Barry Oshry started running the Power Lab back in the 1970s. Using anthropological observation techniques, he identified the system that we find ourselves operating within – and how it becomes dysfunctional. Tops (End) – Burdened by overwhelming complexity and responsibility. They feel unsupported, isolated and out of touch. Conflicts in this area become personalized and […]
A Reiteration of the Importance of Safe Spaces
For real learning to occur, you have to have a safe space to practice. To create a learning organization, the organization has to be a safe space to practice. If you want a coaching culture, coaching interactions need to be safe spaces. These safe spaces can’t be “separate and apart” from the day-to-day work. Google […]
Teams as its own Process Area
Team Management, in Version 6 of the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOKv6), is buried in the Project Resource Management Knowledge Area under the Executing Process Group. PMBOKv6 is 756 dense pages (not including the Agile Practice Guide). Of those pages, only 45 of them mention teams. Only 25 of those pages talk about teams […]
Aretha Franklin and Teamwork
Aretha Franklin’s 1998 Grammys performance of Nessun Dorma, beyond it being a masterclass in deeply respecting the source material while making it your own, was an illustration of great team functioning. Luciano Pavarotti, the legendary tenor, had to cancel his performance at the last minute. The impact would have left a huge hole in the […]
A Plea from Your Best Employees
Dear Senior Executive / CEO: We understand that you have tremendous pressures put on you. Too many meetings. High demand for face-time. Tremendous pressure for immediate results – often from very vocal stakeholders. And that’s just the stuff we know about. This is a plea from us to you – the executive. We have determined […]
Lakota Sioux Buffalo Hunting: A Case Study in the Importance of Roles
Pictures from my trip to the Badlands National Park, South Dakota. The Plains Indian buffalo hunts provide an excellent example of clear scope, clear “why,” defined roles, and matching roles with skills. The scope of the Buffalo hunt – to get at least enough buffalo so that they could feed the tribe and provide raw materials […]
Drumlines: A Case Study in Merging Two Teams
Two teams. Two different cultures. Two spoken languages. One common experience. The Top Secret Drum Corps of Basel is a stand-alone drum corps in the military tradition (though this group is not affiliated with the Swiss military). The Blue Devils Percussion Line is part of the larger Blue Devils competitive marching band. If […]
Louisville Leopards: Another Model of Teamwork
– The Louisville Leopard – Grade 6 graduates. Please donate and support music education. The Louisville Leopard, in this video, provide another demonstration of teamwork. Working with, the environment you find yourself in. In this case, they have limited resources: 9 kids, the instruments you see on the stage, and 2 adults. Clear priorities. “We […]
Kilauea as a Case Study for Cross-Functional Teamwork
– Video by Tim O’Hara. This park was overtaken by lava on July 12, 2018 —————————- I’ve been watching the slow-moving disaster that is occurring in the Puna Region on the Big Island of Hawaii. As I’ve watched this drama evolve, I’ve been impressed by how everyone involved is trying to work with the environment […]
Video: Experience DURING Projects
(Transcript – minus the “so….” ) There’s another consideration when planning projects that I think gets neglected quite a bit and that’s the question of what experience do you want to have during the project? We get fixated on the destination, what will get fixed, and on why we want to do what we want […]
