PRODN New Practitioners Group 1999-2000

PRODN New Practitioners Group
1999-2000

Prior Year Summaries
2000-2001	1998-1999

Our experience of Appreciative Inquiry included Appreciative Interviews. We divided the group into pairs. Then we interviewed our partners, in turn, focusing on Peak Experiences. We asked:

I’m confident that you can imagine the positive feelings and ideas generated during our Appreciative Interviews. And interestingly, many of us noted how unusual it is to focus on what works well as co-workers, friends, spouses, parents, children, neighbors, etc. rather than what stinks. How many of you have heard people begin conversations with the question,

The positive orientation of the Appreciative Inquiry model defines a 4-D approach to culture change:

In his recent seminar on PBS TV, Dr. Wayne Dyer talks about the power of manifesting what you really really really really want, where each iteration of "really" has meaning:

OK, so what the heck is David trying to say here? Well, Dr. Dyer points out something very relevant to our conversation. He suggests that while this approach is virtually guaranteed to get us what we really really really really want, it is also pretty much guaranteed to get us what we really really really really DON’T WANT !! And so, I guess we’d be better off focusing on the positive.

Our thanks to Ron Preston for his generous time and energy in preparing for -- and facilitating -- our very very very very enjoyable morning.

I look forward to seeing you folks on Saturday morning, September 9th. And bring your passion!

It worked out well that we met during the morning hours as this sunny day brought forth the summer heat. A few beads of sweat and a growing thirst even inspired me to modify our usual NPG menu -- iced coffee/tea anyone ?

This meeting featured Special Guest, Rob McNeil, Principal of The Ronin Group. After about 25 years in the OD profession, Rob has found it helpful to describe himself as a Business Consultant, who uses OD skills and techniques to help his clients achieve business objectives. Keeping this perspective in mind, Rob’s intention was to guide us in quenching another kind of thirst -- that for a business orientation and language which potential clients may more readily recognize and understand. Once we get this far, getting the project may become easier. This session was a primer on helping a client question and think through its business strategy.

As OD professionals, we often help our clients build relationships by educating them in -- or at least familiarizing them with -- the practice of assessing and addressing personal styles. I imagine that it would be consistent for us to also take responsibility for adjusting and/or responding to styles other than our own ? We may be addressing personal style or cultural perspective, but many business organizations out there are oriented to the big, green bottom line. And they need our help to be successful ! So what can we do ? Well, for starters, we can temporarily reframe our orientation to match theirs. Next, we can use language that they can hear -- business talk. Many of us call for the need to begin where the client is, yet we sometimes forget to do it when we initially meet with a potential client.

It may be helpful to distill typical terms from concept down to fundamental business language:

For example, a business strategy may be to provide team-building consultation to clients where multi-disciplinary teams are essential to success, say in a Community Development project that depends upon good working relationships among the community, governing body, program coordinators, developer, landscape planner, architect, energy consultant, construction contractor, interior designer, furniture provider, and the expected occupants or patrons of the completed project. That’s a complex team !

The management strategy may identify several core elements such as shared vision, effective communication, and empowered team members. When we focus on the core element of shared vision, we can first ask, (a) "Is there shared vision among team members ?" Current reality may be determined by a simple yes or no ( +, - ) response. If the answer is yes, we can move to the next core element. If it’s no, we may ask a follow-up question to determine the trend ( -, 0, + ). (b) "Is the opportunity for shared vision diminishing, staying the same, or improving ?"

When the responses are (a) there is no shared vision, and (b) the opportunity is staying the same, we may describe the structural tension at this core element to be between:

Organizational efforts advance when there is motivated structural tension. If, by some chance, achieving the Desired Outcome of one core element negatively impacts the Current Reality of another core element, structural oscillation occurs. In other words, the outcomes of conflicting structural pairs move the effort forth and back, never allowing it to advance until the priority core element has been identified, rendering the other to the back burner for the time being.

We may employ a generic form of this model to begin to understand the source of the client’s challenges in broad terms -- in language that will be understood. Then we follow with the evaluation of these elements. Ultimately, we may create additional sets of core elements to be evaluated. Of course, once structural tension has been identified or created, we help the client advance from the current reality to the desired outcome using our respective tools -- keeping in mind that we never changed our consulting perspective, we just began where the client was during the successful, first meeting with the CEO.

