Olelo i ke aka Ka hele ho’okahi e Mamina ka leo He leo wale no e Speaking to the shadow Is what one does when travelling alone Treasure the voice For it gives sound to the thoughts otherwise dormant. — from Lele Kawa: The rituals of Pele by Taupouri Tangaro This is the beginning of my effort to bring some sense to what has happened to me since I stood on the rim of Kiluea in June shortly after the summer solstice in a week during which a large part of myself was opened up. In the six months since …
Share:
One of the most useful books of the past five years in terms of the work I do is Peter Block’s Community: The Structure of Belonging. In it he aggregates the wisdom of those of us who have been practicing participatory process for the last 30 years in North America. The essence of the work is that social fabric, created through conversations that produce relationships, is the foundation for improvement in communities and the fundamental pre-requisite for effective and sustainable problem solving. This set of videos is a great introduction to Peter’s work. View parts one, two and three.
Share:
Alex has a great post today on his Top 5 reasons to celebrate mistakes at work. I’ve been hearing lately from many clients about the need for us to loosen up and accept more failure in our work. The pressure that comes from perfection and maintaining a failsafe environment is a killer, and while we all demand high levels of accountability and performance, working in a climate where we can fail-safe provides more opportunity to find creative ways forward that are hitherto unknown. So to compliment Alex’s post, here are a few ways to create a safe-fail environment: 1. Be …
Share:
A short poem from Edwin Markham, called “Outwitted”: He drew a circle that shut me out – Heretic, rebel, a thing to flout. But Love and I had the wit to win: We drew a circle that took him in. Hat tip to my friend Janie Leask in Alaska, who posted this on her facebook wall.
Share:
Today, the new moon rises, a time of aupicious beginnings, especially coming so close to the winter solstice. These are important moments in Nuu-Cha-Nulth culture, and the times are important in Nuu-Chah-Nulth history. Last month, five Nuu-Chah-Nulth tribes won a landmark court case that gave them the right to sell the fish that they catch. Not on an industrial scale mind you, but on a scale big enough to create small local commercially viable fisheries for communities that desperately need both the work and the reconnection to the sea. Moreover, the courta case declared this as an Aboriginal right, a …