A frog sitting in a pan of water that is slowly being heated will sit there till it is boiled to death but a frog put into a pan of boiling water jumps out. In regard to climate change, we are like the frog sitting in water getting increasingly hot but refusing to jump out. As one expert says, humans are the only species that foul the nest (the earth) we live in.
Instead of discussing the scientific data on environmental change, I want take the approach that going green is not only good business, it is the only way a good business will operate. In addition to ensuring future generations’ physical assets, going green makes good business sense through positive impact on employee engagement. If people feel they are making meaningful contributions to their jobs, and society as a whole, they are more likely to be engaged and consequently more productive. “In my fifty-two years in business, I've never seen an issue galvanize people in a company like sustainability." Ray Anderson, the founder of Interface Inc, the largest modular carpet manufacturer in the world,
While local organisations often drive sustainability initiatives via their HSE professionals, CEOs of major global companies like Lee Scott, from Walmart are directly championing sustainability, “Being a good steward of the environment and being profitable are not mutually exclusive. They are one and the same.”
The vision of global leaders is crystallising as a mission of doing not less but no harm to the environment. Industrial designer and author of Cradle to Cradle, William McDonough, who works with major companies like Nike and Ford, says that any intelligent leader has to aim for zero impact on the environment. Just reducing the amount of bad we do is not enough.
There are a growing number of businesses like Interface, who are doing well by doing green: Interface produces carpets with recycled, chemically benign materials and aims to go off the grid by 2020. Google has solar panels for its offices. Car companies are designing cars that run on cleaner energy and with engine oils and fabrics that are organic and biodegradable. Local governments are building Green star offices are being built in Perth and Melbourne. WSPLincolne Scott, an environmental building services company has made its Asia Pacific operations climate neutral and calculates carbon emissions for its employee’s home life. Also employees super is invested in a green superannuation fund.
Integral Development has conducted surveys of over 40 companies’ sustainability practices and has run programs to improve these practices. We recently did this with Workpower (awarded the WA Business News’ Best Employer 2009 in the medium sized category) and staff generated over 30 ways to reduce the company’s environmental impact. The workshops also generated a great deal of enthusiasm about working in a green company as well as saving money. Energy efficient lighting, purchasing green supplies and equipment, recycling, worm farms, different product packaging, energy and water audits, and adding sustainability into the values, were just a few of the initiatives being implemented by their ‘Green Team’.
When we look at two major crisis that are facing us in modern times – Global Financial Crisis and Climate Change - the difference in our reaction globally has been extraordinary. On one hand, the financial crisis resulted in significant and swift actions from government and businesses everywhere. We acted as a community of nations to avoid a major worldwide economic catastrophe. Climate change, on the other hand, still requires a substantial mind shift, commitment and significant actions from all national and state governments, businesses, employees and citizens to reduce our collective impact to zero.
People have extraordinary creativity and initiative when faced with a challenge that leads to worthwhile outcomes. Finding ways to work and live in harmony on our home planet is one of the most exciting and worthwhile endeavours we collectively face. Just as looking after the safety and right to equal opportunity of employment for people at work were once novel ideas, the idea of doing green at work will soon become the only way to do well at work.
ENDS...
First published in WA Business News. 30th October 2009. Page 20.
By Dr. Ron Cacioppe
Ron Cacioppe is Adjunct Professor at Curtin University’s Australian Sustainable Development Institute, and Managing Director of Integral Development, one of Perth’s most unique and experienced leadership and management consultancies. Integral Development is a finalist in the Small Business Leading by Example Category of the Department of Environment and Conservation 2009 Western Australian Environment Awards.
Q&A: An Interview with Jay Davies
1.Describe your personality.
Team player, motivated to achieve, trustworthy, accountable, inquisitive, love a challenge and respond particularly well when told something can’t be done! Passionate about self awareness and really enjoy bringing the best out in others. I also love organic food!
