Resources
This is an ongoing collection of a tools and frameworks that I have personally found supportive, as well as a few people who are experts in their field and teachers of mine. It is by no means exhaustive, and often prompted by a client or friend’s request.
Visioning and Strategy
SUCCESS SPECTRUM - Helps teams get specific about their goals and aspirations by using scenarios and thinking on a spectrum (from Failure, Minimum, Target, and Epic Success). It offers a great way to start any endeavor. I use it often and appreciate the philosophy behind it. Credit: Faster Than 20 and Duende.
STRATEGY/CULTURE BICYCLE - Great framework to collectively unpack and refine your current understanding and future vision for your organizational behaviors and strategy. Credit: Faster Than 20 and Duende. Eugene Kim, founder of Faster than 20, aims to "improve collaborative literacy at scale" and has many more tools and resources as well!
SCENARIO PLANNING - Doug Randall of The Trium Group created an amazing resource for navigating uncertainty. This toolkit is oriented toward Web3, but the general approach can be applied to any situation. Fun tip - scenario planning is also useful for family and relationship decision-making!
Working Together
WORKING AGREEMENTS - This is a simple template that supports this one-on-one conversation about working agreements. It provides a shared language and framework for conversations about what you need from each other in order to be successful, regardless of “rank.” Credit: Faster than 20.
PERSONAL ROLE REFLECTION - A simple template to supplemental tool for individuals to clarify and define questions about their role before having conversation with others about working agreements (above) and/or workstreams (below).
WORKSTREAMS - Useful process and framework for teams looking to clarify their current and planned work, roles and responsibilities. Particularly useful as way to parlay responsibility in a less hierarchical manner, once a group has defined their goals. I created this as a tool many years ago to support small teams and entrepreneurs looking to quickly survey and organize their work.
MINDSET CARDS - These cards provide a tactical resource to explore how to understand individual and organizational mindsets in order to improve how everyone works together. Credit: Faster Than 20 and Duende.
MINDSET EXERCISE - Inspired by the above Mindset cards and exercise, I created this exercise as a way to unpack personal and organizational mindsets and identify behaviors and beliefs that support a shared vision for success.
SUPERPOWER CARDS - A fun tool to learn and explore your strengths and inclinations. Credit: SYPartners.
AUGUST PUBLIC STARTER KIT - A practical and collection of frameworks and simple practices for agile ways of working decision making, and psychological safety, and “operationalizing equity." I recommend following August’s newsletter as well, which offers great advice and tangible tools for working together.
Relationships and Communication
DIFFICULT CONVERSATIONS - A fantastic book by Bruce Patton, Douglas Stone, and Sheila Heen is great resource to understand and prepare oneself to have more connected and courageous conversations. Here is Sheila giving a quick overview of the philosophy behind it.
NONVIOLENT COMMUNICATION - This book by Marshall Rosenberg offers the theory and process behind a powerful practice. Here is a step-by-step guide to prepare for a conversation using the NVC 4-step approach.
100 QUESTIONS - A set of rich questions that open conversation and deepen relationships. Some of these questions are quite intimate, so I do not recommend for a work setting. However, school of Life does have other tools that are career-related if you are interested. Credit: School of Life
Collaborative and Human-Centered Design
IDEO HUMAN CENTERED DESIGN TOOLKIT - Detailed activities and templates to practice human centered design.
FROG COLLECTIVE ACTION TOOLKIT - Simple and easy instructions to use design thinking to solve a problem, with simple templates to keep track of observations and learnings
THE DESIGN GYM WORKSHEETS - Useful worksheets and workbooks for practicing design thinking. The Design Gym has also mastered the art of teaching design thinking to large groups, and they host an interesting blog that feature guest practitioners.
Data and AI Ethics
Blueprints Philanthropy and Digital Civil Society - This publication by Stanford professor Lucy Bernholz is an “annual industry forecast about the ways we use private resources for public benefit in the digital age” and an important primer and update on civil society.
Data and Society - A research organization made up of academics and practitioners, this group is a fantastic resource for understanding the social implications of Data and AI ethics more deeply. Check out their library and podcasts.
August’s Generative AI Maturity Model - August Public’s practical framework for organizations to consider if and how they will integrate AI.
Fenris Network - Led by one of my favorite humans (who also happens to be my partner), Aman Ahuja. Fenris enables teams with building product strategy, equitable data governance, and targeted technical assistance.
Intertidal Agency - Led by the amazing Kate Wing, is a nonprofit that works with governments, tribes, scientists, nonprofits, and industry to ethically unlock and utilize data for ocean sustainability.
Community, Equity, and Inclusion
Justin Scott Campell - Los Angeles based professor and practitioner of DE&I, Justin offers thoughtful and bespoke DE&I coaching and training for companies and teams.
Ei Ei Samai - Bay Area based culture design, facilitator, and coach, Ei Ei and supports groups and teams with community mediation, conflict transformation, restorative justice, and DE&I.
Thriving in the Fight: A Survival Manual for Latinas on the Front Lines of Change (book) - Denise Collazo brings years of experience into a practical and inspiration manual for Latinas, and anyone working toward building a more equitable world.
Anti-racism reading list from Ibram X. Kendi
Personal Growth and Leadership Development
PERSONAL AND LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT
Master your code
Jenna’s book
PSYCHOLOGY, MINDFULNESS, AND SOMATICS
A way through tenderness (book)
Getting our Bodies Back (book)
Grandmother’s Hands (book) -
No Bad Parts (book) - If interested in learning more about IFS, this is a great introduction to the theory and process by Richard Schwartz who founded the practice.