You’ve likely heard the African proverb: “If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.”
It’s always rubbed me the wrong way. Can we not go both fast and far together?
As a professional facilitator, I’m confident that well-structured group conversations can help people use their time more effectively and make wiser decisions faster. But this idea of going faster together resonates more deeply than that, especially right now. Continue reading “Fast and Far”
One of the great liabilities of history is that all too many people fail to remain awake through great periods of social change. Every society has its protectors of status quo and its fraternities of the indifferent who are notorious for sleeping through revolutions. Today, our very survival depends on our ability to stay awake, to adjust to new ideas, to remain vigilant and to face the challenge of change.
~Martin Luther King Jr. Continue reading “Learning Not Returning”
“Just tell us what to do.”
I am usually a fan of co-created decisions and strategies. But these days, I’m not so sure. I’ve already told you I’m a collaborative strategist who doesn’t enjoy group work. Now I’m becoming a collaborative strategist who’s advocating a less collaborative approach to strategy making. What is going on here?! Continue reading “The Gift of Less Collaboration”
I used to lead parenting workshops, and one of the key takeaway messages was, “Connect before you correct.”
I’m hearing echoes of that concept as people wrestle with how best to maintain relationships digitally over what is becoming a long time apart. As I continue to observe what great teams do in these strange days, they emphasize connection before content. Continue reading “Connection Before Content”
The first time I sat on a Board of Directors, it didn’t go particularly well. In hindsight, I think it’s because I took too long to contribute. I took on the role of the quiet newbie for the first year of my term, which only left me two years to make whatever impact I could. That impact was minimal for several other reasons, one of which was not having a team around me that was interested in leveraging the contributions I could offer. They communicated quite clearly that they were fine without me. Continue reading “Ask and Tell”
