It takes a system to change a system

It takes a system to change a system.  I love that phrase.  I came across it a couple weeks ago when reading British Columbia mediator/lawyer Nancy Cameron’s excellent book Collaborative Practice: Deepening the Dialogue.  This book is a road map for family lawyers making the journey from traditional litigation to collaborative practice. Now, I’m not […]

The good farmer: An expert in relationships and sustainability

There is a view of farmers that I believe seriously undervalues their value, in the bigger scheme of things.  I’ve thought this for a long time.  It goes back to my early years living on my late Dad’s farm.  He grew crops and raised pigs for market.  Yet; he was also a German Jewish intellectual, […]

Gift the "open source' spirit to your next collaboration

Open Source is both a way of working together and a state-of-mind.  Typically associated with an approach to software development, it’s also a philosophy, and something I think aligns with a spirit of generosity and authentic collaboration, even if your project is not focused on software development. The Open Source spirit Brian Behlendorf is a […]

The Market on Millstream: A community-oriented hub for food producers and consumers

Increasingly, I find myself thinking about food security, and the people and businesses who support local farmers and food producers.  The Market on Millstream is one such business. In late 2009, The Market on Millstream, a local grocery store where I live, was named Canadian Independent Grocer of the Year, in the medium surface category, […]

Shipped: Collaborative Maxims – Principles for working together in an organization

A few weeks back, I passed my 1-year anniversary as a blogger.  Knowing how important it is (so Seth Godin says in Linchpin) to ship, to execute, I thought I’d do some (humble) shipping of my own. Yesterday, I published an e-book Collaborative Maxims: Principles for working together in an organization (You can purchase the […]