In early October 2011 Laura and I traveled to New Delhi to bring Ruchi home. One of the best decisions of my life. So grateful to have her in our family! When the orphanage gave Ruchi to us they asked for all the clothes she was wearing to be returned. The picture on the left
15-year Anniversary Read More »
When you’re leading, you’re a tuning fork. When a tuning fork vibrates, everything around it begins responding. During transformation, employees become extraordinarily sensitive to what their leaders are experiencing and they tune right in. They notice what makes you tense. They notice what questions you avoid. They notice whether you sound convinced or whether you’re
I have been pondering this seeming paradox, having a dog with me actually makes me more independent. I’m willing to go farther, explore places I might otherwise skip, take the trail that disappears into the woods, and spend hours somewhere without another person around. My dog doesn’t restrict my solitude, she makes solitude possible. Devi,
The Independence of Companionship Read More »
Years ago, I was invited by a federal agency, which will go nameless here, to contribute to a presentation being made to the senior team at the Peace Corps. I spoke for about an hour. When I finished, then Peace Corps Director Gaddi Vasquez said he wanted to work with me. That was a big
Sometimes You Have to Be Willing to Lose the Work Read More »
Divya has gone off to college. She lives in an apartment with Ruchi, is adapting to a roommate, and accompanies Ruchi everywhere. Unlike most college students, she arrived already knowing how to sit, stay, and avoid leaving dirty dishes in the sink. She attends classes and goes to clubs where the music is loud while
Divya Goes to College Read More »
Years ago, I was working with the Promotional Products Association International. It was one of my alltime favorite engagements becaus of the CEO and his senior leadership team – excellent professionals fully engaged. It was a highly fragmented industry (it may still be). There were 10,000 + members selling everything from branded T-shirts to notebooks
What are You Waiting For? Read More »
A few days after 9/11, I was at the World Bank stage-managing an event I had led the design of, working directly with Jim Wolfensohn, then president of the Bank. The atmosphere was understandably raw. During his short speech Wolfensohn did something I had never seen there before. He asked people to hold hands. At
Leading Through Uncertainty Read More »
One of the lessons I’ve learned from leading large-scale change is that the problem you see is often not the problem you need to solve. Years ago, I worked with the American Nurses Association on Healthy Nurse, Healthy Nation, an initiative to measurably improve the health of America’s nurses. One issue we encountered was surprisingly
Look for the System Behind the Problem Read More »
Devi and I got rained out for my annual backcountry trip up north. Rain every day, all throughout the Adirondacks and beyond. I was able to find a weak spot in the storm in the New Paltz / Ellenville / Woodstock area. We travelled around there and spent lots of time in woods for last
A Different Adventure Read More »
I was at Politics and Prose, one of my favorite DC bookstores, when I came across this wall in the basement, the results of their 2026 bookmark contest me. From a distance it’s a wonderful explosion of color and creativity. Hundreds of bookmarks, all gathered together into one exuberant piece of art. However, each bookmark
