Grand Challenges address socially intractable problems. Wicked problems. Problems that have so many moving parts, it’s difficult to wrap your mind around them – like climate change. I’ve had the opportunity to help conceive, design, and execute, five grand challenges. I’ve spent the last few weeks discussing the varied processes, tools, and models key to …
When you read this, Kaya, my canine companion, and I are deep off the grid in the Great Northeast for a week of Nature. No connectivity. Forest, river, sky, trees, dirt… magic all around. Kaya is being fitted for Sita’s dog pack above. That’s a week ago when I wrote this. Sita and I appear …
I am event-driven. I believe bringing people together has the most potential for creating the capability and building the bonds that enable social movements – critical to successful Grand Challenges – to take place. Despite this potential, many corporate events and conferences miss the mark, offering carnival-like atmospheres when you need a profoundly moving and …
Touchstone Events: 7 Steps to Impact Grand Challenges Read More »
Here I am holding jalapenos fresh from the garden. Behind me are a mass of marigolds and a wall of cherry tomatoes picked clean for the time being, but more to come. I love jalapenos! They are my perfect heat for so many recipes, including those that call for them raw. Marigolds remind me of …
I’ve spent the last few months focused on Grand Challenges, using Visionary Talk to highlight models, frameworks, and pertinent case studies that would benefit any large-scale change initiative. Remember, a Grand Challenge is a big, bold goal that takes on a socially intractable problem by building alliances of organizations and activists who can attack …
My son, Gabe, took me to two climbing gyms last week. I was pleasantly surprised at what a great workout it provided. It’s amazing to learn which muscles it draws on, most discernable by the soreness that develops over the following days. But, to be fair, that’s true with any new physical activity. I think …
I’ve been talking a lot about elements of a Grand Challenge and the frameworks and models I draw on to create success in dealing with intractable societal problems. I haven’t touched on the extraordinary experience of engaging in an initiative that calls out your best to walk in Integrity with your world. Awe is an …
As I write this, I am traveling with my son, Gabe. He’s 24. This tradition started when he was three and has been missed only a few times for extenuating circumstances. This year is a transition as he starts graduate school in the fall studying sociology at the University of Wisconsin at Madison. I lived …
The Design Summit is the second major event in every Grand Challenge. Unlike the Design Studio – which galvanizes leadership and precedes it – the focus of the Design Summit is to launch the movement that will carry your Grand Challenge forward. There are three primary agendas in the Design Summit: Establish the context Launch …
The Design Summit: Moving Grand Challenges Forward Read More »
My birthday was Saturday, July 9, which was also the 154th anniversary of the 14th amendment to the US Constitution. There’s an interesting story about its ratification. The 14th Amendment overturned the infamous 1857 Dred Scott decision, which said (a) Black men were not citizens and did not have the rights of citizens, and (b) …
