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We use our
model to highlight the subjects broached in Discovering Leadership.
We also use it to
navigate to additional learning services that provide condensed and/or expanded
versions of the subjects. The
Discovering Leadership learning experience includes a
carefully chosen mixture of services focused on 'practice'
with an absolute minimum of 'presentation.'
We also offer representative testimonials from
satisfied participants.
You can download a
printer-friendly document (.pdf 96k) containing a recap of much of
the information which follows.
Navigating the Discovering Leadership Model
When you move your cursor / pointer over the model below, you will have the
opportunity to click on various hot spots. Each of the captions
below flag such hot spots. Clicking on any one of them will take you
to a description of that topic. Note that for each topic, we offer a
variety of approaches. We outline those approaches
at the bottom of this page.
 TM
We understand a Belief
as (1) an idea or concept which is held by an individual and (2) has been very
highly internalized regardless of its source.
What you believe about something has tremendous
influence on your actions. If you
ever found yourself thinking …
"I
should have known; they’re all alike." "They couldn't do it before
and they can't do it now." "We don't have the resources to
do that here."
then you will find these
services valuable:
We understand Values
as the fundamental criteria used in decision-making, whether by individuals or
organizations.
In order to lead, one
must first know oneself.
Understanding what is really important to you is the bedrock of the leader you
will become. What you value must
align with what your organization values.
If you sometimes wonder ...
"Is
this the same organization I first joined?" "I just don't think I
can put my heart into this anymore."
then you will find these
services valuable:
We understand Dialog
as a rare alternative means of communication within groups and the essential
source of collective learning.
Dialog, the creation of new, shared knowledge, and collective learning can
offer significant competitive edge. If you hear yourself or others saying
...
"I
think I'm talking but no one seems to be listening." "This endless
discussion just keeps covering old ground." "There has to be some way to
bring all these good ideas together."
then you will find these
services valuable:
We understand Trust
as a mysterious intangible which serves simultaneously as the lubricant
facilitating interpersonal relationships and the glue that holds organizations
together.
Trust is ultimately about the relationship between two people. If you
sometimes hear ...
"I
don't think I trust her." "I know that he has a hidden agenda that
will benefit only him."
then you will find these
services valuable:
We understand Influence
as a critical element of both the formal and informal networks by which
organizations get things done.
Influence can be seen as cold and selfish when engaged in as manipulation.
But building strong teams capitalizing on scarce resources depends on our
ability to influence others. If you catch yourself saying ...
"I
really need to get him onto our team. His opinion really matters."
"How can we get the other stakeholders to see our point in all this?"
then you will find these
services valuable:
We understand Transition
as the sometimes difficult consequence of change, the human response to
instability and evolution.
As transition relates to the work of the leader, he or she now finds that
much of today’s work quite different from the work not too many years ago; and
the workforce is different too.
These differences require a transition to a new form of governance.
If you hear a comment such as …
"All I wanted to do is show them what
I can do to help, but no one seems to care!" "I just want someone
to tell me what to do." "I have skills that just don't fit what
I'm asked to do."
Transition and
Governance
Organizational Effectiveness
We understand Complexity
as a property of our perception of many contemporary problems or issues,
something we can address through a richer understanding but not entirely
overcome.
Complexity results from the dynamic interaction of multiple variables.
Sometimes we sow the seeds of long-term failure with our short-term successes.
If you hear people saying ...
"Why does the same *&^%$ thing keep happening every
year?" "You know that we just changed that a few months ago to
solve some other problem and here we are again!'
then you will find these
services valuable:
We understand Uncertainty
as an inevitable element when we discuss, plan for, and create our future.
The only constant in today's environment seems to be an increasing rate of
change. If you find yourself or others in your organization making
comments such as ...
"My organization is faced with
paralyzing chaos right now.
With so much uncertainty, we don't know how to proceed."
then you will find these services valuable:
We understand Personal Intentions
as the ultimate source for any contribution an individual brings to an
organization.
The Personal Intentions serve as the groundspring for passion and commitment.
If you hear
comments such as …
"I just
go along with whatever they say!" "I really want to make
difference and show just what I can deliver given the chance."
then you will find these services
valuable:
We understand Organizational
Expectations as the commitment that an organization
makes to those stakeholders it serves.
Often this commitment is unclear to those asked to fulfill it.
If find yourself or others in your organization making comments such as …
"I
can’t believe what management is doing now.