2.What are your strengths as a Consultant?
Getting the best out of work teams, trouble shooting to find the core issues and creating an environment that encourages individual accountability.
3.What’s your most memorable workshop you’ve conducted and why?
Presenting in India at the Indo-Australian Multi Disciplinary Workshop and there was a power failure, the room went pitch black and I was requested to keep presenting as normal as it was the generator overheating, the audience ‘were business as usual’, fortunately it wasn’t the same day as I had a stomach bug and exited the stage rapidly after 30mins of my presentation. It made me appreciate the fact we truly do live in the luckiest country.
4.Where do you see Integral Development in 5 years time?
Recognized as a leading consultancy in integrating self awareness with business strategy and individual and team performance, whilst maintaining a focus on sustainable solutions that will take businesses to the next level of development in terms of minimizing their impact on the natural environment.
5.What are your thoughts on Leadership for the future?
After conducting numerous interviews for the Global Leadership Study my thoughts on leadership have shifted considerably. I now believe that everyone one of us has a responsibility to ourselves, to look internally and take ownership of our behaviour and particularly the impact it has on those around us. The best thing we can do is decide what we are most passionate about and then pursue that whole heartedly, I believe this will bring out the natural leader in all of us.
6.If you could invite 5 people to dinner, who would they be?
Mother Theresa for her humility, Richard Branson for a good laugh, The Unknown Rebel for his courage, Albert Einstein for his genius and Eleanor Roosevelt because of her passion for social justice.
7.Who is a Leader that inspires you and why?
Martin Luther King because of his belief in non violence and racial equity.
8.If you were stranded on a desert island, what book and 2 items and would you like with you?
Secrets of the Bulletproof Spirit would serve useful, a fishing rod and swimming goggles to do a few laps around the island.
Team player, motivated to achieve, trustworthy, accountable, inquisitive, love a challenge and respond particularly well when told something can’t be done! Passionate about self awareness and really enjoy bringing the best out in others. I also love organic food!
2.What are your strengths as a Consultant?
Getting the best out of work teams, trouble shooting to find the core issues and creating an environment that encourages individual accountability.
3.What’s your most memorable workshop you’ve conducted and why?
Presenting in India at the Indo-Australian Multi Disciplinary Workshop and there was a power failure, the room went pitch black and I was requested to keep presenting as normal as it was the generator overheating, the audience ‘were business as usual’, fortunately it wasn’t the same day as I had a stomach bug and exited the stage rapidly after 30mins of my presentation. It made me appreciate the fact we truly do live in the luckiest country.
4.Where do you see Integral Development in 5 years time?
Recognized as a leading consultancy in integrating self awareness with business strategy and individual and team performance, whilst maintaining a focus on sustainable solutions that will take businesses to the next level of development in terms of minimizing their impact on the natural environment.
5.What are your thoughts on Leadership for the future?
After conducting numerous interviews for the Global Leadership Study my thoughts on leadership have shifted considerably. I now believe that everyone one of us has a responsibility to ourselves, to look internally and take ownership of our behaviour and particularly the impact it has on those around us. The best thing we can do is decide what we are most passionate about and then pursue that whole heartedly, I believe this will bring out the natural leader in all of us.
6.If you could invite 5 people to dinner, who would they be?
Mother Theresa for her humility, Richard Branson for a good laugh, The Unknown Rebel for his courage, Albert Einstein for his genius and Eleanor Roosevelt because of her passion for social justice.
7.Who is a Leader that inspires you and why?
Martin Luther King because of his belief in non violence and racial equity.
8.If you were stranded on a desert island, what book and 2 items and would you like with you?
Secrets of the Bulletproof Spirit would serve useful, a fishing rod and swimming goggles to do a few laps around the island.
Invitation to participate in the Integral Leadership Book Forum
Leadership involves keeping up-to-date with the latest ideas and thinking in business and in the world. The Integral Leadership Forum will run on Friday morning once every 2 months and will be an opportunity for senior managers to learn new ideas in leadership and have a lively relevant discussion.
