Methodologies for Change Makers
Changemakers LAB: The Power of Kindness
“Thousands of candles can be lit from a single candle, and the life of the candle will not be shortened. Happiness never decreases by being shared.” Buddha When was the last time you helped somebody? Was it a big gesture or perhaps something small that brightened somebody’s day? How did it make you feel? Altruistic…
Changemakers LAB: Simplify, simplify, simplify!
“A businessman was standing on the pier of a coastal town when a small boat with a single fisherman appeared. Inside the boat there were several large yellowfin tuna. – How long did it take you to catch them? – the businessman asked the fisherman. – A few hours. – So little? Why don’t you…
Changemakers LAB: 6 Actions to increase your power and wellbeing through Gratitude
Some time ago I read and heard about the importance of gratitude. However, it wasn’t until relatively recently that I understood its true effect on my mood and my sense of satisfaction. In this world so full of goals and messages that encourage us to achieve more and strive for perfection, it’s easy to forget…
Changemakers LAB. The Power of Giving Meaning to your Work and how to Achieve it
In his book, Man’s Search for Meaning, Viktor Frankl states that “what drives a human to do an action or project, what motivates him, is the search for meaning in life.” According to Frankl, this applies to all aspect of life, from desire to learn, experience and evolve, to the need to find answers to…
Changemaker LAB. To Be the Change: Use your strengths every day
Why some people are more positive, altruistic and successful in everything they do? How can changemakers, socially committed employees and citizens or positive leaders maintain high levels of resilience, positivity and energy? To answer these questions, I have interviewed highly purposeful and successful individuals and analysed and experimented with cutting-edge research from neuroscience, mindfulness and positive psychology. I summarized…
A tool to develop your Theory of Change
In this post I want to share with you a very powerful tool, developed by DIY, on how to use Theory of Change to develop solutions for complex problems. Let´s first clarify why it is important to set a Theory of Change, what is it exactly and how to use the tool. At the end …
Storytelling for Social Change (Ashoka)
Few would deny that storytelling is a powerful tool for inspiring action and change and influencing thought leaders, funders, and decision makers. Climate change, inequality, violence and other challenges can’t be solved by doing more of the same. We need new narratives that connect with peoples’ deepest motivations and promote more radical action. Stories engage…
Social Innovation: 7 practical steps to promote it at regional level
Europe 2020 is the EU’s growth strategy for the coming decade. In a changing world, the EU wants to become a smart, sustainable and inclusive economy. These three mutually reinforcing priorities should help the EU and the Member States deliver high levels of employment, productivity and social cohesion. Concretely, the Union has set five ambitious objectives…
Towards A Theory Of Systemic Action
Today I want to share with you an interesting paper on what is needed for systemic action by Zaid Hassan. You can download it here and find an excerpt below. Click here to access the full essay (PDF, Page 21) As our world increases in complexity, more and more resources are being directed at addressing challenges…
My favorite change management tools and books.
One of my main objectives when I launched this blog was to share ideas, tools and experiences on how to bring positive change to people´s lives (individual change), within organizations and to society as a whole. Today, I want to share with you some of my favorite books on how to manage organizational change processes.…
Toolkit of All Toolkits for Social Innovation
Development practitioners are all too familiar with information overload on how they can do their jobs better. My aim with this blog is to curate some of that information so it’s easier to use. The DIY Toolkit (Development, Impact, and You), created by Nesta in cooperation with the Rockefeller Foundation, is a fairly new web-based resource with…
Do you know your stakeholders? Tool to undertake a Stakeholder analysis
Stakeholder management is critical to the success of every project in every organization I have ever worked with. By engaging the right people in the right way in your project, you can make a big difference to its success… and to your career. – Rachel Thompson, Mind Tools. Stakeholder Management is an important discipline that successful…
If not me, who? if not now, when?
For the launch of the UN’s new campaign HeForShe, a movement dedicated to putting an end to gender inequality, this weekend Emma Watson delivered an empowering speech on feminism to a standing ovation. The first campaign of its kind at the UN, HeForShe will, according to Emma, “try and galvanise as many men and boys as possible to…
How to promote positive change in teams and organizations with Appreciative Inquiry
I am a big fan of Appreciative Inquiry (AI) as an approach to introduce change in organizations, teams, communities and workshops and also for personal and leadership development. I like it because it proposes a shift from problem solving to identifying and building on existing strengths. The basic tenet of AI is that a team or…
Fifteen projects selected to compete for the EIBI’s 2014 Social Innovation Tournament
The Social Innovation Tournament, was established by the EIB Institute in 2012 to encourage entrepreneurship and new thinking to tackle social challenges, rewards innovative projects that create social value and combat social exclusion. This year I had the privilege of of being part of EIB´s jury to select the Fifteen finalists from 171 candidates in 26 countries.…