How would you rate your skill at communicating leadership statements? Excellent? Average? You prefer that someone else do the talking? Everybody knows that effective communication is essential to leadership success and to the other person’s leadership challenge. Sometimes all we get from leaders is the “lead” sheet and it is up to us to make something of it.
You say, “What is a lead sheet?” Let me explain.
Last week I listened to a radio interview of singer and composer Richard Carpenter (63), of the famous pop group of the 70’s and 80’s__The Carpenters. He is now promoting a new CD album of their greatest hits called “Carpenters Anthology” celebrating 40 pop hits by this beloved sibling duo on the 40th anniversary when they signed a record label with A & M Records.
Of particular interest to me was not Richard Carpenter’s comments about his late sister Karen, who died tragically from complications due to anorexia in 1983, but how they inherited possession of the famous hit “Close To You.”
“Close To You” was a gift via Burt Bacharach in April 1969. Bacharach gave Carpenter the lead sheet, which musically only contains the basic melody, a few lyrics, and the chord changes.
According to Wikipedia, a lead sheet is a form of music notation that specifies the essential elements of a popular song: the melody, lyrics and harmony. The lead sheet does not describe the chord voicings, voice leading, bass line or other aspects of the accompaniment. These are specified by an arranger or improvised by a performer, and are aspects of the arrangement or performance of a song, rather than a part of the song itself.
Interestingly, Bacharach gave the song to him and asked Carpenter if he could do something with it. As a result, Carpenter put his own introduction to it and his own twists of other musical additions. Everything else is history.
For most of us, communication focuses on improving output. After all, that is what everyone experiences when you speak; your command of language; your accommodation of social mores and boundaries and how nimbly you respond to nonverbal cues. Much of the processing function happens unconsciously.
On a conscious level, processing includes strategies and rules of engagement that require you to put your brain in gear by thinking about where you want the conversation or leadership to go. This is evidenced by which leadership statements are appropriate in a particular context and so on.
Why are leadership statements so powerful?
They have the potential to become the signature strength to someone else.
Powerful leadership statements can be a phrase, a quote, an example or maybe the trip home from a workshop. We don’t always get or give the full game plan. But something clicks with you.
It’s like God does in us something extraordinary and we share that with a compelling lead sheet as a vision___and others follow. “Paul planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase.”
True leaders can make adjustments on the fly because they have a lot in their toolbox. This is why their preaching calendar expands beyond the common lectionary. By the way, the Lectionary is great for Advent and Lent but not to be treated as an absolute throughout the year. A creative sermon series may be more relevant.
Each week, on my iphone, I email our teen Sunday school class teacher a lead sheet. I call it a youth study guide which includes that Sunday’s scripture, the principle and the practice of the sermon, with three questions; all on one sheet of paper. Much of it contains leadership statements on which the facilitator can enhance and improvise.
In the leadership world, what does it mean to give someone the “lead sheet?” How do you recognize leadership statements when they are communicated?
Here’s a couple of leadership statements that should improve your leadership communication skills.
1.“Here’s an idea, see what you can do with it__then get back with me.”
2.“I want you to give this some thought__we’ll talk later.
Notice how there is a “handing over” to the other person. It is not a collaborative event but accountability is certainly built into the leadership statements.
Leaders be careful. Always be ready when others take the lead sheet from you and run with it. That’s what you want. It’s not a bad thing especially if you’re comfortable (or can become comfortable) with their new ownership. Just be prepared for this to happen.
Resist the urge of telling young leaders to find their own stuff or to wait a few years. They need and deserve opportunities to lead. You will always have young and emerging leaders who will come to you and want to learn.
You can dismiss it or you can bless it. Bless it. Give young leaders your blessing!
Cultivate relationships where others can safely air their honest thoughts and reactions.
Then, be ready for the other person to develop the lead sheet just like Richard Carpenter did with the pop hit “Close To You.”
Finally, always give credit to people who give even the smallest thought or nugget of an idea to you. It is rewarding to give a lead sheet full of leadership statements so others find their signature strength.
Take responsibility for improving your leadership communication skills. Prove that the moment is not too big for you. What do you think? Share your comments with me.
Remember, it’s all in The Lead Sheet.
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
How To Be A Catalyst For Great Ideas
Leaders create ideas. The leader doesn’t come up with all the ideas, but the leader is a catalyst for great ideas.
