is exclusively for change facilitators who are: At a point in their career where they believe advancing professional capabilities is more about diving deeper into who they are than it is about learning how to use yet another set of concepts or techniques Ready to shift from knowledge to wisdom as the base of value they provide Ready to shift from doing to being as their center of gravity If the time has come to explore your interior landscape in order to have a greater external impact, this program will provide guidance, experiences, resources, and a community of fellow travelers.
Intended Audience: Seasoned change practitioners who, although already skilled in their craft, are committed to raising the level of their effectiveness, as well as that of the change execution profession, and want to do so by focusing on who they are, not what they do. The following key terms/phrases serve as selection criteria for candidates of the program. Seasoned Participants must have several years of experience facilitating the execution of significant change and the scar tissue and lessons learned to show for it. Change Practitioners The program is intended for any professional whose primary focus is fostering individual, group, organizational, and/or societal levels of change. Highly Skilled Participants must be proficient in the application of one or more change execution approaches. (It doesn t matter which ones.) Committed This program is not for the casually interested, those who stand on the sidelines and observe, or anyone unwilling to complete the preparation assignments. the level of their effectiveness Cohorts will be comprised of highly skilled change professionals who believe there is still much more for them to incorporate into the range and depth of their capabilities. As well as that of the change execution profession Those attending should relate to their work as a calling, not a job, and be invested in advancing the overall field, not just their own capabilities. By focusing on who they are, not what they do It is assumed participants have access to and are proficient in the use of various implementation methodologies, tools, and techniques and now want to raise their game by making how they show up a developmental priority.
Three domains of learning can be pursued to raise the level of impact of professional change facilitators: Technical aspects of the work How can I advance my skills regarding processes, steps, tools, techniques, diagnostics, intervention strategies, etc.? Introspective aspects of the work What do I bring forward as a person when applying the technical elements of the profession? Generative aspects of the work Who am I becoming as a practitioner, and for what purpose? Offerings that focus on technical development are what-i-do oriented. (What is the right tool or technique to use in certain circumstances?) Offerings that are introspective and generative in nature are who-i-am oriented. (What is my true nature as a practitioner, how does bringing my full self forward impact clients, and what is my potential that has not yet unfolded?) All three types of learning technical, introspective, and generative are essential to furthering your capacity to provide value to clients, but they are not all readily available. There is an abundance of technically oriented development opportunities for practitioners who want to sharpen their methodology, tools, and technique skills. However, there are few learning environments for change professionals that are designed specifically for introspective and generative discovery. What is called for is an atmosphere where introspective and generative discovery can be explored in a safe but challenging setting. is offered precisely for this purpose. This two-day program is for practitioners wanting to examine what is true at the core of who they are that either aids or encumbers them from increasing the impact they have with clients. 1 Clients are the recipients of a change practitioner s efforts. They may be internal to the same organization as the practitioner, or in an external organization with which the practitioner has a consulting relationship.
The Content of the Learning Central to the program is exploring the relationship between a practitioner s character, presence, and the impact he or she has with clients: true nature is synonymous with who you are and it has an epicenter called your character, which is conveyed through the presence you cast. The kind of impact you have depends on how well your character and presence match with what resonates with clients. Of all the things we draw on to create leverage with clients, our true nature is the greatest asset we have. Only when we see it as core to the value we provide are we able to live up to our full potential and help others do the same. It is who we are, not what is in our bag of intervention tricks, which ultimately determines whether we generate meaningful benefits for clients. This means that, as change practitioners, the secret sauce isn t in our heads, it s in our hearts. Character is like clay in the shape of our inner nature. Presence is a reflection of that shape in a mirror. Impact is the positive or negative experience clients have when exposed to the mirror s representation. If you want a more positive impact with clients, work the clay, don t reach for the mirror. It is only through embracing and positively leveraging the innate character we have to work with that our presence can mature enough to have the impact we aspire to. Character is the essence of who we are and isn t directly accessible to anyone but ourselves. Our interior character needs a voice in order to be expressed to the exterior world. Think of the presence we extend to others as that voice. It is like a force field we create when we convey who we are and it serves as the functional link between our character and the impact we have with clients. Logistics Dates: September 27-28 Location: Atlanta, GA Tuition: $2000 Character and presence is what separates change technicians who submit deliverables and meet timelines from masterful practitioners who provide clients with valuable insight and wisdom. For more information: Contact Sarah Laub at 908-722-5100 x2014 or Sarah@clsadvisors.net
Mel Toomey Mel works with the development of leaders who have taken the use of knowledge and process to their respective limits these are people interested in who they are being not just what they know and what they do. These are leaders who see that being change-ready is not the same as understanding change or doing things about change. For those who are ready, Mel guides leaders into unexplored areas of being areas that amplify the effectiveness of people who are performing at the top of their game. Holding an Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters for his contributions to establishing leadership as a profession, Mel is an educator, executive advisor, and organizational consultant. He founded Center for Leadership Studies and Generative Leadership Group. He is the principal designer for one of the first Master of Arts in Organizational Leadership programs ever offered at University. Mel serves as Scholar in Residence at the Graduate Institute in Bethany, Connecticut, and teaches at the University of Arkansas. Daryl Conner The perspective Daryl brings to his work is informed by the patterns of success and failure he s documented during his four decades of advising senior executives as they orchestrate fundamental change. He specializes in helping strategic leaders and seasoned change agents understand the challenges and opportunities associated with their responsibilities during transformational endeavors. In particular, he facilities the exploration of distinctions between what we do in these roles and who we are while performing them how we show up. Daryl has served as coach and educator to senior executives across the globe and has worked with many of the most successful organizations in the world, including Fortune 500 companies, government agencies, and nonprofit institutions. His work is built on a foundation of research, extensive consulting experience, and a master s degree in psychology. He is founder and chairman of Conner Partners (a strategy execution consulting firm). He has authored two books, Managing at the Speed of Change (Random House, 1993) and Leading at the Edge of Chaos (John Wiley & Sons, 1998), and more than 250 publications, including journal and magazine articles, monographs, book chapters, and videos. In the last few years, the main vehicle for his writing pursuits have been his blog http://changethinking.net.