By Carol Mase on August 16, 2011
When we first step out into the space of Adaptive Change, we are never sure what our experience will be. As we encounter Adaptive Strain, the red line of the organization, we experience Personal Strain, our personal red line. Personal Strain arises from the complex interactions between our emotions, feelings, attitudes, desires, and goals. We […]
[ Read More → ]
By Carol Mase on July 12, 2011
Leaders spend a significant amount of time on roles and responsibilities, goal-setting, and determining who is accountable for what. They spend much less time defining the outcomes they desire, negotiating the conditions of satisfaction that will achieve these outcomes, and coordinating the commitments of those who report to them. Yet, by focusing on these three […]
[ Read More → ]
By Carol Mase on July 6, 2011
I spent July 4th with my brother – an oil man his whole career. Over the weekend I got a lesson in hydrocarbon geology that seems useful for leaders. Geology of Talent It turns out that gas and oil doesn’t sit underground in huge lakes waiting to be pumped out. Who knew? I thought: dead […]
[ Read More → ]
By Carol Mase on June 22, 2011
This morning my inbox contained a special invitation that I want to pass on to women reading this blog. The Berkana Institute invites you on a Walk Out Walk On Women’s Learning Journey to South Africa, November 1 – 12, 2011, to explore the role that women are playing in recreating community, government, and themselves. […]
[ Read More → ]
By Carol Mase on June 16, 2011
In Skills for Leading the Fall (May 11, 2011) I wrote about a learning cycle for leaders that has three components: Self-Awareness: Understanding the forces acting around you and within you, observing your behavior and using this to course correct. Self-Discipline: The discipline to be “who” you need to be at the moment to deliver […]
[ Read More → ]
By Carol Mase on June 6, 2011
Over the last 20 years numerous business and management authors have identified awareness as a key success factor for leaders. One way to broaden your awareness uses a 4Quadrant approach to frame your perspective, thinking, behavior, decisions, and actions. Unlike the BCG 2×2 matrix, these four quadrants metaphorically capture the four topographies of an organization: […]
[ Read More → ]
By Carol Mase on May 25, 2011
Innovation is a hot topic these days. From what I have seen, organizations have been outsourcing innovation for the last 10-15 years. It began with a reliance on ad agencies and then shifted to “design” companies like IDEO and JUMP. Now the business airwaves and media announce the need for more innovation, faster and more […]
[ Read More → ]
By Steven Ober on May 19, 2011
Leading and Working in Complex Human Systems As the stakes go up… In our “dance with the butterfly”—our continuing conversation about human systems—we have examined The Butterfly Model of Complex Human Systems, the three major sub-systems that make up a human system, and how the face to face world is a stage on which the […]
[ Read More → ]
By Carol Mase on May 11, 2011
The book I find most useful during Adaptive Change is The Practice of Adaptive Leadership by Ron Heifetz, Alex Grashow, and Marty Linsky. When Destabilizing Events arise our first response is to act, and in some cases this is the best response. But those cases are actually rare. In order to truly understand the adaptive […]
[ Read More → ]
By Carol Mase on May 4, 2011
When leading Adaptive Change, you have the opportunity to design the journey initiated by Destabilizing Events so that you can reach the future you desire. Because the actual path you take is unknown and can’t be predicted your leadership provides direction but you cannot control the process. As each person, team, or division moves through […]
[ Read More → ]
Carol Mase, President of Cairn Consultants, is an educator and coach-consultant who has worked in global marketing, strategic planning, and large scale organizational change. [Read more ...]
Kristin Keffeler, MSM, of Kinetic Enterprise, is a business development and leadership coach who specializes in supporting entrepreneurs and business leaders to bring their Big Ideas to life.
Dr. Steven Ober is a senior executive coach and consultant. He has worked successfully with executives and managers in high tech, business and industry, health care, government, and education.