A collection of 100 one-page tips for making thoughtful, equitable, lasting group decisions for our communities, organizations, governments, families, and our planet. Each tip is a provocative meditation and the book as a whole is a complete toolkit. The book is based on Caroline Estes' simple premise that "We each have a piece of the truth and we make our best decisions when we put all our pieces together." Freshley is a Quaker and while this book is not spiritually rooted, much of it is inspired by the Quaker idea of consensus. -- Publisher's description.

Does your group need help making good decisions? All groups—teams, boards, nonprofits, businesses, governments—must make decisions to make forward progress. In organizations large and small, simple and complex, public and private, people need to decide things together. With tips, principles, examples, and stories, Craig Freshley shares the essentials that groups need to make decisions that provide lasting benefits. Practical and authoritative, this friendly guide from a veteran group facilitator is a must-have for those seeking proven techniques for collaborative decision-making. Board members and senior staff in the nonprofit sector—where there’s often a high expectation of collaboration—and corporate leaders who have a collaborative, inclusive mindset or culture, will find this book particularly valuable. Freshley’s message is especially pertinent to today’s world: It’s through collaboration, not competition, that groups of the future will create, innovate, and thrive. It is collaboration, not competition that will save us from extinction. Further, collaborative decision making is a skill that can be successfully learned and practiced. Freshley shows groups how. Topics include: Efficient and productive meetings Attitudes that help and hinder group productivity Group decision making steps: from idea to decision to action The supremacy of group culture How to listen well and speak with purpose Conflict prevention, management, and resolution When to apply which type of decision-making method Meeting facilitation theory and techniques

The first book to use the unexpected discoveries of neuroscience to help us make the best decisions Since Plato, philosophers have described the decision-making process as either rational or emotional: we carefully deliberate, or we “blink” and go with our gut. But as scientists break open the mind’s black box with the latest tools of neuroscience, they’re discovering that this is not how the mind works. Our best decisions are a finely tuned blend of both feeling and reason—and the precise mix depends on the situation. When buying a house, for example, it’s best to let our unconscious mull over the many variables. But when we’re picking a stock, intuition often leads us astray. The trick is to determine when to use the different parts of the brain, and to do this, we need to think harder (and smarter) about how we think. Jonah Lehrer arms us with the tools we need, drawing on cutting-edge research as well as the real-world experiences of a wide range of “deciders”—from airplane pilots and hedge fund investors to serial killers and poker players. Lehrer shows how people are taking advantage of the new science to make better television shows, win more football games, and improve military intelligence. His goal is to answer two questions that are of interest to just about anyone, from CEOs to firefighters: How does the human mind make decisions? And how can we make those decisions better?

The Breakfast Club meets The Silver Linings Playbook in this powerful, provocative, and heartfelt novel about twelve endearing strangers who come together to make the most of their final days, from New York Times bestselling and award-winning author J. Michael Straczynski. Mark Antonelli, a failed young writer looking down the barrel at thirty, is planning a cross-country road trip. He buys a beat-up old tour bus. He hires a young army vet to drive it. He puts out an ad for others to join him along the way. But this will be a road trip like no other: His passengers are all fellow disheartened souls who have decided that this will be their final journey—upon arrival in San Francisco, they will find a cliff with an amazing view of the ocean at sunset, hit the gas, and drive out of this world. The unlikely companions include a young woman with a chronic pain sensory disorder and another who was relentlessly bullied at school for her size; a bipolar, party-loving neo-hippie; a gentle coder with a literal hole in his heart and blue skin; and a poet dreaming of a better world beyond this one. We get to know them through access to their texts, emails, voicemails, and the daily journal entries they write as the price of admission for this trip. By turns tragic, funny, quirky, charming, and deeply moving, Together We Will Go explores the decisions that brings these characters together, and the relationships that grow between them, with some discovering love and affection for the first time. But as they cross state lines and complications to the initial plan arise, it becomes clear that this is a novel as much about the will to live as the choice to end it. The final, unforgettable moments as they hurtle toward the decisions awaiting them will be remembered for a lifetime.