Offer/Customer Match

Control of Customer Acquisition

Customer Retention & Grown

Profit Management

Management of Key Constraints

As always, it is difficult to convey the depth of the NPG sessions to those who were unable to participate. Therefore, we try to offer the spirit of the meeting along with subjective interpretations. We would like to thank Rob McNeil for contributing his time, effort, entertaining style, and his substantial experience, knowledge, and business savvy to our Saturday morning forum. For those of us who continually work to refine translations of our own OD orientations and perspectives toward a more business-like language, we sincerely thank Rob for the refreshing drink!

Although we have a July 8 NPG meeting approaching, this will be the last opportunity for me to personally offer my thoughts until the September PRODN e-newsletter arrives on your respective e-doorsteps. I would like to again express my immense appreciation to PRODN leadership and membership for allowing me to serve our organization via the New Practitioners Group. It has been an honor and privilege to help nurture professional relationships, exchange diverse knowledge and share the gift of self-discovery with so many wonderful folks. May your summer months bring you everything you need to continue to live a life of hopes, dreams and successes.

Through his ongoing involvement with the New Practitioners Group, Warren Hoffman observed the fear often associated with "doing OD" work, or at least admitting to such. Feeling that this would be a fast and deep learning opportunity for us, he volunteered to facilitate this session.

This fear appears to have many sources. In some cases, it stems from difficulty in clearly defining our respective work in understandable terms. It surely isn’t as easy as saying, "I’m a Dentist," "I’m an Teacher," or "I’m an Architect." Do we try to describe OD as a field ? Or do we try to define our specific disciplines within the field ? Then again, maybe we define both in ways that will meaningfully connect our work to the businesses of our clients and potential clients ? How do we reduce the ambiguity around what we do for a living ? How will clients know that they need us ? Though we don’t always have answers, we have become adept at asking good questions.

Assumptions concerning our credibility -- or the lack thereof -- can bring fear to the surface. Of course this affects confidence, which builds as we incorporate more experiences doing our work. We determined that one way to improve credibility toward the field and ourselves by association is to share positive stories about field successes and our personal successes. And references help.

Another source of fear is realizing that the outcomes we facilitate impact real people, who have lives, families and responsibilities -- kind of like us. Our work can impact them economically, emotionally and psychologically. If we are careless, bad things can happen to them. Our best guess as to how bad things may be averted is to remain mindful of the process and employ continuous feedback throughout an intervention. Keeping these concerns in mind, we must always proceed ethically and in accordance with our own values. When we keep communication and feedback opportunities constant, the client is the party making the actual decisions. We provide the tools and techniques of assessment, measurement, interpretation, and intervention.

This brings up another fear. How can we measure soft criteria and outcomes quantitatively ? Though at some point many of us realize that not everything that can be counted counts, and its corollary, not everything that counts can be counted. However, clients need to quantify their results in meaningful ways to demonstrate improvement and success. This enhances our own ability to tell positive stories and simultaneously builds our credibility. We need to help them determine what is meaningful as well as the methods and techniques to measure such things.

It’s scary to imagine what happens when we are not successful. Some ways to improve our likelihood of success include:

Then again, what if we are successful ? Do we sometimes feel fearful of being successful ? Or is it a matter of demonstrating or proving that we have had a positive impact on a client’s organization ? In order to acknowledge success, we must first define success and then manage client expectations throughout the process. This may go back to utilizing meaningful measures of meaningful outcomes. Further, when we are successful, we are working ourselves out of a job. This concept may be counter-intuitive compared to perspectives of internal consultants. On the negative side, there are some consultants who may create long-term relationships with clients by not being successful enough the first time. They create more work for themselves by recommending additional projects. This may work in the short term, but doesn’t invite repeat work.

So what have we learned here. There are some fears over which we have control such as:

Regarding the fears about things we cannot control, we must simply remain open to outcomes and address problems truthfully as they occur. Though unpleasant, clients will usually respect our integrity, our willingness to be up front, and our openness to their suggestions. After all, they may have a deeper awareness into which we may tap by asking the right questions at the right times.

