I could never have connected the dots from where I started to where I am today." Sheryl Sandberg, in Lean In These words of reflection by Sheryl Sandberg really speak to me. I have talked about my own career in similar terms due to the unconventional path I've taken and the diverse experiences I've had. … Continue reading Giving Myself Permission
What’s In A Name?
From late 2006 to February of 2013, I was privileged to be employed as Vice President for Marketing and Communication for the University of Minnesota Foundation. My responsibilities included oversight for the public recognition of organizations and individuals who provide private support to the University. I also served on the All-University Honors Committee that has … Continue reading What’s In A Name?
Fasten Your Seatbelts
Bette Davis in All About Eve The title of this blog is a reference to a scene in the movie "All About Eve," when the character played by Bette Davis puts a cocktail party on high alert with the line, "fasten your seatbelts, it's going to be a bumpy night." That was how I felt … Continue reading Fasten Your Seatbelts
Revenge of the Soft Skills
I'm guessing most everyone is familiar with the concept of hard skills and soft skills; hard skills being teachable abilities, things that you might learn in school or through on-the-job training, while soft skills are considered to be interpersonal and critical thinking abilities like communication skills, how you solve problems and form judgments, and how … Continue reading Revenge of the Soft Skills
The Nature of Problems
a sample KenKen puzzle I enjoy KenKen puzzles with my morning coffee as a fun way to wake up my brain. KenKen is a logic puzzle designed to build both logic and problem-solving skills using basic math operations like addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. Sometimes, when time allows, I tackle the big 8 x 8 … Continue reading The Nature of Problems
Exploring Implicit Bias
Something I really liked about my doctoral program was that it had a cohort design. There were 15 of us in the "learning community" and unlike most doctorate programs that focus on preparing people for careers in academia, this program was designed to advance the careers of working professionals in a variety of fields and … Continue reading Exploring Implicit Bias
Why would you want to think like a jazz musician?
Lisa’s hands at the piano When I began my doctoral studies I was surprised to discover how many influential organization scholars were also jazz musicians, and there are articles in prominent academic journals and even entire books about jazz as a metaphor for leading and organizing. I find this connection between jazz and organization scholarship … Continue reading Why would you want to think like a jazz musician?
MSP Airport’s Snow Plow ‘Playbook’
Kurt Lewin was a social psychologist whose work in the 1930s and 40s is credited for laying the foundations of the field of organization development. Among the many things that made his work revolutionary were simple ideas that sound amazingly contemporary today. He believed that work shouldn't limit a person's potential, but develop it. He … Continue reading MSP Airport’s Snow Plow ‘Playbook’
What happened at Wells Fargo?
Wells Fargo has changed its logo in an effort to project a new image - but its current problems can be traced back to before it became the Wells Fargo of today. In the 1990's, I was working at Carmichael Lynch Advertising and one of my clients was Norwest Corporation. This was prior to Norwest's … Continue reading What happened at Wells Fargo?
Finding The Right Starting Point
Trying to explain organization development (OD) to someone who has never heard of it. - It’s like trying to explain music to someone who's never heard music. Where do you start? I've read dozens of descriptions of Organization Development and most fall short of conveying the reasons why I find this field so interesting. And … Continue reading Finding The Right Starting Point
Hello, I'm Lisa Meyer 