Every leader should have an idea room or place where they just sit, think, and incubate ideas. Some ideas will quickly materialize while other ideas will require a slow cooking or crock-potting.
The first thing you need to understand is that incubating ideas is a team sport. This means a group of idea people will sit in on your pitch. Honestly, most of us generate very few good ideas. However, experienced and secure leaders know how great those ideas become when they are shared. This risk allows for a good idea to be compounded and to become a great idea.
It’s natural to feel panicky about what you imagine as a steady flow of ideas parading before hard-boiled idea “opinion-ators” who call the shots. And yes, if you let them, they will be. But while they need to learn about what you have to offer, you need to learn about them.
The trouble is, each idea person at the table sees it and expresses it differently. But it’s not as tough as you think to discover it. You just have to get them talking. You need to figure out their switch. I’m talking about the universal must-have that flips on the green light (watch for next blog).
Below are 7 tips on how to be a catalyst for great ideas. Take note of these. I have lived by these seven tips for many years and they definitely boost your ideas. But I must warn you. You must be secure and unselfish and be willing to hear someone say you had a bad idea. They will not damage your brand. Only you can do that.
1. Always be thinking about the business.
2. Always be asking questions about the business.
3. Focus your thinking on potential and problems.
4. Know who the idea people are on the team.
5. Whenever an idea comes to your mind, include them.
6. Ask and expect them to make your idea better.
7. When they do—give them the credit.
How do you know if the people you have called to the idea meeting are the right ones? Ask yourself this. When you walk out of a meeting do you walk out “charged up” or “drained”?
If you walk out of the meeting drained, then you need to quarantine the people who are “anchors” on the boat and not “the wind that fills your sails.” I’m serious. Those idea people who are “wind” to you will be a smaller group.
My next blog called “Switching on the Green Light” will offer three tips that will greatly improve your next idea meeting. Stay connected.
Every leader should have an idea room or place where they just sit, think, and incubate ideas. Some ideas will quickly materialize while other ideas will require a slow cooking or crock-potting.
The first thing you need to understand is that incubating ideas is a team sport. This means a group of idea people will sit in on your pitch. Honestly, most of us generate very few good ideas. However, experienced and secure leaders know how great those ideas become when they are shared. This risk allows for a good idea to be compounded and to become a great idea.
It’s natural to feel panicky about what you imagine as a steady flow of ideas parading before hard-boiled idea “opinion-ators” who call the shots. And yes, if you let them, they will be. But while they need to learn about what you have to offer, you need to learn about them.
The trouble is, each idea person at the table sees it and expresses it differently. But it’s not as tough as you think to discover it. You just have to get them talking. You need to figure out their switch. I’m talking about the universal must-have that flips on the green light (watch for next blog).
Below are 7 tips on how to be a catalyst for great ideas. Take note of these. I have lived by these seven tips for many years and they definitely boost your ideas. But I must warn you. You must be secure and unselfish and be willing to hear someone say you had a bad idea. They will not damage your brand. Only you can do that.
1. Always be thinking about the business.
2. Always be asking questions about the business.
3. Focus your thinking on potential and problems.
4. Know who the idea people are on the team.
5. Whenever an idea comes to your mind, include them.
6. Ask and expect them to make your idea better.
7. When they do—give them the credit.
How do you know if the people you have called to the idea meeting are the right ones? Ask yourself this. When you walk out of a meeting do you walk out “charged up” or “drained”?
If you walk out of the meeting drained, then you need to quarantine the people who are “anchors” on the boat and not “the wind that fills your sails.” I’m serious. Those idea people who are “wind” to you will be a smaller group.
My next blog called “Switching on the Green Light” will offer three tips that will greatly improve your next idea meeting. Stay connected.
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
New Survey Reveals Creative Leadership
Just think about it. Most young people today are overbooked. Asking them to come to church is often viewed as just one more thing they have to do. So, the right priority question becomes “How can the church add meaning to their spiritually-interested lives while embracing their creativity?”
There’s a boom in creative expression, especially among young people. Technology facilitates it. Unlike their Boomer forerunners, who sought to overthrow the establishment, they’ll wield power by ignoring it.
The good news is that the Church can assimilate these young participants once we’ve downloaded their creativity, then utilized their creative leadership to get things done. Unfortunately, traditional churches are not easily convinced and stubbornly risk extinction as their only public option.
