DARE TO DISAGREE - Selected as Theme for Summit 2015

For the tenth anniversary of the Summit for Urban Animal Strategies the UA team has reached back to a Margaret Heffernan presentation given at the TED conference in June 2012 and selected two of her recent books for delegate preparation. 

In the TED presentation, the former CEO of five businesses, explores the all-too-human thought patterns — like conflict avoidance and selective blindness — that lead organizations and managers astray.

DARE to DISAGREE is the theme of Summit 2015

2015 Leadership Library:

In her 2012 book Willful Blindness: Why we Ignore the Obvious at Our Peril, Heffernan examines why businesses and the people who run them often ignore the obvious -- with consequences as dire as the global financial crisis and Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster.

In her latest book, Beyond Measure: The Big Impact of Small Changes, Heffernan explores the small steps companies can make that lead to big changes in their culture.

How do you and your organization think and act? 

Like many people and organizations, perhaps you are surrounded by those of 'your tribe' that think and act as you do. Are you pursuing similar strategies but expecting a different result? Can you afford to stay on the same path or does the paradigm shift in your community require a different response?

Summit 2015 continues a decade of conversation and relationship building within the Urban Animal industry that strives to: Recognize those who lead the industry; Clarify the dilemmas they face; Research the opportunities available; and, Identify strategies that will enrich the lives of the people and animals who live in each community.

Disagreement is central to progress!

Most people instinctively avoid conflict, but as Margaret Heffernan shows, good disagreement is central to progress. She illustrates (sometimes counter-intuitively) how the best partners aren’t echo chambers — and how great research teams, relationships and businesses allow people to deeply disagree. 

Summit 2015 is an opportunity to expand your vision, recharge your passion and develop relationships that will support your future endeavors. You are invited to be informed, to have your say, to respectfully disagree and to move the Urban Animal industry forward.

Margaret Heffernan's 2012 TED talk

A number of delegate positions for Summit 2015 are still available for certain conversations.

Urban Animal