ICL Pi Class Graduation - agile collaborative leadership
June 2009, the director of the Institute for Civic Leadership (in Portland, Maine) asked me to present at the graduation ceremony of the "Pi Class." The ceremony was the following Tuesday. Institute for Civic Leadership is a pretty big deal in Maine. Our past governors, members of Congress, elected state officials, as well as leaders in the business, education, and nonprofit sectors are alumni. Graduation would be attended by everyone from representatives of US Senators Susan Collins and Olympia Snowe, to state business leaders, govt officials, ICL alumni, and aspiring ICL participants. I had 5 days of prep time. And 5 minutes to speak. I treated the presentation as an agile collaboration ... involving and drawing on the Pi Class itself. Facilitating the construction of a mosaic of Pi Class impressions of key learnings over the 9 months of the Leadership Intensive. Monday morning. I shot out a simple 2-minute online survey to the entire Pi Class (i.e., 32 people). 24 people (75%) responded. I asked 4 questions – and ICL "users" (i.e., my classmates) provided 3 or 4 responses for each question. So, there were approx 300 separate little bytes of data, or micro-responses to make sense of. The collective “wisdom of the crowd” came together, coalesced, with exactly all the consistencies and inconsistencies -- shared impressions and utter uniqueness -- you'd expect to see from any facilitated collaborative effort. In a day I massaged data to information to experience to wisdom. This presentation portrays the group intelligence of the Pi Class of the Institute for Civic Leadership. Started at the "molecular" level with 300 pieces of data - and transformed it into images and sound. I got a standing ovation - with handfuls of emotionally reserved Mainers laughing for joy and a few in tears. A wordy person by nature, this experience taught me the transformative visceral effect of images on creating a compelling experience and sense of trust, shared identity, and vision.
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ICL Pi Class Graduation - agile collaborative leadership
- 1. What we learned from ICL
- 2. 2-minute survey ______________________________________ 34 members of Pi Class 24 questionnaires returned x 4 questions x 3 to 4 fill-in-the-blanks per question = approx 300 responses ______________________________________
- 4. SURVEY QUESTION 1 to me, an ideal leader is...? ________ SURVEY QUESTION 2 values/conditions that lead to successful collaboration...?
- 5. QUESTION 1&2: ANSWERS SUMMARY
- 16. SURVEY QUESTION 3 values/conditions that weaken or thwart collaboration...?
- 17. QUESTION 3 ANSWERS: SUMMARY
- 22. SURVEY QUESTION 4 how I'm applying what I learned...?
- 24. I've changed...
Editor's Notes
- So.......Last week Institute for Civic Leadership invited me to be the speaker at today's “Pi Class” graduation. There wasn't a lot of prep time. My topic is collaborative agile leadership...and design. So I made this presentation an exercise in agile collaboration itself, drawing on the wisdom of the Pi Class. And facilitated the creation of a mosaic of impressions of what we've been learning Sept 2008-June 09. We've got all of 5 minutes. Hold onto your hats.
- Monday morning. I shot out a simple 2-minute online survey to the entire Pi Class. 27 of 34 people that's 80% responded (thanks everybody!) There were a total of 4 questions – and People tended to give 3 or 4 responses for each question So like 300 separate little micro-responses
- OK – so the collective “wisdom of the crowd” Came together, coalesced... with exactly all the consistencies and inconsistencies shared impressions, and utter uniqueness that we'd expect to see from any facilitated collaborative effort . . . . . . . . . So let's take a peek at what. exactly. our group. intelligence. looks like...
- for the first two questions – which turned out to spark quite similar responses – I combined them As you'll see here !!
- I'm going to read a few excerpts from survey responses – They're inspiring, provocative, and moving - You said “AN IDEAL LEADER...”
- ---> commands respect – not through a position of authority – but through their ability to inspire and motivate people to a common cause
- -> is collaborative—and therefore (this is interesting) open to taking risks
- ---> will achieve more as a group effort than could ever have been gained by the leader alone
- ---> is empathetic, and can touch peoples hearts as well as their minds
- ---> is a good follower And “VALUES THAT LEAD TO SUCCESSFUL COLLABORATION....” you said
- ---> willingness to tolerate ambiguity and lack of closure until the right time
- ---> asking the question: what can I do for the group?
- -> including all stakeholders in the process and discussions
- -> courage to hear things that might not be what you expected
- ---> listening. hard .
- next we chimed in on what we think most thwarts COLLABORATION
- and here are some excerpts ...
- ----> creating small groups that aren't inclusive – including only those who are “safe” or “known quantities” or who'll agree; attitudes of elitism, privelege, or superiority
- ---> any individual believing they already know the best outcome from the start
- ---> lack of desire to understand others' points of view
- ---> rigidity and inflexibility
- FINALLY....MOVING FORWARD? This one was super moving and reflective a huge range of how we were impacted by the Leadership Intensive, and how we're already applying what we learned
- ---> “My whole approach....has changed. ---> “I'm more complete in making sure I have as much information as possible...
- ---> “And then I put it all out in the open”
- ----> The “bracketing technique” came up.... recognizing kneejerk biases, thoughts, and prejudices we all have—in reaction to others—and intentionally setting aside preconceptions, focusing on the person and what they're actually saying now
- ----> Collaboration doesn't mean losing your own voice
- ----> “ICL's leadership intensive provided me with a safe and supportive place to begin a life transition...”
- ----> I'm taking stock of my life.
- ---> I know now that asking for help is not a sign of weakness.
- ---> I work harder to speak out now, when I see injustice, instead of just looking out for myself.
- Amazing to see these themes recur over and over: compassion, listening, inclusion, openness, willingness, flexibility – I wonder whether the Pi Class in September would have come up with these attributes.....or been able to imagine that's what our collective wisdom might sound like now? it fills me with wonder...and joyful anticipation...So what else is possible?