Ginger,
Your thoughts provoked these in me.
Someone said to me last spring that in driving organizational change for
the better, I should defuse frustration by following the 2-6-2 principle.
"Huh?" I asked.
"You know, the bell curve thing. Leverage the pioneers--they, the 20% on
the edge, are always ready to move. Work on the 60% in the middle, and
lose as little sleep as possible over the remaining 20%. It'll keep your
head sane and clear."
So I do that as I deploy continuous improvement ideas in my organization
and as I present "business" tools to more and more public school teachers.
Don't get me wrong, Ginger. I'm not abnegating my responsibility to spread
a universal Warmth and Glow to every Middlesex village and farm. Why, that
just wouldn't be like me! I try to share where I personally think I may
"P.A.V.E." the way. That's my acr onym for Provoke, Assist, Validate,
Educate.
The streets around us are cleaner than they have ever been, no? There is
overall less smoking in public than I have ever known. I must presume that
there are fewer butts on the ground, too. I know, I'm using the only two
examples you wrote about. But stil l, I'll bet you and I have gotten wiser
about how to influence for the better. I'll wager many on this list are
aware in this Path to improvement, too.
I'm optimistic about what we have already embarked upon in the collective
realm. Along with you and Jim, I'm keeping my head dry while keeping my
feet in the flow. Just some easy thoughts.
Happy days and best regards to you, Ginger,
--Barry Mallis bmallis@markem.com
Learning-org -- An Internet Dialog on Learning Organizations For info: <rkarash@karash.com> -or- <http://world.std.com/~lo/>