Location: Atlantic Canada Aviation Museum, 20 Sky Blvd, Goffs, NS

Date: Thursday, July 18th, 2019

Time: Lunch and Networking: 11:40 am, Presentation: 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm

Cost: Free (lunch – please advise of any special dietary requirements)

RSVP: Please use our Online Registration process to register by Tuesday, July 16th, 2019.

Livestream Available! Please select the appropriate timeslot where details are provided. 

This event qualifies for 1 Professional Development Hour (PDH) for the Engineers Nova Scotia CPD program.

Presenter: David Holt, Principal, Context, speaking and consulting; Associate Publisher, OptiMYz inc.

Topic:

Creativity is not about the field you work in, but rather about the approach you bring to it. It requires a mastery of the field or domain, but also the ability to see beyond current boundaries. There is a lot of trial and error. It requires the ability to tune out the crowd and also one’s own self-doubts. It requires the ability to be wrong. All children have these qualities, otherwise they would never learn to walk and talk. We are social creatures. Most adults are just trying to fit in – to get an “A” from teacher. This includes brilliant technicians.

In this talk, Holt explores how individuals, teams and organizations can use the tools of leadership, strategy and innovation to push beyond current boundaries. This is not to be confused with increasing productivity, which is simply the refinement of current methods. Both creativity and productivity are needed, but they are not the same. In fact, they are often in opposition.

Individual examples include telecom pioneers Bell, Marconi, and Shannon. (Coincidentally, Holt has connections with all three.)

The talk also looks at organizational structures and how they evolve. Examples include Google and Amazon.

Bio:

David Holt is a writer, speaker, consultant and entrepreneur who has developed programs that help teams and organizations look at their challenges in a fresh new way. He uses examples from the history of science, technology, business and the military to illustrate the principles of strategy and innovation. As an entrepreneur he has co-founded companies in the media, IMAX documentary, renewable energy and data centre sectors. Early in his career he worked in oceanography. A resident of Nova Scotia, he was educated in the United States and France.