees, fresh with new blossoms, exactly as the cherry trees are in Vancouver.

Wally shared some of the history of Charlotte with me, including the fact that the city was founded in 1755 at the very corner where my hotel is located today. While not originally from North Carolina (Wally is from New York), he has married, moved, and lived in Charlotte and come to know the history of the area. From how the railway brought opportunity for textile mills and distribution to why Charlotte is now the second largest banking center in North America, after his home town of New York.

Whitney Johnson, author of Dare, Dream, Do, coined the phrase #TWIRL (Twitter In Real Life) for the experience Wally and I had yesterday. Whatever it is called, I appreciated the opportunity to meet and connect with Wally 1-on-1.

How can you connect today?

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Merry Christmas

December 25, 2012 — djgreer

Christmas Stockings

Today is my 55th Christmas. Like all the Christmases before, what matters most to me this Christmas Day is connecting with my family. My Mom and Dad gave the stocking above to me at an early age. Personalized with my name, you can see the love and care that went into its creation. From the pink bow on the reindeer to the smoke coming out of the steam train, this stocking connects me to all of my Christmases.

I am fortunate, that both my parents, now in their 80′s are still alive. I spoke with them a couple of hours ago. We now live more than a thousand miles apart, yet that connection is still there today. In the intervening years, we have had three beautiful children—Jocelyn, Kevin, and Allen. Behind my stocking, you can see the Christmas stocking we got Jocelyn when she was the same age as I was when I got my first Christmas stocking. Jocelyn is now 23 and for all but one year, we have been together on Christmas day.

When the kids were little, we told them they could get up at any time they liked, open the presents in their Christmas stockings, and then wait until 9:00 am until waking Karalee and I. After staying up late to get everything ready, it was our one morning to be in bed together without having to be up early. Today, it was Karalee and I who were up before 9:00 as Jocelyn, Kevin, and Allen didn’t stir until after 11:00. It didn’t matter, as we all gathered together in the living room to share the joy of our bounty opening gifts and glowing in the joy of Christmas.

As the earth rotates, the winter solstice comes and goes in the Northern Hemisphere, and Christmas cycles back into our lives. We appreciate the thoughtfulness of the gifts, but what we really love is the connection from parent to child to parent to child. The wonderment of Christmas returns to our family. We wish that you may be fortunate like us to have the spirit of Christmas return to your family.

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Having Fun with Seth Godin

December 11, 2012 — djgreer

I have been intrigued with Seth Godin’s Kickstarter project The Icarus Deception promoting his new book of the same name. Seth leads us with his marketing vision and shares it via his blog and books. I took part in the Kickstarter project and ordered both The Icarus Deception and the behemoth collection of his digital work.

Today, I had a blast opening the largest book, This Might Work, I’ve ever purchased. With Shelina Poonja and Jason Hall at a conference room at Webtech Wireless we videoed the whole unpacking process. At Webtech Wireless we specialize in automatic vehicle location using GPS and cellular technology. It tickled me to think that Seth’s colossus printed collection of his digital work might have been tracked during delivery by one of our devices.

Here’s the video of the experience:

 

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An Ideal Day

October 22, 2012 — djgreer

Fall in AlbertaWe recently flew to Alberta to attend the wedding of the daughter of a good friend of ours. The wedding day had all of the components that make up an ideal day for me.

We got to travel, something that both my wife Karalee and I really enjoy. While we love travelling with one or more of our three children, there is something extra special about travelling when it is just the two of us. Being with Karalee is part of my ideal day.

Family is important to both Karalee and I. For the weekend, we stayed with Karalee’s sister-in-law at their home near Warburg in the country side to the West of Edmonton. We got to visit with all three of our nephews and nieces and our sister-in-law Carol.  Family is part of my ideal day.

I grew up in Edmonton. One strong memory I have of growing up was of the brightness of the blue sky and the gorgeous fall colors as the leaves change. I woke up early and took a walk in the bright sunshine taking photographs of the country side and fall trees. Photography or visual arts are also part of my ideal day.

The wedding was late in the day, so we had a relaxed lunch before Karalee and I needed to get dressed for the wedding. Relaxing and lack of time pressure are part of my ideal day.

Karalee and DavidWe drove from Warburg to Drayton Valley, about an hour away on the highway. Along the way, I enjoyed the prairie fields and fall harvest, bringing back memories of my youth. I felt connected to my family who all still live in Alberta.

