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Ideas & Inspiration

How a Supportive Network Can Drive Creative New Solutions

How a Supportive Network Can Drive Creative New Solutions

In their decades of work with entrepreneurs and other innovative business leaders, Jennifer and Vicki have seen up close how conventional leadership methods often fail to work in our new ever-shifting reality, and aren’t suited to produce the systemic shifts we need to create in the world. As Vicki said, “All of our systems and structures are designed for another time and place, and no longer serve us.”

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Tragic Maui Wildfires Reinforce the Importance of Resilient, Empathetic Systems

Tragic Maui Wildfires Reinforce the Importance of Resilient, Empathetic Systems

Jennifer recently experienced systemic failure up close when she and her family were evacuated just ahead of the deadliest wildfire in the U.S. in more than a century in Lahaina, Hawaii. As the tragedy unfolded, Jennifer witnessed the terrifying and tragic results of rigid, non-adaptive systems — and deepened her belief in the importance of the principles of the KOAN method. Here, she shares an account of their experience and ways to support the real and immediate needs of Maui residents. 

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Finding Inspiration in Connection for Leadership and Change

Finding Inspiration in Connection for Leadership and Change

How does opening ourselves to connections with natural and human networks help us unlock breakthroughs and creativity? That question was at the heart of a recent KOAN Conversation between Integrated Work CEO and the KOAN method author Jennifer Simpson and Center for Nature and Leadership founder Beverly Winterscheid.

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Fostering Open Systems: Practicing Transparency to Fuel Breakthrough Ideas

Fostering Open Systems: Practicing Transparency to Fuel Breakthrough Ideas

While cultivating (K)ind cultures creates the conditions in which bravery can occur, fostering truly Open systems requires a sufficient foundation of trust for team members to take personal risks and build common-good solutions. However, many organizations can’t shake the longstanding habit of withholding critical information, which mutes creativity and disempowers team members. Creating an environment of mutual trust opens people up to want to do their best work and gives them the tools to do so.

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Cultivating (K)ind Cultures: Leading with Empathy and Connecting with Trust

Cultivating (K)ind Cultures: Leading with Empathy and Connecting with Trust

Today more than ever, breakthrough leadership is required to unleash the creativity and innovation to solve our most pressing problems. Inspired by decades of experience studying organizations and how they operate, the KOAN method’s guiding principles  — Be (K)ind, Be (O)pen, Be (A)daptive, Build a (N)etwork — draw from both ancient wisdom and cutting-edge research to evaluate and evolve how leaders can create the conditions that enable people to move beyond divisions and discover breakthrough solutions.

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Driving Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (JEDI): Go Beyond the Checkbox to Enable True Transformative Change

Driving Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (JEDI): Go Beyond the Checkbox to Enable True Transformative Change

By now, we all know the value of creating more diverse and equitable workplaces — but even with all of the available information, learning how to drive true change in our organizations can still be a challenge. In this article, hear from three JEDI experts about how a custom approach can help organizations achieve their goals and build more innovative and resilient workplaces. 

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The Power of CARE: Reflections on Mental Health Awareness Month

The Power of CARE: Reflections on Mental Health Awareness Month

During this Mental Health Awareness Month, perhaps the most important thing we can do is understand the prevalence of mental illness. The last few years have been stressful for all of us. For those living with anxiety or depression, or who have experienced extreme isolation, the impacts of the pandemic are more pronounced. According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness, 1 in 5 Americans experience mental illness; for 1 in 20 Americans, that experience is severe.

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