by Dr. Kathleen Allen | Mar 17, 2020 | Latest Insights
Nature can teach us a great deal about employee engagement. Given that probably all workers, unless they’re providing essential services, are working from home right now, it might be good to apply the lessons that nature uses to create an engaged ecosystem that...
by Dr. Kathleen Allen | Mar 12, 2020 | Latest Insights
We are living in interesting times, which shouldn’t surprise those of us who see the world as an interconnected, complex, dynamic and open system. COVID-19, also known as the coronavirus, is one example of a unique (and distressing) event that can happen within these...
by Dr. Kathleen Allen | Mar 2, 2020 | Latest Insights
Imagine for a moment that an organizational leader walks into the company cafeteria and announces that the organization has a challenge that needs to be solved. He describes the problem and walks away. All the employees then start moving. They activate individually...
by Dr. Kathleen Allen | Feb 25, 2020 | Latest Insights, Leading from the Roots
February, in many parts of the country, is cold and wintry – an excellent time for reflection indoors. From nature’s example, we see that trust is integral to the foundation of our working relationships. And these relationships even affect our workflows....
by Dr. Kathleen Allen | Feb 18, 2020 | Latest Insights
James Carse wrote a book titled Finite and Infinite Games (1986). In it, he described the difference between a finite game (like football) and an infinite game. Finite games have a start and finish. They are played within a boundary. There are rules that shape the...
by Dr. Kathleen Allen | Feb 12, 2020 | Latest Insights
What we pay attention to matters. If we monitor finances, productivity and service, those become the things we focus on. We begin creating ways to receive feedback on how well we are doing in those areas, which is essential for managing profitability and...
by Dr. Kathleen Allen | Feb 4, 2020 | Latest Insights
Systems change is an essential component of leadership. When we lead a system, we are looking at the present but imagining a better future. We are living with the tensions between current reality and future possibility and influencing the system to move forward. This...
by Dr. Kathleen Allen | Jan 28, 2020 | Latest Insights, Leading from the Roots
January is often a time for reflection, inspiration and change. Nature teaches us valuable lessons for how to reorganize our thinking and grow not only as individuals, but also as leaders of our organizations. In case you missed them, check out this month’s...
by Dr. Kathleen Allen | Jan 23, 2020 | Latest Insights
I have been thinking a lot about the differences between systems that gain nutrients from extraction and exploitation of a primary resource (like money, natural resources or talent) and systems that gain nutrients through other means. In the first system type,...
by Dr. Kathleen Allen | Jan 15, 2020 | Latest Insights
Today I had a call with Marcus Blankenship, who does podcasts on leadership (among other things), and he shared a story about his father who liked to restore furniture. One day he went into his father’s workshop and looked at a table he was restoring. In the corner...
