Many of us have been schooled to “stay positive!” Ultimately I think there is a grain of wisdom in this, but it can also blind us. Sometimes we need to address important risks or vulnerabilities. In a group setting, if you insist on only focusing on the positive, you can also lose credibility with people who consider themselves realists.
On the other hand, some of us are by training and inclination problem-spotters. We believe that if we can find and fix what’s wrong, everything will be fine. As with the positive thinkers, this of course is useful to an extent. The problem comes when we find ourselves continually worrying or complaining no matter how well things are going. And again, in a group setting you might find that your legitimate concerns are easily dismissed if you have a reputation for being too pessimistic. [Read more →]
Tags:leadership·tips
Happily my client had done a good job getting his internal stakeholders focused more on business outcomes and less on a certain kind of event as “the answer.”
As the project progresses I won’t be chronicling it blow-by-blow out of respect for client confidentiality. But I will continue to post lessons gleaned from past projects or tips on how to get the most out of your team or your external consultants.
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I’m looking forward to a conversation with a client tomorrow. He’s a very bright, committed guy and we’ve done excellent work together in the past. But there is one catch, and it’s in the way that services like mine are often contracted. Here’s what I mean.
Tell me if the following conversation rings a bell for you, whether you’re on the client or the consultant side.
Client: “We have an executive retreat coming up and we’re looking for a facilitator. You come highly recommended. Would be you interested? Are you available?”
Consultant: “When is it?”
Client: “Next week.”
or
Client: “We need a one-day team-building workshop for twenty people. What would you charge and when could you run it?” [Read more →]
Tags:training
Here’s an article on the AC from what was then the Bionomics Institute.
Check it out for a nice basic take on the Action Cycle and its value to organizations.
(As an aside I met the author of
Bionomics and founder of the apparently now-hibernating Bionomics Institute, Michael Rothschild, in London in the mid-90’s. Smart, warm, engaging guy with a revolutionary and valuable take on organizations and economics. Very worth spending time with if you get the chance, although I’m not sure what he’s up to these days. The book is also outstanding. Thanks to Mike Cooke for introducing me to Michael.)
Tags:action cycle