The forum will include a brief discussion on a topical book with a small group of senior executives, debate on the ideas, and insight on how these ideas can be practically applied to business and leadership.
Each forum will include:
◦Light breakfast and discussion of one book and its relevance to your organisation in practice
◦A small group of senior leaders(if not able to attend you can send a nominated person to take your place)
◦Each session, a 1 to 2 page summary of the topical book and a hard copy of the book
◦Duration, 1 hour & 15 minutes, 8:00am to 9:15am
◦Occurs on the last Friday once every 2 months, 6 sessions in total
The Venue
The Bodhi Tree Bookshop & Café
Suite 1, 416 Oxford St, Cnr Scarborough Beach Road, Mt Hawthorn.
Forum dates
TBA
Forum Facilitators
Dr Ron Cacioppe
Managing Director, Integral Development.
John Mitchell
Senior Consultant and Executive Coach, Integral Development.
Cost
The fee is $450 (incl gst)
To register your interest or for further information
Please contact Renee Ralph at Integral Development on 9242 8122
The forum will include a brief discussion on a topical book with a small group of senior executives, debate on the ideas, and insight on how these ideas can be practically applied to business and leadership.
Each forum will include:
◦Light breakfast and discussion of one book and its relevance to your organisation in practice
◦A small group of senior leaders(if not able to attend you can send a nominated person to take your place)
◦Each session, a 1 to 2 page summary of the topical book and a hard copy of the book
◦Duration, 1 hour & 15 minutes, 8:00am to 9:15am
◦Occurs on the last Friday once every 2 months, 6 sessions in total
The Venue
The Bodhi Tree Bookshop & Café
Suite 1, 416 Oxford St, Cnr Scarborough Beach Road, Mt Hawthorn.
Forum dates
TBA
Forum Facilitators
Dr Ron Cacioppe
Managing Director, Integral Development.
John Mitchell
Senior Consultant and Executive Coach, Integral Development.
Cost
The fee is $450 (incl gst)
To register your interest or for further information
Please contact Renee Ralph at Integral Development on 9242 8122
Managing Your Energy (by Gregg Kershaw)
Today’s organizations are requiring from their people ever higher levels of performance in what is an increasingly competitive global environment. This of course has consequences for us all, as people attempt to maintain pace with the demands being made. One can think here of the ‘dance of Shiva’, Shiva the god of destruction in the Hindu faith whose dance can be seen as a metaphor for the cosmic dance of creation and destruction. The underlying point being that the world is engaged unrelentingly in endless motion and activity.
How often are comments made about the pace of life, the pressure of competing demands and the question of: how will I ever find the time to stop and smell the roses? Consequently we are suffering the price of our rapid movement into the future – people are attempting to keep pace by working more hours leading to increasing levels of exhaustion and fatigue, of disengagement, of being time-poor, overwhelmed and stressed out. How do we find time for ourselves to experience some healthy and quiet place of calm that restores our energy and vitality?
Schwartz and McCarthy in their article ‘Manage Your Energy Not Your Time’ argue that longer days at the office don’t work because time is in fact a limited resource and suggest however that personal energy is renewable. One of the article’s principal aims is to assist people to take greater charge of their lives in the face of relentlessly increasing demands by assuming more responsibility for how they manage their energy.
The authors suggest that individuals equip themselves to fire on all four cylinders by building their capacity and their renewal skills in four key energy dimensions: body, emotions, mind and spirit. The body dimension is focused upon physical energy, the emotional dimension on the quality of that energy, the mind dimension being about the focus of energy and the dimension of the human spirit about the energy of meaning and purpose.
