Banner: Barnes & Conti: Holiday Newsletter
Image: Marc Chagall Meal at Dayas House, text--Wishing You a Joyous Wishing You a Joyous Holiday CelebrationFull of Light and Connection, with the Hope of Prosperity and Peace for the New Year. --All of Us at Barnes & Conti

Holiday Message: Three Cs for the Holidays—Connection, Celebration, and Community

B. Kim Barnes, Barnes & Conti CEO

In ancient times in the North, when the days grew short and the nights long, people gathered and took actions together in the hope that they could entice, invite, demand, or encourage the return of the light. They performed ceremonies, made offerings, sang, prayed, danced, or drummed the world back to life. In the darkest of times, they chose hope over despair. However you feel about recent events, this is a time to create and celebrate community and find a connection to others. This holiday season, let’s practice the “Three Cs” –connection, celebration, and community.

Connection means finding the things we agree on and believe in.

Celebration means the act of creating joyful moments.

Community means using our connections and shared celebrations to bind us to one another in a web of meaningful interactions and mutual support.

Research has shown that the “common enemy” effect drives people to cooperate when they feel under threat from another entity. I wonder what we could do if we focused instead on common interests, values, and sources of happiness? Light can represent knowledge, joy, beauty, and energy. Things that grow bend toward the light.

Like our ancestors, let’s now reach toward the light, prepare for the spring awakening, and dance to the music of time. We need not be limited by the things that weigh us down and hold us back. We can find freedom and joy in community, especially with those whom we have not really known before. We can uphold and demonstrate our values of collaboration, learning, and inclusion. We can be both kindhearted and tough-minded.

We wish you a holiday season full of light and joy and a new year of enlightenment in our shared community.

 

Image: Christmas Ornaments

2024: The Year In Review

Lauren Powers, SVP Business Development

What a year this has been! It feels like we should only be halfway through, yet here we are wrapping up 2024 and getting geared for 2025. Maybe it is what you feel as you get older, or maybe the speed of work and richness of life just keeps us so engaged that we lose track of time.

It has been a wonderful year of learning and partnership. We have worked on so many interesting projects working across the globe and with varied industries. Here are just a few ways we have helped clients meet their needs:

  • Increasing cross-functional and upwards influence effectiveness of emerging and current leaders in organizations that keep reorganizing
  • Building organizational strategic thinking capability at all levels implementing global workshops and “design clinics” to address key strategic challenges so that assumptions are tested, and biases and implications are considered
  • Honing the negotiation skills of key contributors in complex negotiation processes
  • Helping managers navigate change and provide feedback and “straight talk” to their teams during difficult times 
  • Building and sustaining teams so that roles are clear, psychological safety is the norm and teams collaborate and optimize their strengths.

As you consider your needs for 2025, we would love to hear from you and learn more about your priorities. To help you know our full range of capabilities, here is our latest catalog of offerings in what we call the “difficult” as opposed to “soft” skills” of influence, strategic thinking, innovation and risk-taking, construct debate, conflict management, and internal consulting. All our programs are flexible, available virtually and/or in-person, and can be tailored to fit within larger cohort program objectives, and customized to employ exercises that will resonate for your organization’s unique challenges.

Please reach out to Lauren Powers, lpowers at barnesconti dot com or phone at (215) 850-2880, and let us know how we can help you!

Download our Catalog Here

A Technological Christmas Miracle

Ricky-Dean Wasson, Curriculum Design and Development Consultant & Facilitator

Image: Christmas Legacy ComputerWhen I was nine years old, the one thing I wanted more than anything was a computer—specifically, the RadioShack TRS-80 Color Computer. Little did I know that owning this piece of technology would change the course of my life in countless ways.

Recently, I was Googling the price of a TRS-80 computer and its equivalent value in today’s currency. It turns out that a $399 TRS-80 computer in 1980 equates to approximately $1,500 today. This is important to understand because my family was poor, so the thought of my grandmother raising the funds to buy this piece of equipment seemed, to say the least, impossible—if not miraculous.

