by Christopher Alexander Alexander  is an architect who has spends his life articulating what brings a quality of  aliveness into the world. The fact that he frames the question this way, in  itself shifts my thinking.  Much of the  time we think what matters is performance, or efficiency, or … [Read more...]

by Judith Snow and Jack Pearpoint In  every profession there is a network of people attempting to radicalize what  passes as the conventional wisdom and practice. These countercurrents exist in  disciplines as diverse as architecture, urban affairs, philosophy, business  management, … [Read more...]

My Kingdom for a Tool One of my favorite catalogues is the Wade Garrett Tool Catalogue. Every place I go, people are always looking for tools and techniques and this catalogue delivers. Of course the tools are mostly for woodworking, but there are many items of interest for just better everyday … [Read more...]

by Dave Smith There are many books about spirit at work, finding meaning in your work and living a life on purpose. There are also a growing number of books about business social  responsibility and the dominance that corporations hold over modern culture.  What Dave Smith, in his new book, … [Read more...]

by Jacques Ellul The is about the pervasive power of technology in impacting our way of thinking of ourselves and who our society is becoming. It is in no way an argument against technology but a comprehensive discussion of its meaning and effects. Ellul wrote this over fifty years ago, so it is … [Read more...]

by Richard Pascale, Jerry Sternin and Monique Sternin    Jerry and Monique Sternin are a couple who have been concerned for the past twenty years or more with the most difficult problems facing modern societies. They have been interested in child malnutrition, sex trafficking, the reintroduction … [Read more...]

by Peter Koestenbaum The best leadership coach I know is my friend, Peter Koestenbaum, who is the embodiment of the wisdom and authenticity we all strive to achieve. He has developed the Leadership Diamond and presents it in a clear and accessible way in his recent book, . For the last twenty … [Read more...]

by Alfred W. Crosby  This is a fascinating book that traces the origins of quantitative nature of our culture. The technology that we think is transforming our culture now, is minor compared to the creation of the clock, units of measure, music notation, and more. It was a paradigm shift away from … [Read more...]

by Michael D'Antonio We live in a society where corporations define and in many ways define our  cultural values and set the tone for what we are and become. This typically reinforces our materialism and belief that it is all about the money. None of which is particularly good news. The book, … [Read more...]

by Ivan Illich One way to close an age is to give it a name that sticks. I propose that we name the mid-twentieth century ‘The Age of Disabling Professions,’ an age when people had ‘problems’, experts had ‘solutions’ and scientists measured imponderables such as ‘abilities’ and … [Read more...]