I am consistently surprised and delighted by the range of metaphors that appear from members of our portfolio careers linkedin group. And maybe I am going slightly mad after yet another day of continuous rain in the UK but this fantastic Ted video comes via last week’s TEDxSummit which gathered 700 organizers from 120 countries in Doha, Qatar, with the aim of activating Ideas Worth Doing. Although the event lasted an entire week, the most visually inventive idea to emerge from it was already complete by the time it began.

Amsterdam-based agency WE ARE Pi, which previously collaborated with TED on the human brain project last fall, joined forces with the Koerner Union and Paris’ BIG Productions to create a mesmerizing introduction video for TEDxSummit: a live-action kaleidoscope made of human arabesques.

When I think of why I love having a portfolio career its because it constantly changes shape, direction, involves increasing networks of people, is sometimes overwhelming but in the final analysis has a beauty of its own. See what you think – or maybe I am just rained out!

Great piece in Fast Company magazine firstly talking about ‘broken tile syndrome’ – read it and see. And then  about the fact that most of us are much more skilled in complaining than we are at giving positive feedback.

As portfolio workers often moving in and out of organisations we have great opportunities of ‘catching people doing something right’ or telling someone the positive thought that we have sitting in the front of our brain but which of course is totally invisible to the person in front of us. This is how professional and personal relationships develop. You don’t want to appear gushing – but most people do not even get so far as dribbling. Attack gratitude deficit disorder now!

Scary but true according to the research quoted by Tom Peters.

Psychometric testing is expensive so imagine my amazement at discovering a new website offering free personality testing with more to come. It has been set up by psychometricians who worked for SHL – one of the leading psychological test constructors in the UK. The first test they have is based on the big 5 personality test that most psychologists adhere to. All I can tell you is that I tried it out and I reckon that it is almost 100% correct for me and correlates for me very highly with the big 5 tests that have to be paid for.

We have a chapter in the book that discusses the fact that most of us have a number of different selves hiding inside of us and there are some Cando’s that help you to identify just what they are. One plus of a portfolio career is that it can often allow us to express a wider range of these selves than is possible with just one job. As someone who brought his kids up in the 70’s and 80’s I, and they,  recall avidly watching the adventures of Mr Benn. Now here was someone who continually explored different aspects of himself  when he visited a magical fancy dress shop in Festing Road, Putney. David Mckee was the wonderful artist and creator of Mr Benn and he kindly gave us permission to reproduce the characters for this chapter. We were delighted to discover therefore that an engraved paving slab will be laid outside the house where McKee invented his famous cartoon. Local residents have clubbed together to make this happen and David, who now lives in the south of France (it did take us a while to track him down) is of course delighted and will be attending the ceremony.