Skype-call in March

It's a pleasure to see that all of you are planning to join in, nice! And the previews on the contributions are also amazing!
So i decided to write the experience which made me so happy and excited about SF work lately.
this was a team i had the chance to support together with a wonderful collegaue during theire team event. The goal was to achive something we could call proactive thinking and active collaboration.
1 part of the time we used for "knowing each other better" - as basis for collaboration, let's say.
we asked them to sit in groups of 3 who don't work too often together und tell little success stories + ressource gossip within the group of 3 (what you guys know well).
afterwards we invited them to mix up in the entire group (ca. 50 members), form new groups of 3, and to gossip about the stories/people they heard in the 1st round.
We were amazed what a joy occoured at gossiping and also a confidence, they could continue with it even when they are back to the company.
I love this small example of doing something simple and be lucky that people like it and take it. :)
So now i can look forward to your stories (without all the time thinking: can i tell my...?)
warmly, Kati

Skype-call from Nov. 18th

I was just typing things which impressed me while talking/listening to you Diderik, Jesper, Monika, Virginia, Pippa and George on skype--- hope somehow helpful these notes?

Jespers story on working with governmental people: how to deal with the double roles (person, representativ of a gorvernment) when different statements come:
Futur perfect: most exciting thing could happen for you personally—in your work.
Invite them to talk out of different angles, make it explicite.

Dideriks impressive idea: Give the book to a (potential corporate) client: http://www.sfwork.com/jsp/index.jsp?lnk=827
- so the client knows a concrete project how SF worked... I like the level of being concrete, the attractivity of the sample.
I liked Monikas vote: DO IT as much, as possible, do it more than talk about

Diderik tried out from the book 57 http://www.sfwork.com/jsp/index.jsp?lnk=82c More powerful than he expected*: giving a motto…
*what a nice category!!!

Being comfortable with the problem - wow, sounds really attractive
Problems are maybe needed to create a sense of urgency for change (Diderik)– being solution focussed doesn’t mean I’m problem phobic (Insoo).

George's report aboult Coaching PLUS in Basel
did you recognise his beautiful question: what do you want to hear --- a real coach! No work without an assignement :) and nice questions as well.
Changing the scale, “blind” coaching – I don’t know, what’s it about ---- forced to be in not knowing.

Georges case---- there was a BAD hearing quality so I missed a lot of the question of George and everything out of the answer of Monika.

Entrepeneurship setup, first jobs, married couple, fighting
I have done: work with them separately.
Adviser/coach – what if we wouldn’t know that there is a difference, a border between these 2 things, what would you like to achieve, dear George?

One other thought which went through my mind: their first job --- the perspective of a loooong life in front of them......... so take time to learn something? i don't know how helpful.

So, and now it's bedime. sleep well

Writing excercise

A short while ago I was sitting together with 3 other persons and we were talking about a network were we wanted to invite two more people into. We knew individually what we wanted but through a lot of talking and brainstorming so we needed some more clear statements on our expectations in order to present it to the others.

So this small exercise came up which I am sure exists already. I just don't know about it so I had to invent it my self :-)
It is a bit the same procedure as when kids draw a person on paper together. The first one draws the head, fold the paper so it's not visible other than the neck. Then the next draws the torso and so on.

The questions is: How will we know that this network has been useful for us?
1. Write a starting sentence without finishing and fold the paper with a continuous part of the sentence on the second part (see picture)
2. The next one continues, fold the paper and makes sure a part of the new sentences is also seen on the third part.

It was quiet funny to do with 4 people.

Constructionalism

we mentioned yesterday this cartoon: "you go in there for some seconds and while you are inthere they change the whole world out here".

Solution Focus for team - workshop

Dear all,
as you remember, few time ago I ahve asked for your support for running a 2-day workshop on SF. Thank you for all of you who sent me suggestions.

Yesterday, at the end I have received an "exceed expectations" from the GM of the company. She was impressed by the emotional impact of labeling (please see below Jesper document, where I add The Walking Exhibition with the labels), the fact that thw workshop seemed to be for each individual and for all and the results of "moving' one of her business concern thru entire process and the actions at the end.

Another touching moment for me was when a new joiner told me: "I thought that will take me many months to arrive to the state of mind and heart I have after two days."

Things that worked:
- use compliments in any structure (from labeling to face to face) = rely on the resources the client already has
- move the discussion to what worked instead of what did not work
- point out that past success is a good start for future
- back into the future discussion that creates a lot more enthusiasm than what are we going to do in one year from now.

Regards,
George

With some of you I talked about a nice offer Stephanie and me made to a company: a slim SF structure for an intervention on organisational level. The strength of it was letting clients work, offering an easy and flexible plan with checkpoints in it to stop if it's better enough.

Since some of you showed nice appreciative curiosity I would like to tell you what happened since. We got a "No" and a positive comment on our offer. The decision of the client was to take an other offer which works with a classical consulting model and tells the client, what to do.

We are happy that it was possible to make enough clarity about our way of working and that we are not going to do the job instead of them.
We recognised that this is a relevant part of our offer and we really want to keep it in our work.

I just wanted to share this with you...
...and while sharing it I recognise one more thing:

I'm aware the same role-clarification happens somehow in one-to-one coaching as well. Also in one-to-one coaching clients decide whether the way of working fits to them.
I see a difference I’m not clear about yet. Is it that in a one-to-one-situation client already experienced the benefit (or the not-fitting) of the way of my working before she/he makes the decision to come again or not? And what about the organisational level? Working during the clarification meetings very SF helps clients to see, how it does feel and fit.
-is the difference about complexity?
-is the difference about confidence of the client that what worked in the clarification phase is strong/good enough during the further organisational work?
-is the difference about our own calmness by telling: here works the client even if the client “is” an organisation of 70 or 700 people?

Any nice questions to help me to get more clear? Anything what worked in your praxis?
Thanks! Kati