Stephen Hawking is, since 1979, the Lucasian Professor of Mathematics at Cambridge University, the same post once held by Sir Isaac Newton. Hawking works to elucidate the fundamental laws that govern the universe. He continues his quest to unify General Relativity with Quantum Theory. The author of the popular bestseller A Brief History of Time, he discovered that black holes aren’t completely black, but rather that they emit radiation and eventually disintegrate. He also proposes that the universe has no edge or boundary!

In a recent address to Canada’s prestigious Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics, Hawking offered his recipe for creative thinking: “The recipe is simple: Put willing people together in an inspiring and creative intellectual environment where they are encouraged to pursue ambitious and timely research.”

I love Hawking’s emphasis on an inspiring and creative intellectual environment. This is exactly what I aim to facilitate with my clients. In an era of budget constraint and on-line meeting technology, many organizations are depriving themselves of potentially transformative opportunities to be together as a team. In thirty years of working with groups around the world, it’s evident that people at all levels are more productive, inspired and creative when they meet - in person - in an inspiring environment.

As Hawking eloquently describes it: “The importance of special places and special times, where magical progress can happen, cannot be overstated.”