Dear Reader, We often hear the phrase in self-help books: What gets our attention will grow. In fact, I have it stuck on a note right next to my screen. But what about the things we don’t focus on—the ones we brush aside, believing that sweeping them under the rug will somehow preserve our fragile sense of harmony? The truth is, these unnoticed moments can quietly swell until they become unreasonably large, disrupting our lives far more than we anticipate. Today, I want to write about the...
9 days ago • 3 min read
Dear Reader, As facilitators, we often talk about the importance of creating space. But how do we balance sharing our own voice with making room for others? And how can we tell when our contributions invite or unintentionally silence those around us? This is where the concepts of “crowding in” and “crowding out” come into play. Inspired by economic theory, these terms initially describe how public spending can either attract private investment or decrease it. Thomas Lahnthaler recently...
23 days ago • 3 min read
Hi Reader, I’ve just returned from a two-week offline break, and I finally feel like myself again. Isn't it remarkable? We all cognitively understand the importance of taking real breaks from work, yet we struggle to implement them until it feels almost too late. This is a classic example of the knowing-doing gap: the disconnect between what we know we should do and what we actually do in practice. In my case, this gap forced me to confront a brutal truth: If I don't change my relationship to...
about 2 months ago • 4 min read
Hi Reader, As I prepare for my upcoming vacation (and you are reading this while I am under the Greek sun), I find myself contemplating the nature of comfort zones. While previously I spoke about what I am packing and what I will leave behind today, I reflect on the opportunity for introspection, which is also related to the question I am inviting on my trip. I’ve come to realise that my comfort zone lies predominantly in doing—taking action, staying busy, and ensuring things get done. This...
2 months ago • 4 min read
Hi Reader, What are the essentials you pack for a vacation? And what are the 'intangibles' you take with you? As I am putting aside items for my vacation, I was looking at the empty notebook that will come along and had the idea to bring soem questions along that I in my daily busyness don't necessarily take time to think about. As facilitators, we’re adept at crafting questions that drive insight and transformation within our groups. Yet, how often do we turn this skill inward and pose the...
2 months ago • 4 min read
Dear Reader, How do you get what you want without using force or power? Inspired by a workshop I prepared for a group of programme managers on the topic of "Influence without Authority," I could not resist drawing a 2x2 and exploring the stereotypes within the quadrants and, more importantly, how to move them from 'no influence' to 'influence' independent of whether they hold formal authority. While authority relates to the legitimate power that allows someone to make decisions and enforce...
3 months ago • 4 min read
Dear Reader, As you may know, I have a thing for questions. My favourite workshop activity is the "question-brainstorm" and I spend a good amount of time with (leadership) teams, poking them on asking better questions. What I noticed is that the questions we ask reveal much about the type of leadership we embody. In short: Effective leaders ask questions. But not all questions are created equal. As a matter of fact, the nature of our questions can drastically shape our interactions and...
3 months ago • 3 min read
Dear Reader, Have you ever found yourself nodding along in a conversation, feeling a bit lost but too hesitant to ask for clarification? It’s a common scenario, especially when acronyms and professional jargon dominate the discussion. Language is a powerful tool that can either bring us together or inadvertently push us apart. Reflecting on this, how often do we use language that may exclude others? Consider the term FOMO (fear of missing out). For some, it’s a staple of modern vocabulary,...
4 months ago • 4 min read
Dear Reader, In the last Foundations of Facilitation course that I hosted with Michelle Howard, we shared one easy framework hack that I keep up my sleeve when having to decide on an activity to use in a workshop. Every session is unique, and so it boils down to the purpose of that day, as well as my ambition for the activity. To decide, I reflect on two scales: Is the primary aim of the activity to connect participants, or focus on the content of the conversation? Do I want participants to...
5 months ago • 2 min read