Editing the posts in this blog to date--this is post #239--is lots of work. I now have all of the posts in a format that allows editing. To turn it into a book--or multiple books--requires lots more work and thinking about the details of the posts.
Lynn Pierce advised me that I could have the book ready to edit by the end of the weekend and she was right--it's ready for editing, though not yet edited.
I'll be working on the edits during the week and we'll see what I have to share as the work progresses. I'm looking for inspiration and perspective as I work with creativity and perspiration.
Wish me luck!! :-)
Showing posts with label perspective. Show all posts
Showing posts with label perspective. Show all posts
Sunday, March 28, 2010
Monday, November 9, 2009
Developing Professional Competence for the 21st Century--Consultants, Doctors, Lawyers, Teachers, Pizza Chefs
"For a boy with a shinny new hammer, all the world looks like a nail." "If we have only one tool in our toolkit, while we may find creative new applications for that tool, we won't be able to do what we could if we had more appropriate tools for the requirements of the job."
In the early days of America, shortly before the Revolutionary war of 1776, many jobs were based on the master-apprentice model prevalent in Europe. A boy would be apprenticed to a trade. The owner would be a "master" craftsman and there would be other stages including journeyman and down to the level of apprentice. Variations on this model still exist today, including a popular concept of an "internship."
One of the purposes of such a model for acquiring professional skill over time was to have a wide variety of work experience allowing the learner to develop a repetoire of skills and tools with which to approach the professional challenges the learner would experience. The apprenticeship model also allowed people to move through the personal performance change curve (see slide 8).
In sales, many people rely on scripts developed to allow more junior sales personnell to cover key aspects of a sales transaction. When someone is obvious in using a script when trying to make a sale, the person who may be buying may be put off by the script. On the other hand, in professional management training, checklists are often used to make sure that managers follow the key steps in managing the appropriate interaction. While some employees may not like that their manager follows a script, others have claimed in the past, "Please follow the checklist. You are a much better manager now that you have one to follow."
That could be true for sales people and sales scripts as well.
Consultants, doctors, lawyers, teachers, pizza chefs, and many other professionals are expected to develop by practicing over time and by becoming reflective practitioners (learning by reflecting on their experience and improving their performance and outcomes).
Often someone comes up with a good idea that everyone likes and trys to implement. Peter Senge and the Fifth Discipline had a major impact on the consulting world. Malcolm Gladwell (The Tipping Point, Blink, Outliers) and Michael Gerber (eMyth Revisited) are both popular authors whose books have inspired many consultants and many follow-up ideas. Eliyahu Goldratt (The Goal, Critical Chain) has developed a series of books and concepts and teaches consultants to work with a Process of Ongoing Improvement ("Poogi").
Professional consultants can benefit from all of these authors and need to integrate relevant tools into their professional toolkits so that they can bring out the most appropriate tool for the situation in which they find themselves.
A problem with consulting firms with massive teams of consultants is that most of the consultants were university trained and focus on relatively low-complexity tasks. The firm brings a wide variety of resources with multiple consultants with varying seniority to meet the challenges of their clients.
When someone works with a smaller consulting firm, the consultant needs to be more flexible, with a solid background of expertise and a network of professional contacts who can be called on to supplement the consultant's skills and tools as needed.
LinkedIn is a good social network for consultants to connect with peers. Sometimes consultants with websites provide links to others in their personal network and sometimes contracts are written so that networked consultants can be brought-in on appropriate pieces of client work.
These ideas are all part of evolving the concept of developing professional competence in the 21st Century.
In the early days of America, shortly before the Revolutionary war of 1776, many jobs were based on the master-apprentice model prevalent in Europe. A boy would be apprenticed to a trade. The owner would be a "master" craftsman and there would be other stages including journeyman and down to the level of apprentice. Variations on this model still exist today, including a popular concept of an "internship."
One of the purposes of such a model for acquiring professional skill over time was to have a wide variety of work experience allowing the learner to develop a repetoire of skills and tools with which to approach the professional challenges the learner would experience. The apprenticeship model also allowed people to move through the personal performance change curve (see slide 8).
In sales, many people rely on scripts developed to allow more junior sales personnell to cover key aspects of a sales transaction. When someone is obvious in using a script when trying to make a sale, the person who may be buying may be put off by the script. On the other hand, in professional management training, checklists are often used to make sure that managers follow the key steps in managing the appropriate interaction. While some employees may not like that their manager follows a script, others have claimed in the past, "Please follow the checklist. You are a much better manager now that you have one to follow."
That could be true for sales people and sales scripts as well.
Consultants, doctors, lawyers, teachers, pizza chefs, and many other professionals are expected to develop by practicing over time and by becoming reflective practitioners (learning by reflecting on their experience and improving their performance and outcomes).
Often someone comes up with a good idea that everyone likes and trys to implement. Peter Senge and the Fifth Discipline had a major impact on the consulting world. Malcolm Gladwell (The Tipping Point, Blink, Outliers) and Michael Gerber (eMyth Revisited) are both popular authors whose books have inspired many consultants and many follow-up ideas. Eliyahu Goldratt (The Goal, Critical Chain) has developed a series of books and concepts and teaches consultants to work with a Process of Ongoing Improvement ("Poogi").
Professional consultants can benefit from all of these authors and need to integrate relevant tools into their professional toolkits so that they can bring out the most appropriate tool for the situation in which they find themselves.
A problem with consulting firms with massive teams of consultants is that most of the consultants were university trained and focus on relatively low-complexity tasks. The firm brings a wide variety of resources with multiple consultants with varying seniority to meet the challenges of their clients.
When someone works with a smaller consulting firm, the consultant needs to be more flexible, with a solid background of expertise and a network of professional contacts who can be called on to supplement the consultant's skills and tools as needed.
LinkedIn is a good social network for consultants to connect with peers. Sometimes consultants with websites provide links to others in their personal network and sometimes contracts are written so that networked consultants can be brought-in on appropriate pieces of client work.
These ideas are all part of evolving the concept of developing professional competence in the 21st Century.
Sunday, September 20, 2009
Perspective--One of the Values of Experience
Perspective, in the context of wisdom, can come from having multiple and varied experiences and learning from them. One of the values to be gained from experience is the perspective one develops over time. Some people seem to have the same experience repeated for many years. Others have multiple experiences throughout the same number of years.
When someone faces a challenge, finding someone who can share some perspective on the situation can be invaluable. This is one of the benefits of working with a "wisdom model" (see an earlier post).
Peter Senge, in his work with the Fifth Discipline, refers to "systems thinking." One way to look at systems thinking is to imagine a pebble in a pond and at all the things the ripples will touch. What connects to what other thing? Many times the changes being considered in response to a perceived challenge will produce consequences. Part of systems thinking is to explore the potential consequences and to refine the decision to minimize negative consequences. This is another of the benefits perspective can bring to a situation.
How do we find someone with that perspective and wisdom. A first thing to do is to look for him or her.
When someone faces a challenge, finding someone who can share some perspective on the situation can be invaluable. This is one of the benefits of working with a "wisdom model" (see an earlier post).
Peter Senge, in his work with the Fifth Discipline, refers to "systems thinking." One way to look at systems thinking is to imagine a pebble in a pond and at all the things the ripples will touch. What connects to what other thing? Many times the changes being considered in response to a perceived challenge will produce consequences. Part of systems thinking is to explore the potential consequences and to refine the decision to minimize negative consequences. This is another of the benefits perspective can bring to a situation.
How do we find someone with that perspective and wisdom. A first thing to do is to look for him or her.
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