In a time when social media and larger forces are creating more division, pulling us apart from those who are different and rewarding “every man for himself” world views, we need friendship, co-creation, and circles of support to embody and model that another way is possible. There are many ways to start this, from wherever… Read more
Tag: Relationships
Strengthening Community Ties and Recognizing the Benefits
In a conversation with a potential new client, I heard common concerns about their community. People working on the same issues were not talking to each other, and there was duplication of work and a sense of community fragmented. People were working hard but not having the impact they wanted. A core way to overcome… Read more
Using Events to Close Triangles
We have been experimenting with a technique to encourage and strengthen network connections at conferences. In this great blog post from our colleague, Janne Flisrand of Flisrand Consulting, she shares how it works and her experience using it at a recent conference. Janne is a network building facilitation consultant, based in Minneapolis. This is cross-posted… Read more
Preparing for the Unexpected
Outside my window, the snow is heavily streaming down as New England is being buried in a blizzard. In the hype of media coverage about the approaching big storm, emergency response officials talked about their efforts to be prepared for whatever would come. This got me thinking about how leaders in any type of work… Read more
There IS Time: How a False Sense of Urgency Gets Us in Trouble
“People are so busy, it will be difficult to get them to take the time for a longer meeting.” “C’mon, we had a majority vote, we need to make a decision and move forward, stop belaboring things, even if some people disagree.” “Enough talk, let’s move to action and get things done.” This sense of… Read more
Taking the Time to Realize the Full Value of Networks
What I appreciate about my work is that I get to team with various consultants on various projects in various sectors. We, and our clients, are all in an evolving conversation and experiment about how to work in networked ways to create social change. Whether the context is energy efficiency, local food, transportation, or education,… 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
Building Trust before a Crisis
One of the memorable stories of 9/11 is what unfolded in response to the crash of American Airlines Flight 77 at the Pentagon. On that Tuesday morning, a plane carrying 10,000 gallons of fuel going over 300 miles an hour crashed into the building, ultimately killing close to 200 people. Consider the challenge emergency responders… Read more
The Power of Potlucks: Place-Based Networks
One of the most inspiring speeches we heard at the Slow Money National Gathering was from Tom Stearns, President of High Mowing Organic Seeds. His company is based in Hardwick, a small town in northern Vermont, which was featured in The New York Times article entitled “Uniting Around Food to Save an Ailing Town”. Remarkably,… Read more