How an organization can act like an addict

My mind, prompted by recent events, has gone back to this old handout, which I first learned about got when I was training as a rape prevention instructor at BAMM (now Bay Area Impact) www.bamm.org

HOW AN ORGANIZATION CAN ACT LIKE AN ADDICT

From the Teamwork section, Model Mugging instructor manual

• Offering a promise for the future while ignoring the problems of today
• Operating to create and maintain an false image - decisions based on keeping a good image, not on real needs or honesty
• Determining what to do based on how it will look to others
• Invalidating any views that threaten status quo - no channel to get honest feedback
• Fabrication of personality conflicts to shift attention away from real issues
• Dualistic thinking - simple solutions for complex problems
• Us against the world, us against them attitude
• Using perks, praise, promises to get people to act in ways they are not in agreement with/overworked, under-paid, etc.
• Isolating people who don't go along with the crowd, plan, policy

Starting work on my Thesis Blog

Well, I'm finally caught up on old journal entries and other assorted thoughts I wanted to transfer into here. Now, unfortunately it is time to roll my sleeves up and dive into that big tank-o-jell-o that I call my thesis.

I've promised myself no more idle blogging unless I've put in at least as much time polishing up my thesis. This means I won't be here as much, and I'll be way more invested in my Thesis Progress Blog: Deliberative Environmental Governance.

Please come over, post comments, frown at my bizarre ideas, light votive candles to Saint Jude (or to Sherab Chamma), whatever works!!

The link to that other blog is:

http://deliberativegreen.blogspot.com/

(or just click on the title to this article)

Hope to have you over for coffee and to being enriched by your input.

Garuda / Sergio.

Manual de Colaboración / Collaboration Handbook

One of my most satisfying accomplishments in 2006 was the design and completion of five training workshops with the multi-stakeholders of participatory management of Wildlife Protected Areas in different Central American countries. This work was done under a contract between CEDARENA (Costa Rica's Environmental Law Center) and the International Union for the Conservatin of Nature, with the support of the European Union.

I was lucky, in the implementation of this project, to have a chance to work with my colleague and longtime friend, Fran Paniagua, who took some time off from his Ph.D. studies at the University of Florida to co-design and co-facilitate the workshops wit me. The workshop participants in each country were extremely generous, supportive and patient with us, and provided extremely valuable insights that helped us refine our methodology.

The workshop methodology was documented in a 24-minute DVD. Once the project was completed, Fran and I felt it would be a worthwhile effort to compose a handbook laying out the design and basic concepts of the workshops.

In my opinion, the handbook made two significant contributions: integrating diverse skills (communication, facilitation, negotiation) under a common thread in a way that can be relevant on-the-ground conservation stakeholder concerns, and its proactive framing of the learning process as collaboration, rather than resolving conflict. The handbook's pdf file (Spanish edition only) can be accessed at this address

http://tinyurl.com/comanejo
(or by clicking on the title to this article).

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Uno de mis logros más satisfactorios en el 2006 fue el diseño y ejecución de cinco talleres de capacitación con multiples actores del manejo paticipativo de Areas Silvestres Protegidas en diversos países centroamericanos. Estre trabajo se ejecutó bajo un contrato entre CEDARENA (una O.N.G. de Derecho Ambiental de Costa Rica) y la Unión Internacional para la Conservación de la Naturaleza, con el apoyo de la Unión Europea.

Tuve la fortuna, en la realización de este proyecto, de trabajar con my colega y amigo de muchos años, Fran Paniagua, quien se dio un descanso de sus estudios de doctorado en la Universidad de Florida para co-diseñar y co-facilitar estos talleres conmigo. Los participantes en cada país fueron extremadamente generosos, apoyaron mucho el proceso y nos tuvieron gran paciencia, además, nos aportaron sus puntos de vista extremadamente valiosos para depurar la metodología.

La metodología del taller fue documentada en un DVD de 24 minutos. Una vez que el proyecto había sido desarrollado en su totalidad, Fran y yo consideramos que valdría la pena preparar un manual que detallara el diseño y los conceptos básicos de los talleres.

