Difference between revisions of "Sustainable Business Learning Community Conversations, Jan - Feb 2013"

Revision as of 16:35, 14 January 2013

January 10, 2013 Topic: The Language of Dissent

Dissent in an organization should be valued.

January 3, 2013 Topic: New Year's Resolutions

Ok, sometimes it's hard to admit that there's room for improvement...

Topic: New Year's Resolutions for our Sustainable Businesses

Several members of our Sustainable Business Community share below their resolutions for 2013 relating to their work in bringing sustainable businesses to Detroit.

• Stay focused, but don't expect to get things done sooner than they can be done.

• Be thankful: Be appreciative of the support of others, those who have helped you, have worked with you, have talked to you. Be aware of what is already around you, rather than focusing on what is not there. Be present in thankfulness.

• Be comfortable with your pace of learning - don't expect to know everything right now. Understand that there is no expiration date to learning. You will continue to learn throughout your life - embrace it!

• Spend time thinking about things before you act. It's better to do nothing than to do something you haven't thought through. "You gotta go slow to go fast."

• Spend energy problem-solving rather than "Pivoting." Learn to recognize when to problem-solve (stick to your goal and work through problems) vs. when to pivot (recognize that your goal cannot be achieved and you need to rethink your path).

Inspired by the book The Future of the Past, here are some of Tom's thoughts:

• • Become more aware of what the changing spirit will be for Detroit and try to find his place in it and understand what his contribution can be. There are so many threads to this spirit that need to be understood, social change, history, etc.
  • Balance: In his present study of ecology, Tom has learned that more of a good thing isn't necessarily better. There needs to be a proper recipe, a proper balance in order to find the best result. As the city is undergoing a profound change and he is finding himself in the middle of it all, he is trying to find the natural "chemistry", the biology of this changing spirit and where he fits in. Quote from Tunde's mom: Just because you are rich doesn't mean you should pour a lot of salt into your soup. (More salt is not a good thing - there has to be a balance)
  • Recommended: Detroit City is the Place to Be: At the end of the book, the author expresses a hopefulness about the future of the city.
  • Recognize that it's ok if we are NOT really seeing the changing spirit of Detroit very clearly right now. As with most things, we will probably understand it better in hindsight. Example: The Alley; Tom didn't realize how deeply individuals would be affected by changing the alley.
  • Look back and remember to be thankful.

• Michael: Wants to evolve in his role as a leader. He's in the process of developing a model to use story-telling as a means to advance social justice. In doing this, he wants to create a space for creative people to do really good work without his having to be involved in every detail.
  • Why is this important?

1. He wants to gain experience in a new kind of role.
2. Wants to create something that will be self-sustaining
3. Wants to challenge his tendency to want to control everything and allow himself to give over control to others.

For those of our group who do research writing:

• Be mindful in the present of how their work will impact people in the future. Are you writing a paper for peer-reviewed academia or are you writing it to make an impact on people in the future?