Ideas and Insights
Tim Dalmau and Steve Zuieback launch their new e-book!
Do you need practical help on how to work out what is going on in your team or organization – get the new e-book, Diagnosis: Strategies and Tools for Organizations by Steve Zuieback and Tim Dalmau
Leaders at all levels of organizations are often perplexed and mistaken about what is actually happening underneath the surface, in their teams and organizations. Like a medical practitioner, it is often critical to first understand the underlying dynamics causing the issue before making a diagnosis and developing a treatment plan.
You will find a wealth of strategies and tools in this book for “figuring out” what is actually going on in your workplace! Read more…
Opportunities for facilitation training with Bob Dick
Bob Dick is offering a great opportunity for people who wish to take their facilitation skills to the next level, building on his foundational program. Dates are August 27 and 28 in Brisbane, Australia. Read more…
How our beliefs can get in the way of achieving results
We live in a world of beliefs that we self-generate based on conclusions made and inferred from what we observe and from past experiences.
Our ability to achieve results can be eroded by feelings that,
- our beliefs are the truth
- the truth is obvious
- our beliefs are based on true data
- the data we select are the real data
Peter Senge, in the Fifth Discipline, outlines a model for this dynamic called the Ladder of Inference. It describes how data and information are filtered through our values and beliefs in such a way that we arrive at specific assumptions, conclusions and actions. He, in turn, was building on the previous work of the late Chris Argyris and the late Donald Schon.
Questions are more powerful than statements
One of the most powerful means of engaging people is to ask a series of high quality or powerful questions.
What makes a powerful question?
- It is simple and clear
- It is thought-provoking
- It generates energy
- It focused inquiry
- It surfaces assumptions and clarifies meaning
- It opens new possibilities
Questions to clarify outcomes:
What do you really want? What is important about the outcome for you? Is it possible for you to achieve?
Questions to stimulate reflective and deeper level thinking:
What is it about our working relationship that you find most satisfying? Why might it be that our working relationship has its ups and downs?
Questions to clarify meaning:
What or how specifically?
Questions that begin with WHY?
Remember to use caution when asking questions that being with WHY.
Unless carefully crafted they can illicit a defensive response in others or force them into a mindset of post-hoc rationalization, both which are usually not very helpful if good communication is desired.
Change the structure and you change the experience
Repeating patterns and structures holds systems, organization and teams together.
As we continue our focus on the importance of creating an environment for high quality conversations in organizations and among teams then we can use this fact to make simple improvements in quality of conversation we have with our team.
It is easy in regular and routine team meetings to slip into “just going through the motions”. People become bored, and it becomes “the same old – same old”. Most importantly the quality of the interactions and the ability to meet objectives from these meetings can be really compromised.
In this short video I explain some simple ways to ‘change the structure’ and therefore change the experience and as a result make every interaction, meeting or conversation with your team more meaningful and worthwhile.
Better conversations with your team
Too often we just go through the motions in meetings and the conversations we have with our teams, especially those we have regularly.
Each time you get together is an opportunity to really engage, understand what is really going on for each other and build stronger relationships helping people enjoy work and get the most out of it – everyday!
This article and ones to follow will focus on short meetings or conversations that you have on a regular basis (eg. once a week) with your team (or crew).
It could be a meeting or conversation to
- check progress on work or projects that the team is carrying out
- about safety, – performance of the team in meeting targets
- about improving teamwork itself.
- as part of toolbox meeting
This same approach can be adapted to longer meetings or discussions.
4 steps to better conversations with your team
- Preparation
- Starting the conversation
- Guiding the conversation
- Concluding Read more…
Leadership Practices for Challenging Times: principles, skills & practices that work
This is a wonderful resource for leaders, consultants and coaches engaged in creating high functioning teams, change management and sustainability. This book guides practitioners in the steps to create conditions within organizations where individuals and teams feel empowered to do great and creative things everyday for their clients, colleagues, organizations and communities.
The book is designed to provide the inspiration, theories and practices that enables people to diagnose, design and implement effective strategies that can transform working environments and whole organizations. Significant attention is given to stepby- step conversation processes along with the facilitation
Uploaded 13 February 2013
History Trip: A process guide
