About this item
While it may not occur to us on a daily basis, there is a widespread cultural tendency toward quick decisions and quick action. This pattern has resulted in many of our society's greatest successes, but even more of its failures. Though the root cause is by no means malicious, we have begun to reward speed over quality, and the negative effects suffered in both our personal and professional lives are potentially catastrophic.Best-selling author and Chief Envisioner Dan Pontefract offers the solution to this predicament with what he coins "Open Thinking," a cyclical process in which creativity is encouraged, critiquing leads to better decisions, and thoughtful action delivers positive, sustainable results. He proposes a return to balance between the three components of productive thought: dreaming, deciding, and doing.
About the Author
Dan is the author of "FLAT ARMY: Creating a Connected and Engaged Organization" (May, 2013) and "THE PURPOSE EFFECT: Building Meaning in Yourself, Your Role and Your Organization" (May 2016) . He is Chief Envisioner of TELUS Transformation Office; a future-of-work consulting group that helps organizations enhance corporate culture, leadership, learning, work styles & collaboration practices.
Previously, as Head of Learning & Collaboration at TELUS, Dan was responsible for the overarching learning, collaboration & leadership development strategy for the company. Dan championed the introduction of the TELUS Leadership Philosophy (TLP) , an open and collaborative-based leadership framework for all 43,000 TELUS team members. In parallel to these actions he drove a philosophical and cultural shift in the way TELUS views and experiences learning called "Learning 2.0"; the shift to a social, informal and formal learning and collaboration model bringing TELUS to the forefront of connected learning and leading. He further championed the use and deployment of collaborative technologies to complement both the learning and leadership frameworks. Between 2008 and 2015, employee engagement at TELUS soared from 53% to 87%.
Dan is a passionate leader in the leadership & social collaboration technology spaces and is uniquely skilled to ensure an organization can move from traditional cultures to healthier ways of working.
His career is interwoven with both corporate and academic experience, coupled with an MBA, B.Ed and multiple industry certifications and accreditations. Dan is also a renowned speaker and has been invited to deliver over 150 external keynotes and presentations since 2009, including three TEDx Talks. In 2012 he appeared on the front cover of T D Magazine and Chief Learning Officer Magazine. His first book, FLAT ARMY has been reviewed in Forbes and The Globe and Mail and sat on the Amazon.com best sellers list in leadership. Dan also writes on Forbes, Harvard Business Review and The Huffington Post.
In 2010, Dan was acknowledged by CLO as a 'Vanguard Award' winner and is a 2-time winner by the Corporate University Best in Class Awards of the 'Leader of the Year' in both 2010 and 2011. In 2012, SkillSoft awarded Dan the 'Learning Leader of the Year' for his work at TELUS and CLO Magazine bestowed the 'Learning in Practice Innovation Award' as well. He is also the recipient of the 2012 Brandon-Hall 'Gold Award in Strategy & Governance'. In 2015, TELUS became a 10-time winner of the prestigious 'ATD BEST' award and was the first ever recipient of the ATD Hall of Fame distinction. In 2013 and 2014, TELUS also placed in the top ten of the Learning! 100 Awards.
He was recruited into TELUS in Q4 of 2008, previously holding senior positions with SAP, Business Objects, Crystal Decisions and the British Columbia In
