“Great consultants are as much actors as they are fonts of knowledge.” The founder of the consulting firm I had just joined delivered these words to me after my first week on the job. I was initially taken aback. A number of questions rushed to my head. Wasn’t I just hired because of my skillsContinue reading “All The Consulting World’s A Stage”
Category Archives: Organizational Performance and Design
#Reinvent Yourself At Work Like the #TryGuys
The @TryGuys are four #millenials who have created a media frenzy out of simply trying new things. These millennials are creators of a comedy documentary series that shows them getting outside of their comfort zone. They try just about anything, from watching baby twins for a day to dog sledding in Alaska. In the process,Continue reading “#Reinvent Yourself At Work Like the #TryGuys”
What Every Organization Design Needs
At the start of a recent organizational design the leader asked me to provide a list of outcomes for the effort. Being a good consultant, I turned the question back on him. I explained that he and his team needed to craft the specific design principles that they hoped to accomplish via our work. TheContinue reading “What Every Organization Design Needs”
A New Year’s Resolution for #Leaders and #Teams: Who Are We?
A #NewYear’s resolution: Connecting in a deeper manner with your work team. We spend a great deal of time together being #productive. Let’s answer the question: “Who are we?” At my father’s retirement ceremony as a college president, the local reigning politician concluded his remarks with a heartfelt statement. He indicated that if he wereContinue reading “A New Year’s Resolution for #Leaders and #Teams: Who Are We?”
Being in a Thanksgiving Reality Show: The Uber Leadership Development Experience
My family was filmed last weekend for a reality show depicting how American families celebrate Thanksgiving. Since the show was produced by a German pop up museum, I am referring to our experience as the “Uber” leadership development experience. For you non-Germanic folks, Uber means “being a superlative example of its kind or class”. TheContinue reading “Being in a Thanksgiving Reality Show: The Uber Leadership Development Experience”
A Creative Method For Developing Innovative Solutions: Magic Tool Box
It can be helpful to use analogies to inspire new ideas. I have leveraged a brainstorming tool for years called the Magic Tool Box. In this exercise one uses a box full of tools as a metaphor for solving the problem at hand. The objective is to spur new thinking. I leveraged this brainstorming exerciseContinue reading “A Creative Method For Developing Innovative Solutions: Magic Tool Box”
True Organizational Culture Change: “Everyone Talks Different”
The #culturechange that Sandra Johnson engineered at a challenging City Government division is the most astounding cultural turn around that I have ever witnessed. An informal City leader who missed 50% of the meetings due to an illness came back and said, “I don’t know what happened but all I can say is everyone talks different.” It isContinue reading “True Organizational Culture Change: “Everyone Talks Different””
No more Drivel! Give us the Practical and Useful.
There is no substitute for business advice which is practical and useful. Yes, I am talking about suggestions which actually work. … As in make things better in the real world! Drivel, on the other hand, is defined as “silly nonsense”. Unfortunately there is a lot of these unhelpful opinions flying around our field ofContinue reading “No more Drivel! Give us the Practical and Useful.”
Am I On Track With My Professional Purpose? [“Start With Why”]
“The two most important days of your life are the day you were born and the day you find out why.”—-Mark Twain Mark Twain offers up the profound idea that our primary mission in life is discovering why we are here. Once we have a driving reason for getting up each and every morning ourContinue reading “Am I On Track With My Professional Purpose? [“Start With Why”]”
The Importance of Peers In Our Organization Development Work
“We have all known the long loneliness, and we have found that the answer is community.” Dorothy Day As #OrganizationDevelopment (OD) professionals working with peers is one of the most important factors leading to our success. Helping our organizations succeed is a team sport and the ideas and support we receive from our fellow ODContinue reading “The Importance of Peers In Our Organization Development Work”
Kevin Anderson, Dr. Organizational Design 