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Jim Selman
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A recognized leader and authority in the field of organizational transformation and culture change, Jim helps leaders and companies achieve breakthroughs in their performance. As co-founder and CEO of Transformational Technologies, he influenced the development of more than 2,000 American, European and Latin American companies.

Today, he consults regularly in English, French and Spanish to organizations and governments in Europe, Mexico and North and South America as CEO of Paracomm Partners International. He has helped numerous multinationals and Fortune 500 companies (as well as the White House, Congress and the U.S. Air Force) mobilize people and build competencies in executive leadership, communication, relationship, business process design and coordination.

Jim was instrumental in building new theory and practical techniques in the field of management and in pioneering new approaches that produce paradigm shifts. His early work in education and research with leading management thinkers (including Fernando Flores, Warren Bennis, Peter Senge, Richard Pascal, Werner Erhard and Ken Blanchard) influenced his introduction of the concepts of “organizational transformation”, “coaching”, “breakdowns” and “breakthroughs” into the corporate world.

An acknowledged management coach, consultant and facilitator, he continues to contribute to the development of the coaching and transformational leadership professions at the global level. In 2008, he was involved in discussions with 22 other transformational leaders and officials in the United Nations about using transformational leadership principles to empower the leaders of developing nations in undertaking full-spectrum responses to their most pressing issues and intractable problems.

Jim received his BA degree in Social Psychology and Philosophy from the University of Oklahoma, and attended graduate school at the University of Florida. He co-founded an accredited post-graduate program in coaching in Buenos Aires, and continues to publish groundbreaking articles on commitment-based leadership, coaching and management, and organizational transformation.

Jim’s passion is to transform the culture of aging from one of decline and loss to one of possibility and power. He is a former member of the California Commission on Aging, a past director of the Breakthrough Foundation, a founder of Growing Older (a non-profit for seniors' education) and a founding member of the Legacy XXI Institute. He recently founded The Eldering Institute® and launched a global network of individuals committed to co-creating a world that works for all of us at the Eldering Manifesto. He is currently working on Transforming Wisdom into Action, his first book on the topic of Eldering.

Contact information:

jimselman@paracomm.com
jim@elderinginstitute.com

www.paracomm.com
www.eldering.org

Blog Entries by Jim Selman

Reinventing the GOP: A Mission for Mitt

(3) Comments | Posted November 9, 2012 | 10:47 AM

Thank you Mr. Romney. Your concession speech showed real class, dignity and said what needed to be said regarding bringing America together again.

Now you have an opportunity to prove the pundits wrong and perhaps leave a legacy even greater than you'd have left if you had been elected. You...

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Anti-Age Laws

(0) Comments | Posted August 31, 2012 | 11:15 AM

The BBC recently ran a piece on new anti-age discrimination laws in the UK. Although anti-age discrimination laws aren't new in the U.S., the statistics show that, while age is on the same list with sexual preference, race, gender and physical handicap, the practices that limit...

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Resignation: The Cure

(5) Comments | Posted August 17, 2012 | 1:45 PM

I've been preaching for years about the epidemic of resignation that seems to be infecting our species. I don't mean every individual is infected, but when you see enough "sick fish" you begin to suspect that the pond might be polluted. I last mentioned this in a blog...

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It's Criminal, not Ethical

(13) Comments | Posted August 12, 2012 | 8:15 PM

Not a day goes by that we don't read about yet another 'violation' of some law or regulatory apparatus by some large business organization.

Most recently, we learn that Barclays Bank and JPMorgan have been playing games with the statistic that affect the interest rates we pay on our...

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New Beginnings

(7) Comments | Posted July 10, 2012 | 8:40 AM

One of the toughest things we ever learn is to "let go." I can' t remember all the times I have made resolutions or tried to "reinvent" myself or start over in one way or another. Every time we end a relationship or a job or some deeply ingrained habit...

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Oh Dearism (Ain't It Awful)

(45) Comments | Posted July 5, 2012 | 9:20 AM

The British cultural pundit Adam Curtis has a YouTube segment about a socially-transmitted disease he calls "Oh Dearism." Its primary symptom is the hand-wringing posture we take after seeing or learning about some particularly abhorrent or disgusting aspect of the human condition or what is going on in the world....

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The End of the Beginning

(2) Comments | Posted January 4, 2012 | 9:10 AM

Ah, Jan. 1, the new beginning and a chance to finally get it right this year. Or is it?

