Facilitators are inextricably linked to the success of offsite meetings. Author Kathryn Roy of the Harvard Business School’s publication Working Knowledge emphasizes that an impartial and trained facilitator ensures that each participant's point of view is heard and considered. Roy notes that the need for an effective facilitator is even more critical if the focus of the meeting includes introducing new ideas and techniques. Outside facilitators have the advantage of impartiality, but they must quickly get up to speed to learn a group’s cultural nuances, interpersonal dynamics and business goals.
JD Coaching & Consulting facilitates nonprofit board trainings, strategic planning sessions and leadership/team building retreats. Effective facilitation is essential to achieving desired outcomes at these offsite meetings. Preparation and a definitive process are also critical components of a successful meeting.
A client who recently participated in a strategic planning session commented on the attributes of a good facilitator. “Great facilitators ask good questions. For all who facilitate, the answers are in the room; for those [who] instruct, the answers are in their mind.” Interestingly, his company consults with entrepreneurial businesses on strategic execution—including strategic planning and meeting facilitation.
It is imperative for a facilitator to listen well and to pay attention to each participant's need to feel connected, valued and effective. In fact, when asked about objectives for an offsite, many respond this way: “I want to get to know other people better.” Whether it is for board orientation, strategic planning or team building, when folks go offsite to work, they want to interact in the session with each other.
Managing expectations can also influence the outcome of an executive offsite meeting. The same client said this about the strategic planning session: “[You] not only outlined the strategic process, but [you] guided the group though it with humor, patience and a sense of urgency.” His praise aligned with Kathryn Roy’s philosophy that “no toolkit of listening skills can make up for a lack of humor and warmth.”
Offsite meetings are comprised of adult learners with diverse needs and goals. An experienced facilitator needs to treat everyone equitably so that participants are comfortably engaged in the process. When all voices are heard, there is richness to the content of the day.
Do you need help facilitating your next offsite meeting? Let’s keep the conversation going!
Check out this article from Harvard Business School about effective offsite meetings.
Friday, March 28, 2014
Thursday, March 20, 2014
Is Your Company Fit for Growth?
The "practical strategists" at the global management consulting firm Booz & Company have put together the Fit for Growth Index Profiler for companies to help determine their archetypes: Strategically Adrift, Distracted, Capability Constrained, In the Game or Ready for Growth.
The questionnaire will enable you to compare your company to your competitors and get actionable recommendations to go from Strategically Adrift to Ready for Growth.
Take the 10-minute questionnaire and tell us what you think. Let's keep the conversation going.
Take the 10-minute questionnaire and tell us what you think. Let's keep the conversation going.
Friday, March 14, 2014
5 Tips to Powerful Writing
Did you know that good writing might have a strong correlation to career advancement? This doesn’t mean you have to write like a Pulitzer Prize-winning writer to succeed. However, you should pay attention to the words you use in written communication with colleagues and clients. Here are a few things to keep in mind:
- Write in a conversational tone without throwing decorum out the door.
- There are lots of tools out there to help in your endeavor to be a better writer (and speller). Some favorites include www.grammarly.com and www.m-w.com.
- Be positive and friendly when giving direction. Use words like “please” and “thank you” in your communications.
- Before you hit the “Reply All” button, make sure everyone should be involved in the conversation and your words convey the right tone. You might need to take some conversations offline.
- These days people are inundated with information, so break down your messages into bulleted lists, when possible.
Welcome New Employees to an Aisle Seat
Employers spend a lot of time and resources recruiting talented workers, so it only makes sense that these same employers create onboarding programs that provide the opportunity for new employees to be successful. Having a good program in place also makes employees feel like valued members of the team. Here’s what you can do to welcome new ones to the team:
Before Day One
The First Day—and Beyond
Before Day One
- Make sure your company’s website effectively communicates the organization’s mission, culture, and brand so that potential hires know who they might be working for. That way there are no surprises—for either party.
