All I want for my birthday is a little more kindness and good trouble!
No Bystanding. Now is the Moment for Allyship, Advocacy and Agency!
Historically, 80% of San Diegans have reported strong confidence in the social sector with 81% of residents having benefited from the services of a nonprofit in the last year. Yet 80% of organizations reporting an increased demand for services, with 38% or residents seriously thinking about leaving our county- the least affordable city in the US. And this was all pre-January 2025.
Fast forward the tape to March 2025 and the confluence of the sudden, disruptive current administration’s ending of the historic coexistence between the social sector and the government, while targeting:
DEI (65%)
Immigration & Citizenship (56%)
Arts and Culture (43%)
Gender and Sexual Identity (40%) &
Science & Research (34%)
And this represents a clear and present danger mandating a call to (open) arms if we intend to meet the moment both for the near-term survival of many nonprofits, as well as, with an eye toward the long-term impacts and implications for societal wellbeing.
We must concurrently attend to the fierce urgency of now and play the long game so the at-risk nonprofits and people they serve can thrive, sustain themselves, and retain their sense of psychological safety and dignity!
This burden of proof does not just fall on nonprofits.
Funders, corporations, and foundations must meet this moment with Allyship, FiscalSupport, Advocacy, stand up and be counted on to serve as a Voice for those who can’t, or are afraid to stand up for themselves.
This is as fundamental to the American ethos as life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, and today might better be “framed” as the Declaration of Inter-dependence!
Let’s neither miss the opportunity nor waste this crisis.
No bystanding, we need upstanding.
We are here for you and your mission is our mission.
Love,
Neville
Why Is the U.S. Falling in the World Happiness Rankings? Blame a Kindness Recession This year, the U.S. sank to No. 24 in the World Happiness rankings. What do the likes of Finland and Denmark have that we don’t? More kindness. Mar 22, 2025 Another year, another occasion for Finns to celebrate. For the eighth year in a row, the Nordic country took the top slot in the World Happiness Report rankings, followed by its neighbors Denmark, Iceland, and Sweden. Where did the U.S. land? One slot down from last year in a decidedly mediocre No. 24.
International Day of Forests arrives amid concerns over Trump’s sweeping logging agenda The world celebrates International Day of Forests on Friday, but President Trump aims to expand American logging and roll back reforestation efforts.
Can you look at these 9 photos and not smile on International Day of Happiness? March 20 was International Happiness Day — a day that the United Nations had dedicated to the celebration of joy. We asked photographers around the world to share a picture that can bring bliss.
A partial solar eclipse will reconnect us with something far greater than ourselves and remind us that “only when it is dark enough, can you see the stars!”
I am not sure what this energy will bring to the birthday fest, but I promise we will be “all in”!
Come commune, connect, and celebrate with us as I celebrate another journey around the sun!
“No Winter Lasts Forever; No Spring Skips Its Turn”
Spring is here!
This week:
What Actions Can Local Nonprofits and Others in the Social Sector Take in Our Current Environment?
‘We are facing an epidemic of demoralization,’ says happiness expert—how to fight it ‘Boreout’ is the new burnout—how to combat it, according to Wharton psychologist
Altruism is actually a fantastic survival strategy
Neuroscience Discovered a Clever Trick for Squeezing More Joy Out of Everyday Pleasures
The Spring Equinox is on Thursday, March 20, 2025, at 2:01 am PDT This moment begins the spring season in the Northern Hemisphere.
Translated literally, equinox means “equal night”. On the equinox, the length of day and night is nearly equal in all parts of the world. Twelve hours of each, because the sun is positioned above the equator. It is also known as the vernal equinox, “vernal” means fresh or new, and is from the Latin word for spring, which is “ver.” On this day, the sun rises precisely due east and sets due west. The Spring Equinox signifies a rebirth. The duration of light is about to overtake the darkness. After the Spring Equinox, the days become longer and the air warmer.
The soil becomes fertile, and all hibernating life is re-animated. It is a time to plant seeds of growth. The Spring Equinox is a time of renewal – in nature, the home, and in us. More than just physical activity, “spring cleaning” removes any negative energy accumulated over the dark winter months and resonates with the positive growing energy of spring and summer.
The Spring Equinox is a time where there is a special quality of energy – to plant, grow and renew our lives. Energy is emerging from the ground where it has been dormant in the earth since the Winter Solstice.
