Reflection and Deliberation as Twin Practices Reflection and deliberation are often treated as separate activities — one looking backward, the other forward. In reality, they are two halves of the same learning loop. Together, they form a disciplined rhythm of practice: Act → Reflect → Learn/Adjust → Deliberate → Act again. The newly published Reflective… Continue reading Reflective (and Deliberative) Scaffolds: Turning Experience into Insight
Tag: reflective governance
Reflective Practice using Identity Mode Processing – Part 1
Mentoring is essentially a reflective practice vehicle. A mentor metaphorically holds up a ‘mirror’ for the mentee to see their current situation and goals in a different light. Self-reflection is a skill, and as for most skills, it improves with practice. While mentees may have different goals, their reflective skills and insights tend to share… Continue reading Reflective Practice using Identity Mode Processing – Part 1
Moral Accounting and Reporting
For many nonprofit organisations, 30 June marks the end of their financial year. Consequently, thoughts now turn to finalising the trial balance, engaging with the auditors, and preparing annual reports. End-of-year is when we close the books, take stock, and reset. It’s also the best time to capture lessons from ethical challenges, identify emerging risks… Continue reading Moral Accounting and Reporting
Hurry Up and Slow Down
Tempo – yet another dimension of temporality Many years ago my piano teacher introduced me to the metronome, and its use as an aid to practicing. I started slowly at first, and then sped up as I grew more confident with either my sight reading or my familiarity with the particular piece of music I… Continue reading Hurry Up and Slow Down
Temporal Sensemaking and Reflective Governance
Upon launching this blog a few years ago, I suggested that the purpose of these reflections was to help not-for-profit professionals ‘take care of the present’. See the header image above. Many thought leaders have drawn attention to the central importance of the present moment. These observations have emphasised that the present moment is the… Continue reading Temporal Sensemaking and Reflective Governance
‘Doughnut’ thinking for NFPs
This post looks beyond the ‘donut’ chart and geometric descriptions of toroidal shapes to reflect on three doughnut metaphors. These are drawn from philosophy, economics, and organisational design with a view to offering insights applicable to nonprofit governance. Doughnut topology A toroidal shape, also known as a torus (‘tori’ is the plural), is a three-dimensional… Continue reading ‘Doughnut’ thinking for NFPs
The curious director
Curious about Curiosity I have been wondering about curiosity lately. This strangely circular activity feels a little like the sensation you experience when you step between opposing mirrors and see an infinite array of reflections bouncing off each other. I have used the mirror metaphor when advocating reflective governance practices before, acknowledging that it has… Continue reading The curious director