essay
if it’s not getting better it’s getting worse
when the change they seek won't help
links
things to read: november
and one thing to watch
essay
talking to statues
what do you do when you get to the party and everyone's staring at you and also they want to take away people's rights?
working
transitional leaders and me
on choosing new skills carefully
essay
the future of food banks
and the people who serve themselves first
essay
flinch or fight
I drove to the gym this morning. I turned left onto the main road, taking the turn with cars behind me. A woman nearby was finishing her walk up a steep hill. She was looking down as she walked but raised her gaze to mine as I approached. I steered
working
tipping the scale
This post is narrated! Listen below… Nothing can inspire fear in a project manager like these six little words: “How soon can we scale this?” Or, worse: “Let’s triple the number of sites.” I spent several years working as a grants manager. In theory, we start with a plan
essay
decision to leave
This post is narrated! listen below… I had a situation gnawing at me for the better part of a year. I was working with a group for several months and had a good rapport with almost everyone. One person in particular was stirring conflict in ways I struggled to respond
essay
evolving our DNA
How do organizations change? Why is it that most organizations can set goals for racial justice and then never achieve them? What’s so difficult about doing things in different ways? Equity filters can be clunky. They can be hard to integrate into an existing decision-making process. I want action
essay
gentlemen's disagreements
Throughout his term, Barack Obama had a call for the activists agitating for change. He recalled what Franklin Roosevelt told his activists pushing for their own reforms. FDR said, “I agree with you, I want to do it, now make me do it.” Then-President Obama met with members of the
essay
the destructive nature of self-preservation
Everything in the universe is in a constant state of change. The change can be imperceptible like the flowing water of a river. Or it may be more like the sudden eruption of a volcano changing the world around it. Change is inevitable. Yet when change comes, most organizations act
essay
what does it mean to put community first?
Some articles get my goat and don’t let go. Last year I read an interview with a roundtable of CEOs at major food banks around the country. The headline quote was, “we have power, let’s use it wisely.” I want to unpack that! The panelists, well-meaning or well-intentioned,
