Map of global flight paths by Brandon Jackson (no relation). Last week I attended a friend’s 50th birthday party – a beautiful gathering that was as much a celebration of community and of all the guests as it was a celebration of the friend whose birthday it was. With pizza, ice cream tacos, and aContinue reading “Noticing the Global Intersections of Gatherings”
Category Archives: Community
Leading People in a Time of Distraction
Photo credit: Mike Stewart/AP How often are you taking part in (or leading) a meeting but finding it hard to concentrate because of something happening in the wider world? How often have you noticed someone else in the meeting suddenly disappear – mentally, if not physically? With news feeling like drinking from a firehose theseContinue reading “Leading People in a Time of Distraction”
Is a Banquet with 54 Speeches a Good Fit for Your Team?
Imagine attending a banquet, and learning when you arrive that there would be 54 speeches throughout the evening. Not three, not five… 54. How do you think you might feel at the end of the evening? Invigorated? Inspired? Uplifted? Surely not. But surprisingly, that was my exact experience last week. Our oldest child graduated highContinue reading “Is a Banquet with 54 Speeches a Good Fit for Your Team?”
“Coopertition”: What it Means & How You Can Use It
Coopertition, or co-opertition – often spelled “coopetition,” or “co-opetition” – is a term describing cooperative competition. How can that be helpful in the workplace?
Allowing the Right to Repair within Teams
Are you familiar with the “Right to Repair” movement? “They don’t make things like they used to” is an oft-repeated phrase, and there’s truth to it – with cheaper materials, planned obsolescence, and the proprietary nature of information and parts, it can sometimes seem impossible to fix something that’s broken. It can seem like theContinue reading “Allowing the Right to Repair within Teams”
The Sound of Silence: The Value of a Simple Pause
“And in the naked light I saw / Ten thousand people, maybe more / People talking without speaking / People hearing without listening / People writing songs that voices never share / No one dared disturb the sound of silence” – The Sound of Silence by Simon & Garfunkel, written by Paul Simon In turbulentContinue reading “The Sound of Silence: The Value of a Simple Pause”
When You’re Stuck with Curmudgeons and Critics
Bring to mind a time when you were on a team or in a meeting with one or two people who – either literally or metaphorically – sat there with arms crossed, only speaking up to criticize the work of others. Perhaps you can recall many experiences like this. If so, I wonder how youContinue reading “When You’re Stuck with Curmudgeons and Critics”
Retreat Yo Self!
When was the last time you took a personal, or group, retreat? Perhaps this is something you make time for regularly, or maybe it’s been years – if ever. Maybe your association with retreats is entirely based on corporate retreats. I’ve known more than one organization that bristles at the idea of a “retreat” (somethingContinue reading “Retreat Yo Self!”
Five Years On: Honoring Covid “Anniversary Reactions”
Have you found yourself reflecting on “five years ago…” this week? I have been part of several conversations about this, and overheard others. Coronavirus cases first appeared around the world in late 2019. For many readers in the Western world, however, the most direct impacts began in March 2020 – with lockdowns and other sweepingContinue reading “Five Years On: Honoring Covid “Anniversary Reactions””
What is Ethical Fading?
Ethical fading is the social phenomenon in which people or organizations gradually lose sight of – or subconsciously self-deceive themselves out of seeing – their inherent moral framework, and take actions increasingly inconsistent with their values. Over the course of your career, how many times have you found yourself uncomfortable with the way your employersContinue reading “What is Ethical Fading?”
Building Bridges Leadership 