Today’s group brought forward an interesting range of ideas from personal choices around career to values-based lifestyles to marketing our respective services to potential clients. Though the conversation covered about two hours, the flow seemed to follow the theme:

Some of those present described seemingly complex plans and personal pathways developed at a relatively young age, while others mapped out their futures toward closer horizons -- only a few years at a time -- not necessarily feeling confident about what curves would appear over the next hill. Many of us appeared to begin our respective journeys with a backpack full of conventional expectations equating job and career. Upon our entry to the Valley of Adulthood, however, we shared the common quest to dig deeper and uncover the person each of us felt destined to be. In most cases, this included the dismantling of conventional values, expectations and lifestyles.

My perception -- not necessarily that of the group -- is that we tacitly agreed upon a few things:

Essentially.....no. Each of us has a unique passion to pursue. The questions are here. The answers are there. And as we frequently relearn at NPG, the best answers come from within.

These questions are at the core of our Heart & Mind Sessions. We come to share what’s working us inside and out. Of course such influences change every month or so as situations change and new friends join the ongoing NPG conversation. In a sea of changing participants, the one constant is that the NPG provides a warm place to temporarily call home -- if only for a few hours. Here we are free to ask for what we need and connect with those present to help us find it.

This morning we began with the usual introductions and re-introduction’s, which is always delightful and the first point of potential connection among us. Interestingly, several people were expressing concern around dealing with non-profit associates, clients and prospects.

The early conversation involved religious groups and, in particular, their openness to diversity in terms of sexual orientation, i.e., gay and lesbian members of their congregations. The heart of the matter was expressed in the question: Is it contradictory for religious groups and institutions to turn away the fellowship of people even though they share a deep sense of spirituality ?

Is this another case of imbalance between group norms and individual preferences ? Or is there a deeper intention of interpreting religious underpinnings to support a dominant group’s sensibilities in such a way as to avoid engaging in a larger, more open conversation ? That is to suggest that there is no conversation to have because you are just wrong -- it says so right here.

At least one of our attendees this morning has been building relationships in a variety of contexts, which have created opportunities for him to name this issue and place the conversation on the table. Thanks to his efforts people are beginning to come together, learn, listen, and talk.

Later, a general conversation developed around experiences with not-for-profit organizations (NFP’s) as clients. Several people spoke about building trusting relationships with key contacts only to find that shared passion for the work and valuable consulting perspective were often insufficient in developing working relationships, i.e., paid consulting work. Many of us have experienced this as an implicit Scarcity Model employed by many NFP’s -- intentionally or not.

As a group, we wondered if there existed an underlying culture of valuelessness. At the risk of oversimplifying, we wondered if the value chain of services from NFP customers to the NFP to outside consultants had links constructed of doubt and unworthiness. This may possibly relate to a societal perspective that doing well by doing good is inappropriate, or at least contradictory.

It became clear that several of us were interested in doing good and making a living. We talked about various ways of achieving these ends. This list is by no means complete, but examples are:

It was also suggested that we may want to create a space in which to have a deeper conversation with NFP’s and/or seasoned consultants who work effectively with NFP’s. For those readers who see themselves as such, please feel free to contact me so that we may schedule an interest group conversation. There is much work to be done and plenty of people who’d like to help.

As we began with the courage to ask each other for help, so we close by extending the request beyond the semi-permeable boundary of the New Practitioners Group. We look forward to hearing from others in any form. Please feel free to sign up and use our NPG Mailing List..

In the snowy countryside of Gladwyne, our stimulating discussion on courage helped us forget how cold it was outside (and inside). Our hot coffee, tea and bagels didn't hurt either!

Courage is taking risks based on passion and beliefs. It often means working against adversity or it may mean seeing opportunities where others see problems. Some call it blind faith or choosing to be insecure. Others describe it as stepping out on your own regardless of what others say. Could it simply be following the beat of a different drummer ?

"Sailing to the new world while forgetting the edge of the old one," was just one of the metaphors used to describe courage. Here are a few other metaphors and quips that we heard:

"Leap and the net will appear; or, at least, you will be taught how to fly" ..... "Jump off the cliff and courage will follow" ..... "There is no vision without provision (resources)" ..... "If you have vision, resources will follow (but you do need to figure out what to do with them once you get them)" .....