Wishing you a special day, symbolic of balance in our life and with the environment. Stay in tune with nature and wellness, Billy
What Actions Can Local Nonprofits and Others in the Social Sector Take in Our Current Environment? Here is a 30-minute chat with Megan Thomas, President of Catalyst, Dr. Novian Yarber from the Prebys Foundation and Moi that hopefully you will find useful as you navigate these uncharted waters.
‘We are facing an epidemic of demoralization,’ says happiness expert—how to fight it: We often mistake demoralization for depression, but it’s distinct. “It often appears first, as a warning sign,” says Stephanie Harrison, author of “The New Happy.”
‘Boreout’ is the new burnout—how to combat it, according to Wharton psychologist: Burnout may not be the source of your unhappiness at work. It’s fraternal twin, bore out, could be the problem. Here’s how to manage it, says Adam Grant.
Altruism is actually a fantastic survival strategy: Primate and neuroscience studies tell us a lot about how evolution rewards kindness and cooperation.
Social support is thought to be an adaptive response to extreme stressors.
Stress kills brain cells in the hippocampus.
Strong social connections can act as a buffer in the brain against stress responses!
Neuroscience Discovered a Clever Trick for Squeezing More Joy Out of Everyday Pleasures: Entrepreneurs can’t make the world less crazy, but they can squeeze more joy out of everyday things with this simple trick.
In difficult and uncertain times, it is often impossible to make the larger world less crazy. But you can learn to squeeze more joy out of your everyday life. This is a lesson author Sasha Chapin learned young. “My childhood was unpleasant, and as a coping mechanism, I tried to love, hard, the passably pleasant moments,”
Confront the Brutal Facts but Always Maintain Hope!
Heads Up!
The first part of this week’s missive is political and personal so if you don’t have the stomach for it, I completely understand, just skip to the second part which is a reminder to celebrate the women in our lives.
No bystanding!
Love,
Neville
In Germany, they came first for the Communists, And I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a Communist. And then they came for the trade unionists, And I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a trade unionist. And then they came for the Jews, And I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a Jew. And then… they came for me… And by that time there was no one left to speak up. –Rev Martin Niemoller, January 1946
As a peaceful warrior, I generally try to model discretion over valor, but this week I am done sitting on the sidelines, and if that means I am “offsides” and “offend” then so be it.
Divisiveness is not my aim, but unless you are a member of the 1st world nations you like me are an immigrant, and we are stronger because of our diversity not because of white supremacy or other narratives that are not reflective of this nation’s history and vibrancy.
Systemic racism, white colonialism and revisionist history will not save this country or planet, no matter how hard to try to hide in its cloaks and daggers.
The greater the hiding, the greater the self-revelation…
If you are torqued by this week’s Soul Food Friday missive, apologies as for more than 15 years, my goal, purpose and aim was to bring some positivity to what seemed like a environment that privileged sensationalism, negativity and polarization, but if I freak you out today, I think it is best that you simply skip, so I don’t trigger you further.
You deserve statis and peace.
Regardless, at least you will know where I stand at this generational crisis which will inevitably have long term implications for those that follow including your kids and grandkids.
More likes are definitely not my metric of success.
While tough to swallow, I am totally cool with being unliked if I am doing the right thing in support and service of others that can’t always be at the table for themselves. Being liked is a social crutch I would prefer to set aside and walk or hobble on my own two feet.
Likes and FOMO have completely messed up the entire “anxious generation” as we post all our bull$#!+ pics of our best selves, living our fabricated and often phony best lives -sometimes with the help of a professional photographer capturing the best shots of an idealized experience that simply does not exist- once we step into your living room and watch you interact with your friends and family.
Alternatively, if you are pumped, jacked, mobilized, emboldened, want to act but don’t know what to do, care deeply but are concerned about downstream consequences and threats, please don’t waste this crisis and let’s make sure your voice is heard.
Do hold space and grace by serving as an ally- no bystanding- human up!- for those who can’t raise their voices for fear of retaliation, targeting, or suffering indignities on top of immense suffering on an unlevel playing field, where social mobility is no longer available to all, and where purported “leaders” would rather kiss Nero’s ring than fess up to the reality that the US is burning and good people stand idly by while the rule of law is threatened, separation of powers is sidelined, the rich get richer on the backs of the poor and middle class, and power corrupts, while absolute power corrupts absolutely!.
