Good Morning
Today is another full day of work and challenges. In a weird way I’m looking forward to it all. In another way my brain is saying “for goodness sake, you should be in your garden. What is all this stressful working nonsense?” Working at the city is a huge challenge. The biggest adjustment and most […]
Community Development and Engagement
Keith Downey always has something good to share – because he’s busy setting an example for everyone who cares about neighborhoods and community. Keith’s advice regarding the activation of the City of Houston Superneighborhood organization is so important. As people seek to interact with city government, using the available structures matters. When ideas and feedback […]
Angels and Hogs
Growing older comes with nine kinds of losses. I often find myself sad. Unaccountably sad. Inexplicably sad. The rate of loss is such that I can’t quite keep up with the mourning. And then I remember. None of this was meant to last forever. I remember infinity and that there are angels amongst us. People […]
Resilience and Strength.
What do they mean? Houston is seen as resilient. As a city. As a feature of our identity. As I explore the ways we need to become stronger and better protect ourselves from inevitable upheaval, I ground myself in climate realities and accept the uncertainty that comes with our position on the Gulf Coast and […]
Deficit Based Systems and Determination
This is a long post – take your time or just pass by. I’m learning a new role and trying to understand how to get things done in an arena that is irrational. Cynics say a lot about government. Some think we deliberately under-resource it so it can’t be effective. Others think it’s all mediocre […]
Pause. Reflect. Reset.
Dear Social Sector Leaders,I have stopped calling you “nonprofit” leaders because what kind of nonsense category is that? I am going to “out” you right now. Not by name. But here’s what you say over the late night calls, or after a glass of wine, or when you are so worn out you can’t censor any […]
We Do Good Work
Most of us make some sort of one sided bargain with the universe. We will do good work and … we will be rewarded with a desired outcome. One aspect of what we view as civilized society is this predictability of reward for effort. If rewards are fair and shared in some rationalized way, we […]
Leading in Disasters – Communication Reminders
Storms don’t care about any artificial line we draw. But people do. So name the areas impacted. Repeatedly. So everyone knows what neighborhoods and zip codes have what degree of risk and damage. All those that activate for recovery need this information asap. When you go to the mic, the message is all about the […]
Unbreakable
If you want to be brave you’re going to have to let go of the idea that you’re fragile. That you need safety to perform, to act, to create. That you must first be treated with some particular form of special care before you can build or make something. You must first stop demanding or […]
Handle Your Elephants
This past month I’ve been working like mad to pull together reports and proposals for clients. I have a small team and we’re all buzzing. There’s building a business and then there’s doing the business. I love all of it. especially my purpose now – to support leaders in the arena – People hire me […]