Bending Granite: 30+ true stories of leading change

Bending Granite: 30+ true stories of leading change is a compilation of more than 30 true stories from 30 Madison authors about their experiences driving change across three decades. Authors include entrepreneurs, former mayors, educators, and even former Madison Police Chief David Couper, whose story gives the book its name, retelling how Madison came to lead the nation in police reform. Discussing the book are co-editors Maury Cotter, Tom Mosgaller and Kathleen A. Paris. Register here for the in-person event, or join on Crowdcast.

media release: Bending Granite was released May 1, 2022, and can be ordered now from https://actapublications.com/new/.

Maury Cotter, Tom Mosgaller and Kathleen Paris will discuss the book at Mystery to Me on May 26. Seats are limited. Reserve yours on Eventbrite! If you're not in the Madison area, or you'd rather join us from home, tune into the Crowdcast livestream!

The book was edited by Tom Mosgaller, Maury Cotter, Kathleen Paris, Tim Hallock, and Michael Williamson with consultation from Dave Boyer and Guy Van Rensselaer. All told, 29 local authors contributed their first-hand stories detailing how they cultivated real and positive change in their organizations.

The public is invited to a book talk and signing event at Mystery to Me independent bookstore, 1863 Monroe St, Madison, 6:00 p.m., Thursday, May 26, 2022.

All the stories take place in Madison. The first-person conversational stories are from a variety of organizations from manufacturing to non-profit to heath care to banking and insurance to government to education to the military and beyond. They demonstrate the essential elements for successful change anywhere and anytime—attention to purpose, processes, and people. Authors include Paul Soglin and Joe Sensenbrenner, former mayors of Madison; Turina Bakken, Madison College Provost; Dave Boyer, entrepreneur and industry leader, John Wiley, retired UW-Madison Chancellor and a long list of Madison area business and community leaders.

The most dramatic observation of a three-year exhaustive study of the Madison Police Department by the National Institute of Justice was that it was possible to “bend granite.” The radical shift in purpose from enforcing law to emphasizing keeping the peace reshaped policing, improved outcomes and positioned Madison as a leader of police reform nationally.  David Couper’s “Bending Granite” story which opens the book describes how this was achieved. That first story sets the example of transformative change in the 30 stories that follow.

Besides spanning organizations and sectors, the stories span time, illustrating the usefulness of the approaches described, as well as the power of adaptable and sustained change. A number of the stories begin as early as the 1990’s when Madison was leading the country in working across industries and sectors to improve organizations and government. From that foundational start with some of the world’s leaders of quality and process improvement, Madison’s stories of change continue today, addressing current challenges.

Co-compiler Tom Mosgaller says, "Leading today demands a rare combination of two things—courage and discipline. Courage to change and the discipline to make  sure those changes end up as improvements! Bending Granite is about leaders who demonstrate those virtues.”

American Family Insurance’s Jim St. Vincent says in his story, “AmFam has infused the principles and approaches of quality improvement in every aspect of how we do business, how we treat our employees, and even in how we serve our community.[These] have been a key driver in American Family’s success over 30 years…”

Maury Cotter, Co-compiler says, “Bending Granite offers 30+ true stories by 30 authors about change in 30 Madison organizations over three decades. In this, we believe that Bending Granite does what no other book has done.”