The blook can be read in many different ways, and most readers arrive somewhere in the middle rather than at the beginning. That can make it difficult to see how the different ideas fit together. These gateway pages provide clear starting points and connect to the main themes of Conversational Leadership.
There are several ways to begin reading this blook.
- Start on the home page, which provides an overview of Conversational Leadership and the structure of the blook.
- Read from the first chapter‘s opening post and continue in sequence, or browse the Table of Contents to follow your own interests.
- Many readers arrive at a single post after searching for a particular phrase. For example, searching Google for knowledge is not power
will likely bring you to the post with that title. - The Frequently Asked Questions page is another useful place to begin if you want a quick introduction to the main ideas.
- Or simply start with one of the gateway pages listed below. These are among the most important and comprehensive articles in the blook. Together, they provide a broad introduction to the ideas and practices of Conversational Leadership.
Whichever route you take, most articles are designed to stand on their own while linking to related ideas throughout the blook. The content is highly interconnected, and there are many ways of navigating it, so few readers continue sequentially for very long.
The gateway pages are listed in alphabetical order below.
A Brief History of Knowledge 200,000 years of human history - Human knowledge has evolved over millennia, shaping our societies and cultures. However, we often overlook the broad historical context of how knowledge developed. Understanding the… 
Converse in Good Faith Be sincere, fair, open, and honest, regardless of the outcome - Converse in good faith: Converse with the intent to be sincere, fair, open, and honest, regardless of the outcome of the interaction. 
Disagree Constructively How to disagree well - Disagree constructively: Disagreement is an inevitable part of life. Most of the time, we do it poorly. We need to learn to disagree constructively. How… 
Freedom of Speech Freedom of speech is not just another value - Freedom of speech is a principle that supports the freedom of an individual or a community to articulate their opinions and ideas without fear of… 
How Beliefs Shape Reasoning How political views influence the way we interpret data - Political beliefs shape more than opinions—they can distort how we interpret facts. Research shows that even those skilled in numerical reasoning are not immune to… 
Introduction: Conversational Leadership Conversational Leadership - We live in a world shaped by rapid change and growing complexity. Traditional leadership models often fall short in helping us respond wisely and collectively.… 
Introduction: Conversational Leadership Practice Areas Conversational Leadership Practice Areas - We live in a highly connected world where human, social, and technical complexity keeps increasing across organisations and societies everywhere. Attempts to control, simplify, or… 
Introduction: Knowledge Café Improving decision-making, innovation, and collaboration - The Knowledge Café is a conversational method that gathers a group of people to share knowledge and experiences, learn from one another, build relationships, and… 
Introduction: Knowledge Delusion We delude ourselves about what we know and how we make decisions - If we are to create a better world, we need to make better sense of things and improve the decisions we make, especially when it… 
Knowledge Is Not Power Our ability to influence people is power - Knowledge has long been seen as power. Yet knowing something and being able to act on it are very different. Real power comes from applying… 
Leadership Is a Practice Not a Position of Authority Anyone can practice leadership - Effective leadership is vital for driving positive change in a complex world. However, many view leadership as a position of authority rather than a practice… 
Listen with the Intent to Understand Don't listen with the intent to reply - Listen with the intent to understand: Don't listen with the intent to judge or reply. We all appreciate the benefits of listening, such as listening… 
Make Big Talk Make big talk not small talk - Make Big talk: We are all familiar with small talk. But what's big talk? No, not boasting, bragging, or talking big, but big talk —… 
Open, Adaptive Strategy Make employees partners in the strategy process - Strategic planning is evolving, with new approaches that are more inclusive and adaptable. Traditional, closed strategies limit employee involvement, leading to blind spots and disengagement.… 
Our Tribal Nature The human brain is hardwired to be tribal - Humans are innately tribal. We need to belong to groups (tribes) and maintain fulfilling relationships with others. This need significantly impacts how we interact with… 
Science Curiosity A desire to seek out and consume scientific information for pleasure - Motivated reasoning is where we look for arguments in favor of conclusions we want to believe, regardless of the evidence. This is a primary stumbling… 
Shared Meaning To understand each other's perspectives well enough to accept them - Shared meaning is often assumed rather than examined. Words are treated as if they carry the same meaning for everyone, even though experience, context, and… 
The Difference Between Responsibility and Accountability We take responsibility but are held accountable - We use the words responsibility and accountability loosely in everyday language, but what's the difference? We take responsibility but are held accountable. We can not… 
The Four Levels of Knowledge Management The relation between Conversational Leadership and Knowledge Management - Knowledge Management has evolved since the mid-90s, shifting from managing information to building collective knowledge. The challenge lies in adapting KM practices to meet today's… 
The Global Information Ecosystem We live in a vast sea of information - We live in a dense digital landscape shaped by constant streams of information. The scale and speed create confusion and distort what we rely on… 
The London Coffeehouses of the Enlightenment Centers of Enlightenment thinking - The London coffeehouses of the 17th and 18th centuries were the engines of creation that helped drive the Enlightenment, the European intellectual movement that emphasized… 
We All Have the Freedom to Choose If We Choose To The last of human freedoms - People often say, “I have no choice,” but that’s rarely true. Even in the most challenging situations, we can choose our attitude, response, and actions.… 
What Is a Real Conversation? There is more to conversation than just talking or exchanging messages - Conversation is one of the most familiar human activities, yet we rarely stop to ask what it really is. Many different kinds of exchange are… 
What Is Communityship? Where everyone in a community practices leadership - Many see leadership as the work of individuals. This focus can overlook the power of communities working together. Communityship shifts attention to shared responsibility, where… What Makes a Real Community? Members of a community care about each other - A community is more than just a group of people with shared interests. Many networks and organizations call themselves communities, but they often lack the… What Would Make a Better World? Many things - I write about nurturing a better world in this blook, but better is a value-laden word. Better for whom? Even Adolf Hitler thought he was… Image Credits: Lauren Gurteen (CC BY 4.0
)This page is part of a blook on Conversational Leadership. Parts of this book have restricted access. You can learn more about the book and how to obtain full access on the home page.
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Learn more about the newsletter and register here.