Yesterday I lamented that we all feel we don’t have time to think. And that the reason we don’t have time to think is that we don’t make time to think. Which is to say that we don’t value thinking near as much as we value doing. Nowhere is this more evident than in the … Read more
The conversation I shared yesterday, with a young social change agent trying to find his path, brought up for me an issue that is glaringly absent in almost all discussions of “best practice” in the social change arena. Put simply, we devalue thinking, exploring, experimenting. What we value is “doing.” When individuals take time for … Read more
I confess that sometimes even this Pollyanna gets fed up. I don’t get fed up with the same things as most people in this field, though. I get fed up with blame and intolerance. I get fed up with pointing fingers at symptoms, focusing and refocusing on addressing those symptoms, drilling deeper and deeper, unpacking … Read more
I love talking with boards. Board members are caring individuals who volunteer a ton of time because they want to make a difference. And I love encouraging their highest potential to make that difference! During my first meeting with a board, I ask them, “Do you have a code of values?” More often than not, … 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
According to a recent study by the TCC Group, “leadership” is the most critical factor in determining the sustainability of an organization. So what will it take for your board to become the visionary leaders of your organization? Boards are taught how to handle their legal obligations, but that sure isn’t leadership. They are taught … 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
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
Twice today I have had clients ask advice on tough choices they did not want to have to make. In both cases, I shared a method that has made decision-making far simpler in my own life. So I thought, if the gods are having me share this method twice in one day, under very different … Read more
“My board shows all the signs of NOT being ready to recruit. So what do we do?” That question came from a reader of my Board Recruitment & Orientation workbook. She was responding to a chapter that lists indicators for whether or not a board is ready to recruit. (There is a similar article at … Read more