http://ja-nae.net/blog Adventures In: Experimentation, Imagination & Sophistication Tue, 24 Jan 2012 14:43:58 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9 en hourly 1 http://ja-nae.net/blog/the-leaders-3-lessons-from-the-girl-scouts http://ja-nae.net/blog/the-leaders-3-lessons-from-the-girl-scouts#comments Fri, 20 Jan 2012 16:40:36 +0000 Ja-Naé Duane http://ja-nae.net/blog/?p=4891 http://ja-nae.net/blog/the-leaders-3-lessons-from-the-girl-scouts/feed 0 http://ja-nae.net/blog/the-revolutionary-change-cycle http://ja-nae.net/blog/the-revolutionary-change-cycle#comments Tue, 03 Jan 2012 13:56:38 +0000 Ja-Naé Duane http://ja-nae.net/blog/?p=4771 We live in a world of constant change. The events of 2011 have exhibited that all too well. As in life, change comes in cycles: birth, growth, death, and renewal. Understanding these cycles can help us thrive in change, rather than fear it. Though change can be painful, it is a source of creativity, innovation and transformation. While working on my upcoming book, How to Create a Revolution, I created the Revolutionary Change Cycle. Take a Look: During my research for the book, I found a transformation system developed by family therapist, Virginia Satir. Divided into five segments, her system illustrates how the family unit can transform the status quo into something new. While not related, it strengthens the correlation of change behavior amongst all group dynamics. Here’s the deal: Feel free to share. Tweet it, Google +, Facebook it, or post it on your own site. I would love your thoughts. The Revolutionary Change Cycle by Ja-Nae Duane is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License. Related Posts: The Power of Vulnerability How to Breed a Team of Innovators How to Recognize Opportunity What Do You Believe In ]]> http://ja-nae.net/blog/the-revolutionary-change-cycle/feed 0 http://ja-nae.net/blog/25-resources-for-creative-thinkers http://ja-nae.net/blog/25-resources-for-creative-thinkers#comments Tue, 08 Nov 2011 14:38:47 +0000 Ja-Naé Duane http://ja-nae.net/blog/?p=4611 Have you ever had a project or deadline in which you had to think of a creative idea to build around? My sister, Samantha, had that same exact problem this weekend. She had been pondering for hours what to do her class project on. When I finally talked to her, she was close to tears. This was a huge project that she had yet to begin or know what it might entail. Here are some resources, I share with her to get her out of a rut. Hope you find them useful: Spark Creativity There are times when we get stuck and have trouble coming up with new ideas. For those occasions, there are a few techniques you can use to trigger that creative impulse and get the creative juices flowing. Here are a few: Carry a Journal. How often do you come up with a great idea only to forget it later?  Well, you can’t really know how often since you forget it.  So get a small notepad and pen and carry them with you wherever you go.  Whenever an interesting thought or idea hits you, write it down.  Take a look at your journal later and you might find something you [...]]]> http://ja-nae.net/blog/25-resources-for-creative-thinkers/feed 2 http://ja-nae.net/blog/break-the-rules http://ja-nae.net/blog/break-the-rules#comments Wed, 05 Oct 2011 13:57:15 +0000 Ja-Naé Duane http://ja-nae.net/blog/?p=4608 New adventures and opportunities do not always show up at your door step. Sometimes, you have to break the rules and get out of your comfort zone in order to find them. Here's how.]]> http://ja-nae.net/blog/break-the-rules/feed 1 http://ja-nae.net/blog/setting-the-example http://ja-nae.net/blog/setting-the-example#comments Wed, 14 Sep 2011 12:32:31 +0000 Ja-Naé Duane http://ja-nae.net/blog/?p=4567 Sometimes, it is not always easy to lead a team or turn the other cheek when someone does something to hurt or offend you. I don’t know about you, but my first instinct is to defend and protect myself. However, that does not always solve the issue. Instead, ask yourself the following questions: How can I best handle this situation? If I respond by doing X, what will the outcome be? How do I want this to be resolved? By taking the time and thinking it through, you may find a resolution that you were not expecting and one that opens up other opportunities. Related Posts How to Fail The Secret to Flexibility How Leaders Can Make the Best Decisions ]]> http://ja-nae.net/blog/setting-the-example/feed 2 http://ja-nae.net/blog/how-to-succeed http://ja-nae.net/blog/how-to-succeed#comments Tue, 23 Aug 2011 16:42:18 +0000 Ja-Naé Duane http://ja-nae.net/blog/?p=4553 The English language has made us equate failing with being a failure, when in fact failing is necessary in order to succeed. If we never allow ourselves to fail, then, unless we are born perfect, we’ll never attempt to learn or do anything that risks failure.  When I started my first business, I made many mistakes and “failures” before I got it right.  I didn’t give up or get discouraged because I understood that failing was just a step towards success.  And I was right. In order to succeed, you must allow yourself to fail.  By embracing failure, you create an environment where mishaps invigorate rather than crush you.  In fact, I would suggest you go so far as to aim to fail.  If you haven’t failed, you haven’t been taking risks or learning anything.  To me, that would be the biggest failure. You’ve probably heard Edison’s quote about failing 1,000 times while inventing the light bulb, “I have not failed 1,000 times.  I have successfully discovered 1,000 ways to NOT make a light bulb.”  Great minds like Einstein and Lincoln had the same attitude. How have you failed? What’s the most [...]]]