The language of participation for building dynamic organizations, communities and enterprises
OK, quick, name your top five comfort foods, the meals you count on to relieve some of the anxiety of uncertain times. Umm, the flavors, aromas, textures, and probably not-so-subtle spices of times gone past, the everyday, home-cooked meals, with “secret” ingredients, like mustard in macaroni and cheese, that you sat down to at the [...]
In every movement the entire body should be light and agile and all of its parts connected like a string of pearls. T’ai Chi Ch’uan Classic Typically interpreted to describe the flowing of energy within the body in the course of each form, the “string of pearls” can also be seen as a metaphor for [...]
Isn’t it fascinating when things don’t go according to plan, when an unanticipated anomaly or counter-intuitive occurrence shifts the landscape, revealing new, often unimagined possibilities. Isn’t this what happened in the last US presidential election. Yes, it had to do with the bold, 50-state strategy that defied the conventional wisdom of red and blue fortresses [...]
“What world are you living in? You really have to accept the world as it is and not get caught up in things that are simply not possible.” Ah, the “world as it is” and “not possible.” During the time the Institute of Cultural Affairs (ICA) was focused on the mission of “Concern for the [...]
“You’re just not going to find your way around here very well without making some big adjustments,” Dennis started out, and right away I knew I was in for some uncomfortable observations that were sure to intensify my overall disorientation beyond adjusting to three hours of daylight. Dennis had married into the Alaskan village and [...]
In the wake of the downing of a jetliner by a flock of geese, ending with a miraculous soft landing into the Hudson River, I noted on my FaceBook site, “Apparently even a single goose can still take down a jetliner–nature just keeps getting in our way; another reminder to change our way.” In response, [...]
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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 [...]
