Thoughts On Thrivability
Mission Questions, Not Mission Statements
What if companies had mission questions instead of mission statements? How much more engaging and inviting would this be than the typical bland pronouncements about “being number one” or “being the best”? Why do you want to be number one? What learning, discoveries...
Generative Journalism
I’m at the end of three head-spinningly rich days with Peter Pula, the founder and CEO of Axiom News. We’ve been exploring what he and his team mean by “generative journalism” and what more it might come to mean. The gist of our discussion has been that there’s...
Software to Save Humanity (But Not How You Might Expect)
I’ve just had a remarkable experience. For the first time, I presented at a business conference where all the other speakers were saying nearly the same thing that I was. Each in our own way, we all spoke of living systems principles in organizations — things like...
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...
