And suddenly you know. It’s time to start something new and trust the magic of beginnings. – Meister Eckhart Over the last 10 years, through New Directions Collaborative, Nancy Gabriel and I have partnered with clients to explore how to use networked approaches to align the work of many organizations to change systems. We have worked… Read more
Author: btener
Making Large Events Participatory
This blog was originally published in October, 2019, when we couldn’t foresee that most large events would cease. As we anticipate meeting again in person, I hope the approaches here give you ideas. You might like to check out my new meeting design coaching services. It’s possible to make large events participatory and interactive. Here… Read more
Time to Rethink Brainstorming
Brainstorming is a classic method for getting a group to generate ideas. A topic is suggested, people speak up with their ideas and suggestions, and someone writes them down. The technique is so commonly used and assumed to work, I was surprised to learn that research shows this technique is actually not that effective. Keith… Read more
Three Leadership Behaviors that Undermine Collaboration
I sometimes think about how many kitchens are filled with the sounds of people who come home from their job and rant about how frustrated they are with people at work and organizational dysfunction. I grew up hearing this in our kitchen many nights when my dad got home from his office. Perhaps that’s part of… Read more
From rugged individualism to self-organized connected communities
In American culture, we tend to prize individual leadership, as illustrated by these examples: the self-made man, the hopes we put in one candidate to solve our problems, the entrepreneur with a new technology or solution, and the non-profit that comes into a community with an innovative project. In reality, any person who comes up with… Read more
To Be the Generation that Changes the Patterns
The streets and airwaves are full of frustration and grief at the entrenched patterns of injustice and oppression that harm Black, Indigenous, and People of Color. I want to add my voice to the many who are galvanized to be part of the generation that changes the patterns. This is a moment to take in… Read more
Wearing Two Hats
One of the challenges to collaborative cross-sector work is that people show up to it oriented to advancing their organizational agenda and aren’t used to focusing on the broader community or systemic agenda. Particularly in the early stages of developing a collaborative initiative, we find it helpful to point out the need to focus on… Read more
How to Boost Connections at a Conference
Here’s an experiment to try – ask someone how they got their job, found a new area of interest, or decided to live where they do. Often the answer will involve a friend or colleague connecting them to the opportunity. Information, resources, opportunities, and new learning can flow easily and quickly when our networks of… Read more
A Creative Way to Shift Systemic Racism
Mapping Prejudice in Minneapolis engaged citizens in doing research to create maps that visualize how historic racist practices in real estate drove racial segregation that persists to this day. I learned about it from Janne Flisrand, a network weaver friend who is active in civic affairs there. She said it was instrumental in building the political will that enabled the city to… Read more
Working at the Roots: Preventing Adverse Childhood Experiences
In the state of Washington and elsewhere, communities have reduced rates of a host of health and social problems simultaneously, by focusing on the underlying roots of the problems. Groundbreaking scientific research is pointing to some common roots of many health and social well-being issues facing our families and communities. A landmark study by the CDC and… Read more