Courage may be viewed as stupidity or naiveté. Not wanting to be perceived as stupid or naïve are certainly valid reasons for not engaging in certain activities, courageous or otherwise. Of course, it's just as easy to find another reason not to do something (Is that being afraid, risk-averse or just having good common sense?). Then again, what does stupidity mean, anyway ?

But, if we momentarily lose our clarity, we must remember the famous cry, "NO.....YOU ARE!"

Courage comes from self-confidence -- having the 'guts' to step out on faith. One can choose it freely and cultivate it; or, one may be forced to develop it. When people are forced to be courageous, they may begin taking steps that are beyond their typical comfort zone. Some people may not realize that they have a choice -- that they can choose courage. One thing we did agree on this morning is that courage comes from inside your being -- sometimes deeeeeep inside.

Faith can be a source of courage. A belief in those things unseen and trusting that things will ultimately work out. Courage often requires relinquishing control over -- or attempts to control -- many situations and life events. Courage may also be driven by one's external surroundings. Sometimes, courage results from pain, discomfort, or frustration -- anything is better than this!

All New Practitioner Group members! We have freely-chosen to embark upon new career endeavors in OD while leaving old careers behind! For reasons unknown, this came to mind first.

One of us pursued his passion to make a difference. He saw fear but he networked, built a support system, had pep talks with close friends, found role models and read books. Some other suggestions: Find out what drives you. Know yourself. Is it enough in life to achieve all your goals? Would you rather try and fail than not to have tried ? And remember, you may have to discard some of your old and outdated belief systems in the process.

Techniques used to foster courage include using language to frame your perceptions and fit your goals. Having a strategy may create courage. A plan gives you clarity, helps get you mobilized, allows you to achieve small victories, and enhances commitment to the process. Don't discuss your plan with everyone. Avoid negative people and those who are discouraging. All of these factors give you courage (or at least pull you along).

A core belief or passion may be the impetus for building courage. At different times in one's life, courage may be more readily accessible within oneself and the ability to tap into it becomes much easier. A supportive family can go a long way in nurturing one's passion. Network with 100 contacts. Do the door knocking. Build relationships. Get into organizations and get to know people. Get referrals, which will make networking easier.

We can gain courage from recalling our prior courageous acts. Failure is not failure! It is all in how you perceive it. Perception is reality for us. Courage comes from changing your perception. In fact, sometimes our actions are not really courageous for us, but they are for other people. Remember the values that are important to you. Honor your beliefs and who you are. A personal mission statement can clarify what you value. Do you have a personal mission statement ?

At the very least, a little money, a few outdated beliefs and some possessions! By not being courageous, you could violate some of those long-cherished internal values. When you embrace courage, you may be required to assess those people and things of value while shedding and releasing that which is no longer suitable for you.

We concluded that you gain more than you lose when you behave courageously. Even a whistle-blower sees his or her courageous act as the right decision for the long-term. Though the short term cost might seem great at the time, we would still do it anyway!

What is it about large group work that inspires people ? What is it about large group work that upsets people ? The same characteristics of such events may evoke these opposite reactions. How does a Facilitator harness all the energy in the room and use it for the good of the client ? Ray Wells, a consultant specializing in whole system change methodologies, guided us through the rugged terrain of the large group environment and provided prerequisite premises, interesting insights and helpful handouts for our mutual exploration of this engaging subject.

Large Group Interventions may be delivered for many reasons, across a variety of contexts, employ one or more methods, and utilize a spectrum of facilitation styles. However, as approaches to Whole Systems Change, they share some fundamental premises:

These premises set the stage -- quite literally in the case of Interactive Theater Methodologies -- for the occurrence of several positive and creative outcomes:

Ray provided a few pages of quotes from well-known individuals representing many walks of life. He then asked us to read through them and react based on the thoughts and feelings that came forward in each of us. I personally found this to be an interesting way to create meaningful conversation -- especially since the quotes were mindfully chosen and very relevant to the topic.

We shared our impressions and experiences of learning to find ourselves through our work. And how this has been enhanced when we have understood exactly how our individual contributions led to a collective achievement. By experiencing individuality in the context of a larger organization, we were able to share not only the group accomplishments, but a sense of wholeness (Go Team !!).

