People talk about Outcome and Process as though they are in opposition to one another. Today, I (again) argue neither works without the other. First, take a moment to reflect on how you approach your every day. Like eating breakfast. We all have low-process default solutions — habits — for outcomes that are part of every day. […]
Yesterday, Jessica Conrad, Community Manager with the RE-AMP Network and I shared some of our experience fostering leadership within RE-AMP and NEWHAB. We facilitated a discussion with a group of Twin Cities network weavers about why emergent, shared leadership is so important for high-performing networks, what conditions foster self-organizing leadership, and how to begin creating those conditions. […]
A couple weeks ago, I was prepping for a workshop. I knew I wanted to include a modified Open Space session at the end of the day. The catch was that I’d never facilitated or even participated in an Open Space session, and I was nervous about faking it in a room with 30 […]
As we design our new network, I’m very focused on learning. I’m reading books, reading blogs, asking friends, piloting ideas on groups where I volunteer, hiring a coach, and discussing challenges with colleagues. Because we are inventing something new, I also want to learn from what we do. I’m encouraging activities that move our work […]
As we develop NEWHAB, we’re using short cycles of doing followed by reflection to quickly try out strategies and either make them better or decide they aren’t the right ones for us. Six months ago, we started our second round of “work groups,” having learned from some struggles on the first set. When I solicited co-conveners then, […]
Supporting networks, or volunteers, or project teams, I find it’s critical to teach people how to use the tools we have effectively. I try to sneak tips into e-mails and to model good habits — hard when you’re in a hurry! I’ve been leaning on Kathy Choh of Management HQ to help me with this. She provides […]
Something I love about networked working is that it’s enough to Just Do Something. Almost anything. Preferably in person. It’s human to want to plan things out, to get them right. It’s so easy to wait until we have time to do it right to do anything. Luckily, there are plenty of examples around of just […]
I’m supporting an emerging network, one focused on energy efficiency, water, and health in affordable apartment buildings. Recently, we had our first big in-person gathering of network participants. Because networks consist of personal relationships, we incorporated connecting activities. The Closing Triangles Drawing, an idea I got from Beth Tener, was the run-away favorite. First, a […]
I often talk & write about building trust within the networks. Today, I want to take a few minutes to tell you one Thanksgiving-themed thing I’m doing to increase the level of trust in my corner of the world, and I invite you to take five minutes to do it, too. As I’m looking forward […]
All-volunteer organizations are tough. There is often a small core of volunteers ABSOLUTELY committed to the project, wanting help, and wondering where the help is. That certainly applied (and still applies) to the Minneapolis Bicycle Coalition where I volunteer. We’re working to engage more people, and we ARE engaging lots more people. Of course, with more […]
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