Samantha Forrest, ACE’s Post

Yesterday we wrapped up our fall Take Ownership of Your Career program. 🎉 In our last session, we talked about how we're all hard-wired to focus on the negative, and why we need overindex on looking for what's going well. This negativity bias had a real evolutionary purpose when we needed to protect ourselves from wild animals that could pounce on us at any moment! Back then, focusing on the worst case scenario helped us survive. 🦁 But today, instead of wild animals, we fear change, loss, and taking risks. 🔎 The challenge? We imagine what could go wrong, instead of seeing what's going right. And we keep ourselves from exploring what might be possible by dwelling on the "what ifs." 🙌 The solution? Regularly celebrating our wins - big and small! This practice is always important, and it will be even more critical as we navigate the ups and downs of the next four years. 🎖 Let’s start now: What's a win you can celebrate this week? Drop it in the comments! And join us December 5th for our Social Impact Networking + End of Year Celebration to celebrate your wins from this year and consider the #impact you want to have in 2025. https://lnkd.in/ejF3Fryh Let’s close the year strong, together! #celebration #networking #negativitybias #heartandbrain (Image credit: the Awkward Yeti)

💧 Meandering Mondays with Water (ep 51) 💧 Are we balancing collective consensus with scaling up action effectively? Many in the community would likely agree that water challenges are growing and building collective consensus is important and valuable. However, balancing quick action with building collective consensus is crucial. Acting alone can speed up implementation of action, but building collective consensus takes time and energy. When I look back at my time in this community, it feels we often spend periods where we lean too much towards one extreme — either focusing heavily on building collective consensus or opting for quicker individually action. My sense is that we have been working through a period dominated by building collective consensus, however, there seems to be rising frustration that action on water is too slow. This could nudge us back toward a period dominated by quicker unilateral efforts. So, are we striking the right balance, and if not, how can we improve and scale up action in a way that still maintains a degree of strong collective consensus? #WaterStewardship #CorporateWaterStrategy #WaterAndBusiness Will Sarni | Alexis Morgan | Tom Freyberg | Colin Herron | Alex Mung | Alex Money | Richard Lee | Stuart Orr | Hannah Baleta | Gregg Brill | Scott McCready | Sarah Wade | Sarah Argoud | Sharif Hoque | Jennifer Möller-Gulland | Alejandro Sarmiento González | James Dalton | Michael Alexander | Neha Madan Asthana | Johannes Schmiester | Gershom Pule, MBA-PM | Joe Ray | Scott Oram | Abby McGuckin | Lewys Isaac | Nicole Tanner | Morgan Schneider | Shirley Shen | Harsh Sheth | Nicolas Wertheimer | Conor Linstead | Matt Howard | Caroline Gelderblom | Adrian Sym | Patricia Calderon | Derk Kuiper | Alex Fernández Poulussen | Sue Viljoen | Cate Lamb

As you read this article, ask yourself... What strategy shift could have the most impact on your leadership journey?

We have two articles in this month's newsletter. First, Senior Advisor Jerome Gosset talks about innovation in agriculture. Next, Principal Dave Quist reflects on the importance of rest. #InterimManagement #managementconsultants #leadership #consulting #agribusiness #balance #AgTechInnovation #SustainableAgriculture #FutureOfAgriculture #AgriculturalTechnology #CdnAg https://loom.ly/CognxZs

Such fascinating insights and reflections on innovations in agriculture from my colleague Jerome Gosset, Ph. D. - and a wonderful timely message on the importance of rest from Dave Quist ! Take a peek!

In the best possible world, what would you hope for? I'm in my feels as we return to LA this am to once again host our 3-day program at the Amarano Hotel in Burbank (Fun Fact - this is the location where we've facilitated this program the most times!) I never take for granted the opportunity to collaborate with brilliant leaders, and as I make the final preparations for this week's experience, I'm certain it's going to be truly impactful. As part of the pre-work for our Foundations program, we ask, "In the best possible world, what would you hope for?" Here are a few snippets from this cohort's responses: "For human consciousness to raise." "Being able to support and inspire others personally and professionally, while also feeling supported myself. " "A place for all to overflow with their unique goodness inside... " "We finally achieve a world where all rights are granted to all people, no exceptions." "A sustainable environment with clean air, water, and thriving ecosystems." "I would wish for everyone to be in a career that they feel is a calling, that fulfills their passion and purpose and uses their talents and skills for good." "Abundant opportunity, joy, good health, and success." "People finally stop focusing on GDP and money and instead put the highest value on welfare of people, animals, plants, the whole environment." Leading these programs is always exhausting, but these responses let me know that I will end this week feeling more inspired and hopeful.

