7 lessons I've learnt consulting as a "complexity practitioner"

Change, Complexity and adaptive leadership, Learning Out Loud, Methods and practices

I've now been using a complex and emergent approach to consulting for around 17 years. A friend of mine read me his coaching "manifesto" recently including his approach to internal change consulting. It made me think about what I've learnt about using this approach so I decided it might be useful to reflect on them […]

Ten things to keep in mind when facilitating an emergent process

Boundaries, Complexity and adaptive leadership, Learning Out Loud, Methods and practices

"Traveler, there is no path. The path is made by walking. Traveller, the path is your tracks And nothing more. Traveller, there is no path The path is made by walking. By walking you make a path And turning, you look back At a way you will never tread again Traveller, there is no road […]

Learnings from Whistler: Scaffolding emergence

agility, Complexity and adaptive leadership, Cynefin, Insights, Learning Out Loud, Metaphor, Resilience

In June this year I had the privilege of attending the Cynefin Retreat in Whistler, Canada along with many Cynefin practitioners that up to then, I only knew virtually. The opportunity to finally meet in person was incentive enough to attend, however even that couldn’t compete with the stimulating ideas we engaged with over the […]

Enabling adaptive space

agility, Complexity and adaptive leadership, Cynefin, Innovation, Leadership, Learning Out Loud

I had the privilege this week to co-facilitate an Adaptive Space workshop with Prof Mary Uhl-Bien at a local business school. I’ve long been intrigued by her work, so it was really good to see it applied practically. As always, I’m left with a need to make sense of where it fits into other complexity […]

Befriending uncertainty

Change, General musings, Learning Out Loud, Meaning and purpose

Having just returned from one journey into the unknown (visiting Sweden for the first time), I am preparing to enter the unknown once again as I pack for a residential Tavistock working conference that starts today. Having been through this experience before, I am torn between excitement about what I will learn, and a profound sense […]

Using Cynefin to make sense of preparing for the future of work

Complexity and adaptive leadership, Future of Work, Learning Out Loud

These past two weeks, I've had several conversations with executives and OD/L&D professionals who are trying to make sense of the complexities that automation initiatives are introducing into the workplace. We found it helpful to use Cynefin to understand some of these dynamics. Now we know things tend not to fit neatly into the domains, […]

Coaching leaders in the networked economy: reflecting on learnings from the A-N coaching course (LOL 1)

Complexity and adaptive leadership, Leadership, Learning Out Loud

When you’re at sea and need to find your way, it is key to first locate yourself i.e. know your current position. Before we had GPS, mariners did this by getting a “fix” - taking a compass heading on three widely spaced objects and determining where these headings intersect to get a “fix” on their […]

Blog - Category: Learning Out Loud