Workshops in search of a date, time, and place

September 19, 2010

These are all workshops that I’ve taught at different places, and want to offer again — probably in new ways.  I’m talking with several  conference centers, but also invite you to consider these for your school, your church, or your community group.

About Listening

Listening is the core activity in almost all of our social and work lives — and yet how little time and effort we spend perfecting this skill!  And too often when we should be listening, we’re really preparing to talk, plotting our course, processing our emotions, or even tuning out completely.  In this workshop we’ll practice active listening, offering feedback to test our understanding, and formulating questions that clarify what was already said.  We’ll identify common behaviors that get in the way of listening, and best practices that can help us all.

Photography as Journal Keeping

Photography can be just snapshots, or deeper expressions of feelings, perceptions, ideas, memories. We’ll experiment with deeper ways to see, experience, and feel — using a camera.  This is NOT a technical class on photography, and in fact you don’t even need to bring a camera with you.  Just bring an open mind, open eyes, and (if you have one) an image that means a lot to you.

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On crafting a vision statement

September 10, 2010

So often I find myself writing to a client, or to group that I’m working with, and find that I’ve really written a short essay that deserves broader readership. That happened this morning, when a coaching client, director of a non-profit social service organization, wrote to me:

I really want to work on “the vision thing”.  But if I can’t articulate a vision for [our organization], I don’t know how I can get the staff or the Board to buy in.

I told him that this conclusion certainly didn’t follow for me, and then offered the following explanation:

Even if you don’t have a comprehensive and clear vision, you might understand the need for one, and might have in mind the outlines of a process that can move towards a vision.  In fact, if you had a very precise vision, that could become a problem itself, as you might be coming into the process without enough openness to what arises in the organization.

How is a “vision” formed?  I believe that it typically reflects several things (which I’m not listing in any particular order):

  • The character of your organization.  If you’re spiritually based, that faith might be central.  Whatever values and beliefs characterize the organization will figure strongly into the vision.
  • The needs of your community.  Your focus is on service, and a sense of the needs around you will help guide your vision of what needs to be done.
  • The capabilities of your organization, and of your staff.  Your organization is not a job training school, not a hospital or clinic, but a cluster of very specific constructive programs.  Those are clearly the starting point, and the ultimate vision will probably have something in common with them.
  • An understanding of social and economic change.  Energy and health care are dominant issues today, but were not so visible even a decade ago.  Connectivity via the internet, electronic privacy, and other new concerns are coming to the forefront.  An assessment of how they might impact your target populations will guide your visioning process.
  • Your current organizational governance community.  A vision that will guide you needs to be something that most, if not all, of your Board members and staff can in some way embrace.  That may require some education and work, but a vision that is too far from what these people can embrace will not be a vision that can actively guide your organization.

What’s the process?  I’d suggest that it begin by reviewing and updating this list, then taking account of which factors in each item are most significant.  There may, for example, be many changes in society that don’t and perhaps won’t impact your role in the community, and your program.  Then, you’ll need a process to review these, and put together a draft list of key points … which might get refined into a more polished statement.

Your role is not to articulate the conclusion, but to motivate people to join in the process, to identify resources that can help you and you organization, to keep the process moving, and to connect the various groups that may be working independently (or at cross purposes).

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Six skills we all need, or are there more?

April 26, 2010

I’ve identified six critical skills, that serve me well in my coaching and consulting.  In fact, I think these may be all the skills that I need.

But check me on this.  Comment on this blog with what you think might be missing or wrong.

1. Listening (and looking, and listening)

Listening is an active process.  It’s not summarily waiting until the other speaker is done, so that you can respond!  At best, it includes offering some feedback, that allows you to test whether you’ve understood.  And the other modes — looking and listening — are just as active.  As a photographer, I have to constantly ask myself, “What’s visually interesting her”, and, “What am I seeking?”

2. Asking great questions

Lots of questions come from a wrong place — trying to show off, or make the speaker wrong, or some such.  Great questions illuminate, open up a deeper dialog, expose important issues.  They may also show some bias or committment, but they are not argumentative debating points.

3. Giving and receiving feedback

The most helpful feedback is offered with understanding and compassion.  It may be as simple as, “I see you doing this, and wonder why you feel you need to?”.  Feedback to you is best received as helpful advice — not as criticism.  It’s coaching, editing, insight that can refine, sharpen, augment.

4. Design thinking

A good design is an economical, functional, beautiful solution to a well-understood problem.  It may be an elegant bridge that supports many cars, or a simple tool to cleanly cut pieces of pie.  A design may be a process, an interaction, or may be embodied in an object.  Design thinking is focused on creating such full solutions, rather than makeshift steps that appear to solve an immediate problem.

