Changing the conversation
Posted by Sharon 19 February 2013
I am exploring the current state of play of performance management “systems” with a great group of people, courtesy of Marie O’Brien and her Collaborative Learning Community.
In the meantime, I really like the Solution focused (or progress focused) approach and am keen to read Paul Z Jackson and Janine Waldman’s new book Positively Speaking. Even if we cannot change the system all at once we can start the shift through changing the conversation from judgment to recognition of potential strengths and support for progress.
Deliberately practicing facilitation and management?
Posted by Sharon 16 January 2013
Thanks to my Solutions Focused colleague, Coert Visser, for a link to Dan Coyle and The Talent Code. On the surface, its another name for deliberate practice (Anders Ericsson’s work) in order to distinguish a new book. But what intrigues me is the question of “How do facilitators and managers create opportunities to practice deeply / deliberately?” Physical skills like piano or sport seem easier because they are solo activities or there are practice sessions and games, but skills like managing or facilitating are mostly done “on the job” and require others.
I co-convene a facilitation community of practice in Sydney and I’m not sure that we practice deeply / deliberatley, we do more of what we already know how to do. I tend to practice new things on my clients if any, which I don’t really like.
I’m interested to know how others practice such skills.
Strengthen that will power muscle
Posted by Sharon 21 December 2012
Discipline, will power and self-regulation are loaded terms at this time of year, when we are torn between letting ourselves go and enjoying ourselves or staying on the straight and narrow. Here are 8 practical and research-based tips from Tim Psychyl for strenghtening your will-power muscles so that you can have the kind of year that is both satisfying and enjoyable.
Best wishes to all for a ‘restive’ festive season.
The gifts of 2012
Posted by Sharon 11 December 2012
Thanks to Christine Carlton for her thought-provoking final session for the Sydney Facilitators Network. I especially liked the reflection activity asking us to think of the gifts that 2012 had brought to us – even the ones that had been tightly wrapped with a knot and thus took a little time to open and appreciate. Great framing.
I have received many gifts this year, including a stronger connection with the facilitators network, which I will enjoy contributing to next year. My growing list of gifts includes: fascinating clients, collaborative peers, challenging work, fun and laughter and time for coffee and a swim down the beach (to name just a few).
A great riff on the gratitude list – I think I will start to keep a gift list for each month.
Best wishes to all for the holiday season.
Getting ourselves and others to change
Posted by Sharon 3 October 2012
This article by Morten T. Hansen from the HBR blog – Ten Ways to get people to change – is a great summary of ten ways to get ourselves and others to change. Enjoy the variety of options, then follow Hansen’s first point and choose just one thing to change now.
The sequencing I’ve found most useful contains six of the ten points: create an emotionally appealing image and story of the future with that new behaviour; find out the danger points – when I’m most likely to succumb to old; create a new pattern – something I will do instead; tell an advocate to whom I don’t want to say I’ve failed; make progress visible – I use a 30 day habit change chart with smiley faces for successful days; and reward myself – find a positive factor or reward for sticking with the new behaviour (in addition to the rewards of the behaviour).
The Slight Edge Scorecard
Posted by Sharon 4 September 2012
For your customisable copy of the Slight Edge scorecard, send an email to sharon at apassion.com.au
You may also like to join The Slight Edge Community here for articles, videos and resources to keep you taking daily small steps.
Gaining a Slight Edge
Posted by Sharon 4 September 2012
I’m really enjoying Jeff Olsen’s book The Slight Edge. It ties together a number of themes I love around taking action, discipline, mastery, developing habits and positivity and the diagram reminds me that there are consequences of taking (small actions consistently leads to great results.
As a result of the book’s message, I’ve created a Slight Edge Scorecard. Look out of a copy of it in the next post.
Redefining Education – “school for life”
Posted by Sharon 3 July 2012
I’ve been catching up on some overdue reading from the Stanford Social Innovation Review Winter 2012 edition. So many great ideas and so little time to play with them all. (Well not exactly true if I’ve got granny’s good genes – she’s 95 and still enjoying Wimbledon).
My first favourite idea from this edition is “school for life” a new education model for developing countries. The model is based on programs in Asia, Latin America and Africa. It proposes that content should focus less on western curricula and academic skills and more on basic life skills such as health, financial literacy and entrepreneurship. In addition, the focus should be on student-centred learning and group skills because group efficacy is as important as self-efficacy.
Makes sense not just for developing countries but maybe in struggling areas in Australia too!
Celebrating Australian Women’s Writers on IWD
Posted by Sharon 8 March 2012
It’s International Women’s Day and what better way to acknowledge inspiring women than to Join the Australian Women Writers 2012 Reading and Reviewing Challenge. Even though I’ve given the competition a two month head start I think I can aim for the Franklin-fantastic level and read at least 10 books this year and review 4.
Of course I am a dabbler so I will be reading across genres from fiction to business and I look forward to exchanging book reviews and finding out about the many women writers with whom I am yet to be acquainted.
[How] are questions better than affirmations?
Posted by Sharon 8 March 2012
Thanks to John Campbell at Growth Coaching International for the link to recent research into the benefits of asking questions before doing a task, versus making affirmations. The research shows that asking “Will I…?” helps generate more internal motivation and success on tasks than stating “I will…”
I am also an advocate of asking “how will you …?” or “how can you…?” when managing others, so it would be interesting to know whether the “how” provides even more benefit.
By the way, the link to the underlying research led me to the Science Daily website – which looks like a great source of updates for a research junkie like me and led to another article, which I will review tomorrow.
Will I test this out on myself this week? Hmmm it would be helpful to see if there was a difference. But will it work if I know what I am doing? I will just have to try it and see.