Thoughts On Thrivability
Journal Entries on the Way Home
June 2, 2014 On the lovely little Wasan Island, a few days into a week-long retreat to explore the Soul of Place. Already so full of richness... trust and connection.... heightened awareness of what’s possible and what’s really needed - for each of us, in our work, in...
Cultivating Homefulness
"Placemaking" was the official topic of the week-long retreat that has just come to a gentle close. But the phrase has never felt quite right. Volker Hann, the host of 6-acre Wasan Island where we gathered, hinted at the inadequacy of the term: "Am I a placemaker? Or...
The Social Labs Revolution
I spent a nourishing day recently learning about social labs — an extended process to solve complex challenges by gathering diverse stakeholders in an alternating rhythm of meetings and on-the-ground prototyping. In one example, a lab to accelerate the adoption of...
Thrivable Investing
For the past two days, 12 of us gathered in Montreal to explore what happens when the spirit and practice of thrivability meet the world of impact investing. The group consisted of local business leaders committed to the practice of thrivability; impact investors in...
The Life-Cycle of the Heroic Organization
This is part of a series of harvests from the Thrivable World Quest, a learning adventure across multiple cities to explore how organizations must be if humanity is to survive - and thrive. On the first “island” of the Thrivable World Quest, we explored the need for...
The Hidden Treasure of Heroic Cause
This is part of a series of harvests from the Thrivable World Quest - a learning adventure across multiple cities to explore how organizations must be if humanity is to survive - and thrive. With the Thrivable World Quest, we’ve embarked on a huge group treasure hunt...
Measuring Thrivability
Every time I speak to an MBA class about thrivability (as I did recently), it’s only a matter of time before someone asks: how do you measure it? For some reason, it’s only MBAs who ask this. As it happens, we hosted a Thrivability Montreal conversation about this...
Lessons from Amsterdam
Stepping out of the train station in the center of Amsterdam, I was immediately struck by the way the city flows. “It’s orderly... but organic,” was the thought that came to mind. There are three times as many bicycles on the road as cars (three times!), and even more...
Ten Frames
I heard a beautiful story recently - a true story set at the height of World War II during the devastating Siege of Leningrad, when the Germans blockaded and bombed the city for over two years. The story centers on the famed Hermitage Museum. To protect the museum’s...
