Creating Our Future with Organizations by Design

Having received my second dose of the Covid19 vaccination one hour ago, I found myself pondering the question, “What now?” >Certainly I feel greatly relieved and thankful for all the reasons one might imagine. I also feel a strong sense of hope that perhaps as a result of what we have all gone through and are continuing to navigate there is great opportunity to make real differences on both micro and macro levels. How we have previously taken our casual and not so casual relationships for granted – family, friends, colleagues! How do we hope and plan to move forward bravely and without fear as a pervasive element of our lives? This is quite different from cautious and informed action. But what differences? I keep circling back to the way business in the arts has been done in my lifetime. The vast majority of my life has been spent in this field – as a student, professional performer and arts leader. It has always been a motivating factor as well as a vehicle for expression. I...

Organizations by Design is committed to create the change we want to see in the world. Join us.  T his resource compiled by Launch. Educate yourself Learn about the history, contributions, and past and present experiences of Asian American communities. Watch: The PBS series  Asian Americans  about the history of identity, contributions, and challenges experienced by Asian Americans The Smithsonian’s video series  We are not a stereotype: Breaking down Asian Pacific American bias  which explores what it means to be Asian Pacific American and the impacts of Asian Pacific American stereotypes Asian Americans and Seattle’s Civil Rights History Read: America’s long history of scapegoating its Asian citizens Books about Asian Pacific American history and experiences What is the Model Minority Myth? Anti-Asian Racism Exposes the Model Minority Myth Listen: Asian America: The Ken Fong Podcast Self-Evident: Asian America’s Stories Asian Enough Speak up Silence is consent...

This morning I looked back on my emails from one year ago. My heart began to beat a bit faster as I relived those moments of anxiety and fear I was feeling, while trying to portray a sense of calm for my staff. I thought I’d take a moment to share lessons I’ve learned (or relearned) over the last year. Trust your instincts: I worked in field that was connected to institutions in Europe, and in January/February of 2020 started to get the sense that something was happening that we here in the US didn’t yet understand. I asked colleagues at other organizations what steps they were taking. Few were beginning to address the coming risk, tied up in those immediate tasks and emergencies we faced daily. Yet, I asked my staff to think about the actions we would take if the virus was to come to our area. Little did we know what was before us. ·          Bill Gates says, "Often you have to rely on intuition." The facts are great, and we need them, but ...