Traditional leadership is not only unattractive to youth but it is uncomfortable for them. They can’t be squeezed into this mold and breathe. They have a new mold to introduce and worthy of the church’s attention and acceptance.
The Church can learn a lot from these young creative leaders who take the lead. In a recent 2009 American Life and Culture Survey (October 19, 2009) by Patricia Martin (Founder and CEO of LitLamp Communications of Chicago, IL), a leading expert on culture and commerce , says, “they are not living a diminished lifestyle, just carefully selecting experiences that further their personal growth and help them continue to live a meaningful life.” Download her report here.
Millennials create. Boomers consume.Martin reports, “Younger respondents are content creators; one-third actively blog and 82 percent said their peers consider them to be creative. More mature cultural consumers (45-65 year olds) create less, but still spend more than three hours a day online.”
Cultural consumers create echo effect that multiplies a messageMartin suggests,“Cultural consumers are influential when it comes to leisure pursuits. They are active and spend a good deal of time out of the home attending events and circulating in their communities. They organize outings with groups. The younger cohort maintains blogs (30%) and are social networkers.”
I have found creative leadership among these young people to be stunningly appropriate and relevant. Here’s a few characteristics I’ve noticed when I hang out with them.
Creative Leaders are:
Symbols of Inspiration not Authority
Networked not Hierarchical
Taking Risks not Sustaining Order
Concerned with Being Real not with Being Right
Thinks like an Artist or Designer not a General or Conductor
More Carrots not Sticks
Metaphorical in Tone not Literal
Traditional churches can make the paradigm shift from traditional leadership to creative leadership if they are serious about thriving (claiming values but dropping baggage) not surviving (claiming and carrying baggage ). When should this attitude be adopted? Yesterday. Period.
It is not enough to just agree in principle. We must empower youth and their creativity. Martin offers this takeaway. “Creating platforms that allow these creatives to express their spiritual ideals in a non-denominational way will help them anchor in times of change.”
Since these young creatives are carefully selecting the experiences that further their personal growth to help them live a meaningful life, the traditional church must risk and not fear their technology. Especially their creativity.
In my opinion, main-line protestant churches will continue to decline unless they empower those who creatively lead instead of authoritatively leading. Churches must do more than utilize their technological skills and asking youth to “run” the sound system. The church must offer cultural experiences, purposeful art making and adventurous community involvement and community expression as rewards.
Since they value doing original work, let these renaissance creatives be passionate and showcase their abilities. Hear this. Our emerging, creative culture now favors collaboration among people from business, spirituality, arts, and technology.
Barry is Founder and President of Ministry Indicators, a consulting group for churches 1,000 and under who are ready for renaissance. He also serves as a pastor/consultant/coach for the Missiouri Conference of United Methodist Churches.
Friday, October 2, 2009
Three Reasons Why Our Current Strategies Slow Down
The assumptions we have in our heads about leadership only answers the questions attached to those assumptions. Why is it all of a sudden, we are starting to slow down? Has our current paradigm(ministry strategy, vision, etc) answered all the questions it can answer?
The word paradigm carries a contemporary meaning which refers to a set of practices that define a scientific discipline during a particular time of time. To leaders and practitioners like me, a paradigm can be a new idea, new ministry, new program that… (a) can be observed and scrutinized, (b) the kind of questions that are supposed to be asked and probed in relation to the subject and (c) how these questions are to be structured and interpreted.
Charles Handy, who served as a professor of the London Business School, said, “What worked well last time almost ensures it won’t work well this time around.”
Here’s the profoundness of Handy’s statement about change. We want to be careful as leaders that we don’t calcify what’s working now… because what’s working now is because…it’s working RIGHT NOW! In other words, because the paradigm works this minute is because it works this minute (this place, this location, at this moment).
Here is what you need to know and understand. All ideas go thru a life cycle and start out at Point A where they experience newness, freshness, momentum, excitement and especially effectiveness. These are the things new ideas in their inceptional stage generate.
Once we get momentum with the new idea, then what happens over time is that we hit Point B where there is some noticeable and observable climb. More importantly, this particular idea is now reaching its maximum level of effectiveness.
Why is that? Let me give you 3 plausible reasons.
Reason #1:
The current paradigm no longer answers questions. It has answered all the questions it can answer. With the current paradigm, idea, or ministry program, there comes a “tiredness” and a need to get the next stage of questions. When this happens, certain things are gonna have to happen—a whole new construct (paradigm) has to enter.
It is here when someone becomes an adjutant and starts asking “what if” questions.
Reason #2:
At Point B there begins to settle in a confusion and disorientation. Why? Because someone has begun to do site analysis by looking at all the pieces and saying, “we are doing the things they way we’ve always done them” Why isn’t it working the same way?
This uncovers exactly the problem. We are doing the same idea, same ministry, same program by doing exactly everything we did when it was effective.
Confusion and disorientation is the first sense of the need to “retool” or “re-invent.” Maybe the old paradigm is tired and exhausted. Probably, it is.
Interestingly, there is a “tiredness” because the emerging questions cannot be answered primarily because the current paradigm has answered all the questions it can answer.
We should know that most people start hunting for a new way at Point B while others wait until an old paradigm or model get to Point C where momentum is in serious debt levels and is getting ready to crash and burn. If you are waiting to Point C, then I’ve got news for you. You are sledding into serious decline and you will not recover with one great idea.
Reason # 3:
One great idea or “silver bullet” will not rescue your organization from peril and maybe even death. It will not take “one” thing but an entire group of things to create a new construct. Looking for salvation at this stage never works.
Sharp leaders will intervene before Point B because they are already on the hunt for a new way---after the paradigm is functioning well and hasn’t exhausted itself. I know it seems counterintuitive, but knowing when to intervene and always being ahead of the change curve is extremely important.
What is great leadership? Great leaders will not let their church or ministry organization get to Point C. For instance, just today I had coffee with the director of a Non-profit organization called Love INC. that coordinates churches with needs in the community and serves as a clearinghouse for this effort. Eva Hillis is a terrific leader. She explained to me the current problem and the probing question. –She said, “Love INC. can’t expect its volunteers to work around their schedule (Love INC. office personnel)because those service-minded volunteers (many work themselves) give time, energy and ability when they can. She said that purchasing a “go phone” for the clearinghouse coordinator is necessary in order to contact volunteers outside of office hours.
Sounds like a simple solution. Right? This intervention becomes huge because it was anticipated by great leadership. As leader we must anticipate problems before we identify problems.
“If things seem under control, you are just not going fast enough.” -- Mario Andretti
“People who don’t take risks generally make about two big mistakes a year. People who do take risks generally make about two big mistakes a year.” -Peter Drucker
“What worked well last time almost ensures it won’t work well this time around.”—Charles Handy
The word paradigm carries a contemporary meaning which refers to a set of practices that define a scientific discipline during a particular time of time. To leaders and practitioners like me, a paradigm can be a new idea, new ministry, new program that… (a) can be observed and scrutinized, (b) the kind of questions that are supposed to be asked and probed in relation to the subject and (c) how these questions are to be structured and interpreted.
Charles Handy, who served as a professor of the London Business School, said, “What worked well last time almost ensures it won’t work well this time around.”
Here’s the profoundness of Handy’s statement about change. We want to be careful as leaders that we don’t calcify what’s working now… because what’s working now is because…it’s working RIGHT NOW! In other words, because the paradigm works this minute is because it works this minute (this place, this location, at this moment).
Here is what you need to know and understand. All ideas go thru a life cycle and start out at Point A where they experience newness, freshness, momentum, excitement and especially effectiveness. These are the things new ideas in their inceptional stage generate.
Once we get momentum with the new idea, then what happens over time is that we hit Point B where there is some noticeable and observable climb. More importantly, this particular idea is now reaching its maximum level of effectiveness.
Why is that? Let me give you 3 plausible reasons.
Reason #1:
The current paradigm no longer answers questions. It has answered all the questions it can answer. With the current paradigm, idea, or ministry program, there comes a “tiredness” and a need to get the next stage of questions. When this happens, certain things are gonna have to happen—a whole new construct (paradigm) has to enter.
It is here when someone becomes an adjutant and starts asking “what if” questions.
Reason #2:
At Point B there begins to settle in a confusion and disorientation. Why? Because someone has begun to do site analysis by looking at all the pieces and saying, “we are doing the things they way we’ve always done them” Why isn’t it working the same way?
This uncovers exactly the problem. We are doing the same idea, same ministry, same program by doing exactly everything we did when it was effective.
Confusion and disorientation is the first sense of the need to “retool” or “re-invent.” Maybe the old paradigm is tired and exhausted. Probably, it is.
Interestingly, there is a “tiredness” because the emerging questions cannot be answered primarily because the current paradigm has answered all the questions it can answer.
We should know that most people start hunting for a new way at Point B while others wait until an old paradigm or model get to Point C where momentum is in serious debt levels and is getting ready to crash and burn. If you are waiting to Point C, then I’ve got news for you. You are sledding into serious decline and you will not recover with one great idea.
Reason # 3:
One great idea or “silver bullet” will not rescue your organization from peril and maybe even death. It will not take “one” thing but an entire group of things to create a new construct. Looking for salvation at this stage never works.
Sharp leaders will intervene before Point B because they are already on the hunt for a new way---after the paradigm is functioning well and hasn’t exhausted itself. I know it seems counterintuitive, but knowing when to intervene and always being ahead of the change curve is extremely important.
What is great leadership? Great leaders will not let their church or ministry organization get to Point C. For instance, just today I had coffee with the director of a Non-profit organization called Love INC. that coordinates churches with needs in the community and serves as a clearinghouse for this effort. Eva Hillis is a terrific leader. She explained to me the current problem and the probing question. –She said, “Love INC. can’t expect its volunteers to work around their schedule (Love INC. office personnel)because those service-minded volunteers (many work themselves) give time, energy and ability when they can. She said that purchasing a “go phone” for the clearinghouse coordinator is necessary in order to contact volunteers outside of office hours.
Sounds like a simple solution. Right? This intervention becomes huge because it was anticipated by great leadership. As leader we must anticipate problems before we identify problems.
“If things seem under control, you are just not going fast enough.” -- Mario Andretti
“People who don’t take risks generally make about two big mistakes a year. People who do take risks generally make about two big mistakes a year.” -Peter Drucker
“What worked well last time almost ensures it won’t work well this time around.”—Charles Handy
Monday, September 14, 2009
Why Millennials Need Mentoring
Once a person understands where a generation is “coming from”, then we can target our mentoring techniques to unpack solution strategies for salvaging troubled relationships When their backs are against the wall, we can teach Millennials how to ask the right questions.
Who are the Millennials?
Millennials (Born 1977-1998—75 million) celebrate diversity, assume technology. They spend a good deal of time online, and they are heavy users of tools such as Facebook, Twitter, and blogging platforms. They were raised in the most child-centric time our nation has ever known. For better or for worse, these Millennials were showered with attention from us as friends and family__the Boomers. They are new to the workforce, work well in groups, and often prefer this to individual endeavors. They view institutions as irrelevant.
Why do Millennials need mentoring?
They have learned how to master and maintain a social network online but often unable to follow a healthy relational flight plan. They “toss away” relationship like upgrading for a newer cell phone model. For instance, if their marriage or friendship is struggling, let’s say two months in,--they are to quickly unwind or untie the commitment they previously made to the other person and find a replacement.
They are definitely in need of mentoring, no matter how tech-savy and confident they are, they lack the structure and stability and struggle to find it within themselves I believe this Millennial behavior pattern stems their inability to ask the right questions.
What are the right questions for Millennials to ask?
Allow me to use a painting metaphor to represent relationships. Let’s say that you (the reader) are a Millennial. You’ve attended an art gallery and purchased a painting resulting from a first glimpse. You’ve made the decision, coughed up some cash, and took it home. Two weeks later, however, you decide it’s not a particularly attractive painting and questioned …“what was I thinking” at the time of the purchase.
Encourage the Millennial to take the option of replacement “off the table.” Then, ask two mentoring questions applicable to relationships.
1. What can I do to make this painting more eye-appealing for me?
Consider the frame. Then, consider the room or the wall where the painting could be hung and would be more “sight-appealing” to you. What furniture pieces contribute to the accessibility, viewing and enjoyment of the painting? How can arranging the room (your schedule, your spiritual reading and theological reflections) make a difference? Remember, creativity is a millennial’s participation platform.
Instead of thinking of “tossing” away your spouse or friend you already have, why not list some ways in which you can enhance the relationship —to shape it with your influence—to discard biases and pre-conceived notions and structure to your strengths and enjoy the differences, not just the similarities.
2. How can I add value to the significance of having the painting in my home or apartment?
Consider who else sees the painting and benefits from it. Children? Spouse? Friends?
While most Millennials expect immediate and ongoing feedback, it is equally rewarding to give feedback to others. Becoming comfortable enough in your “own skin” to use a pragmatic approach to enjoy the people who are in your life already by not giving in to the temptation of substitution.
