http://www.theharwoodinstitute.org The Harwood Institute for Public Innovation Sun, 7 Sep 2008 23:40:17 CDT en-us http://www.theharwoodinstitute.org/ht/d/ViewBloggerThread/i/10725 http://www.theharwoodinstitute.org/ht/d/ViewBloggerThread/i/10725 Tue, 02 Sep 2008 12:12:15 CDT John McCain's selection of Governor Sarah Palin as his running mate is raising a helluva lot of questions -- not only about McCain and Palin, but about us. What values and filters do we bring to this scene? What assumptions about other people do we make? How fast are we to judge others? I know there's some risk in what I'm about to say, but here it goes. Over the long Labor Day Weekend, I found myself involved in a number of conversations about Palin. Since last week's announcement... thi@theharwoodinstitute.org (Rich Harwood) http://www.theharwoodinstitute.org/ht/d/ViewBloggerThread/i/10708 http://www.theharwoodinstitute.org/ht/d/ViewBloggerThread/i/10708 Tue, 26 Aug 2008 13:37:53 CDT "The Democrats still don't know how to go negative. Until they do, they will lose." That's how a CNN commentator ended Monday night's coverage of the Democratic Convention. Is he right? What does it mean for someone to offer hope -- and strongly defend it -- when public life and politics is marked by acrimony and negativity, and shaped by pundits who unrelentingly dispatch such nonsense? Here's how. Any individual seeking to promote authentic hope and change in today's society must... thi@theharwoodinstitute.org (Rich Harwood) http://www.theharwoodinstitute.org/ht/d/ViewBloggerThread/i/10647 http://www.theharwoodinstitute.org/ht/d/ViewBloggerThread/i/10647 Tue, 19 Aug 2008 14:39:53 CDT Last night my wife handed me a Sunday New York Times article on Jon Stewart -- Is this the Most Trusted Man in America? -- telling me that I had to read it. She was right. You should, too. During a time of record-breaking Olympics, a decidedly mixed presidential race, and general social anxiety, Jon Stewart's success on "The Daily Show" holds some key insights for those of us who want to make good on our urge to do good. For me, there are at least three components to Stewart's... thi@theharwoodinstitute.org (Rich Harwood) http://www.theharwoodinstitute.org/ht/d/ViewBloggerThread/i/10455 http://www.theharwoodinstitute.org/ht/d/ViewBloggerThread/i/10455 Fri, 15 Aug 2008 08:04:48 CDT This week we're sharing some "Voices from the Summit." Throughout the week participants in the 2008 Summit will be blogging about their experience, their work and their thoughts. This reflection comes from Jean Feraca, Host of "Here on Earth." Ever since I came back from the Summit I've been living in state of grace. It's a little like being born-again. Imagine having forgotten who you are, what your real name is, why you were sent to earth in the first place, and then being... thi@theharwoodinstitute.org (Rich Harwood) http://www.theharwoodinstitute.org/ht/d/ViewBloggerThread/i/10448 http://www.theharwoodinstitute.org/ht/d/ViewBloggerThread/i/10448 Fri, 15 Aug 2008 07:51:23 CDT This week we're sharing some "Voices from the Summit." Throughout the week participants in the 2008 Summit will be blogging about their experience, their work and their thoughts. This reflection comes from Wendy Willis of the Policy Consensus Initiative. I've often asked friends and colleagues toiling in the civic engagement trenches if there is such a thing as "social capital poisoning." While many of our fellow citizens are struggling to find meaningful ways to participate in public... thi@theharwoodinstitute.org (Rich Harwood) http://www.theharwoodinstitute.org/ht/d/ViewBloggerThread/i/10447 http://www.theharwoodinstitute.org/ht/d/ViewBloggerThread/i/10447 Fri, 15 Aug 2008 07:50:31 CDT This week we're sharing some "Voices from the Summit." Throughout the week participants in the 2008 Summit will be blogging about their experience, their work and their thoughts. This post was written by Steven A. Smith for his blog "News is a Conversation. The editor of the Spokesman-Review (Spokane), Steven has worked with the Harwood Institute for more than a decade. What follows is his post reflecting on the experience of attending his first Harwood Public Innovators Summit:I just... thi@theharwoodinstitute.org (Rich Harwood) http://www.theharwoodinstitute.org/ht/d/ViewBloggerThread/i/10440 http://www.theharwoodinstitute.org/ht/d/ViewBloggerThread/i/10440 Wed, 13 Aug 2008 09:00:29 CDT This week we're sharing some "Voices from the Summit." Throughout the week participants in the 2008 Summit will be blogging about their experience, their work and their thoughts. These days, when I ask a friend or colleague how they're doing, I almost always get the same one-word response: "Busy." I don't just interpret this as a reflection of the pace by which we live our lives; in fact, most of