Work Inspired 

In this new, challenging economic reality – which faces us all, how can we learn to Work Inspired?

-What is life teaching you?

-Who and what is toxic in your life and who and what are the tonics?

-What does “best practice” mean in a radically changing environment?

These and many other questions are explored in Bill Car’s – Work Inspired.

Humor and creativity have been Bill’s specialty for over twenty-five years.  In Work Inspired, Bill combines years of research in the area of creative response to change and keeping a healthy perspective in unhealthy times.  Using humor and insight, he lifts and celebrates what is the new reality in order to bring inspiration and passion back into the work you do.

Bill focuses on empathy (“contagious inspiration”,) mental force, and the draws from the newest ideas stemming from the latest research into how our brains work. Nurturing relations can re-wire our neural scripts and change surviving into thriving.  An inspired perspective can turn tragedy into strategy and improve teamwork to create a new and vital “inspired” work life.

“How we see the world determines how we feel and think, which determines how we act and how we act, determines our destiny.  Life teaches us something new every day – it’s up to us to learn from it.”  Bill takes these truths and shows how to apply them to our new reality.  He approaches these topics with humor and sensitivity as he explores with his audience exactly how to Work Inspired!

Acting Up: creating your future with a positive approach to change 

“The true sign of intelligence is not knowledge but imagination.” – Einstein

A word we often hear in the workplace is “Change”! In response to this, people are being told to “be creative and innovate”, “do more with less” and “make do”- resulting in ongoing cries of frustration and burnout! Quite simply, people who have been maintaining the status quo for years are not prepared for creative and innovative thinking; just as a couch potato is not prepared to suddenly run a marathon! In “Acting Up”, Bill shows how to prepare for creative action and innovative responses in the face of change. Myths about creativity are removed. Bill shares the simple mechanisms of the creative process and offers a window on how creativity works for the individual and teams. You will learn how to develop a creative culture in your workplace and personal life, thereby enhancing your creative process and the creative potential of those around you. And you will be taught to discover your creative self and come to appreciate the creativity in those around you.

In “Acting Up”, we will:

– Remove myths about creativity
– Show the stages of the creative process
– Open our language to creativity
– Apply this workshop to specific problems
– Set creative goals
– Infuse enthusiasm into our careers and lives
– Allow natural creativity to flow
– Create space for authentic human exchange
– AND have a great time and laugh a lot!
Bill Carr believes that everyone is inherently creative; “Acting Up” proves it.

Acting Up is offered in both keynote and workshop formats. Bill works directly with clients before each event in order to create material relevant and of vital interest to each individual audience.

Talking in Circles 

“Communication leads to community, that is, to understanding, intimacy and mutual valuing” – Rollo May
“Talking in Circles” is about communication at a deeper level than many of us are used to. It is about talking, listening, creating and working with a group of distinct individuals. It is about how to team talk, team think and team create by enhancing the ability of each member of that team to connect with one another. It is about creating space for authentic human exchange.

Talking in Circles will be helpful for organizations who are feeling challenged by issues like: intergenerational difficulties, creative visioning for the future, team building, silos that inhibit corporate growth and effectiveness, or poor internal communication. Talking in Circles incorporates years of work in communications with numerous organizations with a new understanding derived from recent advances in neuroscience and communication theory. How effectively we communicate is more complex than just being articulate. It involves a number of very human mechanisms, which use different aspects of our brain, our social reality and our individual experiences.

Talking in Circles is more than just “talking” it is about how to set up conditions for real in depth discussions that strengthen relationships and build trust. This can lead to breakthrough ideas, deeper relationships and a safer, healthier work environment.
Talking the talk comes before walking the walk.

Talking in Circles explores such questions as:

– Is what we are saying what we mean?
– Is what we are saying what people are hearing?
– What is “empathic listening”?
– Where are our ideas really coming from?
– How do we talk about the “tough stuff” effectively?
– How come I can talk to everyone but you?
– These questions and more are explored in a safe, fun environment and strategies will be shared that can make communication clearer, safer and more productive.

Talking in Circles is offered in both keynote and workshop formats. Bill works directly with clients before each event in order to create material relevant and of vital interest to each individual audience.

Seeing the World Through Safety Glasses 

“Your own safety is at stake when your neighbour’s wall is ablaze.” – Horace

Why are there so many accidents in places where the warnings are clear and the dangers self-evident? Safety is a mindset. Much more than just rules and protocols, it is a way of seeing and then acting on what we see. It is about anticipation and the individual and collective responsibility for changing our workplace. It is a matter of life and death – yours and those with whom you work. Safety is something that you do for yourself but also for others. It is necessary in every working moment. It is a mindset that matters critically. “Seeing the World Through Safety Glasses“ explores how this mindset works in the individual and in a team setting.