Christmas Day 1980 arrived, and sitting under the tree wrapped in 1970s-style wrapping paper was a box whose shape looked eerily familiar. Could it be? Could Santa have made my dream a reality? As I tore into the package, with wrapping paper flying like something out of a Bugs Bunny cartoon, excitement enveloped me.

And there it was, in all its glory—the TRS-80 Color Computer.

At the time, I didn’t truly understand what a computer was, except that it did “stuff.” I had no idea where to start, but fortunately, there was a manual—a 300-page guide. And right there on the first page was the answer to all my questions: “How do you talk to a computer?”

I spent hours, days, and weeks combing through all 300 pages of that manual, teaching myself BASIC coding. I went from a complete novice to writing a program that created a talking robot. From that point onward, I always had a computer. How I used it evolved over time, becoming a natural part of my day-to-day life without me even realizing it.

Fast forward 15 years: I had graduated from university, dabbled in acting, and found myself between gigs. Naturally, I turned to what I knew best: computing. At the time, I didn’t fully appreciate the direct correlation between being computer-literate in the 1990s and the opportunities I would encounter. My first technology project was with the Los Angeles Times, helping them implement their new classified ordering system. That project marked the beginning of my training career.

My technology skills eventually led me to deliver web development training in New York, move to the UK, and work as a technology trainer for multinational companies—all while traveling across the globe. The person I am today is the result of the people I’ve met, the countries I’ve visited, and the knowledge I’ve gained—none of which would have been possible without that TRS-80 and the sacrifice my grandmother made to buy it.

I often wonder if my grandmother realized that by making that single purchase, she was opening up an entirely new and unimaginable world for me. Now, I want to do for others what my grandmother did for me. I want to open a world of possibilities to children who may not have the means. That’s why I launched the TechArts Empowerment Foundation. Through this charity, I aim to bridge the arts and digital education skills gap among marginalized youth and give them a chance to change the course of their lives.

This year, we conducted our first coding workshop, participated in various resource fairs, and we have four more planned for next year, including a robotics workshop.

I know that not every child who walks through our doors will go on to a career in technology or the arts, but the knowledge gained through our workshops will provide them with transferable skills that are highly marketable in today’s workforce but more importantly I hope that our workshops spark a lifelong sense of curiosity. That, in a nutshell, is why I do this work: to open up a whole new and unimaginable world of possibilities for our students.

If you feel inspired by my story and want to know how you can get involved, please visit the Tech Arts Foundation Website and share this message.
Here’s hoping you and yours have a wonderful holiday.

Ethical Decision-Making in 2025

Lauren Powers, SVP Business Development

Image: Ethical decision making

Strategy + Business recently published an article, “Becoming a Leader of Conscience”, drawing on comments by G. Richard Shell, Chair of Wharton’s School’s Legal Studies and Business Ethics department that aligned with what my hopes are for corporate leadership in tomorrow’s world. The article discusses the values of a company (or organization) and its relationship to society. How do we want to show up as leaders in society? How does our corporate conscience require us to act? It is an important read. The link is at the beginning of the article, if you want to take a closer look.

Given that it is likely that the new administration will require less regulation from corporate entities, leaders across businesses will face what the article references as cognitive dilemmas. We will be confronted now more than ever to engage in ethical decision-making. Leaders across businesses and non-profits will have the opportunity to step up and stand up for the practices that they deem to be critical as corporate citizens and members of society. How do we want people to be treated? What impact do we want to have on the environment, so it is preserved for future generations? Who do we represent? How can we ensure that we are doing everything possible to contribute to societal well-being when we may not be required any longer to do so, but we know it is the right thing to do at both an emotional and cognitive level?

We will no doubt have fewer regulations requiring us to act in certain ways. But I hope we have strong corporate and non-profit leadership that can show us the way to a world we want to be part of. It will be incumbent upon each of us to fill the void and maybe, bring about an even stronger commitment. Small ways we can collectively make a difference can have a huge impact on our society. We, as leaders, will be faced with many challenging dilemmas and I am confident that we will find our way to create the future that aligns with our ethics.

