Rolling Toward Your Project Goal

Dear VISTA Leaders,

Greetings and Happy 2012 from Kapila! Setting goals has become a common thought at this time as many individuals set personal and professional goals for the New Year. Therefore, I thought to capitalize on this goal setting spirit and share the following nine questions to consider when you are setting project goals.

Connect the dotted line for each wheel segment if your answer is “Yes.” When the full circle is connected, you have a realistic goal to move toward!

Wish you all a Happy, Productive, Healthy, and Prosperous New Year!

Design Thinking: A Checklist Tool & VISTA Leader Application Example

Hi all from Jean:  This month I want to share an example of creative thinking which is expertly demonstrated by VISTA Leader Andy Gmitter. Andy serves at the United Way of the Piedmont in Spartanburg, South Carolina. He has been developing his creative thinking skills and shared one example of their use with me. A few months ago, he attended the IdeaFEST Webinar. This webinar is focused on tools and ideas designed to build relationships, establish trust and create a sense of connectedness amongst VISTAs. Then he set about designing a session for VISTA Members.

What struck me was how Andy took several ideas from the webinar using his creative thinking ability to form new and novel combinations, blend concepts and make contextual tweaks; thus modifying the ideas for his purposes. This is creative thinking in action!

A tool that can help all of us do this type of thinking is a checklist of nine creative thinking principles called SCAMMPER. SCAMMPER was first developed by Alex Osborn the originator of brainstorming and somewhat later, Bob Eberle arranged the thinking checklist into a mnemonic for easy recall. The SCAMMPER mnemonic stands for:  S=Substitute? C=Combine A= Adapt, M=Magnify or Modify, P=Put to Other Uses, E=Eliminate, R=Rearrange? Reverse?

The idea is to take a subject and ask:  Can I substitute something? Can I combine something? Can I adapt something? Can I magnify or modify something? Can I put it to other uses? Can I eliminate something? Can I rearrange or reverse something? Simply asking the questions sparks new thoughts, ideas and new ways of seeing things. If you want more information on how to use SCAMMPER simply do an online search and you will find more comprehensive explanations, examples and visuals for teaching how to use the tool. It is a rare creative thinking book that does not include a reference to the SCAMMPER tool. One resource that does a fantastic job teaching SCAMMPER, and numerous other tools is the book Cracking Creativity: The Secrets of Creative Genius by Michael Michalko.

Take a look at Andy’s blog reporting on the Lunch and Learn event he facilitated with VISTA members. If you attended the IdeaFEST webinar you will recognize the essence of several of the ideas and you will see how he creatively revised them to meet his needs. Andy has pictures showing the tools in use and he does a great job of outlining the process if you are interested in using it yourself. Regardless, I think you will find the information useful as you consider methods for engaging and connecting VISTAs.  Here’s Andy…

Lunch and Learn November: 90 Day Review

Guest Blog: VISTA Leader Andy Gmitter

http://vistasinthepiedmont.wordpress.com/2011/11/09/lunch-and-learn-november-90-day-review/

Some Thoughts About Listening from Elaine

Listening skillfully is difficult. To listen impeccably, with fixed, full attention is a discipline much like meditation. It requires practice, rigor, and resolve. And when our efforts diminish, it may require forgiveness, gentleness, and sometimes a bit of creative inspiration to get ourselves back on track.

In Western culture listening has never been a prized pursuit. There will never be a Who’s Who in American Listening. To pursue the desire to become a master listener, “a listening warrior,” sort of speak, requires turning away from the dominant culture to explore paths few have chosen.

I have been given some sage advice over the years. One, in particular, received my attention because it was repeated by several different mentors: “teach what you most want to learn.” I wanted to learn about listening because it is vital to psychological and spiritual growth, and the skillful cultivation of it requires ongoing, disciplined practice.

A good listener will come away with many benefits. To mention a few:

• Uncover the skillful means to be more fully in the word, present and responsive, rather than distracted and reactive.
• Realize that listening is a practice, and a practice that takes practice, and being skillful does not require being perfect.
• Recognize and rectify the myriad ways the mind can close the ears.
• Find that listening skillfully nourishes others, and that we can teach others how to return that nourishment to us.
• Recognize that unskillful listening has a variety of causes, and with practice we can learn to distinguish and remedy them.
• Find the confirmation of the truth that words have power; and that listening can be accomplished in ways that channel words optimally, positively, and cooperatively.