Enough is enough…
Can you feel it?
My soul is stirred and meeting the moment this week means speaking truth to power, justice and mercy to cruelty, sanity to inanity, and being present with what is bereft due to social hypnosis, perseverating on risk of loss, or other rationalizations that keep us on the sideline while democracy devolves in front of our eyes.
But that is being nice…
It is time for ME to take a stand. (how about you?)
I know that some of my relatives, friends, neighbors, co-workers, associates, and fellow Americans may unfriend me and that would be unfortunate, but I can’t stay quiet!
It is too important.
This is where I stand.
The 47th President, his power-hungry cronies taking positions of authority in his Cabinet and administration, and the majority of Republicans in Congress are a real and active threat to me, my way of life, and all or most of the people I love.
Some people are saying that we should give Trump a chance, that we should “work together” with him because he won the election, and he is “everyone’s president.”
This is my response:
•I will not forget how badly he and so many others treated former President Barack Obama for 8 years…Lies about his legitimacy and hatred for his principles and his attempts to work within the system.
•I will not “work together” to privatize Medicare, cut Social Security and Medicaid.
•I will not “work together” to subvert the Constitution by illegitimately pushing unfit Cabinet nominees through on recess appointments without the advice and consent of the Senate.
•I will not “work together” to build a wall.
•I will not “work together” to persecute Muslims.
•I will not “work together” to shut out refugees from other countries.
•I will not “work together” to lower taxes on the 1% and increase taxes on the middle class and poor.
•I will not “work together” to help Trump use the Presidency to line his pockets and those of his family and cronies.
•I will not “work together” to weaken and demolish environmental protection.
•I will not “work together” to sell American lands, especially National Parks, to companies which then despoil those lands.
•I will not “work together” to enable the killing of whole species of animals just because they are predators, or inconvenient for a few, or because some people want to get their thrills killing them.
•I will not “work together” to remove civil rights from anyone.
•I will not “work together” to alienate countries that have been our allies for as long as I have been alive.
•I will not “work together” to slash funding for education.
•I will not “work together” to take basic assistance from people who are at the bottom of the socioeconomic ladder.
•I will not “work together” to get rid of common-sense regulations on guns.
•I will not “work together” to eliminate the minimum wage.
•I will not “work together” to support so-called “Right To Work” laws, or undermine, weaken or destroy Unions in any way.
•I will not “work together” to suppress scientific research, be it on climate change, fracking, or any other issue where a majority of scientists agree that Trump and his supporters are wrong on the facts.
•I will not “work together” to criminalize abortion or restrict health care for women.
•I will not “work together” to increase the number of nations that have nuclear weapons.
•I will not “work together” to put even more “big money” into politics.
•I will not “work together” to violate the Geneva Convention.
•I will not “work together” to give the Ku Klux Klan, the Nazi Party and white supremacists a seat at the table, or to normalize their hatred.
•I will not “work together” to deny health care to people who need it.
•I will not “work together” to deny medical coverage to people on the basis of a “pre-existing condition.”
•I will not “work together” to increase voter suppression.
•I will not “work together” to normalize tyranny.
•I will not “work together” to eliminate or reduce ethical oversight at any level of government.
•I will not “work together” with anyone who is, or admires, tyrants and dictators.
•I will not support anyone that thinks it’s OK to put a pipeline to transport oil on Sacred Ground for Native Americans. And, it would run under the Missouri River, which provides drinking water for millions of people. An accident waiting to happen.
•I will not “work together” to legitimize racism, sexism, and authoritarianism.
This is my line, and I am drawing it.
•I WILL stand for honesty, love, respect for all living beings, and for the beating heart that is the center of Life itself.
•I WILL use my voice and my hands, to reach out to the uninformed, and to anyone who will LISTEN:
That “winning”, “being great again”, “rich” or even “beautiful” is nothing… When others are sacrificed to glorify its existence.
I am joining my fellow Americans in this noble and honorable expression of conscience, conviction, justice, morality, faith, commitment, democracy, and informed patriotism.
Zero pressure, but if you agree, it is your turn.
Copy, paste into your email and/or preferred social media platform, add your name to the top and launch a chain.
“If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor” – Archbishop Desmond Tutu:
“Character is like a tree and reputation like a shadow.
