The work of creating a more just and peaceful world sometimes overwhelms people when we think about the gap we must overcome. Add to the enormity of our problems the prevailing sense of scarcity and helplessness that so many people and communities experience and you may soon find yourself wondering what good can actually be done.
Read MoreOne of the similarities I see in our species these past few years, is the way in which so many of us have had to put our mourning into deferrment. Whether our baseline suffering was high or low, whether we were already navigating unjust realities related to our identities, whether our bodies already held egregious levels of unmetabolized trauma, we have been encouraged by the forces of our time to put off grieving until some unspecificed time.
Read MoreIf you haven’t heard the silence of a subzero midwinter, you might not recognize how loud it is to we who have wintered in this place. The subtlelties of the landscape are manifest to those who have watched, and nearly indecipherable to those who have not. Among the cacophony of voices that sing of transformation and signal the changing of the seasons, your soul, too, sings of becoming. Can you hear it?
Read MoreThere is wisdom available to us when we cultivate awareness of the forces at work through us and on us. We can recognize the patterns, habits, and story-living that shapes so much of our unconscious life. Wise awareness allows us to trust the mysterious nature of creativity while developing practices for participating according to the deepest integrity of our values. In such practices there is joy and delight beyond what we often believe is available to us.
Read MoreIt can be overwhelming to wait for clarity to come in times of suffering. Like silt mixed up into clear waters, no effort can speed the settling of obscuring factors. Gravity has to do its slow work and stillness is required. The poet Pádraig Ó Tuama suggests that in times of difficulty, “small narrative rafts” can carry us, allowing us to breathe, get our bearing, and stay alive.
Read MoreI was listening this morning to a man sitting near me in a coffee shop. To be clear, I didn’t want to listen to him – he was just so loud that it was impossible to tune him out. He was clearly someone who had an above average understanding of the political, economic, and environmental forces that were currently shaping our world. He spoke with great authority as his two table-mates listened with what appeared as a mix of skepticism and awe.
Read MoreWhether you are a professional thought partner who coaches individuals and groups or a person who finds themself partnering with others by happy accident, listening is the most important part of being a thought partner. In fact, I would argue that it’s the most important skill a person can build.
Read MoreWho do you think of when you think of a leader? Leaders can often take on a larger than life presence in our imagination. They become icons, representative of what it means to lead. But these icons are often made into caricatures, one-dimensional people from whom we draw some problematic lessons. I want to introduce you to three leaders who've drawn problematic lessons from their icons of leadership.
Read MoreIt was supposed to be everything I wanted. As Visiting Assistant Professor for Community-Based Learning at Grand Valley State University, I had finally found a position that reflected my unique academic interests. The department chair and college dean were supportive and I got along great with the other three professors who were starting at the same time.
Read MoreBecause community is a relational word that is both familiar and ambiguous, it is easy to gloss over the kinds of relationships a leader should seek to support their work. But, there are at least three kinds of relationships that can make all the difference for a person working in community leadership and engagement:
Read MoreWhen people think of changing the world, we understandably think big. We imagine a world without racism, without poverty, without violence, and so many other worthy wishes. The more we learn about complex broken systems, structural inequity, and widespread injustice, the bigger and more complex our plans become.
Read MoreIn our power-hungry society, the language of leadership is often attached to desires for control over, authority over, and management of other people. We are taught through media portrayals that our hopes and dreams should be attached to the trappings of individual power - money, possessions, control, and life beyond accountability.
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