Tuesday 6 November 2007
Even the bad times...
I'm reading an excellent collection of essays and articles by wilderness author and mountaineer Cameron Mc Neish. A short description of a particularly difficult moment on a climb struck me as insightful; describing a few moments of very hard and committing climbing in a wilderness area, knowing he could not reverse his moves to escape, not being certain of the terrain ahead and appreciating that he was many miles from any assistance if things went wrong, he got through the moves ok and the vista thus revealed to him was a fabulous one. His reflection on those very tense moments was that "...even the bad times can offer teachable moments in which we can grow and further equip ourselves from that great storehouse known as experience." Words that should resonate for many more than just mountaineers!
Thursday 1 November 2007
Understanding your Value
Just a short piece today. Gary Younge, writing in the Guardian on 29.10.07 about politics in USA at the moment, made a statement that struck me as having a much wider relevance to those active in leadership roles. He wrote. "All politics is negotiation. It goes without saying that if you set your price too high, or walk away too soon, you could miss out on a great deal. It is equally self-evident that if you set your price too low, or your counterpart knows you will never walk away, you will sell out far too cheaply. But there are few as powerful in negotiation as those who understand their value and are prepared to walk away."
Monday 29 October 2007
Strengths not Deficits
I was working with one of our coaching clients today and a description of how his organisation at times tended to respond elaborately to presenting matters, paying attention to the problems and looking for the quickest fixes, reminded me of the developing debate around strengths and deficits.
Many of our actions as managers and leaders seem to be prompted by a failure or 'deficit' and too often we are encouraged to believe that action to reduce those deficits is the key purpose of or value from our role, i.e. the need 'to put things right.' Indeed, our own managers and leaders almost demand our value is exhibited by the number of 'fixes' and solutions we implement.
Our work with the strengths approach suggests there is another way; that by concentrating more on the organisation's talents and strengths, by recognising and nurturing those strengths and using them in an environment that appreciates what works well, and to do more of those things, you will cope better with most of the deficits. You will also cope in a more calm and organised manner when the inevitable 'crises' hit. Strengths-led organisations don't ignore problems, or 'wicked issues', it is important to recognise and record them. And then put your people's talents to work to develop strengths and thus reduce the deficits.
Its' not always an easy route to take; if it was, more organisations would consciously be acting in this way. It demands persistence of effort and consistent behaviours, sometimes under the pressure to act very differently, both in the context of having a clear and compelling vision. A vision that demands of leaders and senior managers that they concentrate as much attention as practicable on the important and significant over the immediate.
We would recommend looking at the work of the late Donald O. Clifton, and also Marcus Buckingham of the Gallup Organisation, for a clear exposition of the strengths approach to individual and organisational development.
Many of our actions as managers and leaders seem to be prompted by a failure or 'deficit' and too often we are encouraged to believe that action to reduce those deficits is the key purpose of or value from our role, i.e. the need 'to put things right.' Indeed, our own managers and leaders almost demand our value is exhibited by the number of 'fixes' and solutions we implement.
Our work with the strengths approach suggests there is another way; that by concentrating more on the organisation's talents and strengths, by recognising and nurturing those strengths and using them in an environment that appreciates what works well, and to do more of those things, you will cope better with most of the deficits. You will also cope in a more calm and organised manner when the inevitable 'crises' hit. Strengths-led organisations don't ignore problems, or 'wicked issues', it is important to recognise and record them. And then put your people's talents to work to develop strengths and thus reduce the deficits.
Its' not always an easy route to take; if it was, more organisations would consciously be acting in this way. It demands persistence of effort and consistent behaviours, sometimes under the pressure to act very differently, both in the context of having a clear and compelling vision. A vision that demands of leaders and senior managers that they concentrate as much attention as practicable on the important and significant over the immediate.
We would recommend looking at the work of the late Donald O. Clifton, and also Marcus Buckingham of the Gallup Organisation, for a clear exposition of the strengths approach to individual and organisational development.
Saturday 27 October 2007
Appreciative Inquiry Masterclass
I had the honour and pleasure this week to attend a masterclass in Appreciative Inquiry facilitated by David Cooperrider, the co-founder of AI. It was a full and energising day, covering the science and application of an approach to change that our company is using more frequently. Indeed, for the past three years and more our commitment to and use of AI in corporate, team and individual settings has been a growing feature of our interventions.
The material used by David Cooperrider was up to the minute, and whilst not yet available for wider use, several of his presentations are available on the AI Commons website at Case Western Reserve University. This an excellent, free, resource for use by anyone interested in learning about and using AI.
Our recent applications of AI have been at the corporate level with Nottingham City Council's vision programme and with the West Midlands Fire Service's management board, who are implementing the classic AI 4-D approach to their visioning work. These are both ground-breaking pieces of work by the respective organisations.
For more information on this work and other exciting uses of AI, please contact us on 01827 331331
Steve Loraine
The material used by David Cooperrider was up to the minute, and whilst not yet available for wider use, several of his presentations are available on the AI Commons website at Case Western Reserve University. This an excellent, free, resource for use by anyone interested in learning about and using AI.
Our recent applications of AI have been at the corporate level with Nottingham City Council's vision programme and with the West Midlands Fire Service's management board, who are implementing the classic AI 4-D approach to their visioning work. These are both ground-breaking pieces of work by the respective organisations.
For more information on this work and other exciting uses of AI, please contact us on 01827 331331
Steve Loraine
Thursday 25 October 2007
Welcome to the Oi blog
Welcome to Optimum Interventions Ltd and our new blog. It's a pleasure to be able to share thoughts quickly and continue the healthy daily dialogue we have with our clients and colleagues. This blog will also help us to add news and thoughts to our website offering in a more accessible format than our enewsletter.
Monday 22 October 2007
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