Friends and colleagues really connected last night at the launch of my new book, HUM!

Last night was one of the most memorable evenings of my life—the launch party of my new book, HUM: Using Connective Change to Lead Your Organization to Greater Purpose and Harmony.  Thanks to the many friends and colleagues who joined me at the Center’s new offices for cocktails and a lively conversation to explore some questions examined in the book:

·       What are the traits of the best (connective) and worst (disjunctive) organizations you’ve experienced?

·       If everyone can recognize and wants a healthy, connective organization, why aren’t more organizations healthy, fun, and productive?

·       What are the keys to creating and sustaining a healthy, connective organization?

People talked about how trust, respect, and clear purpose are among the traits everyone’s experienced in a healthy, connective group.  Some of them talked about how a toxic person can contaminate an entire team if not dealt with.  There was a good discussion of whether private and public organizations have different “default” cultures, and many believed that it depends on their leaders and what they model and expect of others.  Someone asked about “charismatic leaders” who are disjunctive with their own people while shining to the outside world—a topic that stirred up a lot of ideas about how to work with and around them.

Participants in last night’s soiree wrote down questions they want me to explore in future blogs.  Some promised to email additional comments and questions, which I will be sharing in my blog in coming weeks.  You can add to the conversation about healthy and unhealthy organizations by emailing me your stories, questions, or comments.

I am so grateful to the friends who have become clients over the years, trusting me with their organizations’ health.  And I’m grateful to the clients who, over the years, have become close personal friends and supporters.  I’m even grateful to those rare “difficult” clients—perhaps they taught me the most.  So many contributed to the experiences I’ve had and lessons I’ve learned that resulted in this book. A big thanks to all of you—for trusting me as your partner in connective change, and for having the courage to make the tough decisions often required to create an organization that works with greater purpose and harmony.