When I practice the art and skill of good listening I acknowledge there is plenty of room available for the words and thoughts of others, space that can accommodate perspectives different from my own. The world is large enough to hold conflicting view-points, spacious enough for all of us to peacefully grown, learn and mature.

So the question I leave you with is: “Who might teach you valuable things about listening?”  Go to them and ask them to be your mentor, your teacher, so that you may develop this skill that will enrich your life beyond measure.

“It is the province of knowledge to speak. And it is the privilege of wisdom to listen.” Oliver Wendell Holmes

Dear VISTA Leaders,

Greetings!  It is with much gratitude and excitement I am sharing my first entry through our JEK Speak blog.  Here are some ingredients that you may want to add to the mix of your own leadership recipe.

As we know, the ability to foster and sustain effective interpersonal relationships goes hand-in-hand with being an effective leader.  Today, there are so many models and so much literature related to this theme in leadership and personnel management fields.  In my quest to gain more knowledge and skills in this aspect, I have read and explored several models and reviewed considerable literature.  As I was reflecting and learning from these materials several months ago, I couldn’t help noticing six key elements promoted by most of the models and the literature.  I have compiled them and listed them here for your reflection, intellectual inquiry, and practical adaptation:

Six Keys to Establishing and Facilitating Effective Interpersonal                                                                          Relationships

#1 Review, clarify, and agree on roles and responsibilities, mission purpose and project goals.

#2 Examine and discuss each other’s work and personality styles, goals, dreams, strengths, weaknesses, energy boosters, and energy zappers.

#3 Identify and mutually establish work expectations and norms.

#4 Examine and discuss each other’s communication styles and preferences.

#5 Identify communication expectations and establish a mutually agreed upon communication, feedback, and conflict resolution strategy.

#6 Make mutual commitment to adhere to the agreements related to expectations and strategies.  Additionally, on a regular basis, reevaluate them and make adjustments as necessary.

As you would notice, I have not prescribed any specific tool that you could use for the different steps (for example, using an assessment tool such as the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator for some aspects of Key # 2).  The reason is that there are so many tools, both free and purchasable out there, you could choose based on your own needs, accessibility and affordability.  However, I am encouraging you to share any instruments and tools that you have used and would recommend for the different steps listed above, using the comments feature below this blog entry.

Thank you all for your genuine passion and sincere commitment to making your VISTAs’ year of service both meaningful and a growth experience!

With much respect and gratitude,

Kapila Wewegama



Hi all: Jean Carroccio here with my first JEK Speak blog entry. As many of you know, I have a passion for serious creativity tools and methods. This entry may be useful for those of you who hold or attend meetings that include idea generation sessions. Brainstorming is a very basic technique, and it can yield useful ideas when facilitated effectively. These simple, but powerful tips will increase the quality and quantity of ideas you and your meeting attendees can generate. In future entries I will share more techniques related to the generation and treatment of ideas.

Leaders seek ways to unleash new perspectives and fresh thinking about the challenges and opportunities they and their followers confront on a daily basis. Brainstorming is one method for effectively lassoing the brain power in your group for breakthrough problem solving and idea generation.

Six Steps to Effective Brainstorming Sessions!

Leaders frequently facilitate meetings, trainings and retreats. These types of events are often used to generate ideas, solve problems and confront challenges.  If you want to sharpen your ability to facilitate brainstorming sessions follow these six basic processes:

1.      Alternative Problem Definition and Defining Focus

Spend some time carefully describing the challenge or problem. You can open up a group’s idea generation ability simply by re-stating the problem in different ways.

Example:    

·       The parking lot is too small.

·       Too many people complain about the parking lot.

·       Too many people want to park in the lot.                  

·       Too many people drive to work.

Each statement invites a different set of possible solutions. There are many ways to solve problems, but you will limit your idea generation capacity if you only look at the problem in one way, from one perspective. Even stating problems takes creative thinking!

2.      Suspend Judgment

Quantity and quality are related when generating ideas. That’s one reason why suspending judgment is so important in brainstorming. Critiquing or debating ideas saps the energy of the group and creates a non-creative ambiance. Encourage wild ideas, new ideas, and ideas that suggest fresh approaches. You will rigorously assess them later.

