A Powerful Path to Personal and Leadership Development_7

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146 true north groups 3. Dealing with a dominant group member. You may be aware of a group member who begins to monopolize the discussion. You may have to cut him or her off tactfully but firmly and shift to someone who is not as verbal. If you see this behavior continue, a private comment to the person after the meeting is in order. 4. Your active leadership. Pay attention to your own energy level. It is relatively easy to get off to a strong beginning as you have adrenaline working in your favor. If you aren’t a little nervous and keyed up at the start, then perhaps you are taking your responsibilities too casually. On the other hand, keeping sharp during the entire meeting and listening in a new, unfamiliar way can be tiring. Try to pace yourself to maintain a solid, active presence. 5. Staying on time. Few highly effective meetings work on a tight timetable, which tends to suppress deeper conversations. Use your judgment about how loose or tight the whole process needs to be. There may be a time when you sense the group needs to take a short pause. Having everyone stand and stretch for a minute can help jump-start a discussion that needs refreshing. Your group will develop its own norms for breaks and refreshments. Use these judiciously to instill renewed energy into the session. At the end, you can feel satisfaction in having led a meaningful and rich discussion. USING A PROFESSIONAL FACILITATOR The key to making the professional facilitator model work effectively is to find one who is both skilled and experienced in leading groups like True North Groups. This role is so vital that it is important to find a professional rather than turning to a friend who may have had some facilitating resources 147 experience. The following are some suggestions for finding the right facilitator. Facilitators, especially professional ones, are as important to your group as members. Thus, it is extremely important to ensure that they fit with the members of your group or those you are trying to attract. Start-up facilitators will set an early tone for the group that must be positive. In looking for a professional facilitator, you may begin by contacting the chapter of a professional coaching association in your area. Call the staff person who runs the association to determine whether they know of some coaches who also have group facilitation experience. If so, obtain a few of those names that fit your criteria for gender and experience and interview candidates. Another source is guidance and counseling departments in nearby colleges or universities. Likewise, many psychologists and psychiatrists are trained to facilitate groups. These latter resources may be more expensive. Be sure to have a written agreement with your facilitator regarding the length of the engagement, the process for review and renewal of the engagement, and how the remuneration will be handled. Facilitator attendance and timeliness are important, especially in a short-term arrangement, so manage them closely. HAVING A GROUP MEMBER AS PERMANENT FACILITATOR If your group decides to select one of your members to be permanent facilitator, it is essential to get the ground rules established at the outset. Will the facilitator be paid or do the work pro bono? You should set a time limit on that person’s leadership — say, one year — and then have an honest assessment at the end of the period. 148 true north groups Another key question is whether the member-facilitator will be an active member of the group, participating equally in all group discussions, or will take a more passive role, as a professional facilitator would do. Finally, you need to establish that all the group members are comfortable with this member’s lead role and do not feel diminished by it. SUMMARY In our research, we have seen that all three facilitation models can work well. The choice should be based upon the makeup of the group and the preference of the members. If, after a reasonable period of time, the facilitation model you have chosen does not seem to be working, it is a good idea to shift to one of the other models. Having a member-led group with peer facilitators has several advantages that make it our preference. You will find member engagement and commitment increase with involvement, whereas dependence on other facilitators can cause some members to become more like spectators. Although this model can experience some shaky early performance, over time it is the one that helps share the load of keeping the group sharp and builds equality among members. RESOURCE 8 Member Satisfaction Survey it is wise to take the temperature of your members each year in order to determine their level of satisfaction. This may be done orally or in writing. The written survey may bring out comments that people hesitate to say in front of the whole group. This survey can be as elaborate or as simple as the need requires. In groups without major storming issues, the simplified survey suggested below can assist in taking the pulse of the members. In addition, it can help identify suggestions to be considered for improved group functioning. Usually once a year, either around the anniversary of the group’s formation or at a retreat held near this date, have one of your members gather the completed surveys to study the results. We suggest all the answers to each question be gathered without identification and put on a single page. Then, the group should discuss collectively the responses to each question to see if there are things your group should reemphasize, continue, or drop. Most members will acknowledge their responses. If there are negative comments about one or more specific members, you may want to hold those back until a feedback session and ensure they are brought forth then. It is a good idea to compare the current results with those of prior years to see what trends may appear. You will want to pay special attention to the satisfaction question in comparison to prior years. Don’t stop the discussion until all of the major issues have been discussed and resolved the best they 149 150 true north groups can be at that time. Some may well be carried over for further study and thought. The following is a suggested format for a member satisfaction survey. resources 151 TRUE NORTH GROUP MEMBER SURVEY 1. What does our group mean to you? 2. What are its main strengths? What should we take forward? 