May 02

A set of WSJ columnists shared their perceptions on this topic in the WSJ Weekend Edition 5-20 & 21-2015 in the WSJ Magazine, page 38. Their ideas/views are important for any facilitator attempting to bring about more than just what’s on the agenda.

Rayne Baron -“…all of a sudden you can’t control it anymore. You have to stand back and let it take on a life of its own”….

Reggie  Watts – “…..is definitely about listening, literally listening to everything around you… to the ineffable, the intangible. Everything has its own vibrations”

Theresa Caputo – “…Negative vibes prevent us from seeing things. So I always say to everybody. ‘quiet your mind’  ”
All three points are very relevant to allowing the “Magic” to build in a Leadership Learning Forum, which is, in my opinion, the lead facilitator’s main  responsibility. Get the full article to ponder  and focus on the “Vibes” in your sessions. Or, that aren’t there, if not & perhaps how to engender them?!?

Mar 03

Back. Tired. Happy to be home. Wonderful trip, for both of us. I knew so little about the place, other than it’s Rain and Cloud Forests….they abolished their Army in 1948, have something like 0.04% of the earth’s land mass, and something like 30.0% of the world’s total species of birds flowers, animals. plants! A multiple of 750x ???!!!  The people are largely middle-class. 97 % literacy. Also very, very diverse heritage, and so is the terrain and climate. Rated 2nd happiest people in the world?? After Bhutan. Saw no homeless. Lots of Americans retire there, and get on their Health System which is very good and get a green card to work a little. Seventeen on the Smithsonian tour, all interesting ,very well travelled, highly accomplished people.  Lots to ponder about why not else where!?!? Leadership history that unusual or successful??? Will study it more now!

Dick in Costa Rica
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Feb 02

I just returned from 2 weeks travel, helping two retainer clients bring their Leadership Learning Forums [LLF]to  “commencement” – that word is used to imply both an  ending and a beginning, again of the Forum Process. They will both continue the cycle.  This trip, especially returning here to more snow than I’ve ever seen on the Cape [window sill high, on our deck from the kitchen  sink outlook], prompts me to keep focusing on the LLF “Magic” sections [ password protected] on this website…a life long effort of mine now, in this my 7th career phase!!

Jan 10

This is a basic LLF process document [Post 237I-3] , recently reviewed & updated for several clients who are beginning to lead their own adaptation/customization, of my evolving LLF Process. Sixteen key decisions and 22 issues to shape or set in place.

Usually takes a lot of discussion, planning and counsel.

And it’s a continual process in order to maintain the “magic”

You’re welcome to connect to explore that ongoing effort.

Jan 01

“For last year’s words belong to last year’s language, and next years words await another voice”

T. S. Eliot  American poet 1888-1965

So, yes, traditionally we set new resolutions, plans, and hopes….a clean slate so to speak…..one of up-looking, and within our grasp, most likely. The key part to me of T.S. Eliot’s quote is  he use of the word “await”…connoting choice, i.e., action we can take….Thus the hope!!. I feel a surge of it for 2015 and send some along to you, if you’d like!

Dec 10

There’s an increasing amount of literature, including some very powerful books, covering this topical area. All reference /support or re-position the scenario, of A2I [Advanced Artificial Intelligence] possibly , in the not too distant future, surpassing general human capacities, enough to control or “rule’ us….like “HAL” in the old movie epic “2001- A Space Odyssey”. But with enough astonishing things already possible, and being done, in many professions, that the fundamental ?’s, or issues, already worked over, in literature and art, are very real. They require much more exposure, dialogue, and personal experience. I have been in technology, and people handling, all my life, but only have read sporadically of AI, now A2I .Will change that in this 7th phase of my life, the Legacy phase…….more to come…..

Dec 01

I am reading/hearing others say in support for driverless cars – 1.2 million people killed each year by cars driven by people -Such cars don’t drink – and like robots they are easy to train/instruct – and such cars could benefit the elderly or disabled – plus their actions are very predicable. In short they are likely better on the average, than very many humans are when those humans drive!!

