Life's Simple Lesson

Our minds are filled with a myriad emotions, thoughts, and distractions. 

AI is here to save the day, end the earth, change humans, we don't know. The US is a living breathing circus. There are millions who won't eat today. Senseless bullies causing famine and death. And we don't even know what to say, think, do, that won't offend someone. 

I get it. 

I am fortunate to be in the top 1% living in the top 1% country - an awesome place called Canada. Some days i want to help everyone; others I want to hide under the covers between sleeves of cookies. Did our ancestors feel this way during world wars? Have the technologies changed to protect the narrative? 

One of the wisest pieces of advice I've ever gotten but often forgotten is to just do something that will help someone. The problems of the planet are just too big. The expectations of this relationship; am I wearing the right pants; do I look fat in this sweater; will I make my numbers this quarter are in many says so unimportant. 

What's the point of all this? Maybe it's as simple as enjoying this moment, right now.

Lend a hand in some way to someone may be the message we need to hear most?

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Sir Ken Robinson

Sir Ken Robinson devoted his professional life to education. He fought tirelessly for a global overhaul of how we teach each other how to think but fail to encourage each other to dance, sing, paint, write, and worst of all, imagine.

Sadly, Ken passed away in August 2020, and we lost a good one! He had a razor sharp sense of humour, gets us to imagine Shakespeare as a 7-year old boy, and shared his unwavering passion for helping people realize their talents. I have included his three TEDTalks - which have been three of the most watched in history.

These are all well worth your time.

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Eat Play Love

Move more. Envy less. Sing more. Cling less. Accomplish more. Show less. Complain less. Live more. Compare less. Contribute more. Annoy less. Enjoy more. Worry less.

Fulfill more. Take less. Focus more. Talk less. Start more. Eat less. Laugh more. Work less. Give more. Regret less. See more. Ignore less. Progress more. Criticize less. Invent more. Renounce less. Embrace more. Spend less. Share more. Measure less.

Collaborate more. Upset less. Dream more. Irritate less. Write more. Doubt less. Read more. Whine less. Accomplish more. Drink less.

Listen more. Waste less. Smile more. Own less. Learn more. Say less. Help more. Use less. Connect more. Stop less. Play more. Hope less. Communicate more. Skim less.

Thank more. Fret less. View more. Reflect less. Originate more. Copy less.

Do more. Love more. Share more.
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Cut Your List in Half

I was chatting with a good friend this week and we were discussing what each of us was working on, wanting to do, and numerous ideas and dreams. She recounted a story about helping her daughter with a list that was getting too big. She took the list and wrote down two items.

She then told her daughter to do one of the items and come back to her. Her daughter did it and she told her daughter she had cut her list in half. She then added one more item and they repeated the process several times.

It’s brilliant and simple!

We mean well but are we really going to accomplish several dozen tasks? We humans seem to be pretty good a making lists – mentally and literally. I want to finish my book, connect with new clients, complete that customer project, travel more, etc etc etc. But I’ve begun making lists of two’s. Then cutting my list in half and doing one. Then adding another and so on. Try it with your team. Try it with your family.

Busy is a victim word we all use. Look at ways of cutting your list of two in half then repeat. Over time you may notice some items on the long list shouldn't be there at all as you really have no intention of doing them. So try it today and cut your list in half.

Email me and we can discuss how I can help.
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Kneale Mann | People + Priority = Profit
New Book out in 2016 – Details soon!

The Idea Begins…

It was 5th grade. I got my book report back from Mrs. Parrot. She gave me a B then wrote a long note on the back of the page below some of my doodling and writing. I don’t remember what it was about but I showed it to my parents and they were overjoyed. I thought they were happy I actually got a passing grade. I was the kid who got distracted by the squirrels and drifted off into my mind of imagination and worlds yet to be discovered. I was the kid who identified with Walter Mitty.

For most of my life, I’ve been called an extrovert but all the while I’ve needed my alone time to think and create and be quite and dream. I would facilitate a day long workshop and skip the dinner claiming I had emails to answer or another project to work on, but it was my time to unplug and get calm.

