Good morning from a cool and damp Vancouver. I hope that your week is filled with inspiration and possibility.

I spoke in Winnipeg on Saturday about Post Modern Governance, that is what does the work of boards look like in a post modern, and emerging world? And in that speech, referenced a conversation earlier in the week with sometime colleague Kim Andres. Kim taught me of a new way of describing something that makes the emerging, post modern world so difficult for so many leaders over 35 years of age.

If you were born after 1985, you are a 'citizen' in a technological world. If you were born prior to 1985, you are an 'immigrant' to a technological world. For us immigrants, we have had to learn a second language, adopt new patterns of behaviour, and learn new means of communication. The citizens of this new world were born 'plugged in' and so move easily and fluidly in it.

Now, of course the date 1985 is arbitrary, and there are exceptions, young people who don't live in a technological world, and mature people who are fluently bilingual. For the most part however, we immigrants have a number of hills to climb.

Two of the implications for leadership are; that as immigrants, we need to be constantly and consciously learning, and as immigrants, we'll need the support of the citizens to help us learn. One way of doing that is to build a reciprocal mentor relationship. Find a person with whom you can learn in partnership, passing on your wisdom about life, and life changing decisions, and learning from them about the language and customs of this new, technological and post modern world.

By working and learning together, we might just be able to make this world that much healthier and just for everyone.

May we all learn something this week.