The shadow is what we think of it; the tree is the real thing.” ~ Abraham Lincoln
The Entire World Is Pissed at Trump-and It May Cost the U.S. Big Time Donald Trump’s tariffs aren’t the only thing that will wreck the U.S. economy.
Trump’s regime is fated to collapse: Despite its chest-beating rhetoric, the Trump regime is actually brittle and fated to ineffectiveness, collapse or both.
It’s Time to Ditch the Term DEI We can’t debate its merits when we don’t agree on what it means. On President Donald Trump’s first day back in the White House, he issued an executive order ending diversity, equity, and inclusion in the federal government. Its sweeping language forbids DEI “mandates, policies, programs, preferences, and activities,” and orders the termination of all DEI positions—hundreds if not thousands of roles.
Trump’s FBI Moves to Criminally Charge Major Climate Groups The Trump administration is targeting climate organizations that received a Biden-era grant.
Trump cuts to NOAA already felt in San Diego Cuts to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration affect research and sea monitoring partnerships between NOAA and Scripps Institution of Oceanography.
Banned Articles? Did you know that NOAA recently released a new Climate Literacy Guide? This incredible resource aims to help communicators and decision-makers develop their understanding of climate change—but it was recently scrubbed from their website, severely minimizing its impact and reach. You can at least learn about it here.
Trump’s Assault on Universities Is a Wake-Up Call American higher education would be in a much stronger position today if it had made a proactive case to the public for its own importance—and taken steps to address its very real shortcomings.
Chaos on campuses as schools warn Trump cuts could harm US ‘for decades’ President’s slashes to higher education institutions and research funding threaten US public health
Education Department to slash half its workforce “Employees will not be permitted in any ED facility on Wednesday, March 12th, for any reason,” a message to agency staff Tuesday stated.
“Science is under attack”: Hundreds rally at UC San Diego to protest DOGE cuts From Social Security to the IRS, federal budget cuts under the Trump administration are being felt everywhere. On Friday, the focus turned to science—nationwide and at UC San Diego.
Want to Help Fight ICE Raids? There’s a Map for That. This group has developed a new app to help keep everyone one step ahead of Donald Trump’s deportation schemes
Forwarded this email? Subscribe here for more A Mind is a Terrible Thing to Lose Especially when you’re running a country Paul Krugman Mar 12 A note to subscribers: I’ve taken my weekend primer on Social Security out from behind the paywall, partly in response to popular demand but also because it’s relevant to today’s post. This will, I hope, be a fairly short post. That’s partly because my schedule is really tight at the moment and I don’t have time for detailed analysis. But it’s also because I don’t want too much analysis to clutter up a very simple point: The two most powerful men in America have gone stark raving mad. I don’t say this because I disagree with their ideologies or believe that they have very bad policy ideas. That’s been true for quite a few politicians over the years. But while I’ve always considered, say, Mitch McConnell a malign influence on America, while I described Paul Ryan as a flimflam man, I never questioned their sanity. And yes, I’m well aware of the dangers involved in questioning people’s mental stability from afar, especially in a political context. I personally have been the target of that sort of thing, back when people accused me of being unhinged for suggesting that the Bush administration was taking us to war on false pretenses. But I don’t see how you can look at recent statements by Donald Trump and Elon Musk without concluding that both men have lost their grip on reality. News reports still tend to sanewash what our leaders have been saying, and even selected quotations often make them sound more rational than they are. Fortunately, both are addicted to posting on social media, and you really have to read some of their posts to get a full sense of the madness. So here’s Trump, ranting against Canada: Leave aside the nonsensical claims that Canada is a high-tariff nation subsidized by the United States. When Trump first began talking about turning Canada into the 51st state, many people treated it as a joke. But Trump doesn’t appear to be in on the joke. He just keeps doubling down, even as the people of Canada grow ever more outraged. No sane leader would imagine that it’s a good idea to threaten a heretofore friendly but proudly patriotic neighbor and ally with annexation. But a sane leader is exactly what we don’t have. Then there’s Elon Musk. Surely almost everyone except Trump realizes that DOGE has been a bust; despite unprecedented and often illegal access to government agencies, it has yet to come up with any credible major examples of waste or fraud. Even Musk, I suspect, knows at some level that he’s failing. But like Trump on Canada, he just keeps doubling down. Consider Musk’s quickly and easily refuted claim that tens of millions of dead people are receiving Social