Gratitude, uncertainty, and leftovers

Gratitude, uncertainty, and leftovers

Doing what you can with the tools you’ve got I saw this sign a few days ago. Here’s how I read it: Scrap wood + leftover paint + a basic human impulse to connect = A heart-felt and cheerful message of gratitude. These days, I’m really appreciating the small efforts that people are making to be kind. To connect. To shore each other up. Maybe it’s one-of-a-kind yard sign. Or a light-hearted drawing that […]

Weaving ourselves together

Weaving ourselves together

Sharing resources + getting together (virtually) Hi, I hope that you are well, finding your bearings, and well-connected to your support system. [Pressed for time? Invitations and resources listed below.] This is hard. And it’s going to be challenging for awhile. This pandemic is bringing alarming realities into every region of the world, enormous disruptions to daily routines, and a profound sense of uncertainty. And nobody is immune to what’s unfolding, […]

Staying connected over [social] distance

Staying connected over [social] distance

Checking in, sharing resources, extending an invitation I’m writing this on a Monday night, and who knows what Tuesday will bring. The refrain in my head these days is this: MULTIPLE THINGS ARE TRUE. As I’ve been connecting with folks across the country over the past week — from Florida to Rhode Island to Alaska, and especially around Seattle and across the State of Washington — it feels like people are in different parts […]

Designing a better board meeting

Designing a better board meeting

4 steps to make better use of the board’s time and effort  I’ve worked with countless nonprofit leaders—board and staff—over the past decade, and I’ve found that people generally have pretty strong feelings about nonprofit board meetings. On one end of the spectrum, I often hear comments like this:   “Sometimes I’m sitting there on a Tuesday night, away from my family and my dinner and even my TV… And I imagine sending a houseplant in my place. I’m not […]

Becoming unstuck in the face of complex societal problems

Becoming unstuck in the face of complex societal problems

You’re not alone if you sometimes get discouraged, uncertain, or stuck-in-place when you grapple with persistent and complex societal problems. Here’s a thought-provoking article by Becca Dove and Tim Fisher in the Stanford Social Innovation Review. The authors are two self-professed “relational activists”, and they share several really interesting and hopeful examples of relational activism in action. Photo by J W on Unsplash.

Leadership, sewing, and clowns

Leadership, sewing, and clowns

My 2nd Occasional, Not-Scientific-but-Definitely-True List of Inspiring, Courageous and/or Thought-Provoking Awesomeness.  As I said in a recent post, sometimes, the medicine we need is just a gentle reminder about the kindness and courage that exists in the world. About regular people doing what they can–in their corners of the world–to contribute to a more just and humane world. So I sat down and started a list of some of the people, […]

Leadership and lust (for books)

Leadership and lust (for books)

One of my favorite winter traditions involves two or three days in a hotel room on the blustery Washington coast. Off-season rates, a fireplace. A stack of books along with a well-stocked e-reader. A slow-paced rhythm: Read. Nap. Ponder. Snack. Read. Take notes. Nap. Rinse and repeat. As an avid reader and a voracious skimmer, I’m always sharing book recommendations, and there are a handful that I pass out like […]