I Read the News Today, Oh Boy
“All transformation is linguistic.” This declaration from Werner Erhard landed on me decades ago and has been the focus of my work in the world since that moment. Whether it is completely true or not, this stance is useful if we have a desire for real change. It holds that the context or narrative we choose to live within is decisive in guiding our actions and producing outcomes. It recognizes the importance of the words we choose, which are the visible face of our narrative. The task is to choose where to put our attention and which narrative and conversations best serve us in any search for real change.
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Fast Isn’t Flawless
In complex organizations, “Can you take a quick look?” often translates to: we need cover by Friday. The unspoken requirement is speed over truth. For internal consultants, urgency is especially dangerous because you operate inside a matrix: multiple stakeholders, ambiguous decision rights, and high political cost for being…
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The Problem with Goodness Words
Support me. Trust me. Respect me. How many times have we said these words? Heard them from others? They sound really good. After all, who doesn’t want support, trust, and respect? I’m curious though, how often do we feel we get it or…
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Connecting for the Common Good: What Happens When Connection Becomes the Work
For three days in Cincinnati, people from different sectors, cities, generations, and life experiences gathered together not to network, compete, or consume content — but to practice connection. At Connecting for the Common Good, we asked the question: What becomes possible when we treat connection not as a…
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The AI Revolution has a Human Question
by Andi Roberts The technology works: It can write, analyze, predict, and produce at a speed that would have seemed impossible only a few years ago. Organizations have invested heavily. The tools are here. And yet, something is not happening. The expected gains are not…
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Elevating Human‑Centered Design Flawlessly
Human‑Centered Design (HCD) is not new, but it’s experiencing a resurgence in popularity as organizations look for ways to shape how they build products, services, and workplaces that genuinely serve human needs in the AI era. And for those exploring HCD, you might want to consider Peter Block’s…
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Moving from Inspiration to InspirACTION
You’re inspired. There’s a feeling, a spark, or a shift in perspective. It’s often emotional, intuitive, and imaginative. Inspiration gives you energy or clarity, but in and of itself, it doesn’t necessarily create change. We often stop at inspiration – great ideas, renewed hope, vivid envisioning…
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The Internal Consultant’s Dilemma
If you’re a consultant inside an organization, you have some unique consulting challenges. One of them is navigating effective work agreements across departments and even within your own. While we want everyone to be on the same page, it’s not uncommon to see work not go as planned.
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Avoiding Assumptions as a Flawless Consultant
By Amanda Cole Sometimes, avoiding assumptions is best. A swirl of leaves circles our feet as my two sons and I walk down the sidewalk near our house on a beautiful, crisp fall day. My four- and two-year-old boys’ legs have carried them an extra-long way, so…
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Departing Leadership: Welcoming Connectors
We live in a moment with low levels of trust in government and the institutions that serve society. There are rising concerns about safety, accessible health care, livelihood, higher and lower education, the land and environment. This indicates that our existing structures for supporting the common good,…
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