> http://ja-nae.net/blog/how-to-succeed/feed 0 http://ja-nae.net/blog/7-ways-to-help-women-in-technology http://ja-nae.net/blog/7-ways-to-help-women-in-technology#comments Tue, 19 Jul 2011 15:04:25 +0000 Ja-Naé Duane http://ja-nae.net/blog/?p=4424 This weekend, I came across two articles that made me step back for a moment. The first was the Wall Street Journal’s blog post, “Addressing The Lack of Women Leading Tech Start-ups.” In the post, WSJ tries to address the question of “Where are all the women in tech?” They mention that there is no shortage of opinions about the issue but the core of the article isn’t really being addressed. It must be noted overall that equality has come a long way even in the short time that I have been in the professional world. Where the disparity seems to be is why there are so few women in the technology industry. The next article I came across was a TechCrunch response by Michael Arrington entitled, “ Too Few Women In Tech? Stop Blaming The Men.” In the article, Arrington tries to sympathize with the issue but is fed up with the blame game. Can you blame him? I don’t. Below is an infograph compiled by Socialcast.com that looks at a number of dimensions in the technology industry comparing male vs female ratios. A few key insights: According to Dow Jones VentureSource, 11% of U.S. firms with venture-capital backing in 2009 had current or [...]]]> http://ja-nae.net/blog/7-ways-to-help-women-in-technology/feed 4 http://ja-nae.net/blog/how-to-breed-a-team-of-innovators-2 http://ja-nae.net/blog/how-to-breed-a-team-of-innovators-2#comments Wed, 13 Jul 2011 16:01:18 +0000 Ja-Naé Duane http://ja-nae.net/blog/?p=4413 It’s been several months since the Our Revolution road trip, but the experience has stayed with me and often finds its way into my conversations with others. Although Our Revolution is about promoting social change with revolutionary ideas and actions to change perceptions in lives in communities, my friend Lucas asked me an intriguing question – “How did the experience change you?” I have to say that in retrospect, one of the most important takeaways I have from the road trip was an improved technique for coming up with innovative solutions. The technique is similar to what Eric Schmidt, CEO of Google, says, “We run the company by questions, not answers.” Innovation does not spring up out of nowhere. Innovative solutions and answers come first by asking the right questions.  The Our Revolution road trip was full of questions that needed answers. How can we improve a situation? And when you ask a question, it stimulates conversation. It is out of these conversations that come innovation. To stimulate innovation within your team, you need to create a culture of questioning. Here’s how: 1. Set an Example – The behavior of team members always gravitates [...]]]> http://ja-nae.net/blog/how-to-breed-a-team-of-innovators-2/feed 0 http://ja-nae.net/blog/how-to-be-curious http://ja-nae.net/blog/how-to-be-curious#comments Wed, 18 May 2011 15:07:03 +0000 Ja-Naé Duane http://ja-nae.net/blog/?p=4060 Do you shy away from the unknown or do you welcome the unexpected? Ever since I was a little girl I have thrived on curiosity and questioning things. However, many colleagues I know in business stick like glue to the familiar. They rely on the routine things that have served them in well in the past, and avoid anything new and different. This attitude can maintain stability, but if you’re not curious you are doomed to the same experiences without ever growing in business or in life. This article by Donald Latumahina at Lifehack tells of the virtues of curiosity.  Curiosity gives you a fresh perspective, allowing you to discover fresh ideas. Being curious makes you more observant and opens up new worlds and possibilities you wouldn’t otherwise consider while also adding the spice of variety to your life. Some of my best ideas for projects, as well as some of my best adventures, have come from stepping outside of my comfort zone and following my curious nature. For these reasons, curiosity should be a quality you cultivate. So here are some things you can do to be more curious in your life: Do Not Ignore the [...]]]> http://ja-nae.net/blog/how-to-be-curious/feed 2 http://ja-nae.net/blog/how-to-receive-a-college-education-online-for-free http://ja-nae.net/blog/how-to-receive-a-college-education-online-for-free#comments Fri, 06 May 2011 15:55:57 +0000 Ja-Naé Duane http://ja-nae.net/blog/?p=4027 Education is what you make of it. We are perpetual students, learning something new everyday. It doesn’t matter if you spend four years in college (and $200K) or time talking to someone in a coffee shop. We are constantly learning. With college tuition being as costly as it is, I know many people looking for alternative ways to continue to learn and expand their skill set. Look at any entrepreneur or historical figure and you will see that continuous self-education is a major component to their lives. Here are some free online courses from some of the top universities: Carnegie Mellon Open Learning Initiative (my alma mater) – No instructors, no credits, no charge. Use these self-guiding Carnegie Mellon materials and activities to learn at your own pace. MIT OpenCourseWare – MIT OpenCourseWare is a free web-based publication of MIT course materials that has some of the undergraduate and graduate subjects taught at MIT. MIT Sloan School of Management – As one of the top business schools in the US, this is a great subsection of the larger MIT OpenCourseWare site. Tufts OpenCourseWare – Tufts OpenCourseWare is part of a new educational movement. Khan Academy – Over 1200 videos lessons from algebra [...]]]> http://ja-nae.net/blog/how-to-receive-a-college-education-online-for-free/feed 0