Perhaps it is the end of the beginning. When we began as a nation, we were full of hope and idealism. We believed that every person could thrive and prosper if...

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Senior Upset or Elder Equanimity?

(0) Comments | Posted February 24, 2011 | 2:50 PM

I have a friend who is really upset because she feels she was pressured into a particularly large purchase and not appreciated afterwards. It occurs to me that this could be a concern for many single women, especially as they grow older. We read daily of various scams to help...

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Can We Really Take Old Age One Day at a Time?

(14) Comments | Posted February 24, 2011 | 8:47 AM

As long as I can remember, people have been telling me to relax, enjoy the moment, smell the roses and just take it easy -- to live life one day at a time. That's a challenge when we're younger, when we have many goals and not a lot of history...

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Age: What Do You See?

(27) Comments | Posted February 7, 2011 | 9:01 AM

I am 67-years-old. And I am an Elder to many in my various "networks."

Not many people in this day and age are willing to make such a declaration about their age... or are proud to be recognized as elders outside their communities. The word elder tends to be automatically...

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When It's Work to Go to Work

(1) Comments | Posted January 19, 2011 | 2:47 AM

I just finished reading a really good "how-to" book by Russell Bishop called "Workarounds That Work: How to Conquer Anything That Stands in Your Way at Work." This book is today's best guide for having our work lives work.

Although I am not generally a fan of "how-to"...

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Stand and Be Counted

(2) Comments | Posted November 1, 2010 | 8:27 PM

We've been assaulted lately by political pundits and statisticians telling us what will happen this week. It is easy to roll over and assume they know what they are talking about. So why bother to vote at all? Just sit back and watch the process on TV. This is a...

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When Can We Stop Working?

(11) Comments | Posted September 17, 2010 | 9:37 AM

Stephanie Chen, a writer for CNN, recently published "No Retirement for These Older Folks, Just Work" about the fact that more and more people have to keep working well beyond their 'retirement age.' For some, this is purely a function of economic necessity. For others, it is...

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What Is Your Opinion ... And Why Do We Care?

(1) Comments | Posted August 31, 2010 | 5:20 PM

Someone said to me in a meeting yesterday that there are a billion blogs. The number seemed high, so I did what we all do these days. I went to Google and in about 30 seconds of looking at "How many blogs are there," I was assured there are closer...

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Is Your Problem Economic or Spiritual?

(1) Comments | Posted August 25, 2010 | 2:50 PM

My teacher and friend Dr. Fernando Flores was a candidate for the Presidency of Chile. In one of his speeches, he declared, "We don't have an economic problem so much as we have a spiritual one... we've forgotten who we are... we lack a vision and purpose for our nation."...

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The 3 'Rs' of Citizenship

(1) Comments | Posted August 16, 2010 | 12:21 PM

When I was growing up, you needed to be master the 3 'Rs' (Reading, Writing and Arithmetic) in order to be educated. Today we need to master a new 3 set of 'Rs': Rights, Rewards and Responsibilities.

When I first started traveling to other countries in the 1970s, the...

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Nelson Mandela's Legacy Leeches

(0) Comments | Posted July 29, 2010 | 3:58 PM

I read an article recently describing what can only be described as a 'feeding frenzy' over the name and legacy of Nelson Mandela--one of the great leaders of our generation. This isn't different from the kind of greedy infighting between family, friends and constituents that happens far too...

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Is Time Running Out?

(2) Comments | Posted July 23, 2010 | 1:39 PM

It seems to me that there are three fundamental relationships that we all share as human beings: 1) our relationship with ourselves and other people, 2) our relationship with our circumstances and 3) our relationship with time. When we are inflexible or stuck in habitual ways of being in any...

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Fourth of July Weekend: Lake Kiowa

(1) Comments | Posted July 6, 2010 | 4:54 PM

The Fourth of July is a uniquely American holiday. This weekend, I felt a little bit like I was a part of a Bill Geist segment on small town celebrations on CBS's Sunday Morning show. My father is a World War II veteran. He joined the Army Air Corps in...

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Claiming Accountability for a Better World

(3) Comments | Posted July 6, 2010 | 3:58 PM

Do you know that terrible sinking feeling when something really bad happens that you didn't expect--something that you know will have a major and probably permanently negative impact on your life and the lives of those you love--and there is nothing you can do about it?

Many of us have...

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