(This is Part 2 of a 4-part article. Head here to start with Part 1.) One thing is clear in speaking with leaders of Management Support Organizations of all kinds; they may have the potential to be catalysts for building extraordinary communities, but that is not how they are currently operating. As we consider the … Read more
Management Support Organizations come in all shapes and sizes. Depending on the community, the list might include these and others who provide some form of management support for Community Benefit Organizations: • Nonprofit Resource Center • Volunteer Center • Leadership Organization • Coalitions, Federations, Associations • Neighborhood Empowerment / Community Organizing Organization • Community Convening … Read more
Five consultants from across the US walked into our class last Monday as “consultants to community benefit organizations.” They left on Friday as facilitators of their communities’ highest potential for being amazing places to live. As it is with each of our Consultant Immersion Courses, the focus began far beyond the question “What do I … Read more
Several months ago I began to wonder if the highest potential in each of us isn’t simply to encourage the highest potential in others. That question has been a powerful force for me, bringing with it all sorts of other questions. What is it that inspires us humans to be our very best – to … Read more
The term Best Practice has always made me nuts. In the past week, though, I am convinced the term is following me! First there was this week’s live Twitter Chat, where consultants from around the world grappled with the extent to which inspiring vs. prescribing to clients is most effective. In that context, the words … Read more
My sweet cat is slowly fading. Her kidneys are failing, and she has almost entirely stopped eating. She’s been part of my being for 16 years and now I am watching as she slowly fades away. Last night on Twitter, my friend Christine Egger wondered aloud, “If you hadn’t been taught you had dominion, how … Read more
Several months ago, when I was first jumping into Facebook and LinkedIn and Twitter, I shared this question on LinkedIn: “For what do you use which of these spaces?” A young man sent this response: “While I agree that a colleague can be a friend and vice-versa, I do think that it is better not … Read more
I’ve been sharing a lot about Pollyanna Principled Consulting and our Immersion Courses these days, mostly because I am as immersed in them as the students are! So I thought intead of hearing how excited I have been about these courses, I would share a note I received from one of the students in our … Read more
This week we have been immersed in another Pollyanna Principled Consulting Immersion Course with consultants from around the U.S. and Canada. As always in these groups, I learn as much as I teach. Here are just 3 things that have been reinforced for me by this terrific group this week. 1) The value of taking … Read more
“Are you comfortable?” Reno Police Officer Patrick O’Bryan uttered those words to a silent room of 100 community leaders last summer. “Because if you’re comfortable, then nothing will change. To change our community, we need to step outside our comfort zone. So are we willing to be uncomfortable?” That story came to mind often last … Read more