the people I know are busy doing things that either matter deeply to them or to... thi@theharwoodinstitute.org (Rich Harwood) http://www.theharwoodinstitute.org/ht/d/ViewBloggerThread/i/10387 http://www.theharwoodinstitute.org/ht/d/ViewBloggerThread/i/10387 Fri, 08 Aug 2008 13:50:56 CDT This week we're sharing some "Voices from the Summit." Throughout the week participants in the 2008 Summit will be blogging about their experience, their work and their thoughts. This post comes from Farhana Huq, Founder and CEO of C.E.O Women. I started volunteering with citizen sector organizations when I was 14. My sense of the sector was myopic in that I was on the front lines most of the time, focused primarily on direct service. When I founded C.E.O. Women -- an... thi@theharwoodinstitute.org (Rich Harwood) http://www.theharwoodinstitute.org/ht/d/ViewBloggerThread/i/10382 http://www.theharwoodinstitute.org/ht/d/ViewBloggerThread/i/10382 Fri, 08 Aug 2008 12:27:24 CDT This week we're sharing some "Voices from the Summit." Throughout the week participants in the 2008 Summit will be blogging about their experience, their work and their thoughts. Summit has always been one of my favorite words. When I reached the summit of Mount Rainier some years ago, we broke through a thick layer of clouds and the sky above was absolutely clear. From the summit, we could see the horizon but not the land or cities below. The "real world" was obscured. It was a... thi@theharwoodinstitute.org (Rich Harwood) http://www.theharwoodinstitute.org/ht/d/ViewBloggerThread/i/10336 http://www.theharwoodinstitute.org/ht/d/ViewBloggerThread/i/10336 Tue, 05 Aug 2008 12:45:53 CDT The Starbucks juggernaut has flipped its lid in recent months, experiencing a downturn most never expected. Over the years, Starbucks had emerged as a new social icon, a reflection of a brilliant business strategy rooted in a keen knowledge of people's yearnings for connection. But somehow Starbucks got burned when it tried to occupy too much space. Any of us can fall into this trap. The story is a familiar one: a great idea, terrific execution, rising demand, and then expansion,... thi@theharwoodinstitute.org (Rich Harwood) http://www.theharwoodinstitute.org/ht/d/ViewBloggerThread/i/10268 http://www.theharwoodinstitute.org/ht/d/ViewBloggerThread/i/10268 Tue, 29 Jul 2008 10:17:17 CDT This past week, Randy Pausch, the man who made famous "The Last Lecture" passed away after battling pancreatic cancer. The lecture, intended for his children, moved millions of people -- but why? On the surface, many of his comments were cliche. But he was on to something real, something we all wrestle with, and these are the same reasons why my own work is moving more and more in the direction of answering this question: "How can you make good on your urge to do good?" Upon learning of... thi@theharwoodinstitute.org (Rich Harwood) http://www.theharwoodinstitute.org/ht/d/ViewBloggerThread/i/10110 http://www.theharwoodinstitute.org/ht/d/ViewBloggerThread/i/10110 Tue, 22 Jul 2008 11:16:57 CDT Most of us never intend to turn someone else into the "other," but the exigencies of life have a way of wringing out individual dignity from our work. We can find ourselves running so fast to reach the finish line that we lose sight of why even started to run. We use certain words and phrases as short-hand, only to lose their meaning. We go all out to win vital arguments, only to create needless divisions that fail to reflect people's everyday experiences. How in your own efforts to... thi@theharwoodinstitute.org (Rich Harwood) http://www.theharwoodinstitute.org/ht/d/ViewBloggerThread/i/10098 http://www.theharwoodinstitute.org/ht/d/ViewBloggerThread/i/10098 Tue, 15 Jul 2008 12:39:04 CDT What flame are you chasing, and through the years what have you learned about yourself and what you need to do to make a difference? Maybe this is too simple a question to pose, but more and more I find people wrestling to figure out the right answer. This question is at the heart of the new book, Chasing the Flame: Sergio de Vieira De Mello and the Fight to Save the World, by Samantha Power, which I highly recommend to you. You may be wondering why I am suggesting a book on the United... thi@theharwoodinstitute.org (Rich Harwood) http://www.theharwoodinstitute.org/ht/d/ViewBloggerThread/i/10069 http://www.theharwoodinstitute.org/ht/d/ViewBloggerThread/i/10069 Tue, 08 Jul 2008 10:59:32 CDT We often see in sports what we wish could be true in everyday life. This weekend's epic Wimbledon men's final was the best example I've seen in years, when Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal exhibited in the heat of battle a sense of grace that each us can only hope to embrace. There are lessons here for each of us and for public life. Much has been written about the