3. What should we leave behind? 4. What are things about the group that bother you? 5. What should we add/begin? 6. Who should we consider as potential members? 7. Anything else? 8. Circle the words that represent your satisfaction with the group: Very Satisfied Neither Satisfied nor Dissatisfied Very Dissatisfied 9. Please explain your rating: Your Name: _________________________________ Date: ______ RESOURCE 9 Group Retreats taking an annual retreat is an integral part of the process of many True North Groups. Retreats provide time together to build group chemistry and discuss important topics in greater depth. Most often, retreats take place over a weekend, when work commitments are less likely to intervene. Retreats can be held anywhere that is conducive to relaxed conversations and provides opportunities for group activities. Suggested sites include a member’s cabin or second home, a retreat center, a resort, or a bed-and-breakfast. It is preferable that the group have the entire place to itself, although that is not always possible for small groups. One of the members should take the initiative to develop the program for the group’s discussion. Several of the members may lead different portions of the agenda. If the retreat lasts two or three days, it can be effective to utilize a multipart program, with each part building on the prior topic. In this way, the group can go much deeper into a topic than it can in its regular meetings. Retreats are also an excellent time to review the group’s process and individual members’ satisfaction with the group. If the group has completed a written member satisfaction survey, the retreat is the perfect time to discuss it. Alternatively, the survey can be taken during the retreat itself. This is an excellent time to discuss any changes members would like to see in the group’s process. The group can also brainstorm ideas and generate a list of future programs. 152 resources 153 Another opportunity for retreats is to use the time for individual feedback sessions, as the more relaxed environment increases the likelihood that members will be open to the feedback and have opportunities to ask questions about it. The feedback we received from members we interviewed during our research process suggests that retreats are fun, encourage deeper conversation, and lead to bonding among group members. They also offer the chance to get to know your colleagues in different settings and to build a stronger community. One interviewee shared her favorite retreat experience, noting, “Each of us brought our favorite poem to share with the group.” She continued, We were in a beautiful garden on a warm spring day. As we read them aloud, the poems took on a different sense of meaning. Unpacking these poems together and reflecting on them was a deeply spiritual experience. The mixed-gender responses added a different energy and flavor to them. We each shared why our particular poem was so important to us. It was an experience I will treasure forever. As Eric Utne notes, “The value of a retreat is that you get to know each other much better.” You have time to hang out, take walks, and have one-on-ones with others that you cannot have in regular meetings. Preparing food and doing dishes helps you find ways to work together and connect in new ways. Suggested True North Group exercises for retreats focus on self-revelation about your experiences, your values, your relationships, and how all these have shaped who you have 154 true north groups become. This ultimately leads to any changes you want to make to become more of the person you seek to be. Other questions might include: 1. What are the changes you want to make regarding your mind? Your body? Your spirit? 2. Taking stock of your life at this point, what’s next? 3. How will you know when you have what you need and want? 4. What more do you have to prove? To whom? 5. What are the major gifts you will need to use in the next chapter of your life? 6. What’s being born in you now? What’s dying in you now? 7. What was the most important advice given to you and by whom? 8. What is the most important gift you have received? What is the most important gift you have given? 9. Reflecting on when you were seven years old, what would that youngster think about who you have become? RESOURCE 10 Adding New Members to Existing Groups at some point, your true north group will have to replace some of its members, as people move out of town or resign from the group, or you may want to expand your group’s size. In our experience, it is much more difficult to add new members to an existing group than it is to form the group in the first place. Once a group bonds, which usually occurs during the first eighteen months of its existence, it often becomes difficult for the group to accept new members. This may emanate from the close bond forged by the members, who are reluctant to risk disturbing the group’s chemistry. Others may not want to take the time to bring new members up to speed. For these reasons it is essential to have all existing members in agreement about additions before initiating the process of selecting new members. On an annual basis, the group should discuss whether there is a need and interest in expanding the membership. This can be done at a retreat or a regular meeting. If so, the original criteria established for membership should be reviewed and discussed to see if they are still relevant. Then the members can decide how to proceed. Often there will be names of prospects that quickly surface, some of whom may have expressed an interest in joining the group. If enough members are familiar with the individuals, then a ranking vote can be held to determine the order 155 156 true north groups in which the prospects will be considered. The group can also discuss whether there should be a trial period offered to the prospect to confirm the interest of both sides. Then a group of two or three members should visit with the candidate to confirm the fit for both the group and the individual. If all goes well, an invitation can be extended at that time. An alternative