(Inspired by a passage from The Book of Awakening by Mark Nepo) I recently heard a passage read at a meeting that gave me reason to pause. It equated times of great change with the birth of a chick—not the usual transformation metaphor that I am familiar with. What struck me most was that the […]
READ MORE »One Year Later- “Together We Can”
One year later! Announcing the completion of the book –“ Together We Can,” and a call to move it forward in 2012! Last year I gratefully and I must say, naively, accepted an offer from the Labor Management Project to write a book on how union and management can work together to transform the nursing […]
READ MORE »Winter Solstice
Lessons on Change and Transformation. Welcome to the return of the sun and the birth of a new year! In Latin, solstice means “sun standing still” and Winter Solstice is the great stillness before the sun’s strength builds and days grow longer. In the words of Molly Hall, “It’s the fruitful dark out of which […]
READ MORE »The Only Thing Constant is Change
Strategies for Change is moving to Sea Cliff, New York. “To build a ship, don’t herd the people together to gather wood, but teach them to long for the endless immensity of the sea.”
—Antoine De Sainte Exupery
Soft Skills are the New Hard Skills
Engaging the heart and humanizing the environment. HARD SKILLS [hahrd skilz] noun—The ability to carry out the technical and professional requirements of a job. SOFT SKILLS [sawft, soft skilz] noun (synonym: “people skills”)—The ability to engage and interact effectively with others, obtain acceptance, build consensus, and provide assistance, direction and leadership … If 50 is […]
READ MORE »Community at the 1st Avenue Coffee Shop and Beyond!
It’s just a little diner, what’s the big deal? The big deal is a very special waitress who has single-handedly built a strong and diverse community amongst its many customers: a community that has taken on a life of its own. A number of years ago I met Susie, my ‘guru at the coffee shop’ […]
READ MORE »Linda’s Thoughts on Creating Community
In my own work, creating and participating in community is at the heart of what I do. Whether I am working with the staff of a hospital, college or international group, if any real work is to be done we need to create an environment where people feel valued, a part of the process, and connected […]
READ MORE »To My Brother
On the launch of my first official newsletter, and my entrée to social networking, I find myself reflecting on the origins of some my own core beliefs and the challenge of articulating these to people I have not seen for many years (yes, on Facebook!) One of the more delicate challenges has been to talk […]
READ MORE »Change = Crisis or Opportunity: Which Will It Be?
This marks the end of a tough year for many people, organizations and communities. A vast majority of people had to rethink what to expect and how to operate in a world that is in transition. Those with less have suffered more; those with more have experienced a world in flux. Wherever we stand, this […]
READ MORE »