Five years ago, Karalee’s best friend Bobbie Robinson was tragically killed in a head on crash just outside Drayton Valley. Bobbie and Kit’s daughter Brandy Robinson was getting married to Ryan Fredrickson. During the drive we shared and remembered many experiences Karalee and Bobbie shared, including when Bobbie and Brandy visited our sailboat in Tunisia. Remembering powerful experiences is part of my ideal day.

We arrived at the wedding location in good time. We saw Brandy right away and like all brides she looked beautiful. We visited with Brandy’s Dad Kit and all of Bobbie’s sisters before finding our place at the wedding. Connecting is part of my ideal day.

Brandy had given each of us a card for a person to find and introduce ourselves to. Karalee and I went off exploring and meeting new people, getting a chance to have new experiences, something that I include in my ideal day.

It was an emotional wedding. More so than usual, as we all felt Bobbie’s presence. We all had tears when Brandy shared her powerful emotions when she talked about her Mom during the ceremony. Experiencing powerful emotions is part of my ideal day.

Dinner was a beautiful buffet. Did I mention that sharing good food and conversation is part of my ideal day? After dinner a live band took to the stage. Karalee and I danced and visited for four hours. Music is part of my ideal day.

At 2:00 am, we left the wedding hall. Karalee fell asleep as I drove down a quiet Alberta highway in the dark with music playing on the stereo. I had a lot of gratitude for Karalee’s and my thirty years of marriage, our family, friends, and the connections between all of them. Gratitude is part of my ideal day.

Family, travel, Karalee, connection, food, time, connection, photography, and gratitude are all part of my ideal day. I am fortunate that some part of my ideal day is part of every day for me. I want to thank Becky Robinson of Weaving Influence for telling me about Jason Womack and to Jason for his Ideal Day Contest.

I want to end by thanking Brandy and Ryan Fredrickson for the invitation to share their special day. May you find more of your own ideal days to share with each other.

Brandy and Ryan Fredrickson

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A Personal Thank You

August 9, 2011 — djgreer

Kevin Lawrence

Four years ago today on my fiftieth birthday I started a new relationship. After some time of personal frustration with where I was in life, I hired Kevin Lawrence as my personal and professional coach. We spent the entire day together four years ago in my first ever coaching session.

We all have people who enter our lives and have an impact. Sometimes small and sometimes big. All too often, we never acknowledge those people who help us to change course, grow, and learn helping us to move through personal and professional growth.

With Kevin’s help, I have been able to see my life from a fresh perspective. This perspective has allowed me to reexamine my values, dig deep into what is important to me, and to make fundamental changes. Through it all Kevin has been there helping me grow as a person.

On a professional basis, Kevin continues to both inspire and challenge me. Many of the postings in this blog have come about from problem solving and discussions that we have had together. If I’m feeling stuck and I don’t have a chance to talk with Kevin, I am inspired by reading his eBook Expel the Elephants.

On this, my fifty fourth birthday, all I can say is “Thanks Kevin. You have had a big impact on me.”

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Keep Connecting

July 28, 2011 — djgreer

David J. Greer in Provence, France

I’ve written before how Connecting People is a way I try and help to raise the level of discussion and make a difference in the world. I have had the opportunity to continue connecting with many new thought leaders this year, using Twitter as my connection platform. Here are a few more people whose writing challenges me to think differently.

Dan Rockwell

Dan Rockwell calls himself the Leadership Freak. His Leadership Freak blog is captioned “Helping Leaders Reach Higher in 300 words or less”. Dan’s writing is tight, directed, and to the point. Each blog post causes me to challenge myself to find a better way to work with people and help lead them.

S. Chris Edmonds

Part of the Ken Blanchard Companies, S. Chris Edmonds is focused on the culture change process. His Driving Results Through Cool Culture blog weaves stories of real world events and examples into driving organizational change and defining highly functional organizational cultures.

Jane Perdue

Self styled as the “HR Goddess”, Jane Perdue’s Get Your Leadership Big On! is subtitled “Use your head to manage and your heart to lead!”. Jane takes an HR perspective to leadership, including leadership self-assessment, coaching, and credibility. Every Friday she publishes her favorite blog posts from the week.

All of these writers are amazing for the content they produce, the frequency that they publish, and their willingness to share their experience with the world. Let me know who you follow and how they inspire you to reach for the next level.

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Connecting People

May 26, 2011 — djgreer
David at World Junior Frisbee Championships

David Watching Team Canada at the World Junior Frisbee Championships

I like to connect with people and help them connect with others. Whether as a spouse, parent, leader, or cheer leader. As a Canadian, I often look outside our borders to find global leaders who drive change in both business and life. In this post I wanted to introduce some of those that I have met on Twitter.

