Break through polarization, with stories
Polarization is the word of the decade for me, an issue clients ask me to help with, a lot. It's a plague of a different sort that has infected our families, communities, organizations and governments.
5 steps to an irresistible change story
Over the last couple of years, leaders of a popular coastal town in BC have been exploring ways to cut their greenhouse gas emissions. Research showed that they’d have the biggest, fastest impact by getting residents to stop commuting (or at least stop driving gas-powered cars to work) and
How the wrong stories fuelled the Ottawa Occupation
Over the next few months, I expect that we’ll see countless analyses and reports about why the occupation of Ottawa in January/February 2022 became such a disaster for the city. But there’s one failure that became apparent to me right away – a failure to communicate by those
Improve operations with story circles
Things are changing so fast that leaders and managers need to adapt their operations almost daily. At the same time, they have to find ways to keep their people engaged amid ongoing churn. One of the most powerful tools I use to help clients lead through change like this is
Tired of resolutions? Try a future story instead.
All year long, we torture ourselves, thinking about the things we should be doing. When we inevitably come up short against our expectations of perfection, we chastise ourselves for not trying hard enough or being good enough. Then, come December, at the most stressful time of the year, what do
Get unstuck with this scenario planning game
The only thing that seems certain these days is uncertainty. Not knowing what the future will look like next week, let alone next year, makes planning seem impossible. One of my favourite tools is also one of the oldest, with roots in the military – scenario planning.
The Science of Storytelling
Most leaders know from experience the power of stories to influence what we think, say and do. Still, it’s always nice to know the science behind the theory. In particular, I’m fascinated by the idea of narrative intelligence – our innate ability to make sense of the world and