In celebration of the one-year anniversary of Women’s March, this gorgeously designed full-color book offers an unprecedented, front-row seat to one of the most galvanizing movements in American history, with exclusive interviews with Women’s March organizers, never-before-seen photographs, and essays by feminist activists. On January 21, 2017, the day after Donald J. Trump’s inauguration, more than three million marchers of all ages and walks of life took to the streets as part of the largest protest in American history. In red states and blue states, in small towns and major urban centers, from Boise to Boston, Bangkok to Buenos Aires, people from eighty-two countries—on all seven continents—rose up in solidarity to voice a common message: Hear our voice. It became the largest global protest in modern history. Compiled by Women’s March organizers, in partnership with Condé Nast and Glamour magazine Editor in Chief Cindi Leive, Together We Rise—published for the one-year anniversary of the event—is the complete chronicle of this remarkable uprising. For the first time, Women’s March organizers—including Bob Bland, Cassady Fendlay, Sarah Sophie Flicker, Janaye Ingram, Tamika Mallory, Paola Mendoza, Carmen Perez, and Linda Sarsour —tell their personal stories and reflect on their collective journey in an oral history written by Jamia Wilson, writer, activist and director of The Feminist Press. They provide an inside look at how the idea for the event originated, how it was organized, how it became a global movement that surpassed their wildest expectations, and how they are sustaining and building on the widespread outrage, passion, and determination that sparked it. Together We Rise interweaves their stories with "Voices from the March"—recollections from real women who were there, across the world—plus exclusive images by top photographers, and 20 short, thought-provoking essays by esteemed writers, celebrities and artists including Rowan Blanchard, Senator Tammy Duckworth, America Ferrera, Roxane Gay, Ilana Glazer, Ashley Judd, Valarie Kaur, David Remnick, Yara Shahidi, Jill Soloway, Jia Tolentino, Congresswoman Maxine Waters, and Elaine Welteroth. An inspirational call to action that reminds us that together, ordinary people can make a difference, Together We Rise is an unprecedented look at a day that made history—and the beginning of a resistance movement to reclaim our future.

Walking Hand in Hand with Cameron, Together We Can shares the Enck family's journey into the world of special-needs parenting. Travel with them as they share the feelings they felt as they learned of Cameron's brain damage and their struggles to obtain therapies for Cameron despite obstacles from their HMO. Understand why the Encks' have now made it their mission to educate medical professionals on how to deliver a diagnosis with care and compassion. Also learn why the Encks' are committed to educating people to see Cameron for who he is, not what condition he has. This book is a culmination of Becki's four-year-long personal journey of finding her life's purpose out of one of the hardest, most painful, yet most personally rewarding and enriching experiences of her life. As you read this book, you will understand why the statement Dr. Shah spoke to the Encks' the evening he delivered the news that Cameron had suffered extensive brain damage, "The day you say Cameron will never do something, he never will!," has become their life philosophy.

The Breakfast Club meets The Silver Linings Playbook in this powerful, provocative, and heartfelt novel about twelve strangers who come together to make the most of their final days, from New York Times bestselling and award-winning author J. Michael Straczynski. Mark Antonelli, a failed young writer looking down the barrel at thirty, is planning a cross-country road trip. He buys a beat-up old tour bus. He hires a young army vet to drive it. He puts out an ad for others to join him along the way. But this will be a road trip like no other: His passengers are all fellow disheartened souls who have decided that this will be their final journey—upon arrival in San Francisco, they will find a cliff with an amazing view of the ocean at sunset, hit the gas, and drive out of this world. The unlikely companions include a young woman with a chronic pain sensory disorder and another who was relentlessly bullied at school for her size; a bipolar, party-loving neo-hippie; a gentle coder with a literal hole in his heart and blue skin; and a poet dreaming of a better world beyond this one. We get to know them through access to their texts, emails, voicemails, and the daily journal entries they write as the price of admission for this trip. By turns tragic, funny, quirky, charming, and deeply moving, Together We Will Go explores the decisions that brings these characters together, and the relationships that grow between them, with some discovering love and affection for the first time. But as they cross state lines and complications to the initial plan arise, it becomes clear that this is a novel as much about the will to live as it is the choice to end it. The final, unforgettable moments as they hurtle toward the outcomes awaiting them will be remembered for a lifetime.

Based on four retreats that Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh led specifically for people of color, this book is for people of all colors, backgrounds, and experiences who have ever felt excluded or alienated, or anyone concerned with issues of social justice. Although Together We Are One is based on teachings given to Buddhist practitioners of color, readers of all backgrounds and walks of life will find it an inspirational and practical guide. In chapters focusing on honoring our ancestors, developing understanding and compassion, and seeing the world in terms of interbeing, Nhat Hanh shows how meditation and the practice of looking deeply can help create a sense of wholeness and connectedness with others. Chapters are interspersed with mindfulness practice exercises and the personal stories of skilled writers, such as Larry Ward (author of Love’s Garden), Sr. Chan Khong (author of Learning True Love), and Rev. Hilda Ryumon Gutierrez Baldoquin (editor of Dharma Color and Culture), about their discovery of a spiritual path, their experience of finding balance, overcoming obstacles in an unpredictable world, and maintaining and sharing insights. Together We Are One is a valuable addition to the unique expression of Buddhism in the West. As in all his writings, Thich Nhat Hanh does not suggest we replace traditional beliefs and customs with Buddhism, but rather emphasizes that a mindful approach to daily life and interactions can help overcome misperception and separation so that we might honor and transcend our differences. Nhat Hanh’s primary focus highlights the basic how-to’s of Buddhist practice, such as mindful walking and eating, the practice of Looking Deeply, and a never before published multicultural version of the Touching the Earth Ceremony, making them accessible possibilities for a better everyday life. A companion movie to the book, featuring Thich Nhat Hanh's retreat, can be found at www.colorsofcompassionmovie.com

Helps communities improve coordination of education, health & human services for at-risk children & families. Five-stage process: getting together, building trust & ownership, developing a strategic plan, taking action, & going to scale. Directory of key contacts & organizational resources. Bibliography.