- Who wants to spend the first day on the job drowning in paperwork? Send out employee handbooks and legal forms that can be reviewed and filled out ahead of time.
- Just like you’d prepare your home for expected guests, be sure to prepare a new hire’s workspace (don’t forget the nameplate!) with the needed tools before his or her arrival date.
The First Day—and Beyond
- This is simple but it needs to be said: Relay the very basics to the newbie (copier, lunchroom and restroom locations, passcodes, etc.) so that he or she is not left needlessly wandering and wondering.
- Take the new employee to lunch with other team members. Also, consider giving the new hire a gift card to a nearby coffee shop so that he or she can treat his or her colleagues to a latte and get to know them better.
- The new employee will have questions or concerns. Be available to answer them. Or assign a mentor.
- It might take a few months before a new hire feels acclimated. Create checkpoints at scheduled times such as at the end of seven days, thirty days and ninety days.
Mentoring: No Longer Guru and Sponge
Mentoring is a valuable organization development tool for individuals and organizations in nonprofit and corporate sectors. And it’s not a new concept. It first appeared in Greek mythology as a way of cultural survival. Through the years, mentoring became the informal mechanism for teaching and guiding—taking the form of apprenticeships and cultural traditions.
When mentoring finally found its way into business, it began as patriarchal, authoritarian and one-way. The mentor was the guru and the protégé was the sponge—an eager learner positioned to absorb all that the wise mentor had to offer. Unfortunately, this type of partnership was highly selective and one-sided. Mentors, most often white men, were actually sponsors who picked their young protégés (always men) based on the belief that they were younger versions of themselves. This corporate model of mentoring was exclusionary and it tended to produce clones.
In the twenty-first century, with the emergence of more women and people of color in the workplace, mentoring enjoyed resurgence in Corporate America. In just the last 20 years, mentoring has advanced and flourished. Mentoring is still valuable but new applications are helping organizations enhance diversity and cross-functional and cross-cultural education.
Leading organizations understand the correlation between mentoring and humanizing the workplace and increasing employees’ ownership of the mission. Many companies use mentoring to attract and retain the best candidates, fast-track high-potentials and ensure a seamless succession plan. In working with nonprofits, JD Coaching & Consulting recommends providing new board members a mentor to accelerate learning and facilitate their integration into the organization. In all applications, mentoring promotes individual development while ensuring greater employee engagement, productivity and high performance.
Mentoring takes many forms. It can be formal and informal. People can have “mentoring moments” as well as mentors for life. However, there is a profound difference between a manager and a mentor—and one should be aware of the element of non-judgmental confidentiality that exists with true mentoring partnerships. In the book, The Promise of Potential, Jodi Davis explores the topic of mentoring in greater detail—offering a proven process for selecting a mentor and managing the partnership. Mentoring is not rocket science, but it does require certain guidelines to guarantee effectiveness and success.
JD Coaching & Consulting partners have enthusiastically helped launch numerous mentoring programs in nonprofit and corporate arenas. Mentoring is powerful to have in your business tool kit. It may be an old tradition, but we are never too old to enrich our lives with a mentor who helps us to achieve our potential. Let's keep the conversation going.
When mentoring finally found its way into business, it began as patriarchal, authoritarian and one-way. The mentor was the guru and the protégé was the sponge—an eager learner positioned to absorb all that the wise mentor had to offer. Unfortunately, this type of partnership was highly selective and one-sided. Mentors, most often white men, were actually sponsors who picked their young protégés (always men) based on the belief that they were younger versions of themselves. This corporate model of mentoring was exclusionary and it tended to produce clones.
In the twenty-first century, with the emergence of more women and people of color in the workplace, mentoring enjoyed resurgence in Corporate America. In just the last 20 years, mentoring has advanced and flourished. Mentoring is still valuable but new applications are helping organizations enhance diversity and cross-functional and cross-cultural education.
