June 2011
Summer e-News
Welcome to the Summer edition of the WorldBlu e-news. We hope that our regular reports will provide you with powerful and inspiring ideas as you chart your democratic journey at work.
WorldBlu LIVE 2011 :: Spreading Freedom at Work – ROCKED!
WorldBlu LIVE logo
Last month some 200 eager minds converged on San Francisco for two days of learning, networking and celebrating freedom at work.
The 4th such event, WorldBlu LIVE 2011 was the largest to date and a sell out! More than two thirds of the delegates were relatively new to the ideas of freedom and democracy at work and came excited to learn from some of the most democratic organizations in the world.
Traci Fenton 2WorldBlu Founder and CEO, Traci Fenton, explained: “The shift we are witnessing worldwide is a shift from the Industrial and Information Ages to the Democratic Age. To get there, we must put into practice a fundamental assumption of democracy — that each person has inherent worth and dignity. Currently, most people live and work in environments that are still bound to the command-and-control model, that are still governed by fear, and that still deny us the space to be our most creative and fulfilled selves. But we who are here know something powerful: that when we consciously and deliberately choose to design our workplaces based on the design principles of freedom — and not fear — we help people and organizations develop the collective capacity to change the world.”
Leaders from WorldBlu certified companies such as WD-40, DaVita, Chaordix, Menlo Innovations, MindValley, Rypple, Hulu, Zappos, Groupon and many others openly shared how they practice democracy in their workplaces, while leading authors and respected leaders at the cutting edge of the freedom at work movement provided insightful breakout sessions.
Leading author Steve Shapiro, gave one of the most interactive and energizing sessions at the conference with a whistle stop tour of his new interactive book – Personality Poker – an game that helps you to identify and understand your style of innovation and that of others too. Essentially, by drilling down to see how individuals in your team contribute to the collective whole, you help create a more powerful, balanced democratic organization.
Will McInnes WorldBlu LIVE 3 Shelley Kuipers 2 James Shaw
The WorldBlu team have enjoyed hearing about how the event has ignited a passion for freedom centered workplaces worldwide, post-event. One attendee shared: “A good friend who owns a stationary company in Australia was so inspired by all I told him about WorldBlu and all of the retweets and articles I sent him, that he went ahead and forwarded the WorldBlu site and principles ‘to all the staff at work to find out what they think of becoming a democratic workplace…’ Thought you’d enjoy hearing one more case of this movement spreading!”
Another attendee, and recent college graduate said: “WorldBlu LIVE literally changed my life and what I want to do in the future. As a fresh college graduate, just starting my career, I could not have asked for a more meaningful experience than interacting with democratic leaders from around the world and learning about the kinds of places I could potentially work for and actually be happy in. My experience at WorldBlu LIVE was literally life-changing and I know that wherever I end up, I will be working — or starting my own — democratic company!”
To learn more about the conversations that took place and hear what inspired delegates, follow the Twitter #worldblu hashtag and look out for the presentations which will be available via our new online WorldBlu Learning Exchange soon. Further details about The WorldBlu Learning Exchange are outlined below in this newsletter. You may also like to check out some of the photos and videos from the event.
A huge thanks to everyone who helped make WorldBlu LIVE such a success – our sponsors, speakers, facilitators, volunteers, production team and St Regis Hotel staff! In the words of Chief Happiness Officer, Alexander Kjerulf – YOU ROCK!
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