Jim McLaughlin's Blog

As dispiriting as the recent debt ceiling dysfunction drama has been, the most disturbing plot point is not that our leaders can’t seem to compromise, but that they are so compromised. While the pundits continue to parse the no-win “deal” and the bloviators bemoan the failures of leadership, the rest of us might take the Read more

Sullivan County, Tenn.’s initiative to improve school climate began in 2003 after the U.S. Justice Department mandated the school district take steps to address bullying and harassment following a lawsuit over a peer-to-peer racial incident that originated at one of the district’s high schools. But improvements made through the district’s Respect and Leadership Initiative were Read more

Who says our organizations have to be bureaucratic and politicized? Or that life within them has to be disempowering and boring? Control, standardization, and conformity aren’t virtues anymore. They’re outdated management models. Organizations are being pummeled by rapid change, unconventional rivals from around the globe, and demands to become more innovative, more agile, and more Read more

The morning coffee break had wrapped up and we were back at it, involved in a deep discussion. Some people were at the whiteboard, some debating one another, and some listening attentively as we batted an issue around the room. The door to the conference room swung open and it seemed that a new member Read more