• The 'Tight Times' newsletter
• Creating show-stopper mementos
• How middle managers tackle change
• Ever thought about being a coachee?
• AI: seeking nothing but the best
• enACT: creating a sustainable future for Canberra
• Rule Number Six
• Kindred spirits rule!
• Upcoming iMEET! 'get-to-know' workshop
• We like feedback

The 'Tight Times' newsletter
Welcome to the Autumn 2009 issue of globalNEWS. While the Global Financial Crunch continues, and the impact of Australia's budget is still being debated, here at Global Learning we are planning another workshop to demonstrate our iMEET! collaboration and meeting-support platform (one way to cut down on travel costs!). In this issue: news of recent activities and some interesting perspectives on leadership, change and coaching.

Creating show-stopper mementos
Australia's largest environmental organisation, Greening Australia, brought together 50 of its board members in Toowoomba, Qld, for a national directors' forum to explore the future of the organisation, share ideas and resources, and focus directors on their governance accountabilities. Discussions were captured using Global Learning's iMEET! wireless-linked computer platform. What made the output of the two-day conference literally more memorable was that discussions, resolutions and attendees' photos were published in a glossy booklet, which was presented to all directors as they departed on the final day: an immediate record of the event. [more...]

How middle managers tackle change
The Harvard Business Review article 'In praise of middle managers' warned about underestimating their role: far from being mediocre and resistant to change, middle managers are often a key force in organisational change. They have valuable ideas, can activate internal networks, are attuned to employees' moods, and can balance continuity and change. In tough times, middle managers carry even more of the load. Global Learning recently conducted team leadership workshops for more than 100 middle managers in a Federal agency. We were struck by the resilience, commitment and creativity that they bring to their work.

Ever thought about being a coachee?
Coaching is possibly the single fastest growing method of training and development. Private coaching ('life' or relationship coaching) is not far behind. Why? First, coachees and their organisations clearly find it provides value. Second, in tackling the accelerating demand for knowledge and skills, a coach and coachee form a team, with a greater capacity to learn and apply learning. Third, a coach challenges the habitual thinking that drives most of our behaviour, so a coachee becomes able to think (and do) what was previously unthinkable. This is why Global Learning embeds coaching principles in our change, innovation and leadership training. [more...]

AI: seeking nothing but the best
Appreciative Inquiry (AI) provides a stimulating, counter-intuitive approach to organisational planning, training and development. The conventional approach to planning is: "What's wrong and how do we fix it?" The AI approach is: "What's working well and how do we build on it?" David Cooperrider, of Case Western University, says that AI "turns problem-solving on its head, and shows that change is more powerful, energising, and effective when we inquire into the true, the good, the better and the possible". AI-based approaches are used by many organisations large and small, from mining companies to the United Nations.

enACT: creating a sustainable future for Canberra
Global Learning recently hosted a second gathering of people who want to support existing initiatives and create new ways to drive social change in the ACT region and community. Our guest speaker, Emeritus Professor Valerie A Brown AO, who is a Visiting Fellow at ANU's Fenner School of Environment and Society, is an acknowledged wise elder - both internationally and locally - in engaging local communities in collective learning processes. New social-learning models were identified to create results-driven actions to develop a healthy sustainable future for the Canberra region. Information on the next event will find its way here: [more...]

Rule Number Six
One of the most important lessons that leaders in any profession should learn is to apply Rule Number Six. If applied it in our own lives, imagine how much better the world would be. What *is* Rule Number Six? Read on... [more...]

Kindred spirits rule!
In spite of current slogans, the world doesn't change one person at a time. It changes as networks of relationships form among people who discover they share a common cause and vision. This is good news for those of us intent on changing the world and creating a positive future: rather than worry about critical mass, we simply foster critical connections. No need to convince large numbers of people to change - instead, connect with kindred spirits! Through these relationships, we develop new knowledge, practices, courage, and commitment that lead to broad-based change. [more...]

Upcoming iMEET! 'get-to-know' workshop
"Leaves butcher's paper for dead..." was one notable comment made at a recent session demonstrating Global Learning's iMEET! platform. Our online collaborative technology - used for face-to-face or online meetings and workshops - is simple, intuitive and easy to master. It captures ideas, decisions and voting, and everyone gets a chance to contribute. Ideas can be reviewed, discussed, filtered, sorted and ranked, then further developed. Participants can also review material after event, and build on what is already documented. Workshop details will be posted as soon as it is scheduled.

We like feedback
Please feel free to talk back to us. Ask for more information or links. Comment on our news. E-mail your feedback to us, and if you like globalNEWS, let your friends know and invite them to subscribe, too! Subscription details (and how to unsubscribe) are found here: [more...]