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transitional leaders and me
on choosing new skills carefully
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innovations people can apply to their jobs
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gathering at a conference
Only a few major decisions separate a boring conference from a spectacular one. When done well, a conference can feel like a real gathering of minds or a once-in-a-lifetime event. Gone a different way, conferences can be boring, unpleasant, a waste of time and money, even sad. The conferences I’
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if only they knew
At the end of June, the Supreme Court ruled on the case known as Johnson v. Grants Pass. Jason Pohl at Berkeley News and many others know it as “the decision that criminalized being homeless.” The city of Grants Pass, Oregon passed an ordinance in 2018 that made it illegal
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written in blood
this post is narrated! listen below… “Every regulation is written in blood.” I’ve heard this saying in several contexts and it applies to every one. Most rules aren’t written until something bad happens. We require seatbelts in cars because thousands of people died without them. OSHA exists because
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belonging in oakland and beyond
this post is narrated! listen below… “Equity is the driving force. Culture is the frame. Belonging is the goal.” Last week I attended the 2024 Othering and Belonging Conference in Oakland, California. Roberto Bedoya shared these words by Vanessa Whang about his beloved city of Oakland. Bedoya is the Cultural
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Future Emergent: year two
I’m a week late (thanks, covid!) but I’m so excited to mark the end of my second year in business. If you only know me through this blog, I started Future Emergent, my own consulting business, back in April 2022. Last year, I wrote about my first year
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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
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the host with the most
This post is narrated! Listen below… I like socializing among many different groups. Some of my friends I’ve met through work. Others I met in school. Still others started out as friends of friends that I made into my own. I also love hosting parties, the bigger the better.
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the injustice of workarounds
“Kluge” is originally a german word that means “clever one”—or a scottish word that means “toilet.” To most english speakers, a kluge is not usually a good thing. It’s something that can do the job even if it wasn’t put together well or isn’t really right
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what you leave behind
As I get older, I’ve become more conscientious about the footprints that I leave behind. For example: I started letting my hair grow longer recently and needed a new comb. I bought one made from bamboo instead of plastic. Every time I handle something made of plastic, I fret
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just once
Last week I was in Yakima for the annual Washington Food Coalition conference. I spent three very full days learning, talking, laughing, and (of course) eating well. On the last day, I ran into a friend/former coworker of mine. I think of him like a little brother in the
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the preacher and the choir
It’s not easy being among the workers angry about the decisions people at the top are making every day. Some leaders think that decision-making at a nonprofit can be hard to understand. Often the people protesting their decisions do understand. In fact, they are often protesting because they understand.
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