Creating Our Future with Organizations by Design

  Most people will leave several jobs during their career. Some are happy separations and some aren't, but whatever the circumstances under which you leave, it can be difficult to say goodbye. It's important to understand that, in the process of leaving, not only are you saying goodbye to co-workers, but also routines, places, projects that you've poured your blood, sweat and tears into, familiarity, even parking attendants and coffee baristas. Leaving a job can be just as trying as ending a romance. Career changes involve a good deal more stress, friction, disruption, and risk than simply staying on a more linear, traditional career path. When a good change happens, by your own accord or through job transitions, accept it with grace - for yourself and for others. You may not believe you deserve it, or you just may not be ready for it, even if it was of your choosing, but the way to move forward and get the most out of it is to embrace the positivity, however it shows up. L

  In general, a decision that stems from any emotion is usually not as sound as one that is based on fact and reason, and perhaps most importantly, your values. Have you had that feeling? The pressure is on. Friends and family are waiting. The bills are mounting. Your self-judgement grows. You finally chose - the car, the apartment, the job. But instead of relief, you feel queasy, uneasy. Thinking it is "only nerves", you move ahead ... but the feeling doesn't go away, instead it intensifies and begins to affect other parts of your life. Can you name that feeling? Fear . When fear begins to control your decision-making abilities, you may notice that not only is your work off-kilter, but your personal life is as well. This occurs when your fear of the future you've chosen becomes so debilitating that you're not able to focus on anything else, even when you try. This is true when you make career decisions out of fear. Sure, the pressures may be mounting to make a c

MLK Day is a holiday, a memorial, and a chance for all of us to deeply consider how to create a more equitable society. We’re taking time today to honor Martin Luther King Jr.’s legacy. Read with us. We've provided a link to King’s Letter from Birmingham Jail .  We’re also taking time to reflect and confront Implicit Bias with Impact Hub . How are you marking the day?

  Learning to face our fears is a powerful and essential element of resilience. The more practice we get at overcoming our fears, the better prepared we are for facing whatever happens in our life. As our resilience grows stronger, we are better prepared for the inevitable adversities that face us as we grow and change. Barbara Organizations by Design

In my personal and professional life, I work with intention to be inclusive in my language. If I fail, I take correction. I advocate for institutions/organizations that I work with to do so as well. Everyone needs to feel that our public institutions, our systems, our “we” represents all of us.  Barbara Organizations by Design 1/22/2021 Update I've come back to add this piece: The occupant of the physical White House has changed — and of the digital one. Here’s one way whitehouse.gov has been revamped since the Biden administration took over: Pronouns The contact form on the website has sections for a person’s first and last name, email address, phone number and an optional category to include pronouns. Options include “she/her,” “he/him,” “they/them,” “other” and “prefer not to share.” Read more

I had reason recently to contemplate generosity. While we often think about generosity in gift giving, or tipping, there are many other ways to show generosity. Generosity in spirit or word isn’t spoken about much, but is so important in our interactions. Giving abundantly invites us to draw deeply upon knowing that our lives are plentiful. Within each of us, there is an unlimited supply of love and compassion. It is from this abundant heart space that generosity flows from. Consider this story told by Thich Nhat Hahn: There is a kind of vegetable in Vietnam called he (pronounced “hey”). It belongs to the onion family and looks like a scallion, and it is very good in soup. The more you cut the he plants at the base, the more they grow. If you don’t cut them they won’t grow very much. But if you cut them often, right at the base of the stalk, they grow bigger and bigger. This is also true of the practice of generosity. If you give and continue to give, you become richer and richer all t

  Can you pick one word that defines how you want to act, who you want to be, what you want to accomplish in the next year? One word. Crazy idea? No, it's not. Truly, if you sit quietly and allow yourself the space, that word will come to you. It'll be the word that makes sense of your life, that provides focus, that energizes you.  C'mon. Give it a try. Is your word grace? discipline? ambition? risk? kindness? curiosity? desire? fun? relaxed? bold? authentic? My word for 2021 is Courage.  Courage to take risks try new things have brave conversations make massive changes trust myself. I've been surprised, in just these first few days of 2021, the amount of clarity my word provides. It energizes me and provides focus.  I've stated it publicly - here and on other sites. I'm committed to it. I ask friends and colleagues to hold me to it. So here's to my courageous year -- and your ________(fill in the blank) year! Cheers! Barbara Organizations by Design

I'm stuck on the name for this blog.  You may see it change several times until the title feels right. That sentence can apply to this blog, or a career, or a strategy moving forward ... That's why I'm writing this blog. After many years in leadership and management positions, I find that people expect me to have answers. The reality is, there's always more than one answer. The talent lies in being willing to try to figure out the one that feels right. I'm hoping, that through this blog, my colleagues and I can help you find your path, your strategy or your title - the one that feels right. Oh, who am I?  I am Barbara Heisler, the Principal of Organizations by Design since 2001. Here's my official bio: Barbara Heisler, M.Ed. Coach and Consultant LinkedIn Before devoting her work full time to coaching and organizational consulting, Barbara Heisler served as CEO of the innovative arts education nonprofit GlassRoots, where she successfully led the organization thro