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Action Learning Associates Newsletter
January, 2002
CONTENTS:
2001 PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS
2002 PROGRAM GOALS
GOOD READS
PERSONAL THOUGHTS
- Team Building Trainings for adults.
In 2001 ALA provided several teambuilding training programs for adults.
We designed a phenomenal 3-day retreat that combined themes of personal
and professional renewal with ropes course activities and dancing (!);
we also had many ropes course based trainings at Sandy Spring Friends School,
where we are installing two new high ropes elements- including a Giant Swing;
we have done several portable ropes course programs at other locations; and we
designed an intervention for two senior managers that included camping and rock climbing.
- New Leadership Training Program.
In June 2001 at the University of Maryland, College Park, we finally initiated the
10-day program of the Leadership Development Institute. The program is called
"Foundations of Leadership" and was designed for new supervisors within the
University. Unlike any other University-based Leadership Program in the
United States, we spent over a year developing original content for that program
based upon an extensive needs assessment. ALA was a co-founder, working with
3 other external consultants, and a talented team from the Office of Organizational
Development and Training. Our specific role was to develop the opening and closing
sessions, plus a program on Emotional Intelligence that is central to the training model.
Based upon its tremendous success, that program will continue in full force three times
each year, starting this month. Yeah! Testimonials, photos, and training schedules
are at Leadership Development Institute.
- Team Building Expeditions for young people.
In 2001, ALA provided several programs for young people. Each was unique and
designed to help people feel comfortable with new challenges in the outdoors.
They included a 3-day opening of school expedition with camping, orienteering,
rock climbing, rappelling, and whitewater rafting; a 1-day ropes course and
rappelling day; several team-building days; and a 2-day Tribal Challenge in
the spirit of the Survivor television series.
- Adventure Race Theme Program for adults.
You may know that adventure racing is the fastest-growing sport in the U.S.
Like an off-road triathlon, adventure racing combines outdoor activities
in any terrain, in any season. ALA designed a teambuilding training day
that used an adventure race backdrop. Activities included an obstacle
course, trekking, orienteering, and biking. [Personal note here- some
of you may know that competitive adventure racing is one of my hobbies/passions.
2001 was a good year. With Team Last Minute we placed 10th in a 2-day race in
the New River Gorge of WV, and Team Go-Dads placed first in a 1-day race, and
well in several sprint races (2-8 hours in length.) Call me crazy, but it
fuels my training and keeps me centered on the grandeur in nature…]
- Assessment Inventories.
We continued to use the DISC inventory with several work groups, to help people
increase their self-awareness about behavioral patterns; we also continued working
with emotional intelligence inventories such as the Baron EQ-I, the ECI from
Hay-McBer, and the ECI from QMetrics.
The 2001 programs could not have existed without the countless hours of support from
over 30 Associates working with me! There is a good reason why our company title is
"Action Learning Associates." The creativity, intelligence, flexibility, and professionalism
demonstrated by our group makes me all proud and warm and tingly inside. We make this
company unique. Thanks to each one of you!
Of course, the bottom line belongs to each one of our clients. You represent a
tremendous range of people working in countless environments. However, for the time
that we were together you each wrestled with some questions or challenges about yourself,
or about your work. That is the essence of action learning. If you recall, the Action
Learning Cycle is an endless one with four points: Deciding, Doing, Reflecting, and
Connecting. We thank each of you for the opportunity to connect and we hope that
you are doing good work!
We plan to continue with the above five program areas. They enable us to work with many
different groups of people and we appreciate that variety. Plus, we like to work with you!
We expect to announce another area of development in the second quarter. Essentially, we
have spent over a year developing something that we believe is going to shake your socks off!
Yes, I'm serious!
- For a timely discussion titled "Values and Outdoor Training", written by Doug Gray,
(yes, that is yours truly, truly) please visit Harvard Resources Offers.
Although I have more ties to Dartmouth's green than Harvard's crimson, this site sometimes
has good insights into recent ideas at the Harvard Business School.
- Especially since September 11, ALA clients have been reaching out toward each other,
sharing ideas and knowledge. Tim Sanders, Yahoo senior executive, argues that we need to
"intelligently and sensibly share our knowledge, networks, and compassion with our business
partners." He calls that love. I call it human respect and decency. His article is at
Tim Sanders Article.
As a family man, the tragedies of this fall brought sadness, some anxiety, and bunches of questions.
Some of those were printed at http://www.bizmonthly.com/12_2001_focus/f_10.html. I still feel
the sadness and anxiety. I pray for my family member, who happens to be a senior officer deployed
near Afghanistan. I pray for those who suffered directly when we were attacked. And I feel for
those who carry so much hatred towards us, because hatred separates us from our ability to work together.
The questions will remain for a long time. They include:
Why does anyone believe that such terrorism will lead to change?
How will I tolerate suspected violence?
What do I value?
What will I do to live up to those values?
Thankfully, throughout the fall programs I have noticed that many people have said, "We want to
confront the issues in our work group." These team building programs contained a sense of
urgency, as if people were tired of tolerating unproductive behaviors and were ready to
confront their issues. That is where the work is. Whenever we can help people create
movement, then the training is paying off.
Recently I was asked to write a biography. The task is not of interest to me, so I played
with it a little bit and added the following as a final line:
"Doug Gray lives what he believes. He is a family man, a builder, a writer, and a competitive adventure racer."
If you were to write your biography, then your final line, what would you write?
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