approach is for two existing members to take the lead in seeking new members. They will act as a search team, setting the criteria and demographics for candidates and developing the process to gather names from existing members and screen candidates. After speaking with the candidates, the two members report back to the members and decisions are taken. When the new members join the group, these two members can act as mentors to them. Some of the people you invite to join your group may already be friends of group members. There will be others suggested, however, who no one knows well, if at all. In this case, you may wish to use the following as a template to get more biographical information about them and about why they are interested in joining your group. resources 157 TRUE NORTH GROUP CANDIDATE BIOGRAPHY Name ___________________________________________ Home address ____________________________________ Cell phone _______________________________________ Work phone _____________________________________ E-mail address ___________________________________ Current employer/role/dates (if retired, most recent employer/role) Postsecondary education Continuing education activities Your age cohort (circle): 20 to 35 36 to 55 56+ Community/organizational leadership roles/dates How did you learn about True North Groups? What is your interest in such a group? Small group experience. Please list the primary purpose of each group, number of years of involvement, the value of group to you, and your reason for leaving, if appropriate. What is your life’s purpose at this point? Anything else we should know about you? Signature: ___________________________________ Date: _____ Please mail/fax/e-mail to: _________________________________ RESOURCE 11 Giving and Receiving Feedback PREPARATION Feedback sessions are intended to help rather than to criticize individual members of your group. One of the hardest things to do is to see yourself as others see you. It can be difficult to find people who will give you honest, thoughtful feedback, uncolored by their own desires or biases. Another important benefit of feedback sessions is the opportunity to build a stronger, more cohesive group. Feedback sessions are not intended in any way to punish or harm your colleagues; if that happens, the group has created a serious breach. What are the important messages you want your colleagues to hear? Why are these important? Will they help them become stronger people and better leaders? As the provider of feedback, you need to be clear about your purpose. Are you genuinely trying to help the recipient, or are there feelings within you that would like to punish the other person? Are your comments delivered in such a way that they are likely to be heard and received, or will they be ignored or rejected? How can you express yourself so that your messages will be taken in by the other person? SETTING THE STAGE It is essential to have the entire group together when you share feedback. It is even better to plan feedback for a retreat, 158 resources 159 when you have ample time to give each member adequate attention. Set aside time for the members to prepare their notes privately before the session. This exercise should be scheduled early in the day, when everyone is fresh. Avoid serving alcohol or conducting this exercise just before you end the meeting. If there are particularly tough messages that may be given, be sure to allot time together to process as a group the feedback people have received. When offering feedback, it is useful to have members first give their assessment of themselves, followed by the responses of others, who will concur or provide their own views. POSSIBLE GROUP FEEDBACK TOPICS 1. Individual feedback to all members about their contributions 2. Effectiveness and openness of group discussions 3. Inputs about specific programs and potential topics 4. Interactions within the group 5. Ways to improve group chemistry and bonding 6. Perceived violations of group norms 7. Concerns about individual behaviors, attitudes, or participation 8. Checking out individual desires for group direction RESOURCE 12 Research Process in 2007, we initiated the research study on small groups that led to the publication of True North Groups. Researcher Jane Cavanaugh, who has been a member of several small groups, joined the team that year to assist in the research process and to conduct interviews of group members. RESEARCH FOR TRUE NORTH GROUPS During the past three years, members of the research team have conducted an extensive literature search and Web-based analysis of existing small groups of the types listed in Chapter 1. They have investigated many small groups similar to True North Groups across the United States and have met in person with organizers of these groups. A formal process for interviewing members of these groups was initiated in 2007. Fifty-two participants were formally interviewed, with notes taken and transcripts made of each interview. The interviews lasted for seventy-five minutes on average. Quotations from the interviewees provide significant content and insights throughout the book. The list of interviewees and their career positions is provided here. The findings from this research process form the basis for this book. The principle finding from the formal interviews and the investigation of other small groups was that the 160 resources 161 participants in these groups were uniformly positive about their experiences. Although their reasons for these favorable reactions varied significantly from one participant to the next, that did not take away from the positive nature of the descriptions of their groups. This finding was applicable to a variety of the groups investigated. No attempt was made to quantify the degree of favorability of groups or to rank them based on their feedback. Nevertheless, the research team concluded that the degree of positivity was both significant and meaningful in their lives. Based on our research and interviewees, the authors concluded that nonaligned small groups have unique benefits that can be replicated and experienced across a wide range of participants, provided the appropriate structure is put in place at the outset. INTERVIEWEES FOR TRUE NORTH GROUPS The following people were interviewed for True