October 15, 2014
Day two of Imex America was a success! After an incredibly inspiring keynote, the show floor opened this morning to a large group of bustling, eager attendees. And creativity was not short on supply today either!
Celebrate Diversity
The keynote this morning was headed by James Sun, entrepreneur and champion of all things diversity.
“I’m so glad you were honest with me because I’ll be honest with you. Change is happening.” @james3sun #IMEX14 #diversity
— TeamBonding (@teambonding) October 14, 2014
James spoke about his experience on The Apprentice, his encounters with Mr. Trump, and the inherent bias in all of us. His speech was incredibly inspiring and motivating, and he encouraged the room to embrace everyone’s differences and celebrate each other.
Creativity is Free
After the keynote, Rhea Blanken taught a track based around the idea of play. Rhea had an assortment of kid’s toys laid out, ready to be played with. The first hour was all about self-exploration and individual playing, which Rhea mentioned can be important in this day and age. Every once in a while, it’s nice to disconnect with technology and work and reconnect with ourselves.
Post-individual play, Rhea gave our group instructions to think about a problem in our lives and then build it out of Tinkertoys, the wooden blocks kids play with as children. As you build out your problem, you’ll find a solution through kinetics and visuals. Rhea insinuated that sometimes, it’s easier to solve issues when you can physically see them rather than just talk about them.
Especially in group settings, where two sets of people are instructed to build the same thing, the outcomes (and perspectives) of each group will be uniquely different.
Build lasting relationships
Build lasting relationshipsFinally, the day rounded off with a quick presentation from Kirsty Spraggon, whose main focus was building relationships…
Whether it’s valuing the people you work with or the people you work for, taking the time to get to know those around you on a personal level will only benefit your business. She expressed this by saying “People would rather have a co-worker who is incompetent and friendly than someone who is an over-achieving jerk.”
“We do business with people we like. Sometimes it’s just about connecting!” @KirstySpraggon — TeamBonding (@teambonding) October 14, 2014
Overall, our second day at Imex America was a busy and successful one!
