Author of First Break All the Rules, and Now Discover Your Strengths, Marcus Buckingham has lots to say about how we perceive and deal with the strenghts and weakenesses we believe we possess. Here’s a question to get your interest:
Raise your hand if you have a sibling; think of them - characteristics and traits. Buckingham’s memory of his brother and sister was that he recognized their different strengths and weaknesses, and how aware he was of this early in life; beyond obvious differences, were the subtle ones. He knew he was not the same as they were.
SLIDE : Build on your strengths and manage around your weaknesses
Proof of this principle: organizations ask him to study their best <whatever> and he discovers there is range where there shouldn’t be range; there are great teams in not so great companies and not so great teams in great companies; a high performing company is a collection of great teams
Some examples:
Based on local economic potential, retailer place stores; what’s going on appears to be improving overall, but when individual stores are graphed there is a scattergram of very broad range of performance;
luxury car company believes that the quality of the dealership experience is key to success; top 10%
factory with various shifts which commits to employee safety; top 10% of shifts on number of accidents had none; bottom 10% had 25.26 of recordable incidents
Researching this at Gallup, they found that 12 questions really got at what’s going on (are in First Break All the Rules) - most important question was “At work,do you have the opportunity to do what you do best every day?”
Some people are delusional about their strengths, while most others are accurate.
SLIDE: In 2000 “Which do you think will help you be most successful?”
People in US replied:
41% Strengths; 59% weaknesses
We think good is the opposite of bad and study bad to get more good; our balance is all off
As David Cooperrider launched the conference, he shared his thoughts in the first session entitled Special Coming Together: The Symphony of Strengths in This Room.
The impressive results of the UN Global Compact include:
I am filled with anticipation. It’s been 3 years since the AI community assembled in a major way. Tomorrow I head for Orlando, FL and the 2007 Appreciative Inquiry Conference: The Power of Positive Change. There are so many aspects of the conference that are igniting my imagination:
The expansion of generative approaches that has inspired collaborations with disciplines and ideas which share so much with AI
The new stories and cases that come from many sectors and corners of the world
The friends and colleagues, old ones I see too infrequently and newer ones who have forged online and phone relationships - what a lovely way to finally get together
Today there was a flurry of last minute details to take care of. I’m heaving a sigh of relief now that the handouts for the session I will give with Jack Ricchiuto are printed and the slides are all fine tuned. I’ve got some bells (Tibetan) and some color and a very engaging plan for Vital Networks:Engaging the Enterprise in Sustainable, Strengths-Based Design, which we are delivering on Monday afternoon. (more about that on Monday)
Some special equipment is in my luggage too. Extra batteries are packed for my digital camera, and a new Flip Video camcorder is ready. Those will be bringing images of the conference to you on this blog. There are hundreds of people who will be at the conference, and thousands who will be with us in spirit from around the world. Roberta Peirick, who will be blogging with me, and I hope to bridge that divide for you.
A picture conveys a thousand words . . . I’ve never doubted the phrase. See how our AI community came together at the AOM in these candid shots. As AIC members and colleagues assembled in Philadelphia, there was a spirit of fun, excitement, engagement and sheer delight. From the AIC dinner on Sunday evening, through our presentations, and the fabulous panel of AI thought leaders celebrating the 20th Anniversary of AI at the AOM, it was not to be missed.
In a sea of 9 thousand + attendees, the AOM Conference can be daunting. We are an oasis of shared ideals, growing thought, and lived experience.
An artifact of my first consulting gig is still among my treasured possessions. The client group presented it to me on the last day. A poster, adorned with a larger than life image and a message that starts: “Learn to listen like a teddy bear, with your eyes wide open and your mouth sewn tight . . .” Why Good Things Happen to Good Peopletranslates this into Look Again–and Look Truly and Deeply. The message is about respect.
“requires us to look again, past first impressions and unconscious biases, to gaze deeply in order to understand another person’s history, struggles, life-journey, and perspectives.” How can you help bring more respect into our often biased, unfair world? Are there ways you can demonstrate more tolerance, civility, acceptance, and reverence for others? What is one way you can show respect to someone else today? How did you react to your respect quotient?
In a thumbs up/thumbs down world, where the value of people’s involvement the merit of their ideas are given short shrift, that’s far from the norm. If the simple idea of pausing to reconsider, of reflecting and weighing and giving way to what’s different or unfamiliar could be a tidal change towards inclusion. At its birth, the United States symbolically and tangibally captured the ideals of equality and tolerance. Stephen Post confirms the way we nurture ourselves by personally living those ideals today.
AI Annotations is a place to create a conversation – an exchange of ideas and practices - among the co-owners of Appreciative Inquiry Consulting and with others who are on the journey of exploration and collective understanding of Appreciative Inquiry.
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Posted by Loretta Donovan