As I sit on my flight back from the Carson Spring Conference, I find myself in a rare moment of reflection. Full transparency—I'm not typically a conference person. The thought alone usually has me feeling super restless. But, if you ever have the privilege to attend a Carson event, you'll immediately understand why this one is different. From A to Z, the talent on display is nothing short of incredible. It's not just about the top 1% of advisors who align with excellence; it's the whole "full Monty," full stop. Our collective community values are woven into every aspect of the event, centering on a singular question: How do we best serve and innovate for our clients? I'm thrilled to share with the families we serve that we're bringing back not just industry-leading solutions, but cutting-edge innovations that redefine what's possible. Stay tuned as we roll out these exciting developments. #Innovation #ClientFirst #CarsonConference #IndustryLeaders #CuttingEdge #FinancialAdvisory

"I believe a leaf of grass is no less than the journey-work of the stars." - Walt Whitman As we navigate our professional journeys, it’s essential to remember that every small effort contributes to a greater tapestry of success. Just as a single leaf of grass plays its part in the vast ecosystem, each task we undertake in our roles—whether it be assisting in administrative duties or supporting our teams—holds value and significance. Whitman’s words remind us to appreciate the details in our work, to recognize that our contributions, no matter how small they may seem, are integral to the overarching goals of our organizations. It's in the meticulous attention to detail where we can find purpose and pride. #ProfessionalGrowth #Teamwork #Inspiration #WaltWhitman #BusinessExcellence

Following our post last Friday on who we think would benefit from Wood for the Trees, we now want to look at the anticipated outcomes of the programme. Wood For the Trees is a three-day programme focused round a relaxed outdoors environment as the setting for a guided process of relationship building, strategy planning, and problem solving. As a leader or group of leaders, by the end of Wood For The Trees, you will have worked through a significant concern - what we've called “the thing you’re stuck on”. Each event will be different, but we anticipate the outcomes to be that participants will have had: ·     the support of two experienced Guides (Mike and I) We have between us over 50 years of experience in a comprehensive range of organisations – public, commercial and third sector. We have worked at all levels, up to and including Board, on strategic, operational and relationship issues and we can point to plenty of success. ·     the opportunity to creatively re-evaluate your approach to a concern and develop a plan for further work ·     the chance of developing different kinds of working relationships with colleagues ·     the chance to have done the creative thinking about a (probably) complex problem or problems where you needed space and time to bring a different kind of power to your thinking ·     the chance to have a great time in the countryside away from your normal environment - and thereby experience all the stuff that we know about the psychology of creating stimulating moments both for creativity and for recall From our own experiences, we have benefited from being in similar situations and having the opportunity to gain different perspectives. Hence the name - and the anticipated outcome that you will have the opportunity to see the wood for the trees and to develop an implementation plan to move you forward. If you’re interested, get in touch with David or Mike on LinkedIn, or e-mail Mike at mike@aegirconsulting.co.uk. We are looking forward to hearing from you Mike Wistow

ROI – RETURN ON IMPACT Exclusive Collection’s senior client network, FLOCK, is a bold statement: - Bring together key clients for brave conversations headlined by some of the brightest minds in business. It’s an opportunity to showcase a hotel, to underline how B Corp is lived out by the Collection and most significantly it cements client relationships. Flock, Comfortable with the Uncomfortable was bold, brave and it challenged behaviours. We tabled topics that often fill leaders with fear. And thanks to the respected voices of our thought leading contributors, we navigated, learned, shared; finding comfort in the uncomfortable. Businesses often quantify results as Return on Investment, and while there’s no getting away from the FD’s glare, FLOCK can also be quantified by Return on Impact as the comments in Stephanie’s post highlight: