Dear RN, One of the things I try to do in co-moderating this list is to help people make connections that may be helpful to them. If my memory serves me correctly, Bruce Elkin contacted me in the fall about the white poppy campaign (to move Remembrance Day towards enhancing a culture of peace and away from glorifying violence). Then, since I was curious about his work, but unable to get to his web site, he generously sent me some documentation by mail. I'm afraid I only got around to reading it recently and was impressed, so wanted to share it with you. I asked Bruce to send me something in the body of an e-mail message, so here you are. I think it is exciting that Bruce is a subscriber to our list and has worked designing change processes for a wide variety of groups, including big corporations. A partial list of previous clients includes: ALCAN, Ciba-Geigy, Open Learning Agency, BC, Dept. of Fisheries and Oceans, Canada. It seems to me the potential for strategic bridge-building in this effort is clear. Read on... and let's keep building useful connections! all the best, Jan *************************************************** Date: Sun, 10 Feb 2002 14:31:29 -0800 Subject: Re: great info you sent me! From: Bruce Elkin <•••@••.•••> Jan, Thanks for your encouraging note. I appreciate your support. I've enclosed a brief reveiw of the Creating Sustainability booklet and an e-mail announcement for the Depression Proofing workshops I'm just launching. I'm very busy trying to do just that and to get a new website up at www.BruceElkin.com. Hopefully that'll be up this week and I can back off a little. <snip> Thanks again. Cheers! Bruce *************************************************************************** Bruce Elkin: * Speaker * Writer * Coach * Consultant "Inscribe this single word on your heart: Compassion. Whenever you are confused, keep heading in the direction that leads toward deepening your love and care for all living beings, including yourself, and you will never stray far from the path to fulfillment." --Sam Keen SUMMIT STRATEGES: Strategic Design and Planning 141 Seaview Road, Saltspring Island BC V8K 2V8 250 537-1177 www.summitstrategies.net **************************************************************************** Review of Creating Sustainability by Caspar Davis, NS2 List owner •••@••.••• Bruce Elkin, consultant and long-time NS2er, has just published Creating Sustainability- Designing Corporations to Do Well by Doing Good. This handsome 28 page booklet is actually the introduction and first chapter of a work in progress by Bruce. It starts with a discussion of sustainability from a business perspective, highlighting the Natural Step and Paul Hawkens' call to design "a system of commerce and production where each and every act is inherently sustainable and restorative... where doing good is like falling off a log." Bruce acknowledges that this is a tall order for most businesses, and the rest of the booklet (and the book) is about how organizations can actually create deep and lasting change. Chapter 1 is called The Limits of Conventional Planning. In it, Bruce contrasts the conventional "fit," or problem-solving based approach to planning with the "stretch," or creative tension based approach. "Fit" he says, poses three questions: Where are we? Where do we want to go? How can we best move from here to there? "Stretch" simply turns the first two questions around: Where do we want to go? Where are we? How can we best move from here to there? That simple inversion awakens a world of opportunity because it completely shifts the focus from limitations to vision. I find this sort of material very difficult to understand, even in the hands of such a clear and compelling writer as Bruce. I didn't really get it until I arrived at an example which I could apply to my life rather than to the (to me) remote and abstract sphere of corporate management: "Dieters, for example, who shift their focus from "solving the fat problem" to *creating* what truly matters to them (like a lean healthy body, a successful marathon, or the capacity to hike mountain trails with skill and grace) will not only find that they are able to produce what they want, they can also eat well and enjoy it." That example made me realize how, with such a starting point, I would think about everything I ate from the viewpoint of whether and how it could help me attain my goal, rather than focussing on calories or how much I wished I were eating more, or different, food. Bruce says a great deal more than this brief review can convey, including brief outlines of the 5 chapters to come. I think that application of the information in the booklet could be as helpful in turning various areas of ones life around as it would undoubtedly be to a creative corporate leader. I think the information would be especially useful for non-profit organizations which, in my experience, often waste a lot of energy contemplating their inadequate resources rather than in pursuing their vision. Bruce is offering the booklet, which really is beautifully produced, for $5.00 (either US or Canadian), which includes postage and handling. If you are interested in a fresh approach to improving your life or your organization, it's a great deal. Available from Bruce Elkin at: Summit Strategies 141 Seaview Road Saltspring Island, B.C. V8K 2V8 Canada •••@••.