5. Feeling and showing empathy and respect

Conflict can be constructive, if we see those who differ from us as helpful messengers of new points of view.  Even if those points of view seem to us completely wrong, perhaps even counter to our core values, an empathetic and respectful relationship leads us to seek understanding, welcome deep sharing.

6. Integrity, including being able to say “I don’t know”

Truth telling is becoming increasingly rare these days, but it still matters.  And one of the most important truths — especially in business situations, is that we don’t know the answer.  Why not just say so?

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States of Creativity

January 28, 2010

I can be in several different  states of creativity:

  • Creating: Feeling that something exciting is coming out through me, and though related to my intention, my vision, and my skill, is larger than me.
  • Editing: Doing good — though perhaps not exciting –  work, that ties together or refines what I’ve created.  I’m using my skills, vision, perhaps even my imagination to see more.
  • Marking time: Balancing my checkbook, and doing all those other things that are neither exciting and creativity  nor so mindless as to be great for meditation.
  • Using my other senses and muscles: Walking or shoveling snow, or doing exercises at the gym . . . doing out of mind things that are nourishing in other ways.

My challenge is to get enough of all of these (along with social life, worship, prayer, etc), keeping them all in balance.  The words or definitions don’t really matter; balance does matter.

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Exceptional Leaders

January 28, 2010

What are the behaviors of exceptional leaders?
What do exceptional leaders do?
What do exceptional leaders say?

Exceptional leaders . . .

  • Have lots of integrity.  They can be trusted to hear difficult points of view, to speak the truth, to take responsiblity for their actions and words.
  • Ask probing questions.  They want to really know what is happening, and why, and seek out people who can provide solid answers to their questions.  They are not afraid to admit their ignorance.
  • Speak and write clearly.  They know that their words will have a strong impact, and they insure that these words have the right impact.
  • Trust the people they are leading — most of the time.  They have a sense of when that trust might not be fully deserved, and work to instill values of trust, integrity, and cooperation.
  • Can stay focused on the big picture most of the time, and are not overwhelmed with the details required to carry out policies.  They can delegate tasks effectively and completely.
  • Have clear goals — for themselves, and for their organization.  And they can articulate these goals as a clear vision that can guide the work of everybody in the organization.
  • Have a passion and energy that inspires all those around them.
  • Regularly affirm the contributions of others in the organization.  While they will take credit for bringing in the right people, and motivating them effectively, they recognize that any final product or result is a team effort
  • Have strong interests and involvement in a various endeavors.  They are nurtured by their involvements in the arts, and by their work with community, religious, and civic groups.
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What makes a great question?

January 8, 2010

This post is in draft form, and I’ll welcome your comments as I complete it.  I felt it was best to post it here, so that you comments can be  based on this very specific — if incomplete — draft document.

Whenever I attend a lecture or meeting, I’m usually one of the first to ask questions.  When the meeting is over people often  come up  with thanks  for my “great questions”.  I’m typically surprised that they haven’t asked similar questions of their own, but I’ve also come to understand that my questions do have certain characteristics that make them helpful and appreciated.  Thats good, because I’m a curious person and want to ask more questions, and still more.

Much of my work is also about asking questions.  My coaching practice (I prefer to call it “clarifying”) involves asking powerful questions.  Responding to these helps my clients find insight and clarity.  In helping to make technology more “user friendly”, I’m always asking — or wanting to see — how users try to use a computer system (or other technology), and notice when they get helpful clues and when they get stuck or pointed in an unhelpful direction.  In my general business consulting, I’m asking questions about how an organization or product adds value, about how it is perceived, and about where theory and practice of what’s going on might diverge.  Finally,  in my dance photography, I’m asking visual questions, to see what’s interesting, perhaps visually compelling, and can tell the story of the dance and of my response to it in a visually interesting way.

What makes a “Great Question”?  It’s hard to define, and I’m tempted to compare this task with that of defining pornography.  Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart stayed away from that one, but said simply, “I know it when I see it.”  However, I think I can do better than that in defining what makes a great question.

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Dealing with fear

January 8, 2010

I was inspired to write this when I received a query from Eileen Flanagan about how we cope with fear.  Do look at  her blog,  which is about “Spreading Serenity, Courage, and Wisdom”.

How do I deal with fear?

First, I own it.  As an articulate, well educated, and generally successful person, I might tell myself that I shouldn’t be afraid.  No matter.  The truth is that I am.  I feel fear when a nurse wants to draw a bit of my blood for testing, when I’m about to go down an intermediate ski trail, when I’m about to photograph a new dance piece that I’ve not yet seen.  I’m feeling fear right now, writing an article about a topic I’ve never addressed in print.

Then I ask myself, fear of what? For the examples it might be fear of the momentary pain as a needle is inserted, fear of being out of control on the ski slope, fear of having to create a great image.

