WonderTour

It's so easy to compartmentalize ourselves into a work self vs a personal self.  Psychology shows that if we aren't careful we can end up flipping a switch in our brains, putting up a different persona depending on the situation.  In Don't Look Up, Dr. Mindy models integrity initially but then creates a fake self as he gains prominence and popularity.  By finding the right "zoom level" for each si...

In today's world, it almost seems impossible to maintain integrity in all we do.  To consistently take the long view, making decisions that prioritize the good of others, is seemingly a lost art.  But if the ancient words of Heraclitus ring true and our character determines our destiny then integrity must be the unbreakable bonds that hold our character model intact over the course of our lives. ...

This week's Tour brings a new guest, but a veteran of living out the Wonder Tour, Brian.  As leaders it can be a struggle to get everyone rowing in the same direction.  We all have a vision to cast, a story to tell of how the team gets there, but how do we get people so bought into that narrative that they will push the story forward even when we aren't around?  By looking to Duke Leto's guidance...

Integrity has the power to hold everything together in our lives but it also has a power to set us free.  Mirabel's superpower of integrity fixes the cracks in her family, lovingly shining light on the inconsistencies and offering an opportunity for transformation. When the magic is fading and we have to fall back on our foundation, it's simple integrity that can rebuild the bonds.

As we begin a new series on integrity, it's nice to start with a working definition.  On Wonder Tour, we define integrity as acting consistently for the good of others.  To have high integrity is to keep your character in tact long term, so we all must exhibit integrity to be magnanimous.  In part 1, Derrick and Drew discover how the magic of Encanto ignites the spark of integrity in the Madrigal...

As a finale to our series on curiosity, we take off on a whimsical air ship with James Newton Howard playing in the background to learn how our curiosity impacts the character of others.  Through Jim's journey to Treasure Planet, he undergoes his own coming of age story, becoming less of a self-centered rebel and more of a curious explorer.  Brilliantly, along the way he manages to change the char...

If you've seen The Matrix you might have found yourself wondering if your life might infact be some grand simulation.  Derrick and Drew flip that question by asking how culture could act like a matrix and how might we break free? This won't be the usual ideological positioning or "Wake up Sheeple!" rhetoric.  On Wonder Tour we are becoming better leaders for the good of others, so instead lets foc...

This time our Tour leads us to the Matrix as we continue our series on Becoming Curious Explorers.  Often, when we are searching for our role in the stories playing out in our lives, we tend to see ourselves as the protagonist.  That's how most stories teach us to view ourselves, but what happens when we aren't the protagonist?  By entering the proverbial dojo of Morpheus we learn how to play a cr...

This time on Marvel's What If...?, what can we learn from Doctor Strange's unyielding pursuit to raise Christine from the dead?  In this exciting, yet haunting episode the writers of the show seemingly ask the audience to consider, how do you control a rogue thought before it consumes you?  We've all seen our heroes fall, taken down by their own dark thoughts they couldn't banish.  As Curious Expl...

This time the guys visit the alternate timeline of Marvel's What If...?.  In the midst of a series focused on Becoming Curious Explorers (like some of our favorite leaders), it's time to look at the role imagination plays in human development.  When we ask the question "What if?" we exhibit the creative power that makes humans special!  We take our experiences, DNA, and senses and mix a new concoc...

Curiosity drives character development.  Plain and simple.  The directions we are curious towards will be the directions our character moves in the long term. Join Derrick and Drew as they learn from Katy how to be curious in such a way that leads to human flourishing (even when your not the hero/protagonist!). Then ponder the contrast between how Katy's curiosity leads to life and the antagonist,...

This week's Tour is a character study of everyone's favorite magician GOB Bluth from Arrested Development.  GOB seems to fail quite often, yet he always has the persistence to get back up and try again.  While we might not want to model our development leadership style after GOB specifically, we can add to our tool belt some tricks of the magic trade.  

