It was 1968 when an obscure academic at the University of Edmonton, Ludwig Von Bertalanffy, publish the book General Systems Theory. It was the first major look at the foundations and applications of systems thinking across a broad array of practical and scientific fields. Starting with the individual organism he demonstrated that the systems view …

The first step in the planning study process is determining what it is that you want the study to accomplish. Second, is the creation of a list of those folks you’d like to interview – a list that can be as long as you’d like … as long as you’re realistic. No one goes on …

Today’s New York Times published another in a string of articles highlighting safety issues on the Deepwater Horizon rig at the heart of the Gulf of Mexico oil spill crisis. A confidential survey of workers on the Deepwater Horizon in the weeks before the oil rig exploded showed that many of them were concerned about …

Online reputation management is monitoring your company’s web presence across the internet. It means watching competitors’ websites, keeping up to date on social media mentions, and monitoring what is said about you through the search engines.

Want to create a Major Gifts Program, a Bequest Program, a Special Event, a Recognition Program, a Capital Campaign ?? The most important information you’d want to have is whether your (prospective) constituents/donors will agree with what you want to do, and what would motivate those folks to want to support and/or participate in your …

When I went back to college to get my BS and MS degrees, I was looking for something I would fit into. I choose psychology with a concentration on behavioral analysis. Then I was looking into MS programs, and social work seemed to be calling my name then I remembered a course in I/O Psych …

You may have experienced toxic people in your work and aren’t sure how to deal with it. A coaching colleague of mine, Pat Farrell, works in this realm with nurses. I’ve known Pat for several years since we share a mission to support people working and living with passion and purpose. This week, I want …

[This is a guest post by Dave Statter, who recently retired from the broadcast news business and now consults to public safety agencies on media matters. It provides readers with several excellent lessons about crisis management.] When PGFD paramedics misidentified flesh eating bacteria and related signs as decomposition following death (despite a Glenarden, Maryland man …

The strength of your relationships is critical to your professional success. My coaching clients find value in Relationship Maps, a tool to help them cultivate and enhance important relationships. The Relationship Map serves as a dynamic visual representation to assess relationship gaps. You can create your map by placing your name in a box in …

You’ve heard of the NIMBY syndrome, Not in My Back Yard. It’s never pleasant when its symptoms are first detected and it’s usually around the building of new housing that might include public housing units, or a home for the mentally challenged, a halfway house or something similar. There are plenty of examples in any …