What happens when 100+ purpose-driven leaders, coaches, educators, innovators, creators and doers gather in one room — before the main IDG Summit even begins? Magic. Connection. Momentum. The IDG Pre-Summit Unconference is back! On October 14th, 2025, we’re meeting in Stockholm for a powerful day of community-led exploration, co-creation, and deep dialogue.
Richard Rohr has dedicated his life to teachings that blend mysticism, contemplative practice, and social justice. Every morning I receive a meditation from this American Franciscan priest and spiritual writer. While I don’t read them every single day, I can say that over the past ten years the cumulative effect of the days I have [...]
Emilio J. Castilla’s recent book, The Meritocracy Paradox: Where Talent Management Strategies Go Wrong and How to Fix Them (2025) will likely fall victim to the anti-woke book-ban with the current administration's exclusive focus on “merit.” What’s wrong with merit hard work and talent? Nothing. Why is this book a chopping block? Because it focuses [...]
You used the term “And-vantage” in the presentation. What did you mean? Leveraging polarities increases speed, sustainability, and sustained success of change. Supplementing Or-thinking with And-thinking expands our ability to see the whole picture, work collaboratively, and even love more fully (Remember the two sayings: “Seeing is Relieving” and “Seeing is Loving”). We already have [...]
Join the Inner Development Goals (IDGs) Global Coaches Network (GCN) for our next session with Cliff Kayser, Chief Learning Officer for Polarity Partnerships, and IDG Ambassador. This session will drive home the idea that supplementing technical leadership with adaptive “both/and” capacities is essential for sustainable inner and outer transformation. Polarity Thinking is a powerful framework coaches can use to amplify [...]
Join Barry Johnson and Cliff Kayser (keynote speakers) at the 2025 CBODN Annual Conference - CONNECT 2025!
One of my greatest professional honors since 2014 has been serving as an Adjunct Faculty member in the KEY Executive Leadership Program at American University—a program dedicated to developing senior-level public sector leaders. I deeply admire these leaders for the depth and breadth of their mission-driven dedication to people in general, and to our country [...]
The Power of Either/Or Thinking WITH Both/And Thinking. Using Interdependent Tensions as a Resource for Development
Among Among many clients lately, the topic of TRUST has been top of mind. So, I've found myself dredging years of presentations, articles, and Polarity Maps on the topic. There’s enough for a whole series of “Cliff’sNOTES” on the topic, but I leave for China for a full month in a few days, so there [...]
Like an electric shock -- that line grabbed me even more than other great ones. After I shared the “Light in My Darkness” Cliff’sNOTE, with my sister Lori, she sent me a note saying it reminded her of Maria Papova’s 20 Ways to Matter. To me, this is another wonderful example of a piece that [...]