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July 2015

                                   

From the President: 

PNODN programing goes on hiatus for the summer.  Our Sept 21 programming meeting will be presented by Bob Crosby and his son.

 

Come September I will be in my second month of a new position as Project Week Director at The Overlake School .  My role is to oversee Project Week programs, coach faculty, while co-developing a new Experiential Education Department.  It will be a great challenge.  Shepherding PNODN has served to ready me for this position. I am grateful.

 

The Overlake position also allows me to continue my organizational development consulting practice.  One of my biggest learnings as president was a great compassion especially, compassion for leaders of organizations.   When I signed up I thought I would be serving the organization.  I was not expecting the role of president to serve me as well.  I am grateful. 

 

We are planning a BBQ for summer for new volunteers and board members.  If you wish to volunteer your gifts of service contact us at info@pnodn.org.  I promise your gifts will be returned with interest, as long as you are open for emergence.  For those who have served this organization in the past, present, and future, I am grateful. 

 

 

Best,


Joey Pauley
President PNODN

   

                               

NEWS

 

Member Update

PNODN would like to warmly welcome the following new members:

 

Linda E.

Azure K.

 

 We thank them for their support of PNODN and invite you to join us as well. 

 

 

 

 

Nurturing the best of both OD Network’s and IODA’s traditions, the  2015 ODN | IODA Annual Conference & 2nd OD World Summit  will connect communities to act and flourish together.

 

By bringing the world of OD together in Portland, we look forward to a truly international experience that will inspire all of us, create new opportunities, strengthen our Network of networks and help you to build strong bonds across all continents. This is why our theme is...

OUR FIELD ∙ OUR WORLD ∙ OUR IMPACT

To read more. . .

 

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Review of the June 15, 2015 PNODN Meeting

We were privileged to have Aaron Hurst as our guest speaker this month.  Aaron is a globally recognized entrepreneur who works to create communities that are empowered to realize their potential.  He is the CEO of Imperative, a technology platform that enables people to discover, connect and act on what gives them purpose in their work.

Aaron is author of The Purpose Economy (2014).   He began by saying that in his research he found that employees today find Pro bono work much more rewarding than a job with a paycheck. 

He began to look into the myths of what people think about purpose.  He discovered that purpose does not equal a cause, a revelation, or a luxury.  If purpose is not the myths we are familiar with, then what is purpose?  Purpose comes from relationships, doing something greater than oneself, personal growth and challenge.

Aaron invited the group to do an exercise that was thought provoking.  He asked these questions:

 

1)      Which relationships give you the most satisfaction?

2)      When do you make an impact that really matters?

3)      When do you feel you have grown as a human?

We were asked to rate these from 1 – 5 (1 low, 5 high) and then divide by 3.  The result is an indicator of how strong our purpose really is. 

 

1)      8, 9, and 10 indicate a strong purpose.

2)      6 or 7 indicate you bring more purpose to your work

3)      5 and lower indicate a need to make a change and find your purpose.

We also did an exercise to discuss whether we should hire employees for ego and money or hire individuals for purpose.  This created a great debate between groups that led us into a discussion on how can we begin to create a purpose economy.

Aaron’s goal is to begin building a purpose economy with our schools in the Seattle area and to keep the conversation going by asking companies and individuals to host a dinner party to continue the conversation on the Purpose Economy.  He strongly feels that Seattle is the place to lead us into the future of the Purpose Economy.  Jordan Carlson is hosting dinner parties at her company.  If you are interested in learning more, please go to www.imperative.com.

We also heard from Bruno Lecoq from Adaquest who strongly relates to the purpose economy.  His company works with individuals on Vision, Mission and Goals with a focus on purpose.  Thanks to Bruno and Adaquest for their sponsorship this year!

This was a very thought-provoking event and I encourage you all to attend the PNODN event in September, 2015, when we will have Bob Crosby, a pioneer in Organization Development, as our guest speaker.

If you have other speakers you would like to hear from please let the Board Members know.

Thank you for attending and see you in September!

Dr. Carol Turner

Secretary/Treasurer of PNODN                                     

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The Leadership Questions                                        

(For those who have at least one person reporting to you at work)

By Chris Crosby

Do you own all that happens in your work area?