3.      Number Ideas

This helps in two ways. First, it energizes participants as they see the idea list grow. It visually suggests there is very likely a way to solve the problem. Second, it’s an easy way to discuss and manage the ideas as you jump back and forth without losing track of where you are or what you are focusing on.

4.      Build and Jump

High energy brainstorming sessions have a predictable flow.  Anticipate a slowly building momentum, then a fast paced period and finally a plateau.  If you need to re-energize the idea generators, suggest a switch in focus:  Let’s switch gears and consider totally positive solutions!

5.      Make it Visible

Be sure someone is capturing the ideas and that they are visible to the group. This doesn’t require fancy technology. Most design firms use: sharpie markers, giant Post-Its, and butcher paper on tables and walls.  Inviting the idea generators to be physically involved and moving around the room writing down and sketching the ideas can also increase motivation and brain power.

6.      Play and Get Physical

Good brainstorming sessions can be extremely physical. They include sketching, mind mapping, diagrams, stick figures etc. Bring in ideas and solutions from other fields, have materials on hand to build models of a concept.

Final Note:  The quantity and quality of ideas generated are related; the more ideas you generate the more likely you are to generate unusual, interesting and cutting edge ideas. Higher quality ideas generally appear at the end of the list. If you want to insure that your group thinks “outside the box,” ask them to generate 5-10 additional ideas after they are sure the initial brainstorm list is complete. Don’t hesitate to contact me if you have questions related to this blog entry! Jeanthink@earthlink.net.

Hi VISTA Leaders,

It is exciting to have the opportunity to blog with you. There are so many ideas I have to share with you to enrich your leader year that it has been hard to decide what topic to write about for this first blog.

However, I recently saw a video on Ted’s web-site that really had meaning for me; and I think it will have meaning for you, too. The video is called, “Compassion and the True Meaning of Empathy,” by Joan Halifax. For years, I have read and written about compassion and empathy from a service provider’s perspective. So much of what I do, and what each of you, do, as VISTA Leaders is about being in service to others. Joan Halifax however talks about compassion and empathy, not just from her heart and soul, but in such a way that we are inspired to raise our service to a higher level for those we serve.

Anytime we are in service, we must in our core be compassionate and empathic. Both attributes are the basis of trust and relationship-building. Empathy allows us to under-stand another person’s pain, and unlike sympathy, provides a firm boundary to ensure I don’t take on their pain and make it mine. Compassion is the bridge that connects two people in a way that respects their uniqueness, yet provides a clear understanding of their life journey, their suffering and their joy.

This particular video is a “must see” for all VISTA leaders and I encourage you to share it with your members. It will stimulate a deep and wonderful discussion and elevate each leader’s and member’s service to a higher level. Here is the link: http://t.co/5my0uMJf

This video is not directly related to leadership, but it is a deep treatment of one of the most important components of leadership, compassion and empathy. We have learned from Emotional Intelligence and Social Intelligence the profound place in relationship-building empathy has, and the vital element compassion is to service. I believe the deep quality and power compassion and empathy offer each of us as human beings, makes it critical to our self-development. If you have comments or questions, please feel free to email at elainekwilliams@aol.com

With gratitude to each of you for your VISTA service,

Elaine

JEK Speak!

Welcome to the Blog for VISTA leaders! Written by, Jean, Elaine and Kapila, also known as JEK, we are very excited to facilitate this Blog! This is something leaders have been asking for and here it is. For this Blog to be successful, we need to hear from you! We are open to your questions, concerns, need for information / resources and whatever else matters to you.

For instance, a recent leader wrote, on the VISTA Campus: “I thought it was interesting to know my strengths having completed the on-line assessment offered by the Strengthfinder 2.0 book, I received at the leaders’ training, recently. Could there be more resources available for us to delve into work practices, management, or self-development that supports our strengths?” What a great question!

Questions like this one are what we want you to ask and we will respond with answers. We want to interact with you and know what it is you need from us that will have a meaningful impact on ensuring your success as a VISTA leader. Jean, Elaine and Kapila (JEK) will provide you with new ideas, information, resources, and solutions twice a month on this Blog beginning October 6, 2011.

We look forward to engaging with you.