Design your future. Then invite it in.

E48: Climate, FEO, Terri Lonier

Aug 14, 2022

Design your future and invite it in

"If I am going to put in those kinds of hours any way I want to do work that matters. Work that has impact - that invigorates and engages me so I don’t notice the time flying by ." I hear it so often from GenZ career-seekers, it is almost an anthem. And it is a question that is generation-agnostic, echoed as all of us emerge from our Covid confinement and address the new shape of work.

But, is there a way to get to do the work that matters? It turns out, you have to be clear about what you want. And ask for it.

“I want conversations about climate to be sexy - intriguing, engaging, and appealing. I want to write in a way that inspires agency while addressing the urgency.” That was part of my application to the David Perell “Write of Passage” program in the summer of 2021.

It is no secret to our Tilt tribe that my passions pivot around topics that prepare us for the future:

Future of Work: How the nature of work is changing, and the skills that will best benefit us. How we can prepare for and embrace it. And how we manage these interim decades while both the old and new still exist.
Parenting GenZ: Raising future-ready citizens and leaders
Climate: Finding your agency within the urgency

I want to make a difference - any difference that I am capable of making - particularly in the climate conversation. In my first essay E2: We borrow this Earth from our children I struggled with my frustration. With conversations, coaching, and feedback I pivoted to a more positive message that discussed agency and motivation, particularly for our youngest generation of citizens, workers and voters.

I tested the messaging on Twitter and LinkedIn:

"Hope makes vision possible. Vision is what makes discussion possible.
We only lose if we give up hope."

To which my friend David W Reynolds responded:

I like this line – "Vision is what makes discussion possible."
Your words served as a catalyst for some additional/extended thoughts.
"Discussion empowers action.
Action creates change.
Change validates hope.
Hope generates vision.
Vision starts discussion.
Discussion..."
and so on. A great cycle!

I published E9: Is this the biggest marshmallow test of all? on the eve of COP26. In the face of the world’s leaders gathering to offer promises that might die in their home parliaments, I asked “Is there anything an ordinary citizen can do?” My writing must have caught someone’s eye. Because …

THE UNIVERSE DELIVERED.

I’ve been invited to join the board of a local coalition (ref Future Energy Oakville E40) tasked with reducing our town’s carbon footprint by 40% by 2040, towards net zero. “Think global. Act local.” says my son, the environmentalist.

The community energy plan that was created attacks consumption on four fronts:

Municipal buildings including the schools, hospital, rec centres
Transportation (battery charging stations, public buses)
Local industry including the only Ford vehicle production plant in Canada
Residential upgrades (energy-efficient furnaces, a/c etc) to reduce our carbon footprint

It is a Not For Profit. Step one is accessing funding and grants. We have to engage all generations in our community - so there will be a lot of new messaging. Then on to deploying a variety of community projects. Wish us luck. Ideally, we can share a best practices playbook with other North American towns that also see the imperative in taking their towns along a similar journey.

We are at the start of this journey in my town, still designing websites and creating a team. I look forward to sharing frequent updates.

But the learning that I wish to share today is:

If you feel passionately enough about something, go after it.
Ask for what you want. You may not have a clue as to the exact opportunities available in your area of interest. Whether it is crypto or travel, the future of education or tennis racquets — if you create a virtual presence that showcases your interests, people who share your passions will find you.

Meet a member: Terri Lonier, Authority by Design

“She coined the phrase, Solopreneur.”

I had run across Terri’s work years ago as I explored the idea of stretching past my comfort zone and becoming a solopreneur. She recognized the advent of what we now know as gig work and side hustles. I have great respect for anyone who can sense a trend while it is still an outlier. And here she was, a giant in her field, sharing a zoom breakout room with me.

We share an interest in the Future of Work. Terri is presently assisting industry leaders at the Oracle Industry Lab in co-innovating solutions for the foremost challenges facing them.

