Innate strategist with a passion for change, communication and alphabetizing my spices. Prosci and PMI certified.
I remember sitting in my Sociology courses, listening to my professors telling tales of the profound, history-making discoveries by renowned Anthropologists. <sigh> Dream life. One women in particular captivated my young feminist attention - Margaret Mead. I won't delight you with the details of her work, just know I wanted to BE her. Badly. Traveling … Continue reading Are We There Yet?
I love it when a good plan comes together. Heck, I love it when a mediocre plan sorta comes together. And a bad plan? Well, that's pretty much the story of my life. But I digress. As a planner, disaster response operations and organizational change management have been perfect careers for me. In fact, I … Continue reading What’s Your Plan?
When it comes to travel, I've always subscribed to the JFDI (Just Flippin' Do It) methodology. How far can these Northwest miles take me? Guadalajara it is. Negative 40 degrees in Michigan? It's sunny in Costa Rica. Covid says keep your distance? Got it. Hit the road and finish touching all the States. (Sitting in … Continue reading The Road to Change
I recently landed a big fish of a project in a small pond. A small business suddenly lost their sole source of institutional knowledge - passwords, processes, everything. So, being the only one in the boat, I grabbed the line and began dragging it in. Dragged resources for passwords. Dragged business processes into the cloud. … Continue reading Catch and Release Fishing
What do change and hiking have to do with each other. Well, attach your 'biner and let's explore.
You know the story. The Scarecrow had a brain. The Lion had courage. The Tin Man had a heart. Dorothy had a home. Sure, they had to battle some witches and flying monkeys before they realized it, but hey, who hasn't? Classic tale of navigating life. My Wizard appeared in 2015 as a recruiter for … Continue reading No Place Like Home
Picture this: It's a hot summer day. You're on the beach and it's your turn to order ice cream. Finally. "Oh, yum, I'll have the butter pecan. Two scoops. Wait, no, the moose tracks. Single. In a waffle cone. Say, is that strawberry cheesecake? Yeah, that sounds better. Hold on—you have gelato?! Lemon, please!" There's … Continue reading Teaching Helplessness
An AAR is a great tool when used effectively. Used ineffectively, it becomes another blame game that corrodes morale and true collaboration.
Why do change efforts fail? Misalignment with vision? Lack of leadership? Poor planning? Weak WIIFM? (That's, What's in it for me?) Let's see...<opens textbook>...yep. All of the above. That's okay, you know the methodology. How to be an Influencer and Change Anything. How to overcome the Five Dysfunctions of a Team. So you create a … Continue reading Ready…Aim…Fire!
Where do we pick up our bad habits? Parents? Older siblings? Influential friends? Maybe, but I'll offer another—teachers. Yes, I said it—teachers. "Ok, class, your assignment is to write a 5,000-word essay." <collective groan> Well, esteemed teachers, it is my opinion, therefore, that you are, solely, though perhaps unjustly, insomuch as responsible for one of … Continue reading Breaking Bad (Habits)