Leading organizations understand the correlation between mentoring and humanizing the workplace and increasing employees’ ownership of the mission. Many companies use mentoring to attract and retain the best candidates, fast-track high-potentials and ensure a seamless succession plan. In working with nonprofits, JD Coaching & Consulting recommends providing new board members a mentor to accelerate learning and facilitate their integration into the organization. In all applications, mentoring promotes individual development while ensuring greater employee engagement, productivity and high performance.
Mentoring takes many forms. It can be formal and informal. People can have “mentoring moments” as well as mentors for life. However, there is a profound difference between a manager and a mentor—and one should be aware of the element of non-judgmental confidentiality that exists with true mentoring partnerships. In the book, The Promise of Potential, Jodi Davis explores the topic of mentoring in greater detail—offering a proven process for selecting a mentor and managing the partnership. Mentoring is not rocket science, but it does require certain guidelines to guarantee effectiveness and success.
JD Coaching & Consulting partners have enthusiastically helped launch numerous mentoring programs in nonprofit and corporate arenas. Mentoring is powerful to have in your business tool kit. It may be an old tradition, but we are never too old to enrich our lives with a mentor who helps us to achieve our potential. Let's keep the conversation going.
Thursday, March 13, 2014
We're Growing!
For more than 25 years, JD Coaching & Consulting has primarily helped individuals, teams and organizations in Minnesota and Wisconsin improve performance and effectiveness. However, we've always had clients across the region. We are excited to announce a new focus in the Denver area. We have presented twice recently to associations and are now starting a consulting project with a nonprofit in Colorado. Stay tuned for details.
JD Coaching & Consulting, a regional consultancy, works with boards of directors to improve their effectiveness. Is your board effective? Could it be more effective? Contact Jodi Davis to get your organization working with JD Coaching & Consulting today.
JD Coaching & Consulting, a regional consultancy, works with boards of directors to improve their effectiveness. Is your board effective? Could it be more effective? Contact Jodi Davis to get your organization working with JD Coaching & Consulting today.
Friday, February 21, 2014
What Contributes to Your Career Success?
JD Coaching & Consulting is pursuing the answer to that question with our new career/leadership research study. Thank you to all who participated!
Once the research survey is completed, we will produce a summary report. If you didn’t take the survey and would like to be part of the study and receive the summary report, there may still be time!
Benchmark Research
Career success is a current research focus of JD Coaching & Consulting. Did you know that in 2011 we conducted research on what makes nonprofit boards successful? The results of that study have helped improve board performance for nonprofit organizations ever since.
You can request a copy of the Board Performance Benchmark Study, which is available now.
Case Study
The YWCA of Minneapolis hired JD Coaching & Consulting in 2011 to analyze their board’s performance. The findings were impressive. The recommendations from that engagement were implemented. Even though the YWCA is a high-performing board, it has undertaken a second assessment with JD Coaching & Consulting to measure their performance since 2011 and to see how they can further enhance their board’s performance.
Do you serve on a nonprofit board? Interested in improving your board’s performance? Contact Jodi Davis today.
Once the research survey is completed, we will produce a summary report. If you didn’t take the survey and would like to be part of the study and receive the summary report, there may still be time!
Benchmark Research
Career success is a current research focus of JD Coaching & Consulting. Did you know that in 2011 we conducted research on what makes nonprofit boards successful? The results of that study have helped improve board performance for nonprofit organizations ever since.
You can request a copy of the Board Performance Benchmark Study, which is available now.
Case Study
The YWCA of Minneapolis hired JD Coaching & Consulting in 2011 to analyze their board’s performance. The findings were impressive. The recommendations from that engagement were implemented. Even though the YWCA is a high-performing board, it has undertaken a second assessment with JD Coaching & Consulting to measure their performance since 2011 and to see how they can further enhance their board’s performance.
Do you serve on a nonprofit board? Interested in improving your board’s performance? Contact Jodi Davis today.
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