Security checks. This was a deeply embarrassing error, one that would have killed most people’s political careers. Still, Musk might have been able to ride it out by admitting that his minions had failed to understand the Social Security Administration’s databases. But no. Musk has reiterated his claim that we’re making huge payments to dead people, and is now insisting that Social Security is a Ponzi scheme, showing that he hasn’t made any effort to understand how the bedrock of American retirement works. Musk’s obsession with supposed fraud in Social Security is looking a lot like Trump’s obsession with annexing Canada; apparently he simply can’t admit error, even to himself, and change course. And then there’s this: Of course, illegal immigrants don’t receive Social Security benefits, because they don’t have valid Social Security numbers. But that’s almost trivial compared with Musk’s open endorsement of the Great Replacement conspiracy theory, according to which liberals are deliberately luring nonwhite immigrants to America to tilt the electorate in their favor. This is the conspiracy theory that inspired torch-carrying marchers in Charlottesville to chant “Jews will not replace us.” And look beyond what Trump and Musk have said to the actions of the people they’ve chosen to oversee key public agencies. Robert F. Kennedy, the secretary of health and human services, refuses to respond to a measles outbreak with a clear call for vaccinations, instead suggesting that people take cod liver oil. The secretary of agriculture has suggested that Americans respond to high egg prices by raising their own chickens. How did the highest levels of U.S. government become infected by madness? Well, this is what you get when you give flawed people — people prone to grandiosity, vindictiveness and paranoia — so much power that nobody dares tell them when they’re going too far. Cowed Republicans and timid Democrats have effectively given Trump and Musk the freedom to become the worst versions of themselves. And the whole world will pay the price.
Happy International Women’s Day. Here are the best female composers of all time Our guide to the best female composers from history, many of whom have historically been wrongly excluded from the canon. Let’s put that right – get to know their music now!
Let’s meet the moment, to our own selves be true, and be active agents of democracy and uplifting humanity, not passive victims of a system that serves the few on the backs of many.
It is time to show up. NOW!
Thanks this week to Ken D for the spark, Chris B for some links, Charles B for reminding me its ok to be disliked and you for speaking truth to power!
Love,
Neville
“Remember that all through history, there have been tyrants and murderers, and for a time, they seem invincible.
Meet Hugo, the dog who loves to duet with Pavarotti Hugo, aka Opera Dog, is an adorable Golden Retriever with a passion for opera. And for the voice of one operatic superstar in particular… Especially cats and dogs – can have the most brilliant reactions to music. The sound of a rousing symphony or a heartfelt aria can seem to touch them deeply, in ways that we will probably never fully understand but are just totally adorable.
“Trials, temptations, disappointments — all these are helps instead of hindrances, if one uses them rightly.
They not only test the fiber of a character, but strengthen it.
Every conquered temptation represents a new fund of moral energy.
Every trial endured and weathered in the right spirit makes a soul nobler and stronger than it was before”
— James Buckham
Even the Heart Pumps Blood to Itself First, So Keep Self Care and Self Compassion an Integral Part of Your Practice-
Neuroscience Says 2 Minutes a Day Can Make You Less Stressed, More Focused, and Even Increase the Size of Your Brain Entrepreneurs are typically torn in a lot of different directions. This type of (in)activity provides clear cognitive benefits.
“If you are planning for a year, sow rice; if you are planning for a decade, plant trees.
if you are planning for a lifetime, educate people.”
– Chinese proverb
Wonder is the Beginning of Wisdom-
Simply jaw-dropping: The best 31 wildlife photos of 2025 (so far) From playful polar bears to a kingfisher with a very cold bottom. February 24, 2025, The prestigious World Nature Photography Awards have revealed this year’s winners, with the top prize going to – drum roll, please – a breathtaking aerial photo of two deer running through a snow-covered vineyard. The photo below, taken by Slovenian photographer Maruša Puhek, won the top prize out of hundreds of entries from around the world.
“By three methods we may learn wisdom: First, by reflection, which is noblest; Second, by imitation, which is easiest; and third by experience, which is the bitterest.“— Confucius
Given my penchant to say “yes” to the universe at my own peril, I get many queries about topics of import from all walks of life including from conscious business leaders, non-profit organizations, educators, influencers, wisdom traditionalists, students, neighbors and more…
In the last week, I got a real interesting set of questions with respect to communications specifically:
When working with leaders I talk about recognizing the difference between our assets and weapons.
