Wednesday, January 30, 2008

Some thoughts on Core Group Dynamics:

I took a walk in the dunes with a colleague of mine sometime. We talked about the difficulties he was having getting through some people in his organisation (members of the core group). He relayed me the story of a friend, who’s a biologist. This guy was observing a group of giant turtles on a forlorn island in the Pacific. Initially, he did not get far. Every time he wanted to come closer, they’d scurry off in to the water. Then, he started seeing who the leaders of the group were. So he got on his knees and hands and crouched down towards the group. Again no luck. He was getting pretty frustrated and thought about packing up. He watched them for another day and really looked for patterns in the group that maybe he’d failed to see previously. Suddenly, he noticed something. The animals he perceived as the leaders of the group all shared a habit: every now and then, they’d use a paw to scoop a bit of sand on their backs. He moved slowly towards the group and installed himself among them. And put a few scoops of sand on his back. And what do you know? He was in and could be among them without the group scurrying of into the water.

Our conclusion: if you want in, find out what the equivalent of that scoop of sand on your back is….

Thursday, January 24, 2008

Quit sticking labels. Start thinking of your organisation as a bunch of people, not an org chart
It’s not about dividing the world in “suits” and “ponytails” It’s about truly accepting yourself and others as they are.
Do you want control (fear ‘n loathing) or to embrace change (love ‘n fun)?
True leaders endorse and enable leadership in others.
Are you going to adopt a wait-and-see-policy or are you going to do something?
Any market is contestible.