http://www.jackzen.com zen reflections on the future of everything Sun, 02 Dec 2029 20:42:30 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en Working with the fishing industry in New England this week where we're building innovation and species management networks. Networks grow when people in them cultivate consciousness of the network on three levels: assets, aspirations, and affiliations. Asset awareness is awareness of the talents and resources in the network. Aspiration awareness is ... http://www.jackzen.com/2010/03/12/magic/ Today I'm doing a workshop teaching project managers how to manage projects from the simple to the complex. We will talk about respecting change as both the point and context of all projects. If you are change-phobic, I will argue, do yourself and the planet a favor and avoid being ... http://www.jackzen.com/2010/03/11/project-management-essentials/ Saw a reference recently to people who have little memory of their family's roots being clearly identified with any specific cultural associations. Whether they call themselves "mutts" or "Heinz 57" folks, it raises the question of how important cultural identity is in the quality of life and community, particularly in ... http://www.jackzen.com/2010/03/10/the-future-of-the-past/ If the climate watchers are even close to right, all coastal areas on the planet will be at risk in the next decades. The population of these areas add up to roughly 40% of the world's population, so we're not talking about a small scale issue. How many of these regions ... http://www.jackzen.com/2010/03/09/disaster-proofing-the-planets-coasts/ Every organization, and community, I work with on strategy is very relieved when I liberate them from the inane practice of traditional academic language in the process. I refuse to allow them to waste valuable time debating over the distinctions of: goal, objective, strategy, tactic, and night maneuvers. (I throw in ... http://www.jackzen.com/2010/03/08/strategy-simplified/ For my money, there are fewer examples of great food gurus on the web than the New York Time's Mark Bitten. His blog videos and print articles are honest, pragmatic, and friendly in design and useful to anyone who wants to make the intimidating and unusual accessible. So many people approach ... http://www.jackzen.com/2010/03/07/bitten-smitten/ Former Bogata mayor and civic innovator Enrique Penelosa continues to speak worldwide with the mantra: “Economics, urban planning, ecology are only the means. Happiness is the goal." His approach to designing cities for happiness realizes the intersections of social and environmental justice that he instituted as mayor with countless public spaces, ... http://www.jackzen.com/2010/03/06/designing-cities-for-happiness/ I've stopped counting how many times I've heard 60+ people in visioning conversations say something to effect of, "If we're talking about what we want to see in 20 years, we should have people here in their twenty's." Given the fact that a 70-something may live 20 years longer than a ... http://www.jackzen.com/2010/03/05/none/ Every community that visions into the future can consider a variety of economic growth indicators (metrics) in how they frame their vision statements. Here are just a few for consideration: Number of new college-degreed & non-degreed jobs created by current organizations in each sector Number of jobs created by new organizations in each sector Number of new ... http://www.jackzen.com/2010/03/04/economic-growth-indicators/ You are likely one of the people on the planet who completely take for granted continuous daily access to a toilet. If so, while we here in the States go to war over things like human rights and health care access, what percentage of people in 2010 do not have ... http://www.jackzen.com/2010/03/03/very-basic-access-an-innovation/