Framing feedback as part of a reflection process in which you give conscious attention to “feedback loops” (like an engineer) rather than as a performance process in which you exchange “feedback messages” (like a manager or colleague) can profoundly change the way you think and talk about performance. We need to collect feedback to help […]

“I am well. I am opulent. I have everything. I do right. I know.” – Charles Benjamin Newcomb, author of 1897 book “All’s Right With the World” as quoted by Dr. Tara Isabella Burton in NYT editorial From Burton: ‘While the idea of manifesting may seem modern, the instinct to conflate spiritual forces, political and […]

“New research published in the Industrial Relations Journal found no evidence that individual-level mental wellbeing interventions like mindfulness, resilience and stress management, relaxation classes, and wellbeing apps benefit employees.” — Some frame well-being as an individual challenge in which we liberate ourselves from the limitations and burdens others place on us. Another line of thinking places responsibility […]

Are you someone who has the habit of crossing your arms? Do you furrow your brow so you have RBF? Have others told you you need to work on your attitude? Does this describe something you see in your colleagues? When someone else crosses their arms or furrows their brow does it make you feel […]

Recently, I had a skeptical reaction to a TED talk in which Adam Grant seemed to be encouraging us to categorize each other into three categories of people: givers, takers and matchers. It was my sense that people’s behavior is probably too socially-embedded and fluid to be captured through this sort of categorization. I also […]

As human beings who sleep, wake up, do stuff, then go back to sleep, we all share a common dilemma: How do we make sure we don’t end the day feeling like it was a day wasted?  I developed AFTER as a cuing mechanism I use at the start of my day to make sure […]

As I listened to this highly engaging and entertaining TED talk, I kept wondering what assumptions about organizations and people led Adam Grant to believe that it would be helpful to suggest we can (should?) divide our peers up into givers, takers and matchers. I believe he is onto something important, and I agree that […]

Collegial Action Learning uses learner-centric design principles to enable professional knowledge workers to thrive in a world of wicked problems.  This article describes the flow of a kick-off session of a Collegial Action Learning initiative. We reframe the learning process by starting with the real interests and priorities of the learners. We then come back […]

The following is a rough overview of factors I have considered in the design of initiatives using an action research methodology called Collegial Action Learning. Collegial Action Learning combines individual reflection, ideation and experimentation with collaborative reflection, learning and ideation to spur additional individual action. In an CAL initiative, professionals refine and test their own […]