The dimension of physical energy considers the impact of inadequate nutrition, exercise, sleep and rest and how this diminishes peoples overall energy levels. Becoming aware of our personal signs of flagging energy allows for early action, for example by taking brief but regular breaks away from the desk. The dimension of emotional energy considers how to maintain the quality of available energy by learning to defuse negative emotions and developing methods for fuelling positive emotions. The mind, being the dimension of mental energy, refers to the importance of developing the capacity for flexible focus by creating time for reflection, innovation and strategic development. The dimension that considers the energy of the human spirit, explores the notion that by doing what gives us a sense of purpose and significance, is potentially our most powerful source of energy.
By exploring these energy dimensions the authors encourage the reader to consider how we use our personal energy stores, how this use impacts upon us as individuals and how we might begin to develop practical and enduring ways to both restore and maintain our personal energy levels.
©Written by Gregg Kershaw, Integral Development
How often are comments made about the pace of life, the pressure of competing demands and the question of: how will I ever find the time to stop and smell the roses? Consequently we are suffering the price of our rapid movement into the future – people are attempting to keep pace by working more hours leading to increasing levels of exhaustion and fatigue, of disengagement, of being time-poor, overwhelmed and stressed out. How do we find time for ourselves to experience some healthy and quiet place of calm that restores our energy and vitality?
Schwartz and McCarthy in their article ‘Manage Your Energy Not Your Time’ argue that longer days at the office don’t work because time is in fact a limited resource and suggest however that personal energy is renewable. One of the article’s principal aims is to assist people to take greater charge of their lives in the face of relentlessly increasing demands by assuming more responsibility for how they manage their energy.
The authors suggest that individuals equip themselves to fire on all four cylinders by building their capacity and their renewal skills in four key energy dimensions: body, emotions, mind and spirit. The body dimension is focused upon physical energy, the emotional dimension on the quality of that energy, the mind dimension being about the focus of energy and the dimension of the human spirit about the energy of meaning and purpose.
The dimension of physical energy considers the impact of inadequate nutrition, exercise, sleep and rest and how this diminishes peoples overall energy levels. Becoming aware of our personal signs of flagging energy allows for early action, for example by taking brief but regular breaks away from the desk. The dimension of emotional energy considers how to maintain the quality of available energy by learning to defuse negative emotions and developing methods for fuelling positive emotions. The mind, being the dimension of mental energy, refers to the importance of developing the capacity for flexible focus by creating time for reflection, innovation and strategic development. The dimension that considers the energy of the human spirit, explores the notion that by doing what gives us a sense of purpose and significance, is potentially our most powerful source of energy.
By exploring these energy dimensions the authors encourage the reader to consider how we use our personal energy stores, how this use impacts upon us as individuals and how we might begin to develop practical and enduring ways to both restore and maintain our personal energy levels.
©Written by Gregg Kershaw, Integral Development
Feature Article: Nick Randall Q&A
1. Describe your personality:
Bullish, loud at times, excitable, passionate, split personalities in the sense can be extroverted but often seeks being alone, does not like parties!
2. What are your strengths as a Consultant?
Passion and always wanting fun, not taking things too seriously, (hopefully) being able to break content down into skills and activities to get past the action gap of knowledge but no behavior change.
3. What’s your most memorable workshop you’ve conducted and why?
A school workshop on Rottnest where the year 12 students had to develop over two days a leadership statement. We all ended up crying Students teachers and facilitators alike.
4. Where do you see Integral Development in 5 years time?
Highly regarded Training company, here, nationally and overseas.
5. What are your thoughts on Leadership for the future?
Leaders with much more emphasis on sustainability in personal life work life and in the company practices. Leaders who develop their people right down to the lowest socioeconomic group within their company. Greater focus on the blue collar worker in terms of training. In short we will have to be the clever country to compete at the international level. Industrial leaders will therefore have to be involved as educationalists at all levels of society.
6. If you could invite 5 people to dinner, who would they be?
Barack Obama, Nelson Mandela, Kevin Rudd Tony Blair and finally John Howard. Guess who would feel left out?
