Leadership

The Deep Democracy of Resistance

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Black and white photo of crowd with a RESIST sign visible above people's heads

Image: Sides Imagery on Pexels.

In the aftermath of the election, people have asked me: How can Deep Democracy help us in this moment?

Deep Democracy provides a lens through which to understand those who disagree with us and ourselves. It also gives us something critical: a roadmap to use as we move forward. First, some background on Deep Democracy. 

What is Deep Democracy?

The word Deep Democracy was coined by process-oriented psychologist Arnie Mindell, who wrote: “For organizations, communities, and nations to succeed today and survive tomorrow, they must be deeply democratic – that is, everyone and every feeling must be represented.”

Do You Have a Productive Partnership or a Tug of War?

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Productive Partnership or Tug of War

They’re supposed to be your ally. Your co-conspirator. Your partner. But instead it feels like every conversation is a struggle. This isn’t how it is supposed to be.

In the best partnerships, people create something that neither could have accomplished on their own. They merge their unique perspectives, resources, and interests together in the interest of a greater goal. Easier said than done.

In our new white paper, “What Makes a Productive Partnership,” Amber Mayes and I break it down:

  • What are the four critical issues every partnership needs to address?
  • What’s the challenge most likely to make a partnership crash and burn?

Power of Purpose: How Solid Purpose Generates Strategic Strength

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Purpose is one of the most powerful tools organizations have to support strategy. A good purpose places a stake in the ground, declaring what the organization values. It provides flexibility and allows the organization to respond to shifts in the market and customer preferences.

Powerful Purpose Statements

Here’s an example of one powerful purpose:

To transform lives through inspired learning.

This statement is great because it provides both boundaries and flexibility. On the boundaries side, it clearly states that “learning” is the field in which the organization (University of Texas) plays. At the same time, it provides flexibility in how the University provides inspired learning.

New Leadership Tools: Finding Direction through Network Maps: Mini Case #1

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Network Maps as Leadership Tools - Star Performer Expertise

Companies create organization charts that show hierarchies and reporting relationships. But work rarely gets done as it appears on an org chart. Instead, people operate through networks: informal webs of relationships that people instinctively form in the workplace.

Traditionally, leaders have used organization charts to understand their boundaries and spheres of influence. Network maps provide new and helpful information about how people actually perform work, make decisions, and solve problems. Network thinking and network maps can help leaders gain a holistic perspective and uncover unseized opportunities, identify lurking risks, and address unarticulated needs.

In this series, we look at how several different leaders used network knowledge to advance their company’s strategy.

100+ Tried & True Problem-Solving Tools

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Too many leaders choose the wrong tool for the problem at hand. Our infographic, “What’s Your Problem,” explains the four different types of problems leaders face. Once you’ve read it, you may be left thinking: OK, I know what kind of problem I have. What tool do I use?

In this post, we share over 100 tried-and-true problem-solving tools. These are effective and elegant methods that you can use to address the four types of problems.

Simple Problem-Solving Tools

SOP from UCLA.

Simple problems have easily seen cause and effect relationships. Your job is to assess the facts, categorize the facts, and then apply the appropriate best practice.

Is your strategy stuck in the 20th century?

Image of "Is Your Strategy Stuck in 20th Century"

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