I first met the CEO of Columbia Lighthouse for the Blind, Tony Cancelosi, in the summer of 2009. I was looking for a leader of a nonprofit who was applying private sector business smarts to steer his organization to business success. Tony recruited me to his Advisory Board shortly after. Then I began doing pro […]
Do Something that Makes you Deeply Happy Read More »
John Graham identified three emerging trends impacting associations when I interviewed him at the inaugural gathering of CEOs focused on Association Transformation. Â 19 CEOs were in attendance to hear his remarks. Graham is President and CEO of the American Society of Association Executives. 1. Mobile technology is as big a game-changer as the introduction of
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It’s not always wise to stay the course. Sometimes the best thing to do is let go of what you planned and go with a better alternative. Life is what happens when you are busy making other plans. – John Lennon
Abandoning Well-made Plans Read More »
This week I have an audio message for you. Let me know what you think! When you do the common things in life in an uncommon way, you will command the attention of the world. – George Washington Carver
Commanding Attention Read More »
All of us know people that are making the world a better place. Don’t take them for granted. Reach out and show them how important they are to you. Lend them your love and resources. Lift them up. Be their follower. I recently re-watched Derek Sivers’ 3 minute TED talk about how to start a
Support the Good Guys Read More »
A good friend of mine told me how he was working with a team sitting in a conference room and they got stuck. They weren’t making any progress. So, my friend suggested they have a walking meeting – i.e., they get up out of their chairs and walk around the city as a group while
A social learning system is any group of people who learn together. It could be a family, a group of people on a subway train that gets trapped in an underground tunnel, a class cohort, or a work team. These groups have 4 dynamics that I think are pretty cool: 1. Peer-to-peer learning is just
Social Learning Systems Read More »
There are two kinds of ritual. There are rituals of stability (e.g., saying hello, eating together, kissing or shaking hands when we greet) and there are rituals of transformation (e.g., theatrical events, weddings, bar mitzvahs, initiations, vision quests). Rituals of stability reinforce our relationships. Rituals of transformation change them. Anytime you meet to create the
Rituals of Transformation Read More »
The issues are real. Imminence is becoming urgency. To meet the future, it’s time to transform many associations. That’s why we are putting together a collection of inter-related communities, to identify emerging solutions and bring together professionals and experts in a joint venture to author the future. The vision: Communities of leaders raising the bar A
An Ecology of Leader Communities Read More »
Half-baked ideas often contain a beautiful kernel, an essence that can be cultivated and nurtured until it matures into a powerful contribution. Yes, it’s often the case that people share thoughts that are not a good match for the task at hand, not yet fully baked. It’s the way we humans interact. Next time someone
Did You Catch the Spirit of What I Said? Read More »
