Six Conversations that Matter: Leadership Language in Action By: Bill Brewer Designed Learning Inc. www.designedlearning.com
Shifting our Thinking 180 Degrees “All big things in this world are done by people who are naïve and have an idea that is obviously impossible.” • Dr. Frank Richard (Charles Hamilton) • (1875-1961)
Choosing Accountability is About Individual Choice Each person chooses to take responsibility for the business and for their own “survival” and emotional welfare
The Point To shift our thinking, we must invert our thoughts on cause and effect 180 degrees. 179 degrees falls short.
Connection How valuable do you plan this session to be? How participative do you plan to be? How much risk do you plan to take? How concerned for the whole do you plan to be?
The inversion is about accountability: Accountability hinges on three conditions: The reversal of cause and effect The quality of peer relationships The power of language to bring the future into the moment
Some examples of the inversion of thinking about accountability and commitment: The audience determines the quality of the performance The subordinate constructs the boss The child creates the nature of parent The citizen creates its leadership Inhabitants create the room and the building The student creates the teacher The future creates the present The listening creates the speaker
Public Institutions Will Be Transformed When We: Set higher standards Create tighter measures Install new pay systems Get new legislation, regulation Operate like a business
The Myths of Change Train lots of individuals Automate citizen involvement Privatize services Increase consequences The top drives the change Get a better plan
The Appeal of the Myths They are concrete and easy to implement They keep the existing system in place Based on the transformation of others They avoid accountability
Traditional vs. Alternative Top Control Widely distributed Chosen Compliance Bet accountability = success = success Illusion of safety Deal Choice for for compliance accountability Parent/child Dialogue Adult/Adult Belief in this Belief in this Faith = success = success
3 Questions What is your choice regarding accountability? What is preventing/helping you live this out? What needs to change internally/externally?
Six Conversations That Matter
Qualities of Great Questions Ambiguous Anxiety-producing Personal
Possibilities What is the cross- roads I’m at in my life/work? How are others contributing to this? How am I contributing to this?
Commitment What’s the promise I am willing to make work/life What is the price I am willing to pay for not living it out?
Refusal Questions What doubts do you have? What’s the “no” you have been postponing? What’s the “yes” you no longer mean? What’s the forgiveness you have been withholding? What’s the resentment I have that no one knows about?
Gifts Conversation What’s the gift I got from you in this meeting? What’s the gift I hold in exile or have yet to bear?
Designed Learning Bill Brewer bbrewer@designedlearning.com 1-866-770-2227
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