Smart v. Healthy

As I read management and leadership consultant Patrick Lencioni's latest book The Advantage, I find it so eloquent when he states that teams/organizations need two requirements for success—"smart" and "healthy."


"Smart" includes

• strategy
• marketing
• finance
• technology

"Healthy" includes

• minimal politics
• minimal confusion
• high morale
• high productivity
• low turnover

He goes on to say "if someone were to press me on which of the two characteristics of an organization, intelligence or health, should receive first priority, I would say without hesitation that health comes out a clear number one."

Center of the Story of the Universe

I never heard of Brian Swimme until I heard him speak at the AMS Annual Conference in San Francisco. His work on the universe is unbelievable and a challenge to wrap your arms around. Check out this trailer to his movie "Journey of the Universe":

Working with Heads and Boards

I had a wonderful opportunity to present at the American Montessori Society (AMS) Annual Conference in San Francisco last week. Here are the slides I used in my presentation, "Fostering Relationships Between Heads of Schools & Boards of Trustees."

Ams Heads-Boards Session 5 March 2012

Shame and Vulnerability

One of the keynote addresses I attended at the American Montessori Society (AMS) Annual Conference in San Francisco was by Dr. Brené Brown, presenting her work and analysis on shame and vulnerability. Here is her excellent TED Talk

Benefits in Failure?

"The Benefits of Failure" by Peter DeWitt in EdWeek's Blog "Finding Common Ground" is an excellent perspective on kids and failure. It is a perfect follow up to my article "Rethinking the 'F' Word" that I wrote for Independent School magazine back in the fall of 2008.

Small to Big <-> Big to Small - Take 2

In my March 17, 2010 post I introduced readers to the video "Powers of Ten." Here is a phenomenal interactive site where you can control getting from small to big and big to small. Try "The Scale of the Universe 2" by Cary Huang.

That's a Family!

If you ever think about family structure, you will want to view this trailer to "That's a Family!" a documentary that presents all kinds of families in a beautiful light. To learn more, check out the GROUNDSPARK website.