Inspiration at work

When you go to a conference, you don’t go only to learn something new or just to network with complete strangers. You want to be inspired!

When you go to a training, you will be more likely to start the change process if you are inspired!

When you go on a business trip and have back to back meetings… you’re looking for inspiration.

People who are inspired are better employees, more engaged, more passionate. These employees are the ones that make a real difference, that challenge the status quo. They are the real change agents. They have the thrill, and want to bring it in their everyday life. They’re the ones you want to hire.

When they come back from a training or an event, don’t ask them what they learned; ask them what inspired them, what they would do differently, what they would like to change. Their insights are invaluable, so don’t kill the emotion and creativity by asking the wrong questions. ‘What have you learned?’ is a buzz killer and doesn’t bring value.

I’m ready to change the way I do things because I was inspired by:

• the technology my company is creating. Printing on all sorts of surfaces is not new, but when I see how millions of items are printed and that each of them is unique, that’s something. When I touch a 3D printed chain, bracelet, or a super detailed item, I get that thrill. And when I see how a picture from my phone is printed on my coffee with milk, I am amazed.
• my colleagues’ passion. They want to make a difference, they are proud of their work, and they want to share it with everyone. They invent the most amazing things and are so humble. It’s a life lesson!
• the genuine desire to learn that I see everyday around me. No matter how much experience you have, that real desire to learn something new, that curiosity is contagious.

I love how each trip or new experience enriches my life. This week was working from HP Barcelona office, next week it will be something else. These things make me see everything from a new perspective, and this is what I’ll look for in all new experiences.

Review of Open: An Autobiography, by Andre Agassi

Do you know that feeling when you’ve just finished reading a really good book? You finish reading the last page, close the book holding it in both hands, and then you take a deep breath in. You look at it one more time. That’s the moment when you realize you lost something, a part of you, and at the same time you got something really beautiful in return. And then questions creep in your mind – “what am I going to read now? what am I going to do? what now?”. And when on the front cover is the face of one of the most famous tennis players in the world, the black and white image and that feeling haunt you for a while.

That’s exactly how I felt a few days ago, when I finished reading Open: An Autobiography, by Andre Agassi. Once I started discovering his story, I couldn’t put the book down. I loved every page, every minute, and I know I will come back to it someday.

Andre Agassi’s life story is amazing, with ups and downs, with losses and victories. I think what struck me the most was the brutal honesty about a lost childhood, millions of hits and the constant quest for his identity. What Agassi achieved is to deconstruct the psyche in a captivating manner. He brilliantly articulated his emotions with the maturity of a 36-year old man feeling like a 96-year old. When reading the book I was so empathetic that I almost felt the anxiety, the confusion, the need of a support group, and then the serenity. I was a real emotional journey for me, and it is strange when someone you don’t know has written your thoughts in their autobiography, like this phrase that keeps coming back to me: I fight […] as always the loss of control, which feels like the ultimate loss of choice.

To be relentlessly focused when media and tabloids were calling him a rebel is probably one of the most important lessons I learned from this book. Winning, victory, success – they are a state of mind most of the time. There’s this excerpt that I simply love and now it’s like a mantra to me:

I’ve won 869 matches in my career, fifth on the all-time list, and many were won during the afternoon shower.

We all win or lose our daily matches, big or small, in the shower, during the morning run, before bedtime… It all boils down to our mental focus and desire to win.

Cum a fost la Webstock 2013

Saptamana trecuta am fost la Webstock. A sasea editie m-a surprins placut – invitati in tema, interesanti, oameni pasionati care au venit la eveniment cu inimile (si laptopurile) deschise. Tema evenimentului a fost Do-ers & Innovators si trebuie sa recunosc ca am plecat atat cu dorinta de a face mai multe, cat si de a face lucrurile altfel.

Hai mai bine sa povestesc despre ce mi-a placut cel mai mult.