Another aspect of the conversation focused on how recognizing our own gifts, challenges and issues helps us recognize those of others around us. And attending to the situations around others is what contributes to successful facilitation of groups. We must remember that the intervention is about the client group, not ourselves. As facilitators, we must drop our own baggage and travel light, so to speak. This gives us the presence to help others focus on the work they need to do to help themselves. In lieu of another analogy (a little help?), we are teaching them to fish.

Balancing collective goals with individual needs takes as much attention as experience, because each client is unique in some way. Large group work is a way to harness individual energy and bring it to group consciousness. However, several barriers may -- or may not -- become visible:

Ray has written and published extensively on a wide range of topics including: leadership competency models, whole system change methodologies, the role of feedback in enhancing performance, creating learning cultures, developing high performance teams, leadership and its role in creating workplace "community," and leadership retreat design. He can be reached at his office in Abington by telephone at (215) 884-4887 or by e-mail at raywells@juno.com .

Our thanks go out to Ray Wells for investing his time and energy to prepare for -- and facilitate our session. This is just another expression of the way seasoned professionals may share their spicy tidbits with those of us who are in the process of cooking up something new for ourselves.

For some, spirit is a cheerleader supporting the team. Others feel it is the essence to whom they pray. When several people unknowingly share thoughts simultaneously -- sometimes referred to as group consciousness -- they may be moved by spirit. We sometimes cross paths with those who worship the Dollar (would they honor King Ka-Ching ?) ..... maybe that’s spirit for them. It may be the motivation which propels some folks through life always leading with their hearts. Or it may be the passion that encourages a consultant to find the common ground among several different groups. Spirit may be the gravity field around children which pulls unsuspecting adults to their knees to "come and play with me". Whatever else, we agreed that spirit is a force of nature.

NPG always provides a space in which diverse experiences, perspectives and opinions may be shared and heard. Therefore, the number and range of thoughts about spirit was no surprise at all. In order to convey a sense of our conversation, you’ll find ideas very generally sorted under Personal Spirit, Workplace Spirit or Embracing Spirit. Clearly there is overlap, but the intention of these subtitles is to create temporary lenses through which to view spirit as we considered it today.

Personal spirit is fascinating to me. It implies that much like we have tastes, or preferences, in the foods we choose to eat, we have preferences in the ways we choose to interpret and live with spirit. And as adults we may not be coerced into any particular perspective or action just as we can not be forced to eat creamed spinach, liver or pizza ....... well OK, no need to twist my arm on the pizza (which at times I consider to be a spiritual experience, though chocolate may do it for you).

The conundrum is that while we may practice personal spirit in solitude, we need not experience it in isolation. Spirit does appear to involve a thread of connectivity to something greater than ourselves. Some may express this connection as a personal relationship with God. Others may identify the still, small voice inside; a perfectly beautiful, white light; primordial roots to sources of energy such as fire, waterfalls, wind, or mountains; or their own versions of Jiminy Cricket.

Another interesting point is that many who experience spirit, describe a deep understanding of -- and connection to themselves. It does make sense that one must first know one’s own truth in order to be true to themselves. Once such self-truth has been established, spirit may manifest is several ways. This is not an exhaustive list, but feel free to raise your hand if you have experienced:

I A life perspective that feels healthy
I Life-giving/Light-giving understanding
I Integration of mind, body and spirit
I Internally motivated behavior
I An intuitive knowing of what to do
I Clarity in self-perception and self-presentation
I The courage to follow your path with confidence and perseverance in the face of fear, ridicule, rejection and even punishment
I Comfort in honoring your own pace through life without reference to a calendar or externally-imposed schedule, e.g., first million by 40

Ah, workplace spirit. Another clearly understood concept.......not quite. Is workplace spirit something we recognize ? Or is it the lack of spirit in the workplace that is more easily identified ? It is possible that we have all experienced that certain sense that something was definitely missing.

Fear, for example, may effectively displace spirit and opportunities for hope -- other than the hope that the fear would disappear of course. I remember when stress management was a popular phrase used in the workplace. After a while it became clear that it more often characterized a style of management than a set of skills employed to reduce stress and anxiety.

