This explanatory brief articulates my vocational philosophy, developed over more than 29 years of professional experience.

💡High-level summary: stewarding information and habits in a people-first, collaborative posture towards shared outcomes.

My vocational philosophy and mission encompasses three primary spheres: deep listening to people, stewarding their information needs, and aligning personal habits of those in the identified ecosystem towards achieving shared desired outcomes. In collaboration with curious participants and partners, a purposeful collection of a team of people identify connections across multiple facets of the professional landscape: culture, process, politics, power. As Information Steward on the team, I contribute robust, threaded knowledge organization of seemingly chaotic elements along with inquisitive, human-centered questions, probing analysis, and constructive evaluation of success towards the identified shared outcomes.

The values supporting this mission include:

  • humility, curiosity, open to mystery
    • seeking transformation of individuals and communities through learning and growth
      • an international scope in a neighborhood context
        • expansive, developmental mindset
          • creativity
            • compassion
              • clear communication
                • priority on experimenting and testing with a willingness to fail
                  • purposeful living, an examined life
                    • connections to the whole of the natural world: human, animal, plant, soil, water, air, mountain, ocean, rock
                      • seek the flourishing of all, pursuing equity and balance: wealth, income, power
                        • conservation of resources

                          A significant component of a successful enabling environment is that of a multi-disciplinary team. A diverse team of 5-7 people, each with a strong set of cross-functional skills, consistently work alongside each other engendering creative and effective solutions for partners. These partners, external to the core team, are either fellow employees in departments across the same organization or a client serviced by a multi-disciplinary team of consultants. The team coalesces around time-bound projects where the configuration of a specific team is fit-for-purpose to that project, with a core group of team members on each project augmented with other ad-hoc members as needed.

                          A successful team is diverse. Individuals represent wide perspectives and experiences across factors such as age, gender, race, primary language spoken at home, geographic upbringing, educational pathway, and worldview.

                          Each of the skills listed here will be covered by two or three of the team members:

                          People Skills

                          • Human learning and development, child development; higher education
                            • Stakeholder engagement, community development, group facilitation  
                              • Deep listening, social awareness, continuous learning, change management  
                                • International development
                                  • Philosophy of poverty and development
                                    • Fundraising, grant management

                                      Information Skills

                                      • Information organization, knowledge management
                                        • Artificial Intelligence
                                          • Research       
                                            • Monitoring & Evaluation       
                                              • Data science, business intelligence       
                                                • Statistical analysis       
                                                  • Finance

                                                    Habit Skills

                                                    • Information technology       
                                                      • Strategy development       
                                                        • Project management  
                                                          • Communications, writing, speech writing, presentation       
                                                            • Instructional design       
                                                              • Marketing       
                                                                • Graphic design       
                                                                  • Design thinking       
                                                                    • User-centered design, user interface, user experience       
                                                                      • Video and audio production   

                                                                        The team, in collaboration with partners, strives after a set of overarching, high-level goals including strategy (re)development, knowledge mobilization, program evaluation, and organizational learning or growth in general. The team brings a variety of techniques, approaches, and activities to bear for each project, depending on the desired outcomes.

                                                                        Examples of teams in practice:

                                                                        • Knowledge Mobilization (KM; aka Knowledge Management) in a nonprofit. A KM Team employed by a medium- to large-sized nonprofit focuses on organizational learning and reusing knowledge across the organization. The team engages individual learners with supportive habits for sharing of knowledge with peers as well as co-creating interpersonal and technical systems for documenting lessons learned and retention and reuse of other knowledge assets.
                                                                          • Strategic Initiatives Team. The team at a nonprofit, college, or for-profit is tasked with a specific project: e.g., innovative grant management, identify new sources of revenue, enhance new partnerships, pivot organizational mission in a time of uncertainty, or improve employee retention.
                                                                            • An Information Steward consulting team collaborates with a local Indigenous NGO, partners, and funders on a strategy review alongside a new set of evaluation habits for storytelling about change and impact on participants.
                                                                              • The Philanthropic Foundation Strategic Initiatives Team focuses on strategy revision under a new CEO or board chair.

                                                                                This outline of my vocational ethos articulates my philosophy of how I, and a diverse team of people, honor the critical facets of people, information, and habits.

                                                                                For a deeper exploration of my skills on such a team, read the Who page and my CV.

                                                                                Deep gratitude to the following sages (a non-exhaustive list) who influenced my professional and personal views: Hala Annabi, Rashmir Balasubramanium, Heather Black, Dave Curtis, Theresa Decker, Lindsay Dudeck, Mark Haselkorn, Sanjeev Khagram, Mary Larsgaard, David Levy, Karl Longstreth, Subarna Mathes, Adam Moore, Jamie Shafer, Ryan Smedes, and Steve Waddell.