Cabral a deschis evenimentul intr-un mod neasteptat si parca necesar: Blogosfera s-a basit! ; bloggerii s-au tuflit! Nu mai exista pofta aia de a colabora, de a incerca sa schimbam ceva prin articolele noastre. Ce am invatat eu – nici nu ne dam seama cata putere avem daca ne hotaram sa lucram impreuna, nu unul impotriva celuilalt. Concluzia – Hai dom’le sa schimbam ceva impreuna! Cabral a avut bunavointa sa-mi si raspunda: Pai hai, ca se poate! Ne duce si capul si tastatura, trebuie doar sa vrem.

Dupa trezirea brusca la realitate, Tudor Giurgiu ne-a spus povestea TIFF Romania. Istorisirea a inceput ca orice poveste de succes demna de a fi impartasita: la inceput nimeni nu a crezut intr-un festival de film in Transilvania. He proved them wrong! Cateodata cei din jur nu sunt cei mai buni profeti.

Irina Margareta Nistor – simpla prezenta a adus zambete pe buze, iar de fiecare data cand ii aud vocea, am un flashback din copilarie si senzatia ca timpul a stat in loc.

Cristina Bazavan a facut ce stie ea mai bine – ne-a spus o poveste. Ne-a povestit despre cum matematica si muzica au mai multe in comun decat am putea crede si despre cum putem face lucruri de care (poate) nu credem ca suntem in stare. Mi-a ramas in minte indemnul de a ne transforma dorintele in actiuni, in fapte, si importanta pe care o au emotiile in tot ceea ce facem. Am intrebat-o pe Cristina daca mai are o poveste pentru noi – un moment din viata ei care i-a ramas intiparit in minte si care a definit-o ca persoana. Si ne-a spus ca atunci cand era mica si cara o sacosa grea, s-a intrebat ce se intampla daca o duce intr-o singura mana pana acasa, fara a lua vreo pauza. A raspuns provocarii auto-impuse si a descoperit ca iata, nu i se intamplase nimic, ci a amas doar cu urmele de la plasa in palma. Eu cred ca asta spune multe despre ea si mai cred ca putem invata si noi ceva de aici. Intregul discurs este pe blogul Cristinei.

Despre Mia Scarlat pot sa spun doar ca ne-a lasat pe toti fara cuvinte. O sala intreaga a simtit bunatatea acestui om, dorinta de a face bine, de a oferi. O lectie despre daruire si putere. Mia’s Children este un ONG care invata copiii defavorizati sa viseze! Va imaginati cat de crunt este ca un copil sa nu stie ca merita dragoste, ca poate fi imbratisat sau ca isi poate permite sa se lase in voia propriei imaginatii? Dar ceea ce ne-a redus pe toti cei 600 de oameni din sala la tacere a fost o replica pe care nu cred ca o voi uita prea curand. La intrebarea unui participant, Doamna, de unde atata putere sa faceti asta zi de zi?, doamna Scarlat ne-a raspuns Am fost si eu unul din acesti copii.

Dupa-amiaza am fost la sesiunea Innovation in Communication.

Ioana Filip de la McCann si Nir Refuah de la MRM ne-a vorbit despre Technology & Stories. Si au ales Coca Cola drept studiu de caz. Decat sa povestesc tot ce ne-au spus, mai bine vedeti singuri campaniile despre care au vorbit. Ce am retinut eu: foloseste tehnologia pentru a spune povesti si pentru a aduce oamenii impreuna.

• Coca Cola Chok
• Caloriile fericite
• The Banner Duet
• Uniting Divided Cultures

S-au intamplat mult mai multe lucruri la Webstock 2013, dar cam asa am vazut eu a sasea editie: plina de viata, de emotie, de nou. Promit ca mai vin! Pe cuvant de blogger. 🙂

Au mai scris despre Webstock: Valentin Vesa, Dan Pandrea, Emil Calinescu,Stefan Chitu, Sandra Clipea, Petrus Lungu, Cezar Vasile, Laurentiu Buica si probabil multi altii, pe care va las sa-i descoperiti. 😉 Iar fotografii gasiti aici.