En mi opinión, el manual hace dos contribuciones relevantes: la integración de diversas destrezas (comunicación, facilitación negociación) bajo un hilo común que pueda ser relevante a los intereses locales de los actores de la conservación, y su planteamiento proactivo del proceso de aprendizaje como colaboración, en lugar de formularlo como la resolución de conflictos. El archivo en formato pdf del manual (unicamente disponble en español) puede accesarse en la dirección

http://tinyurl.com/comanejo
(o siguiendo el vinculo en el titulo de este articulo)

Wut u want...

(There's two more things I want to post from old journals and projects, then I can focus on the present and sharing a little more about my thesis and about how life looks downstream from a UPEACE M.A.)

I got these seven questions from a workshop on holistic hypnotherapy with Makarand, a transpersonal psychologist and body-worker, about 10 to 12 years ago.

Used in sequence, they may help arrive at greater clarity about what you want, and about the steps you can follow to achieve that.

1. What do you want?

2. How would you know that you have received what you want?

3. How would your life be different when you get it?

4. Is there any situation where you don’t want this thing/person/behaviour?

5. What resources do you need in order to get this specific outcome?

6. Is there anything you might lose when you finally get what you want?

7. What is stopping you from getting it right now?

The Aragorn Project

Back in 2002, after 15 months of Gestalt therapist training, and dismayed at the prospect playing the role of "skilled frustrator" day in and day out, I started to look for a different path; one that coalesced my life skills and gave me a personal focus distinct from that of the psychotherapeutic establishment, and outside of a collision course with it.

All this led me to start a life-transitions coaching practice, that I called: Garuda Sofia Transiciones. Inspired by Thomas Leonard's work, I set out to distill an "operating system" that would be the backbone of my coaching practice. My system became "the Aragorn Project", thus named because it was inspired by the second line in Bilbo's poem about Strider/Aragorn in the Lord of the Rings:

"all that is gold does not glitter,

not all those who wander are lost,

the old that is strong does not wither,

deep roots are not reached by the frost."

Thus came the Aragorn Project, a chart for wandering without being lost...

It is based on six general premises and twelve more detailed principles. Each premise is accompanied by a core value, and each principle by an aptitude.

I am especially fond of my first premise "Life is Jazz", because it is one of the few ocassions where I feel I've managed to be brief and still sustain the fundamental meaning.

You're welcome to share this, but please don't do it without crediting me and letting me know first.

THE PREMISES

1. Life is Jazz.
   Respect life’s cycles, and know when it’s your time to set the beat.
2. Work is the antidote to helplessness
   ...and impotence, and despair. Work is not something you do for others, it’s how you set yourself free.
3. Start building at Aha!
   Insight is the power to grow, what lies beyond it is your responsibility.
4. Create environments that amaze and support you!
   Build the castle and the myth.
5. It’s not about True or False, it’s about Framing
   Learn what the current frame is made up of, allow new frames to manifest
6. There is invulnerability in Love
   There you may seek and find it

THE DETAILED PRINCIPLES

I. LIFE IS JAZZ ( Value - HARMONY)
1. You are your life’s secret ingredient (not just the garnishings). [Aptitude - Lead]
2. Accept that anything can change at any moment. [Aptitude - Flow]

II. WORK IS THE ANTIDOTE OF HELPLESSNESS (Value - PURPOSE)
3. Think of what makes you feel most helpless, what are you standing around it for? [Aptitude - Direction]
4. Think of what you enjoy most about your work, what if everyone in he world could feel that way? [Aptitude - Skillful Means]

III. START BUILDING @ AHA! (Value - RESPONSIBILITY)
5. Bring yourself to the place of discovery. [Aptitude - Mindfulness]
6. Account for every seed. [Aptitude - Responsible Vision]

IV. CREATE ENVIRONMENTS THAT AMAZE AND SUPPORT YOU (Value - INTEGRITY)
7. Show people that you’re okay with being helped, and surprised. [Aptitude - Availability]
8. Continuously nurture and rediscover your support systems. [Aptitude - Stewardship]

V. IT’S NOT ABOUT TRUE OR FALSE, IT’S ABOUT FRAMING. (Value - CLARITY)
9. "Wrong" kills possibilities! [Aptitude - Openness]
10. Allow every view’s wisdom to fit together through caring. [Aptitude - Bridge_Building]

VI. THERE IS INVULNERABILITY IN LOVE. (Value - FAITH)
11. Always cross reference every manifestation of love with the Source. [Aptitude - Awe]
12. Trust that fearlessness and bliss are there, even when you clearly can’t see them. [Aptitude - Transcendence].