Recognize the power of the container, context, and expectations.
I received the following paragraph in an email the other day.
Please read it first, then we'll talk about it...
According to rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it deosn't
mttaer in waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny
iprmoetnt tihng is taht the frist and lsat ltteer be at the
rghit pclae. The rset can be a total mses and you can sitll
raed it wouthit a porbelm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos
not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe.
Interesting isn't it? What's it got to do with anything? Good
question. My commitment to write and publish useful content on
the leading groups every week is a strong inspiration for me
to look for connections anywhere and everywhere. Fortunately,
with everything in the universe ultimately connected, you can
always find them. Here's what I see.
The paragraph I ask you to read above has three striking
characteristics that I believe are connected to leadership and
how groups function.
1) Each word in the paragraph is contained in a consensual manner.
By that I mean, the first and last letter of each word are
"correct." By correct, I mean that each of us who can read the
English language and can spell, agree on the the proper characters
that begin and end each word. Without that agreement, the words
would be unintelligible.
2) The words form a coherent paragraph that define a clear context.
If the words were randomly joined without conveying something that
made sense, it would become gibberish. Consider this sentence:
Wrod rset porbelm tihs taht iprmoetnt frist is ltteer be the
wouthit mses huamn bcuseae lteter.
This is a random selection of some of the same words in the
above paragraph that aren't arranged to convey any meaning.
Without the context of coherent speech, it's far more difficult
to decipher the meaning of the individual words.
3) We all experience life through filters. Declaring expectations
is like "tuning your filters" to my particular station. In this
case, I set up an expectation that you might learn something from
reading this paragraph. If you were to have found it in your
email without an explanation in the midst of a seemingly normal
message, you might not have given it enough consideration to
figure out it's meaning.
For me, the above exercise underscores three important elements
important to leading groups:
1) Build a consensual container. Defining and agreeing upon which
behaviors are "functional" is "analogous to building a container"
within which your groups will function. This container is made up
largely of the groundrules and the external environment. If the
container is comprehensive, relevant, and supported by the group,
then they can pretty much do anything inside of it without
sacrificing the meaning they seek. Just as the jumbled words in
our paragraph still work within their functional boundaries.
2) Define a clear and relevant context for your work. If a group
is clear about why they've come together, what they're there to
accomplish, and engage in processes designed to get them what
they want, then the "who," "what," and "how" of the group is
congruent. They form and reinforce the context for their being
together and will therefore present fewer barriers to getting
what they want.
Again, just as our gibberish words were understandable when woven
together into a cohesive paragraph with clear meaning, connecting
people with agreed upon objectives and processes to get there
will bring meaning and progress to their work.
3) Clarify and agree upon group expectations. When the early
work in our groups entails exploration of individual and
collective expectations, we can chart a much clearer course to
realize them. Thus minimizing the many tangents, disagreements,
and general confusion that often accompanies people working
together toward an "uncommon" goal.
Evoking and managing expectations can help people remove
blinders, barriers, and judgements, to better focus on the
work at hand. This makes everyone's work easier and helps us
chart a more direct course to our destination.
I hpoe you ejnyeod tihs atrclie!
675 words.
About the Author
Steve Davis, M.A., M.S., is an Facilitator's Coach, Infoprenuer,
and free-lance human, helping facilitators, organizational
leaders, educators, trainers, coaches and consultants present
themselves confidently, access their creativity, empower their
under-performing groups, enhance their facilitation skills, and
build their business online and offline. Does leading or participating
in groups frustrate you? Subscribe to the free weekly ezine for
group workers at www.MasterFacilitatorJournal.com. Contact Steve at
mailto:steve@....
Copyright 2003. FacilitatorU.com. All rights reserved.