Weblog
Andy Goldsworthy: Rivers and Tides
Yes, I’m into documentaries these days. They’ve become more interesting to me than most movies available today. I’m not a White Chick movie kind of person, though I hear it’s quite funny. (But I actually am a white chick, perhaps a few years beyond the “chick” category. Go figure.)
What a feast for the eyes and heart. If you love nature, love beauty, love creativity rent or buy this one.
Andy Goldsworthy is a sculptor. Some of his pieces last only seconds. Therefore he photographs all his work. The books of his work draw me in again and again.
I would venture a guess that Andy Goldsworthy is an Artisan, ISFP.
(more…)My Architect: A Son’s Journey
Nathenial Kahn directed this visually intriguing and surprisingly moving documentary about his father Louis I. Kahn. It chronicles his journey to get to know the man and his works. Kahn, a celebrated architect near bankruptcy, died alone in Penn Station when Nathaniel was 11.
The viewer learns about architecture, the man, and the curious life he led. Only Kahn’s closest associates knew that Kahn had three families, and one child from each alliance. But he was really married to his work.
I highly recommend it on its own merits, not because Kahn seems to be a classic example of a Rational. Perhaps INTP, perhaps INTJ. I lean toward INTP. Interestingly, INTPs are sometimes referred to as architects because of their natural design abilities. They don’t always design buildings.
While I’m tempted to tell the story, I’ll focus on Keirsey’s Temperament and Myers-Briggs’ Type clues.
(more…)Ontological Coaching
Ontological Coaching is an approach to exploring the coachee’s way of being. Who is this person who has coped successfully until now yet has run into areas where help is needed?
An ontological coach helps the client to consider who she is by the language she uses, the emotions and moods she lives, and in the way her body supports her in living the life she strives for. We do have the ability to change and grow and much of that depends on her choices.
There is no denying that clients are looking for the tools, skills, and processes to be more effective in their lives. In other words, they seek new behaviors to help them achieve a higher order of satisfaction both professionally and personally. These are necessary ingredients of the coaching toolkit.
These behaviors can be found in many books or modeled by others they know or taught in leadership and management programs. They are available.
What prevents people from incorporating the beneficial behaviors is how they see the world. For instance, if you see the world as hostile, you would become equipped for battle. If you see yourself as incompetent, you are less likely to promote yourself.
While language has for eons been considered a tool to define the world so we share a common vocabulary, it is also a tool for crafting the life we wish to lead. We need the distinctions language gives us so we understand our universe better.
Language also creates new worlds. There are 5 categories of speech that we examine. These are requests, offers, promises, assertions, and declarations. Briefly, requests make it possible for us to gain support. Offers are ways to extend our contributions to others and the world. Promises are commitments to take action. Assertions are facts and evidence to ground our statements. Declarations set the context for future action. “You’re hired” shifts the world for both the manager and the new person coming on board.
One huge area for exploration are our assessments (rather than facts) of a situation, a person, or ourself. We often just plain make stuff up about what a person meant or what caliber of individual someone is. We just might be wrong. If we assess that someone is not dependable based on limited information, we might bypass an opportunity to work with someone who really is just the person you needed for a project.
Clients, and me too, benefit from exploring which we do too much of, to little of, or too poorly.
Emotions and moods determine what we are motivated to do or to avoid. We can change those moods. We need not be at the affect of them.
Leaders must pay attention to others’ moods and address them in order have more motivated people on the job.
Our body either works for or against us as we broadcast our moods or emotions, our intentions, our ideas, our confidence, our credibility, our caring. Try telling someone how excited and enthused you are sitting slumped in a chair with your eyes looking down. You can’t. People are stumped. Should they believe the message in the words or in the body? They’ll choose the one they want to believe and be disappointed later.
Once the body, language, and emotions are congruent, then the tools and new behaviors, tools, or skills can be incorporated easily. Otherwise they are only spray paint that makes you look good temporarily. The structure has not been prepared to maintain the new paing.
360 Assessments
I work with organizations to design and develop the instrument, coordinate the process, and deliver the 360 reports. Facilitating 360 feedback workshops for groups has proven to be effective as managers engage in structured conversation to integrate the information and make plans for going forward.
20/20 Insight created by Performance Support Systems is my preferred tool. It is the most flexible, usable, customizable, and affordable survey I’ve found.
Clients can use a standard set of leadership, management, team, consultant, or individual competency sets. You can also select only those relevant to your needs, change items that use your vocabulary, or design entirely new competencies.
Most instruments list a leadership competency followed by several behaviors that fall in that category. When raters give a number from 1-5 (best to worst) on the resulting paragraph, you can’t tell which specific behavior is being assessed. Did the rater give a 3 meaning that some of the behaviors were good, some bad? Or did it mean that all the behaviors listed were average?
The survey is available via the web, paper, or email.
Reports can be customized in many ways. Multiple scales for rating are available (satisfaction, performance, importance, etc.). Raters can add comments after each item in addition to the numerical rating. Open-ended questions can be added at the end of the survey to gather general comments from raters.
360s work when: *There is a climate of trust in the organization *The results are used for development not for ranking, pay, or promotion *The competencies are approved by representatives of the group being rated *The raters are introduced to effective ways to give feedback *Those rated (subjects) are given one or more ways to improve such as tools, processes, mentoring, and coaching. *Those rated are provided guidance in how to let their raters know what they learned and what they will do with that information.
Studies show that if the person rated says nothing after getting her results, the raters estimation of them diminishes. If she says she is working on improving and, in fact, she is working on it, she goes up in their estimation even if nothing has changed.
Please contact me to discuss if 360 is an viable option for you.
Interaction Styles
Check out this new model by Linda Berens, Ph.D. founder of Temperament Research Institute.
The Interaction Styles model describes 4 patterns of communicating when interacting with others.
The beauty of this model is that it is easy to introduce, easily understood and explains the typical ways that we communicate when trying to influence others or get things done. *I’ve used this successfully with teams* to clear up misunderstandings and frustrations with how others approach communication. It’s non-threatening and does not have that feared “touchy-feely” component that some clients are wary of.
The four style patterns are In-Charge, Get-Things-Going, Behind-the-Scenes, and Chart-the-Course. Right off the bat you probably relate to one more than others. And certainly know which one you aren’t. There is much more to learn beyond the styles monikers.
When determining your Interaction Style you explore which side of three dimensions you prefer. We may do both, but one aspect is more a default position, the other learned.
Directing/Informing: Do you commonly tell, urge, or direct others to take action? Are you focused on getting results and the timeframe you have? OR Do you ask about their views and/or provide information so they can make a choice based on the options? Are you interested in people and their being motivated to do whatever it is?
Initiating/Responding: Do you begin the conversation, bring up the topic, introduce yourself to people? OR do you decide if you want to interact with some who approaches you? Are you content to wait for someone to seek your input?
Control/Movement
Some styles are focused in controlling the result, getting it done in a timely fashion. Others are content as long as progress is being made to the end goal.
Discovering the strengths and limitations of your style can clear up confusion around why your automatic approach used with the best of intentions sometimes backfires. You’ll learn why others’ feathers are ruffled. You can also learn different approaches that will increase your chances of success with the other 3 styles.
Interaction Styles is a perfect companion piece and an added dimension to understanding yourself through the Myers-Briggs 16 types, such as ESTJ, INFP, ESFP, ENTJ, etc. Four of the 16 possible types fit into each of the Styles. I won’t give away the answer. Better to discover your fit first. You can introduce this model without ever referring to Myers-Briggs. It stands alone quite well.