De-mystifying Creativity: the real strategy to empower the creative you
My latest book purchase is Allen Gannett’s The Creative Curve: How to Develop the right idea at the right time. I came across this book first on one of my favourite podcasts Learning Leader (episode 268) where Ryan Hawk interviews guests and tries to help us to understand how to reach and attain excellence in […]
How to create leadership and innovation at work place?
I have just finished reading Richard Feynman’s book Surely you are joking Mr Feynman!” It’s a unique book in explaining how one of the great minds in physics thought about life, and more importantly how he maintained an innate curiosity and often questioned the very basic assumptions of physics in order to better understand the […]
3 defining features of Adaptation Futures 2018
This week I attended Adaptation Futures conference, a bi-annual conference that is attended by people who work in climate adaptation science, policy and practice. This conference was particularly interesting given that it was held in Cape Town, South Africa, that is going through a severe drought. At some point it was not even clear whether […]
Communicating climate adaptation: what could go wrong?
This past week I have attended the Climate Adaptation 2018: Learn, Collaborate, Act Conference in Melbourne that gathers scientists, policymakers and non-governmental organisations to hear the latest discussions and science on climate change adaptation. I was asked to chair a panel session on Communicating around Climate Adaptation with four super stars: Karl Braganza, Doug Parsons, Hallie […]
3 daily steps that will make you a more mindful leader
In the past few weeks the universe has bombarded me with different postings about leadership and mindfulness. This does not seem like such a trivial matter that it would warrant a separate blog posting. But it turns out being a mindful leader is not a common practice and it’s hard to maintain especially in a […]
Why finding a bouncing-ideas-buddy will pay off: the secrets of collaboration
In science and in many related fields, the lone genius assumption persists: that individuals act and think alone, pour themselves over data in solitude and emerge with a solution that is revolutionary and inspirational. Many do buy into this story. Yet, the stories we actually hear are often those of insights that have emerged through […]
Why inclusivity should be the new game in town: Women, Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, and leadership
We often hear about the glass ceiling that stops women in advancing their careers and how that ceiling, in the era of gender equality, is easier to break through. More and more women are becoming directors, earning degrees, and making significant contributions in science, politics, and everywhere else. Given last week was the International Women’s […]
Cyclone Gita and the perils of organising conferences in a changing climate
This past week hundreds of people gathered to Wellington, New Zealand, to attend the second Pacific Climate Change Conference 2018. The conference, organised by the Secretariat of the Pacific Environment Regional Program (SPREP) and University of Victoria, focused on showcasing the latest research in the Pacific Islands and featured several international keynote speakers from Professor […]
6 essentials in developing an academic career
I’ve recently been approached by several early career researchers (ECRs) about how to network, how to focus their careers and how to start building their profile while they are still in an early phase in their career. In the university system, there is often not much advice on personal branding for academics or how to […]
The 3 mindsets in making constraints beautiful
Most of us have a tendency to keep a mental list of all those things in our lives that are stopping us from doing what we really want to do or that are constraining us from reaching our full potential. But although there is much advice out there how every situation has a positive side, […]