The specifics of the safe handling of machinery or the development of safe practices is an important aspect of creating a safe workplace. Through his work with a number of diverse organizations, Bill has learned that the essential ingredient in creating a culture of safety is the development of a safety mindset. This mindset affects how we perceive our workplace and how we understand our responsibility to ourselves and our co-workers.

The truth about what are called “near misses” – those events that are almost accidents but by some luck of the moment didn’t result in a mishap- must be understood differently. Near misses are in fact an accident that will happen. When we fail to report a near miss, we are participating in an accident that will happen. The statistics around unreported “near misses” indicate that many workers don’t have a safety mindset that understands the need for all of us to act with responsible concern for each other.

“Seeing the World Through Safety Glasses” explores the ideas of complacency and how the brain operates when it comes to developing safe or dangerous habits which affects the safety of our workplace and our perception of it. Team members are introduced to a helpful mindset and learn how this is key to a safe and productive workplace for themselves and others. By creating space for authentic human exchange, this workshop allows the sharing of important perspectives on safety issues and specifics in the workplace.

Seeing the World Through Safety Glasses is offered in both keynote and workshop formats. Bill works directly with clients before each event in order to create material relevant and of vital interest to each individual audience.

Deep Service: a call to a higher level! 

“You gotta serve somebody…” – Bob Dylan

Every industry is a service industry; every life a life of service at some level. The deep truth is whether at work, in our community, or in our home life – we do, in fact, serve somebody. As leaders and managers, we serve our company, our fellow employees and our clients; and to an important, and often neglected sense, we serve our community, our society and our world. At home we serve our families, our neighbourhoods, and again our society and the world. The depth and quality of this service is directly affected by how we see ourselves as being “in service”.

Using humour and a rich sense of humanity, Bill helps his audience explore how each individual, at every level of an organization, and the organization as a whole, can re-craft and reframe their work life and personal life to be one of “Deep Service”.You will laugh; you will think – and you will change. Perception drives performance. When our lives are seen from a “service” perspective, it deepens our understanding of our place and mission in the world; hence the title – “Deep Service”. Deep Service explores the idea of servant leadership in your specific industry context. Servant leadership is a concept that is revolutionizing the workplace and adding depth and dimension to many lives and organizations. It helps your organization delve into the almost limitless possibilities of this idea when it comes to serving our internal and external customers. This understanding of deep service enriches the lives of our customers and of our own lives in profound and delightful ways.

Deep Service is an invitation to a fuller deeper work and home life. All of Bill Carr’s keynotes and workshops involve research into each particular audience and the material is specifically tailored to your individual needs. This, in fact, is an example of ‘Deep Service” and adds real value and meaning to every presentation.

Deep Service is offered in both keynote and workshop formats. Bill works directly with clients before each event in order to create material relevant and of vital interest to each individual audience.

Essential Selfishness; Care for the Caring 

“Yesterday I was clever, so I wanted to change the world. Today I am wise, so I am changing myself” – Rumi

Self-directed compassion is an idea that is little understood let alone practiced in many helping professions. As caregivers, we understand helping others but all too often we feel the idea of caring for the self is selfish. Nothing could be further from the truth. Through trial and error, many of us have experienced the peril of giving too much to others without taking the time to give to ourselves too.

In this workshop, Bill explores how self-directed compassion allows us to achieve an even a greater level of service to others. By taking the time to nurture a healthy mind, body and spirit, we can developing a deeper inner strength, resiliency and stay the course without burn out. As Gandhi taught, we must embody the change that we wish to see in the world. The journey of compassion and service must always begin within. We have to restore ourselves before we can restore others.

To extend compassion to the self is the beginning of extending real compassion to the rest of the world. To do both in a good way, we must be creative. And to be creative, we must first have a clear view of what is happening. We must have a focused intention and we must stay positive and as happy as possible no matter what is going on around us. We need to understand that we are often holding a number of tensions at the same time: competing priorities between the needs of others and the needs of self. We must learn to dance in this awareness and rejoice at the contrasts and challenge of each moment. We must welcome daily pressures in our lives like a teacher for there is always something to learn. We cannot forget that we are the architects of our own growth and expansion and that knowing how to direct tension is a life long practice. And it is one that can be mastered.

If we believe in our interconnectedness as human beings, then to abandon the “self” as being somehow unworthy of our care is an act of gross negligence. We need to believe that we are worth caring for and then we need to start caring. In “Essential Selfishness”, Bill offers both the perspective and the practical tools to do just that.

Essential Selfishness is offered in both keynote and workshop formats. Bill works directly with clients before each event in order to create material relevant and of vital interest to each individual audience.