Professor Brian R. Little

Presentation:
This is a spirited and novel approach to looking at traits of personality. Professor Little discusses how individual differences in personality play a subtle and vital role in the lives of professionals, their clients and the broader community. Professor Little illustrates, with practical examples, the effect of personality on communication, memory, learning styles and decision-making. Whereas many contemporary psychologists look at fixed traits that are “set like plaster” by the age of thirty, Dr. Little examines what he calls “free traits” and argues that we, as a species, are essentially "half-plastered".

Free traits, according to Little, are enacted to advance core personal projects that bring meaning to our
lives. They may be enacted out of professionalism. They may also be enacted out of love. They are
what make us distinctively human. And, because acting out of character can cause stress and
compromise our immune systems, engaging in free trait behaviour can bring us to our knees.

Dr. Little proposes a Free Trait Agreement in which we are able to find restorative resources in our
work and home environments, in which we can indulge our “first natures”. His presentation has been
described as hilarious, touching and deeply informative.

Speaker: Dr. Brian Little.
Professor Brian R. Little has developed a new theory of human personality that has revolutionized the
academic field of personality science and has very practical implications for the quality of our working
lives. His research touches on a diversity of topics, including decision making, communication,
personality and leadership. He is an award winning Professor of Psychology, author and lecturer and a
Distinguished Research Professor in Psychology at Carleton. He received his early education in British
Columbia and his Ph.D. from the University of California at Berkeley. He has taught with distinction
at Oxford, Carleton and Harvard Universities and was awarded the 3M Fellowship, Canada’s highest
award for university teaching. He was the first recipient of the Royal Bank Faculty Fellowship in
University Teaching at McGill University. For three consecutive years, Brian Little was elected by the
graduating classes of Harvard as one of their favorite professors and his “perfect teaching evaluations”
resulted in considerable media attention, much to his continuing surprise. Described by his students as
a cross between Robin Williams and Einstein, he insists the only common element is their height.
Professor Little has also been called one of the funniest speakers on the planet and one of the most
respected. Believing that a prime function of scholarly research is to have impact beyond the
university, Dr. Little has given well over seven hundred keynote presentations to groups around the
world. His professional aspiration remains to play point guard for the Toronto Raptors. He also plans
to grow a foot and a half in the next six months.

Location:
Main Auditorium, 2nd Floor, St Paul University
Fourth Commemorative Event of HBS Centennial

Registration Instructions:
Space is limited. Register and securely pay online now at www.harvardottawa.org ; event reference is MAY2009. Presentation fee: $15 for adults, $6 for high-school students. Add GST. Please note only individuals who register online will be admitted.