When the Island Had to Rebuild Everything at Once
Hurricanes Irma and Maria made landfall in Puerto Rico within two weeks of each other. By the time I arrived on the island, the damage was not just physical. Students were returning to schools that
What 1,100 Educators Said When SomeoneFinally Asked
The answer the system had been operating on, based on available data at the time, was that incidents were limited and largely isolated. A problem, yes, but a contained one. The answer 1,100 educators
Nobody Loves It. Everybody Likes It.
Most groups that are brought together to solve a hard problem want to start negotiating immediately. That instinct is understandable. The people in the room are experienced. They have positions. They have organizational mandates and
The Governance Question Most Rooms Never Ask
A 14-member committee convened to answer one of the harder questions in regional governance: what would it actually take to make a large, complex, and struggling regional transit agency work the way it needs to?
Now More Than Ever
We are living in a moment defined by complexity, mistrust, and political gridlock. The stakes of public decisions are high, but so are the risks of inaction. Communities are polarized. Public confidence in institutions is
CDMPs: Closing Strong
If you want to be known for running processes that matter, end strong. Set the stage for action. Honor the people who participated. And make sure your CDMP leaves a legacy—not just a paper trail.
Maintaining Momentum
Without a clear plan to sustain engagement, even the most promising CDMPs risk losing credibility or collapsing into dysfunction. Here’s how to keep your process moving forward after the excitement of launch wears off.
Preparing for Launch
If you skip the foundational steps to launching a work group or task force, your first session may feel more like a stumble than a start. A strong launch sets the tone, pace, and expectations
Choosing the Right Participants For A Task Force or Work Group
The success of a collaborative decision making process (CDMP) is shaped not just by what’s discussed but by who’s in the room. And while it’s tempting to start with a stakeholder checklist or a list
Selecting the Right Facilitator
Facilitation has become a catch-all term. Today, nearly anyone who hosts a meeting or runs a retreat might call themselves a facilitator. But CDMPs aren’t about hosting meetings. They’re about solving difficult problems in high-stakes