7. Who is Leader that inspires you and why?
Nelson, because I believe that he has seen the dark side but crossed over to the good side.
8. If you were stranded on a desert island, what book and 2 items would you like with you?
Tolkein’s Hobbit and snorkel and hand spear.
Bullish, loud at times, excitable, passionate, split personalities in the sense can be extroverted but often seeks being alone, does not like parties!
2. What are your strengths as a Consultant?
Passion and always wanting fun, not taking things too seriously, (hopefully) being able to break content down into skills and activities to get past the action gap of knowledge but no behavior change.
3. What’s your most memorable workshop you’ve conducted and why?
A school workshop on Rottnest where the year 12 students had to develop over two days a leadership statement. We all ended up crying Students teachers and facilitators alike.
4. Where do you see Integral Development in 5 years time?
Highly regarded Training company, here, nationally and overseas.
5. What are your thoughts on Leadership for the future?
Leaders with much more emphasis on sustainability in personal life work life and in the company practices. Leaders who develop their people right down to the lowest socioeconomic group within their company. Greater focus on the blue collar worker in terms of training. In short we will have to be the clever country to compete at the international level. Industrial leaders will therefore have to be involved as educationalists at all levels of society.
6. If you could invite 5 people to dinner, who would they be?
Barack Obama, Nelson Mandela, Kevin Rudd Tony Blair and finally John Howard. Guess who would feel left out?
7. Who is Leader that inspires you and why?
Nelson, because I believe that he has seen the dark side but crossed over to the good side.
8. If you were stranded on a desert island, what book and 2 items would you like with you?
Tolkein’s Hobbit and snorkel and hand spear.
Stateholder Relationship Management (Written by John Mitchell)
It is no exaggeration to say that the ability of organisations, whether public or private, to operate within our society depends not only on their success in wealth creation or, for the public sector, achievement in the delivery of Government policy, but also on their capacity to meet the expectations of a diverse and often changing group of constituents who contribute to their existence and success. These constituencies and interests are the organisation’s stakeholders. All organisations must, as a consequence, be engaged in utilizing resources to create benefits for all its stakeholders now and into the future.
That said, what we have found in practice is somewhat different. Organisations recognise that they often have a quite enormous group of stakeholders but when tested will generally admit to only addressing the needs of a small number. They talk about those stakeholder groups who are a priority at that time, those who have the ability to negatively impact on the organisation, those that are the proverbial ‘squeaky wheel, and those that they simply can’t ignore. When the conversation turns to stakeholder relationship management organisations will often give a quick assurance that they have CRM software up and running. Unfortunately, having the software is not the same as managing the issue!
At this stage some definitions may be helpful. Stakeholders may be defined as “any group or individual who can affect or is affected by the achievement of the organization's objective.” Building on this, stakeholder relationship management is not software, long lunches or even coffee, rather it is best defined as “the means to manage and monitor stakeholder relationships that will ultimately impact on the organisations performance and reputation.” To manage stakeholders effectively to achieve this outcome a number of things are necessary.
They include:
A real understanding of who our stakeholders are. It is simple to say that we should manage our stakeholders but how do we envisage this happening when we are less than clear who they all are?
A way of managing our stakeholder list – it is here that our CRM software can be useful. It is important to remember that our stakeholder list is almost certainly not fixed; the list grows as new stakeholders are ‘acquired’ and equally stakeholder groups may be removed from the list when the relationship ends.
It is absolutely necessary to have an effective method of grouping stakeholders or stakeholder groups. Once we have a listing of our stakeholders and the ability to group stakeholders in a meaningful way we can make good decisions about the appropriate management (and the resources we need to devote) of different stakeholders groups or even individual stakeholders.
Stakeholder management should be included in strategic plans. In this way effective and meaningful management of stakeholders is given the right level of corporate attention and managed through a set of agreed actions and measures.
