2011 to 2012: Impetus for Change

Kim Barnes, Barnes & Conti CEO

It has been quite a year. Maybe we’ll look back at 2011 as a time of real engagement and empowerment after a long period of accepting the status quo. From the Arab Spring to Occupy Wall Street, people in many parts of our world seem to have found their voices. Whether we agree or disagree with what is being said, we can celebrate the spirit of dissatisfaction with the status quo that is the impetus for change.

Many years ago, Dick Beckhard and David Gleicher articulated the classic change equation: (D x V x S) > R = C where D stands for Dissatisfaction with the status quo, V stands for a Vision of what is possible, and S stands for the Support needed to achieve the Vision. The product must be greater than R—the perceived Risks of change—in order for C, voluntary Change, to occur. This means that if any one of the three factors—D, V, or S—is missing, change will not happen. If any of them seems weak, the risks will be insurmountable. These movements have created great dissatisfaction, both for the participants and for the general public who hear their voices. In order for real change to occur, they must come together around a vision of a possible future and seek or provide structures and support to facilitate the change.

The passing of a year, however arbitrary any particular date might seem, is an occasion for reflection; a time to look back and a time to look ahead. As teachers of influence skills, we always like to think that we are helping people to make a positive difference in their world. It’s a good time to think about what we are dissatisfied with in our own lives, workplaces, and communities and then—together with others when possible—envision how we would like things to be. Also, we should identify whom we need to influence, how we will approach them, and what help and resources we need to make that vision a reality. Finally, we should take a hard look at the risks involved in the change we want to create—what will it cost us? What are the risks of not changing? How can we reduce the risks of change?

It occurs to me that all of our programs—whether the topic is influence, risk-taking, problem-solving, negotiation, strategic thinking, inspirational leadership, internal consulting, creativity, innovation management, or coaching—come down to this basic equation: How can we change the world, making it a fairer, friendlier, more interesting and more beautiful place for everyone? As someone once said to me, “If everything is fine the way it is, we don’t need leaders.” Since everything isn’t always as we would like it to be, this holiday season is a good time to, as Mahatma Gandhi put it, “become the change we want to see.”

I wish you the happiest, healthiest, and most productive New Year; let’s make sure our dissatisfactions result in real and positive change.

—Kim

In This Issue:

Strategic Thinking for Your Holiday Events by Eric Beckman

All in the Barnes & Conti Family by Sam Roberts

“Lessons” in Leadership by Joel Kleinbaum

Trade Shows & Events

The Tenth Annual Barnes & Conti Virtual Feast

Brunch/Dessert: Great-Aunt Josephine’s Coffee Cake (Kim Barnes & Don Bryant)
Appetizer: Trendy Cocktail Meatballs (Joanna Russo)
Soup: Cauliflower, Potato, and Leek (Joel Kleinbaum)
Salad: Wilted Red Cabbage (Joel Kleinbaum)
Main Dish: Shrimp Stuffed Sole (Nelson Soken)
Dessert: Baked Pears (Lauren Powers)

Just for Fun

Featured Art (above) Visage de la Paix (The Face of Peace), Pablo Picasso

Featured Art, Virtual Feast (next page): “Christmas Dessert” by Kevin Turcotte (the artist is Elaine Turcotte’s brother)

Strategic Thinking for Your Holiday Events

Eric Beckman, Barnes & Conti President

The holidays are a time for seeing old friends and gathering with family. Ideally, everything runs without a hitch, and most everyone starts the new year with fond memories of the weeks leading up to it.

However, there will always be those holiday events that raise the anxiety level—and for many reasons. One way to help approach holiday gatherings with a minimum of stress is to plan a strategic approach to each event.

If you will be attending, or especially if you will be hosting a potentially stressful event, start by gathering your immediate family together as a team. Clarify for each person what they believe are the bigger expectations of the people attending, e.g., to renew family ties, have fun, express religious devotion, get presents, etc. Have everyone think about what might be the biggest potential problem he or she might face, e.g., the aunts get into a fight over something stupid, Uncle Bill gets drunk and turns into a foul-mouthed political attack dog, my sister will make vocal judgements about my life, Pat’s spouse might come-on to me again, etc. Then have everyone write a postive outcome statement that begins with “Wouldn't it be great if…” In other words, think about or envision what do we really want or need to happen.

It is actually harder to get people to stop doing something that is negative than it is to get them to do something different. Using “Wouldn’t it be great if…” (WIBGI) is aspirational and helps us clarify the ideal outcome that we want to see. Using the question “Wouldn’t it be great if Uncle Bill didn't drink too much and start in on the politics?” leaves me trying to prevent a likelihood from happening. However, if I can frame the outcome in positive language, I am more likely to succeed. A more positive example might be: “Wouldn’t it be great if uncle Bill had something to keep him occupied and/or distracted from politics during the party?” While subtle in difference, the second statement is trying to replace behavior rather than just prevent it.

