Thoughts On Thrivability
Changing The Game of Life
The most important thing we can do right now, individually and collectively, is to change the game we’re playing. “The game we play” is another way of thinking about the story or worldview we’re living out. Adopting a new game (or worldview) changes the conversations...
From an Economy of Hoarding to an Ecology of Healing
Our economic belief system is designed around hoarding - accumulating ever more stuff, in constant fear of not having enough and especially of not having as much as our peers. And look where that’s gotten us: to the edge of extinction, among other ills. In place of...
Evolving Growth
"Don't grow if it will make you sick." This is what the “mother” had told them. My client was a small, dynamic company that produced kombucha, a natural fermented drink believed to have significant health benefits. The group had asked me to help them figure out how to...
The Deep Why
It doesn't seem to come naturally for people to take the time to connect deeply with WHY. Despite Simon Sinek's best efforts, there's still a strong urge to jump to WHAT. But there's so much reward (clarity, engagement, energy, moral authority, creativity...) to be...
The Generosity of Seeing and Receiving
In my work over the past several months, I've been accompanying a beautiful social experiment - a non-profit called daana. It's been a joy, with many valuable lessons for our times. "Daana" is Sanskrit for "the practice of generosity," which the Buddha taught was...
Living Down to Expectations
I was in a discussion recently about how to craft the invitation to an upcoming conference. Up to now, much of the vision for the event has centered on the need for a systemic approach - for helping the complex web of stakeholders to see themselves as a single...
Fiddling While the World Burns
“How can I invite people to my film while California is on fire?” my friend Robin McKenna asked me recently, in distress. She had dedicated five years of her life traveling the world to create the breathtaking feature-length documentary, GIFT, which weaves together...
Self-Stewardship: The Practice of Cultivating Your Gifts and Living a Life of Meaning
My work is dedicated to spreading the view of organizations and communities as dynamic living systems. With this view, our role is to be stewards, creating the fertile conditions for life to thrive within and around them. But what does that mean for our own lives, as...
Will Artificial Intelligence Serve Human Thriving?
Yesterday I had a fascinating opportunity to explore with a group how artificial intelligence may impact thrivability and vice versa. At the invitation of master convener François Lavallée (who - to my delight - describes himself as an organizational biologist), I...