superior play in the Wimbledon final, but for me the most magical moment came when play ended. As Federer and Nadal... thi@theharwoodinstitute.org (Rich Harwood) http://www.theharwoodinstitute.org/ht/d/ViewBloggerThread/i/10038 http://www.theharwoodinstitute.org/ht/d/ViewBloggerThread/i/10038 Tue, 01 Jul 2008 14:37:08 CDT Maybe it's no accident that Senators Obama and McCain are knee-deep in a war of words over the meaning of patriotism as July 4th approaches. But when our two presidential candidates spend their days in a war of words over patriotism, the queasiness from my post 9/11 patriotism hangover comes racing back. Unfortunately, the after-taste is strong and the symptoms are all-too-familiar.The recent war of words began in earnest when retired Army General Wesley K. Clark went after McCain on Sunday's... thi@theharwoodinstitute.org (Rich Harwood) http://www.theharwoodinstitute.org/ht/d/ViewBloggerThread/i/10021 http://www.theharwoodinstitute.org/ht/d/ViewBloggerThread/i/10021 Mon, 23 Jun 2008 14:12:50 CDT On Friday, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg stood before some 200 people at the Jewish Federation of South Palm Beach County to set straight a nasty rumor about Senator Barack Obama, intended to strike fear into the hearts of Jews. The rumor holds that Obama is really a Muslim, who will not support Israeli or even American interests. Bloomberg went to South Florida to tell Jews the real story, and his actions lead to this question: Will each of us stand up when our turn comes? Over... thi@theharwoodinstitute.org (Rich Harwood) http://www.theharwoodinstitute.org/ht/d/ViewBloggerThread/i/9905 http://www.theharwoodinstitute.org/ht/d/ViewBloggerThread/i/9905 Tue, 17 Jun 2008 12:19:25 CDT While channel surfing last night, I stumbled upon Al Gore's endorsement of Barack Obama. At first I wanted to listen to Obama's response to Gore, but then I found myself enveloped by the power of Gore's comments and his stature. Be clear, I'm not writing to underscore Gore's endorsement; rather I want to take notice of Gore himself and to heed what his journey potentially means for each of us. For one of the first times in this campaign season, I heard a public figure stand up... thi@theharwoodinstitute.org (Rich Harwood) http://www.theharwoodinstitute.org/ht/d/ViewBloggerThread/i/9881 http://www.theharwoodinstitute.org/ht/d/ViewBloggerThread/i/9881 Tue, 10 Jun 2008 11:29:47 CDT In December of 2007 I asked: Who do you want to be in a year? Today, six months later, I return today to that question. Who do you want to be? What choices will you have to make to get there? What support do you need to create and accelerate the kind of change you want for your community? Click here and tell us who you want to be thi@theharwoodinstitute.org (Rich Harwood) http://www.theharwoodinstitute.org/ht/d/ViewBloggerThread/i/9836 http://www.theharwoodinstitute.org/ht/d/ViewBloggerThread/i/9836 Tue, 03 Jun 2008 10:23:09 CDT Two weeks ago the United Way of America unveiled its new national branding campaign "Live United," along with a bold strategy for making an impact on education, income and family stability, and health care. I like the phrase "Live United." It's forward-looking, energetic, and reflects people's aspirations. But beyond a damn good slogan, what would these two words mean in daily life for those of us seeking to create hope and change? Here are 10 keys to living united in America.1. We ... thi@theharwoodinstitute.org (Rich Harwood) http://www.theharwoodinstitute.org/ht/d/ViewBloggerThread/i/9768 http://www.theharwoodinstitute.org/ht/d/ViewBloggerThread/i/9768 Tue, 27 May 2008 11:52:51 CDT As we work to create change we face any number of difficult choices and barriers. One of the most common is the dilemma of activity vs. action. If you're really honest with yourself is your work generating more activity, more tasks or are you working to take action that creates impact? Learn more about the difference between activity and action -- download a free copy of Rich's essay Make Hope Real thi@theharwoodinstitute.org (Rich Harwood) http://www.theharwoodinstitute.org/ht/d/ViewBloggerThread/i/9742 http://www.theharwoodinstitute.org/ht/d/ViewBloggerThread/i/9742 Tue, 20 May 2008 11:47:24 CDT What if the more attention we paid to issues of equity and race, the more supporters and funders of "community causes" dried up? That's the question I posed at two events last week. For me, the issue is whether we are prepared to lose precious support by seeking to see and hear all people in our communities, or will we take the path of least resistance and follow the money? First, some important context: The ease with which we can actively turn away from those we don't wish to see or... thi@theharwoodinstitute.org (Rich Harwood) http://www.theharwoodinstitute.org/ht/d/ViewBloggerThread/i/9722 