The management of stakeholders won’t just happen.’ Firstly, it must be led from the top. Secondly, staff with responsibility for managing the organisations stakeholders must understand that it is necessary for them to make time for this important activity and that they will mange stakeholders in accord with the organisations agreed practice.
However, there is one over-arching issue that we should highlight. We can start with a seemingly simple statement; “great stakeholder relationships are built on the basis of mutual benefit.” As said, seemingly simple but it is critical that there is an organisational understanding and genuine appreciation that stakeholders do not exist to be used. Stakeholder management will only be successful is there exists a long term, mutually beneficial relationship between the organisation and its stakeholders. Of course, the relationship may be different for different stakeholder groups (that being the point of the grouping referred to above) but it must be managed properly and consistent. And in this context what does managed properly mean? Like all good relationships we need many elements including effective communication, appreciation, mutual respect, openness, collaboration, trust and more. In short stakeholder relationship management is just that; it needs quality management and a good relationship to produce all the benefits available.
Integral Development offers the following stakeholder relationship management training sessions:
A two hour short presentation and Q & A session;
A half day workshop which incorporates a stakeholder management model and methodologies for grouping stakeholders; and
A full day workshop with all the above plus tools to support staff in further developing their stakeholder relationship skills.
For further information call Integral Development on 9242 8122.
Written by John Mitchell, Senior Consultant and Executive Coach with Integral Development.
That said, what we have found in practice is somewhat different. Organisations recognise that they often have a quite enormous group of stakeholders but when tested will generally admit to only addressing the needs of a small number. They talk about those stakeholder groups who are a priority at that time, those who have the ability to negatively impact on the organisation, those that are the proverbial ‘squeaky wheel, and those that they simply can’t ignore. When the conversation turns to stakeholder relationship management organisations will often give a quick assurance that they have CRM software up and running. Unfortunately, having the software is not the same as managing the issue!
At this stage some definitions may be helpful. Stakeholders may be defined as “any group or individual who can affect or is affected by the achievement of the organization's objective.” Building on this, stakeholder relationship management is not software, long lunches or even coffee, rather it is best defined as “the means to manage and monitor stakeholder relationships that will ultimately impact on the organisations performance and reputation.” To manage stakeholders effectively to achieve this outcome a number of things are necessary.
They include:
A real understanding of who our stakeholders are. It is simple to say that we should manage our stakeholders but how do we envisage this happening when we are less than clear who they all are?
A way of managing our stakeholder list – it is here that our CRM software can be useful. It is important to remember that our stakeholder list is almost certainly not fixed; the list grows as new stakeholders are ‘acquired’ and equally stakeholder groups may be removed from the list when the relationship ends.
It is absolutely necessary to have an effective method of grouping stakeholders or stakeholder groups. Once we have a listing of our stakeholders and the ability to group stakeholders in a meaningful way we can make good decisions about the appropriate management (and the resources we need to devote) of different stakeholders groups or even individual stakeholders.
Stakeholder management should be included in strategic plans. In this way effective and meaningful management of stakeholders is given the right level of corporate attention and managed through a set of agreed actions and measures.
The management of stakeholders won’t just happen.’ Firstly, it must be led from the top. Secondly, staff with responsibility for managing the organisations stakeholders must understand that it is necessary for them to make time for this important activity and that they will mange stakeholders in accord with the organisations agreed practice.
However, there is one over-arching issue that we should highlight. We can start with a seemingly simple statement; “great stakeholder relationships are built on the basis of mutual benefit.” As said, seemingly simple but it is critical that there is an organisational understanding and genuine appreciation that stakeholders do not exist to be used. Stakeholder management will only be successful is there exists a long term, mutually beneficial relationship between the organisation and its stakeholders. Of course, the relationship may be different for different stakeholder groups (that being the point of the grouping referred to above) but it must be managed properly and consistent. And in this context what does managed properly mean? Like all good relationships we need many elements including effective communication, appreciation, mutual respect, openness, collaboration, trust and more. In short stakeholder relationship management is just that; it needs quality management and a good relationship to produce all the benefits available.
