by Melissa Dinwiddie | Sep 21, 2023 | Articles, Culture, Innovation
“I could never do what you do,” Rachel said. “But I really wish I could!” We were chatting at a potluck on Saturday afternoon, after Rosh Hashanah services where I had been one of several song leaders, leading rounds from the elevated stage...
by Melissa Dinwiddie | Sep 5, 2023 | Articles, Innovation, Leadership
“I wanted to apologize,” started the note. “I’ve been thinking a lot about you since yesterday, and I’m sorry for missing chords and getting lost when accompanying you on the bandstand.” I was stunned. My accompanist was...
by Melissa Dinwiddie | Aug 17, 2023 | Articles, Innovation, Leadership
Back in the late 90s and early 2000s, when I made my living as a professional calligrapher and artist, I did quite a bit of itinerant teaching. My favorite part of teaching calligraphy (or anything, really) was figuring out how to explain a concept in a way that...
by Melissa Dinwiddie | Jul 20, 2023 | Articles, Culture, Strategy, Team Development
I won’t lie, coming back to work after a week at music camp is not easy. Even for someone like me, who actually loves my job! But getting to focus 100% on making music for a week for the pure joy of it? Heaven… 🤩 One of the classes I took at music...
by Melissa Dinwiddie | Jun 20, 2023 | Articles, Leadership, Team Development
”I can’t get people to reply to my emails,” Priyanka told her manager, Kara. “I put so much effort into them, and I get crickets in response!” She wasn’t the only one on the team having this problem, either. When Kara and I met...
by Melissa Dinwiddie | Jun 6, 2023 | Articles, Innovation, Leadership, Play, Team Development
“This isn’t resonating for me,” Deborah said. We were part way through an exercise I’d devised specifically for this group — a team of devoted staff members at a mid-size nonprofit organization. After two years of working 100% remotely, half the team had never...