Future of Work is a broad field, that requires our audience to expand their vision of what is possible in the long-term. I find it challenging to cram seven years of research, and some big ideas into my thirty-minute keynotes. “Communicate big ideas faster with frameworks,” suggested Terri. That is how I found myself converting my messaging into images alongside 12 other participants in her recent Authority by Design class. Once you discover the world of frameworks, you will recognize them everywhere. Do you recall the visuals that accompanied my recent BTS editions? They were inspired by her class. I played with the circles framework for the venn in E33: Hunting for Hope about the UN Sustainability goals and with the triangles in E32: Sticky to Stickier about the role algorithms play in what we experience. I introduced Authority by Design in E40: Bitings and promised to share more about the brains behind the program.

What is possible in life if you have a creative mind?

One of the most surprising things I discovered about Terri - who I associate with strategy, computers and tech - is that her background is in the Arts. She holds an MFA (Masters in Fine Arts) in Ceramics and Design. She was a potter and ceramic sculptor, having created porcelain pottery and outdoor sculptural works. That explains her ability to imagine the impossible and communicate in visuals.

Here are some other fun facts I learned about Terri Lonier, and some stories you can share with young “creatives” in your sphere.

She coined the term “solopreneur” in the early 1990s. Her first of five books on micro-businesses, Working Solo, the entrepreneurial startup guide for creative self-employment, was featured on the cover of Inc magazine and named “the 1st place book for solo entrepreneurs” and “the free agent bible” by Fast Company.
She fell in love with the personal computer industry (she got her first computer in 1980) and grew with this trend during the 1980s and 1990s. “I still marvel at its impact today,” she said.
She consulted for Apple for 12 years — both when Steve Jobs was there, then he left, then he came back and reinvented the company. A very formative time for Apple — and one of her favourite clients.

She is currently consulting for Oracle at their innovation space called the Oracle Industry Lab - read her LinkedIn post here.
She is often on TV as an authority on entrepreneurship and the changing American workplace. She is constantly researching the economy and business. Her work is regularly featured in the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, Fortune, Business Week, Fast Company, Inc., and USA Today.
She received her Ph.D. in Business History researching the entrepreneurial origins of food marketing. She inspires others with her innovation journey through her roles in academia
- Executive Director of the Entrepreneurship Center at DePaul University, and on their MBA faculty (Chicago)
- Dean of Career and Professional Experience, School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC)
- Graduate faculty teaching Strategy and Entrepreneurship, Columbia College Chicago
With her focus on entrepreneurship and innovation, she has either served within or advised a range of organizations you will recognize: Apple, Microsoft, Oracle, IBM, HP, Cisco, Bank of America, Visa, National Science Foundation and the Aspen Institute.
Her latest — and most satisfying — adventure has been launching Authority By Design, an online course and community to help people communicate their big ideas fast, with visuals. As she says “It brings together my background in design, business, and technology (my Venn!) in a unique way that brings value to creative thought leaders who want to expand their visibility, credibility, and revenue. It allows me to flex my strategy and communication strengths.”

So, what would an experienced explorer like Terri advise a young mind just starting their journey in life?

When opportunities come, take them. They don’t stay around for very long, and when that door opens, walk through it confidently. And don’t be afraid to speak your mind!

Design your future. Invite it in. Walk through the doors when they open. Confidently. Now, that is advice worth sharing!

I asked Terri to pick her top UN Sustainable Development Goals (UNSDG). “Seemed to be the entire chart,” she responded. But she settled on:

When you follow her life journey, you see the persistent thread of these choices. In her words:

5. Gender Equality — having been a female entrepreneur for several decades, it is satisfying to see how far women have come, and disappointing to see how little things have changed. I mentor female entrepreneurs in hopes of making their paths easier than mine.
2. Zero Hunger. I believe this is a worthy goal that can be achieved in my lifetime if we align the right minds and incentives. One of my favorite nonprofits is the Chicago Food Depository, which does great work throughout the Chicago area.
9. Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure. Given the work I do with the Oracle Industry Lab, I know the challenges facing industry, as well as the significant innovations on the horizon that will positively impact the planet and the workplace of tomorrow.

Find out more about Terri Lonier on LinkedIn, or on her website TerriLonier.com

And I recommend discovering more about her new program Authority by Design (code KARENA) if you are searching for ways to improve your messaging.