Archive for 'leadership'

Communication is Beezelbub’s Playground

Posted on May 24, 2013 by Kathryn Alexander

The number one issue in 98% of all organizations is communication. Specifically, the lack of communication, nice – but what does that really mean?

Truth and Reality

Posted on May 16, 2013 by Kathryn Alexander

Business is famous for business owners squeezing every penny out of their employees, which includes; overtime, low wages, no raises, reduced or non-existent vacations and sick pay. However, the deterioration of our educational system that has resulted in a marked reduction in thinking skills suggests that the consequences of poor thinking are imminent.

The Maturing Face of Entrepreneirship

Posted on May 3, 2013 by Kathryn Alexander

It used to be you started a business because you saw a money-making opportunity. Someone had a idea, saw a market for a product or service that was needed...

Wildness: The Lure of the Future

Posted on April 2, 2013 by Kathryn Alexander

This is Spring, Easter, a time of renewal. When most people think of sustainability they think about being around for a long time. For business the life expectancy is about forty years, there are a very few businesses that have been around for 100 years of more.

But We Won

Posted on March 28, 2013 by Kathryn Alexander

We are the chosen people. We have the expertise, the drive, theexperience of having it all, surely this is proof that we have won, that we are the greatest civilization ever!

The Two Wolves Story

Posted on March 26, 2013 by Kathryn Alexander

Southern New Hampshire University recently had an event, “Ethical Issues in Video Gaming” that explored the ethical issues around violence in video games. I found the session very provocative, for several reasons.

Six steps to success as a sustainable Small Business...

Posted on March 20, 2013 by Guest Blogger Darren Hoad

Small businesses in the creative industries are often unsung heroes of sustainability. Inspirational they may be, their challenges, especially, global ones, are immense.

The Power of the Spiritual

Posted on March 11, 2013 by Kathryn Alexander

What is the purpose of business? How does that purpose connect with the human heart and with the terrible crisis we are now facing?

A Story of Two Leaders

Posted on March 8, 2013 by Kathryn Alexander

As leaders we make our own world AND we make the world for others. What kind of world are we making?

Getting Emotional About Business

Posted on March 1, 2013 by Kathryn Alexander

What kind of business gets me really jazzed?

Emergence: the “Feminine” in Business

Posted on February 25, 2013 by Kathryn Alexander

Are we looking for creativity in all of the wrong places? We are seeking resilience, but perhaps it is lying dormant, just waiting for us to allow for its emergence. How do leaders evoke emergence?

The Call of the Wild

Posted on February 20, 2013 by Kathryn Alexander

Historically, nature has informed our way of thinking in many ways. As we move into cities where will our inspiration and learning come from?

Profit or Impact: An inappropriate conflict

Posted on February 18, 2013 by Kathryn Alexander

Is profit a useful measure? If so then why are we so lost in trying to determine real value? Why does the focus on profit undermine meaning? Is there a way to make meaningful work sustainable without the distortion the exclusive focus on profit creates?

What is Right and What is Wrong: Trying to be Ethical

Posted on February 10, 2013 by Kathryn Alexander

How do we determine what is right and what is wrong? Ethical behavior is 'right' behavior so why is it so hard to know right from wrong?

Ethical Smthical What Does It Matter?

Posted on February 10, 2013 by Kathryn Alexander

Why are ethics important? What is it about ethical behavior that seems to make a difference? What do we need to know to be consistently ethical? Does the answer help us create strong cultures?

How to Undermine an Ethical Culture

Posted on February 4, 2013 by Kathryn Alexander

Is it possible to destroy a culture where people love to come to work? Just exactly how would you go about it?

Our Achilles Heel

Posted on January 18, 2013 by Kathryn Alexander

I’ve been an organizational change consultant for most of my working life. The organizational development (OD) community was on fire when I first got exposed to it. The field was young and people were going from helping people work together better to learning how to make the whole organization work better. Those in the field were writing papers and books with new insights coming out weekly, it seemed.

Discovering Regenerative Businesses

Posted on January 3, 2013 by Kathryn Alexander

The current crop of sustainability oriented companies are reducing resource use, and that will give us time, but we need to rethink how we interact with nature to prevent a reoccurrence of the situation we now face. These companies are leading the way!

Purpose Versus Profit

Posted on November 20, 2012 by Kathryn Alexander

Listen to my podcast on the issues caused when we confuse profit with purpose.

Authenticity – Key to Good Leadership-

Posted on September 24, 2012 by Kathryn Alexander

Culture is created a employees watch the actions of leaders, listen to their words, and then try to make sense of the difference. When theories are shared they become fact and people adjust their behavior accordingly.

What can Your Culture Learn from Slime Molds?

Posted on July 23, 2012 by Kathryn Alexander

I did a podcast today on self-organization. There are a few companies whose leadership is not afraid of the employees they hire and they actually encourage their employees to think for themselves and for the company.

Mortgages & Foreclosures – Oh My!

