Be Creating

One of the greatest challenges in embedding a new innovation is – what do to with the dead wood.  Do you clear it, minimize it or leave it be? This discussion always reminds me of forest management, in which there is a debate as to how much dead wood is healthy for new growth and biodiversity.  One side of the argument is that the dead wood creates fertile ground for disease and increases the risk of wild fire.  The other side of the dispute is that deadwood provides healthy compost for new growth, acts as shelter for animals and other new forms of growth.  In fact a nurse log is a fallen tree which, as it decays, provides ecological facilitation to seedlings.  “Dead and dying trees play a key role in the functioning and productivity of forest ecosystems through effects on biodiversity, carbon storage, soil nutrient cycling, energy flows, hydrological processes, and natural regeneration of trees.” (UK Forestry Commission 2002) Still – how much dead wood ...

In 1932, Victor Halperin directed White Zombie, a horror film starring Bela Lugosi sharing his view of zombies. The film depicted zombies as mindless, unthinking henchmen under the spell of an evil magician. Although Zombies are rather on trend, thanks to The Walking Dead , far too many individuals spend their days powering through life, racing from email, to text, to twitter, oscillating between online and real time, unable (or unwilling) to slow down. Mindlessly pushing through the day. There are far too many zombies out there, and unfortunately education is full of them.  Recognizing who they are and realizing that if you can wake-them-up they can move an initiative far faster and deeper than almost any other group in your organization. Zombies are often the unofficial power brokers of the school. Teachers who have taught the same lesson for the past 20 years.  Students who only do as much as is required to not get into trouble. Parents who see education as the total ...

I’ve always said the best training I had for working with adults was Jr. High School.   With every change initiative or innovation of which I have been a part I’ve learned we never really leave behind the social behaviors we adopted during our teenage years. Under pressure we revert back to our teenage years as easily as slipping on an icy road in the winter.    Ironically as a change catalyst I often hear the phrase “But, we are all adults.” popping up when individuals are confronted with a challenging situation involving others.   In the back of my mind I find myself saying “So- what difference does that make!”   It’s as if people think because someone has reached a certain age they are now magically going to take on a whole new set of behaviors.   Believe me after 40+ years of working with people in transition it doesn’t really make one lick of difference how old you are.   You, and those around you will revert back to the behaviors ...