Summary: Jim Harris is one of North America’s foremost management consultants, public speakers, authors and thinkers on change and leadership. He is also another local Canadian thought leader that I discovered during the World Future 2012 conference where Jim made the closing keynote speech. His speech was so entertaining, informative and illuminating that I instantly decided to invite him on Singularity 1 on 1. During our conversation with Harris we cover a wide variety of topics such as: technology as a major driver of change in our society; how a company (or our civilization) can appear to be healthy while actually being dead; the limits to growth and the ways we get Blindsided; Jim's 13 Laws of accelerating change; why most organizations are incapable of innovation and adaptation; what Jim calls The Learning Paradox - learning, changing and accepting uncertainty; why being green is not some hippy ideology but a very profitable business decision. One of my favorite quotes that I will take away from this interview with Jim Harris is: “We need a silver buckshot, not a silver bullet." (As a way of emphasizing the multiplicity of approaches necessary to adapt to accelerating change and address our environmental and economic meltdowns.) As always you can listen to or download the audio file above or scroll down and watch the video interview in full. Also, if you enjoy Singularity 1 on 1, please show your support: write a review on iTunes or make a donation. Who is Jim Harris? Jim Harris is one of North America’s foremost management consultants, public speakers, authors and thinkers on change and leadership. He has 20 years experience as a professional speaker and consultant, and speaks internationally at more than 40 conferences a year on topics including innovation and creativity, customer relationship management (CRM), eLearning, creating learning organizations, environmental leadership, energy efficiency, strategic planning, and creating common organizational mission and vision. He was one of the first seven Canadians personally trained by Al Gore to present the slide show for An Inconvenient Truth. He was also one of just 12 Canadians who were licensed to publicly teach Dr. Stephen Covey’s work, The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People. Jim Harris works with leading businesses and Fortune 500 companies. He recently finished a global consulting contract with IBM and a related white paper on how low carbon leadership drives profitability. His new book, A Crisis is a Terrible Thing to Waste, will be published in 2012. It documents hundreds of case studies on how environmental leadership is best for the bottom line, especially in these recessionary times. His most recent book, Blindsided: How to Spot the Next Breakthrough That Will Change Your Business is a #1 international bestseller, having hit the top spot on the Financial Times of London’s European Edition of Best Business Books. He is also the author of The Learning Paradox: Gaining Success and Security in a World of Change, which appeared on numerous bestseller lists, and co-author of national bestseller The 100 Best Companies to Work for in Canada. He is also principal at Strategic Advantage and previously held positions as partner at Cleantech Group and affiliate at Covey Leadership Centre. In addition to his speaking and consulting engagements and books, Jim Harris writes for a number of publications, including the Globe and Mail, Profit magazine and Backbone magazine. Related articles Cyborg Luddite Steve Mann on Singularity 1 on 1: Technology That Masters Nature is Not Sustainable
