This evening my husband and I enjoyed a lovely barbecue dinner on our back patio. Afterward as we sat in the beautiful late evening sun, we watched kids, adults, and their pets walk by or play in the park across the street. As beautiful as it was, and as much as we enjoy living where we do, the truth is that even after living here two years, we don’t know the names of even one of our neighbours.

It made me think about the street where I grew up where everyone knew everyone. On the same kind of evening… More Posted on 06-29-09

Connecting Passion to Possibilities

Some time ago a colleague forwarded me an email he had received that contained an insightful review of a book about community. Not only had the author of the review summarized the key messages within the book, he had also provided an analysis suggesting why it would be important to us in our day to day work.

Although I had never met the guy, there was something about that review that reflected a passion for the subject and made me flag it for follow up. While it did take me a while, I finally got around to connecting with… More Posted on 06-15-09

Velvet Leadership

This week I spent three days with a group of very impressive local community leaders. Despite their tremendous accomplishments, most of them would never think to label themselves a leader.

One of them said she never thought of herself as a leader. “After all”, she said, “I’m a nurturer, I take care of people. I see my job as getting everyone to work together”. 

Another, when asked if she saw herself as a leader was uncomfortable even answering the question.

And yet, these and other remarkable individuals like them, have raised thousands of dollars and worked shoulder… More Posted on 06-07-09