In 2017 I had the good fortune of working with Bob Stilger on a project that began with brainstorming and ended with a learning cohort of participants from four countries. Looking at that trajectory now, I can’t imagine it being any other way. Bob holds an international perspective. He sees across boundaries, around corners, and into the cracks and crevasses that hold the puzzle of humanity together.

We began this project with several conversations about how we might provide inspiration to move people from compelling stories into action projects realized in their locales. During that same timeframe, a firestorm swept through several neighborhoods in the northern California City of Santa Rosa and the town of Glen Ellen. This was one of many conflagrations that have swept through California during the past several years, but for many reasons this particular firestorm centered our focuson helping people prepare for emergencies of any kind, and out of that sharpening this learning cohort was born: Stories to Action: Building a Community of Results.

Bob not only brought his well-honed facilitation skills to the cohort, but also his fresh thinking from just having authored his book AfterNow. I honestly could not have dreamt up a better teammate.  

Bob’s gentle guidance, his reassuring demeanor, and his genuine love for exploring ideas created a safe and welcoming container for participants’ concepts to grow and flourish. And for me, his moment-to-moment insights and his adaptability to dance with participants’ needs and interests taught me a great deal.

Through our work together my admiration and trust for Bob has grown. He is the real deal: thoughtful, deep, authentic, and kind. Just the kind of person you will want to work with too.