In this article, David Broodryk describes three key roles that are needed for a movement (or network) to thrive: Strategists, Catalysts, and Activists…
When God Births a Movement

What does a network facilitator or partnership facilitator actually do? They are not “bosses” in the traditional sense. Nor are they mere administrators. No, a facilitator helps the entire group stay focused on their commonly shared goals and find productive ways to work together. Many times, groups get “stuck” in the “desert of creativity” – going around in circles without any clear path toward fruitful collaboration. It is the job of the neutral facilitator to help their groups find common ground and move forward together. This is sometimes difficult, but other times it is simply a matter of helping people see things from a different perspective. Here is a story that illustrates this well. It is a story about a camel…
Have you ever been frustrated when people ignore your advice? Or have you been frustrated when people in your organization, partnership, or network simply stop asking for your advice? In this video, productivity consultant Ed Muzio explains a four-step process for giving advice the right way. Using this approach will make it more likely that people will not only come to you for advice, but even more so that your advice will actually be helpful to them…
This collection of best practices addresses the leadership challenge of how to keep a growing network moving and its leaders engaged and fulfilling their commitments. Drawn from the Synergy Commons Peer Learning Cohorts, this document offers four key strategies and over 30 field-tested ideas network leaders can use in their own networks…
In this video, Clyde Taber shares a story about the formation meeting of the Visual Story Network, highlighting many of the best practices in partnership development: (1) considerable time invested up-front in building relationships and exploring interest, (2) a gathering of the key people who are interested/involved in the area for the purpose of exploring collaboration, (3) a defined process with open-ended outcomes (i.e., not assuming a partnership will be formed), (4) consensus-building, (5) defining priorities, (6) organizing for action with working groups, and (7) a dedicated facilitator.