Blog entries tagged Diversity and Inclusion

2011 Ahead

Heather Berthoud — Sat, 22 Jan 2011 06:00:00 +0100

Another year has ended and the new one is hurrying along. It’s barely three weeks old and we’ve had a new Congress, the shooting in Arizona, snow across the entire country, and the iphone on Verizon. With that as an opening, there’s no telling where 2011 might go.

2010 in review

Berthoud Consulting highlights include AF...

Reader's Review--Fall 2010

Heather Berthoud — Wed, 13 Oct 2010 05:00:00 +0100

I recently read several books that you might find interesting:

A Nation of Strangers: Prejudice, Politics and the Populating of America by Ellis Cose. Though written in 1992, Cose provides a thorough review of immigration debates and policies from the founding of the US up to the time of publication. In some ways, reading an 18 year-old account helped frame questions for our current debate without having to wade through today’s polem...

The Lotto

Heather Berthoud — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 06:00:00 +0100

Recently, I encountered a couple on a hike. The setting was a lovely canyon in the Red Rock country outside of Sedona, AZ. The sun was out but we were in the shade as the nearby mountains cast a shadow, and a chill, into the pine forest beneath the red mountain walls. They were the only people I had encountered for hours. We stopped to chat about the marvelous scenery and other trails we had discovered as visitors to the area.

As we w...

2010 Greetings

Heather Berthoud — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 18:28:56 +0100

Welcome to 2010, already in progress and already challenging in so many ways. Now, more than ever, I feel called to engage with community for peace and justice.

The year that was

2009 was full. A big focus was the trans...

Segregation on a Bus

Heather Berthoud — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 17:42:35 +0100

At an airport, on the way to a conference, I ran into a friend and her companion. My friend offered me a ride in her rental car. We three black women boarded the shuttle bus, put away our luggage and sat at the front of the bus. The remaining passengers filed in, stowed their luggage, and went to the back of the bus. Though there were open seats up front with us, the white passengers moved to the rear, including some who chose to stand. We black women exchanged knowing and perplexed look...

Why Leadership Teams are Different

Heather Berthoud — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 05:00:00 +0100

Leadership teams often face issues that are unique to their role at the top of an organization.

Managing multiple purposes: Leadership team members have responsibility for the organization as a whole while also being accountable for specific program and operational portfolios. This can create tension as team members work to secure resources necessary to deliver their individual priorities even as they seek to steer the entire organization. At its most challenging,

The Power of Curiosity

Heather Berthoud — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 05:00:00 +0100

When you find yourself disagreeing with or offended by someone, you know, you want to thoroughly convince them of the wrongness of their position-and the rightness of yours-try something else-curiosity. Allow yourself to wonder, really wonder, how in the world they came to that perspective. Or wonder, with all the indignation you are likely to have anyway, what they could have possibly meant by that stupid, offensive, off point remark or action. Allow yourself to say something like:

I'm c...

Building Board Leadership in Community Organizations

Heather Berthoud — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 05:00:00 +0100

It's time to approve the plan and budget of a community based organization and the staff is frustrated that the board is micromanaging and not focused on strategy. The board is frustrated that the staff is trying to get approval for programs that cost too much and haven't been fully explained. They each walk away disappointed that they have not been more fully engaged and appreciated.

The board/staff relationship is fraught with boundary and role challenges.

In organizations workin...