Yesterday's visits took us into the heart of first Ideo, then Google and Survey Monkey. All of them amazingly impressive with much to teach us about how you get to be the best in the world and create environments that foster creativity. We spend a lot of time at work, and with the people there. The better we can make work, the better our lives, but it's got harder since the financial meltdown. But Google sort of borrowed my breath, so to speak. The sheer magnitude: 16,000 people on the campus we visited. Hardly any looking older than 16, though they assured us the age range is extensive. You get the impression nobody would ever need to leave work. 26 cafes serving 55,000 meals a day. Wash your clothes, get your dry cleaning done, use the gyms, go to the doctor or even get a hair cut, all on the company. 100 buses to collect staff from wherever they live. Book a car or grab any of the thousands of bikes around. Take a swim, play volleyball, have lunch under the garden umbrellas in the garden. Sounds like a beach resort, and I guess on one level it is, but those 16,000 minds are among the best in the world, very carefully selected to be part of a culture that demands self-direction and results. You work when and where you want. Put in 50, 60, 70, 80 hours a week 24/7. But what I loved most was right there in the heart of it all, a beautiful vegetable garden. The sign close by said it all for me: "The Growing Connection. Cultivating Food, Connecting Minds, Harvesting Hope." The Growing Connection is an FAO initiative Google partners with. The challenge is how much organic food you can grow in small areas. Unexpected in this environment. I'm going to start a veggie garden at Queensberry :) Best, Heather