If you are reading this post as a regular visitor to Learning Consortium, you will have noticed that we have a new web design and logo. As we enter our 10th year of the consortium, we have had an overhaul of our image and now have a cleaner and fresher look.

What we do is getting a cleaner and fresher look as well as we enter into the next decade of the 21st century. Partners met for a day in January to consider where we are going and how to get there, and we will finalise plans at our regular meeting in March. Watch this space….

Here’s to the next 10 years.

Geof

Learning Consortium was proud to sponsor a visit by Bill Noonan to Europe this week to present a masterclass on facilitating Productive Business Conversations. Nearly 30 professionals, managers and other consultants from across Europe took the opportunity to learn more about how we manage to have difficult conversations even though we do not start out with that intention - and to learn to apply tools and approaches that will give us a greater degree of success in having more productive conversations.

The masterclass was based on the research and work of Professor Chris Argyris on defensive routines. In Learning Consortium, we use this work of in our own practice, and in our Focus on Influence course, and this was a unique opportunity to share some of these ideas with a wider audience. In a further workshop with the Learning Consortium consultants only, Bill worked with us on developing our use of the models and techniques.

If you would like to know more about how we could help you, or your organisation to be more productive, then please give us a call and we can introduce you to some of the ideas and how they could be applied.

Geof Cox

A lot of activity from Learning Consortium partners…

Last week we published our second newsletter Connections! with articles on Surviving Change which suggests starting by working on yourself; Moving Feedback - tell us a funny, interesting, sad or otherwise moving story about feedback that you got from or gave to someone at some point in your life, and in return we will give you free access to our online 360º feedback tool (available in English, French, German, and Dutch) for a month; End of Year Conversations shows you a very amusing dialogue and some interesting questions; and a review of Discussing the Undiscussable – Bill Noonans book which is the basis for our Masterclass 27^thOctober - there are still a few places available on this Masterclass: click here for more information and to register.

Today Nico published two new book reviews on the site (see below).

And now - the new edition of Cuttings arrives!  In Cuttings issue 82 the lead article is on Engaging for Success, summarising the findings from a recent report to the UK Government which gives strong support for employee engagement. Also included:42 Rules for Creating WE - some practical tips for moving to a world where engagement is the norm from the Creating WE team; a sad message for trainers - most of the colours of the Mr Sketch scented markers are to be discontinued ☹; and Training challenges - the results of a survey by smaartpeople

To download your copy or sign up for future copies click here

Happy reading!

Geof

In the Interpersonal Skills section of the Reading List you will find a review of Timothy D. Wilson’s thought-provoking Strangers to Ourselves: Discovering the Adaptive Unconscious.

Nico

You will find a new review of Manfred Kets de Vries’ new book Sex, Money, Happiness, and Death: The Quest for Authenticity in the Personal Development section of our Reading List.

Nico

Learning Consortium associate Tomás Kennedy is just starting a special assignment in Kabul, Afghanistan and will be there until mid 2010. He will be working as an organisation change consultant for one of the Afghan government ministries. While he is there, we hope that he will set up a new branch of Learning Consortium - and he will certainly welcome any friends or colleagues who are passing through.

Geof Cox

If you are a regular visitor to the site, you will have noticed an addition to the home page: we now have our online questionnaires in Dutch and German. The questionnaires themselves were always available in these languages (along with French and Chinese) but we have now built the total online experience in the languages. So, if you are attending our German or Dutch language versions of Focus on Influence, you can now navigate the whole online 360 in your own language.

We are now working on building the whole of the site in Dutch and German. Watch this space!!

Thanks to Hertha and Jem for the German versions and Jac for the Dutch version, and for co-ordinating the whole of the upgrade.

Gof

The latest edition of Cuttings is now available by going to the Cuttings pages on the menu. In this edition, some interesting research findings by the Hay Group on leadership styles in the current crisis. They show that there is a strong need to develop a positive working climate in the workplace to offset the vicious downward spiral of depression and despair that can ensue when you put in a lot of effort and the results don’t come. They also include some top tips for leaders

Also in this issue, some evidence that employees value being challenged more than any other potential benefit from coaching - which is a positive finding for both coaches and organisations. And finally, a bumper collection of quotations to keep you reflecting over the summer months.

All the best for the rest of the summer

Geof Cox

I came across a quotation from British leadership guru John Adair recently:

“Leadership is about the ability to influence people by personal attributes and behaviours.”

This sums up exactly what we do in Learning Consortium programmes - whether Focus on Influence or any others. We help people to understand their own personal behaviours and the impact they have on others, so that they can develop their personal style and attributes to influence people positively. That way they exercise leadership from wherever they are in the organisation.  Our Leading in Times of Change programme helps leaders to understand and develop the personal attributes and behaviours that helps them to fulfill their role.

If you would like information on either of these programmes, please contact one of the Consortium partners.

Geof Cox