Category Archives: Civility

(#443) Why Did We Form This Band?


There are some things that really matter, like a shared vision. If the singer wants to be a star, the guitarist wants to play a different style and the bassist and drummer are in it to smoke weed and jam… … Continue reading

Posted in authenticity, awareness, Being REMARKABLE, change management, Choice, Civility, collaboration, collegiality, Communication, Community, community development, consideration, conversation, core values, resilience | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

(#441) It Means Something to Somebody


It got me thinking about those missed moments when we think something isn’t “worth it.” I often post sunrise photos from my beach walk with Roxie (B.D.E.). Judging from the “likes” and comments, people enjoy “sharing” the morning scenery with … Continue reading

Posted in action, assumptions, awareness, Civility, Community, compassion, intentionality, kindness, Reflection | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

(#438) You May Not be the Gift in the Room


Effective collaboration rests on the ability to share the stage. In the early 1990s, the public high school where I taught created a committee called the “Shared Decision-Making Committee.”  I was tapped as its first chair.  The stated mission of … Continue reading

Posted in accountability, amplifying, authenticity, Being REMARKABLE, Being selfish, Choice, Civility, collaboration, collegiality, Communication, Critical Thinking, decision making, Life lessons | Tagged , , , , , | 3 Comments

(#435) Community Requires Respectful Communication


You better think. A few of the reviewers for my forthcoming book, Community as a Safe Place to Land, noted that a community will be hard pressed to exist without respectful communication. Respectful. Indicative of politeness or deference. Communication. Communication … Continue reading

Posted in accountability, amplifying, Appreciation, Appropriate Behavior, authenticity, awareness, Choice, Civility, collegiality, Communication, Community, community development, listening | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

(#433) Verifying Truth


You won’t find a step that says evaluate a source based on what “my group believes” or “who tweeted the most” or “how much I dislike a source.”  2012: Maybe it is the heat of the political campaign season. The … Continue reading

Posted in assumptions, bias, Civility, Communication, Community, confirmation bias, Critical Thinking, information literacy, Life lessons, opinion, truth | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

(#427) Someone Must be the Grown-Up in the Room


The leader helps us see what is possible, especially when we do not have that vision in our experience. Transformation does not just appear. It requires vision, thought, communication, respect, difficult questioning, and better listening. Transformational leaders help orchestrate that … Continue reading

Posted in action, amplifying, assumptions, awareness, Being REMARKABLE, change management, Civility, coaching, collaboration, Communication, Community, community development, consideration, conversation, Critical Thinking, Integrity, leadership, legacy, Life lessons, resilience, transformational leadership, vulnerability, wellbeing | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

(#423) Poverty


When communities build walls to separate their people (due to a poverty of understanding or compassion), the lack can seem insurmountable.  “The world tends to define poverty and riches simply in terms of economics. But poverty has many faces—weakness, dependence, … Continue reading

Posted in accountability, action, assumptions, authenticity, awareness, Being REMARKABLE, change, change management, Choice, Civility, collaboration, Critical Thinking, Life lessons, respect, responsibility, risk-taking | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

(#422) Ask. Listen. Act.


Noise abounds as people tell us what we should and should not. Perhaps we do the same to others. I stood in the back of an auditorium in New Mexico.  In ten minutes, I would be introduced to an audience … Continue reading

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(#418) Helping A Village Find Its Voice


Listen and respect one another. Find your voice. Use your voice. Pursue your rainbows.  We have heard that the village raises up a child.  What do we do, however, if the village has inadequate infrastructure, health disparities, high crime and poverty, … Continue reading

Posted in acceptance, accountability, action, Appropriate Behavior, assumptions, authenticity, awareness, Balance, change, Choice, Civility, collaboration, conversation, core values, creating your future, Dreams, empathy, information literacy, Integrity, leadership, Relationship, relevance, resilience, vulnerability, wellbeing | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

(#416) A Safe Place to Land


I kept hearing about the connections between congregants and neighborhood, congregants and congregants, as well as congregants and their own souls. Consider this. It’s 1993. You are an exuberant minister with a young and growing family.  You walk into a … Continue reading

Posted in acceptance, assumptions, authenticity, Being REMARKABLE, Choice, Civility, collaboration, Communication, core values, vulnerability, wisdom | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments