A little help -- Please

[Michael Herman]

almost always i find that the first few paragraphs or minutes of a
conversation with a new contact or client -- when they give this sort
of snapshot of who they are, where they've been, and what they want
next -- is the perfect, most honest invitation.

it's the clearest picture they can give, simple and clean,
understandable to an outsider and with all the honesty that is
sometimes withheld, for all kinds of reasons both cultural and
personal, from insiders.

my first question is then "who's needed to create such an
organization?"  my second question is "how soon can we get them
together?"  maybe the third question is "what would we need to do to
make sure that you (the ceo) lives to tell about it?"

seems to me that as long as we see culture and environment as
something that is created by one person, sometimes a chief and other
times a "bad apple" troublemaker, or some small group of same, we will
always work to hard and always fall short.  as soon as we turn the
task over to an invited group of everyone, the job is already done,
the environment is shifted, and we're right there in it doing the real
work in a whole new way.

as ever, the leap is in beginning.  m



On 4/23/05, Jack Ricchiuto <jack at designinglife.com> wrote:
>
> Harrison,
>
> Thanks for inviting the question. I think there is a whole ecosystem of
> factors that create a trust-based, values-aligned and passionate culture.
> One factor that I think is vital is creating the organization as a network
> of self-organizing teams where responsibility, power, and information is
> shared. It's a model that makes it easier for people to work from trust
> because it's a model where relationships matter more than power. It's
> therefore an appreciative culture energized and organized by a sustainable
> intention to inspire passion and engage strengths.
>
> Jack
>
> ~~~~~~~~~~
> jack ricchiuto
> two.one.six/three.seven.three/seven.four.seven.five
> www.designinglife.com / www.appreciativeleadership.org
>
>
>
>
> ------------Original Message------------
> From: Harrison Owen <hhowen at comcast.net>
> To: OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU
> Date: Sat, Apr-23-2005 8:44 AM
> Subject: A little help -- Please
> My Inbox is a rich source of adventure. This little note from a CEO for
> example: "XXX Inc. has a highly skilled team of ~100 people doing great work
> and we are also attempting to manage a company that differentiates ourselves
> by maintaining a unique company culture.  We want to define, defend, and
> enable these values to be who we are, what we do, and how we behave as a
> collective organization.  Building trust and allowing diversity, debate, and
> protest to flourish in an organization of high achievers is a difficult
> thing.  I'm searching for ways to provide openness, healthy dialog, and a
> supportive atmosphere for these stellar people to deliver all they are
> capable of (collectively) to improve the lives of thousands of people living
> with cancer.
> Basically I'm looking for techniques, methods, tools, and or simple ways to
> create an open environment of trust within a growing organization.
> My Dilemma: How to create a communication environment that's open, listens,
> hears, understands, and is responsive?  I am looking for practical
> executable methods to model these value behaviors within a for profit
> business enterprise.  I want to work for a cause and I want those that join
> the company to be equally as committed to a similar standard.  As companies
> grow and become successful it can be easy to become complacent or to
> compromise on these values.  I'm looking for ways to help prevent
> organizational entropy, human dysfunctional politics, divisiveness,
> unhealthy behaviors, and the like within the work environment at all levels
> of the company.  This value system requires a lot from management team and
> the organization, as well as asking a lot from our employees.  But I believe
> that building on such a foundation and supporting our human capital in such
> a way we will ensure our success as a transformational company."
>
> We are going to have lunch and chat. I have some thoughts - and will surely
> benefit from your reflections. Share?
>
> Harrison
>
>
> Harrison Owen
> 7808 River Falls Drive
> Potomac, Maryland   20845
> Phone 301-365-2093
>
> Open Space Training www.openspaceworld.com <http://www.openspaceworld.com/>
>
> Open Space Institute www.openspaceworld.org
> Personal website
> http://mywebpages.comcast.net/hhowen/index.htm
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--

Michael Herman Associates
http://www.michaelherman.com
...inviting organizations into action

Small Change News Network
http://www.smallchangenews.org
...blogging giving flourishing

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