I came across this commencement speech on YouTube… It features David McCullough Jr., delivering the “Faculty Message” to Wellesley High School’s 2012 graduating class.  Mr. McCullough cuts through the cliche that marks many a commencement speech and gives the newly-minted high school grads something to think about as they prepare to move into the next stage of life.  His speech is tight and the messages are on point… watch this video; it is worth your time.

Like every morning, I stopped at my local cafe (Cedar Tree Cafe or Follow them) this morning on the way to work.  I decided to snap a photo of this (apologies for the blur)…

I don’t know Anne (or if there actually is an Anne)… or where she makes her love mugs but what I like about her instantly is that she wants to leave a positive mark for others…

* 1/2 proceeds go to the local food bank *

This is what it’s all about!  Thanks to Anne’s Love Mugs not just for what she’s doing but also for what she believes…

We’re just about to enter a holiday weekend.  Tomorrow is Good Friday, a statutory holiday in most parts of the western world and depending on where you are, Monday may also be a holiday (Easter Monday).  This is especially true for most (if not all) public sector organizations.  So I thought it was funny when I heard a story earlier today about an IT consultant who apparently told his public sector client that Monday was not a holiday for his company and that he would be working and “billing” that day, even though it is a holiday for the client.

If you’re in the business of professional services, you already know that it’s customary in to take the same days off as your clients… or at least to take the day off from doing work for them (maybe you do some internal project work or something if your own firm is still open).  The point? … If your client is closed, then your engagement or project is also closed… there’s no “billable” opportunity when you’re closed.  Common sense, right?

So I ask… was that guy being ballsy or just plain stupid?  Who are these people?

Today, there was a great article in my local paper, the Daily Gleaner.  Check the full story out at Talk about 5,000 reasons to smile.  

A young woman was walking downtown in Fredericton, New Brunswick when she spotted a Hong Kong Bank envelope lying on the ground.  In it?  Five thousand bucks.  Yikes!  

And what did she do?  Well, to start… When she got home, she told her father and they counted the money – I’m sure they had the same WOW reaction that any of us would – and he simply said to her, “I’m going to leave the decision up to you.  Do what you feel is right.”

Fortunately, there was a cheque (or check if you prefer) in the envelope of cash so the woman was able to make a couple calls and connect with the rightful owner.  As you can see from the article, the owner was very grateful to have had an honest person find and return the money.

In a world where “finders keepers” can often rule the day, this is a great example of someone doing the right thing for someone else… a complete stranger no less.  We are absolutely surrounded but lots of good people and every day, there are people, a lot them anonymous, doing the right thing, making a difference and leaving a positive mark.

Doing good feels good.  Just ask Erica Myshrall of Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada.    

I’ve been thinking a lot about the future…  Heady questions have been the order of the year in 2011.  It’s been a year of introspection and thinking for me.

I grew up in Fredericton, New Brunswick.  After moving away (briefly to attend McGill University in 1987 and again in 1993, after graduating from the University of New Brunswick, to pursue my career in Halifax and Toronto… then graduate school and more “experience” – plus three kids – in Boston… yes, this is a truly horrible run-on sentence), I returned ‘home.’  If you know nothing about New Brunswick, you can read here.

I’ve been thinking about how New Brunswick can become better.  By better, I mean prosperous and more sustainable (or self-reliant).  We have historically been a disadvantaged region, and quite frankly, I’m tired of it… We need to be better if we are to see future generations build their lives here.

So what does it take for a province like ours to become “better?”  What can we be the very best at?  We need to discover our “hedgehog” to borrow from James Collins’ “Good to Great.”  Finding the intersection of what we’re absolutely passionate about, what we’re capable of being the best in the world at, and what drives our economic engine…

Enough academia for today…

I think we can be the smartest province in Canada… highly educated people who are fit, healthy, and happy … have an incredible capacity for research and development … are hard-wired to be entrepreneurial… are starting more companies and social enterprises than anywhere else… and want to leave a positive mark on society… and change the world.  While daydreaming during a meeting, I wrote the storyboard for this simple video …

I can imagine that kind of future.  Can you?

I read an interesting blog post today at B2C – business 2 community – published by Jim Clemmer (find it here).  In his post, the author recounted a leadership workshop that he had facilitated and the discussion surrounding the importance for organizations to “change rather than be changed.”  In the post, the author refers to a video called “Shift Happens: Did You Know?”.  I had not seen it before but found it quite interesting. I did a quick search on YouTube and found the one below (it looks to be the original, and I prefer the music so thought I’d show it here). The research in the video was conducted by Karl Fisch, Scott McLeod and Jeff Brenman.

Making a difference.  That’s what it’s all about.  That’s why we’re here.  It’s not to make money.  It’s not to amass power or might.  It’s not to achieve celebrity.  Each of us, no matter where we live, have a responsibility to make a difference in this world… to make it better, to make it nicer, to make it more sustainable, to make it more enjoyable.

I just came from the Richard J. Currie Center at the University of New Brunswick in Fredericton, Canada.  Today was its grand opening.  It is a beautiful, state-of-the-art athletic and convocation facility that is among the best in North America.  And it is thanks to UNB’s Chancellor, Dr. Richard Currie, a Canadian business icon, who generously donated approximately $20 million towards its construction.

Few of us can afford to make these types of financial donations.  But everyone has the ability to give time, give energy, give passion, and do things that truly can have an impact on someone else.  When someone says something as simple as “thank you”… that leaves an impression.  It leaves a mark.  The recipient feels good.  When someone holds open a door, offers a seat on a crowded bus, teaches or coaches our kids, opens a business, or fights for a cause… each of these leaves a mark… makes a difference.

We each have a duty to leave our mark.  We each have it in us.

So what are you doing to make a difference…  To leave your mark?

Hard to believe but I’ve been M.I.A. for a long time now, having only written a couple of posts in the past year.  Yeah, I’m a little embarrassed about it.  Actually, embarrassed may not be the right word.  I think I’m more disappointed than anything.  I really enjoy this outlet but for most of the past 12 months, I’ve had trouble thinking of something good to say here; I’ve struggled with my ‘point of view’… my raison d’être, if you will, from a blog perspective.  My biggest problem — I’m probably thinking too much… and writing too little.

And I’ve missed it.  So today marks my “do over”… I am going to post more, create more value for you… and think less.  This doesn’t mean I’ll be less thoughtful, just that I’ll be focusing more on keeping a continuous conversation going, rather than thinking of the perfect topic on any given day.

See you tomorrow!

As with many of you, I’m entering 2010 with a number of resolutions.

1. Get in shape

2. Eat more fruits and veggies

3. (Re) discover my professional passion

4. Write more often

I will continue to update you on my progress with resolutions 1-3 and this blog will serve as the barometer for how I’m doing on #4.

I took a long break at the end of 2009.  My last post was November 27th.  I didn’t have a single post in December.  That’s pretty bad.  But I needed the break… not because I’d been writing so much but because I had lost my (what’s the word?) mojo.

I think I have it back so stay tuned because 2010 is going to be a better year here at “ambiguity is your friend.”