More specifically, how do people respond to a workplace in which they feel a loss of spirit ? At one extreme, some people may feel alienated and withdraw; they may try to detach themselves from the work setting or lose themselves in the work. Others may attempt to fill the void by creating workplace dramas. You know, the stuff of soap operas. Did you hear that those two were seen taking long lunches, shmoozing with consultants, entering a motel, setting up our friend to take a fall, interviewing with the enemy ? Some juicy gossip and unsubstantiated rumors often serve to lash out at the evil at work. Then again, maybe such behavior provides opportunities for people to share and be heard -- especially when they feel unappreciated. Is this a case of misery loves company substituting for connection ? Or is it just the shadow side of shared vision ?

On the other hand, true shared vision, respect, and teamwork helps people build spirit, transcend difficult times and engage in tedious work. This spirit helps sustain their energy by focusing on positive outcomes. Their contributions are acknowledged and appreciated. In no small way, spirit helps them do more than connect with their work and co-workers. When people make the most of their work, they become productive parts of a greater whole. Work and spirit become integrated. Spirit is the glue that bonds people over time and in the face of challenges. And people who share spirit may be more likely to be the ones who remain friends after the work or workplace is gone.

Spirit is not something that can be turned on and off like a light switch. Poet and Consultant, David Whyte, in his book "The Heart Aroused: Poetry and the Preservation of the Soul in Corporate America," speaks to this idea. He suggests that one’s spirit is a natural force that can not be suppressed, regardless of our efforts to do so. One’s spirit may be checked at the door for only so long before a person starts bursting at the seams in the sometimes subconscious attempt to recognize and respond to one’s need for spirit. This may even take the form of acting out against the people and the organization deemed responsible for such a mandated emotional shut down.

Alternatively, we may recognize and embrace this force of nature we call spirit. We may choose to tap into this force. We may make choices reflected in our attitudes, expectations and behaviors that acknowledge our spiritual connectivity. As martial artists might say, we must learn to dance with the energy. It may serve us to embrace it, for it is of nature -- and nobody messes with Mother Nature.

Intuition is certainly an essential part of this dance. As described on a personal level, intuition may be an empathic connection to supernatural energy rather than a connection dependent upon rational or logical evidence. Some find that their awareness of -- and reliance on gut validity serves them well. As in dancing, such energy of spirit may be enjoyed as it flows, when giving or receiving.

In summary, spirit is a force of nature that may be personal and/or shared. It may be tapped any place at any time by anyone. Much like the internet (thanks, Bob), spirit is a vehicle for searching and finding connection, avoiding isolation, reaching a diverse group of people, locating a community of interest, rediscovering some hidden knowledge, and ultimately sharing what it means to be human. Spirit helps us transcend many of the difficulties and tragedies that challenge us every day. And equally vital, spirit may be responsible for helping us acknowledge our joys and successes.

So my friends, after an engaging group conversation at NPG, new questions emerge:

Does joyful celebration help us release our spirit ?
Or does releasing our spirit help us celebrate with joy ?

Please feel free to consider this as you follow your respective paths into the new millennium.

As we open the door to newer and greater possibilities, I wish all of you meaningfulness and joy in your endeavors. In the words of the wise, old clerk: By all means, if you don’t see it, ask for it.

We can now very easily connect and interact outside our monthly meetings. We have access to a new e-mail list service that creates the opportunity for any member of the List Service to e-mail questions, comments, ideas, thoughts, requests, responses, etc. to all of the active members via their own web browsers. Of course, New Practitioners who find it difficult to attend our meetings are encouraged to sign up for this list service as well.

We would also like to open this list service to all PRODN members who may be interested in the conversations and issues facing New Practitioners, Consultants in Transition, etc. This may very well include seasoned consultants, who want to offer support with no commitment (prior to signing up with MentorNet). Others may include experienced pro’s who want to rediscover their beginners’ minds, give back to new folks, or even those seeking some form of temporary help to support their client work. Please remember that NPG is the host group.

It was another beautiful day in the neighborhood when........no, that’s no good........A group of charged up NPG folks arrived with Leadership on their minds........yeah right........The top 10 characteristics of good leaders........nah, too Letterman........what would Seinfeld say?........Oh, I know........What’s Up With Leadership ?

I suppose everyone has their own expectations, experiences, views, and needs around leadership. Some people want a courageous, charismatic individual to motivate them. Others prefer to follow a person who demonstrates the purest of values and intentions -- as long as they are consistent with their own values and intentions. Still others want to co-create a strategy and follow it to success.