It looks like we have a new program every month." "I'm just
not sure what everybody expects of us as a group."
then you will find these services
valuable:
We understand Culture
as the overall container within which all of these various concepts come
together.
Despite all the comments about
the benefits of this or that organization's culture, culture remains a confused,
nebulous concept rarely addressed.
If you hear comments such as …
"Yeah,
that’s what they say, but that’s not the way really works around here!"
then you will find this service
valuable:
Services -- Listed Alphabetically
We include values and beliefs together because they intertwine so
confusingly. Do my values
determine what I believe, or do my beliefs determine what I value?
These serve as the cornerstone of any effective leader and any effective
organization.
Approaches
offered:
|
Presentation |
A 45
minute overview of the criticality of values and beliefs in the
leadership role. |
|
Training |
A half-day session using various instruments to determine values
and beliefs held by the participants and examine the impact on their
actions. |
The culture he or she creates serves as the leader’s legacy, the
most enduring remnant of a leader’s work.
The culture holds the organization’s deep, hard-to-discover, and even
harder-to-change beliefs.
Approaches
offered:
|
Presentation |
A 45 minute overview of culture using Edgar Schein’s model. |
|
Training |
A half-day session designed to expose harmful underlying
assumptions that exist within an organization’s culture and to
develop an action plan to ensure the integrity of the culture. |
|
Consulting |
As needed to support the client’s desire to resolve cultural
concerns. Recommended as
a follow-up to training session. |
In a world changing as rapidly as ours, certain about anything
becomes problematic. Nonetheless
a leader must embrace the uncertainties of this dynamic environment.
These learning experiences explore challenging questions such as:
Where does ‘uncertainty’ come from?
Is it the same thing as ‘chaos’?
What can I do about it?
Approaches offered:
|
Presentation |
A 45 to 90 minute overview of the chaos /
uncertainty. |
|
Training |
A half-day exploration of the chaos /
uncertainty with examples and recommendations on how to cope with
the realities. |
Among the best communication tools available today you will find the
Core Communications™ materials from Miller and Miller.
They address Speaking Styles, and framing whole conversations dealing
with tough issues through the Awareness Wheel and Listening Cycle.
An effective leader’s toolbox must these essential communication
tools.
Approaches offered:
|
Presentation |
A 45
minute overview of the
Core Communication materials. |
|
Workshop |
One- or two-day work shops tailored to meet client needs using the Miller
and Miller materials. |
Work environments today may not feature dialogue as a common
practice, yet you will find it in highly successful organizations.
It’s not easy create and requires considerable discipline.
When real dialogue occurs, however, real change can happen.
Approaches offered:
|
Presentation |
A 45
minute overview of the principals and practice of dialog. |
|
Training |
A half-day session that includes the presentation with exercises that
demonstrate the critical importance of dialogue to the health of any
organization. |
In a world that seems so enthralled with leadership, leadership,
leadership, it might seem strange to suggest that we spend most of our time
really following. Everyone
answers to someone. How do you
choose to follow?
Approaches
offered:
|
Presentation |
A 45 minute overview of the concept of followership. |
|
Training |
A 3-hour session in which the participants use an instrument to
determine their own follower style. |
Understanding your own operating style (your natural way of
behaving) and the styles of others can greatly enhance the communication
within an organization.
Operating Styles differ from preferences (for example, Myers-Briggs).
Operating Styles concentrate on the observable behaviors of an
individual. The most effective
leaders recognize and honor other people’s styles.
Approaches offered:
|
Training |
A half-day session that using an instrument to determine the
participant’s Operating Style followed by practice on how to work
more effectively with those with different styles. |
Effectiveness focuses on getting all the members of the organization
onto the same page, pointing in the same direction, serving with the same
sense of priorities.
In many organizations if we were to ask these questions of random workers:
·
What is the marketplace we are trying to serve
with our products / services?
·
What is our strategy?
·
What form of organization will help us deliver
on our commitments?
·
How do we get the right people in the right
place in order to perform for our customers / clients?
we would
probably find different answers, or no answer at all, throughout the
organization.
Lack of agreement on these issues can lead to a tremendous loss of
productivity. The positional
leader shoulders the responsibility to ensure the organization attains maximum
effectiveness.
