tales from the edge
Where are the people and organizations who have already created the new habits of thinking that will maximize our creativity for solving social problems in a new era? Sometimes it is important to look...
View ArticleHabits and culture
Stephen Covey, in his 7 habits of Highly Effective People, was one of the first to put forward the idea that being effective in today's and tomorrow's workplace requires intentionally creating new...
View ArticleSwamp problems
It was about ten years ago now that I heard the term, coined by Donald Schon, "swamp problems" to refer to messy, confusing problems that defy technical solutions. Schon pointed out that the problems...
View ArticleLooking back
One of the images most present in our minds during this financial crisis is the depresssion that began with the crash of 1929, almost eighty years ago. We talk about its causes, the institutions that...
View ArticleHow to Break Free of Group Think: Challenge the Crowd
Why is it that we pay so little attention to the impact of psychology in our policy discussions, when it is psychology -- in this case, of the policy makers, experts and pundits themselves -- that so...
View ArticleHonor your creativity, don't drown in it
I can say from experience what it is like to be an entrepreneurially minded person: I'm in one of those moments now -- they happen every few weeks; at times every few days: I look around and realize...
View ArticleWant to jumpstart your effectiveness and creativity? Invest in capacity building
We use the somewhat deadening word "capacity building" to refer to some of the most important and undervalued aspects of organizational work: helping ourselves and the people who work with or for us to...
View ArticleMaking a habit of asking "What If?"
I wrote the scenario below --called "Dependent America" -- back in June as one of four possible 15 year futures --worlds of 2023 -- in which we'd be struggling to sustain the middle class. I'll share...
View ArticleCreativity is more important than ever!
Leaders who want to make a difference need to be more effective, creative and far-sighted in a time of rapid change and reduced resources. But how do we actually do that? The default position for many...
View ArticleCareer management is an act of leadership
In our rapidly changing work landscape it's time to promote and reinvent ourselves. Such is the pathway to continuing success and satisfaction. It is also the way we can have the greatest impact as...
View ArticleAre you an ostrich or a flamingo?
Some of us look at all the changes and panic; others of us just stick our heads in the sand insisting that nothing much has changed. I've found in working with individuals and organizations that those...
View ArticleWhat will this month bring?
Yes, it is already February 1 -- we're solidly into 2009, a few weeks into the Obama administration, looking ahead towards spring. One thing I've been doing both for myself and clients recently is...
View ArticleLearning from Obama's first days
I found Obama's admission that he made a mistake in the Daschle case refreshing - not so much because of the ethical consistency it showed, but because of his willingness to admit error. As a leader,...
View ArticleRecognizing change when we see it
Have you ever been at one of those moments when you know what you've been doing will no longer work -- that you are killing yourself by eating too much cholesterol, or that you are ruining your...
View ArticleNavigating the Great Disruption?
Thomas Friedman wrote the other week that we have entered a period which in retrospect we will name "The Great Disruption."As is often true of Friedman's naming of a social phenomenon, this one struck...
View ArticleA moment to connect with your sense of purpose in your work
Every once in awhile I ask myself why I do what I do for work. What's a political science PhD, a recipient of the top fellowships, who taught at Wellesley and has a book out on leadership and change in...
View ArticleBe proactive in your career
I was pleased to read the piece in today's New York Times about the trend towards pursuing careers in public service, one of the bright sides of this moment of crisis. Hundreds of talented people are...
View ArticleEnvisioning your career
A career is way more than a job. It is a path, even a calling -- and shaping it takes work and vision.Here is the dictionary definition: Career 1. an occupation or profession, esp. one requiring...
View Articlesmall steps into the unknown
I often see parallels between physical challenges, like biking up a big hill, doing a yoga tree pose, and intellectual/emotional challenges -- like embarking on a new marketing campaign, or doing a new...
View ArticleThe Not Very Good First Draft
Well, I've been away for awhile and I'm hoping this post will get me back on track with this blog. Really. Maybe I should take the tentativeness out of that last statement: it will get me back in the...
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