In the time of the pandemic, what are we finding out about ourselves? What are the lessons we’ve learned? My name is David Erskine and Dr. Kathleen Allen asked me to write a guest blog from just ten minutes north of the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco. As...
I had an interesting conversation the other morning. My friend was talking with a colleague who works at the VP level in a large tech firm. In the conversation they were sharing their experiences of sheltering in place and working from home. The exec said, “I don’t...
On April 15th four colleagues and I hosted a call on Leading Through Disruption: A Living Systems Path to Rapid Adaptation. On the call, we introduced some qualities of living systems and the adaptive cycle that nature uses to continue to evolve. We then posed the...
During this period of sheltering in place, most of us find ourselves with a great deal of “thought time.” We can take this time to look to nature as a model for developing instinct and emotional intelligence, and shifting our perception to see things which...
I revisited these two quotes that are attributed to Michelangelo recently. He said: I saw the angel in the marble and carved until I set him free. Every block of stone has a statue inside it, and it is the task of the sculptor to discover it. My mind went to the...
Today marks the 50th anniversary of Earth Day. Fifty is also an important number of years in nature’s regeneration cycle. Dr. Kathy Allen provides some thoughts on Earth Day and the 50-year anniversary, its relevancy in the face of the pandemic and some good...
Thanks to the ILA for allowing me to contribute to their site. The ILA was created in 1999 to bring together professionals with a keen interest in the study, practice and teaching of leadership. Today, ILA is the largest worldwide community committed to leadership...
In nature, the monarch butterfly has shifted its migration patterns due to climate change. The butterflies didn’t wait for 100% of the scientific community to declare that climate change was happening. They also didn’t wait for Congress to declare that humans were...
As we adjust to constant change, we must become adept at rapid adaptation. From engaging remote employees, to practicing “active hope,” our March insights explored what we can learn from the ways nature deals with disruption. Engagement Insight from Bees...
Nature’s adaptive cycle Nature resets itself on an ongoing basis. This adaptive cycle is like a simple infinity loop that rests on its side. Imagine such a loop. The top left arc is exploring, learning, and discovery. From there it moves seamlessly to launching...
