I recently heard a comment that really stuck with me: We see what we dare to see. When I first heard this, I wasn’t exactly sure what the speaker was trying to convey, but then it hit me; our own optics limit or expand our respective views of the world. How positive or negative we tend to be – confidence versus pessimism, encouraging versus discouraging – all flow from our individual lenses. We see what we dare to see! The statement is profound in its simplicity. If we can’t

In my role as behind-the-scenes design “expert” for RDG, I am the chief Principal responsible for making our proposal responses to RFPs look the part. I am also involved in many of RDG’s projects simultaneously. As a result, I see just how different each engagement develops over time and ends up serving our respective clients, each sharing similar tenets, but in the end, taking shape as its own unique case. I’ve thought a lot about this over the last few months as we have tru

That was my answer 20 years ago today when asked by the CEO of the Southern Company “what do you need from me?”. Those were my only spoken words in a meeting that included our client, and also the first time I had asked for $1 million from a prospect. I knew the CEO from previous work and there was a comfort level, meaning no need for small talk or any “getting to know you” gab. Even so, my response could be classified as direct, abrupt, bold, even brazen and yet, it was very

So you just raised a bunch of money to fund your organization for the next three years. Or maybe you raised a new pot of money to use towards special projects. You spent at least half of your year meeting with current investors and new investors asking them for their participation and you poured a lot of energy into creating a program of work that they could buy into, that promises a strong future for your community. Hooray! We’re done, right? Absolutely not. I hate to break