Are You Ready for the Next Economy? If you haven’t yet read Thomas Friedman’s latest book Thank You For Waiting, you’ve probably heard about it. Friedman expertly takes us on the journey of society-altering technology that launched in 2007, forever changing the world we knew…and in many cases the course of our professional lives. Insecurity about […]
There was a time, not so long ago, when even the idea of mission-based for-profit companies was completely foreign. Social change was reserved for nonprofits and government work. In 1994, John Elkington coined the term “triple bottom line,” and the result was as if we began to give ourselves permission, on a wider scale, to […]
Decades of drive toward a single bottom line seems to have caused a violent swing in the other direction, one that sought swift correction to complex social and environmental problems created by runaway capitalism. In their article “Runaway Capitalism” published in Harvard Business Review in 2012, Christopher Meyer and Julia Kirby note, “Certainly we humans have the […]
As human emotions go, shame is one of the most crippling. The fear of exclusion or being exposed is deeply embedded in the human psyche. This can keep us from actions that may harm or cause discomfort to others. Despite its strong self-regulatory impact, we have managed to weaponize it—use it as a tool for […]
We are seeing the same themes and conversations happening everywhere we look… Complex problems require a new way of thinking and acting together. (Systems approach to intractable issues) We are all connected. (“What affects one directly, affects all indirectly.” – Martin Luther King, Jr.) Solutions to social, environmental and economic challenges are interdependent. (Triple-bottom-line) As […]
Many of you may have attended either the terrific career technical education conference convened by State Center Consortium or one of the events with the White House Office of Faith-based and Neighborhood Partnerships. The core message from both events was the same: a low cost, easily scaled solution to social issues is caring relationships. The […]
Greetings! As the first month of this new year is already at a close, I am reminded at how quickly time passes and how important it is to focus on each opportunity presented to us. Recently, the Fresno Business Council celebrated its 20th anniversary. Milestones like these are times to pause; to both look back […]
“Progress of the cities is in everyone’s best interest,” explains longtime columnist and thought leader Neal Peirce. I am simply forwarding his message below because he speaks directly to the work going on in Fresno and communities across the globe. Residents have come together to solve problems that have outgrown old ideas, beliefs and structures. […]
What do you do when you care passionately about an issue? In the past, the answer was start a nonprofit. Today, the answer is find out what it already going on, see how you can help, and only if there is a gap start something new. Scarcity led to the creation of many nonprofits. Many […]
In case you missed it, check out the guest editorial Pete Weber and I submitted to The Fresno Bee about Fresno Unified. http://www.fresnobee.com/2013/08/18/3448515/nankivell-and-weber-accelerating.html It is hard to describe the level of brokenness we uncovered in district. The morale was so low, staff were often in tears as they expressed their frustration and lack of hope […]