Values
These values and beliefs infuse our work:
The lost art of listening
In the time-starved business environment of our era, the frequency and quality of communication within an organization can suffer. Too often, important conversations about big picture issues don’t happen because no one has time for intensive listening and measured reflection. Our most significant role as advisors is to listen intently and allow for key issues and new solutions to be fully explored.
Embracing criticism
We invite our clients and colleagues to challenge us, because that’s how we learn. Constructive, critical feedback makes our work better, and leads to more successful outcomes. So, we constantly challenge ourselves, and our clients, to be open to new ideas and vulnerable to persuasion. It’s never easy.
Always believing that there is a better way
Good decisions are made at the intersection of analysis (data, metrics) and synthesis (understanding, good judgment). We constantly strive to develop and refine new and better methods — research methods, planning methods, diagnostics and the like. As consultants who lead the field, it is our job to discover more effective processes for generating knowledge and reaching consensus.
The transformative power of art and culture
We know the transformative power of art and the intrinsic worth of cultural participation to individuals, families and communities. We define culture in broad, inclusive terms. It encompasses history and preservation, science and nature, the built environment as well as the humanities. This derives from our personal experiences as artists, arts administrators and volunteers. Cultural expression is a basic human instinct and essential to family cohesion, community health, and to a civil society.
Diversity
We believe that diversity is a strength and that people of many backgrounds provide a rich tapestry to community health and organizational vitality. The benefits of a diverse society are more fully realized when opportunity and resources are equitably shared.