Thursday, August 18, 2011
Collective Visioning by Linda Stout - Book review
Collective Visioning
How Groups Can Work Together for a Just and Sustainable Future
By: Linda Stout
Published: May 16, 2011
Format: Paperback, 240 pages
ISBN-10: 1605098825
ISBN-13: 978-1605098821
Publisher: Berrett-Koehler Publishers
"This book is for all of us looking for a different, more fulfilling, and sustainable way to work that creates real and lasting change for ourselves and future generations" writes activist, organizer, and founder and director of Spirit in Action, Linda Stout, in her inspirational and transformational book Collective Visioning: How Groups Can Work Together for a Just and Sustainable Future. The author describes how to create a positive vision for a better world and how to create a workable plan to put that vision into action.
Linda Stout understands, through her many years of experience as an organizer and activist, that people working together can build a brighter future for their communities. The author introduces the powerful concept of collective visioning as a positive, more exciting, and much more effective means of creating lasting change within a community. Through the power of collective visioning, people become more invested in creating their own future, and in inspiring others to share in and contribute to that dream. Collective visioning focuses on the positive side of action, on what can be done to make improvement, and empowers people to take ownership of their ideas and their own communities. Linda Stout offers the tools for relearning how to create a vision that brings people together, and creates connections that stress the collective benefits for everyone.
Linda Stout (photo left) recognizes that many groups working toward change become focused on problems rather than developing ideas for real solutions. A problem oriented approach locks people into patterns of criticism, negativity, and opposition to events. For Linda Stout, that approach is based on the negative emotions of fear and anger, resulting in a divided community and an unsustainable focus. Collective visioning, on the other hand, creates a big picture vision of what people really want, and a road map for reaching their desired future. Through this collaborative concept, that works through connection and personal ownership of the process and goal, people develop a strong sense of hope and an unshakable belief in the strength of the community.
Linda Stout shares:
* Stories of successful collective visioning in action
* Guidelines for developing a collective vision
* Ideas for building deep and collaborative connections
* Guidelines to build a stronger and more diverse community
* Empowering people to work form a place of inspiration and joy
For me, the power of the book is how Linda Stout combines a strong theoretical background for the power of collective visioning with a very practical guide for creating and implementing that vision. Linda Stout focuses on the positive aspect of creating sustainable and beneficial change, and empowers people to develop and act upon their dreams through cooperation and trust. The author presents a deeply personal approach, that combines individual heartfelt visions with storytelling, that resonate deeply within others and oneself. Through this personal ownership people gain hope and feel joy as they rebuild communities and peoples' lives. Linda Stout adds value to her concepts by sharing exercises in each chapter that build upon the concepts of vision, community, collaboration, trust, and joy.
I highly recommend the community changing and trust building book Collective Visioning: How Groups Can Work Together for a Just and Sustainable Future by Linda Stout, to anyone who seeks to make real and positive change within their communities and organizations. This empowering book acknowledges and celebrates the inner strength of people, and helps them to develop a strong vision of a better world for everyone.
Read the passionate and encouraging book Collective Visioning: How Groups Can Work Together for a Just and Sustainable Future by Linda Stout, and discover how to develop that commitment to making sustainable change, that leverages everyone's skills and abilities, and includes everyone within the overall vision. This book helps to create a vision, and then provides the tools necessary to transform that vision into a fresh and vibrant new community for all.
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