Enabling trust

I’m taking some time during a quiet week at work for my EUPATI studies, a on-line training program for patient and family advocates about medicines research and development. This mornings’s lesson is pharmacovigilance — the complex science of preventing adverse effects toward medication. An important topic about which I know little, but from which we …

The web I tend

To all the folks who’ve reached out over the years to ask about the care map I drew back in 2012, I wanted to share my podcast conversation with healthcare improvement pioneer Paul Batalden in his podcast The Power of Co-Production. Paul is such a thoughtful conversation partner; having the chance to talk about where …

New program: The Courage Way

We invite you on ‘The Courage Way’ – a path to cultivating inner leadership characterized by integrity, courage, trustworthiness in our relationships and a grounding in our deepest self. We’ll seek to strengthen our capacity to live compassionately in the tension that arises in the gap between our deepest aspirations and our day-to-day lived reality. And together we’ll share resources and practices for how we renew our spirits and sustain ourselves in these times of great challenge. 

The gift of not knowing

On a walk last week, my 16-year-old and I heard the honking of some large white birds flying overhead. “Look! The cranes are back,” I said. “Wait, no…or are they herons?” Telling the difference between large, white water birds with long legs is not my strong suit. After doing some googling later that day, my teenager …

Touchstones for trustworthy spaces

Touchstones help groups hold tension and engage in meaningful, honest conversation about difficult subjects with both courage and kindness. They can create the conditions that enable creativity, engagement and courage. How and where are you experiencing safety and trust? Where in your collaborations and relationships might you need a little more?

Hospitality as a leadership practice

Coming out of the woods yesterday, I crossed paths with a woman and her dog. Though I didn’t know her, I said hi and she said hello in response. I continued along the snowy path and had made my way about 20 yards/meters before I heard her call to me. I turned towards her and she shouted, “Thank you for saying hello. It means so much to me these days. I try to say hi to everyone I meet on my walks, and you’re the first person who beat me to it in a long time.”

Can you see their health? A salutogenic take on parenting, leadership and change

As a parent of a young adult with physical and developmental disability and multiple chronic conditions and as a healthcare change agent, I’ve been thinking about how paradigms in healthcare influence how I see and experience my life and my work. In particular, I’m noticing how a new paradigm in particular is giving me a greater sense of ease and effectiveness.

Deep listening as a leadership practice

One theme that appeared again and again is deep listening. It seems to be a foundational practice for living and leading well. Here’s a round-up of some of the practices and insights this fall has offered.