How do we help great ideas bubble up? New insights are hovering around us at all times, and yet do we give voice to them, coax them out into the open, or follow through on them? Does our workplace empower us to explore them?
As I researched nonprofit leaders and innovators for my recent book, Innovation for Social Change, I noticed four key traits of nonprofit innovators. The good news: these are traits that any of us can sharpen with some intentionality and practice.
Are you one of those people, like me, who analyzes a decision to death? Who makes T-bar lists of pros and cons for every decision? Yet, as economist Russ Roberts points out in his new book Wild Problems: A Guide to the Decisions That Define Us, often the pros and cons are not fully visible. We can’t rationalize our way through every problem. Life is messy and unpredictable. What kind of thinking can help us when we are wrestling with questions.
Photo by Nick Page.
When was the first time you heard the word outcome? You may have first heard it from a grantmaker asking about your organization’s outcomes and impacts. Did you groan internally, wondering if they know how hard you work each...