this day merits a "C"
Raffi Aftandelian
raffi at bk.ru
Mon Jun 20 23:10:09 PDT 2005
Dear colleagues,
This Saturday I began running a Working with OST Workshop, which runs
over two weekends. Most of the first day of the workshop was a one day
OST meeting on "Creating Healthy Organizations: issues and
opportunities." For this first day, "external" people were invited so
that we would get a critical mass necessary to create the dynamic of
an OST meeting.
It was a very fruitful meeting, judging from the number of reports,
the titles of the reports, the notes, and the hum. We had 3 concurrent
sessions the whole time. I wish I had opened a fourth session...
Among session topics:
1. Good illnesses: are growing pains necessary?
2. What is a healthy organization after all?
3. Creativity: to be or not to be creative?
4. How to integrate the 4 principles into organizational order
5. Organizations are miracles (session held twice)
6. Big hairy goals or our small comfortable world
7. What will happen on Monday?
The variety of people in the group gathered also really surprised me: experienced corporate
trainers, manager of an internet trainings portal, 2 management
consultants, director of one of Russia's oldest organizations working
with children with Down's Syndrome, a hairdresser/entrepreneur, a psychologist who works with
families in crisis, and many other folks.
At the closing circle there were many who were quite eager to continue
the conversation.
One comment in the closing circle really intrigued and troubled me:
"I give today a "C." This came from the corporate trainer with whom
I'd met with over lunch a week ago and explained OST in detail, the
facilitator's role in detail.
I followed up with him post-meeting by email and some interesting
things emerged.
As I gave thought to his "C", I ventured that in fact he really gave
himself a "C" and that it would be foolish to give OST a "C." He
agreed.
I also ventured that I think we are at a point in human development
where giving feedback is, well, passe. That perhaps it makes more
sense to ask appropriate, well-timed questions that invite as opposed
to tell.
What he also said is that he didn't like the fact that so much time
went to explaining things to people in sessions and that he could've
found the answers to many things himself.
What drove him mad, though, was that there was one participant who
would come to those groups where he was comfortable. With the arrival
of that participant, everyone else would begin to leave, himself
included. Loss of control?
I have never heard such comments from participants about OST meetings before. I am
inclined to think that what this participant saw (or maybe hasn't
chosen to see yet) were some parts of himself that he didn't like.
He later shared that the meeting just didn't grab him. I beg to
differ. Grab it did, but not in a place he would prefer to be grabbed.
His "C" at first really troubled me. I felt alone for a whole night. I
realized that in my work with OST, no matter what people say I have to
continue. I know I am a fool, just accept it and move on.
Raffi
mailto:raffi at bk.ru
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