http://www.theharwoodinstitute.org/ht/d/ViewBloggerThread/i/9722 Tue, 13 May 2008 13:41:46 CDT It's a simple enough question, isn't it? What do you want when it comes to your work in public life? I feel rather stupid asking this question because its answer often seems so damn obvious. All that's required is a basic, straightforward response. And yet, truth be told, I find so many of us struggle with what we want, and even more with whether we are really getting to where we want to be. Something is in our way, but what? Most people I know seeking to bring about change in public... thi@theharwoodinstitute.org (Rich Harwood) http://www.theharwoodinstitute.org/ht/d/ViewBloggerThread/i/9708 http://www.theharwoodinstitute.org/ht/d/ViewBloggerThread/i/9708 Tue, 06 May 2008 12:25:18 CDT My fear all along has been that "hope" would become a casualty of this campaign - that its very meaning and currency would be diminished through overuse and sloganeering. Now, on the day of the Indiana and North Carolina Democratic Primaries, I wanted to return to this topic to make an urgent case for a particular meaning of hope in politics and public life. For not all hope is created equal. Tonight the pundits and spin-meisters will talk about hope as if it is on trial. Some will... thi@theharwoodinstitute.org (Rich Harwood) http://www.theharwoodinstitute.org/ht/d/ViewBloggerThread/i/9690 http://www.theharwoodinstitute.org/ht/d/ViewBloggerThread/i/9690 Mon, 28 Apr 2008 17:36:42 CDT I've had this dream for years now: A major funder gives me big money to design an initiative that intentionally fails in full public view. I find myself sharing this dream with people when I visit their communities and talk with them about creating change and authentic hope. While in Binghamton, N.Y last week, I found myself talking about the dream again. For most my "dream" would be a nightmare; me, I want to make it happen. What I call the "$100,000 Flop" is based on an... thi@theharwoodinstitute.org (Rich Harwood) http://www.theharwoodinstitute.org/ht/d/ViewBloggerThread/i/9665 http://www.theharwoodinstitute.org/ht/d/ViewBloggerThread/i/9665 Tue, 22 Apr 2008 15:14:17 CDT The Pope's recent visit to the U.S. offers us a glimpse into what our society so desperately needs at this moment, and which is so glaringly absent from the current Pennsylvania primary campaign. If only the presidential candidates would address the so-called "regular people" of Pennsylvania with the same forthrightness that Pope Benedict chose to handle the Catholic Church's child abuse scandal during his recent visit. From the outset of his visit, the Pope answered the call to address the... thi@theharwoodinstitute.org (Rich Harwood) http://www.theharwoodinstitute.org/ht/d/ViewBloggerThread/i/9650 http://www.theharwoodinstitute.org/ht/d/ViewBloggerThread/i/9650 Tue, 15 Apr 2008 14:38:32 CDT In the face of people's real lives, Senators Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton's escalating war of words about "bitterness" seems to be an utterly silly, even a potentially destructive distraction. As this battle is fought on 24 hour news networks, I can't help but think about my waitress this past weekend at a Denny's Restaurant in rural central Pennsylvania. I walked into Denny's at 6AM last Saturday morning. I was in town taking my daughter to an accepted student's day at a local... thi@theharwoodinstitute.org (Rich Harwood) http://www.theharwoodinstitute.org/ht/d/ViewBloggerThread/i/9642 http://www.theharwoodinstitute.org/ht/d/ViewBloggerThread/i/9642 Tue, 08 Apr 2008 12:17:07 CDT As a Washington Capitals season ticket holder I've come to cherish the moment at each game when fans are asked to salute guest soldiers, many of whom are being treated at nearby Walter Reed Army Hospital. To a person, everyone rises to their feet and gives our guests an extended standing ovation. It's an amazing feeling to be among 15,000 people expressing such love and respect. But when the applause gives way to life's daily drudgeries, I wonder what happens to those brave soldiers,... thi@theharwoodinstitute.org (Rich Harwood) http://www.theharwoodinstitute.org/ht/d/ViewBloggerThread/i/9591 http://www.theharwoodinstitute.org/ht/d/ViewBloggerThread/i/9591 Tue, 01 Apr 2008 11:58:58 CDT Like many people, I'm excited to see how people are stepping forward to engage in this year's presidential race. Indeed, as I travel the country there's a growing contagion of giddiness spreading throughout the land. But, lurking beneath the surface of our national "feel-good" is a warning we must heed, or else run the risk of promoting false hope.The challenge before us is to not misread people's shared anger and renewed energy for common ground about how they wish to move ahead. The general... thi@theharwoodinstitute.org (Rich Harwood)