Much the same set of arguments are made for robots replacing humans in some kinds of work – robots are less forgetful, pay attention to new changes, don’t disobey or underperform

Lots od literature lately about will that always be so, as they are made more sophisticated. It was not long ago, that just “science-fiction” writing/movies, that pushed such possibilities. It seems much closer @ hand,now, given the rate of advancement in exploration in both driverless cars, and robotics in general.

Are these possibilities legitimate concerns for Corporate Information Technology leaders?

I believe so and am engaging in that dialogue, integrating it into thoughtful anticipation of the near future in several industries.

Nov 12

On 11/7 @ Cantigny in a return presentation: GenM – A Deeper Dive, Truls Henriksen covered again his review of the literature, and we held a brainstorming exercise on  how to respond to this deepening trend…how to “embrace it” rather than lament it! This was an assignment for all participants from two organizations “Commencing” their internal  LLF there. We will follow up to capture as many of the ideas/comments as possible, to continue this exploration. It’s a major issue everywhere I am.

Your insights, & suggested tactics are welcome

Oct 23

In preparation for a 3rd cycle of my Leadership Learning Forum process, to be run internally in a client site, largely by themselves now, I unearthed three important books used in the process on some past occasions.

“Teach Your child to Think”  Edward de bono    0-670-83013-5……..plus “Systems Thinking”   J.  Gharajedaghi   978-0-12-385915-0 ….plus  “An Introduction to General Systems Thinking”    Gerald M Weinberg    0-932633-49-8

All powerful. One difficult [ the 2nd ]but extremely rewarding, as some difficult books are. AND…all are in greater need today than ever, because of  global  commoditization of technical devices/access, and easily obtainable or creatable software. But perhaps only for a few of the deeply dedicated leaders in our field . Likely not useful for the convenient or occasional visitor to Information technology as it is evolving today. Maybe just a brief outline or summary??? We  will try that!

Peruse all three. Use parts. Decide yourself, please. Let me know……

Oct 10

Fall is  wonderful in New England. The attached photo  hints at its color, its serenity, its holistic-ness. Past photos, shown still in the archives on this page of my evolving website, show different seasons, all with their own purpose/meaning.

May yours, in your leadership aspirations, be as fulfilling as possible!!

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Aug 27

I have been in Systems/technology all my professional career, beginning in 1959 when a Department I was the manager of, was automated by the then called Data Processing Group. Later I was one of the 11 founders of the Society for Information Management in 1968 [SIM]. Trying to anticipate future advantages of existing or new technology was, & is, always an elusive challenge. Perhaps, relatively speaking, it’s never been any less of a difficult responsibility than now. But is seems like there’s more research, more choices, more potential paths of deployment than was the case earlier in our industry’s short history.

For some time I’ve been a subscriber of Ray Kurzweil’s Weekly AI newsletter, which highlights a broader & more current span of research, venders, organizations, then many of the other publications I read. Having read years ago, reported on, and explained to others, my resulting conclusions from his book “The Singularity is Near”, I’ve always been intrigued by his views, and his extensive network of connections.

Especially , more recently I’ve begun “connecting the Dots”. He uses the verb “convergence”. Gartner’s March 2014 report uses the phase “nexus of forces”. Doing so is very provocative. Perhaps beyond some people, even scary or thought impossible

When you do this  integration today….there clearly seems to be an explosion in the depth, pace and impact of technology, which excites, and sometimes overwhelms me. I hope many more of us are on that journey of understanding and preparation! It’s fundamental!!

May 26

On the Memorial Day weekend, which is the traditional opening of the summer season here on Cape Cod, Barbara and I were out for a walk in The Boston Commons, saw the below stature dedicated to learning and thought it appropriate to share. Learning is such a basic to my life and to my counseling work with  retainer clients and in Leadership Learning Forums. AND it flows to the 2nd most important element in both, i.e.,  helping others work to develope their own selves, fully!

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