One of the books on my summer reading list is Rebecca Solnit’s Hope in the Dark: Untold Histories, Wild Possibilities. She explores what it means to sustain hope amidst difficult times. Many of her themes are around how our minds and cultural ways of thinking and sharing information can constrain our sense of what is possible…. Read more
Tag: Change
Six Conversations that Inspire Change
Note: This guest blog post is from Katherine Golub, a professional coach and consultant with CoreBrillianceAcademy.com in Western Mass. She has been a student in Marlboro College MBA courses I teach. I was happy to see how much she appreciated this book by Peter Block, one of my favorites. Thanks, Katherine! You know those books that you pick… Read more
Resources for Small Groups in Turbulent Times
The last few weeks have left a lot of people feeling overwhelmed and concerned about proposals and policies addressing issues and values they hold dear. A request came through a list serve I’m on asking how to create small groups to help people deal with a sense of overwhelm and take action. I’m sharing here… Read more
Quotes That Lead in New Directions
True to the name of our business – New Directions – we seek out ideas, tools, and ways of working together that can enable us to create a thriving future distinct from the harmful ways of the past. The following is a compilation of quotes gathered along the way in 2016: How We See Our… Read more
Opportunity Mapping: The Geographic Footprint of Inequality
In the days after the Hurricane Katrina disaster in New Orleans, there was criticism of those who had stayed behind – “they had warning, why didn’t they leave?” However, it came to light that 50% of the African Americans in the city did not have cars. They did not have the means to leave. The… Read more
Imaginal Cells: A Model from Nature for Transforming Systems
The transformation of a caterpillar into a butterfly provides a compelling metaphor for those working to re-imagine and transform organizations and larger systems to be thriving, restorative, and sustainable. This metaphor illustrates how connecting networks of those working for change is the next step to bring about a larger transformation. Elisabet Sahtouris, an evolutionary biologist… Read more
Horizontal Loyalty
Imagine this time of sustainability transition as a wave, where all along the leading edge are people and organizations inventing new ways of using clean energy, renewing democracy, creating businesses that solve social problems, and thousands of other innovations to create a better future. Each person or initiative, in their own way, has to go… Read more
Inspiration on Earth Day
On Earth Day, we offer some quotes and strategic questions to inspire your thinking: We live in an era where truth is most often found by looking away from the spectacle presented to us. – Rebecca Solnit What are the positive stories of change that are rarely covered in the media? Millions of people across… Read more
The Transition…Where Do You Fit?
The transition to a thriving sustainable future will require large-scale changes—and everyone has a role to play. “A leader is anyone who wants to help at this time” as the Berkana Institute defines it, which is a useful reminder that we do not need to wait for leaders “at the top.” Paul Hawken, in his… Read more