We use a proprietary survey designed to draw out people's sense of
agreement with critical statements. We provide mechanisms to analyze the
results in several ways, offering a graphical representation of the results
complemented with the opportunity to engage in focused conversation about
potential interventions taken in response to the results. Click
here for an example of the graphs
and supporting analysis
Approaches
offered:
|
Presentation |
A 45
minute overview of the Organizational Effectiveness Model, The
Commonwealth Practice's exploration of key dimensions affecting
performance. |
|
Training |
A half-day exploration of the
Organizational Effectiveness Model with challenging questions for leaders to consider. |
|
Workshop |
A
1-day or 2-day session designed to quickly discover an
organization's effectiveness gaps (through administration of a
survey), determine its readiness to change, and to develop a
preliminary action plan. |
|
Consulting |
As needed consulting to ensure that changes taken in the name of
effectiveness are working.
(Usually these services are a follow-up to the workshop). |
Do you really know which people have the greatest importance to your
career? Success requires support
on multiple dimensions. We all
have coaches, mentors, supervisors, etc.
The Performer Support Model helps identify the roles of these people
and the critical part they play in your success
Approaches
offered:
|
Presentation |
A 60 minute overview of the Performer Support Model. |
Getting things done in organizations depends on the ability to
influence other people. At the same time, different people have
difference kinds of power. Effective leadership requires an ability to
create and manage a variety of partnerships
Approaches
offered:
|
Presentation |
A 60 minute overview of the interconnection between power and
influence in organizations. |
|
Training |
A half-day exploration of kinds of power and practical exercise at
creating partnerships to further the aims of the organization. |
Anticipating and preparing for future realities poses a significant
challenge for all leaders. All
too often this preparation rests on a mere guess or hunch.
Scenario Planning provides a process for learning about and preparing
for plausible futures.
Future-prepared leaders must have a solid base in this skill.
Approaches offered:
|
Presentation |
A 60 to 90 minute overview of the
Scenario Planning process. |
|
Training |
A half-day session designed to transfer
the skills necessary to scenario plan. |
|
Consulting |
A multiple-day session tailored to meet
specific client scenario planning objective |
If you encounter chronic, complex, and critical problems in striving
to ensure the success of your organization, you will find it difficult to
solve them in traditional ways.
Viewing them from a systemic perspective offers a much richer
understanding. The discipline of
Systems Thinking allows such a view.
Understanding how ‘the system’ works has become an essential
leadership skill.
Approaches offered:
|
Presentation |
A 45 to 90 minute overview of the discipline of system thinking. |
|
Training |
A half-day exploration of Systems Thinking with limited practice
and review of a few common archetypes. |
|
Workshop |
A 2 ½
-day workshop designed transfer the skill of systems thinking to
future facilitators. |
|
Consulting |
As needed to support client’s need to understand and resolve a
chronic, complex, and critical problem within the organization. |
Governance refers to the way a leader orchestrates the work and the
workers. Does the leader promote
and environment of openness and contribution or one in which the control
over all activity comes down from the hierarchy?
No particular form of governance fits every situation.
Leaders need to focus on the
appropriateness of the current mode of governance.
Approaches offered:
|
Presentation |
A 45
minute overview of the Governance Model. |
|
Training |
A half-day session that explores the Governance Model in more depth
and includes an assessment of the core competencies necessary for
different forms of governance. |
|
Consulting |
As needed to support the client’s transition to an appropriate form
of governance. |
Workforce management includes several critical activities which
successful organizations attend to consciously. These cover the span
from recruitment and selection, through development planning, all the way to
issues of retention.
Approaches
offered:
|
Presentation |
A 60
minute overview of the theory of workforce management and its role
in organization effectiveness. |
|
Training |
A half-day session that explores the various components in more
depth outlining processes that can be customized to fit each
organization. |
|
Consulting |
As needed to support the client’s adoption of a deliberate and
planful approach to workforce management. |
Presentation: 45 to 90
minutes
An introduction of key ideas or
concepts. Where reasonable other
resources were identified for further exploration.
Training Session: 3 to 4 hours
Begins with the presentation and
additionally offer tools chosen for applicability to the topic at hand.
Tools are used in small example situations.
Workshop: 1 to 3 days
Training is conducted using the
examples to gain comfort with the concepts and tools.
Work in depth on a larger or more complex situation is offered for
situations typically brought to the workshop by the participants.
Consulting: Dependent on need
We begin with a conversation to
familiarize us and the client with the situation and the nature of the issues.
After that, we will identify the outcome that the client seeks to create
and establish expectations for the consulting project.
Those expectations might include:
elapsed time / hard delivery date, measurable results, monetary
constraints, etc.
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