Buddy the Elf shows us all how to be curious in any environment.  Each of us could ask ourselves the question: how might I be more curious given my life experiences and current situation?  Buddy teaches us that it starts by being sure of who we are and what our purpose is.  Then through the events of his life (like the mailroom scene), he gives us examples of how we can practice curiosity and beco...

In this week's Christmas themed episode the guys put themselves in the shoes of Buddy the Elf, examine why we would choose to be curious when it generally requires that we take a risk and put ourselves out there.  While having naive curiosity like Buddy can sometimes get us into trouble, it also seems to be a prerequisite to growth.  What is the right balance between naivety and skepticism? Is cur...

(Loki S1 E1) To kickstart the series on Becoming Curious Explorers Derrick and Drew travel with Loki to visit the Time Variance Authority.  Much like Loki, we are often thrust into totally unfamiliar scenarios in life.  What does an effective approach to exploration look like?  How can we leverage our prior knowledge and mental models while constantly integrating new information to successfully ex...

As leaders, we all want our work to live beyond us so we must be effective at passing it on to the next generation.  In the bridge episode between the Game Theory series and the Curious Explorers series the guys return to Interstellar to talk "rage against the dying of the light".  By examining Dr.  Brand's deathbed scene, they learn how we can take our work and the fire of hope that we hold onto...

The guys go deep into Halladay's character and approach to mentoring, seeking to understand how we do like the great founders we look up to, can "pass on" our greatest skills and learnings to the next generation of leaders.  On the game theory side, they try to answer the question, "When should we adjust our prior assumptions about the game?".  Knowing when to adjust our priors allows us to shrewd...

It can feel hard to keep up with the pace of change in today's climate.  Thanks to the virtual world of the Oasis in the year 2045, the game moves at an even faster speed making it challenging to stay ahead of the competition.  How can we build a competitive edge without sacrificing a family and social life?  And how can we make sure that we are ready to make wise, others-centric decisions when th...

Off on another rabbit hole, the guys take a crack at the infamous Anchorman fight scene.  As humans, we all run across conflicts from time to time.  Some seem avoidable while others are just plain ridiculous.  By touring the lives of Ron Burgundy, Wes Mantooth, and Brick Tamland, Derrick and Drew piece together some wisdom for how to avoid silly conflicts and how to cool them down before we find o...

Continuing the Hunger Games Tour with Danny, the guys ponder how Katniss is able to use her empathy to create an alternative win condition for the game.  While it often feels like the "game makers" want us to operate like it's winner-take-all, deep empathy allows us to create new ways to play and complete the game.  Empathy is hard.  Why is that and how do we get better at it?  Danny brings in a s...

Another week another Wonder Tour first.  Derrick and Drew are joined by our first ever special guest, our friend Danny.  Danny brings his outstanding passion for people to the Hunger Games as the (three) guys investigate how to win confusing "mixed strategy" games while remaining true to our character and values.

Introducing a new type of WonderTour, a rabbit hole.  If we truly believe at not all who wonder are lost, then it follows that even by going down a side road in the journey we can learn something.  On this week's slightly shorter episode the guys break down the confrontation between Luke and the Emperor in Star Wars: Return of the Jedi.  Continuing the series on Game Theory, they discover how we c...

The guys take a lot of joy in analyzing one of the funniest scenes in all of the Office, Jim's portrayal of the crusty customer, William M. Buttlicker (Season 5, Ep 7).  While this one is super lighthearted, there's still much to learn in our series about Game Theory.  How do you interact with a game within a game?  What do you do when one of the other players are having a bad day (or are just pet...

The guys break down The Office season 5 episode "Prince Family Paper".  The focus of the show is the Zero Sum game where there is a clear winner and loser.  How do we play these games in real life? How do we avoid pulling a Michael Scott and backing ourselves into a corner? How does Plato relate to The Office?  All this and much more!

The guys discuss games with incomplete or hidden information by looking at how Saruman and the Fellowship's strategies differ in the war for Middle-Earth.  They then use the lessons they learn from Frodo, Gandalf, and Aragorn to put together a framework for how to win when playing from a weaker position.