WonderTour

The first Wonder Tour of Lord of the Rings  is a milestone.  Derrick and Drew celebrate by looking up to one of the most cherished mentors in any media, Gandalf.  What do we do when a mentor falls down the hole with the balrog? How do we move on and continue to grow?  There's a Wonder Tour formula for that. To end part 1 it's time for a formal introduction to game theory, a key tool in the decisio...

The guys begin by unpacking the wise last words of the Ancient One, "Arrogance and fear still keep you from learning the greatest lesson of all: it's not about you".  Next they imagine humans as surfers learning to ride the waves of reality.  In exploring the awesome ending confrontation with Dormamu they bring in game theory and the question, how can we use strategy to break the game?

The guys enter another dimension as they analyze how Doctor Strange grows from being a selfish leader to a servant leader.  When someone, like Stephen, is stuck in a fixed mindset, how can we help them to break out and become magnanimous? They finish up by fleshing out a model to make us more powerful leaders, "arcane skill development".

In the second part of the Tour of Inception the guys unpack the ending, debating if the top is still spinning and what it all means.  Alikening our shared journeys to a symphony they imagine each of us as composers working together to weave the story.  Diving into the concept of a "kick" they ponder how formulating and synchronizing kicks can allow us to successfully jumpstart our vision and ideas...

The Wonderers begin by wrestling with the way shared dreaming works and what rules and formulas might apply in the movie.  They focus on Saito to learn about the sponsoring type of mentor.  By putting up projections we can end up covering the truth that we need to face leaving us in a state of restless sleep. How might we destroy the projections we put up that, like Mal, are keeping us asleep to o...

This week's Tour focuses on Parks and Recreation Season 2 Episode 6 (Kaboom).  Keef (Paul Scheer) inspires Leslie to KABOOM her pit problem.  Along the way Derrick and Drew ponder classic questions like, "Does the end justify the means?" and "Is it ever okay to take shortcuts?".  To wrap it all up, they try their hand at crafting a better KABOOM.

In one of the guys favorite episodes yet, they weave together elements of music, visuals, themes, and story coming to the conclusion that living life vibrantly is a key to being a magnanimous leader.  Graciously experiencing all the highs and lows of the present world allows us to unlock the potential of each moment even when we can't see how it'll all play out.  From Yondu we discover what a crus...

For this Tour the guys attempt to navigate the dream-like arc of Tyler Durdin, Jack, Marla, and Bob.  The narrator, Jack, is a great example of how an over-structured life (business, or portfolio), while reducing our perceived downside risk, often drastically limits our opportunity for upside outcomes like developing good character (creating competitive advantages, or turning a nice profit).  When...

As leaders, we tend to carry extra weight that isn't really ours to wield.  Weight that's projected onto us from our past, from our present, from our colleagues, from our families, etc.  It's hard to visualize this weight but we can feel it's effects draining our confidence and hope.  On this week's Wonder Tour, we learn from Rey (and Ben) how we can identify and shed the Phantom Weight we're carr...

This week we are throwing back to the first recorded episode of Wonder Tour that we never aired.  The guys discuss mentor theory and then work through how we might dig deep into ourselves to find and establish our purpose as leaders and how that equips us to make the right decisions.  We hope you enjoy a sneak peak into how we began this journey by touring one of our favorite films of all time in...

When we see too narrow of a vision of the the future, we risk getting stuck in "Tunnel Vision" on a destination.  Tunnel Vision can lock up our progress, weaken our experiences, and ultimately lead to disappointment when we finally reach the destination we envisioned and we find ourselves feeling unfulfilled.  By tapping into Russell's spirit of adventure, the guys discover how to let go of the gl...

Drew and Derrick look through the eyes of Thor and Loki to help us understand the path we walk as leaders, specifically focusing on how to deal with crucible moments (painful life stages that lead to our growth and formation).  Thor and Loki are both full of potential, but take wildly different journeys in developing their character.  Thor leans into the pain and humbles himself, becoming a leader...

A grand dream, like a thick gas, can intoxicate people within a confined space, but what happens when the space the vision is cast in scales more quickly than the vision itself?  The guys unpack PT Barnum's leadership superpower, vision, by analyzing how the density of his vision correlates with his rise, fall, and rise again.

Derrick and Drew explore the world and leaders of the Mandalorian, honing specifically in on Season 1 Episode 7-8.  First we get caught up learning from Kuill how purified, narrow scope leadership can build one into a sage-like individual. Then we imagine ourselves in Din's story, growing from a lone wolf to a servant leader.  Big takeaways include the best ways to build trust in a disjointed rela...

This time the guys start by pondering the power of curiosity through the lives of Interstellar heroes, Murph and Coop (along with how to develop a more curious character).  Next, by looking at the trajectory of Dr. Mann, they frame up how a leader might fall prey to the allure of power, flipping morality to suit their own narrative.  Finally, they take Nolan's bait and contemplate the dimension-be...

Derrick and Drew dive into the lovably naïve world of Pinocchio.  On this ride, we decipher why the redemption narrative is so important to humanity and introduce the concept of an invisible growth rate that seemingly governs things in our world.  By imagining this organic growth rate, we can be more effective at implementing changes that are sustainable over time.

Like the Iron Man suit, all awesome innovations start with a prototype. By learning from Tony Stark, we can become great prototypers and by extension more effective agents of change in the world. 

This time on Wonder Tour Derrick and Drew tear down the mechanics of great heists and the teams that undergird the best execution. Through the use of strategic weaving and not merely operational scripts you can give your team the edge under pressure. Everyone could use a dash of Danny Ocean in their leadership repertoire!

On this week's Wonder Tour Derrick and Drew journey into the life of one of their favorite characters, Obi-Wan Kenobi of the Star Wars universe.  We dig into the mentoring relationships that Obi-Wan had with Anakin and Luke, seeking to learn from his failures and successes.  We stand in wonder as Obi-Wan becomes a cleansing trauma in the life of Darth Vader/Anakin through the power of surrender.