It seems best to begin with some common ideas behind the Leadership thinking of today. In "The Guru Guide" (Boyette and Boyette), the authors distill the ideas of the top management thinkers into several sets of principles, where each set corresponds to a specific management topic. In their chapter on Leadership, they present the following principles (paraphrased below):

Our group engaged in much conversation around these principles and shared personal experiences which either confirmed or contradicted them. As might be expected, those present had a diverse set of experiences with leadership from which many interesting examples were drawn. The conversation also raised interesting points such as the desire to distinguish Leadership from Management. In this case, we determined that Leadership is generally about people, whereas Management is generally about stuff, e.g., process, techniques, dollars. We also wondered if followers must be different than leaders by definition. Specifically, we posed the question, Can all members of a group be leaders in terms of their values, priorities, and behavior ? We touched on the concepts of leadership by example; power with people not over them; leadership in the sense of encouraging others to find and utilize their talents.

In an editorial printed in Fast Company Magazine, Annette Simmons remarked that "leadership" is derived from a linear, hierarchical world -- it’s not suited to a non-linear, networked economy. If we perpetuate the illusion that someone somewhere will provide enough "leadership" to fix all of our problems, we’re falling into a "follower mindset" where it becomes very easy (if not necessary) to blame poor leadership for problems or inadequate solutions. Society keeps redefining what "leadership" means. Maybe we need to identify a new word that describes or defines what we want.

Is it time to create a model of leadership appropriate for the new millennium, new economy, new society ? If so, what might it look like ? And if it’s not "leadership," what should we call it ?

Meeting Summary - September 18, 1999 - Dialogue & Planning - Facilitated by David P. Secan

Somewhere between my ears a voice pleaded, "Scotty, we need MORE POWER." The answer, an impassioned, "Sir, I’m doing the best I can." So much for my head chatter as I pondered our powerless condition at the New Practitioners Group after Hurricane Floyd slurped up the rivers and spat them back just a day or two prior to our gathering. The location may not have rekindled its energy, but our participants more than made up for it.

Despite the fact that our group attracts several new colleagues to each session, there seems to be an intuitive knowing that this is a safe place to be, feel, share, connect, and learn. And that’s exactly what we do -- month by month. We may learn of an author or technique, each other or ourselves, potential mentors or clients, or maybe just how to be present with a comfortable group of similar-minded friends and acquaintances. For me, such learning occurs on many levels employing many modalities. I continue to learn process as well as content. I learn what an energized group looks, sounds and feels like. I have even learned that a positive group experience -- if the air circulates just right -- sometimes smells like fresh coffee and bagels (even when the coffee arrives via carry-out service.....thanks, Jim).

After covering the intention and methods of the NPG, each of us briefly responded to the questions: Who are you ? Where are you ? and What would you like from the NPG ? It was much like our highly successful Heart & Mind Sessions, only a bit more general. Once we had a basic understanding of our respective situations, we focused on the third question above. We culled the underlying themes from our comments and conversation. I’ll review our thoughts and themes as they will characterize our sessions going forward.

Continuing participants expressed the importance of the NPG as a touchstone for authenticity and connection in an ongoing community of interest. The co-creation of conversation around a topic developed in the moment also appeared to be an enriching aspect of the group. Certainly our first-time colleagues agreed that this also describes the sense of belonging for which they are looking. This special connection truly represents the intuitive nature of our group in that the experience is a result of present people sharing a unique moment in time, applying energy, finding the personal lessons, and celebrating.

Another area of interest involved Leadership Development through a combination of culture change and helping people bring forward their innate talents. As our friend Kathy might say, helping people find their own buried treasures. Such interests may naturally lead to more specific conversations around the growing discipline of Executive Coaching -- a topic rich with perspectives, applications and conflict. Large Group Intervention was also suggested as a potential topic, particularly the dynamics required to balance and integrate individual concerns with group intentions. Finally, we talked of Spirit. What is personal spirit ? What is spirit in the workplace ? How do the two connect ? What does spirit look like ? What can or should we do about it ? And is spirit a cause or an effect ?

So there you have it. A powerful and enjoyable meeting of minds and hearts forming the community of interest we currently call The New Practitioners Group. I think there is a little bit of Scotty in each of us, ready to provide more power in response to any challenge.