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Conflicts of Interest, Reconsidered
If I suggest a different way to think about conflicts of interest, the first reaction may well be “but we don’t think much about...
Susan Loucks
Aug 102 min read
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Public Funds, Essential Agendas
( a slightly modified version of this was published as an op-ed in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette on June 15, linked here .) On June 4,...
Susan Loucks
Jun 103 min read
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Being Mycelium
It’s a morning in the near future. You sit down at your computer and open it to see what’s been going on since yesterday.  A quick look...
Susan Loucks
Apr 102 min read
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Considering Compliance
Some years ago I visited a friend in Los Angeles and explored the city with her. One of our stops was the Japanese-American National...
Susan Loucks
Feb 102 min read
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Power, Win or Lose
Those of us who love distributed-power models still have strong preferences about what happens in the world. Distributed power is the...
Susan Loucks
Dec 10, 20242 min read
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Good Enough for Now
On a recent zoom meeting with peer consultants we considered places we felt stuck. Some were torn between a choice of professional...
Susan Loucks
Oct 10, 20242 min read
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Ready to Role
If our objective is egalitarian workplaces we may feel we’re taking down big structures and pushing against huge systems. The...
Susan Loucks
Aug 10, 20242 min read
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Summer Reading Guide
There are plenty of places you can find well-vetted lists of recommended recreational reading for your trip to the beach. Summers,...
Susan Loucks
Jun 10, 20242 min read
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Putting the "Us" in Pluribus
A couple of years ago (!) I wrote a post about the often-unrealized potential of group decision-making processes. Recently some...
Susan Loucks
Apr 10, 20242 min read
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Just Add "Yes"
I recently taught a full-day class on leadership to a fabulous group of nonprofit professionals. As part of the curriculum, I covered...
Susan Loucks
Feb 10, 20242 min read
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Nobody Gets Out Alive
Around this time, we play-act at closing a year, secure in knowing we’re not really passing anything more than an arbitrary buoy in the...
Susan Loucks
Dec 10, 20232 min read
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Adulting
There’s one aspect of distributed-power organizations that always particularly resonates with me: moving away from parent-child...
Susan Loucks
Oct 10, 20232 min read
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Business as Unusual
It was November 2014, and we had just learned that a St. Louis grand jury had decided not to indict the police officer who shot Michael...
Susan Loucks
Aug 11, 20232 min read
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Everything Created Must First Be Imagined
I recently guest authored a blog post for the Pennsylvania Association of Nonprofit Organizations, and since it reflects some of my...
Susan Loucks
Jun 10, 20234 min read
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When RFP Means...
You have a commitment to equity, anti-racism, and/or anti-colonialism. Your organization is contributing to change. You are determined...
Susan Loucks
Apr 10, 20232 min read
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Unearthing
A friend told me the story of a relatively new employee where she works. She’d changed departments and was no longer available for...
Susan Loucks
Feb 10, 20232 min read
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What Lies Beneath
Last month I reluctantly watched as dozens of Giving Tuesday emails rolled into my inbox. While they were often well-crafted and...
Susan Loucks
Dec 10, 20222 min read
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Gold Without the Idol?
Earlier, I discussed problems that come from focusing at the person at the top instead of the whole organization - and yet I felt...
Susan Loucks
Oct 10, 20222 min read
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The Committee Conundrum
This situation may feel familiar: A committee is tasked with helping to answer a question, and brings a recommendation to the larger...
Susan Loucks
Aug 10, 20222 min read
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In Your Debt
Conversations earlier this year about national and student debt reminded me of a different framing for debt I learned of last year. When...
Susan Loucks
Jun 10, 20222 min read
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Cogitation: Blog2
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