Crossing Boundaries is Worth the Risk
I'm convinced that our most pressing problems as a society will be solved by boundary crossers, because it takes multiple perspectives and approaches to understand complex issues. An announcement about David Yarnold's appointment as Executive Director of the Environmental Defense...
Using Social Media to Influence Public Policy
One of the questions that I've heard from people interested in A Bigger Voice is, "How can I influence public policy?" This is an interesting question. I think it requires BOTH top-down (interacting with individuals at the top of an...
Big, Bold Choices
A friend sent me the link to her new blog, part of a "citizen blogger site" set up by the Houston Chronicle. I rarely plug personal blogs (as opposed to ones that specialize in a discipline, like marketing or social...
Online Communities
The ABV pilot has been exploring community-building for the past month. Part of our research and learning has been finding thriving online communities and understanding what makes them work so well. A few interesting communities that we've identified: Rosa Say's...
Simple Missions
In reading this article about Adolph Kiefer, a 90-year old legend among Olympic swimmers, I learned something about mission statements. Kiefer, an Olympic medalist from the 1936 games, has owned a catalog company supplying all types of aquatic equipment for...
Are We So Successful That We’ve Lost Our Way?
In a call with a mentor today, he talked about a company that proactively challenges whether they are drinking their own Kool-Aid. How? By seeking a third party assessment of how they do business, when business is going well. The...
9 Myths About Blogging
I've been blogging since 2005. Blogging has become second nature to me. It's a discipline and a pleasure (yes, it may sound like an oxymoron, but it's not)that continues to provide unexpected dividends. After starting and maintaining three blogs and...
Advice from an Entrepreneur: Do The Right Thing
I was surprised when I received an ezine from my online backup service. The founder of the company wrote a personal note to customers, not about the biz or about a new services. Instead, he wrote about a 1962 movie,...
