I am a fan of collaboration and co-creation — they build buy-in and reduce blind spots every time. But I am also committed to meaningful engagement. Too often when people are planning stakeholder consultations or community engagement, they are doing so because they feel they should or have to, but when you scratch below the surface, they actually don’t have anything worthwhile to ask people. Instead, they either just have information to share, or they are simply “ticking a box.” (For more on this, have a look at the IAP2 Spectrum of Public Participation. If you’re at the “Inform” end of the scale, be there clearly and proudly!)
Continue reading “Tell Don’t Ask”Play the Game Well
How do you feel about board games?
[Some of] our family loves them, and when we found our holiday travel plans cancelled this year, we reverted [mostly] contentedly to our usual early January pastime of marathon sessions of whatever new games were under our Christmas tree.
Our favourite this year is Scythe, and our obsession with it is teaching me five things about living well amidst the tensions of adaptability:
Continue reading “Play the Game Well”When Results Aren’t Your Goal
Sometimes the best way to tackle a problem is to come at it sideways rather than head on.
Four recent examples have highlighted the usefulness of this reminder for me:
If you’re feeling a bit stuck today, consider multiple ways you or your group could tackle your challenge indirectly. Instead of skirting the issue, you may find you are effectively solving it instead.
Continue reading “When Results Aren’t Your Goal”Pruning your Practice
I am no gardener, but it’s my understanding that plants benefit from being pruned. And pruning involves not only removing dead wood, but also overgrowth.
Overgrowth might look like uncontrolled wildness, but it can also look like promising new buds and beautiful flowers. Sit with that for a moment. These healthy, lovely parts need to be removed in order focus the nutrients that allow other well-placed blooms to thrive. Continue reading “Pruning your Practice”
A Strategic Race
Did you become as addicted to watching the Olympics as I did?
Two things stood out to me as I marvelled at the athletes’ accomplishments; I trust their relevance extends far beyond Athletics to those of us involved in less competitive or visible pursuits:
- Athletes were clear on their goal. There was a moment when the first runner across the finish line was featured on the screen, just as an enormous “Woot!” could be heard behind her. It was one of her competitors, celebrating enthusiastically. That runner barely made it onto the television coverage, but she was rejoicing over a Personal Best with far more gusto than the gold medallist. She knew what she was going after.