On the Air

I was a radio guy for more than two decades constantly surprised when a listener would remark on a new song I played or idea I shared. I was on the radio, after all, yet it was a solo experience in a studio talking into a microphone. I then got to build stuff and do more consulting and writing and teaching. I still felt it was a passion I followed alone. All the while, I have been speaking and writing about leadership, teamwork, culture, and our collective need to belong.

I was approached by a prominent publisher a few years ago and didn’t pursue it. There are beloved friends and colleagues who have encouraged me to pick it up again and give it a shot. I have finally shed the fear of it not turning out that well. And as I write this post – alone with my thoughts to then share with you – I realize it’s not about the success or failure of this idea, it’s the importance of doing it. My dad recently reminded me that not doing it would be a regret; a feeling he has often about the ideas he didn’t pursue in his life.

Keep Writing

Mrs. Parrot gave me an A+ on a short story I had written on the back of my 5th grade book report. She encouraged me to keep writing – I was 10! I had no idea at the time I’d become a writer, a coach, a consultant, a media guy, and all the while letting that kid who used to spend hours alone in his room reading books about far off lands to come along for the ride.

So yes, I have begun work on my first book. I don’t have a clue where this process will go or the result or the release date. I do know that sharing this with you will keep me on it and make it more real.

Thanks! I’ll keep you posted.
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Kneale Mann | People + Priority = Profit
New Book out in 2016 – Details soon!

Anyone Can Do That

A few years ago, I was meeting with two colleagues and the discussion moved toward a mutual acquaintance who had just released a new book. Someone chimed; “Writing a book is easy, anyone can do that". My reaction; “Oh cool, when is yours coming out?” The topic was swiftly changed.

That conversation came to mind recently as I've been discussing with a few people about the possibility of writing a book. Despite publishing close to 750,000 words since this site was launched, it's not a simple undertaking. Discussions continue.

Easy Peasy

If you want to write a book, it’s somewhere in range of 60-100,000 words. There are editors and publishers, re-writes and research, long hours and marketing, events and online, retail and so on. No, not anyone can write a book. And few write a successful one. I know colleagues who have and it's a ton of work.

It's simple to opine something is easy when you haven't actually done it yourself. We can all scream from our chair when the pitcher floats a 90mph fastball high and inside handing the other team a three run homer. Anyone can pitch in the bigs, right? It’s effortless to scoff at a speaker for getting on stage because anyone can speak in front of a crowd, right?

Opinions as Opiates

I think Malcolm Gladwell is right. It takes about 10,000 hours to become proficient at something. That, by no means, makes us an expert. But we inch on to dangerous soil if we begin to make claims about something we actually know nothing about.

Some are quick to point out what leadership should be doing, what government should be changing, what those in an industry they know nothing about should be undertaking. Instead, we should learn from each other's perspective and experience which is the essence of collaboration.

No, not everyone can do that. And that is a good thing.

Kneale Mann

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What Will You Do in the Next 30 Days?

I was on a conference call this week and we were talking about all the things we wanted to do. Those items on some bucket list or someday sheet, tacked to the bulletin board next to the array of conference laminates, the calendar and a few wise sayings from past fortune cookies. We know our lives won’t last forever. As Steve Jobs said, "Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose."

A few years ago, Matt Cutts, whose day job is quality control at Google, felt he wanted to look at his list a little more carefully. And instead of placing it back on the wish he could get to it one of these days pile, he did it.

Will you get to your list?


Kneale Mann

visual credit: TED

The Power of Doodling

It’s as universal as breathing. It began in our childhood and remains a part of our lives today. It happens on planes, offices, dining rooms, boardrooms, hotel suites and bathrooms. It happens alone, with others, in private and in public.

The history of the doodle stems back to the dawn of our ancestors. It has been the genesis of some of our finest concepts, theories, inventions and solutions. It is the seemingly mindless act of drawing aimlessly while in a meeting, on the phone or any other place we humans hang out. And there is a powerful and sound business reason we need to continue to doodle.

Sunni Brown is a business owner, creative director, speaker and co-author of Game Storming. She’s best known for her large-scale live content visualizations, and she is also the leader of the Doodle Revolution. In her TEDTalk, Sunni explains why we must continue to doodle.

Grab some paper and a pen while you watch.


Kneale Mann

visual credit: TED