Integral Development offers the following stakeholder relationship management training sessions:
A two hour short presentation and Q & A session;
A half day workshop which incorporates a stakeholder management model and methodologies for grouping stakeholders; and
A full day workshop with all the above plus tools to support staff in further developing their stakeholder relationship skills.
For further information call Integral Development on 9242 8122.
Written by John Mitchell, Senior Consultant and Executive Coach with Integral Development.
Feature Article: Michael Fox Q&A
1. Describe your personality.
I am a fairly calm person and am interested in the world around me (in organizations, politics, the arts) as well as what is happening on the inside for me. I enjoy being with people and working on projects with others, particularly if I think that the project is inherently worthwhile. In recent years I have been one of the tutors for the Living Philosophy course that Integral Institute Australasia runs and I have enjoyed teaching and sharing with others about living more in the moment and letting go of the endless chatter that so easily fills my mind and that of others.
2. What are your strengths as a Consultant?
In recent years I have spent much of my work as a consultant undertaking surveys with quite a variety of organisations. My strengths as a consultant in this arena include being able to structure surveys so that they meet the needs of the specific organization and to work with my organisational contacts to ensure that the process goes smoothly. I particularly enjoy working with management groups in helping them to understand the feedback that they are receiving from their employees and to find creative ways of responding to the issues that the survey results raise. I find that I can often facilitate productive discussions on sensitive issues without people taking offense.
3. What’s your most memorable workshop you’ve conducted and why?
One of the workshops that I facilitated this year sticks in my mind because of the way in which the group of managers and coordinators grappled with the organisational survey data that I presented to them and really came to see some of the issues in a good deal of depth. Not only did they come to understand what was going on in the organisation but they also saw clearly some of the connections between these issues. When it came to generating appropriate action plans, their level of understanding of the organisational culture that flowed from the process made it relatively easy for them to be focused and creative in responding to the issues that they were trying to address.
4. Where do you see Integral Development in 5 years time?
I see Integral Development in a really exciting space in five years time. Not only will it have further developed its technologies and instruments that it uses in leadership and organizational development but its group of consultants, coaches and staff will have grown in number and capacity to support one another in being integral human beings who provide exceptional service and support to individuals and organizations. It will also have taken further major steps to operate in a sustainable way and to facilitate this movement in other organizations within Australia and overseas.
5. What are your thoughts on Leadership for the future?
In my view leadership for the future has to tackle issues which are complex and long-term in a world which is often fixated on short-term results. The sort of leadership that can take people where they are but help them see that we are all in this together and that we all need to contribute in ways appropriate to us in addressing the big issues of our day is going to be essential if we are going to overcome the inertia and cynicism that often surrounds these matters.
6. If you could invite 5 people to dinner, who would they be?
Having recently read Dreams from my Father I would find it fascinating to have Barack and Michelle Obama to dinner. I would also invite Geraldine Doogue and Phillip Adams as they both demonstrate interesting perspectives on life and a very broad awareness of what is happening around the world. I would invite my wife, Anne, to share in this experience too.
7. Who is Leader that inspires you and why?
Ray Anderson, the Chairperson of the carpet company, Interface Flor, is a leader who inspires me. I first came upon Ray when I was teaching a unit in Organisational Structure and Design for the Business School at UWA. What struck me about him and his story was the way in which he went through a conversion experience in relation to the unsustainability of his own business and then set about pursuing a 25 year goal to climb Mount Sustainability. In the process he has brought his own staff with him on that journey and inspired many other leaders and organizations to take similar steps and to fashion a whole new industrial revolution.
8. If you were stranded on a desert island, what book and 2 items would you like with you?
At the moment, I would like to have Otto Scharmer’s book, Theory U: Leading from the future as it emerges and I would also like to have my iphone loaded up with some good music, videos and podcasts along with a solar charger so that I could keep using it.
