Every June my mother’s family has a reunion in Little Washington, Va. Usually, we have around 100, but this year was half that. The coronavirus has taken a large toll. Above you see the family tree stretched out over the wall of our picnic shelter with my wife, Laura, reading it and my daughter, Ruchi, […]
I am engaged in a large-scale change initiative with a major institution. The work reminds me of the success I’ve had helping other organizations – like the World Bank and Royal Dutch Shell – with culture change. The major lesson learned from all these works is that communities – groups of professionals who share a
Professional Communities Help Lead Change Read More »
When I was 14 my father took me on a 2-week excursion into east Texas and Arkansas. We were living in Austin. One of our first stops was Davy Crockett National Forest. My dad loved to fish and camp, a real change from the native Brooklynite he was. I remember heading over to this spot
I’ve had the opportunity to preside over ten large-scale change initiatives in complex decentralized organizations, some of which span the globe. One of the things that I’ve come to learn is how organic really good change is. We live in the era of knowledge work, significantly different than the manufacturing of the industrial age. Knowledge
The Best Change Initiatives Spread Organically Read More »
My wife and I were talking to our contractor about some house remodeling and my wife said casually, “Our house is falling apart.” “It is not!” I snapped back. Of course, just an hour later the cabinet door above basically came off in my hands. Talk about an attitude adjustment! I tried several attempts at
INVITE June 9th Innovation Panel. Register here. No charge. Associations must innovate, yet not every association takes it seriously. Innovation should never stop, and with all the disruption in our world, there is a real and urgent need for it. Working to reopen the economy while still dealing with the pandemic, supply chain interruptions, issues
VT Invite to Innovation Panel June 9, 3 PM ET Read More »
We had a very long spring here in Washington, DC. For those of us who garden that means a strong season for lettuce, spinach, and other plants that grow in the early spring. Above you see not just my garden, but a salad I made and ate yesterday with the greenery it provided. Today I
A Common Agenda is what propels a successful coalition. The Common Agenda is the vision of the future that all coalition participants are invested in.
Collective Impact for Coalitions Read More »
Today we in the USA express gratitude for those in military service who gave their lives for our country. “Three years after the Civil War ended, on May 5, 1868, the head of an organization of Union veterans — the Grand Army of the Republic (GAR) — established Decoration Day as a time for the
My work helps leaders succeed at Grand Challenges – big, bold goals that take on problems that have gone unsolved. How do Grand Challenges solve problems? Through social movements. When everybody pitches in, the return is remarkable. Imagine having millions or even hundreds of millions of people working on behalf of your issue. That’s what
Starting a Social Movement Read More »
