Field Notes from the Bookshelf
These are short practice notes on what a book helps us notice about power, facilitation, leadership, conflict, culture, change, belonging, and organizational life. Some books give us language. Some give us tools. Some interrupt our assumptions. Some help us ask better questions in the rooms we are invited to hold. Here, we share what we are reading, what we are sitting with, and why it matters for the work of gathering people, making decisions, navigating complexity, and building more human organizations.
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To Sell Is Human: The Surprising Truth About Moving Others
I love posting about things that challenge our conventional thinking. Daniel Pink does the most incredible job! What do you think of when you think of sales? The same image comes to most of our minds: sleazy, manipulative car salesman (in a plaid suit). *why must he be in a plaid suit? 😅* This book helped with […]
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Mapping Dialogue: Essential Tools for Social Change
I love the book more than you can imagine. It is a comprehensive guide on how to include voices that need to be heard in dialogue. Most recently, I have been working with a community health centre on a longer term project. As you can imagine, the complexity of this sector is beyond anything one […]
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Transformational Strategy: Facilitation of ToP Participatory Planning
Technology of Participation (ToP) is a method of facilitation that activates group participation. ToP methods provides: 🌌an approach that leads naturally to meaningful exchange of ideas. 🌌a structured process that energizes people to reach consensus. 🌌practical steps help groups plan, organize resources and build commitment. With so many ways to do strategic planning, Transformational Strategy […]
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Kakuma Girls: Sharing Stories of Hardship and Hope from Kakuma Refugee Camp
How determined are you that facilitation can change the world / can save lives? Probably not as determined as someone with a relentless dream living in a refugee camp. This book is so good, I can’t put it down. Inspiring is an understatement. It is stories of girls in refugee camp in Kakuma and their […]
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Amplifying Indigenous Voices in Business: Indigenization, Reconciliation, and Entrepreneurship
Calling all facilitators, consultants, Executive Directors, business leaders, strategic planners, change agents, and everyone working towards a more inclusive world – this one’s for you! This Friday, let’s extend our gratitude to Priscilla Omulo, a proud member of the Tsartlip First Nation and the author of this enlightening book. Not only an author, Priscilla is […]
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The Conversation: How Seeking and Speaking the Truth About Racism Can Radically Transform Individuals and Organizations
I recently started facilitating conversations between a senior leadership team and a mix of management and frontline workers. The topic: barriers that exist for racialized and marginalized workers and ways forward. These conversations were the start of a much larger change: on a systems and cultural level. There was a breakthrough during one of the […]
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Remote Not Distant: Design a Company Culture That Will Help You Thrive in a Hybrid Workplace
In today’s chronic state of disruption, even some of the most successful organizations find it hard to facilitate changes required to deliver results. This has led to The Great Resignation in almost every sector! The “Great Resignation” refers to both the large number of resignations in many industries as well as a refusal by people […]
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Navigating Beyond Crisis
I’m not entirely sure I can do justice to this book in my review, but its importance compels me to give it a shot: I first listened to Thomas Lahnthaler on Myriam Hadnes brilliant podcast workshops.work B.V. “Why Facilitators are Crisis Managers.” Thomas is the founder of The Crisis Compass a consulting firm specializing in tailored strategies for crisis resilience and tailored solutions […]
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The Life and World of Al Capone
Whenever I speak with my professional network, they complain they don’t have time to read for leisure and entertainment because they’re busy reading books related to work. I say, why compromise? Let me provide an example: the biography of Al Capone is something I’d recommend to anyone interested in people, psychology and how to run […]
