We liked this piece – on energy and productivity – from HBR recently.
We liked this piece – on energy and productivity – from HBR recently.
Tags: culture, working life
We like the Lencioni model (outlined in this book “The Five dysfunctions of a team”) . One of the things that the framework calls for is honest, regular feedback all ways within a team – from a leader to their reports, between peers, to more senior staff. We have a simple Challenge Choice flow chart to help think about these options (available on request).
Practising giving feedback in a safe space (such as a team workshop with an external coach) can be useful. However, team members can be suspicious of neat solutions. The “start positive, then give the challenge, end positive” layered approach is regularly referred to as the ‘sh*t sandwich’ by client groups!
We like to think of practising feedback at 3 levels:
1) First, and simply, each member of the team lists one thing they appreciate about their colleague and one thing they would like to be different
2) Level two, allows for colleagues to list all that is on their mind, good or bad – a sort of ‘Personal Feedback Profit and Loss Account’
3) Level three, encourages colleagues to position themselves and each other on a 2×2 of aptitude (technical skill) by attitude (behaviours). This is gritty work and needs a well-developed level of trust.
If you want a couple of visuals to bring this to life (the Feedback Framework, The Challenge Choice Chart and the Aptitude x Attitude grid), let us know!
Tags: communication
A few of us were recently looking at some buildings near the South Bank in London. One in particular reminded us of Paris and Haussmann’s amazing vision, translated into reality.
However, many of the poor suffered as their communities were demolished. This raises an interesting philosophical question as to whether that suffering of thousands many years ago was justified by the long-term enjoyment that the city’s architecture has brought to millions decade after decade.
Discuss….
Tags: Philosophical Question
Recently, when staying in a hotel, I went out for an early morning run on a very hot and humid day. On return, the doorman offered me a glass of water and a towel. When I expressed my gratitude and surprise, he said: “we try to find ways to improve what we do all the time.”
Do you have an inclination to seek out improvement? A mindset to try and make things in your sphere of control that bit better?
Tags: Inprovement
Some will know we have a long standing interest in encouraging deeper compassion in health care.
This recent post of an interview with Robin Youngson is interesting and motivating.
Tags: Compassion
There are a number of resources we share on great meetings (from one book, to two articles, to many handbooks).
This recent post is interesting, despite the now routine referencing of one S Jobs, even though we don’t agree with all of it (see some of the comments on the post to get an insight why…respect, EQ etc).
Tags: Great meetings
As you (might) know we are interested in thinking (‘denk’ being think in Dutch). In lots of our work – such as scenario planning, personal transition, team development – we support individuals and groups to think about things like the implication of future trends and assumptions for the organisation, immediate personal reactions to change, performance in team working, etc.
We like this piece on five thinking traps – and solutions. It links to many of the techniques (good questions, six thinking hats, scenario methods, structured thinking, polarity management, etc.) we know people find helpful.
Tags: Thinking Solutions
In some parts of the world everyone talks about GFC.
Do you know the abbreviation?
You may not, but you certainly know it by another name.
Tags: economics
At our events we are often asked to recommend a dress code. Sometimes we go for “dress as you feel comfortable”. We do this to try (not always successfully) to avoid the confusion of other codes.
Do you know the difference between all of these (that we have seen over the last few weeks): casual, business casual, smart casual, elegant casual –let alone business and formal?
One of us was caught out recently with business casual – not realising it meant for that group, a sharp suit and good shirt (minus the tie).
Tags: communication, trends
Some things have a long reign. For example, QE2.
Others a short one (eg after the fuss on the Netscape float in 1995 things changed rather fast for them…maybe a metaphor for what Facebook faces for its future as a public listed company now).
40 years ago Monty Python parodied Australian wine, playing to long standing prejudices.
But the tables (table wine!) turned pretty quickly after that silly smugness. Top Oz wine have been highly rated for many decades now.
A lesson for us all when making firm judgements – eg about implications of the current wave of anxiety on the Euro wobbles and Austerity (along side the rise of China). Marx said “History repeats itself, first time as tragedy and second time as farce”. A hundred years later the poet Steve Turner said: “History repeats itself – has to, no one is listening”. But maybe the future may not be what we predict from our current mindset and far more than a repeat of the past.
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