Field Notes

Culture Tipping Towards Change

When the umbrella was first opened in Britain during a rainstorm, passersby ridiculed the brolly-user, pelting him with trash. They thought the gadget resembled a lady’s parasol. After the Wright Brothers’ first flight, French general Ferdinand Foch poo-pooed the airplane as “an interesting scientific toy with no military application.” More

Three illustrated heads

Your Vision Shouldn’t Be a Secret

“What’s your company’s vision?”  I asked an interviewee for the 10th time this week.  I’m not complaining, mind you.  After conducting hundreds of interviews with internal stakeholders (staff, administration, board, faculty, volunteers), I still love that question.  More

Giving Good Feedback: I Like, I Wish, I Wonder

There seem to be more books on the topic of collaboration and team-building than shelf space – from visual thinking to leading from within to identifying your animal spirit. But there is one step in the collaborative process that often gets short shrift: intergroup feedback. More

Two people hang upside down in a roller coaster

Lab: Empathy Experience

Conduct your own field research to find out what motivates your audiences. STEP ONE: Select and experience a peer organization’s service, event or product. Imagine this is your first time engaging in the experience. More

Two Peruvian girls with a llama

Artemis Project

Elizabeth wasn’t looking for a sports vacation and she didn’t want to travel the world via tour bus. She set off on her own self-created adventure and along the way met women just like her—women who wanted to have flexibility while traveling, feel safe and most of all feel like locals. More