For Reflection:
List some additional questions you can ask to sharpen your mentoring technique for serving and equipping Millennials?
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
Why You're Not Getting Prospects
Now more than ever it’s important to be practical. Take a deep breath. Then tick through your church calendar, plan and implement more point-of-entry outreach events that target a particular slice of the population in your church and community.
Spend your time gearing up, not freaking out. The post-advertising age is scary, yes, but many of the tenets of outreach___connection to communities of adults and children, co-journey and agenda-less friendships and engage others through community service projects with no strings attached__are objectives at the top of any pastor’s To-Do-list.
Here’s The Reality Check, checklist:
1. Think about your church’s reach.Do you have an established marketing effort in place so that your church keeps in touch with its attenders through e-mail, a Web site, events, newsletters, conferences, etc.
2. What do you know about your church demographics?Have you collected recent information on who participates and why? Where they live? How far they drive to participate? Whether they are repeat attenders? Whether they are young families, empty-nesters, seniors, or teens? Your demographics dictate the categories on which you should focus your efforts and the ones you shouldn’t waste time and energy on.
3. What is the competitive environment like? Look around. Are other churches of your church’s type and in its region getting prospects?
4. Do you know your prospect base?To guage the effort in reaching prospects, tighten and tweak your assimilation systems. In other words, close the back door. Before every church committee meeting conducts business, ask participants to take five minutes and write down three names of individuals, friends, associates, to invite and engage life conversations.
Spend your time gearing up, not freaking out. The post-advertising age is scary, yes, but many of the tenets of outreach___connection to communities of adults and children, co-journey and agenda-less friendships and engage others through community service projects with no strings attached__are objectives at the top of any pastor’s To-Do-list.
Here’s The Reality Check, checklist:
1. Think about your church’s reach.Do you have an established marketing effort in place so that your church keeps in touch with its attenders through e-mail, a Web site, events, newsletters, conferences, etc.
2. What do you know about your church demographics?Have you collected recent information on who participates and why? Where they live? How far they drive to participate? Whether they are repeat attenders? Whether they are young families, empty-nesters, seniors, or teens? Your demographics dictate the categories on which you should focus your efforts and the ones you shouldn’t waste time and energy on.
3. What is the competitive environment like? Look around. Are other churches of your church’s type and in its region getting prospects?
4. Do you know your prospect base?To guage the effort in reaching prospects, tighten and tweak your assimilation systems. In other words, close the back door. Before every church committee meeting conducts business, ask participants to take five minutes and write down three names of individuals, friends, associates, to invite and engage life conversations.
Monday, August 17, 2009
The Value of Collaborative Conversations
Before any step away from the status quo, congregational development thru collaborative learning conversations must happen first. Challenging the status quo is what I do for a living. Either I challenge or encourage other people to do it.
Hence, an effective change process looks likes this:
Collaborative Learning Conversations>Collective Commitment>Collective Efficacy>Changes in Practice>Members See New Learning>Members Have Self-Efficacy = Congregational Development
Collaborative Learning Conversations
Collaborative learning conversations add congregational development where leaders, other than pastor and staff, dialogue about strategy and vision for change in ways that are understandable and contextual.
Create a venue such as a monthly leadership luncheon for leaders to ask "how" and "who" questions. For instance, "If budget constraints were not part of the equation, how should we do ministry"? Or, "If we were the only church in this community, who should we contact first"?
Changes In Practice
Changes in practice don't occur until we take the time to talk about who we are now and who we want to be. notice in the process above that changes in practice happen once we feel collectively effective...we know we can make a difference.
Feeling collectively effective doesn't occur until we are collectively committed to a cause, which doesn't happen until we take the time to have collaborative conversations. The whole thing is a building process with each step being dependent upon giving your best to the one before...no skipping steps.
I also like the idea of Collective Commitment and Collective Efficacy. If the leader is committed, it isn't enough. If the leader feels effetive or one of the members feels effective, it is wonderful but it isn't enough.
The idea of being collectively committed to a cause and of feeling collectively effective comes as the fruit of a long growing season with careful tending by an observant gardener.
My observation is that organizations don't have enough constructive conversations that are designed for a specific purpose...not venting or complaining...not spontaneous but carefully designed to create positive outcomes.
Are leaders afraid of such conversations? Do they know what to do after such a conversation?
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