 Greetings
Acceleration and Success
There are new reasons to get excited about the Cincinnati strengths effort.
Read more in this e-news about what some of those are, including the interest in participation from a growing number of successful businesses.
Also read about the compelling outcomes from the City of Cleveland's own Appreciative Inquiry summit, first held three years ago, and how a senior lead sees the strengths approach driving these results.
On another note, we're looking to ramp up our Cincinnati summit coverage by doing more co-creative work with our readers and involved organizations. If you have any pictures, comments, blogs, videos or any other material that you think would help lift up this effort, please contact Axiom at 705-741-4421, ext. 27, or e-mail michelle@axiomnews.ca.
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What's Happening 'High-level, Most Successful' Cincinnati Organizations Rally to Strengths Effort
CEO wowed by level of involvement
 River City Furniture CEO Carl Satterwhite says he finds it hard to describe his feelings when he sees the city leaders who have agreed to take part in the Cincinnati strengths effort, sitting together in one room.
"Wow," is one word he uses.
"They obviously feel and see something that I feel and see, that this is something different and (we) can be a part of it," says Carl.
He adds he finds it particularly exciting that "we don't necessarily see the end."
In other words, a detailed vision for the ideal outcome hasn't been voiced. The belief is that working together, using the strengths methodology and related systems approaches will bring about the "greater good we all desire."
Carl describes this collaboration and hope as a "fascinating" achievement for Cincinnati, noting that what he calls some of the "highest level and most successful organizations" of the community have joined this work.
"We know that we can do better, and we know that none of us are better than all of us, so how can we work together towards that end." Click here to read the full story.
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What's Working
Cleveland Using Appreciative Inquiry to Energize Sustainability
New business, innovation and legislation resulting from AI process, says city's chief of sustainability
 The first Sustainable Cleveland 2019 summit was held in Cleveland three years ago with the goal of transforming the city's economy into a model for sustainability using an atypical approach - Appreciative Inquiry (AI).
Chief of sustainability Andrew Watterson points to the local food movement as one area blooming as a result of the AI process.
"There are countless examples of things like that happening," says Watterson. "In many respects I think the strengths-based approach and in some ways the dreaming phase of AI really helps energize people."
While many of these changes could have happened without the AI summit, Watterson believes the approach played a critical role in convening and inspiring a diverse range of people - the first summit attracting more than 700 participants.
"I don't think the AI summit planted the seed for all this. I think there was interest in the community to already do it. I just think it helped to accelerate it. It helped to connect people who were also interested in doing similar things in a way that would have taken longer if we hadn't taken this approach," he says.
Click here to read the full story.
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Newsroom Notes
Co-creating the Cincinnati Summit News The internet has made the news a far more participatory and social experience.
We want to include many more opportunities for that to happen in this Cincinnati summit news gathering and distribution experience as well.
We're inviting readers and involved organizations to send in your pictures, comments, videos, announcements, blogs and articles, anything you think has relevance to this notion of igniting Cincinnati's strengths to invent the new American city.
We'll take on assessing, editing, packaging and publishing everything that comes in to fit the bigger picture. We look forward to the co-creation!
E-mail Michelle at michelle@axiomnews.ca, or call 705-741-4421, ext. 27.
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From the Champions
Cincinnati Children's Hospital, Community Building Institute Back Summit
Strengths summit offers creative approach to community improvement: hospital rep
As senior director of community relations at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Larry James has seen numerous community improvement initiatives start with much hope and excitement only to fizzle out from a lack of success or continued support. But Larry says he feels an upcoming city-wide Appreciative Inquiry (AI) summit could be different.
"I think the most important thing to me is the unique approach that this process takes compared to what we have traditionally done here in terms of quality of life improvement in Cincinnati," Larry tells Axiom News.
The Cincinnati Children's Hospital is taking a lead role in the upcoming AI summit, slated to take place in 2012. The Community Building Institute (CBI) of Xavier University is also a key player in the summit's development.
CBI associate Picket Slater Harrington says he sees great potential in the summit's whole-system approach for sparking significant change in the city and region.
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Get Involved
Be at the Hub of the Movement
1. Jump into the middle of the awareness, energy and excitement building around Appreciative Inquiry and the Cincinnati AI summit. Help expand the list of people receiving this free monthly e-news by forwarding it on, inviting your contacts to sign up or by posting a message to your website, Twitter, Facebook and other social media accounts.
2. Be a key player in the Appreciative Inquiry activities underway in Cincinnati, most notably the preparations for and upcoming summit. Call 513-360-8640 for more information.
3. Bring Appreciative Inquiry to life in your own organization through stories. Contact Peter at Axiom News to learn more about how stories anchored in the Appreciative Inquiry approach create results.
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Strengths-Based Storytelling
Here's How Stories Can Work for You
Looking for results in your organization and your community?
Join the life-giving news network of Cincinnati and create the change you want to see - at an individual, organizational and whole-system level.
How? By telling stories every day about the people in your organization; stories about people going above and beyond, innovating, about project wins, people championing a new way of thinking, advancing a mission and making a meaningful difference. Imagine seeing a new success story posted to your website every day. Then imagine those stories being shared with local news sources and on the Axiom News site, adding to the creation of a new Cincinnati story, a strengths-based story. Axiom News can do this for you: We discover, write, post to your website and share your success stories on your behalf. Engaging the people in your organization, and creating positive change through stories has never been easier. Visit the Axiom News website, or contact Peter to learn more about the benefits of organizational storytelling and how to get started. |
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recommended
watch
Almost a year ago, a gathering of the "most improbable" set of people
first began exploring the co-creation of a new Cincinnati. Hear what people see as possible. Click this link to watch the video.
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our favourite comments from the video
It is possible to work collaboratively, and to produce the kind of solutions we've envisioned. It's possible because it's been done; it's possible cause that's the kind of community we are; and it's possible because we have in this room and beyond the assets to accomplish that.
-- Byron White, vice-chancellor for economic development, University System of Ohio
The message from law enforcement was not what turned me; it's not what's going to change these (street-involved) guys. . . . My motivation was the community saying, "Look, if you want to get out of the life, we'll help you, we'll give you an opportunity. We'll give you a chance to do something
else." These guys need opportunities.
-- Dante Ingram, street advocate
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surprised by strengths?
What are Cincinnati's true assets? Peter Block, Dr. Vic Garcia and hip hop non-profit Elementz join together to explore what might be surprising answers to this question, with the larger goal of looking at how to move the city forward. Click the above poster to learn more about you can be part of this Sept. 8 event!
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Jump into the middle of the awareness, energy and excitement building around Appreciative Inquiry and the Cincinnati AI summit. Help expand the list of people receiving this free monthly e-news by forwarding it on, inviting your contacts to sign up, or by posting a message to your website, Twitter, Facebook and other social media accounts.
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about
Axiom News
We are called to build a life-giving news network to co-create a renewed and thriving world.
We do this through the practice of generative journalism. It's founded on the principles of Appreciative Inquiry, a strengths-based, capacity-building approach for driving human systems towards their highest potential.
Learn more and read daily stories at www.axiomnews.ca
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share your story
We're looking for stories about the impact of the strengths-based, Appreciative Inquiry approach on individuals, organizations and whole systems. Contact the newsroom at 705-741-4421, to share your news leads. We'd love to hear from you! |
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visit our clients
Check out what an online, strengths-based
storytelling program can look and feel like by visiting our clients' sites.
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e-mail?
You are receiving this Appreciative Inquiry in Cincinnati e-news because we have connected with you at some point about this effort. We hope you enjoy the content and find it of use. To unsubscribe at any time, click the unsubscribe button below.
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