Once I/we have a few WIBGI statements to work with, they can be focused by framing the issue into a more solution focused “How can we…?” (HCW) question. Using the Uncle Bill example, we might write a few variations like: “How can we get Uncle Bill to play a board game with us after dinner?” or “How can we get Uncle Bill to teach us a song (or tell us a story from his youth, or some other non-political activity)?” Write two or three HCW statements for each WIBGI statement that the group agrees on, and then edit/combine them into one final HCW for each WIBGI. Try to open the door to wild ideas and “off the wall” solutions. Encourage innovative thinking and build on each others ideas.

Take a few minutes to identify any key supporters or stakeholders who might be able to help with achieving your HCW’s outcomes or who might hinder your progress. How could you enlist them in the process? What might be some key factors in success or failure that you have no control over?

Once you have a few agreed upon HCW statements and identified stakeholders, decide on when and how to implement actions. Who needs to be involved and when? How can we make it more fun? What will we do if it doesn't go as planned or completely fails? Come up with a secret word or two for signalling success or when to give up and move on. The more flexibility to build in to your strategy, the more likely you will enjoy the outcome regardless.

The holidays are supposed to be enjoyable, and there is nothing wrong with a little strategic thinking to help make them more so. Good luck and good memories for the New Year.

Editor’s note: Eric is a key developer and trainer for Barnes & Conti’s Strategic Thinking program.

All in the Barnes & Conti Family

Contributed by Sam Roberts, Barnes & Conti Senior Associate & Organizational Consultant

Sam said, “Making a contribution this year is nearly impossible for me due to the fact that I have a two and half year old and a five month old. In fact, maybe I should make that my contribution (to the newsletter)” So—with an emphatic endorsement from the editor—here is what Sam wrote:

Sam and his wife Monique welcomed their second baby into the world this year. On July 3rd, 2011 little Marcelo was born. He came a bit earlier than expected, five weeks to be exact. But he is healthy and strong, after all 4 pounds 6 ounces of him spent the first four days of his life in the hospital. He has been growing leaps and bounds ever since. His big brother, Andres, can’t wait for him to get bigger so they can play trains and baseball together.

The happy parents are getting small amounts of incremental sleep, but are loving the fact that their family—and the Barnes & Conti family—has grown so much this year. Happy holidays!”

“Lessons” in Leadership

Joel Kleinbaum, Information Systems Manager

Believe it or not, Barnes & Conti is my day job. I had a musical renaissance a few years ago. I picked up my bassoon again and haven’t put it down since (except to work, of course). I was a bassoon major in college; I just was unable to continue playing seriously. One of my “after hours” activities is with the Music Studio on Harrison Hill, a cooperative of music instructors. Alas, I have no students right now—bassoon isn't all that popular these days, but I do have lots of performance opportunities.

One recent gig was at the “St. Nicholas Day” open house for the church that owns the building used by the music studio. The festivities began with a service of “Lessons and Carols” led by the “Voices Unlimited” Choir. I was to play appropriately festive music during the open house afterwards.

”Voices Unlimited” is a choir made up of developmentally delayed and autistic adults. I was intrigued enough to come 45 minutes early to hear them. I didn’t quite know what to expect, but when I heard the opening solo, sung simply, clearly, by a lovely, natural and unamplified soprano voice, it should have been a clue that there were more good things to come.

Everyone in the choir participated. The soloists all sang reasonably well, but one or two were well above the norm for a volunteer choir.. Other choir members did the readings (“lessons”)—some better than others, but all with gusto. And everybody sang. Even though not everyone was able to sing in tune, the group had a whole-hearted enthusiasm and joy of performing that is all too rare. The whole was touching and inspiring.

I couldn’t help but think, “in today’s marketplace, how many of these people could get even low-paying jobs?” Yet as a group they had done something extraordinary. They had learned a dozen songs, sung them with good ensemble, and moved an audience. They had shown both discipline and teamwork. We could and perhaps should learn from them.

The lessons I learned were about the value of inspirational leadership for workgroups, companies, and just about any organization. The choir does have a director—albeit a self-effacing one. We barely saw the director’s face, but he was there, his back to the audience, but very much involved with the choir. He clearly understands the value of inspirational leadership. Some of the leadership principles I observed were:

Everyone has something of value to contribute. Everyone has some skill that will contribute to the entire organization.
Play to people’s strengths, not weaknesses. Let the good voices sing the solos, let the pianists accompany, and let the people with enthusiasm share it with everyone else.
Encourage, encourage, and encourage some more. There is no way that this group could have offered such a moving performance without encouragement.
Whenever possible, make it fun. The choir tossed in a couple of bouncy, rhythmic, fun songs, and during those numbers, the choir just lit up. People will contribute more and make more of an effort if they enjoy what they’re doing.

Perhaps these lessons are lessons for all of us to live by. I hope you all find your source of inspiration and enthusiasm during the Holiday Season that will carry you through the New Year.

Events, Trade Shows, and Happenings

AIMC Conference
April 22-25, 2012
Marco Island, FL
Kim Barnes & Beverly Scott to speak on “Consulting on the Inside”