Posted on July 18, 2012 by Kathryn Alexander

This whole mortgage topic has seemed to be forgotten by the press but the legacy from 2008 roars on. Because the intent/purpose of the systems we’ve created are all about money we have missed the real issues and been blind to obvious solutions.

Role of Money on Public Policy

Posted on July 9, 2012 by Kathryn Alexander

John Robert’s ruling on the Healthcare issue opens up the ability of states to resist federal requirements that they spend money on: disabled children’s education, poor peoples health (Medicaid), and other programs designed to ensure a healthy, educated population. Robert’s ruling raised the specter of federal forcing states to do things that they wish not to do.

Truth

Posted on July 4, 2012 by Kathryn Alexander

Truth – we say we want it, but do we really? Is truth one thing or is it multi-facetted? Do I hold the key or do you? I think these myths blind us – that and our egos – fearing that we are wrong.

A Big Leap for Business

Posted on July 3, 2012 by Kathryn Alexander

Occasionally I hear people ask if we can buy our way into sustainability. That is a bit of an oxymoron, don’t you think? We can use commerce and stuff to begin the shift, to educate ourselves about how to produce stuff with no waste, and we can choose to use our money to move that process along.

Right Relationship – The Grease That Makes Things Work

Posted on June 16, 2012 by Kathryn Alexander

I recently had a great experience working with a small company that does research & development for the government. They were having trouble keeping track of government property – a big no, no.

The Purpose of Vision

Posted on June 4, 2012 by Kathryn Alexander

I stumbled upon a blog by Steven Gans where he Quotes Isaac Asimov as saying, “What is really amazing and frustrating is mankind’s? habit of refusing to see the obvious and inevitable...

Authenticity – Being Real

Posted on May 26, 2012 by Kathryn Alexander

Is it strange that I should write a business blog on authenticity? Why should even seem like an oxymoron? I think one reason why we are so far from being sustainable is because we have allowed ourselves to tolerate our own in-authenticity.

Is Your Culture One of Promise or Catastrophe?

Posted on May 16, 2012 by Kathryn Alexander

We think of natural selection as the mechanism of Darwin’s theory of evolution, but it is at work in our organizations as well. It starts with hiring, when hiring mangers or the Human Resources department looks for ‘fit.’ In trying to find someone who will ‘fit’ in with the culture or with their perspective manager

What’s the Purpose of Business?

Posted on May 13, 2012 by Kathryn Alexander

I have asked this question in most of the classes I’ve taught for the past 15 years. The most common answers have been jobs and profit. Jane Jacobs, however in her research around values, explored how business arose and saw it differently.

Sustainability and Social Benefit Companies

Posted on March 23, 2012 by Kathryn Alexander

How do entrepreneurs see sustainability and social benefit? What kinds of companies are being created in these areas?

A Species of Inconsistencies – Why do We Not Act on What We Know?

Posted on March 21, 2012 by Kathryn Alexander

I’m starting to see some dissatisfaction with how well we are dealing with this climate thing. Since the Kyoto Protocol emissions have gone up 40%. It seems we are not only not paying attention we are ignoring what we actually know. Why do we do this?

Real Leadership

Posted on March 19, 2012 by Kathryn Alexander

The path of self-discovery can be painful and surprising, yet there is nothing like having your eyes opened! Real leadership is hard to come by, a rare and unusual gem.

Culture: The Secret to Success

Posted on February 6, 2012 by Kathryn Alexander

Culture, leadership, success how do they fit together?

Laws and Ethics

Posted on January 20, 2012 by Kathryn Alexander

Is the "Rule of Law" enough? What happens when laws are immoral? Immigration as a case study.

Can Beauty Save Us?

Posted on January 18, 2012 by Kathryn Alexander

What are we sacrificing for the love of oil?

Remembering

Posted on January 15, 2012 by Kathryn Alexander

Dr. Martian Luther King, in his talk on the Network of Mutuality, speaks most eloquently on the need for peace. His sentiments apply equally well to our treatment of the Earth.

CAN we meet our needs and those of the future?

Posted on January 8, 2012 by Kathryn Alexander

Sustainability is the capacity to endure. For humans, sustainability is the long-term maintenance of well being, which has environmental, economic, and social dimensions, and encompasses the concept of stewardship, the responsible management of resource use.

Now it IS Happy New Year!

Posted on December 31, 2011 by Kathryn Alexander

What is the ONE thing, that done this new year will grant all of your wishes?

What is Democracy? Voting?

Posted on August 17, 2011 by Kathryn Alexander

When I think of Democracy or try to define Democracy or being Democratic, my mind goes to shared participation (participative democracy), to a chance for all concerned to have a say. I want to make that distinction because I often hear democracy defined as voting and the democratic system as one that makes decisions by voting.

Sustainable Economy - Oxymoron?

Posted on August 4, 2011 by Kathryn Alexander

After the debacle this week is thinking about a sustainable economy an oxymoron? We have a situation where institutions are rewarded for not adding value, where financial illiteracy runs the nation and belief trumps fact.