As I see it, our two greatest assets as leaders are our (a) people and (b) self-reflection.
Our greatest weapon, however, is communication.
So,
1. How would you create a culture of communication in your brand, businesses, or leadership?
2. What would be significant communication hurdles you’d look to solve for by doing this?
Here is my response for the good or the order and, if appropriate, to disrupt the freakin’ disorder:
Note: Communications is my passion, discipline, and superpower so as Lynyrd Skynyrd would say, “I know a little ‘bout it, and baby I guess the rest” so please use what’s useful and discard the rest!
Welcome your thoughts too, Soul Food Community of several thousand strong, and got it going on…
Context (for me in the spirit of full transparency):
“Communication is the real work of leadership.”– Nitin Nohria
Even as a practicing lifetime peaceful warrior, steeped in the martial arts traditions for nearly 50 years, I am working hard to take the war language out of communications, as I don’t find it reflective of our current needs as individuals and as a culture, and unintentionally reinforces a command-and-control leadership/adversarial framework v. a collaborative/collective wisdom orientation.
There is a whole body of work around this that is way above my pay grade:
Western Science and Eastern Wisdom Traditions, they work together
Strengths-Based Frameworks not a Deficit Model, we are not motivated by our deficits
Leadership is Inside Out not Outside In, its not performative, its authentic- own it!
We > Me Collective Wisdom not just Individual Achievement, no one of us is as smart as ALL of us
Cultural Competencies not just Success Strategies: “Culture eats Strategy for Breakfast” as Peter Drucker famously reminds us
Moving From Problem Solving to the “other” AI- Appreciative Inquiry:
Informed by Positive Organizational Scholarship:
Imagine a world in which almost all organizations are typified by greed, selfishness, manipulation, secrecy, and a single-minded focus on winning. Wealth creation is the key indicator of success. Imagine that members of such organizations are characterized by distrust, anxiety, self-absorption, fear, burnout, and feelings of abuse. Conflict, lawsuits, contract breaking, retribution, and disrespect characterize many interactions and social relationships. Imagine also that scholarly researchers investigating these organizations emphasize theories of problem solving, reciprocity and justice, managing uncertainty, overcoming resistance, achieving profitability, and competing successfully against others.
For the sake of contrast, now imagine another world in which almost all organizations are typified by appreciation, collaboration, virtuousness, vitality, and meaningfulness. Creating abundance and human well-being are key indicators of success. Imagine that members of such organizations are characterized by trustworthiness, resilience, wisdom, humility, high levels of positive energy. Social relationships and interactions are characterized by compassion, loyalty, honesty, respect, and forgiveness. Significant attention is given to what makes life worth living. Imagine that scholarly researchers emphasize theories of excellence, transcendence, positive deviance, extraordinary performance, and positive spirals of flourishing.
Positive Organizational Scholarship (POS) does not reject the value and significance of the phenomena of the first world view. Rather, it emphasizes the phenomena represented in the second world view. A focus on competition and profitability in the first world view, for example, is crucial for understanding organizational survival and success. The second world view merely calls attention to phenomena that represent positive deviance—phenomena that have received limited scholarly attention in organizational studies. Most organizational theories and empirical research have, heretofore, adopted assumptions and variables that are more typical of the first world view than the second.
—
That said, I love assets and consider communications a meta competency that transcends and informs other skills that are critical to conscious and authentic leadership.
I consider the trifecta of skill sets, mindset, and heart set to be the building blocks for leadership from within (intrapersonal) and communication a meta competency for connecting, engaging, and influencing others (interpersonal)
This might be all semantics to you, but language matters to me!
With that said here goes…
How would you create a culture of communication in your brand, businesses, or leadership?
Assess present state
What is the climate/culture now?
What are the positive deviants already modeling and behaving into the future state?
Is the future state a compelling vision that everyone knows, owns, and is energized by?
Are those modeling the heart/mind/skill sets being affirmed and recognized?
“Leadership is the art of mobilizing others to want to
struggle for shared aspirations.”
—Jim Kouzes and Barry Posner: The Leadership Challenge
Define future state in the language of your tribe
Having values like trust and integrity or competencies like communications and a service orientation are great but define them in the context of what these actually look like in your enterprise with actual examples.
Make these values a critical component of evaluative and developmental opportunities such as annual reviews, organizational goals, brand stories, etc.
