If ever there were a time to focus on better public sector leadership, this is it! Our democratic institutions and our values are being tested as never before. If Beacon Leadership Collaborative didn't already exist, this would be the moment to invent it.  We are dedicated to mobilizing a community of citizens and citizen leaders with the will and the skill to effect positive change. The intellectual framework that shapes our work helps us to understand the nature of the challenges that are all about us, and we know ho...

MAKIA – Energy flows where attention goes.

This wise, old adage is one of the keys to leadership.  Too often we spend time and energy on technical problems as a distraction from the more fundamental, underlying challenges we need to (but would rather not) address.  Learning to discern and guide your people to pay attention to these more fundamental adaptive challenges is central to effective leadership for a change.  

In this time of bitter political divisions, not to mention existential threats to our pla...

For all the Declaration of Independence’s “self-evident” truths, the Declaration was in 1776 as it is today more aspirational than descriptive.  As we continue the ongoing struggle to realize liberty and justice for all, there are three other truths – inconvenient truths – about leadership in a democracy whose importance cannot be overstated, particularly in the nation's current political environment. 

Truth #1: Politics is played on the slippery slope, not on the mountaintop of ideals.  Those in political lif...

Jocelyn Lippert Alt offers three new corollaries to John Shedd's sage warning that "a ship in harbor is safe, but that is not what ships are built for." Jocelyn adds her encouragement to "set out with a worthy destination," "value your shipmates," and "enjoy the voyage."  Wise words for effective leadership.