North Groups: Cheryl Alexander, CEO, Cheryl Alexander & Associates Inc. Monica Alvarez, director of Forum, Young Presidents’ Organization Carole Baker, interior designer, yoga teacher Frank Bennett, chaplain, Abbott Northwestern Hospital Mary Birchard, executive director, Alzheimer’s Association, MN-Dakotas Bruce Carlson, real estate development Norman Carpenter, attorney-at-law (retired) Jane Cavanaugh, founder, retreat director, The Vineyard Joe Cavanaugh, founder, CEO, Youth Frontiers Inc. Kim Culp, CEO and president, The Excelsior Group John Cuningham, founder, chair, The Cuningham Group 162 true north groups Dwight Cummins, attorney-at-law Ted Cushmore, senior vice president, General Mills Inc. (retired) John Curtiss, president and CEO, The Retreat Chuck Denny, CEO, ADC Telecommunications (retired) David Duclos, senior securities analyst, Dain Bosworth (retired) Dave Dustrud, JD, MDiv Karla Ekdahl, community activist, volunteer Ted Forbes, vice president, General Mills Inc. (retired) Dee Gaeddert, vice president, Korn/Ferry International Dr. Penny George, president, George Family Foundation Peter Gillette, president, Northwestern National Bank (retired) David Hansen, CEO, Spancrete (retired) Dr. Paul Harris, pastor, Eastern Lutheran Church Rick Heltne, senior consultant, People Management and SIMA International Olivia Hoblitzelle, author Loren Hoyman, psychologist Fred Kiel, partner, KRW Consulting Psychologists Laura Kinkead, consultant Ron Kirscht, president, Donnelly Custom Manufacturing Company Ross Levin, senior partner, Accredited Investors Joyce McFarland, community volunteer Jonathan Morgan, attorney-at-law (retired) Craig Neal, cofounder, Heartland Institute Diane Nettifee, president, Magis Ventures Carol Olson Johnson, president, COJ Resources Jim Pfau, entrepreneur Karen Radtke, assistant vice president, Equity Residential Dick Rice, counselor, The Retreat Delia Seeberg, legal assistant, Hughes Socol Piers Resnick & Dym Ltd. resources 163 Mike Seaman, teacher, Highland Elementary School Tom Schaefer, retired business executive, community volunteer Dave Scherf, president, Scherf Construction Jack Sell, group chair, Vintage International Gary Smaby, managing partner, Square One Ventures Paul Strickland, vice president, Target Corp. (retired) Maureen Swan, president, MedTrend Inc. Buddy Tester, formerly director of Forum, Young Presidents’ Organization Lynn Truesdell, attorney-at-law (retired) Eric Utne, founder, Utne Reader Ron Vantine, retired business lawyer Dr. Kathryn Williams, partner, KRW Consulting Psychologists RESEARCH ON HARVARD’S LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT GROUPS The True North Group model has been used extensively in the Authentic Leadership Development course designed by Professor Bill George as an elective for MBAs at Harvard Business School. These groups are called Leadership Development Groups (LDGs), but their structure and content are virtually identical to the True North Groups described here. Since the initiation of the Authentic Leadership Development course in 2005, more than 1,100 MBAs have been members of LDGs. The LDGs have consistently been rated the most important part of the course and are cited as the reason for the extremely large number of applicants. Under Bill George’s supervision, a detailed study of twentynine LDG participants was conducted in the spring of 2008 by a three-person team of graduate students — Amanda Levary, Katie Shaw, and Ira Nobel. Each of the interviews 164 true north groups was transcribed. Specific comments from interviewees gave added insights into why they valued the LDG process so highly. The study also offered insights and recommendations for making LDGs even more effective and was helpful in the formulation of the processes needed for True North Groups. Since 2009, LDGs have been used in the Global Leadership and Public Policy in the Twenty-First Century program at the Harvard Kennedy School, for Young Global Leaders of the World Economic Forum, who are in their thirties. Over two hundred people have participated in LDGs through this program. More recently, LDGs were used in the executive education version of the Authentic Leadership Development course, where participants range from thirty to sixty years of age. Measured by participant evaluations, the degree of positivity is even higher among midcareer participants. A TYPOLOGY OF GROUPS BASED ON OPENNESS AND INTIMACY All of the groups examined, other than those that have characteristics similar to True North Groups, have some form of affinity that initially brings them together: shared beliefs, common interests and/or concerns, and similar backgrounds. What makes True North Groups unique is the lack of such affinity. Some True North Groups have initially come together due to an affinity, but they evolve well beyond it over time. Given the wide range of groups examined, the authors decided to create a typology of these groups (shown in Chapter 1), based on the degree of openness and intimacy expected in each type of group. This criterion was chosen based on interview findings, which suggested that openness and intimacy were the key metrics in determining groups’ resources 165 importance to their members and the longevity of their groups. It does not suggest that True North Groups are superior to other types of groups; rather, it indicates that, on the whole, such groups tend to achieve a higher degree of openness and intimacy across the full range of life’s issues. The authors’ working hypothesis, which requires further examination and study, is that openness and intimacy are essential elements that can be used to measure the effectiveness of the group experience. Effectiveness, in this case, is measured by the degree of personal growth and development resulting from participation in the group, the shared experience of the group, and the level of feedback shared among group members. Although these metrics were not measured in this research, the authors postulate that these factors lead to the unusually high level of bonding among groups, especially those that have withstood the test of time and have shared a variety of life experiences. These hypotheses will require further study before they can be confirmed definitively.
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