Becky Robinson

Becky Robinson is a mother, writer, and social media leader. She writes from the heart in blog Weaving Influence. Becky’s writing and her amazing interaction on Twitter inspire all of us to think more about how we are making an impact.

Jesse Lyn Stoner

Business consultant, author, and executive, Jesse Lyn has recently released the second edition of the book Full Stream Ahead. Already an influential book, Jesse Lyn and coauthor Ken Blanchard rewrote over 50% of it for the second edition. Both authors were surprised when Jesse Lyn’s online Twitter campaign took off, providing fantastic coverage and reviews of the book. In addition to her tweets, I like Jesse Lyn’s Sea Point Center Blog.

Wally Bock

If you need help becoming a boss, look up Wally Bock. His Three Star Leadership Blog is filled with practical ideas, based on Wally’s decades of experience. For business, he writes a weekly review of the best of the business blogs, condensing them into a single blog posting with Wally’s thoughts on why the postings are important.

Gwyn Teatro

As it happens, Gwyn Teatro lives just across the inlet from where I do. I didn’t know that until I connected with Gwyn from her tweets and her blog You’re Not the Boss of Me. Her passion is encouraging leaders to be the best they can be. Her point is that it is a business imperative to create environments where people can perform to their full potential. Her blog posts always give me much to learn from.

These are just four influential writers that I’ve connected with on Twitter. Who will you connect with today?

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Coming Together

May 12, 2011 — djgreer

Dragonboats in the Rain

I  volunteer at Dragonboat Regattas in Vancouver’s False Creek. Dragonboat racing is a popular sport in Vancouver with thousands of participants. This weekend I was driving race referees around the race course all afternoon. There was one other referee and boat driver and between the four of us we had no extra people on the water. Which meant that we spent the entire afternoon out on the water helping to run race after race.

On shore there were many other volunteers. There was an official race starter. And an official race finish officer. While volunteering for Dragonboating can be a pleasurable way to spend the day on the water, this particular day brought some of the worst May weather I have ever seen. We received downpour after downpour and it hailed not once, not twice, but three times. All the volunteers hung in there.

We felt sorry for the Dragonboat racers. This regatta had a high percentage of junior racers. Young people out for their first ever Dragonboat race.  The racers raced for two or three minutes. Including time to get out to the start line, lined up, and getting back to the dock, they were out on the water for ten or fifteen minutes. Meanwhile, the volunteers stood in the rain, race after race.

Long after the racers had gone home all of the volunteers were cleaning up, putting away equipment, and tearing down the race site. I worked with the other boat driver to pull up the start line. Hundreds of feet of line, buoys, anchors, and markers. Then it all had to be coiled, taken to the dock, hauled up the ramp, and put away in lockers.

After the race, Wendy Eng, the race volunteer coordinator sent an email with these thoughts:

“In the 12 years I’ve been around False Creek during the race events I do not recall a day as wet as yesterday. I thank all of you for your hard work and positive attitude during yesterday’s race event.  I hope all of you have had a good day and I’ll see you at the next race.”

A group of volunteers came together to create an experience for all those racing Dragonboats. In business, we need to come together to deliver on our marketing promises. Whether is setting up a trade show or working behind the scenes to deliver a project on time, great customer experiences are created by a team of people pulling together towards a common goal.

How have you come together?

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Volunteering at Free Geek

April 30, 2010 — djgreer

Allen Greer Volunteers at Free Geek Vancouver

My son Allen and I have started volunteering at Free Geek Vancouver. Free Geek was founded to ethically recycle computers. While there are organizations that will recycle computers, many of them ship the computers off shore or otherwise violate internation conventions for the recycling of hazardous materials (computers have many). Not only does Free Geek insure that dead computers are recycled ethically and according with international conventions, it takes working computers and rebuilds them, offerring them for sale at very low prices. Most of the customers in the Free Geek Vancouver store come from Vancouver’s Downtown East Side, the poorest neighborhood in Canada.

Allen is keen to volunteer as he gets a free computer, preinstalled with Ubuntu Linux, once he has volunteered twenty-four hours. It also forms part of his community service, which he’s required to do as part of his school program. It’s a fun father and son activity — the time goes by quickly when we volunteer together.

There are more than 2,000 volunteers registered with Free Geek Vancouver. The entire work area is kept incredibly organized into individual work stations. For each work station there is a white board with instructions on exactly the steps to follow for the station. In the picture above, Allen is following the instructions for testing printers. We’ve only volunteered four times so far and already both Allen and I are gaining a lot of new knowledge about the insides of computers and how they are put together, while doing something positive for our community.

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