••• www.summitstrategies.net (250) 537-1177 "Not everything that counts can be counted, and not everything that can be counted counts." - sign over Albert Einstein's desk at Princeton *************************************************************** Depression Proof e-mail announcement. Please forward to friends, colleagues, and contacts. Thanks so much! Announcement: DEPRESSION PROOFING WORKSHOP & FREE BOOKLET! Depression Proof Yourself‹and Your Kids! Overcoming Adversity, Building Resilience, and Creating What Matters. Saltspring Island, Mar 2 and 3, Bainbridge Is, WA, Mar 23/24 Recent studies indicate that the number of adults and children suffering depression is rising sharply. If that concerns you, you¹ll be pleased to learn that Prevention Education expert, Bruce Elkin, will host workshops on Depression Proofing Yourself and Your Kids, Mar 2/3 on Saltspring Island and March 23 and 24 at Seabold Community Club Hall, 14451 Komedal Road, Bainbridge Island. According to polls, 71% of Americans are depressed, 49% can¹t focus on work or other daily activities, a third aren¹t sleeping well, and 57% are worried about the future. However, Elkin points out that, even before the events of September 11th, experts reported dramatic increases in depression. "We are in the middle of an epidemic of depression," states Dr. Martin Seligman, past-President of the American Psychological Society, "and one with consequences that, through suicide, takes as many lives as the AIDS epidemic and is more widespread." Moreover, Seligman describes the ten-fold rise of depression among children since the 1950¹s as "nation-threatening." "The good news," says Elkin, "is that mastering simple yet powerful skills of optimism and creativity can "immunize" us and our children against depression. Children take their lead from parents and teachers, so changing the ways we deal with difficult circumstances and events can help our kids change theirs." Elkin stresses that the Depression Proofing workshop is not about treating depression. "It¹s about prevention and wellness promotion. It¹s designed to help anyone assess how they respond to adversity, and to change pessimistic, responses into creative, realistically optimistic ones. It will help them organize their lives and work around what matters, a prime depression-proofing strategy." Participants will assess their own "AQ" (Adversity Quotient). Developed by Paul Stoltz and based largely on Seligman¹s research, "AQ," says Elkin, "gives you a snapshot of your habitual response to adversity. It measures four core skills that are critical for feeling good, doing well, and becoming successful." "Unlike IQ, AQ can be changed. Pessimists can become more optimistic. "Realistic optimists," says Elkin, "rarely suffer from depression." Elkin, President of Summit Strategies on Saltspring Island, BC, has degrees in sociology/psychology, and education. Since 1973, he has facilitated primary prevention programs that help people increase personal control and creativity. Past clients include Calgary Board of Education, Alberta Alcohol and Drug Abuse Commission, John Howard Society, Outward Bound, and Health Canada. He studied and worked for nine years with Robert Fritz, author of The Path of Least Resistance and founder of the field of Structural Consulting. He was the first Canadian certified by Stoltz to administer the Adversity Response Profile). Workshop will run from 9:30 to 5 daily. Registration deadline for Saltspring is Feb. 24, for Bainbridge it is March 19. For Bainbridge registration details, or an information package, please call Nicole Langley, EarthNest, 360-341-2102 or •••@••.••• For Saltspring please contact Bruce Elkin at the number/address below. For a free copy of Elkin¹s 28-page booklet, Depression Proof Yourself and Your Kids: A guide to overcoming adversity and creating what matters, contact him at 250-537-1177 or e-mail •••@••.••• Please forward this announcement to friends, colleagues, and contacts. Thank you! *********