Next, I refine that question, to, “If my worst fear came true, what would happen?“ I might feal pain, or hurt myself on the ski slope, or not be able to write an interesting and informative article.

Some fear help protect us from real dangers.  So, I’ll proceed to ask whether this fear is playing such a role.  “Is this fear protecting me from real danger?” Clearly, having a shot of pain, or a dull and uninteresting article, is not dangerous while going down a trail for which I’m not prepared may be.

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Posted by Arthur Fink
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Can creativity be taught?

December 12, 2009

I don’t believe that creativity itself can be taught, but there are many other things that can:

  • Getting un-stuck (to release that creativity within).
  • Finding inspiration and vision
  • Technique (useful when creativity strikes)
  • Rhythm and persistence (we need to keep working, even in “dry” periods)
  • Balance and ease (so that we can receive critique, and change)
  • Social aggregation (satisfying our need to be with people, seeking honesty from them)
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Coaching journal: Walking backwards into change

December 10, 2009

One of my coaching clients wants to be more active facilitating change in her organization, but is frustrated by the apparent lack of interest, or perhaps it’s hidden resistance, on the part of the managers who work under her.  Efforts to brainstorm needed change, or in other ways to create an agenda for the future, have not been successful. She was evidently worn down, perhaps really depressed, by this difficult and unrewarding process.

What might make a difference?

She had one very helpful insight: Part of what’s wearing her down is the negative attitude of so many around her, and she’d be better off spending more time with those staff people who are most agile, resourceful, and interested in real change.  Such attitudes and temperaments are indeed contagious, and I’ll be anxious to see what comes of this conscious effort to pick up the most constructive staff energy.

I also had an insight that might be fruitful. Listing possible changes brings up all sorts of resistance.  Why not spend more time  as a management group listing things about the organization that should be preserved — things that are really good or right?  This might give more staff permission to join the discussion in a non-threatening way.  We expect that the process of enumerating aspects to be preserved will actually highlight some things that need to be changed, but that would be the discovery and not the stated goal.

I tread very carefully in making any suggestions.  My role is not supposed to be that of a consultant, offering solutions, detailed strategies, or lots of content expertise.  Indeed, I’ve only a vague sense of this organization’s mission and program.  I’m there to help the director find insight and clarity herself, occasionally offering hints or suggestions, but primarily listening to her reflections and observations and helping her hear her own insights in the most constructive way.

That’s what coaching (which I call “clarifying”) is about.  Remember, you can have a free half hour session, in person or on the phone, to help you decide if this could add value to your life, or your organization.

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From material scarcity to social abundance

November 28, 2009

Sometimes clarity converges!  I was thinking my next blog post, playing with thoughts about abundance, scarcity, and sharing, when I received a Facebook message from my new friend Arne Van Oosterom asking whether making oneself obsolete could be a useful business model. That was the connection I needed to bring together personal sensibility and business productivity.

Many consultants set themselves up as the expert — the priest of a certain domain of knowledge and understanding.  They encourage dependency, and at first reward that with reliable grounded recommendations to their clients.  But the resulting dependency is not healthy.

The healthy alternative is to be as transparent as possible, share not just the result but the process as well, make known the sources and references that you use — in short to act as if the client is about to be on his or her own, with the consultant/guide becoming  obsolete.  Of course the most common result of this approach is that one becomes more valued.

The distribution of material goods may follow a “zero sum game rule”.  More for me  means less for you.   But give away information or understanding, and you have more.  That’s sound thinking (and good morality) in any modality, and it’s particularly relevant in a social networking environment.

[I could now continue this post in several directions, but, instead, will get ready to go visit some friends for a second thanksgiving.  In the spirit of what I've written, though, I encourage all of you to continue it via your comments on this site.  There's an exciting community of thoughtful people reading this blog, but most of you say so little.  Here's an invitation!]

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About creativity

November 24, 2009

Creativity requires the courage to be free!  You don’t look for a creative idea, a great photo, a wonderful tune.  You look, look inward, and see what you find.  What you find may be your own creation.

This must become a discipline, a practice.  It will never be perfect.  But, once in a while, a great creative piece may emerge.

 

Posted by Arthur Fink
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Coaching (or clarifying) is about strength and success

November 24, 2009

People generally don’t come to me for “coaching” (I prefer to call it clarifying) because their lives are working well, because their creativity is flowing, or because their organizations are functioning at maximum potential.  They come  because of perceived gaps, deficits, problems, and challenges.

Typically we’ll start work with the client filling out “Wheel of Life” forms, such as the one shown at the left.  This one focused on personal issues such as health and family’ others are more about business or work, creativity and production, organizational health.

