500,000 local elected officials control more than $2 trillion of taxpayer money. And every day an estimated 1,500 public meetings are held in the United States, many of which relate to what happens to that $2 trillion. Local newspaper (and radio and TV) reporters used to tell us who said ...
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Trust in people who used to have credibility just because of who they were, and trust in traditional institutions – especially government – is broken at best, nearly non-existent at its worst. But trust does exist, just not necessarily where you might expect it....
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Why anyone in their right mind would oppose eliminating urban blight is beyond comprehension. Who could possibly protest building a park in their neighborhood? What would possess anyone to push back on making their lives better? All questions from clients that we run into on a regular basis. Here’s why...
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Democracy – and a Democratic Republic like the U.S. – is an exercise in collaboration and it’s how we’ve gotten this far. I’ll argue that the best public participation is almost always a collaboration. But in recent times, the idea of compromise has been branded as a weak-kneed, liberal-minded copout. ...
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For a long time the common understanding of the purpose of corporations has been to make money for its shareholders – or its sole owners if it’s privately held. I suppose you could also argue that government’s only real purpose had been to do the bidding of the elected officials ...
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Most of the well-intentioned, smart and highly capable people that we work with and for assume that they will be taken at their word. That their well-researched data and facts will speak for themselves – end of story. It doesn’t. You have a story. Tell it well. Here’s how....
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Whether or not a majority of people ever relearn to discern truth from lies will largely determine what kind of future we leave to the next generations. Helping others recognize and believe right from wrong, real versus propaganda, or truth from bulls*** is a skill that we can learn and ...
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We spend so much time worrying about the content and process of the projects and initiatives that we’re involved with that we lose sight of what’s right in front of our eyes. Never forget that ultimately we’re in the people business – the relationship business. That means building rapport by ...
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Working with people is frequently difficult and complex and the rules of engagement aren’t always easy or quick to learn – except sometimes....
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Henry Ford once said, “If I’d asked my customers what they wanted, they’d have said ‘Don’t change anything.” He’s right. Most people want things better but hate the idea of change – particularly having to change anything in themselves. Those who do what we do for a living are in ...
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