For example, your annual review could have 3 parts; goals, values, and discretionary effort (weighted differently) but all assessed with periodicity. (That’s what we do at Mission Fed…)
Use the Positive Org Scholarship criteria above to continue to help the individuals and org behave into the future state.
If Leadership is a skill, then by definition it can be taught!
Lead each gathering, meeting, training, with a “mission story” that incorporates these elements and integral to your brand experience and differentiation
What would be significant communication hurdles you’d look to solve for by doing this?
Tone at the Top- are senior leaders modeling these behaviors or just asking others to do it? Am I doing it?
“Yesterday I was clever, so I wanted to change the world.
Today I am wise, so I am changing myself.” -Rumi
Tolerance for Misalignment- tolerating poor communicators (typically a function of ego-myopia and self-interest v. collective interest) suggesting these are flexible criteria not sacrosanct
Map against the 5 Dysfunctions of a Team (see below)
For example, a low trust environment breeds negative conditions that preclude moving up the ladder to commitment, accountability, and results.
“Preach the Gospel at all times.
And if you must, use words if necessary.” – St. Francis of Assisi
Hope this provides some wind in your sails as YOU navigate turbulent seas, with your leadership chops at the helm, communication skills as your rudder, and trust at your keel…
Thaks this week go to Kai H and Jeff H for the prompt, thought leaders Dr. Danny F, Eric K, and Dr. Alan D, as well as Dr. Herb S and Dr. Dan H. at UC San Diego’s Comm Dept. for the foundational principles and practices in Communications.
The Benefit of Doing Things You’re Bad at with Arthur C. Brooks: To learn a difficult new skill means risking failure—but it’s also a path to greater happiness. January 30, 2025 Between my university lectures and outside speeches about the science of happiness, I do a lot of public speaking and am always looking for ways to do so with more clarity and fluency. To that end, I regularly give talks in two languages that are not my own—not random languages, of course, but rather those I learned as an adult: Spanish and Catalan…
It’s time to change your relationship with dopamine: Going on a ‘dopamine detox’ probably isn’t going to boost your mood and focus. February 02, 2025 These days the internet is crowded with videos, articles and hacks promising the route to reset your brain’s reward system and rediscover the joy in life’s simple pleasures. One method, in particular, has gained traction and is being touted by influencers as a quick fix for restoring focus and lowering your level of stimulation. It’s called dopamine detoxing
The trouble with ‘donating our dopamine’ to our phones, not our friends: “Smartphones make our alone time feel more crowded than it used to be,” says journalist Derek Thompson. His article in The Atlantic is called “The Anti-Social Century.”
Neuroscience Says This Simple Habit Boosts Your Memory and Improves Cognitive Flexibility: It’s promising advice for any busy business leader—and tasty, too.
U.S. Surgeon General: This is ‘one of the most powerful antidotes to loneliness’ “Whether we’re lonely or not has to to do with the quality of connections in our life, not the quantity,” Murthy said.
This 1 thing is a ‘powerful source of joy,’ says U.S. Surgeon General Increased loneliness can lead poor mental and physical health. One remedy, Murthy says, is to invest in relationships.
The U.S. Surgeon General Has One Last Piece of Advice As he prepares to end his second term in office, Dr. Vivek Murthy reflects on the nation’s biggest impediment to health.
In Germany, they came first for the Communists, And I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a Communist; And then they came for the trade unionists, And I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a trade unionist; And then they came for the Jews, And I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a Jew; And then… they came for me. ..And by that time there was no one left to speak up. –Rev Martin Niemoller, January 1946
Want Good Luck this Year? Try these Lunar New Year traditions
Longevity Experts Reveal Their Non-negotiables for Aging as Slowly and Healthily as Possible
Is It Better to Be Kind or Nice?
And Something to Bust Your Heart Wide Open!
“Teachers can open the door, but you must enter it yourself.” – Chinese Proverb
Gung Hay Fat Choy!
Want Good Luck this Year? Try these Lunar New Year traditions:
Each culture celebrating the Lunar New Year has traditions passed down from generation to generation that are thought to bring good luck. Here are a few for you…
Longevity Experts Reveal Their Non-negotiables for Aging as Slowly and Healthily as Possible: Focus on heath span, not life span with these 5 easy tips!
The best ways to add years to your life are basically free.