News from Barnes & Conti

New article by Kim Barnes for TD Magazine

This past Summer, Kim wrote an article entitled, “Influence by Design” for TD (the ATD Magazine) that appeared in August 2024. Here's a brief excerpt:

"Influence skills are a set of behaviors that a person consciously uses to move others toward actions that help them, their team, their family, or their organization achieve goals that are of value to the individual, are not harmful, and may even be beneficial to the person or people the individual is influencing. Ethical and effective influence skills are crucial to achieve personal and professional accomplishments."

Read the article online (ATD membership required).

Kim Barnes speaks to Orthopedics Leaders

Earlier this December, Kim spoke at the 2024 Digital Orthopedics Conference San Francisco, (known as DOCSF24). Her topic was “Managing Change: The importance of influence as a leadership competency.” The attendees were orthopedic surgeons and representatives from companies that innovate in creating digital technologies to support them. The annual conference was created and is hosted yearly by Stefano Bini, MD, head of the Orthopedic Surgery Department at UCSF. The attendees learned about advancements in orthopedic technology and innovation and had an opportunity to network with fellow professionals and continue to develop their knowledge, skills, and competence as leaders in the field.

 

Our 24th Annual Virtual Feast

Image: Virtual Feast

Barnes & Conti continues our tradition of sharing some favorite recipes with you.

Recipes in the Feast

Mushroom Wellington with Rosemary and Pecans

This dish comes to me from my daughter’s boyfriend who prepared it for Thanksgiving this year as an additional entrée for the vegetarian and vegan friends who were joining us. However, we all ate it and loved it! So, I hope you will too!

This recipe by Sylvia Fountaine was featured in the November 20, 2017 edition of Feasting at Home.

Image: Mushroom Wellington

Ingredients:

  • 1 box with 2 sheets of cold Vegan Puff Pastry (Pepperidge Farm is vegan)
  • 2 tbsps of olive oil
  • 2 lbs of fresh mushrooms, sliced – use whatever type or mixture you prefer
  • 1 large onion, diced
  • 4-6 large garlic cloves, rough chopped
  • 1 tbsp of fresh rosemary (or thyme or sage), chopped
  • 1 tsp of Kosher salt
  • 1/4 cup of Sherry, Port, Marsala or Madeira wine
  • 1 tsp balsamic vinegar
  • 1 cup pecans, chopped and toasted
  • 1/2 tsp pepper
  • 2 tsps truffle oil (optional)
  • For vegan “egg wash”, use nut milk, cream or melted coconut oil to brush pastry (or use egg if vegan is not needed)

Method:

  1. Make sure your puffed pastry is completely thawed, but cold.
  2. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
  3. Heat oil in a Dutch oven.
  4. Sauté mushrooms, onions, garlic, and herbs. Stir often and make sure all liquid has evaporated.
  5. When dry, add wine and balsamic vinegar and saute until all liquid has again evaporated. You want this mixture dry.
  6. Add pecans and if you like, truffle oil.
  7. Let filling completely cool. You may want to make it one day ahead and place in refrigerator.
  8. Unroll the one piece of puff pastry onto parchment paper. Gently roll it out a little so it is smooth but not too thin. Place parchment paper baking sheet. Place half the filling in a mound in the center and quickly roll it like a burrito taking up the ends and rolling it. Place seam side down. Do the same with the other sheet.
  9. Brush with “egg wash”.
  10. Using a very sharp knife, score both pastry rolls with diagonal cuts, or a herringbone or cross-hatch pattern.
  11. Bake on middle rack for 35 minutes. After 20, check and rotate if needed for even baking. You want it to be golden to ensure it is done and flaky all the way through. If not, add 5 more minutes.
  12. Let cool for 5-10 minutes before cutting and serving. Add rosemary sprigs for garnish.

 

About the Artwork at the Top:

A print of Marc Chagall’s “The Meal at Dayas House”