                                   

· Do you even own problems caused in part by supporting resources working in your area but whom you have no legitimate authority over? (I.e. you are not their boss and do not do their performance review)

· If a supporting resource is not servicing your group as well as they should do you blame them instead of working with them until you get the results you need?

· If inputs that your group needs (materials, information, money, or people) are not being delivered on time or with quality do you blame the people responsible or work with them until you get what you need?

· Can you catch your blame and turn it into constructive problem solving aimed at getting results?

How is your ability to self-differentiate as a leader? Self-differentiation is measured by your ability to show up in tense moments and both own your experience through articulating it (take a stand) as well as honor the other(s) by actively listening (stay connected) without adding your judgments. Lose either capability and you reduce your ability to differentiate yourself from the other.

· In a tense moment can you articulate what you want in a clear and concise way that conveys your full experience while not blaming others? I.e. this is what I think about this, this is how I am feeling (mad, sad, glad, afraid), and this is what I want or prefer.

· Can you do the above and stay engaged with the person(s) you are talking with in such a way that you can fully understand and articulate back to them what they want, think and feel as well? Even if their perspective is strongly against what you want or hope for?

· Is your focus mainly on the first bullet above? (taking stands)

· Is your focus mainly on the second bullet above? (connection)

Are you so used to the problems that you just live with them? Has your advocacy backbone died?

· Do you have a problem solving frame that begins with analysis to get to the facts of the issue or do you just throw solutions after things without real analysis?

How is your work place emotional intelligence?

· Are you aware of the connection between thoughts and feelings?

· Are you aware of the process of venting and how to tune into the people that are doing it versus reacting against or avoiding them? Or when people vent do you create a never ending cycle of venting about their vent and cause greater rifts and problems?

· Do you know the difference between a judgment of someone, such as any adjective used to describe people, and a behavioral description which is an attempt to get at the facts of what a person did, and the actual words used by that person? (Words are observable behavior. However, memory cannot be 100% trusted so when one shares the words they thought they heard they must understand that they most likely are a little off.)

· Are you aware of the dynamics of triangles in the workplace and do you know how to help people deal effectively with each other versus stay stuck in dysfunctional triangles?

Can you engage? Or are you disconnected as a leader?

· When you are in front of your group at a meeting is it clear you are the leader or do you look like another member perhaps even more passive than most in the group?

· Do you stop conversations as soon as obvious solutions are surfaced or that are about things already decided and redirect the group towards working through the next issues?

· Do you confront behavior that is counterproductive to effective workplaces like not paying attention or texting during meetings instead of listening and participating?

· When employees raise issues, can you engage with them by getting to the specifics or do you avoid the topic or complain as if you are an employee also rather than their leader?

· Do you confront people who are working outside of expectations and help them gain clarity of actually behaviors needed while occasionally using appropriate reprimands for those who truly are actually being deliberately insubordinate?

· Do you catch people doing things right and let them know by giving them positive reinforcement that is specific. Do you do this way more than sharing negative criticism (at least 3 to 1)?

Where is your tendency to focus as a leader, on the forest or in the trees? The forest represents overall functioning of the group as well as strategy. The trees represent tasks without taking a look at the group as a whole.

· Are you stuck in one way or the other or are you flexible? If you are in the trees can you focus sufficiently on the forest and create strategies that impact positively the overall functioning of the group? If you look only at the forest can you focus sufficiently on the trees and hold people accountable for individual task?

· No matter where your tendency is can you engage your employees when they bring issues? Or do you either try various means to get them to stop talking, not say anything yourself, or act as if you are one of them by joining in the complaining while not leading them beyond the issue to a solution?

When you start new initiatives do you stick to them and follow through until they are working well?

· Or are you in the never ending cycle of starting things without really following through good enough for success?

Do you listen to the people who are actually doing the work, such as floor personnel, and make sure  they have all the necessary inputs and resources to do their job?

· Or do you try getting them to stop complaining and get to work?

Do you keep your focus on business results achieved and keep working on items in the way of success?

· Or do you focus mainly on keeping the peace and helping each other get along? Do you see dissenters as trouble makers?

· Or do you attempt to understand each complaint to its actual facts then put in place solutions to solve the issues as deemed necessary?

How is your balance between backbone (the ability to show up be decisive, confront appropriately, make decisions, and hold people accountable), heart (the ability to tune in, express empathy, listen  deeply in tense moments, and convey that you care), head (the ability to provide vision, to think through difficult problems, to help people understand role and expectations, and connect to the current situation), and guts (The ability to trust your instincts, and to show up in difficult moments)?