My clients probably assume that I’ll zoom right into those quadrants with the lowest score or ranking.  If “health” or “personal growth” is the area of least success, isn’t that the place to start?

“No!”, I insist.  Instead we start with the best ranking areas, reviewing what efforts, what paradigms, what personal initiatives led to that success.  By experiencing, and reviewing, how we succeed in some areas, we can best plan our success in others.

This chart focuses more on management skills and tasks, such as planning, team building, maintaining accountability.  Most managers experience challenges with some of these areas, while enjoying success with others.

Coaching (or clarifying) is not a substitute for skills training, but it can be critical in bringing out those skills when needed.  Sometimes what’s needed is not a whole new skill set,  but just a metaphor, a paradigm, or an idea.

One client of mine was challenged bringing out the aliveness in one of the managers who reports to her.  My asking, “How did I just get that strong response from you?” was all the hint she needed.  We each model behaviors for those around us.  The  questions I was asking her were part of our coaching — they were also tools she could use with her staff.

This model is not complex, and is can be completely transparent.  Most coaches have no secret agenda, or magic method.  By asking cogent questions, offering honest support, and allowing our clients space to think, to respond, to take charge, and to grow, we get to see incredible results.

Posted by Arthur Fink
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Worth points, or how we add value to our clients

November 23, 2009

Many years ago General Electric acquired the small firm that I worked for, and my job changed from being a a senior figure in this firm to a mid-level manager within one of GE’s companies.  This was not my dream job, and when GE had a “reduction in force” I was delighted to be able to leave it with a very desirable packet of benefits.  The one I thought I didn’t need was the job counseling — but it turned out to be one of the most valuable benefits I received.

“Don’t just write a resume of positions you’ve held”, the counselor told us.  “Think of all the times you’ve added value to your company, or to a client, and write each of these up as a ‘worth point”.  Your resume should be a set of these worth points, and you can save others for use in particular job interviews.”  The format of a “worth point” was very specific:

  1. In my job, I noticed a need / opportunity.
  2. Responding to that, I took initiative — with very specific action
  3. My company / organization experience some direct benefit from my effort.

For example:

  1. We wrote custom specifications for each of our clients.  I noticed that many elements of each spec were common.
  2. So, I designed a generic specification form, that would make it much easier to re-use specifications pages from one document in another (that was for a different client).
  3. As a result, the time to prepare each spec was reduced by xx%, typically a saving of $yyy.

I ended up working for myself as a consultant, and never again seeking a full time job, but this advice in building my resume was still very helpful.  I learned to think of what I was doing as adding value, rather than just performing tasks.  And when telling prospects about how I can help them, my story is not about thingss I can do, but about how my work will add value.

Indeed, clients hire me to add value to their organization, and not just to provide a product, perform a service, train somebody in a skill.

When asked to help clients in marketing strategy, this idea informs the question that I always ask them:  How will you add value to your clients?

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You can still worry later, even if you are not worrying now

November 7, 2009

Do I need to say anything more?  Isn’t this aphorism enough?  I thought so.

But I posted this aphorism on Facebook a while ago, and received the following query:

I’m Jewish, so of course I am now sitting here worrying about what if I won’t be able to worry later? Will I have to do all my worrying now just in case? I’m worried!
Can any of you help him out?

 

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The worst advice I ever received (about “mistakes”)

November 7, 2009

I was in junior high school, and it was time for our first “dance”. I put dance in quotes, because it wasn’t about dancing at all, but about sitting on the far side of the room, not getting to courage to ask a girl (young woman) to dance. Any real dancing happened in the mandatory dance class that our gym teacher taught. And that’s where I heard it:

If you take little steps, you’ll make little mistakes.

Yes, it’s true, the tiny step might not take me too far in the wrong direction.  And small steps in dancing might be more graceful.

But as advice for life . . . totally wrong! Look around, think ahead, plot your course, and take a real step.  Don’t be afraid of mistakes.

Mistakes?  The original  core values and beliefs ftext from Earthlink.com (an Internet Service Provider) included the statement that they encourage employees to make mistakes.  They’ve left out that part, but still include the following helpful clarification:

We see a huge difference between “good mistakes” (best effort, bad result) and “bad mistakes” (sloppiness or lack of effort).

With this distinction, it should be clear that the best response to not knowing how to dance isn’t taking small steps — it’s learning more about dancing, making a real effort.  The steps taken should be deliberate — not tentative — steps.

A dose of realism: It may be fine to take measured steps.  Introduce a new product, a new dish on the menu, a new service — but don’t bet the company, the restaurant, the consulting firm on this innovation.  Measure the resources you’re spending, and be aware that it might not work as planned.  Be prepared to lose sometimes, win often.  But don’t hide from your mistakes — embrace them!

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