Drinking beer and watching ESPN. Chris Barbie and Don Kamentz found themselves sitting in a bar in Houston. Just chillin. Trying to recuperate from another 14-hour day running their start-up charter school. Wach ya’ lookin’ at On the screen in front of them, ESPN was covering National Signing Day. That’s the day high school football […]
We’re Asking The Wrong Question
January 9, 2018 by 3 Comments
Whether we like it or not, our future depends upon the questions we ask. Whether we accept it or not, the wrong question can take us in the wrong direction. Or in an old direction that wanders about and wastes our time and effort and creativity. Alice stood at the crossroads Before her floated the […]
Stories That Move The Movement
March 21, 2017 by 10 Comments
Real stories, narrative stories, are powerful. They connect people and forever change those people for the better. Great stories exist outside time. They live in people’s hearts. And they fuel their actions That’s why stories are the language of tribes. And as such, they hold the power to emotionally connect people. And to define and […]
What’s A Story, Anyway?
February 14, 2017 by 14 Comments
Stories are powerful. They connect with something deep within us. They help us make sense of the world and our place in it. The kinds of stories that motivate tribes and ignite movements define the cause. They illuminate our ideas and actions and make them memorable. They change things When done well, they transcend mere […]
Art Changes Things
January 31, 2017 by 1 Comment
You want to change things? Make art. Art is the human ability to do something for the first time. Something that may not work. Art is the work of a human being doing something real and personal that might change things. Art is about the important stuff. Because… But this world of art is not […]
Generous Ideas Blow Up Real Good
January 10, 2017 by Leave a Comment
Ideas for good can be very powerful. They can grow and spread at a surprisingly rapid rate. But not without a purpose, a tribe, a story, and a movement. Like Blake’s big boom It was finally time for a little fun. He needed it. Running four startups was getting to him. So he decided to […]
The Pillars Of Tribe Connections
December 13, 2016 by 5 Comments
Everybody loves a good pillar. They’ve been around for ions. You’ve got your Doric pillar. And your Gothic pillar. There’s always your Ionic pillar and your Corinthian pillar. Not to mention the ever-popular Tuscan. A short history of pillars Traditionally, pillars have been used to hold up buildings. But in modern times, pillars apparently hold […]
Tribes Connect With Emotion
November 29, 2016 by 14 Comments
Tribes don’t run on communications. They run on emotional connections. Through these connections, tribes create movements. And movements change things. For example Long ago, in better times, a guy by the name of Shepard Fairey made a poster. It just happened to be a poster of Barack Obama. And it just happened to be for […]
What’s A Tribe?
November 9, 2016 by 23 Comments
Human beings can’t help it. We need to belong. One of the most powerful of our survival mechanisms is to be part of a tribe. To contribute to and take from a group of like-minded people. We are drawn to leaders and to their ideas and we can’t resist the rush of belonging and the […]
