......... Mag:OH:zine

7 Ways to Slap Your Forehead

Sitting in a puddle of ideas these days? Got all the right pieces but the picture on the puzzle cover doesn’t fit? What used to work isn’t working any more? Sucked out of energy by someone you work with? Or worse yet, a relative you’re living with?

Enough of the questions… welcome! Whatever your situation, there’s a way to figure things out, and that’s why we’re here, at the MAG-OH!-ZINE. Let’s chat about this blog and why it's important. (BTW, the real reason is, “I care!”)

A bit of background… for 21 years, I've had the privilege of jumping into the busy-ness of companies, organizations, relationships. Some have been looking for ways to get better at being the best. Others have been struggling, taking their last breath, or starting up a new initiative. They have all asked for an outside perspective on strategy, creativity, leverage! These requests have come from unlikely places, such as tribal leaders in Africa, board Executives in Australia, community groups in Minnesota, metropolitan convention centres and the boonies of northern Canada. Whether it was a CEO in Boston or an entrepreneur in Borup's corners, the message was the same. Help us figure things out. I do.

For my official bio, just go here.


3 Things You and I Both Know:

Whether you're a CEO or a part-timer, you have your own perspectives and perceptions about what's going on around your company. Listening to the chatter in the parking lot, everyone has an opinion about what's wrong, and what's working well. All too often, though, messages get buried under routines and criss-crossed by interference such as assumptions, unstated ideas, shakey skills and egos. Power, control, ambition, behaviors...complex stuff! Have you noticed that the same issues also happen on the homefront?



The bottom line is this:

1. We say we can do things better; yet everyday behaviors don’t support what we
say. Our intentions don't match what actually happens.

2. Important ideas are not being heard by the power brokers. Or there's a perception that ideas aren't being heard - you have no influence - that's when "we have a communication problem around here".

3. Leaders cannot expect their organizations to change if they, themselves are stuck. "THEY DON'T GET IT" is stated as, "My boss should be here to learn this stuff!"

I’ll be sharing some real stories about organizations, and how they’ve taken a slice of the obvious to turn things around, starting with their own leadership styles.

So this is STRATEGIC SYSTEMS THINKING – or, as I like to call it, Figuring Things Out. My specialty is LEVERAGE – how do you get the most from an idea, a system and its people, processes and products? How can you do this simply? How do you focus on spirit-centred intentions? How do you make work and life sweet? Yes, there is hope!

7 is The Number

This blog is about finding answers and inspiration. Here’s how it works. Every day, a new IDEA DU JOUR will be posted. Every week, the blog post will go into detail about the 7 ideas du jour. I will be offering you triggers and tidbits, so that you can slap your forehead and shout out, “Oh! I get it!!”!

You’ll notice that every idea is expressed in 7 words or less. There’s power in “Say It In 7™”, one of the most important concepts in thinking strategically. I’ll explain that next week!


My aim is to get release the chatter in your head and talk about what matters most to you. If you are stuck, bogged, muddled, write in! Let’s figure “it” out…. Welcome to the Mag!

- Maggie


You can also visit the website at http://www.theideasculptor.com/ .