Tom Adams
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Rose Mary Dougherty, in her days leading groups at Shalem, had a favorite parable she came back to often. With her charming Irish smile, she would ask: “Why do the antelope walk side by side in the jungle?” And after letting that settle for a short moment, she would...
Learning about race and racism is uncomfortable. Race relations in America are a mess. Each day, I see some other aspect of racism – both mine and the larger world’s I hadn’t noticed before. Like many white people, I am waking up to a reality it has been all too easy...
Hiring a new executive takes more than just a hiring process. Changing executives is a big deal for any organization. Tim Wolfred, a leader in developing the art and science of nonprofit executive search and transition, lays out a well-developed and proven process...
Too many organizations underperform because they fail to pay sufficient attention to leader transitions. As a result, the mission, those served, and the employees suffer. In my work with more than 300 organizations facing leader transitions, I’ve identified many factors that influence the outcome of a leader transition.
“Black Lives Matter. Race matters. We need each other. What is mine to do?” It’s a different fourth of July. No parades, no big gatherings for fireworks to celebrate America’s freedom. And perhaps most importantly a growing recognition that America is not free until...
“Black Lives Matter. Race matters. We need each other. What is mine to do?” Fear of saying the wrong thing or being seen as a “racist” or someone who doesn’t “get race” has limited me as I have faced my discomfort along this journey of deepening my understanding of...
Bill Wilson, the co-founder of Alcoholics Anonymous, has a lot to teach us about navigating our lives through the coronavirus pandemic. The failed Wall Street stock analyst whose compulsion to drink took him to the edge of insanity and death developed a pragmatic...
More precisely, who is God for me? That is the question that has haunted me for many years. Well, perhaps haunt is a little strong. It is more like recurring dreams that come and go. Sometimes the dream is pleasant and fills me up. I am at a beach with people I love...
The intersection of the 85th anniversary of Dr. Bob Smith and Bill Wilson meeting on June 10, 1935 and our annual celebration of the Fourth of July offer all in recovery an opportunity to revisit our freedoms. The 85th birthday of Alcoholics Anonymous (A.A.) and the...
Facing an executive transition is sobering and daunting for most board leaders, executives, and staffs. There are too many moving parts in a complex organization for the transition of the top leader to be simple. Boards that have not experienced the responsibility of...
Tom Adams writes and speaks on topics vital to the intersection of our personal lives with our community and global lives. He has for decades been engaged in and written about nonprofit leadership and transitions, spirituality and spiritual growth, how we each contribute to a more just and equitable world and recovery from addictions and the Twelve Step recovery movement.