I’m just back from a long overdue in-person gathering of facilitators from 22 countries and my cup is full.
You probably don’t need me to tell you about the importance of social connections to our wellbeing. A robust network of strong, medium and weak ties are critical to people’s happiness. (I was going to link to articles here to prove this point, but there are honestly too many. Ask ChatGPT). Loneliness is bad for us.
Continue reading “Craving Connection”My mom and my four-year-old granddaughter Tatum are having an ongoing conversation these days about the difference between needs and wants. A recent installment went like this:
Grandma: “I’m going grocery shopping, Tatum. Grandad asked me to get him some ‘wants’ not just ‘needs.’ What do you think I should buy him?”
Tatum: “Definitely cookies.”
Metaphors are helpful until they’re not.
I’ve previously written about the limitations of the chrysalis metaphor to help us understand human transformations. Unlike a caterpillar, that fully dissolves into goo before emerging as a wholly new creature, people navigating change tend to bring parts of their past identities with them even as they add new elements in new seasons.
Continue reading “Grafting”When you’re in the midst of adjusting to a new chapter, it’s easy to feel untethered or stuck. It can feel a bit like culture shock — the familiar markers are gone or aren’t serving you well anymore, but you aren’t yet sure how best to interpret the new signals you’re getting. Very disorienting.
So I’ve been thinking about the scaffolding that helps an organization or an individual move from panic to possibilities when navigating a transition.
Continue reading “From Panic to Possibilities”In helping people navigate transitions, I find the metaphor of a caterpillar moving into a chrysalis and becoming a butterfly to be very useful. Until it’s not.
Because humans have choice, and that makes all the difference.
Continue reading “You’re No Butterfly!”