Embracing What Is Unfolding As a Sign of Spiritual Growth
Focusing on the Wrong $#!+
NPR Readers share wishes for 2025
Leading From Where You Are At
“An individual has not started living
until he can rise above the narrow confines of his individualistic concerns
to the broader concerns of all humanity.”
-Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Embracing What Is Unfolding As a Sign of Spiritual Growth with Mehrad N:
Three Reminders
As we enter this new year, we find ourselves in an era marked by a heightened level of societal division and significant change. It’s no longer just about policy differences; fundamental social principles like truth, ethics, morality, and respect don’t seem to hold the same value as before.
The following three reminders can help us maintain our footing and let our spirit shine in this new year.
1
By Pierre Teilhard de Chardin
“We are not human beings having a spiritual experience; we are spiritual beings having a human experience.”
This reminds us that, at our core, nothing has changed. The essence of who we are remains intact. It is our humanness—the challenges of navigating social norms—that raises questions, leading us to the second reminder.
2
A Quote Often Attributed to Mother Teresa
“People are often unreasonable, illogical, and self-centered; forgive them anyway.
If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives; be kind anyway.
If you are successful, you will win some false friends and some true enemies; succeed anyway.
If you are honest and frank, people may cheat you; be honest and frank anyway.
What you spend years building, someone could destroy overnight; build anyway.
If you find serenity and happiness, they may be jealous; be happy anyway.
The good you do today, people will often forget tomorrow; do good anyway.
Give the world the best you have, and it may never be enough; give the world the best you’ve got anyway.
You see, in the final analysis, it is between you and God; it was never between you and them anyway.”
3
A Story from Swami Veda Bharati’s Book: Wholehearted
A Virbal Story
Let me share a story about the Mughal Emperor Akbar and his wise minister, Virbal. All the courtiers were jealous of Virbal because he was clearly the emperor’s favorite. They asked the emperor, “What does Virbal have that we do not?” The emperor promised to answer on another day.
One morning, as his courtiers gathered, the emperor presented a challenge. He drew a line on the board and asked them to “make the line shorter.” It seemed easy! One courtier rushed to erase part of the line.
The emperor stopped him, saying, “No, no. Shorten the line, but do not touch it!”
That was a real puzzle. Nobody could solve it. Finally, the emperor called on Virbal. Virbal got up, took a piece of chalk, and drew a longer, parallel line beneath the emperor’s line:
_________________ the emperor’s line
_______________________Virbal’s line
“Your line is shorter now, Your Majesty,” Virbal declared.
In doing this, there was no need to diminish the work of another or to compete. Virbal went deep within (this is meditation!) and focused on the task at hand. Whoever remains calm, centered, and self-controlled can act constructively and with humility. Whoever learns from the wise will surely achieve “success without competing.”
My fellow travelers,
remember who you truly are,
remember why you do what you do.
remember how to succeed without competing.
Love · Serve · Remember
NPR Readers share wishes for 2025: Be kind to each other and Earth! Learn from birds! We asked our readers to make a wish for 2025. If even one of these wishes comes true, the world will definitely be a better place!
As of January of 2025, I just became President of NCPC San Diego.
The North County Philanthropy Council brings nonprofit professionals, volunteers, donors, and businesses together for one purpose – to uplift our community. We know there is power in working together and by connecting and sharing knowledge, we strengthen our nonprofit leaders and professionals. These connections are valuable and vital to enhancing philanthropic impact in our community.
We are fostering authentic connections, committed to growing emerging leaders and providing quality programs that drive value to our community.
Here are a few upcoming events if you are looking to upskill, connect and work collaboratively to make a difference in our region. Please join us if you feel inspired!
NCPC Oceanside Chamber of Commerce Networking Connector: Get to know fellow nonprofit peers, learn about what we can provide together, and promote your cause in a casual and fun environment:
NCPC Mentorship Program Info Session Webinar: If you are interested in a coaching and mentorship program, lead by some of the most experienced leaders in the sector that is focused on emerging leaders, so our ecosystem is more reflective and representative of our demography please join us.
NCPC Meet The Funders Panel Program: Join us as we hear from the Rancho Santa Fe Foundation, the Lucky Duck Foundation and the Jewish Community Foundation about the state of philanthropy locally. Gain valuable insights about the San Diego ecosystem and your part in it.
Happy Soul Food Friday! 