A Moment for Gratitude

By Dean Whittaker Thanksgiving is perhaps one of my favorite times of the year. It is a time to reflect on all that we have been given and to express our appreciation. At the end of our team meeting each week, we ask each person to say what they are feeling grateful...

Why What You Do Matters!

By Dean Whittaker While visiting the small (1,500 pop) Illinois farm town in which I spent the first 18 years of my life, I was reminded the importance of economic development. Earlville was a thriving Midwest farm town in the 1950-60’s. Located 75 miles west of...

The Future of Learning

By Dean Whittaker This month I’ve been learning about the way we learn inside our educational system. As we all know, improving this institution is one of our greatest challenges. While working at a university, I wondered why it takes a semester to learn anything....

Innovate of Die!

By Dean Whittaker “Innovate or die” seems to be the common mantra in business today. In the Internet age, products and services become commoditized at an astounding pace. Unless we continuously innovate our product or service we quickly find ourselves competing to be...

Imagine – How Creativity Works

By Dean Whittaker One of the most powerful tools each of us posseses is our imagination. “Imagine” by Johan Lehrer explores “How Creativity Works.” He reports on the brain research that is allowing us to understand the creative process and...