I am a fairly calm person and am interested in the world around me (in organizations, politics, the arts) as well as what is happening on the inside for me. I enjoy being with people and working on projects with others, particularly if I think that the project is inherently worthwhile. In recent years I have been one of the tutors for the Living Philosophy course that Integral Institute Australasia runs and I have enjoyed teaching and sharing with others about living more in the moment and letting go of the endless chatter that so easily fills my mind and that of others.
2. What are your strengths as a Consultant?
In recent years I have spent much of my work as a consultant undertaking surveys with quite a variety of organisations. My strengths as a consultant in this arena include being able to structure surveys so that they meet the needs of the specific organization and to work with my organisational contacts to ensure that the process goes smoothly. I particularly enjoy working with management groups in helping them to understand the feedback that they are receiving from their employees and to find creative ways of responding to the issues that the survey results raise. I find that I can often facilitate productive discussions on sensitive issues without people taking offense.
3. What’s your most memorable workshop you’ve conducted and why?
One of the workshops that I facilitated this year sticks in my mind because of the way in which the group of managers and coordinators grappled with the organisational survey data that I presented to them and really came to see some of the issues in a good deal of depth. Not only did they come to understand what was going on in the organisation but they also saw clearly some of the connections between these issues. When it came to generating appropriate action plans, their level of understanding of the organisational culture that flowed from the process made it relatively easy for them to be focused and creative in responding to the issues that they were trying to address.
4. Where do you see Integral Development in 5 years time?
I see Integral Development in a really exciting space in five years time. Not only will it have further developed its technologies and instruments that it uses in leadership and organizational development but its group of consultants, coaches and staff will have grown in number and capacity to support one another in being integral human beings who provide exceptional service and support to individuals and organizations. It will also have taken further major steps to operate in a sustainable way and to facilitate this movement in other organizations within Australia and overseas.
5. What are your thoughts on Leadership for the future?
In my view leadership for the future has to tackle issues which are complex and long-term in a world which is often fixated on short-term results. The sort of leadership that can take people where they are but help them see that we are all in this together and that we all need to contribute in ways appropriate to us in addressing the big issues of our day is going to be essential if we are going to overcome the inertia and cynicism that often surrounds these matters.
6. If you could invite 5 people to dinner, who would they be?
Having recently read Dreams from my Father I would find it fascinating to have Barack and Michelle Obama to dinner. I would also invite Geraldine Doogue and Phillip Adams as they both demonstrate interesting perspectives on life and a very broad awareness of what is happening around the world. I would invite my wife, Anne, to share in this experience too.
7. Who is Leader that inspires you and why?
Ray Anderson, the Chairperson of the carpet company, Interface Flor, is a leader who inspires me. I first came upon Ray when I was teaching a unit in Organisational Structure and Design for the Business School at UWA. What struck me about him and his story was the way in which he went through a conversion experience in relation to the unsustainability of his own business and then set about pursuing a 25 year goal to climb Mount Sustainability. In the process he has brought his own staff with him on that journey and inspired many other leaders and organizations to take similar steps and to fashion a whole new industrial revolution.
8. If you were stranded on a desert island, what book and 2 items would you like with you?
At the moment, I would like to have Otto Scharmer’s book, Theory U: Leading from the future as it emerges and I would also like to have my iphone loaded up with some good music, videos and podcasts along with a solar charger so that I could keep using it.
Difficult Situations, Difficult People
Integral Development had the pleasure of interviewing Tim Munden, the Vice President of Human Resources at Unilever Foodsolutions. Unilever is a public limited company with over 400 brands spanning 14 different categories of home, personal care and food products including Lipton, Dove and Omo. Some profound questions used by Tim over his career that have made a significant difference when dealing with difficult people are, 'what is needed here?', from what point of view is this person saying seem right?' and 'what does good look like?'.
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