“To meet” is such an ordinary phrase. It carries the weight of human history. To meet: to come together, to connect, to discover what happens in the space between us. It implies reciprocity, exchange, even surprise. But most organizational meetings today betray that intent. Instead of meeting, we gather. Instead of conversation, we sit through download. Instead of exchange, we endure updates. Meetings too often feel like they belong to one person—the leader who called them, t

On a recent vacation to Iceland, we visited a popular beach on the south coast of Iceland that’s so dangerous they’ve installed a traffic-light system to measure risk. Green doesn’t mean “safe.” Yellow doesn’t mean “fine.” Red doesn’t even mean “you’re doomed.” Each color simply signals a condition, a level of awareness, and the need for a particular action. Read more here.

It happened in a quiet moment between sessions at a conference in Puerto Rico. I was in a conference room where the snacks were stacked—rows of glossy packaging and carbonated indulgences meant to keep us upright through long afternoons of slides and strategy. Normally, I don’t drink soda. But I was dragging a little. So when I saw a cold can of Pepsi glistening in the mini-fridge, I thought: What the hell. Maybe just this once. I hesitated. Not because of the caffeine, but b

At first glance, the phrase innovative bureaucracy feels like a contradiction in terms—a clunky oxymoron assembled from the mechanical and the mercurial. Bureaucracy conjures visions of red tape, cubicles, and file cabinets; innovation evokes post-it notes, prototypes, and hackathons. One symbolizes stability and regulation; the other, disruption and reinvention. But as with all unlikely things, there’s a paradox here worth leaning into. What if bureaucracy is not the enemy

The phrase “Portrait of a Graduate” has become a modern artifact of well-intentioned educational reform. Across K-12 schools and higher education institutions, we carefully craft these aspirational visions—portraits in words—of the young adults we hope to shape. These documents are filled with laudable traits: adaptability, critical thinking, collaboration, empathy, creativity. They are beautifully designed, collaboratively written, and publicly shared, often displayed in ent

“I’m just trying to prepare for when I become a principal,” she said, notebook open, voice a little tight with anticipation. We were sitting in a quiet corner of the school library after dismissal—students gone, fluorescent lights humming. The assistant principal across from me was sharp, deeply invested, and clearly on a trajectory. She had the posture of someone already carrying more than her job description required. Read the full article here.

We live in a world where we can order groceries with a thumbprint, scroll for hours through customized content, and complete tax forms with intuitive software. That’s the power of UX/UI—User Experience and User Interface design—working in the background. It’s how the tech industry builds products that are usable, accessible, and often addictive. But here’s the unlikely thing: what if that same intentionality, precision, and empathy belonged in the places where people go to le

It feels almost too simple to be true: In any organization facing any challenge, the answer is already in the room. Not hidden deep in a consultant’s carefully crafted slide deck. Not revealed through an external case study showcasing distant, unrelated success stories. Certainly not lurking in the résumé of some future hire. The real solutions lie among the people already gathered, committed, and immersed in the daily complexities of the organization. Yet, acknowledging this

Every Father’s Day, my phone lights up at 7:12 a.m. with a familiar ding. It’s not my kids or a group thread—it’s my realtor. Every holiday, birthday, and minor moment worth noting, she’s there with a short, friendly, perfectly timed text. No pitch, no properties, just: “Happy Father’s Day! Hope you get to relax today 🎉” . That’s it. At first, I thought, “Wow, that’s thoughtful.” Then I realized—it’s also brilliant. Because while I haven’t been house hunting in years, if you

You’ve taken the first step. Your organization has a strategic plan with a vision for the future. That’s no small feat—it means you've clarified priorities, committed to long-term outcomes, and laid a path forward. But the inevitable question arises next: Now what? Too often, strategic plans become beautiful documents that live in drawers or digital folders — disconnected from daily operations, team behaviors, and the messy realities of implementation. This is where SYRENS™  

Most organizations treat vision like a motivational poster stapled to the break-room wall. It’s a projection—a grand future we hope to manifest if we just squint hard enough and get the font right. Something like: “To be the leader in [insert industry], driving excellence, innovation, and impact.” But what if we’ve been thinking about vision all wrong? In Seven Brief Lessons on Physics , Carlo Rovelli offers a definition from science that could re-frame what vision means for

Ashley Kincaid’s article, “How to Unlearn Problematic Teaching Practices ,” highlights a critical challenge in education—how to unlearn...

We talk a lot about AI in terms of its speed, its efficiency, and its capacity to help us automate and accelerate. But there’s something...

A few years ago, after way too many flights and not enough workouts, I decided I needed to get back in shape. But I didn’t join a gym. I...

The title of my Substack, Unlikely Things, refers to my definition of creativity: the combination of two or more Unlikely Things . With...

Let’s play a leadership game, the kind most organizations don’t realize they’re in until it’s too late. You’re about to launch a bold...

It was a Thursday afternoon in a school district I won’t name, but you’d recognize the signs. Long rows of beige cinderblock. A freshly...

https://billclarke.substack.com/ with Bill Clarke https://billclarke.substack.com/ Because creativity doesn’t come from certainty—it...

Have you ever wondered why some lessons work better than others? Why some classes fall flat and others don’t? While there are many...

As students move from grade to grade, literacy tasks are inversely correlated with supports. That is, as literacy tasks become more...