The following is a short piece I wrote for my colleague Sam Bradd‘s end of year blog post. He asked a number of fellow visual facilitators and graphic recorders the question:

“What did you notice about human nature or communication in 2016?”

And, he said of our responses: “We agree that we’re headed into a VUCA world – characterized by Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity, and Ambiguity. Responses to VUCA can include authenticity, anxiety and change, clarity, and being good to each other.
Here’s 12 insights into what we noticed…”

Here is my response. For the full article, click here to go to Sam’s Blog.

AUTHENTIC CONVERSATIONS
I recently worked with a struggling board intent on setting new cultural norms to be more effective. Several members were new, and the board chair was hoping to build a more “leader full” organization, in preparation for succession. One thing was clear:

This group needed to have honest conversations.

Through a couple of walking talks in alternating groups of three, members were asked to discuss “What expectations do team members have of each other – what is important?” and then “What do you think we should be able to count on from one another?” We walked in one direction with the first question and walked back with the second. We debriefed both conversations in our session space with members highlighting themes and epiphanies. Success for this team came back to being seen, to building trust, and to naming and committing to certain actions and expectations – raising the standard, so to speak. They were empowered by these authentic conversations with each other, and now each feel seen and heard in a new way.

For the full article, click here to go to Sam’s Blog.