LIBRARY RESOURCES & BLOG
This area is filled with how-to articles, engaging conversations, and tons of examples of Catalytic Thinking in Action including actual planning sessions. Much to explore and learn from!It’s the start of another start of another week of creating the future for your community! These days, I’ve been in the middle of the project of a lifetime – finishing up the development of the first Immersion Course for Pollyanna Principled Consultants! Talk about a massive endeavor – sometimes we wonder if we will … Read more
This is Part 2 of this post. If you have not read Part 1, you will find that here. Reverse Engineering the Future We DO Want There is something that DOES work to solve the large, systemic problems our organizations and our communities face today. And that is to aim our efforts out beyond “zero” … Read more
The War on Drugs. The War on Poverty. The War on Illegal Immigration. Fixing a dysfunctional board. Team-building to boost employee morale. What do all these things have in common? If you answered, “None of them have solved the problem,” you would be right. Decades of fighting drugs, poverty, illegal immigration; decades of trying to … Read more
Several weeks ago I blogged about a conversation with my almost-85-year-old mom about Twitter. Explaining Twitter to Grandma Rose has become one of the most popular posts I’ve ever written, still being passed around the web (and please, keep sharing it!). This morning I offer you Part 2 of that story. I called Rose last … Read more
As part of the launch this week of The Pollyanna Principles, we hosted a 90 minute teleclass, Introduction to Community-Driven Consulting. The class touched on a range of questions, including these: • What is Community-Driven Consulting and how is it different from the consulting I’m doing now? • Will I have to learn all new … Read more
Being in Day 3 of this fabulously energizing week, I have had little time to blog. I did, however, want to share an observation I have noted perhaps every single hour of this week: There is a huge difference between “outreach / marketing” and “engagement.” And given the choice between them, I’ll take engagement any … Read more
As we prepare for next week’s official launch of The Pollyanna Principles, I’ve been using the Possibility Journal I started last week to address every task on my to do list and every meeting in my schedule. While it has been insanely busy getting ready for the launch, that one step has made every task … Read more
Last night I had the privilege of facilitating a community conversation on behalf of the Tucson Pima Arts Council. Not surprisingly, the conversation was prompted by the economy. Such discussions typically revolve around issues such as collaboration – sharing resources for HR or fundraising or co-locating. Talk often then turns to advocacy – making the … Read more
“A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.” Winston Churchill After my daughter was diagnosed with an autoimmune disease several years ago, we went from doctor to doctor, seeking relief. One of those doctors had been going through his own transformation (he has since entirely given up … Read more
Just as I finished yesterday’s post on the power of inspiring boards (vs. always complaining about them), I saw this newly released video from this year’s TED conference. And man if Barry Schwartz doesn’t say the exact same thing, giving statistical proof that inspiration will accomplish what neither rules NOR incentives can. When we humans … Read more