Dealing with Complexity
Hugh MacLeod wrote an interesting post about complexity, citing complexity as the difference between success and failure. It's simple to fail, but you must manage complexity to succeed. He applies this theory to organiza ...
Be Honest: Do You Say Yes Anyway?
I was having an interesting conversation yesterday with an association executive about the phenomenon of trying to say yes to everyone. It seems to be a common occurrence in the association world. We say yes to everyone, ...
Evolution with Intention
Organizational cultures evolve. They quite rarely transform or get reinvented, despite the best efforts of change management experts. But they do evolve, and they evolve constantly. They evolve whether you want them to o ...
Why You Do What You Do
David Patt over on the Association Executive Management blog recently attended a session for CEOs about employee engagement, and one of the CEOs asked the following question:Why it is OK to leave the office early for a f ...
Our Dangerous Obsession with Answers
I've made reference in a few different blog posts (here recently and here from the Association Renewal blog) to my concern about our society's obsession with answers. Patti Digh recently referred me to this blog post abo ...
Three Approaches to Conflict Conversations
I had a particularly difficult facilitation a few weeks ago with a group that was so mired in conflict, I don't think they will ever get out. Really. I think the two sides will continue to fight against each other until ...
Water Follows the Contours of the Land
This was one of the most important learnings/insights that I took away from the ASAE & The Center Annual Meeting this year. It was a statement that my new favorite person, Patti Digh, made during the opening session ...
Blogging, Speaking, and Leadership
Maddie Grant put up a stupendous post on the first day of the ASAE Annual Meeting in San Diego. She did a session in San Diego, and it was her first time speaking, and in preparation she discovered an equally super post ...
The "It's Just A Tool" Excuse
Okay, finally I am going to process (via blog) some of what happened at the ASAE & The Center Annual Meeting. The first issue came out of the much ballyhooed "Secret Session" that was organized and promoted ...
The “It’s Just A Tool” Excuse
Okay, finally I am going to process (via blog) some of what happened at the ASAE & The Center Annual Meeting. The first issue came out of the much ballyhooed "Secret Session" that was organized and promoted ...