The Law Of Raspberry Jam

In an earlier episode, we talked about how to enter a system. Now we'll talk about how to leave. Parting may cause sadness--we're ok with people missing us on an interpersonal level. But we work hard to make sure they can carry on just fine without us.

In this episode, we share our thoughts around how to leave, why it matters, and we share some practical tips.

We, humans, are greatly influenced by the people around us. Our social networks affect our behavior and emotions. They can be a source of support buoying us up. But what happens when most of your network is in the same distress? When sorrows pile on, the whole network can spiral into trauma. In this mini-episode, we’ll talk about what you can do if you are in an organization that is experiencing a cumulative accumulation of sorrow and network trauma.

At any given time a lot goes on in systems. But how we observe systems makes a huge difference in the way we interact with them and ultimately in the value we can provide for clients.

When we're not conscious about how we observe systems, we run around dizzy hoping to make important observations. Even if we are aware of what need to observe, it's challenging.

So just exactly how does one observe systems? And what does it even mean to observe a system? That’s what we talk about in this episode.

We also have some bonus content for you this time! We created a downloadable mindmap that contains the things you can pay attention to that were mentioned in the episode.

We hope you enjoy the episode!

Update 2020-10-14: We have prepared a special and exclusive webinar on this subject. Read more about it and purchase tickets here.

Episode description:

People often ask us, “How do you coach a team that doesn’t want coaching?” The obvious--and not very satisfying answer--is “You don’t.” But there are actions you can take that may lead to an invitation to coach. There are also things you can do that aren’t “coaching” that can affect a team’s ability to work more effectively.

In this episode, we’ll share our experiences of “inflicted help” and offer ideas on shift the dynamic to a better outcome.

As consultants we both enter new systems on a regular basis. But even if you are working in a company, any time you interact with a new group, you are entering that system, and you will have an impact on that group. The thing is, because you are new, you don’t know what has happened before you got there, what the struggles have been, what the norms are. So it is useful to enter with clarity about your own intentions, and a clear commitment to understand who the group was before you. As a newcomer, you are looking at the group with fresh eyes. Your insights are more likely to be accepted, if you stand in curiosity, rather than judgement.

In this episode we’re shifting focus a bit--but still, we come back to questions. The questions that we ask ourselves, and some that you might ask for self-reflection.

Entering Systems Download.