The language of participation for building dynamic organizations, communities and enterprises
I had returned to Oklahoma after several months on special assignment to Alaska to discover that Bumpy wasn’t Bumpy anymore–he was Gary. Of course, he was always Gary, but like many folks around town, he was known by his nickname. There was PJ, the mayor, and Tub, his right hand man, and the old man [...]
The original version of this graphic was developed for a strategic planning taskforce on internal communications. It was an attempt to capture the multiple dimensions of relationships within the organization, and thereby discover opportunities for enhancing the effectiveness, capacity and vitality of communications throughout the enterprise. The major insight is that most organizational communication takes [...]
“My Great Teacher always says, do everything in moderation.” And with that, my Tai Chi instructor in Akamatsu (Red Pine) Park made it through the morning practice to light up a cigarette. Of course, we all understood our teacher’s transition rite, knowing he was heading back to spend the rest of the day as the [...]
Continually refreshing a Sense of Journey simultaneously locates the current moment in the sweep of personal and community history and presents with fresh urgency the choice of what to keep and what to let go. These times of decision, etched into common memory as new milestones, honor the “divine economy of the Universe,” in which [...]
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I’m still woefully behind on completing a report on the practicums I’ve been conducting at Evergreen College. Nevertheless, I’m posting a selection of tools and templates I used for exploring the practical application of Liberating Voices patterns, partly to support the teams of students who are working with local organizations this quarter. While most of [...]
Just now listening to Gorecki’s Third Symphony, the “Symphony of Sorrowful Songs,” which was brought to my attention as the soundtrack for the climactic scene in the movie, Fearless. In the film, Jeff Bridges plays an architect recovering from severe post-traumatic stress induced by a horrendous jet crash, from which he walked away virtually unharmed, [...]
In a recent tweet, I wrote: Increasingly drawn to creativity at the margins, in the gap, where little is expected & folks later scramble to explain what happened. And nearly as soon as I released it, I realized I had used “margins” as a place holder for several different dimensions that may intersect with unexpected [...]
Just contributed a comment to another great conversation over at Tim Kastelle’s Innovation Leadership Network blog about “Personal Filter, Aggregate, and Connect Strategies,” and felt that I should expand a little here while the creative juices were still bubbling. For reference, here’s my comment: Now I’m realizing that there’s yet another dimension or perspective beyond [...]
