Meahana Blog

Reflections on the evolving role of human intelligence (HI) in an era dominated by artificial intelligence (AI) and technology.

How technology can streamline lengthy, directionless meetings into productive sessions.

Six Compelling Reasons We Create

Discover the three types of courage every Business Artist needs: the empathy to understand clients, the creativity to innovate, and the courage to experiment. Embrace the challenges of merging art and business to push boundaries and achieve success.

Maximizing effectiveness as a Business Artist hinges on prioritizing health and wellness. Essential elements like adequate sleep, proper nutrition, and regular exercise significantly impact decision-making, creativity, and leadership abilities. Embracing a holistic approach, including mind-body wellness, is key to thriving in today's demanding creative and business environments

How do customers and employees feel about the value of creativity? And what role does conformity play? Conformity is a key component of a creative culture. You need creative types (aka Business Artists) on your team, but you need other cognitive types—namely, conformists.

For the Business Artist: The art lies in real-world improvisational skills, while the science involves understanding team roles and constraints. Successful sales demand mutual trust and collaboration, with each team member playing a pivotal role, aligning closely with customer needs.

Discover the 'Business Artist' perspective on collaboration, inspired by HBO's 'Spielberg' documentary. Learn how legends like Spielberg, Lucas, and Coppola mastered the art of friendly competition and mutual success. This insightful piece explores the concept of 'co-opetition' among Business Artists, revealing strategies used by SAP, Slack, and others for thriving in a competitive landscape.

Explore Three Bold Visions for Business Artists that sits at a Unique Intersection of Technology, Humanity, and Creativity

Discover how Business Artists redefine markets and stand out in your niche by challenging the status quo in business. Understand the significance of timing, innovation, and unique value propositions with our in-depth exploration of the three critical questions every business leader must ask: Why Change, Why Now, and Why You?

The ancient Greeks had two different words for the concept of time: chronos and kairos. You probably recognize the word chronos as the root for the English words “chronological” and “chronicle.” It refers to measured, ticking, quantitative time.

In an increasingly divided world, Business Artists champion generosity, collaboration, and understanding. They recognize that to truly make a difference, one must rise beyond innate instincts and think of others. Trans-perspectivism, a practice of viewing truth through varied lenses, promotes empathy and reduces conflict. Generosity is more than grand gestures; it's also about the subtle acts of service we offer daily. For Business Artists, serving others isn't just an art; it's a pathway to meaningful impact. Dive into the transformative power of shifting perspectives and the essence of true service.

The two most critical skills for a salesperson, or any Business Artist for that matter, are 1) Discovery, and 2) Storytelling. These are also the two hardest skills to learn. Why? Because they require you to clearly embrace the way of the Business Artist. 

Josh Baskins (played by Tom Hanks) in BIG, demonstrates the principles of facilitative leadership through a very simple question..."I don't get it?"

We all know that business has to run on data. Charts, reports, graphs, spreadsheets, and databases are critical for almost every business today. But what really grabs people’s attention? Stories.

Business Artists, who, like traditional artists, aim to create change but within the business context. These individuals deeply care about their customers and challenge the status quo to redefine what is possible. They ask questions, highlight dissatisfaction, and aim to bring innovation.

While we separate knowledge into different silos, the truth is everything is interconnected. Finding overlaps between disciplines allows for deeper thinking and insight.

Obstacles to creative flow often come from within, like overthinking rather than letting go

When someone is fueled by creative passion, as most Business Artists are, their minds are non-stop machines fueled by intense curiosity. There is no pause button and no way to power it down.

High-profile leaders showcase facilitative leadership's power to unlock collective potential and empower organizations to thrive.

When you zoom out and look at other professions that we don’t usually associate with creative thinking, you’ll see that they’re all Business Artists performing their art in unique ways.

We humans like to think of ourselves as logical, rational creatures. But the reality is that facts will never move the human heart like storytelling can.

Apple is "stuck in an endless cycle of imitating its own past success" and has become the "world's biggest cover band." Even innovative companies fall prey to simply "playing the hits" instead of pushing boundaries.

Most of us consume more than we create. When that happens, we operate from a place of judgment of other people’s creations and we limit ourselves by starving our artistic sensibilities.

Innovation can be fun and daunting at the same time. We see big changes ahead and wonder if we have the courage and ingenuity to adapt. It’s easy to get overwhelmed by all that we have to do–and who we have to become–to get there safely.

Titling the department "Human Resources" strips humanity and autonomy from workers, reducing them to inputs and assets rather than souls.

Facilitative leadership empowers teams, fosters collective potential, and guides through influence rather than top-down control.

While technology has enabled immense progress, the dehumanizing focus on efficiency has reached an inflection point requiring a re-infusion of human creativity, which companies like Meahana aim to unlock through intuitive collaboration platforms

I’ve always been fascinated with the idea of “connecting the dots.” I believe everything is related to everything else. No culture, idea, historical event, or current event exists in isolation. All of history, and all of humanity, is connected in an infinitely complicated web of people, places, things, events, and ideas.

One of the biggest themes of my upcoming book, The Business Artist, is that we all face a huge danger in our creative work: imitating others.

Content orchestration is the secret ingredient that separates average facilitators from exceptional ones. It involves meticulous selection, organization, and structuring of content to create a seamless and impactful learning experience

Cover bands have their place in society. They’re great for entertainment but not for creating anything new. But for business artists, it’s not enough to just operate as a faint copy of someone else. True Business Artists want to do more than just follow a script or mimic outdated sales and business practices.

With an emphasis on the crucial need for a "human touch" in business, I'd argue that traditional sales scripts and practices often fail to connect genuinely with customers. Just as one plays piano in their own style rather than from a memorized piece, sales conversations should also be individualized, authentic, and improvisational.

Being a successful business leader means embracing the role of a Business Artist, challenging the status quo, and tapping into creativity to inspire and drive high performance. Rather than strictly adhering to prescribed success pathways, these leaders flex their innate human strengths, engage with others authentically, and often improvise, creating their own 'jazz' in the business world.

Facilitation mirrors the journey of an artist, with its own set of challenges.

WeLearn, a learning solutions and custom content creation company, and Meahana, a facilitator-first learning platform, are excited to announce they have formed a strategic learning and development partnership. Together, they form a complimentary service offering for organizations looking for both a virtual instructor training platform as well as custom course content creation.

A genuine workshop centers around two concepts: 'work', involving real, hands-on effort, not just theory or lecture, and 'shop', referring to the exchange and refinement of this work among peers. Workshops are valuable experiences, demanding time as an investment, where participants learn and improve together. Misusing the term 'workshop' dilutes its essence, and we must reclaim its meaning, reminding ourselves that it is a dynamic, interactive space for active learning and development.

Future of Workshop Design: Meahana's No-Code Approach and Content Partnerships Empower Facilitators

Adam Boggs discusses the evolution of software eras driven by AI technology and community-driven models. It highlights the emergence of the "Augmentation Era" and how companies like Meahana are empowering individuals to become world-class facilitators. The author also mentions the availability of tools like Canva and AI image generators that enable individuals to create professional designs without extensive design skills.

Why there are very few tools designed specifically for facilitators

Meaningful Meetings: 5 Tips for Facilitating Meetings That Don’t Suck