· Where are you stuck and deficient in these dimensions?

Chris Crosby is President of Crosby & Associates with consultant experience
in a dozen countries. He is author of the upcoming book, "Organization
Alignment: How to Focus Your Workplace and Increase Results."

____________________________________________________________________

 

 

                             

                                

                                                                                                    

________________________________________________________________________________

Case Study

Savvy Slips, Learning on the Run
by Philip Heller
 

Learnings from Practice 8: Signals for Readiness to Engage
How might we tell that conflicting parties are ready to engage with each other productively?


The Request. The Director of a large city Senior Services Department requested that two people in her department receive coaching and facilitation to resolve a deep seated conflict. The conflict was over control of the budget and was between a Division Director and her direct report, the Family Support Services Program Manager.


Larger Context. Several years ago when the Division Director was hired, the Program Manager applied for that same position. After that, there were numerous clashes particularly over decision making: The Director made many of the decisions, the manager wanted more authority, particularly over his own budget. In the past year, the department was asked to make drastic budget cuts. Priorities were being set by the Division Director in order to conform to the budget cuts. She went to each of her program manager’s all hands meeting to explain the situation. During the meeting with the Family Support Services staff, the Program Manager began asking questions during the Division Director’s budget explanation to the point that it became obvious to all that the two were not anywhere in agreement. The Division Director lost her composure and began to yell at the Program Manager in front of the entire staff. The Director was given administrative leave and now she was coming back to work and being asked to resolve this issue.


Consulting Intervention. After the Department Director met with the Director and the Manager, both separately and together to explain the process, they were individually coached to prepare for a joint dialogue to vent and then resolve the issues as they saw them (1). Each of the parties participated in several coaching sessions prior to and in preparation for a joint dialogue. Before requesting a joint meeting, coaching was needed to ensure that each party, to the extent possible, was equally ready to engage in a productive discussion. That is, they wanted to resolve the conflict, and were willing to stick it out with the help of a third party. In addition to the facilitator’s intuition, the following signals were used to determine readiness:


• Can they state the issue descriptively ( and not in judgmental terms)?
• Are they willing to say to the other party all they have to you?
• Are their wants and requirements of the other within reasonable expectations?
• Are they open to the possibility of seeing this issue another way, form the other’s perspective and not locked into their view?
• Are they able to keep their emotions from blinding their reason?
• Are they willing to share and offer significant details with you?
• Are they willing to review their assumptions?
• Do they trust you?
• Do they have hope in some resolution?
• Can they articulate or see the benefits of resolution?
• Are they willing to meet of their own free will?
• Can they say how they feel and what they want (their interests)?

Last Line. When coaching people to prepare for a conflict resolution dialogue, look for telltale signs that each party is ready to participate and is willing to risk being transparent and vulnerable.

 
(1) A basic model for this process was put forward by Richard Walton, Managing Conflict, Interpersonal Dialogue and Third Party Roles, 1987 and then more recently by Steven Dinkin, et. al.: The Exchange Strategy for Managing Conflict in Health Care, 2013.                                               


 

Philip Heller is the senior associate of Learning Design Associates. For 35 years he has helped plan systems change and develop leaders in government, community agencies, and health care centers. Philip received his Ph.D. in Education focusing on learning and problem solving. As part of the originating group, he has been a PNODN member since 1982.

© 2015 Philip S. Heller, Savy Slips, Learning on the Run 7 Pitfalls of Transition

 

 

                                       

 

                                                                
                                              

 

 

Thank you to our Sponsor - Adaquest.  We appreciate your support.


 

 

HOW TO REACH US                                     

                                                                      
President – Joey Pauley
Vice President – Magda C. Kaspery
Secretary/Treasurer – Carol Turner

Programming - Pooja Agnihotri
Past President - Rachel Dexheimer


Our Administrator is: Ann M. Baus 


The Editor of the newsletter is David C. Wigglesworth 

 

 

From The Editor

This is your newsletter and we welcome and encourage your contributions. They could include personal news of a professional achievement, a brief article of interest, a short book review, a case study, a cartoon, a joke that is OD relevant and/or anything else that might be of interest to your colleagues who are our readers. I thank you in advance.

 

                                       

 

                                       

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
 
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