A very interesting article of John Brooker of Yes! And… – Creative Gorilla #127 – :
“What would you do next in this situation?
You are facilitating a meeting with a team that is transforming how it provides its services.
You ask the people to describe their preferred future when everything is working well. What will be happening? What will people be doing, saying, thinking, feeling etc? How will the processes and systems be operating? They do it.
What happens next? Typically, the next step in organisations is to describe what is stopping the team from achieving the preferred future. They list what is wrong, things they have been discussing for ever that never seem to get resolved.
People become dispirited and defensive as they sense people are blaming them or their department for what is wrong. The positive energy drains away and resistance to change develops. Friction occurs, or worse, apathy. Actions aren’t followed up.
Is this recognisable to you? It’s noticeable in transformation programmes, especially when the initial euphoria has ebbed away.
An alternative approach for creative leaders is to identify what is working.
Where can we see clues that the preferred future is happening already, examples of good practice? The purpose is to encourage people to sense that much is going well and they can build on it.” Read more here.
